1419results about "Protective switches" patented technology

A battery assembly for use with a surgical device having a battery terminal and operational parameters includes a housing having a shape formed to removably connect with the terminal. The housing contains a modular battery operable to supply power to the device at the terminal and has a control circuit with a microprocessor, a memory, and a real-time clock. The control circuit is communicatively coupled to the battery and is operable to detect an identity of the surgical device, to determine at least one piece of information pertaining to at least one of the operational parameters of the surgical device based upon the detected identity, to record the piece of information at least in the memory, and to selectively allow or prevent the battery from supplying power to the surgical device dependent upon the piece of information.

A connection cable is disclosed for controlling a voltage-controlled generator such as an electrosurgery generator from a controlling device such as a robotic surgery system. The cable includes a first connector adapted to connect to a voltage-controlled generator and a second connector adapted to connect to a controlling device. Within the cable is a voltage divider interdisposed between the first connector and the second connector. The voltage divider is configured to divide a reference voltage provided by the voltage-controlled generator into at least one control voltage which is selectable by the controlling device. The cable additionally includes a plurality of electrical wires which operatively connect the first connector, the second connector and the voltage divider. During robotic electrosurgery, said operating parameters can be actuated by a surgeon operating at the robotic surgical system console, which causes a corresponding control voltage to be switched to a control voltage input on an electrosurgery generator, which, in turn, generates a corresponding electrosurgical signal in response thereto.

A protective circuit for electrical connection to solar cells of a solar cell module is provided with a protective circuit that has a controlled electronic circuit arrangement. In this way, only minimal heating of the protective circuit for electrical connection of solar cells of a solar cell module occurs in operation. The controlled electronic circuit arrangement can have a trigger circuit and a switching arrangement which can be triggered by the trigger circuit, the switching arrangement being connected parallel to at least one solar cell, and in the case of shading of the solar cells, is at least temporarily activated by the trigger circuit so that a current bypass for the shaded solar cell is achieved.

A capacitive proximity switch for detecting the change in the capacitance relative to a setpoint capacitance by the approach or retreat of an object in the sensitive area of a proximity switch, especially for use in the door handle of a motor vehicle, provides reliable error detection and error suppression at a fundamentally high sensitivity of the capacitive proximity switch by utilizing an evaluation unit that evaluates a measured value of the change in capacitance over time and depending on the time behavior of the measured value activates changes the operating threshold from a first threshold (which can be caused by a false object coming into or out of the sensitive area of the proximity switch) to a higher second threshold which can be reached only at a relatively greater change in capacitance caused by a target object coming into or out of the sensitive area of the proximity switch.

Apparatuses and methods to firewall distributed energy sources. In one aspect, an apparatus includes: a first connector configured to interface with a distributed energy source; a second connector configured to interface with a connection point of an electric power system; at least one switch coupled between the first connector and the second connector; at least one sensor coupled with the switch; and a controller coupled with the at least one switch, the controller to use the at least one switch to selectively connect or disconnect an electric path between the first connector and the second connector based on signals from the at least one sensor.

A smart dimmer switch for control of a lighting load from an AC voltage source can replace any switch in a three-way or four-way lighting control system. The smart dimmer switch can be connected on the line-side or the load-side of a three-way system with a standard three-way switch in the other location. Further, the dimmer switch can replace a four-way switch in a four-way system and is operable to be coupled to two standard three-way switches. The dimmer switch includes either one or two semiconductor switches to control the intensity of the connected lighting load. The dimmer switch preferably includes a sensing circuit for detecting an electrical characteristic (i.e., either a voltage or a current) at a terminal of the dimmer to determine the state of the connected three-way switch(s) or four-way switch. The dimmer switch preferably controls the state of the semiconductor switch in response to either a toggle of any of the other switches in the system or an actuation of a toggle button of the dimmer switch.