The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 30, 1976
Filed:
Dec. 18, 1974
Angelo L DeCecco, Newtown Square, PA (US);
Donald M Demarest, Wallingford, PA (US);
Dante E Piccone, Philadelphia, PA (US);
Istvan Somos, Lansdowne, PA (US);
General Electric Co., Philadelphia, PA (US);
Abstract
A thyristor is shunted by a metal oxide varistor in series with switching means which switches abruptly from a normal high-resistance state to a low-resistance, current conducting state when the thyristor is subjected to a transient surge of reverse bias voltage the magnitude of which is higher than a predetermined repetitive peak magnitude and is nearly equal to the level at which the thyristor turns on in an avalanche breakdown mode. The voltage-current characteristic of the varistor is coordinated with the reverse breakdown characteristic of the thyristor so that surge current will divide therebetween in such proportions that the maximum reverse current flowing through the thyristor is lower than a predetermined critical magnitude which can damage the same, whereby the thyristor is able safely to participate in the surge-energy dissipating process.