US Patent 7612971 - MEMS switching for HVAC

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7612971.html

This patent from General Electric teaches a MEMS alternative to conventional switching and fuses used in heating, ventilation, and air condition systems. The MEMS switching is taught to produce less waste heat, less leakage current, and provide a more compact, lightweight system. Claim 1 reads:

1. A HVAC system, comprising:

a load motor;

a main breaker micro electromechanical system (MEMS) switch;

a voltage snubber circuit electrically coupled to the main breaker MEMS switch; and

a variable frequency drive (VFD) disposed between and electrically coupled to the load motor and the main breaker MEMS switch.