Automatic transfer switch module
AssigneeZonit Structured Solutions, LLC
InventorsSteve Chapel, William Pachoud
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An automatic transfer switch for automatically switching an electrical load between two power sources that includes a switch module containing circuitry for facilitating the switching function, and having two attached input cables and one attached output receptacle. The switch module may be mounted directly on or adjacent to the back of a piece of rack-mounted equipment, thereby minimizing the probability of a power failure between the switch and the equipment. The switch is relatively small, requires no mounting space within a rack, and requires minimal cord lengths.
Claims44
An automatic transfer switch for automatically switching an electrical load between two power sources, the automatic transfer switch comprising:
- a switch module;
- primary and secondary input cords, each attached to said switch module, and each for receiving power from a different one of said two power sources;
- an output cord, attached to said switch module, for supplying power to said electrical load;
- and
- a relay disposed within said switch module and coupled to said primary input cord;
- wherein said relay is operable to sense a power quality on said primary input cord and automatically couple said output cord to one of said primary and secondary input cords in accordance with a value of said power quality.
An automatic transfer switch for automatically switching an electrical load between two power sources, the automatic transfer switch comprising:
- a switch module that occupies less than 10 cubic inches of space;
- primary and secondary input cords, each attached to said switch module, and each for receiving power from a different one of said two power sources;
- an output cord that is attached to said switch module for supplying power to said electrical load;
- and
- a relay disposed within said switch module and having a power quality sensitive input coupled to said primary input cord, the relay being operable to couple said output cord to said primary input cord when said power quality on said primary input cord is acceptable, and to couple said output cord to said secondary input cord when said power quality at said primary input cord is unacceptable.
A method for use in providing power to an electrical device, comprising the steps of:
- providing an auto-switching device having a first interface for coupling to a first power source, a second interface for coupling to a second power source, and a third interface for coupling to the electrical device to be powered, wherein said auto-switching device is operative to automatically switch between said first and second power sources in response to unacceptable power quality;
- coupling said first interface to said first power source;
- coupling said second interface to said second power source;
- and
- coupling said third interface to said electrical device;
- wherein said auto-switching device occupies less than 10 cubic inches of space.
A system for powering a rack-mounted electrical device, the system comprising:
- a rack including a plurality of vertically spaced mechanisms for attaching to or supporting electrical devices, said rack further including first and second power strips associated with respective first and second power sources;
- and
- an auto-switching module including a first cord coupled to the first power strip, a second cord coupled to the second power strip, and a third cord coupled to an electrical device supported by one of said mechanisms of said rack, wherein said auto-switching module is operative to switch a supply of power to said electrical device between said first and second power strips in response to an unacceptable power quality.
An automatic transfer switch for automatically switching an electrical load between two power sources, the automatic transfer switch comprising:
- a switch module;
- primary and secondary input cords, each attached to said switch module, and each for receiving power from a different one of said two power sources;
- an output receptacle, attached to said switch module, for supplying power to said electrical load;
- and
- a relay disposed within said switch module and coupled to said primary input cord;
- wherein said relay is operable to sense a power quality on said primary input cord and automatically couple said output receptacle to one of said primary and secondary input cords in accordance with a value of said power quality.
An automatic transfer switch for automatically switching an electrical load between two power sources, the automatic transfer switch comprising:
- a switch module;
- primary and secondary input cords, each attached to said switch module, and each for receiving power from a different one of said two power sources;
- an output receptacle, attached to said switch module, for supplying power to said electrical load;
- and
- circuitry disposed within said switch module and coupled to said primary and secondary input cords and said output receptacle;
- wherein said circuitry is operable to sense a power quality on said primary input cord and automatically couple said output receptacle to one of said primary and secondary input cords in accordance with a value of said power quality.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.