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:
Nov. 12, 2013
Filed:
May. 26, 2010
William John Britz, Kirkland, WA (US);
William John Britz, Kirkland, WA (US);
Fluke Corporation, Everett, WA (US);
Abstract
A circuit for protecting an electronic device from excessive voltages applied to an input or output terminal includes a solid state relay coupling the electronic device to the terminal. The solid state relay may include an opto-transistor coupled between the electronic device and the terminal and a light-emitting diode optically coupled to the opto-transistor. The solid state relay is coupled in series with a current limiting device, such as one or more enhancement mode field effect transistors, and an electromechanical relay. A voltage detector coupled to the terminal detects a voltage larger than a specific value and causes current to flow thorough the light-emitting diode, thereby interrupting the coupling between the terminal and the electronic device. The voltage detector may be coupled between two spaced-apart connections to the coupling path between the terminal to the electronic device so that the voltage detector avoids diverting current from the coupling path.