Switching circuit and power supply system
By designing a switching circuit and control unit to automatically switch the power system, the power supply problem of the UPS power circuit when the backup battery fails was solved, achieving a power system design with high reliability and low cost.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202423244035.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-26
- Publication Date
- 2025-12-26
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-26
AI Technical Summary
Existing UPS power supply circuits cannot continue to supply power when the backup battery fails, causing server downtime, affecting business operations and customer experience. Existing solutions also increase costs and space requirements.
Design a switching circuit that reuses battery modules from two power systems and uses a control unit to automatically switch to another power system when a battery fails, thereby reducing the cost and space occupied by the backup battery.
It improves system reliability, reduces the cost and space required for backup batteries, and ensures that the load can continue to be powered in the event of battery failure.
Smart Images

Figure CN223729497U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The utility model relates to power supply technical field especially relates to a switching circuit and power supply system. BACKGROUND
[0002] The existing UPS power supply circuit includes rectifier, PFC module and inverter in series, first, the AC power of power grid is converted into DC through rectifier, then the DC is corrected through PFC module, and then is converted into AC load available AC power through inverter, thereby providing stable and reliable AC power supply for various application scenarios. The existing UPS power supply circuit also includes a backup battery for supplying power to the load through PFC module and inverter in sequence when the power grid is powered off.
[0003] But when the backup battery is damaged, if the power grid is powered off, the UPS power supply circuit will stop supplying power to the load, when the load is a server, server downtime means business interruption, which will have a serious impact on the operation of the enterprise and customer experience. In order to solve the above problems, the existing solution is to install multiple backup batteries to switch another backup battery when one of them is damaged, but this will lead to the increase of the cost of UPS power supply circuit and the increase of the space occupation area. SUMMARY
[0004] The main purpose of the utility model is to provide a switching circuit and power supply system, which aims to switch the battery to the second power supply system or the first power supply system when the output of the first power supply system or the second power supply system fails, to maximize the utilization of the battery module of the two sets of power supply system by multiplexing the output circuit of the second power supply system or the first power supply system, to improve the system reliability and reduce the cost and occupation area of the backup battery of the power supply system.
[0005] In order to achieve the above purpose, the utility model provides a switching circuit applied to a power supply system, the power supply system includes a first power supply circuit and a second power supply circuit, the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit are both in communication connection with a control unit, and the switching circuit includes:
[0006] A first charging circuit and a first battery circuit, the input end of the first charging circuit is electrically connected with the input end of the rectifier circuit of the first power supply circuit, the output end of the first charging circuit is electrically connected with the power access end of the first battery circuit, and the power output end of the first battery circuit is electrically connected with the input end of the PFC module of the first power supply circuit;
[0007] a second charging circuit, an input end of the second charging circuit being electrically connected with an input end of a rectifier circuit of the second power supply circuit, an output end of the second charging circuit being electrically connected with a power input end of the second battery circuit, and a power output end of the second battery circuit being electrically connected with an input end of a PFC module of the first power supply circuit;
[0008] a controlled end of the first battery circuit and a controlled end of the second battery circuit are electrically connected with a control end of a control unit;
[0009] a first switch circuit, a first end of the first switch circuit being electrically connected with an output end of the first battery circuit, a second end of the first switch circuit being electrically connected with an input end of a PFC module of the second power supply circuit, and a controlled end of the first switch circuit being electrically connected with a control end of a control unit;
[0010] a second switch circuit, a first end of the second switch circuit being electrically connected with an output end of the second battery circuit, a second end of the second switch circuit being electrically connected with an input end of a PFC module of the first power supply circuit, and a controlled end of the second switch circuit being electrically connected with a control end of a control unit.
