A system includes a dry contact with a first pair of switchable electrodes, a wet contact with a second pair of switchable electrodes, an arc suppressor, and a controller circuit operatively coupled to the arc suppressor and the first and second pairs of switchable electrodes. The controller circuit is configured to detect a failure of the wet contact and determine a stick duration associated with the first pair of switchable electrodes. The stick duration is based on a duration between an instance when a coil of the dry contact is deactivated and an instance of separation of the first pair of switchable electrodes during deactivation of the coil. The controller circuit generates, in-situ and in real-time, health assessment for the first pair of switchable electrodes based on a comparison of the determined stick duration with an average stick duration associated with a window of observation.

An in-plane sliding parallel capacitive radio frequency (RF) switch includes a substrate, first to third drive components, an insulating layer, and a sliding component. Where a drive voltage is applied between the first and second drive components, the sliding component slides to the top of the first and second drive components; in this case, relatively large capacitance is formed between the first and second drive components and the sliding component, a RF signal is almost completely reflected, and the transmission is cut off. Where the drive voltage is applied between the second and third drive components, the sliding component slides to the top of the second and third drive components; in this case, no facing area between a first drive electrode and the sliding component exists in a vertical direction, the capacitance is rather small, and the RF signal may be transmitted basically without loss.

A method for determining an operational status of a switching device for switching an electrical unit including a first circuit and a second circuit, each circuit respectively including: a vacuum breaker including a fixed electrode and a mobile electrode; and a control device connected to the mobile electrode via an elastic device. The method including: for each of the first and second circuits, determining a transition instant at which the mobile electrode comes into contact with the fixed electrode; determining a difference between the transition instant of the first vacuum breaker and the transition instant of the second vacuum breaker; determining that the operational status is a first status known as “nominal synchronization” if the difference is less than a threshold; and determining that the operational status is a second status known as “abnormal synchronization” if the difference is greater than the threshold.

An electromechanical power switch device and methods thereof. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are devices including a semiconductor substrate, at least one integrated circuit device on a front surface of the semiconductor substrate, an insulating layer on the at least one integrated circuit device, and an electromechanical power switch on the insulating layer. By way of example, the electromechanical power switch may include a source and a drain, a body region disposed between the source and the drain, and a gate including a switching metal layer. In some embodiments, the body region includes a first body portion and a second body portion spaced a distance from the first body portion and defining a body discontinuity therebetween. Additionally, in various examples, the switching metal layer may be disposed over the body discontinuity.

A device includes a frame including a first end and a second end; a mechanism including a first side that faces the first end of the frame, and a second side that faces the second end of the frame; a first buckling member attached to the first side of the mechanism and the first end of the frame; a second buckling member attached to the second side of the mechanism and the second end of the frame; and at least one actuator that engages the mechanism, the first buckling member, and the second buckling member in a selective sequence causing the mechanism to articulate between the first end and the second end of the frame. Engagement of the first buckling member and the second buckling member by the at least one actuator causes the first buckling member and the second buckling member to buckle and unbuckle in the selective sequence.

A MEMS relay. The MEMS relay includes: a movable switching element, on which a second switching surface is arranged in a first end section; a substrate having a first switching surface arranged thereon, which is designed to interact with the second switching surface; a switching electrode, to which an electrical switching voltage may be applied, the movable switching element being able to bring the second switching surface into contact with the first switching surface by way of an electrostatic force generated by the electrical switching voltage; at least one second compensation surface arranged in an end section of the movable switching element opposite the second switching surface; and a first compensation surface, which is designed to interact with the second compensation surface and is galvanically connected to the first switching surface via a cable.

Various embodiments disclosed herein provide techniques for detecting electrical arcing in an electrical system. A powerline communications (PLC) application executing on a network communications device acquires, via a PLC modem, first voltage readings associated with an electrical circuit. The PLC application performs one or more operations based on the first voltage readings to determine that an electrical arcing condition is present within the electrical circuit. The PLC application performs a remedial operation in response to determining that the electrical arcing condition is present.

Systems and methods for contact erosion mitigation are provided. To perform contact erosion mitigation, an order of opening/closing poles and/or contact relays of particular poles is altered, resulting in a sharing of potential arcing conditions amongst the poles/contact relays of these poles.

A switchable subsea connector includes a first connector part, a second connector part removably connected to the first connector part; and a switching unit. The connector parts each include at least one electrical conductor and each switching unit includes at least one individual switching device. Each electrical conductor in at least one connector part is allocated to an individual switching device of the switching unit; wherein each of the individual switching devices includes a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) switch.

An apparatus is provided that is implemented to enable multiple tests of different types, such as a direct current (DC) test and/or a radio frequency (RF) test of a semiconductor device. The apparatus includes a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switch block coupled between the semiconductor device and automatic testing equipment (ATE). The apparatus is configured to enable/disable a DC path or an RF path to switch between a DC test and an RF test without reconfiguring the connections between the semiconductor device and the ATE. The DC path is used to perform a DC contact test for one or more pins of the semiconductor device. The RF path is used to perform an RF test for the semiconductor device.