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:
Jun. 04, 1996
Filed:
Feb. 10, 1995
Gerard M Plank, Jr, Smithtown, NY (US);
Tivoli Industries, Inc., Santa Ana, CA (US);
Abstract
A low voltage lighting fixture connected to an isolation step-down transformer is protected from limited or maximum short circuit conditions by monitoring the secondary current of the step-down transformer until a fault is detected, whereupon the protection circuitry deenergizes the primary of the transformer by opening a relay. The protection circuitry is completely isolated such that a breakdown in voltage from the primary to secondary of the stepdown transformer, which would place 120 volts on the secondary side, cannot occur. Additionally, while monitoring the high current-low voltage secondary of the transformer, the relay is placed in the primary circuitry which is at line voltage, but at a much lower current rating. The relay is a normally open device which closes when either of a pair of redundant optoisolators conduct current.