[0011] In an embodiment, the first battery circuit comprises:
[0012] a first battery module, a first diode and a second diode, an anode of the first diode being electrically connected with an output end of the first charging circuit, a cathode of the first diode being electrically connected with a power input end of the first battery module, an anode of the second diode being electrically connected with an output end of the first battery module and a first end of the first switch circuit respectively, and a cathode of the second diode being electrically connected with an input end of a PFC module of the first power supply circuit;
[0013] the second battery circuit comprises:
[0014] a second battery module, a third diode and a fourth diode, an anode of the third diode being electrically connected with an output end of the second charging circuit, a cathode of the third diode being electrically connected with a power input end of the second battery module, an anode of the fourth diode being electrically connected with an output end of the second battery module and a first end of the second switch circuit respectively, and a cathode of the fourth diode being electrically connected with an input end of a PFC module of the second power supply circuit.
[0015] In an embodiment, the first switch circuit comprises:
[0016] The first switch assembly has a first end electrically connected with an output end of the first battery circuit, a second end electrically connected with an input end of a PFC module of the second power supply circuit, and a controlled end electrically connected with a control end of the control unit.
[0017] The second switch circuit comprises:
[0018] The second switch assembly has a first end electrically connected with an output end of the second battery circuit, a second end electrically connected with an input end of a PFC module of the first power supply circuit, and a controlled end electrically connected with a control end of the control unit.
[0019] In an embodiment, the switching circuit further comprises:
[0020] The parallel operation controller has a signal receiving end electrically connected with a control end of the control unit, and control ends electrically connected with the controlled ends of the first switch circuit and the second switch circuit, respectively.
[0021] The utility model further provides a power supply system, including first power supply circuit, second power supply circuit and above-mentioned any one switching circuit, first power supply circuit and second power supply circuit all with switching circuit electric connection.
[0022] In an embodiment, the first power supply circuit further comprises:
[0023] The third switch assembly has a first end connected with a commercial power supply, a second end connected with a load, and a controlled end connected with a control end of the control unit.
[0024] The second power supply circuit further comprises:
[0025] The fourth switch assembly has a first end connected with a commercial power supply, a second end connected with a load, and a controlled end connected with a control end of the control unit.
[0026] In an embodiment, the third switch assembly and the fourth switch assembly are both static transfer switches.
[0027] The utility model discloses a technical scheme including first charging circuit, first battery circuit, second charging circuit, second battery circuit, first switch circuit and second switch circuit, and control unit is used to when the power of city that first power supply circuit accesses stops and the first battery circuit appears the failure, control second switch circuit conduction, to make second battery circuit in turn through second switch circuit and first power supply circuit and power supply to load, same, control unit is used to when the power of city that second power supply circuit accesses stops and the second battery circuit appears the failure, control first switch circuit conduction, to make first battery circuit in turn through first switch circuit and second power supply circuit and charge to load. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical scheme in the embodiment of the utility model or prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawing needed to be used in the embodiment or prior art description, and obviously, the drawing in the following description is only some embodiments of the utility model, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained according to the structure shown in these drawings without creative labor.
[0029] Figure 1 It is the module schematic view of an embodiment of the utility model;
[0030] Figure 2 It is the circuit structure schematic view of an embodiment of the utility model;
[0031] Figure 3 It is the module schematic view of another embodiment of the utility model.
[0032] EXPLANATION OF DRAWINGS:
[0033] 11, first charging circuit;12, first battery circuit;21, second charging circuit;22, second battery circuit;30, first switch circuit;31, first switch assembly;40, second switch circuit;41, second switch assembly;50, parallel machine controller;60, third switch assembly;70, fourth switch assembly.
[0034] The realization of the utility model, functional characteristics and advantages will be further explained by combining with the embodiment and referring to the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work fall within the scope of the present application.
[0036] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present application involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative positional relationship, movement condition, etc. between components in a certain posture, and if the certain posture changes, the directional indications also change accordingly.
[0037] In addition, if the embodiments of the present application involve descriptions such as "first", "second", etc., the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for description purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features limited by "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, "and / or" or "and / or" appearing throughout the text means that the three parallel schemes are included, for example, "A and / or B" includes A scheme, or B scheme, or A and B simultaneously satisfy the scheme. In addition, the technical solutions of each embodiment can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the realization of ordinary skilled in the art, when the combination of technical solutions appears contradictory or unachievable, it should be considered that the combination of technical solutions does not exist, and is not within the protection scope required by the present application.
