Electricity: electrical systems and devices – Safety and protection of systems and devices – Circuit interruption by thermal sensing
Patent
1995-06-07
1997-09-02
Gaffin, Jeffrey A.
Electricity: electrical systems and devices
Safety and protection of systems and devices
Circuit interruption by thermal sensing
361103, H02H 504
Patent
active
056638612
ABSTRACT:
A circuit protection device including a pair of terminals to be electrically connected into an electrical circuit, a pair of spaced current-carrying extensions of the terminals, and an initially low resistance current limiting element extending between the current-carrying extensions. The current-limiting element includes flexible conductive current-feeding arms having inner and outer end portions, the inner end portions thereof being electrically connected to the current-carrying extensions of the terminals. The outer end portions of the current-feeding arms are cantilevered and flexible relative to the inner end portions. The device further preferably includes a PTC current-limiting element sandwiched between the flexible outer end portions of the current-feeding arms. The PTC element includes a layer of a PTC material having conductive opposite faces sandwiched between the flexible outer end portions of the arms so that the PTC material carries current between the outer end portions of the current-carrying arms. The layer of PTC material reaches a given trip level at an elevated current, expanding suddenly and substantially to flex the outer end portions of the current-carrying arm.
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Draho Thomas F.
Reddy Nagi Reddi Kanamatha
Swensen Robert
Gaffin Jeffrey A.
Leja Ronald W.
Littelfuse Inc.
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