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:
Sep. 05, 2000
Filed:
Apr. 27, 1998
Donald R Bitts, Grand Prairie, TX (US);
Benz Companies, Inc., Fort Worth, TX (US);
Abstract
An open circuit sensor is connected to a monitoring circuit via a pin type connector. The monitoring circuit detects any change in continuity, caused by a change in the sensor. Also, a resistive device is located across the pins in the connector. The resistive device is located in a flexible medium, which medium is easily inserted over the pins in the connector. The monitoring circuit provides a leakage current through the resistive device and detects any change in that current in order to monitor the circuit for faults, such as a broken or degraded wire. The monitoring circuit can having plural pin type connectors, with each connector having a resistive device in a flexible medium located therein. The location of an open circuit fault can then be detected relative to the adjacent connectors.