Remote location electronic actuator and system that includes the same
AssigneeDavid Otten
InventorRichard H. Baker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A remote location actuator that is adapted to receive an input signal, to ascertain whether or not the input signal contains a message upon which the actuator should act, and to effect some predetermined act upon receipt of an appropriate message. By way of illustration, the signal may be in the form of, say, two trains of pulses that may be produced by a telephone bell, the message being contained in the number of pulses in each train. Input to the actuator may be in the form of electromagnetic transfer from the telephone.
Claims36
A remotely activated command and control device that comprises, in combination:
- transducer means operable to pickup as input thereto across a local link a wireless input signal, initiated over a distant link, in the form of a predetermined code and to convert the same to an internal signal;
- means for decoding connected to accept the internal signal from the transducer means and to provide an activating signal that is directly related to the code on the input signal, said means for decoding comprising analog means and digital logic means;
- and switch means that receives the activating signal and is selectively activated thereby, the switch means comprising a set of mechanical contacts in parallel with a thyristor to bypass the thysistor, when closed, with a lowresistance bypass, and timer means operable to control the thyristor and the mechanical switching contacts to render the switch means respectively conductive and non-conductive, as follows:
- the closing of the mechanical contacts is timed by the timer means such the thyristor is caused to conduct prior to closing the mechanical contacts and then the mechanical contacts are closed, and the switch means is rendered non-conductive by first opening the mechanical contacts and then rendering the thyristor non-conductive.
For use in association with a telephone system that includes a sending telephone and a receiving telephone, a remotely activated control device that comprises, in combination:
- pickup means to receive an input signal from the receiving telephone, initiated over a distant link from the sending telephone, in the form of a predetermined code, the pickup means serving to convert the input signal to an internal signal, there being no hard-wire electrical connection between the receiving telephone and the pickup means;
- means for decoding connected to accept the internal signal from the pickup means and to provide an activating signal that is the one commanded by the code of the input signal, said means for decoding comprising analog means and digital logic means;
- and switch means that receives the activating signal and is selectively activated thereby, said switch means comprising a thyristor, a set of mechanical contacts in parallel with the thyristor to bypass the thyristor, when closed, with a low-resistance by-pass, and timer means operable to control the thyristor and the mechanical switching contacts to render the switch means respectively conductive and non-conductive, as follows:
- the closing of the mechanical contacts is timed by the timer means such that the thyristor is caused to conduct prior to closing the mechanical contacts and then the mechanical contacts are closed, and the switch means is rendered non-conductive by first opening the mechanical contacts and then rendering the thyristor non-conductive.
For use in a system wherein digital messages are transmitted along electrical distribution wriring, a remote load actuator operable to sense the messages, to be selectively activated thereby, and to control a load on the basis of the messages, said remote load actuator comprising an electronic switch to activate and deactivate said load, said electronic switch comprising, in combination, a thyristor, mechanical contact means having a pair of mechanical contacts connected to effect electrical current bypass of the thyristor when the contacts are closed, and timer means connected to gate the thyristor and connected, as well, to control the state of the mechanical contact means, the closing of the mechanical contacts being timed by the timer means such that the thyristor is caused to conduct prior to closing the mechanical contacts and then the mechanical contacts are closed thus rendering the switch means conductive, the switch means being rendered nonconductive under the control of the timer means by first opening the mechanical contacts and then rendering the thyristor nonconductive.
A remotely activated command and control device that comprises, in combination:
- transducer means to sense an incoming coded message transmitted to the transducer means by way of a wireless local link, which coded message originated at a location remote from the device and was transmitted by way of a distant link, said transducer means being operable to connect the coded message, thus received, to an electric signal that can be interpreted by logic elements in the device;
- means for decoding connected to receive the electric signal from the transducer means and to provide an electrical activating signal;
- and electric switch means that receives the electrical activating signal and is selectively activated thereby, the switch means comprising a set of mechanical contacts in parallel with a thyristor to bypass the thyristor, when closed, with a low-resistance bypass, and timer means operable to control the thyristor and the mechanical switching contacts to render the switch means respectively conductive and non-conductive, as follows:
- the closing of the mechanical contacts is timed by the timer means such that the thyristor is caused to conduct prior to closing the mechanical contacts and then the mechanical contacts are closed, and the switch means is rendered non-conductive by first opening the mechanical contacts and then rendering the thyristor non-conductive.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.