Patent ID: 8810991

Claim:
A safety isolation system to connect, disconnect, and isolate a DC electrical power, the system comprising: at least one mechanical contactor, the contactor including a control coil and a main contact, the main contact including an open position and a closed position, the main contact forming an air gap so that no current flows through the contactor when the main contact is in the open position, and the main contact forming a current flow path through the contactor when the main contact is in the closed position; a solid state DC switch electrically coupled to and in series with the main contact; a switching circuit electrically coupled to the control coil and the solid state DC switch, the switching circuit configured to energize the control coil and to turn ON the solid state DC switch; and wherein the switching circuit is adapted to confirm that the main contact is in the closed position by monitoring the status of a sensor on the contactor, the sensor adapted to sense the status of the main contact, the sensor being electrically isolated from the DC electrical power.