Abstract: A surge arrester includes a mounting bracket, a surge arresting element, an electrically conductive connector, and a fault disconnector. The mounting bracket forms a bracket cup. The surge arresting element is arranged to conduct in the presence of a surge. The electrically conductive connector is electrically coupled to the surge arresting element and forms a connector cup. The electrically conductive connector is received by the mounting bracket so that the bracket cup is received in the connector cup. The fault disconnector is arranged to disconnect the surge arresting element from an electrical line in the event of a fault, and the fault disconnector is housed within the housing formed by the connector cup and the bracket cup.

Abstract: An integrated circuit including one or more power devices, and circuitry which reliably (and independently) shuts down each power device that is detected to be in an undesired operating condition (e.g., one or both of an overcurrent condition and an overvoltage condition) that causes a thermal fault, but which does not shut down any power device that is not in such undesired operating condition. In typical implementations in which the integrated circuit has multiple power devices and an overvoltage detection circuit for each power device, the integrated circuit includes a thermal fault detection circuit and logic circuitry which receives the output of the thermal fault detection circuit and each overvoltage detection circuit. The logic circuitry generates signals which shut down appropriate ones of the power devices in response to the thermal fault detection and overvoltage detection signals it receives.

Abstract: Spark-resistant structure for use with aircraft, including a sheet-shaped external element made of a composite material with an exterior face bearing an electrically conducting surface layer for dissipating lightning energy. The external element also has an interior face. The structure further includes a sheet-shaped internal element with exterior and interior faces. The interior face of the external element is least partially superimposed on the exterior face of said internal element. Each element has holes which are aligned with each other. The structure also includes a fixing structure for holding the elements together in a fixed position passing through the aligned holes and forming an alignment. The fixing structure electrically contacts the conducting surface layer. Additionally, a first electrically conducting strip is positioned under the conducting surface layer of the external element, and it extends longitudinally in a direction of the alignment of the fixing structure.

Abstract: A surge protector assembly may be provided with three terminals, a gas discharge tube having a first conductive end and a second conductive end opposite the first conductive end, a pair of metal oxide varistors conductively connected to the ends of the gas discharge tube, and a pair of bracket arms associated with the ends of the gas discharge tube. The bracket arms are movable between a steady-state position in which they cause the first and second terminals to be conductively separated from the third terminal and a shorting position in which they cause the first and second terminals to be conductively connected to the third terminal. The bracket arms are spaced from the ends of the gas discharge tube by a first distance when they are in their steady-state positions and by a second distance when they are in their shorting positions, with the first distance being greater than the second distance, and the bracket arms are spring-biased towards their shorting positions.