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:
Jan. 30, 1996
Filed:
Aug. 19, 1993
C Peter Rau, Tioga County, NY (US);
Thomas T Hitch, Mercer County, NJ (US);
Emerson Electric Co., St. Louis, MO (US);
Abstract
A transient voltage surge suppressor (100) for use in a single or poly-phase power distribution network to protect equipment supplied power from the network from damage caused by line surges or transients. A plurality of surge suppression assemblies (102A-102G) each of which includes a plurality of semiconductors (114) connected in parallel and a fuse wire (118) connected in series with each semiconductor. Each assembly is mounted on a separate circuit board (126A-126G). A fault detection circuit (104) in each assembly includes both a sensor (132A-132G) for sensing when a semiconductor in one of the surge suppression assemblies fails, or when a fuse wire in one of the assemblies clears, and a circuit (152) for providing a visual indication thereof. The fault detector is mounted on a separate circuit board (131). The respective circuit boards are installed in a module (120) with the one set of circuit boards on which the surge suppression assemblies are mounted being installed in one plane, and the circuit board on which the fault detector is mounted being installed perpendicular to them. A plasma suppression medium includes a sand and epoxy material for preventing spread of a plasma produced when a semiconductor fails or a fuse wire clears. The sand and epoxy material fill the module including the spaces between the circuit boards to prevent the spread of any plasma created due to semiconductor failure or fuse wire clearing.