Patent ID: 7782590

Claim:
An electromechanical solenoid control system comprising: an electromechanical solenoid including an armature and a coil; a voltage source; a resistor placed in an electrical line between the voltage source and the solenoid coil; a switching device configured to selectively apply power from the voltage source to the solenoid coil; a control element connected electrically to the switching device, the control element operable to receive a continuous signal from the electrical line and use the signal to (i) determine when to switch from a solenoid activation state to a solenoid hold state and (ii) control the switching device to selectively apply power from the voltage source to the solenoid coil; and wherein the control element is further operable to cause the switching device to (a) operate at a solenoid actuation level when, in the solenoid actuation state, the armature is to be moved within the coil and (b) to operate at a solenoid hold level when, in the solenoid hold state, the continuous signal indicates to the control element that the armature is moving or has moved within the coil.