Patent attributes
Disclosed is a module (10) having pins (16-24) connected to respective conductor tower strips (46, 48, 50, 52). Pairs (46, 50 and 48, 52) of the conductor tower strips are spring biased toward each other to capture therebetween respective PTC current limiting elements (64, 70). A spring member 60 is connected to a ground pin (24) at one end, and to an overvoltage sensitive assembly at the other end, via a soldered heat transfer member (92). The overvoltage sensitive assembly includes overvoltage semiconductor devices (76, 77, 79) soldered thereto. When an overvoltage condition is sensed, the heat generated by the devices melts the solder between the heat transfer member (92) and the spring member (60), whereby lateral arms (90) of the spring member (60) move and engage the conductor tower strips (50, 52). The tip and ring pins (16, 18) of the module (10) are not only shorted together, but are shorted to ground.
