EP0471006B1 - Dispositif de tube a gaz a securite integree destine aux modules de protection de telephones - Google Patents

Dispositif de tube a gaz a securite integree destine aux modules de protection de telephones Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0471006B1
EP0471006B1 EP90907659A EP90907659A EP0471006B1 EP 0471006 B1 EP0471006 B1 EP 0471006B1 EP 90907659 A EP90907659 A EP 90907659A EP 90907659 A EP90907659 A EP 90907659A EP 0471006 B1 EP0471006 B1 EP 0471006B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
gas tube
contact pin
electrode
electrodes
end electrodes
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP90907659A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0471006A4 (fr
EP0471006A1 (fr
Inventor
Helmuth Neuwirth
Carl Meyerhoefer
William V. Carney
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
North Hills Signal Processing Corp
Original Assignee
Porta Systems Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US07/345,446 external-priority patent/US4910489A/en
Priority claimed from US07/478,424 external-priority patent/US5027100A/en
Application filed by Porta Systems Corp filed Critical Porta Systems Corp
Publication of EP0471006A4 publication Critical patent/EP0471006A4/fr
Publication of EP0471006A1 publication Critical patent/EP0471006A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0471006B1 publication Critical patent/EP0471006B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01T—SPARK GAPS; OVERVOLTAGE ARRESTERS USING SPARK GAPS; SPARKING PLUGS; CORONA DEVICES; GENERATING IONS TO BE INTRODUCED INTO NON-ENCLOSED GASES
    • H01T1/00—Details of spark gaps
    • H01T1/14—Means structurally associated with spark gap for protecting it against overload or for disconnecting it in case of failure

Definitions

  • the invention relates generally to the field of telephony, and more particularly to a thermally sensitive second protection device for individual subscriber pair protector modules normally installed upon a mainframe in a telephone office.
  • Such protection devices traditionally employed a pair of carbon electrodes which arced upon the occurrence of momentary current overload to ground the individual circuit. Later developments included heat-sensitive devices employing a fusible solder member which, upon fusing, allowed a resilient member permanently to short the module to ground.
  • Patent Specification FR-A-2 622 047 discloses a lightning arrester device comprising a cylindrical casing with pins insulated in the ends thereof.
  • a fusible element is disposed in a groove around each end of the cylinder and is covered by a perforated insulating layer which is covered by an electrode strip connected to the pins. Upon rise in temperature due to over voltage the fusible strip melts, flows through the holes in the insulating layer and creates a short circuit between the cylindrical casing and the electrode strip.
  • Patent Specification WO 88/08634 discloses a gas filled surge arrestor with a centre and two end electrodes with the electrodes held at desired spacings by annular ceramic discs which form a housing.
  • a contact pin of the centre electrode is connected to a spring metal strip which has end portions urged towards the end electrodes but separated therefrom by an insulating coating. Upon excess voltage occurring air gap breakdown occurs at repeatable values and upon overheating the insulating coating breaks down.
  • a thermally sensitive secondary protection device for use with a 3-element gas tube employed for protecting an individual telephone subscriber circuit, the gas tube including first and second end electrodes and a centrally disposed electrode with the centrally disposed electrode having a laterally extending contact pin thereon;
