Patent ID: 8916990

Claim:
A functional high-voltage interlock system, comprising: an enclosure having an access point that may be breached; a high-voltage terminal disposed at least partially within the enclosure and being accessible by breaching the high-voltage access point, the high-voltage terminal configured to be energized from a high-voltage electrical power source; a low-voltage circuit disposed within the enclosure, the low-voltage circuit coupled to selectively receive a low-voltage electrical signal; and a control circuit coupled to, and configured to supply the low-voltage electrical signal to, the low-voltage circuit only when the high-voltage access point is not breached, the control circuit further configured to implement a first function and a disparate second function, wherein the first function comprises: determining whether the access point is breached, and upon determining that the access point is breached, preventing the high-voltage electrical power source from energizing the high-voltage terminal, and the disparate second function comprises sensing one of a temperature, a pressure, or a liquid level.