Sensing relay module, sensing relay device and sensor and electrical relay assembly

Abstract

Aspects disclosed herein relate to sensing relay modules, sensing relay devices, and sensor and electrical relay assemblies. In one aspect, the sensing relay module may include a housing, and a reed switch and a relay within the housing, where the reed switch and the relay are separated from each other by a barrier, and where the reed switch is connected to an input of the relay within the second compartment, where the reed switch is connected to an input of the relay.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to the field of sensor devices, and more specifically, to a combined sensing relay module, sensing relay device, and sensor and electrical relay assembly. Background Technology

[0002] Access control systems are typically used to restrict access to enclosed areas (such as buildings, rooms within buildings, or fenced areas) that are accessible only to authorized personnel. When the status of a door or other barrier monitored by the access control system is detected, a CPU / PLC can receive indications from one or more sensors, and its output signals can control relays to turn the main power on and off. However, using a CPU / PLC is not advisable in some applications.

[0003] This disclosure is made in response to this and other shortcomings. Utility Model Content

[0004] This utility model summary is provided to present selected concepts in a simplified form, which will be further described in the detailed description below. This utility model summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to help determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0005] In one aspect, a sensing relay module may include a housing and a sensor and a relay within the housing, wherein the sensor and relay are separated from each other by a barrier, and wherein the sensor is connected to an input terminal of the relay. The sensor may be a reed switch, and the reed switch may be connected to a coil of the relay. The relay may include a magnetic core, and wherein the magnetic core generates a magnetic field when current from the sensor passes through the coil. The barrier may be a magnetic wall. The sensing relay module may also include a power supply connected to the sensor. The sensing relay module may also include a resistor between the power supply and the sensor. The sensing relay module may also include a normally closed contact connected to a first terminal, a normally open contact connected to a second terminal, and a movable contact connected to a third terminal.

[0006] In another aspect, a sensing relay device may include a housing having a first compartment and a second compartment separated by magnetic shielding, a reed switch in the first compartment, and a relay in the second compartment. The reed switch may be connected to the input terminal of the relay. The reed switch may be connected to the coil of the relay. The relay may include a magnetic core, wherein the magnetic core generates a magnetic field when current from the reed switch passes through the coil. The sensing relay device may further include: a power supply connected to the reed switch and a resistor between the power supply and the reed switch. The sensing relay device may further include a normally closed contact connected to the first terminal, a normally open contact connected to the second terminal, and a movable contact connected to the third terminal.

[0007] In another aspect, a sensor and electrical relay assembly may include a housing having a first compartment and a second compartment separated by magnetic shielding, and a reed switch in the first compartment, wherein the reed switch responds to a magnetic element proximated thereto. The sensor and electrical relay assembly may also include a relay in the second compartment, wherein the reed switch is connected to the input terminal of the relay, and wherein current is delivered through the reed switch when it is in a closed position. The reed switch may be connected to a coil of the relay. The relay may include a magnetic core, and wherein the magnetic core generates a magnetic field when current from the reed switch passes through the coil. The sensor and electrical relay assembly may also include a power supply connected to the reed switch and a resistor between the power supply and the reed switch. The sensor and electrical relay assembly may further include a normally closed contact connected to a first terminal, a normally open contact connected to a second terminal, and a movable contact connected to a third terminal. Attached Figure Description

[0008] The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary aspects of this disclosure, including practical applications of its principles, as follows:

[0009] Figure 1 A perspective view of components according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0010] Figure 2 A circuit diagram of a component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0011] The accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. The drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to depict specific parameters of this disclosure. The drawings are intended to depict exemplary embodiments of this disclosure and should therefore not be considered as limiting the scope. In the drawings, similar numbers denote similar elements.

[0012] Furthermore, for clarity, certain elements in some figures may be omitted or not shown to scale. Cross-sectional views may be presented as "slices" or "close-up" cross-sectional views; for clarity, some background lines visible in the "true" cross-sectional view are omitted. Additionally, for clarity, some reference numbers may be omitted in some figures. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The devices, sensors, modules, components, and methods according to this disclosure will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various embodiments are illustrated. These devices, sensors, modules, components, and methods may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the methods to those skilled in the art.

