OVERCURRENT PROTECTION DEVICE

摘要

A circuit protection arrangement that is intended to be series connected in a line of the circuit comprises a transistor switch (1) that controls the line current and a control transistor (4) that controls the base or gate voltage of the switching transistor and is responsive to an overcurrent through the switching transistor. The arrangement includes a voltage source, for example a battery (3), a dc-dc converter (58/59) or a Seebeck device (43), applied to the base or gate of the switching transistor which biases the switching transistor into or toward conduction in normal operation. The arrangement enables the initial voltage drop that is required to turn the switching transistor (1) on to be reduced or eliminated while requiring relatively little current from the voltage source. The arrangement can be reset remotely by briefly removing the voltage source or load from the circuit.