Relay module with combined control and power supply input
AssigneePhoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG
InventorHans-Peter Hudetz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a relay module including a control input for combined control and power supply of the relay module with alternating voltage. A fixed voltage controller of the relay module generates a fixed voltage after rectification of the alternating voltage or a portion of the alternating voltage. A comparator is operated by the fixed voltage and derives a reference voltage from the fixed voltage. The comparator compares a rectified and smoothed portion of the alternating voltage with the reference voltage. A switching step of the relay module operates a relay unit according to the comparison of the comparator, which relay unit is connected on the input side to the switching step and on the output side to switch connections of the relay module.
Claims21
A relay module, comprising:
- a control input configured to receive AC voltage for combined control and power supply of the relay module;
- a capacitive reactance arranged between the control input and a first rectifier, which produces a first portion of the AC voltage for rectification;
- the first rectifier connected upstream of a fixed voltage regulator for rectifying the first portion of the AC voltage;
- the fixed voltage regulator configured to generate a fixed voltage after the rectification of the first portion of the AC voltage;
- a comparator with a second rectifier and a smoothing capacitor that are connected to the control input independently of the first rectifier and upstream of the capacitive reactance, the comparator being configured:
- (i) to be driven by the fixed voltage,
- (ii) to generate, using the second rectifier and the smoothing capacitor, a rectified and smoothed second portion of the AC voltage, and
- (iii) to compare said rectified and smoothed second portion with a reference voltage derived from the fixed voltage,
- wherein the comparator is adapted to switch a relay unit (a) between an on state and an off state based on a comparison with an on threshold and an off threshold as the reference voltage derived from the fixed voltage, the off threshold differing by no more than 1% of the on threshold, and (b) with no or equal on and off delay;
- the relay unit having an input side and an output side;
- and
- a switching stage configured to operate the relay unit according to the on state and the off state resulting from the comparison of the comparator, wherein the input side of the relay unit is connected to the switching stage, which uniquely determines the on state of the relay unit and the off state of the relay unit, and the output side of the relay unit is connected to switching connections of the relay module.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.