Combined surge protection device with integrated spark gap

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9449778-B2
Application number	US-201514812031-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2015
Priority date	Aug 4, 2014
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

The object of the invention is a combined surge protection device with an integrated spark gap and with a fuse connected in series thereto, wherein the spark gap has two main electrodes and one auxiliary ignition electrode, having
a housing with a first connector and a second connector, with the first connector being electrically connected to the fuse, and with the second connector being electrically connected to the first main electrode of the spark gap, and with the second main electrode of the spark gap being electrically connected to the fuse on the interior of the housing, with the combined surge protection device also having an auxiliary fuse element that is connected electrically on one side to the first connector, and with the auxiliary fuse element being connected on the other side via an ignition circuit, which is arranged on the interior of the housing, to the auxiliary ignition electrode, with the combined surge protection device having another connector in the region of the auxiliary fuse element that can be contacted at substantially the same potential to the first main electrode, so that, in the case of overloading, an electric arc forms between the auxiliary fuse element and the other connector, which leads to the triggering of the fuse.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A combined surge protection device with an integrated spark gap and with a fuse connected in series thereto, wherein the spark gap has two main electrodes and one auxiliary ignition electrode, having
a housing with a first connector and a second connector, with the first connector being electrically connected to the fuse, and the second connector being electrically connected to the first main electrode (FS 1 ) of the spark gap, and with the second main electrode of the spark gap being electrically connected to the fuse on the interior of the housing,
with the combined surge protection device also having an auxiliary fuse element that is connected electrically on one side to the first connector, and the auxiliary fuse element being connected on the other side via an ignition circuit, which is arranged on the interior of the housing, to the auxiliary ignition electrode,
with the combined surge protection device having another connector in the region of the auxiliary fuse element that can be contacted at substantially the same potential to the first main electrode, so that, in the case of overloading, an electric arc forms between the auxiliary fuse element and the other connector, which leads to the triggering of the fuse.

2. The combined surge protection device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the housing is filled at least in sections in the region of the fuse with an extinguishing material, particularly selected from the group comprising sand and POM.

3. The combined surge protection device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein at least parts of the housing make available the potential-equivalent connection of the other connector and of the first main electrode.

4. The combined surge protection device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the ignition circuit has a gas discharge tube and a varistor connected in series thereto.

5. The combined surge protection device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the other contact and the fuse element or the auxiliary fuse element are embodied such that independent ignition occurs over the intermediate space at a certain voltage, with the specified voltage being higher than the ignition voltage of the spark gap via the main electrodes.

6. The combined surge protection device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary fuse element has a predetermined breaking point adjacent to the other connector.

7. The combined surge protection device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the spark gap also has a wear monitoring device within the spark gap, with the wear monitoring device also being connected to the ignition circuit.

8. The combined surge protection device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein at least the spark gap is enclosed in a substantially pressure-resistant manner.

9. The combined surge protection device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein at least the spark gap is enclosed in a substantially pressure-resistant manner and has a pressure equalization channel which enables pressure equalization within the housing.

10. The combined surge protection device as set forth in claim 1 , wherein a contact means is also provided that can selectively connect the other connector and the auxiliary fuse element electrically in order to bring about an electric arc.

11. The combined surge protection device as set forth in claim 10 , wherein the contact means can be triggered mechanically.

Assignees

• Phoenix Contact Gmbh & Co

Inventors

• Durth Rainer

Classifications

• H01H85/20

  Bases for supporting the fuse; Separate parts thereof · CPC title

• H01T4/12

  hermetically sealed · CPC title

• H01H85/44 Primary

  Structural association with a spark-gap arrester · CPC title

• H01C7/10

  voltage responsive, i.e. varistors · CPC title

• H01T1/14 Primary

  Means structurally associated with spark gap for protecting it against overload or for disconnecting it in case of failure (H01T1/15, H01T1/16, H01T1/18 take precedence; emergency protective circuit arrangements for spark gap arrestors H02H7/24) · CPC title