  • the protection device comprising a member of resilient conductive sheet material having a principal axis parallel to that of the tube and having first and second end portions and a medially disposed portion therebetween, the first and second end portions being resiliently engageable with the first and second end electrodes on the gas tube but having fusible insulative members therebetween which, under normal conditions, prevent electrical current conduction therebetween, the medially disposed portion including means engaging the contact pin on the central electrode on the gas tube in electrically conductive relation whereby the development of a predetermined degree of heat by the gas tube upon the occurrence of a sustained current overload will cause fusing of the insulative members causing shorting of the end electrodes to the centre electrode;
  • the member of resilient conductive sheet material being in the form of
  • the invention can provide a fail-safe heat-sensitive device.
  • the thin perforated insulative sheet material member can provide secondary air gap means permitting arcing to ground in the event of a momentary excess voltage surge not developing sufficient heat to melt the fusible components, where the associated gas tube has failed to function at standard levels of conductivity.
  • a 3-element gas tube 10 of a kind commonly used as the principal protection means in individual subscriber circuit protector modules (not shown), has a ceramic main body forming first and second sections 11 and 12 each of which is filled with a gas, such as neon gas, which becomes electrically active above a pre-determined potential.
  • a gas such as neon gas
  • Communicating with the sections 11 and 12 are end electrodes 14 and 15, and a central electrode 16 which, in installed condition within the module, communicates with a ground pin 19 which, in turn, communicates with a source of ground potential on the protector block upon which the module is mounted.
  • a clip 49 Cooperating with the gas tube 10 is a clip 49, shown in Figures 1 and 2 and comprising a body 121 formed of sheet beryllium copper, or similar material as a stamping.
  • the body 121 has end portions 126 and 127 and to assist in maintaining the body 121 in electrical contact with the end electrodes 14 and 15 of the gas tube 10, the end portions 126 and 127 are bent to form generally arcuately shaped terminals 128 and 129 which partially wrap around the electrodes.
  • Insulative members 130 are most conveniently formed by cutting lengths of fusible insulative material sold under the Registered Trade Mark Mylar or the like.
  • the body 121 includes a centrally disposed rectangular opening bordered by first and second upwardly bent tabs 133 and 134 which engage the pin 19 which is thus positioned within an open area 135 disposed therebetween. Since the open area 135 is of a width less than the diameter of the pin 19, when the tabs 133 and 134 are in relatively unstressed condition, a resilient purchase on the pin 19 is obtained after engagement therewith.
  • the device requires only limited space within the protector module, and completely eliminates the need for devices having a similar function but requiring much greater volume, such as wire wound heat coils which serve to melt a solder pellet and thus release a separate coil spring which effects a grounding function.
  • the protection device provides not only protection against relatively sustained current overloads but also protection through secondary air gap means against momentary voltages which is useful, for example, in the case of a defective gas tube which while not totally inoperative has leaked to a degree sufficient substantially to alter the range of voltage over which it is conductive, thus destroying the protection for which it was provided.
  • a pair of integral shorting plates 50 and 51 are bounded by side edges 52 and 53 and end edges 54 and 55.
  • the plates 50 and 51 are positioned beneath the body 121 and overlie an air gap insulative member 60 formed of thin insulative material and shown in Figures 4 and 5.
  • the member 60 is bounded by longitudinal edges 61 and 62, and end edges 63 and 64. Extending along the end edges 63 and 64 are lines of small orifices 66 which provide air gaps through which excess voltage surges may arc to provide a backup function equivalent to that of the gas tubes.

