Solenoid response detector
US5270900A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 13, 1992 |
| Grant date | Dec 14, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 13, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01H47/22
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus for energizing the coil of, and detecting the resultant armature actuation in, a solenoid of the type having a movable armature reciprocable along an axis between first and second positions, a spring bias normally biasing the armature toward the first position, and an actuating coil for inducing a force on the armature tending to move the armature from the first position toward the second position in response to current flow in the actuating coil. A voltage is first provided to the solenoid coil and thereafter, a resulting current flow is differentiated and a zero crossing comparator is utilized to determine when the differentiated current is zero and, therefor, the time at which the sensed current flow reaches a maximum (dv/dt=0). The time at which the armature began to move in response to the resulting coil current may be inferred and the voltage to the solenoid coil interrupted a Predetermined time after the time at which the armature began to move.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.