[0014] Typically, reed sensors receive milliamps of current. However, in some applications, reed switches receive relatively large currents, such as 5A or 10A. At these current levels, relays are a good choice. However, relays do not have sensing capabilities in short-range sensing applications. To address these drawbacks, embodiments of this disclosure provide a reed switch connected to the coil side of a mechanical relay, wherein the reed switch can be activated in response to an external magnet in its vicinity. During use, the reed switch closes, causing the relay coil to receive a power supply to activate the relay. When the magnet is removed from the reed switch, the coil loses its power supply, causing the relay contacts to open.

[0015] Now go to Figures 1 to 2 Example component / device 100 will be described. As shown, device 100 may include a housing / shell 102, which includes an outer wall 104 and a barrier wall 106 extending between opposite sides of the outer wall 104. The outer wall 104 and the barrier wall 106 may define a first compartment 108 and a second compartment 110. In some embodiments, the barrier wall 106 may be a magnetic shield that isolates the first compartment 108 and the second compartment 110.

[0016] The device may also include a sensor 112 within the first compartment 108. In an exemplary embodiment, the sensor 112 is a magnetic sensor called a reed switch. A reed switch is an electrical switch operated by an applied magnetic field. Flexible metal contacts at both ends of the reed switch housing 114 are connected to a circuit. In the absence of a magnetic field, the reed switch is in the open position. When a magnetic field is present, the metal contacts come into contact with each other, thereby closing the switch.

[0017] In a non-limiting example, sensor 112 is cylindrical, having opposite ends each connected to a wire. A first end of sensor 112 is connected to wire 116A, and a second end of sensor 112 is connected to wire 116B (collectively, “wire 116”) for connecting sensor 112 to a relay 120 located within a second compartment 110. As shown, wire 116B may extend through barrier wall 106 to connect to the coil 132 of relay 120. In an exemplary embodiment, wire 116A is connected to a voltage source 124 (VCC) and an indicator 126 (e.g., an LED), where the indicator is used to indicate the state of sensor 112. A resistor 128 (R1) may be present between indicator 126 and sensor 112. However, the embodiments herein are not limited to this context.

[0018] As further shown, the relay 120 of device 100 is connected to ground 134 and is connected to a normally closed (NC) contact 138, a normally open (NO) contact 140, and a movable contact 142. The NC contact 138 can be connected to a first terminal 148, the NO contact 140 can be connected to a second terminal 150, and the movable contact 142 can be connected to a third terminal 152. In some embodiments, the grounding wire 156 passes through the barrier wall 106.

[0019] The relay 120 also includes a magnetic core 160 around which a coil 132 is wound, a spring 164, and an armature 166. During use, when the sensor 112 closes in response to a magnet (not shown) near the sensor 112, current from the sensor 112 is delivered along wire 116B to the coil 132, thereby energizing the magnetic core 160. The armature 166 is then pulled toward the magnetic core 160, causing the active contact 142 to engage with the NO contact 140. When the magnet is no longer near the sensor 112, the magnetic core 160 no longer attracts the armature 166, and the active contact 142 disconnects from the NO contact 140 and engages the NC contact 138.

[0020] As used herein, elements or steps described in the singular and beginning with the word "a" or "an" are understood to not exclude plural elements or steps unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to "one embodiment" in this disclosure are not intended to exclude the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the described features.

[0021] The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” and variations thereof in this document means to include the items listed below and their equivalents, as well as additional items. Therefore, the terms “including,” “comprising,” or “having,” and variations thereof are open-ended expressions and may be used interchangeably herein.

[0022] The phrases “at least one,” “one or more,” and “and / or” used in this article are open-ended expressions and are operationally both connected and separate. For example, the expressions “at least one of A, B, and C,” “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” and “A, B, and / or C” mean A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B, and C together.

[0023] All directional references (e.g., proximal, distal, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, lateral, longitudinal, front, rear, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, radial, axial, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are used solely for identification purposes to aid the reader in understanding this disclosure. Directional references do not impose limitations, particularly regarding the location, orientation, or use of this disclosure. Unless otherwise stated, connection references (e.g., attachment, coupling, connection, and joining) should be interpreted broadly and may include intermediate members between sets of elements and relative movement between elements. Therefore, a connection reference does not necessarily imply that two elements are directly connected and have a fixed relationship with each other.

