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:
Jul. 20, 2004
Filed:
Dec. 12, 2001
H. Edward Kelwaski, Craigville, IN (US);
International Truck Intellectual Property Company, LLC, Warrenville, IL (US);
Abstract
Electrical power distribution circuits for motor vehicles incorporate a switching element for controlling the energization of the circuits. Current metering elements associated with each switching element indicate the current drawn by the respective electrical circuits. A microcontroller is provided which provides an activation signal for the switching elements, often in accord with a pulse width modulated duty cycle. The microcontroller implements a circuit protective algorithm which takes as inputs the indication of current drawn by a particular electrical circuit and the duty cycle. An equivalent D.C. current is estimated for determining a heat index for a hypothetical fuse suitable for protecting the circuit. When the heat index exceeds the rating for the fuse the fuse melts.