Patent attributes
An electrical switch comprises a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal, a solid-state AC switch connected in an electrical path between the first terminal and the second terminal, and a microcontroller configured to control operation of the solid-state AC switch to control power flow between the first terminal and the second terminal. The microcontroller is configured to communicate with a second electrical switch over a data line that is connected to the third terminal of the electrical switch and to the second electrical switch, to implement multi-way switch control for controlling power to a load. The microcontroller is configured, upon power up, to perform a master/slave self-identification process to determine whether to operate the electrical switch in a master mode or a slave mode, based on sensing a voltage level on the data line that is connected to the third terminal of the electrical switch.