[0038] The existing UPS power supply circuit includes a rectifier, a PFC module and an inverter connected in series. First, the AC power of the power grid is converted into DC power through the rectifier, then the DC power is corrected through the PFC module, and then the AC load available AC power is converted through the inverter, thereby providing stable and reliable AC power for various application scenarios. The existing UPS power supply circuit also includes a backup battery for sequentially powering the load through the PFC module and the inverter when the power grid is powered off.
[0039] But when the standby battery is damaged, the UPS power supply circuit stops supplying power to the load if the power grid is powered off, when the load is a server, the server shutdown means business interruption, which will have a serious impact on the operation of the enterprise and customer experience, in order to solve the above problems, the existing solution is to install multiple standby batteries to switch another standby battery when one of the standby batteries is damaged, but this will cause the cost of the UPS power supply circuit to rise and the space occupied area to increase.
[0040] Therefore, the utility model provides a kind of switching circuit and power supply system, when the output of first power supply system or second power supply system fails, its battery is switched to second power supply system or first power supply system, by multiplexing second power supply system or first power supply system output circuit, maximizes the battery module of two sets of power supply systems is fully utilized, improve system reliability and reduce the cost and occupied area of standby battery of power supply system.
[0041] Reference Figure 1 In an embodiment of the utility model, a switching circuit is applied to a power supply system, the power supply system includes a first power supply circuit and a second power supply circuit, the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit are both in communication connection with a control unit, and the switching circuit includes:
[0042] A first charging circuit 11 and a first battery circuit 12, the input end of the first charging circuit 11 is electrically connected with the input end of the rectifier circuit of the first power supply circuit, the output end of the first charging circuit 11 is electrically connected with the power access end of the first battery circuit 12, and the power output end of the first battery circuit 12 is electrically connected with the input end of the PFC module of the first power supply circuit;
[0043] A second charging circuit 21 and a second battery circuit 22, the input end of the second charging circuit 21 is electrically connected with the input end of the rectifier circuit of the second power supply circuit, the output end of the second charging circuit 21 is electrically connected with the power access end of the second battery circuit 22, and the power output end of the second battery circuit 22 is electrically connected with the input end of the PFC module of the second power supply circuit;
[0044] The controlled end of the first battery circuit 12 and the controlled end of the second battery circuit 22 are both electrically connected with the control end of the control unit;
[0045] A first switching circuit 30, the first end of the first switching circuit 30 is electrically connected with the output end of the first battery circuit 12, the second end of the first switching circuit 30 is electrically connected with the input end of the PFC module of the second power supply circuit, and the controlled end of the first switching circuit 30 is electrically connected with the control end of the control unit;
[0046] A second switch circuit 40, a first end of the second switch circuit 40 is electrically connected with an output end of the second battery circuit 22, a second end of the second switch circuit 40 is electrically connected with an input end of the PFC module of the first power supply circuit, a controlled end of the second switch circuit 40 is electrically connected with a control end of the control unit.
[0047] In the embodiment, the first battery circuit 12 and the second battery circuit 22 are used to receive the power provided by the commercial power when the power is insufficient, so as to provide the power for the first power supply circuit / second power supply circuit when the commercial power is powered off.
[0048] In the embodiment, the first charging circuit 11 and the second charging circuit 21 are used to convert the external power (such as commercial power) into the voltage and current suitable for the battery circuit charging, and generally include a rectifier (converts alternating current into direct current), a filter (smooths the output of the direct current), and a possible voltage regulator (ensures that the output voltage is stable).
[0049] In the embodiment, the first switch circuit 30 and the second switch circuit 40 each include at least one switch component, and the switch component includes any bidirectional switch such as a relay or a single-pole single-throw switch. For example, referring to Figure 3 , the first switch circuit 30 includes:
[0050] A first switch component 31, a first end of the first switch component 31 is electrically connected with an output end of the first battery circuit, a second end of the first switch component 31 is electrically connected with an input end of the PFC module of the second power supply circuit, and a controlled end of the first switch component 31 is electrically connected with a control end of the control unit.