Landscapes

  • Emergency Protection Circuit Devices (AREA)
  • Pipeline Systems (AREA)
  • Protection Of Pipes Against Damage, Friction, And Corrosion (AREA)
  • Fuses (AREA)

Claims (1)

  1. Dispositif de protection secondaire sensible à la chaleur pour utilisation avec un tube à gaz à trois éléments (10) servant à protéger un circuit individuel d'abonné au téléphone, le tube à gaz (10) comprenant des première et seconde électrodes d'extrémité (14, 15) et une électrode disposée de façon centrale (16), l'électrode disposée de façon centrale (16) portant une broche de contact (19) s'étendant latéralement ; le dispositif de protection comprenant un élément (49) fait d'une matière en feuille conductrice élastique ayant un axe principal parallèle à celui du tube (10) et comportant des première et seconde parties d'extrémité (126, 127) et une partie disposée, entre elles, de façon médiane (121), les première et seconde parties d'extrémité (126, 127) pouvant contacter de manière élastique les première et seconde électrodes d'extrémité (14, 15) du tube à gaz (10) mais avec, entre elles, des éléments isolants fusibles (130) qui, dans les conditions normales, empêchent le passage du courant électrique entre elles, la partie disposée de manière médiane (121) incluant un moyen (133, 134) contactant la broche de contact (19) de l'électrode centrale (16) du tube à gaz (10) dans une relation de conduction de l'électricité, ce par quoi le développement d'un certain degré prédéterminé de chaleur par le tube à gaz (10), lors de l'apparition d'une surcharge de courant soutenue, provoquera la fusion des éléments isolants (130) en provoquant la mise en court-circuit des électrodes d'extrémité (14, 15) avec l'électrode centrale (16) ; l'élément (49) de matière en feuille conductrice élastique étant sous la forme d'une pièce fabriquée à la presse et dont les parties d'extrémité (126, 127) sont formées comme des bornes de forme arquée (128, 129) pour contacter les surfaces d'extrémité extérieures des première et seconde électrodes d'extrémité (14, 15) du tube à gaz (10) pour fixer la position relative entre elles ; la partie disposée de façon médiane (121) incluant une ouverture disposée de manière centrale (135) bordée par des première et seconde pattes (133, 134) recourbées latéralement, les pattes (133, 134) contactant de manière élastique la broche de contact s'étendant latéralement (19) ; un moyen de protection secondaire par espace d'air situé entre la pièce fabriquée à la presse (49) et les électrodes d'extrémité (14, 15) pour fournir une protection de secours contre des pointes de tension momentanées ne développant pas une chaleur suffisante pour fondre les composants fusibles si le tube à gaz associé ne fonctionne plus aux niveaux normaux de conductivité, et incluant : un élément mince sensiblement rectangulaire (60) fait d'une matière en feuille isolante comportant des trous d'air (66) dans ses parties qui recouvrent les électrodes d'extrémité (14, 15) du tube à gaz (10) ; et une plaque de court-circuit (50, 51) recouvrant l'élément mince (60) et placée entre l'élément mince (60) et la pièce fabriquée à la presse (49), l'élément mince (60) et la plaque de court-circuit (50, 51) comportant chacun une ouverture (65) pour recevoir la broche de contact (19) de l'électrode centrale (16) du tube à gaz (10) de manière à les maintenir dans une disposition en coïncidence, le serrage élastique des pattes (133, 134) sur la broche de contact (19) et l'action élastique de la partie disposée de façon médiane (121) de la pièce fabriquée à la pièce (49) maintenant l'élément mince (60) et la plaque de court-circuit (50, 51) en contact étroit avec les électrodes (14, 15, 16) du tube à gaz (10) et les unes avec les autres pour former un espace d'air efficace.
EP90907659A 1989-05-01 1990-04-27 Dispositif de tube a gaz a securite integree destine aux modules de protection de telephones Expired - Lifetime EP0471006B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US345446 1989-05-01
US07/345,446 US4910489A (en) 1989-05-01 1989-05-01 Gas tube fail-safe device for telephone protector modules
US478424 1990-02-12
US07/478,424 US5027100A (en) 1990-02-12 1990-02-12 Gas tube fail safe device for telephone protector modules
PCT/US1990/002348 WO1990013904A1 (fr) 1989-05-01 1990-04-27 Dispositif de tube a gaz a securite integree destine aux modules de protection de telephones

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0471006A4 EP0471006A4 (fr) 1991-12-17
EP0471006A1 EP0471006A1 (fr) 1992-02-19
EP0471006B1 true EP0471006B1 (fr) 1995-07-05

Family

ID=26994396

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP90907659A Expired - Lifetime EP0471006B1 (fr) 1989-05-01 1990-04-27 Dispositif de tube a gaz a securite integree destine aux modules de protection de telephones

Country Status (6)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0471006B1 (fr)
AT (1) ATE124814T1 (fr)
DE (1) DE69020735D1 (fr)
ES (1) ES2074572T3 (fr)
MX (1) MX172972B (fr)
WO (1) WO1990013904A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE4309331A1 (de) * 1993-03-17 1994-09-22 Siemens Ag Überspannungsableiter mit äußerer Kurzschlußeinrichtung
ES2103637B1 (es) * 1994-05-04 1998-05-01 Cymem S A Dispositivo de cortocircuito exterior para modulos de proteccion de equipos telefonicos y similares.
DE19731312A1 (de) 1997-07-15 1999-01-28 Siemens Ag Überspannungsableiter mit äußerer Kurzschlußeinrichtung

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4649456A (en) * 1986-06-30 1987-03-10 Porta Systems Corp. Three element gas tube protector module
GB2205992B (en) * 1987-05-01 1991-07-17 Dubilier Plc Gas-filled surge arrestor
FR2622047B1 (fr) * 1987-10-16 1990-03-02 Tubes Lampes Electriq Cie Indl Dispositif parafoudre comprenant au moins un element fusible

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO1990013904A1 (fr) 1990-11-15
EP0471006A4 (fr) 1991-12-17
ES2074572T3 (es) 1995-09-16
DE69020735D1 (de) 1995-08-10
EP0471006A1 (fr) 1992-02-19
MX172972B (es) 1994-01-26
ATE124814T1 (de) 1995-07-15

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