Tesla patents single-wire control for lit buttons and switches
Tesla describes a circuit design that uses one wire to both power a light and detect when a user presses a switch. The system alternates between sending power to the light and checking the switch's state to save on wiring.
In the filing’s own words
An illuminated interface system may include an illumination circuit, a switch circuit, and a controller. The illumination circuit is configured to illuminate a light source. The switch circuit is configurable into a plurality of states, where at least one of the plurality of states represents a user input. The controller is electrically connected to the illumination circuit and the switch circuit through a single signal wire. The controller includes a drive circuit and a sensing circuit. The drive circuit is configured to provide a drive signal to the illumination circuit via the single signal wire. The sensing circuit is configured to detect a state of the switch circuit.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An illuminated interface system comprising: an illumination circuit configured to illuminate a light source; a switch circuit configurable into a plurality of states, wherein at least one of the plurality of states represents a user input; and a controller electrically connected to the illumination circuit and the switch circuit through a single signal wire, the controller comprising: a drive circuit configured to provide a drive signal to the illumination circuit via the single signal wire; and a sensing circuit configured to detect a state of the switch circuit, wherein the drive circuit comprises a load switch configured to toggle between being open and closed, wherein the drive circuit provides the drive signal via the single signal wire when the load switch is closed, and wherein the sensing circuit is configured to detect the state of the switch circuit when the load switch is opened.
Facts
- Company
- Tesla (Tesla, Inc.)
- Official title
- Control and monitoring circuitry for illuminated interface
- Patent number
- US12745332B2
- Application number
- 18946417
- Filed
- Nov 13, 2024
- Granted
- Sep 22, 2026
- Inventors
- 2
- Claims
- 18
Classified under
H05B 45/325 Electricity & electronicsH05B 45/44 Electricity & electronicsB60Q 3/70 Operations & transportMore from Tesla in Chips & hardware
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.