Solid-state information pattern discriminating switch
| DWPI Title: Maze-based switch for use in safety switch application, has a maze functional block adapted to receive entered maze pattern, where entered maze pattern includes sequence of T entered maze pattern characters |
| Abstract: A maze-based switch generally having three functional blocks is disclosed. The first functional block handles communications by accepting an entered maze pattern from an external system controller and outputting the entered maze pattern (and optionally its directional complement) to the second functional block. The second functional block stores the maze pattern (and optionally its directional complement) to a permanent storage element and outputs the stored, entered maze pattern and its directional complement to a series of transistors in the third functional block. The third functional block is an electronic maze in which a correct maze pattern and its directional complement must be received by the transistors for the transistors to pass electrical power through the electronic maze to a connected element. The third functional block may alternatively be implemented with optical elements, optoelectronic elements, microelectromechanical elements, or elements formed by other microsystem technologies. |
| Use: Maze-based switch for use in a safety switch application. |
| Advantage: The switch disables an access for various types of elements that is stronger than existing password or key controlled access. The switch can be reset to an initial state, while the switch not be reset when the switch is accepted a pattern of information. |
| Novelty: The switch (100) has a maze functional block (140) adapted to receive an entered maze pattern, where the entered maze pattern includes a sequence of T entered maze pattern characters. A stage power input is electrically connected to a maze power input when a stage is a first stage of a string of T stages, where the stage power input is electrically connected to a stage power output of an immediately previous stage when the stage is not the first stage of the string of T stages. The stage power input is electrically connected to the stage power output when a respective one of the T entered maze pattern characters and a respective one of directional complements of the T entered maze pattern characters correspond to a respective one of T required maze pattern characters. |
| Filed: 11/22/2021 |
| Application Number: US17532102A |
| Tech ID: SD 15152.0 |
| This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention. |
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