Integral safety display for a test switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9678117-B2
Application number	US-201314654893-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2013
Priority date	Dec 26, 2012
Publication date	Jun 13, 2017
Grant date	Jun 13, 2017

Abstract

An electrical test switch has an integral energized circuit indicator. The energized circuit indicator is integrated into the front and/or rear covers of the test switch. The energized circuit indicator is passive and senses properties of the at least one conductor of the device being tested by being placed in proximity of the device. The voltage display provides personnel a visual indication of whether the electrical device being tested is energized without requiring a physical test or direct connection to the at least one conductor of the device being measured.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical test switch, comprising:
a front cover, a rear cover and a base, said base having two or more conductors mounted to said base, said front and rear covers coupled to said base; and
an energized circuit indicator embedded in said front cover, said energized circuit indicator having a display, said energized circuit being disposed proximate to at least a portion of, and not in contact with, said two or more conductors, said display optically representing the detection of a presence of at least one property within an area within a proximity of said two or more conductors and said energized circuit at least when one of said two or more conductors is energized.

2. The electrical test switch of claim 1 wherein said energized circuit indicator is blank to represent an absence of a property of said at least one conductor being measured.

3. The electrical test switch of claim 1 wherein said energized circuit indicator is a LED, said LED illuminated when a predetermined property of said at least one conductor being measured is detected.

4. The electrical test switch of claim 1 wherein said display optically representing the detection of the presence of the at least one property does not provide an indication of which one of said two or more conductors is energized.

5. An electrical test switch, comprising:
a front cover, a rear cover and a base, said base having at least two conductors mounted to said base, said front and rear covers coupled to said base;
a first energized circuit indicator embedded in said front cover, said first energized circuit indicator having a display; and
a second energized circuit indicator embedded in a said rear cover, said first and second energized circuits being disposed proximate to at least a portion of said at least two conductors, said first and second displays optically representing the detection of at least one property of one or more conductors of said at least two conductors when at least one of said at least two conductors is energized, the optical representation of the detection by the first and second displays does not provide an indication of which one of said at least two conductors is energized.

6. The electrical test switch of claim 5 wherein the property being measured is the presence or absence of voltage in at least one conductor.

7. The electrical test switch of claim 5 wherein the property being measured is the presence or absence of current in the at least one conductor.

8. The electrical test switch of claim 5 wherein said first and second energized circuits are not in contact with said at least one conductor, and wherein said at least one property is detected by said first and second energized circuits in an area in proximity to said at least one conductor and said first and second energized circuits.

9. A method for optically indicating the presence of an electrical property of at least one conductor of a test switch, comprising:
a. integrating an energized circuit indicator within a cover of a test switch, the test switch comprising a plurality of conductors;
b. measuring the electrical property of at least one conductor of a plurality of conductors;
c. interpreting at least one electrical property of the measured conductor; and
d. transmitting via the energized circuit indicator an optical indication of the at least one property of the measured conductor at least when one conductor of the plurality of conductors is energized, the optical indication not providing an indication of which one of the plurality of conductors is energized.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one property measured is the presence or absence of voltage in at least one of the plurality of conductors.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the at least one property measured is the presence or absence of current in at least one of the plurality of conductors.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of measuring the electrical property comprises detecting, by the energized circuit, the presence of the electrical property in an area proximate to at least one of the plurality of conductors, the electrical property being at least one of voltage and current.

Assignees

• Abb Technology Ag
• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Masters Timothy F
• Ball Roy

Classifications

• H01H71/04

  Means for indicating condition of the switching device {(by means of an auxiliary contact H01H71/46)} · CPC title

• H01H13/70 Primary

  having a plurality of operating members associated with different sets of contacts, e.g. keyboard (mounting together a plurality of independent switches H02B) · CPC title

• G01R19/00

  Arrangements for measuring currents or voltages or for indicating presence or sign thereof (G01R5/00 takes precedence; for measuring bioelectric currents or voltages A61B5/24) · CPC title

• G01R19/15

  Indicating the presence of current · CPC title

• G01R19/155

  Indicating the presence of voltage · CPC title