[0051] The second switch circuit 40 includes:
[0052] A second switch component 41, a first end of the second switch component 41 is electrically connected with an output end of the second battery circuit, a second end of the second switch component 41 is electrically connected with an input end of the PFC module of the first power supply circuit, and a controlled end of the second switch component 41 is electrically connected with a control end of the control unit.
[0053] In the embodiment, the switching circuit can further comprise a parallel controller 50, and the parallel controller 50 is configured to control the switch circuit to be turned on / off when receiving a relevant signal transmitted by the control unit. It should be noted that the control unit comprises a first monitoring system and a second monitoring system, the first monitoring system is configured to monitor the working state of the first power supply circuit, the second monitoring system is configured to monitor the working state of the second power supply circuit, the first monitoring system and the second monitoring system are further configured to output corresponding state signals according to the working state of the first power supply circuit and the working state of the second power supply circuit, and the parallel controller 50 is configured to control the first switch circuit 30 or the second switch circuit 40 to be turned on / off according to the received state signals. It can be understood that the parallel controller can also undertake the corresponding functions of the control unit.
[0054] Specifically, the technical scheme of the utility model comprises first charging circuit 11, first battery circuit 12, second charging circuit 21, second battery circuit 22, first switch circuit 30 and second switch circuit 40, control unit is used to when the power supply of first power supply circuit access is power failure and first battery circuit 12 appears the fault, control second switch circuit 40 is turned on, with second battery circuit 22 is sequentially powered to load through second switch circuit 40 and first power supply circuit, same, control unit is used to when the power supply of second power supply circuit access is power failure and second battery circuit 22 appears the fault, control first switch circuit 30 is turned on, with first battery circuit 12 is sequentially charged to load through first switch circuit 30 and second power supply circuit. Such setting, in actual application, first battery circuit 12 and second battery circuit 22 can be used as the standby battery of first power supply circuit and second power supply circuit respectively, compared with the existing power supply system, the power supply system of the utility model switching circuit does not need to configure multiple standby batteries for each power supply circuit, when the standby battery of one power supply circuit of power supply system appears the fault, if the standby battery of power supply circuit is equipped with the fault, the utility model switching circuit can switch the standby battery of another power supply circuit of power supply system to provide electric energy, thereby reducing the cost of power supply system and reducing the occupied space of power supply system.
[0055] It should be noted that, in the case that the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit simultaneously supply power to the load to improve the power supply efficiency, when the inverter circuit of any one of the power supply circuits fails, the corresponding power supply circuit cannot supply power to the load, in this case, only a single power supply circuit supplies power to the load, but the power supply efficiency of the single power supply circuit may not meet the power supply demand of the entire load. In this regard, the control unit is further configured to control the first switch circuit 30 to turn on the path between the first battery circuit 12 and the second power supply circuit when the inverter circuit of the first power supply circuit fails, and control the first battery circuit 12 to work, so that the second power supply circuit simultaneously receives the power supply of the mains and the first battery circuit 12; the control unit is further configured to control the second switch circuit 40 to turn on the path between the second battery circuit 22 and the first power supply circuit when the inverter circuit of the second power supply circuit fails, and control the second battery circuit 22 to work, so that the second power supply circuit simultaneously receives the power supply of the mains and the first battery circuit 12, to improve the power supply efficiency of the single power supply circuit, thereby meeting the power supply demand of the load.
[0056] It can be understood that the second end of the first switch circuit 30 can also be connected with the input end of the inverter circuit of the second power supply circuit, and the output end of the first battery circuit 12 can also be connected with the input end of the inverter circuit of the first power supply circuit; the second end of the second switch circuit 40 can also be connected with the input end of the inverter circuit of the first power supply circuit, and the output end of the second battery circuit 22 can also be connected with the input end of the inverter circuit of the second power supply circuit. When the DC power parameters output by the battery circuit meet the actual demand, the PFC module need not be used to process them, and they can be directly input to the inverter circuit.
[0057] It can be understood that the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit can also be standby power supply circuits for each other, for example, when the first power supply circuit fails to work, the control unit controls the second power supply circuit to work, to ensure the continuous power supply to the load.
