Relay unit and method for controlling relay circuit
AssigneeOMRON Corporation
InventorsTetsuya FUKUMOTO, Toshiyuki HIGUCHI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Provided is a relay unit that is inexpensive and has a long life, and a method for controlling a relay circuit. A series circuit of mechanical switches is connected in series to a load and a load power supply, and a control unit selects one of the mechanical switches as a selected switch, and performs a switching timing shift, which is constituted by at least one of a first operation in which the selected switch is switched to the closed state after the mechanical switch other than the selected switch, and a second operation in which the selected switch is switched to the open state prior to the mechanical switch other than the selected switch.
Claims5
A relay unit comprising:
- a series circuit in which mechanical switches respectively provided in a plurality of contact relays are connected in series to each other;
- and
- a control unit configured to switch the mechanical switches constituting the series circuit between an open state and a closed state,
- wherein the series circuit is connected in series to a load and a load power supply, and
- the control unit is configured to select one of the mechanical switches as a selected switch, and to perform a switching timing shift, which is constituted by at least one of a first operation in which the selected switch is switched to the closed state after the mechanical switch or switches other than the selected switch, and a second operation in which the selected switch is switched to the open state prior to the mechanical switch or switches other than the selected switch.
A method for controlling a relay circuit including:
- a series circuit in which mechanical switches provided in a plurality of contact relays are connected in series to each other, and that is connected in series to a load and a load power supply, the method comprising:
- controlling switching of the mechanical switches constituting the series circuit between an open state and a closed state,
- wherein in the controlling step,
- one of the mechanical switches is selected as a selected switch, and
- a switching timing shift is performed, which is constituted by at least one of a first operation in which the selected switch is switched to the closed state after the mechanical switch or switches other than the selected switch, and a second operation in which the selected switch is switched to the open state prior to the mechanical switch or switches other than the selected switch.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.