Resistor with PTC behavior

Abstract

An electric resistor has a resistor body arranged between two contract terminals. This resistor core includes an element with PTC behavior which, below a material-specific temperature, forms an electrically conducting path running between the two contact terminals. The resistor can be simple and inexpensive, but still have a high rate current-carrying capacity protected against local and overall overvoltages. This is achieved by the resistor core additionally containing a material having varistor behavior. The varistor material is connected in parallel with at least one subsection of the electrically conducting path, forming at least one varistor, and is brought into intimate electrical contact with the part of the PTC material forming the at least one subsection. The parallel connection of the element with PTC behavior and the varistor can be realized both by a microscopic construction and by a macroscopic arrangement.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.