# US 7,612,689 B2 · Rotary encoding switch

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- Number: US 7,612,689 B2
- Document ID: US7612689B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/922,493
- Filed: 2005-06-20
- Published: 2009-05-28
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 2005-06-20
- Assignees: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
- Inventors: Siegfried Neumann; Uwe Weiss
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7612689B2

## CPC

- H03M 1/1235: {Non-linear conversion not otherwise provided for in subgroups of H03M1/12}
- H03M 1/285: {of the unit Hamming distance type, e.g. Gray code}
- H03M: CODING; DECODING; CODE CONVERSION IN GENERAL (using fluidic means F15C4/00; optical analogue/digital converters G02F7/00; coding, decoding or code conversion, specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclasses, e.g. G01D, G01R, G06F, G06T, G09G, G10L, G11B, G11C, H04B, H04L, H04M, H04N; ciphering or deciphering for cryptography or other purposes involving the need for secrecy G09C)

## Abstract

In one embodiment of the present invention, a rotary encoding switch is disclosed such as used in the function setting for relays or similar. In one embodiment, a particularly secure function setting for relays or similar may be achieved by means of a rotary encoding switch with a number of switch stages with separations between the switch stages which are not constant.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A rotary encoding switch, comprising:
a rotary encoder disk, including a number of switching stages, distances between the switching stages on the rotary encoder disk varying logarithmically, the distances between the switching stages decreasing starting from the switching stages assigned relatively low setting values to the switching stages assigned relatively high setting values.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The rotary encoding switch as claimed in claim 1, wherein encoding of the disk includes use of a Gray code.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The rotary encoding switch as claimed in claim 1 wherein mechanical latch positions are absent.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A method, comprising:
using the rotary encoding switch as claimed in claim 1 as a current setting element in an overload relay, instead of a resistance potentiometer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

An overload relay, comprising:
the rotary encoding switch as claimed in claim 1, used as a current setting element instead of a resistance potentiometer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The rotary encoding switch as claimed in claim 2, wherein mechanical latch positions are absent.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

A method, comprising:
using the rotary encoding switch as claimed in claim 2 as a current setting element in an overload relay, instead of a resistance potentiometer.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

An overload relay, comprising:
the rotary encoding switch as claimed in claim 2, used as a current setting element instead of a resistance potentiometer.

### Claim 9 (depends on 3)

A method, comprising:
using the rotary encoding switch as claimed in claim 3 as a current setting element in an overload relay, instead of a resistance potentiometer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 3)

An overload relay, comprising:
the rotary encoding switch as claimed in claim 3, used as a current setting element instead of a resistance potentiometer.