[0024] Furthermore, identification references (e.g., primary, secondary, first, second, third, fourth, etc.) do not imply importance or priority, but are used to distinguish one feature from another. These drawings are for illustrative purposes only, and the dimensions, positions, order, and relative dimensions reflected in the attached drawings may vary.

[0025] Furthermore, the terms "substantially" and "approximately" may be used interchangeably in some embodiments and may be described using any relative measure acceptable to those skilled in the art. For example, these terms may be used as comparisons with reference parameters to indicate deviations from the intended functionality. While not limiting, deviations from reference parameters may be, for example, amounts less than 1%, less than 3%, less than 5%, less than 10%, less than 15%, less than 20%, etc.

[0026] While certain embodiments of this disclosure have been described herein, this disclosure is not limited thereto, as its scope is as broad as permitted in the art, and this specification can be read in the same manner. Therefore, the foregoing description should not be construed as limiting. Rather, the foregoing description is merely an example of particular embodiments. Other modifications will be contemplated by those skilled in the art within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A sensing relay module, characterized by The sensing relay module includes: shell; and The housing contains a sensor and a relay, wherein the sensor and the relay are separated from each other by a barrier, and wherein the sensor is connected to the input terminal of the relay.

2. The sensing relay module of claim 1, wherein, The sensor is a reed switch, and the reed switch is connected to the coil of the relay.

3. The sensing relay module of claim 2, wherein, The relay includes a magnetic core, wherein the magnetic core generates a magnetic field when current from the sensor passes through the coil.

4. The sensing relay module of claim 1, wherein, The barrier is a magnetic wall.

5. The sensing relay module of claim 1, wherein, The sensing relay module also includes a power supply connected to the sensor.

6. The sensing relay module of claim 5, wherein, The sensing relay module also includes a resistor between the power supply and the sensor.

7. The sensing relay module of claim 1, wherein, The sensing relay module also includes a normally closed contact connected to the first terminal, a normally open contact connected to the second terminal, and a movable contact connected to the third terminal.

8. A sensing relay device, characterized in that, The sensing relay device includes: A housing, the housing comprising a first compartment and a second compartment separated by magnetic shielding; The reed switch in the first compartment; and The relay in the second compartment, wherein the reed switch is connected to the input terminal of the relay.

9. The sensing relay device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The reed switch is connected to the coil of the relay.

10. The sensing relay device according to claim 9, characterized in that, The relay includes a magnetic core, wherein the magnetic core generates a magnetic field when current from the reed switch passes through the coil.

11. The sensing relay device of claim 8, wherein, The sensing relay device also includes: The power supply connected to the reed switch; and A resistor between the power supply and the reed switch.

12. The sensing relay device according to claim 8, further comprising a normally closed contact connected to a first terminal, a normally open contact connected to a second terminal, and a movable contact connected to a third terminal.

13. A sensor and electrical relay assembly, characterized by, The sensor and electrical relay assembly includes: A housing, the housing comprising a first compartment and a second compartment separated by magnetic shielding; A reed switch in the first compartment, wherein the reed switch responds to a nearby magnetic element; and The relay in the second compartment, wherein the reed switch is connected to the input terminal of the relay, and wherein current is supplied through the reed switch when the reed switch is in the closed position.

14. The sensor and electrical relay assembly of claim 13, wherein, The reed switch is connected to the coil of the relay.

15. The sensor and electrical relay assembly of claim 14, wherein, The relay includes a magnetic core, wherein the magnetic core generates a magnetic field when current from the reed switch passes through the coil.

16. The sensor and electrical relay assembly of claim 13, wherein, The sensor and electrical relay assembly also includes: The power supply connected to the reed switch; and A resistor between the power supply and the reed switch.

17. The sensor and electrical relay assembly of claim 13, wherein, The sensor and electrical relay assembly also includes a normally closed contact connected to the first terminal, a normally open contact connected to the second terminal, and a movable contact connected to the third terminal.

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