[0058] It can be understood that, since the first battery circuit 12 can be used to sequentially charge the load through the first switch circuit 40 and the second power supply circuit, and the second battery circuit 22 can be used to sequentially supply power to the load through the second switch circuit 30 and the first power supply circuit, the first battery circuit 12 and the second battery circuit 22 are independent of each other and will not interfere with each other, thereby avoiding the influence of the circulating current between the first battery circuit 12 and the second battery circuit 22.
[0059] Reference Figure 2 In an embodiment of the utility model, the first battery circuit 12 comprises:
[0060] The first battery module, a first diode D1 and a second diode D2, the anode of the first diode D1 is electrically connected with the output end of the first charging circuit 11, the cathode of the first diode D1 is electrically connected with the power input end of the first battery module, the anode of the second diode D2 is electrically connected with the output end of the first battery module and the first end of the first switch circuit 30 respectively, and the cathode of the second diode D2 is electrically connected with the input end of the PFC module of the first power supply circuit.
[0061] The second battery circuit 22 comprises:
[0062] A second battery module, a third diode D3 and a fourth diode D4, the anode of the third diode D3 is electrically connected with the output end of the second charging circuit 21, the cathode of the third diode D3 is electrically connected with the power input end of the second battery module, the anode of the fourth diode D4 is electrically connected with the output end of the second battery module and the first end of the second switch circuit 40 respectively, and the cathode of the fourth diode D4 is electrically connected with the input end of the PFC module of the second power supply circuit.
[0063] In the embodiment, the first diode D1 and the third diode D3 are respectively used for preventing the current of the first battery module and the second battery module from flowing back to the first charging circuit 11 and the second charging circuit 21, and the second diode D2 and the fourth diode D4 are respectively used for preventing the direct current after being processed by the rectifier circuit from flowing back to the first battery module and the second battery module, so as to protect the safety of the charging circuit and the power supply system.
[0064] The utility model also proposes a kind of power supply system, including first power supply circuit, second power supply circuit and the switching circuit as described above;The first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit are electrically connected with the switching circuit.
[0065] It is worth noting that, since the power supply system of the utility model is based on the above-mentioned switching circuit, the embodiments of the power supply system of the utility model include all the technical solutions of all the embodiments of the above-mentioned switching circuit, and the technical effects achieved are also exactly the same, which will not be repeated here.
[0066] Reference Figure 3 In an embodiment of the utility model, the first power supply circuit further comprises:
[0067] The third switch assembly 60 is connected with the control end of the control unit.
[0068] The second power supply circuit further comprises:
[0069] The fourth switch assembly 70 has a first end connected to the mains, a second end connected to the load, and a controlled end connected to the control end of the control unit.
[0070] In the embodiment, the input end of the rectifier circuit of the first power supply circuit and the first end of the third switch assembly 60 are connected to the mains. In normal conditions, the third switch assembly 60 is turned on, and the mains directly supplies power to the load through the third switch assembly 60. When the voltage quality of the mains declines (such as voltage fluctuation, excessively low voltage, voltage distortion, etc.), the mains cannot continue to provide stable and reliable power supply for the load. In this case, the control unit controls the third switch assembly 60 to be turned off when detecting that the voltage quality of the mains declines, and controls the first power supply circuit to work. After being processed by the rectifier circuit, the PFC module and the inverter circuit of the first power supply circuit in sequence, the mains can be converted into stable and reliable alternating current, which is suitable for supplying power to the load. It should be noted that the fourth switch assembly 70 has the same effect as the third switch assembly 60, which will not be described one by one. In this way, the power supply system of the utility model has voltage quality monitoring and protection functions, can timely discover and cope with voltage quality problems, and prevent damage to the load.
[0071] The above is only an exemplary embodiment of the utility model, and does not limit the patent range of the utility model, and any equivalent structural transformation, direct / indirect application in other related technical fields under the technical concept of the utility model, and the contents of the utility model specification and drawings are included in the patent protection range of the utility model.
