Pico fuse open or short detector tool

Details Pico fuse open or short detector tool Pico fuse open or short detector tool

1999-01-29

2001-06-26

Metjahic, Safet (Department: 2858)

Electricity: measuring and testing

Fault detecting in electric circuits and of electric components

Of individual circuit component or element

C324S149000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06252410

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to detector tools for testing pico fuses and, more particularly, to an improved probe element for incorporation into a detector tool to accurately check closely arranged adjacent pico fuses under test.
2. Prior Art
It is common practice to use a multimeter to determine whether a pico fuse is open or shorted. However, due to the very small distance between closely arranged adjacent fuses under test, a fuse is likely to short out when the traditional probes are employed in the detector assembly since the probes must be pointed to the precise fuse locations and the multimeter display must be read simultaneously. If the test circuitry is live, misplacement of the probes can result in short out of some of the pico fuses. Thus, it can be difficult to carry out the fuse testing with a multimeter quickly and accurately without damaging some of the pico fuses.
Objects
It is an object of the present invention to provide a detector assembly including a probe structure and elements for preventing short-out of closely adjacent pico fuses during testing when the circuitry is live.
It is another object of the invention to provide a detector assembly including a probe structure and related circuitry and an LED for readily indicating when an open or shorted fuse is detected among closely arranged adjacent pico fuses during testing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to providing a pico fuse detector assembly incorporating an improved probe structure and elements that minimize short-out of closely adjacent pico fuses during testing. A detector assembly in accordance with the present invention has two probe arms, each pivotably connected at one end to a detector body with their free ends adjustably dispaceable from each other and respectively accomodating improved probe elements thereon. Each probe element is mounted on the free end of the probe arm and has a conductive lead disposed inside an insulating housing and connected to a set of test contacts extending from the bottom of the housing. The contacts are adapted to engage conductors connected to and extending between the pico fuses. The housing is shaped to define a restricted contact area at the bottom that limits the chance of the contacts being placed accidentally at a location to cause damage to closely arranged adjacent pico fuses under test and thus obviates the problem of causing fuse short-out during measuring of the closely arranged fuses. When a pico fuse is open or shorted, this condition can be readily indicated upon testing by lighting a light emitting diode (LED) lamp built into the detector body. The LED can be activated by a test circuit that is coupled by a spring to the conductive lead and may be in the form of a typical oscillation circuit built into one of the probe arms and powered by a battery built into the other probe arm. The provision of the probe arms with adjustable spacing, the isolation of the test contacts on the ends of the arms, and the readily readable test results, makes it very convenient to easily, accurately, and safely test closely arranged pico fuses with the detector assembly in which these features are incorporated.


REFERENCES:
patent: 4525664 (1985-06-01), Trammell, Jr.
patent: 5378990 (1995-01-01), Terry

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