Patent · US Expired

Electrothermal wire responsive miniature precision current sensor

US4538199A · kind A · utility

5Cited by
3References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 14, 1983
Grant dateAug 27, 1985
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 14, 2003

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH02H5/044
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A resistance wire sensing overcurrent protection module (CSM) for an electrical supply circuit (SC) having a hot temperature sensing diode (32) mounted at the center portion (8c) of an M-shaped resistance wire (8) connected in the supply circuit and an ambient temperature sensing diode (20) mounted on a substrate (18) supported between the supply terminals (4a-b, 6a-b), both diodes being connected to respective pairs of terminals (12a-b, 10a-b) mounted on a header (18) along with the supply terminals. A cover (46) is mounted on the header and filled with glass micro-balloons (48) to isolate thermally the two diodes. A constant current circuit (49) supplies constant current to the two diodes which operate a differential amplifier (52) having an output proportional to the temperature difference as a measure of supply current. This output trips a Schmitt trigger comparator (54) when the supply current rises to an overload value.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.