Signal indicating fuse testing apparatus
AssigneeGTE Products Corporation
InventorJohn R. Peltz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for testing signal indicating fuses. The apparatus comprises test positions for the acommodation of N fuses, each test position having a common, a normally open (NO), and a normally closed (NC) terminal. When the test positions are filled with N functional fuses, the fuses are, in effect, connected in series across a regulated current source. In the event that one of the fuses becomes open, the series circuit is momentarily broken, thereby triggering an associated SCR which in turn lights a lamp indicating which fuse has blown. Shortly afterwards the fuse flag will make contact with its alarm (NO) terminal, thereby reclosing the circuit. The apparatus may include or be coupled to a multichannel event timer in order to indicate the time, as measured from the start of the test, at which individual fuses failed.
Claims18
An apparatus for testing N signal indicating fuses, when N is greater than or equal to 2 the apparatus comprising N test positions, each having a common terminal a normally open terminal, NO, and a normally closed terminal, NC, N indicating means, a current source, and N controllabled switching devices, each having a gate electrode, an anode electrode and a cathode electrode, wherein
- (a) the respective NO terminal and NC terminal of each of the N test positions are interconnected,
- (b) the NO and NC terminals of the 1st test position are coupled to the current source;
- (c) the common terminal of the Nth test position is coupled to a reference potential and the common terminal of each of the remaining n, where 1.ltoreq.n<N, test position is coupled to the NO and NC terminals of the (n+1)th test position;
- (d) the gate electrode of each of the N controllable switching devices is coupled to the NC terminal of a respective test position;
- (e) the anode electrode of each of the N controllable switching devices is coupled to a respective one of the N indicating means;
- (f) the cathode electrode of the Nth controllable switching device is coupled to the reference potential and the cathode electrode of each of the remaining n, where 1.ltoreq.n<N, controllable switching devices is coupled to the NC terminal of the (n+1)th test position.
An apparatus for testing N signals indicating fuses, where N is greater than or equal to 2, the apparatus comprising N test positions for accommodating N signal indicating fuses, each test position having a common terminal, a normally open terminal, NO, and a normally closed terminal, NC;
- N indicating means, each associated with a respective one of the N test positions, and N controllable switching devices each having a gate electrode, an anode electrode, and a cathode electrode wherein:
- (a) the respective NO terminal and NC terminal of each of the N test Positions are interconnected;
- (b) the NO and NC terminals of the 1st test position arc adapted for coupling to a current source;
- (c) the common terminal of the Nth test position is coupled to a reference potential and the common terminal of each of the n, where 1 N N, remaining test positions is coupled to the NO and NC terminals of the (n+1)th test position;
- (d) the gate electrode of each of the N controllable switching devices is coupled to the NC terminal of an associated test position;
- (e) the anode electrode of each of the N controllable switching devices is coupled to an associated one of the N indicating means, and
- (f) the cathode electrode of the Nth controllable switching device is coupled to the reference potential and the cathode electrode of each of the n, where 1-n N, remaining controllable switching devices is coupled to the NC terminal of the (n+1)th test position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.