Switch protection apparatus and operating method thereof

A system, comprising:

• a lighting subsystem including one or more light sources;
• a control subsystem having an electromechanical switch that transitions between an open state and a closed state;
• a protection apparatus connecting the lighting subsystem with the control subsystem, the protection apparatus including:
• a housing positioned in between the lighting subsystem and the control sub system;
• a first connection with a set of electrical contacts of the control subsystem;
• a second connection with a set of electrical contacts of the lighting subsystem, and
• one or more printed circuit boards installed within the housing and including circuitry that:
• detects a switching event of the electromechanical switch of the control subsystem from the open state to the closed state, and
• selectively switches, in response to determining that the electromechanical switch is in a steady state after detection of detecting the switching event, from a first state in which an open circuit is established between the one or more light sources and the electromechanical switch and a second state in which a closed circuit is established between the one or more light sources and the electromechanical switch;
• and
• a communication interface to communicate with one or more devices external to the protection apparatus, wherein the circuitry has a normal mode in which selective provisioning of power received at the second connection is controlled by the control subsystem and a failure detection mode in which selective provisioning of the power received at the second connection is controlled by the circuitry that operates in the normal mode or the failure detection mode based at least in part on a communication received by the communication interface.

A method of protecting an electromechanical switch of a control apparatus removably attached to a protection apparatus, the method comprising:

• detecting a transition of the electromechanical switch from a first state in which the electromechanical switch is open to a second state in which the electromechanical switch is closed;
• in response to detecting the transition, causing a time delay of a defined period of time to elapse;
• and
• as a result of determining that the defined period of time has elapsed since detecting the transition, causing an alternating current switch to establish a closed circuit from one electrical contact of the protection apparatus, through the electromechanical switch, and to a second electrical contact of the protection apparatus and
• determining a set of states of the electromechanical switch over a period of time and further determining a status of the control apparatus based at least in part on a number of switching events of the electromechanical switch over the period of time.