Claims
1. A switching circuit applied to a power supply system including a first power supply circuit and a second power supply circuit, the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit each being communicatively connected to a control unit, characterized by, The switching circuit comprises: The first charging circuit and the first battery circuit, the input end of the first charging circuit is electrically connected with the input end of the rectifier circuit of the first power supply circuit, the output end of the first charging circuit is electrically connected with the power input end of the first battery circuit, and the power output end of the first battery circuit is electrically connected with the input end of the PFC module of the first power supply circuit; The second charging circuit and the second battery circuit, the input end of the second charging circuit is electrically connected with the input end of the rectifier circuit of the second power supply circuit, the output end of the second charging circuit is electrically connected with the power input end of the second battery circuit, and the power output end of the second battery circuit is electrically connected with the input end of the PFC module of the second power supply circuit; The controlled end of the first battery circuit and the controlled end of the second battery circuit are electrically connected with the control end of the control unit; The first switch circuit, the first end of the first switch circuit is electrically connected with the output end of the first battery circuit, the second end of the first switch circuit is electrically connected with the input end of the PFC module of the second power supply circuit, and the controlled end of the first switch circuit is electrically connected with the control end of the control unit; The second switch circuit, the first end of the second switch circuit is electrically connected with the output end of the second battery circuit, the second end of the second switch circuit is electrically connected with the input end of the PFC module of the first power supply circuit, and the controlled end of the second switch circuit is electrically connected with the control end of the control unit.
2. The switching circuit of claim 1, wherein, The first battery circuit comprises: The first battery module, the first diode and the second diode, the anode of the first diode is electrically connected with the output end of the first charging circuit, the cathode of the first diode is electrically connected with the power input end of the first battery module, the anode of the second diode is electrically connected with the output end of the first battery module and the first end of the first switch circuit respectively, and the cathode of the second diode is electrically connected with the input end of the PFC module of the first power supply circuit; The second battery circuit comprises: The second battery module, the third diode and the fourth diode, the anode of the third diode is electrically connected with the output end of the second charging circuit, the cathode of the third diode is electrically connected with the power input end of the second battery module, the anode of the fourth diode is electrically connected with the output end of the second battery module and the first end of the second switch circuit respectively, and the cathode of the fourth diode is electrically connected with the input end of the PFC module of the second power supply circuit.
3. The switching circuit of claim 1, wherein, The first switch circuit comprises: The first switch component, the first end of the first switch component is electrically connected with the output end of the first battery circuit, the second end of the first switch component is electrically connected with the input end of the PFC module of the second power supply circuit, and the controlled end of the first switch component is electrically connected with the control end of the control unit; The second switch circuit comprises: A second switch assembly, a first end of the second switch assembly is electrically connected with an output end of the second battery circuit, a second end of the second switch assembly is electrically connected with an input end of the PFC module of the first power supply circuit, and a controlled end of the second switch assembly is electrically connected with a control end of the control unit.
4. Switching circuit according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The switching circuit further comprises: A parallel operation controller, a signal receiving end of the parallel operation controller is electrically connected with a control end of the control unit, and control ends of the parallel operation controller are respectively electrically connected with the controlled end of the first switch circuit and the controlled end of the second switch circuit.
5. A power supply system characterized by comprising: The switching circuit comprises a first power supply circuit, a second power supply circuit, and any one of the switching circuits according to claims 1 to 4; and the first power supply circuit and the second power supply circuit are electrically connected with the switching circuit.
6. The power supply system of claim 5, wherein, The first power supply circuit further comprises: A third switch assembly, a first end of the third switch assembly is connected with a commercial power supply, a second end of the third switch assembly is connected with a load, and a controlled end of the third switch assembly is connected with a control end of the control unit. The second power supply circuit further comprises: A fourth switch assembly, a first end of the fourth switch assembly is connected with a commercial power supply, a second end of the fourth switch assembly is connected with a load, and a controlled end of the fourth switch assembly is connected with a control end of the control unit.
7. The power supply system of claim 6, wherein, The third switch assembly and the fourth switch assembly are both static transfer switches.