Claims
- 1. A device for interrupting a load circuit and indicating a current overload condition comprising:
first and second electrodes being coupled to a load circuit, said load circuit having a source of electrical power to connect current to a load; a light emitter circuit having an indicator lamp serially connected to a current limiting resistor, said light emitter circuit being connected to said first electrode; and a multi-metallic heat reactive strip connected to said first and second electrodes having a first shape to close said load circuit and conduct said current in said load circuit, said multi-metallic heat reactive strip being heated to a heated condition by said current exceeding a predetermined overload magnitude to snap said multi-metallic heat reactive strip into a second shape to open said load circuit and close said light emitter circuit, said indicator lamp of said light emitter circuit radiating light to visually indicate said current exceeding said predetermined overload magnitude and said open load circuit.
- 2. The device of claim 1 wherein stresses generated by heating said multi-metallic heat reactive strip to said heated condition by said current exceeding a predetermined overload magnitude create the only forces used to snap said multi-metallic heat reactive strip into said second shape.
- 3. The device of claim 2 further comprising:
means adjacent to said multi-metallic heat reactive strip for manually resetting said multi-metallic heat reactive strip from said second shape to said first shape.
- 4. The device of claim 3 wherein said manually resetting means snaps said multi-metallic heat reactive strip back to said first shape.
- 5. The device of claim 4 further comprising:
a housing having said first and second electrodes extending from its bottom and said manually resetting means and said indicator lamp extending from its top surface.
- 6. The device of claim 5 wherein said first and second electrodes are inserted into sockets connected to said load circuit and said manually resetting means is a push button of a reset push button mechanism extending through said housing.
- 7. The device of claim 6 wherein said multi-metallic heat reactive-strip is disc-shaped and said push button pushes against said multi-metallic heat reactive strip to reset it to said second shape after it has cooled from said heated condition.
- 8. The device of claim 7 wherein said first shape is dome-shaped and said second shape is inverted dome-shaped.
- 9. The device of claim 8 wherein reset of said multi-metallic heat reactive strip is accomplished by displacing said inverted dome-shaped multi-metallic heat reactive strip by said push button until said multi-metallic heat reactive strip snaps to its previous dome shape.
- 10. The device of claim 9 wherein said multi-metallic heat reactive strip opens said light emitter circuit and virtually simultaneously closes said load circuit during said reset of said multi-metallic heat reactive strip.
STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST
[0001] The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.