Texas Instruments Corporation

Gene E Blankenship

Stephen P Sacarisen

Keith W Kawate

William H Giolma

Edward M Gonsalves

Damir A Spanjol

David J Myers

Rajiv R Shah

Toan Tran

Johnson J Lin

Steve Thompson

A dual function sensor particularly useful with vehicular coolant systems indicates when a coolant liquid becomes corrosive to such cooling system materials as well as when the liquid falls to a low level condition. A reference and a sense electrode are used to probe the condition of the coolant liquid. Integral electronics provide signal conditioning and transmitting to indicate both corrosive and low level coolant conditions. The sensor assembly mounted directly onto a tubular coupling on the vehicle radiator by pushing the assembly onto the coupling until a spring wire element snaps past a lip formed on the free distal end of the coupling. An electrical connector shroud extends from the assembly and accommodates a mating male connector which is pushed onto the shroud until a clip mounted on the male connector snaps over a locking tab located on the shroud. The male connector typically is connected to an engine control module (ECM).

CMOS/bipolar integrated circuit

A process for making a metal fuse link in a MOS or CMOS process which includes depositing a refractory metal or metal alloy over an already deposited multi-level oxide and patterning the deposited metal or metal alloy so that it has a fusing segment between and integral with expanded segments such that the length and cross sectional area of the fusing segment is sufficiently small so that the fusing current therethrough is less than 20 milliamperes. The fuse and surrounding circuitry is covered with a passivation layer and contacts formed in the passivation layer to the expanded segments.

MOS programmable memories using a metal fuse link and process for making

A dual function sensor particularly useful with vehicular coolant systems indicates when a coolant liquid becomes corrosive to such cooling system materials as well as when the liquid falls to a low level condition. A reference and a sense electrode are used to probe the condition of the coolant liquid. Integral electronics provide signal conditioning and transmitting to indicate both corrosive and low level coolant conditions. The sensor assembly mounts directly onto a tubular coupling on the vehicle radiator by pushing the assembly onto the coupling until a spring wire element snaps past a lip formed on the free distal end of the coupling. An electrical connector shroud extends from the assembly and accommodates a mating male connector which is pushed onto the shroud until a clip mounted on the male connector snaps over a locking tab located on the shroud. The male connector typically is connected to an engine control module (ECM).

Coolant condition sensor apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Richardson, TX, United States of America

Gene E Blankenship