Circuit protection arrangement
US5319515A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 11, 1991 |
| Grant date | Jun 7, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 11, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02H3/087
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A number of arrangements for protecting an electrical circuit from an electrical overcurrent are disclosed. In the arrangements the base or gate of a switching transistor (4, 101, 161, 222, 401) is held in a voltage divider, one arm of which comprises a control transistor (6, 102, 162, 222, 404) whose base or gate is itself held in a voltage divider. When an overcurrent is experienced the control transistor switches on causing the switching transistor to turn off. The arrangement may include a shunt switching circuit to shunt the overcurrent across the load. It may include a resetting circuit that will attempt to reset the switching circuit after the overcurrent has been experienced. In one embodiment the arrangement includes means such as a battery, dc--dc voltage converter or Seebeck device in order to reduce or eliminate any initial voltage drop across the switching circuit.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.