1. An apparatus, comprising:
an overvoltage protection portion; and
an overcurrent protection portion operably coupled to the overvoltage protection portion such that heat produced by the overcurrent protection portion at a current below a rated current of the overcurrent protection portion causes the overvoltage protection portion to change from a voltage regulation state to a shorted state.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the overvoltage protection portion and the overcurrent protection portion are integrated into a single, discrete component.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the overvoltage protection portion is configured to fail short during a first time period, and the current drawn by the failed short overvoltage protection portion causes the overcurrent protection portion to fail open during a second time period after the first time period.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heat produced by the overcurrent protection portion at the current below the rated current of the overcurrent protection portion causes a temperature of the overvoltage protection portion to increase until the overvoltage protection portion changes from the voltage regulation state to the shorted state.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
an output terminal coupled to the overvoltage protection portion via a conductor having a resistance lower than a resistance of the overcurrent protection portion.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
an output terminal coupled to the overvoltage protection portion via a plurality of conductors each having a resistance substantially equal to a resistance of the overcurrent protection portion.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
an output terminal; and
a conductive clip coupled to the overvoltage protection portion, the overcurrent protection portion, and the output terminal.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the overvoltage protection portion and the overcurrent protection portion are defined within a common silicon substrate.
9. An apparatus, comprising:
an overcurrent protection portion; and
an overvoltage protection portion coupled to the overcurrent protection portion such that a thermally triggered change from a voltage regulation state to a shorted state of the overvoltage protection portion triggers a low conduction state of the overcurrent protection portion.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the thermally triggered failure of the overvoltage protection portion triggers the overcurrent protection portion to fail open.
11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the overvoltage protection portion is at least one of a transient voltage suppression device diode or a zener diode and the overcurrent protection portion is a fuse.
12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the overcurrent protection portion and the overvoltage protection portion are integrated into a single package having an output terminal electrically coupled to the overvoltage protection portion, a ground terminal electrically coupled to the overvoltage protection portion, and an input terminal electrically coupled to the overcurrent protection portion.
13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the change of the overvoltage protection portion from the voltage regulation state to the shorted state is triggered by heat produced by the overcurrent protection portion and conductively transferred to the overvoltage protection portion at a current below a rated current of the overcurrent protection portion.
14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the overvoltage protection portion is integrated within a package with the overcurrent protection portion such that heat is transferred from the overcurrent protection portion to trigger the change of the overvoltage protection portion from the voltage regulation state to the shorted state at a current below a rated current of the overcurrent protection portion within a specified time period.
15. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:
an output terminal coupled to the overvoltage protection portion via a conductor having a resistance lower than a resistance of the overcurrent protection portion.
16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the overcurrent protection portion and the overvoltage protection portion have a common silicon substrate.
17. A method, comprising:
receiving an overvoltage protection portion having a substrate; and
disposing the overvoltage protection portion into a container, the overvoltage protection portion being electrically and thermally coupled to an overcurrent protection portion disposed within the container.
18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:
disposing a metal on the silicon substrate to define the overcurrent protection portion.
19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:
inserting the overcurrent protection portion into the container, the overcurrent protection portion being coupled to the overvoltage protection portion after the inserting of the overvoltage protection portion into the container.
20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:
Inserting a molding into the container around the overvoltage protection portion and the overcurrent protection portion, the molding is a thermally conductive material configured to transfer heat produced by the overcurrent protection portion at a current below a rated current of the overcurrent protection portion to the overvoltage protection portion such that the overvoltage protection portion fails short.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A ventilation system, comprising: ductwork; a fan for creating a current of air passing through the ductwork; and an air supply outlet for supplying outdoor air into a living space of a house by means of the current of air;
wherein the ventilation system further comprises an electrostatic atomizer located at the side of the air supply outlet, the electrostatic atomizer being configured to produce mist of charged fine water particles by means of electrostatic atomization to spray the mist into the living space.
2. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein:
the ductwork is located in a ceiling crawl space;
the air supply outlet is located at an opening of the ceiling of the living space and also connected with the ductwork through a passage; and
the fan pushes the outdoor air into the living space from the air supply outlet through the ductwork and the passage;
wherein the ventilation system comprises a supply grille having the air supply outlet, the passage, the electrostatic atomizer and a controller, the passage comprising supply and bypass passages through which the outdoor air from the ductwork passes,
the bypass passage comprising a variable passage varying a quantity of the outdoor air passing through the bypass passage, and a mist passage located at the downstream side of the variable passage,
the electrostatic atomizer being configured to apply high voltage to condensation water at a position between the variable passage and the mist passage to produce mist of charged fine water particles,
the controller being configured to control the variable passage to adjust the quantity of the outdoor air passing through the bypass passage.
3. The ventilation system of claim 2, wherein: the supply grille further comprises a wind speed sensor that is configured to detect speed of the outdoor air passing through the bypass passage to supply a sensor signal to the controller; and
the controller is configured to control the variable passage based on the sensor signal.
4. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein:
the ductwork is located in a ceiling crawl space;
the air supply outlet is located at an opening of the ceiling of the living space and also connected with the ductwork through a passage; and
the fan pushes the outdoor air into the living space from the air supply outlet through the ductwork and the passage;
wherein the ventilation system comprises a supply grille having: a body case;
and the air supply outlet, the passage, the electrostatic atomizer and a power supply that are put in the body case;
the electrostatic atomizer comprising: first and second electrodes and a heat exchanger that are put in the passage; and a high voltage generator;
the heat exchanger being connected with the power supply and configured to cool the first electrode to produce condensation water on the first electrode,
the high voltage generator being connected with the power supply and configured to apply high voltage to the condensation water through the first and second electrodes to produce mist of charged fine water particles.
5. The ventilation system of claim 4, wherein: the air supply outlet comprising an air outlet and a mist outlet; and
the passage comprising supply and bypass passages through which the outdoor air from the ductwork passes,
the supply passage being located between the ductwork and the air outlet,
the bypass passage being located between the ductwork and the mist outlet, the first and second electrodes and the heat exchanger being put in the bypass passage.
6. The ventilation system of claim 5, wherein the air outlet side of the supply passage and the mist outlet side of the bypass passage are I-shaped and arranged in parallel.
7. The ventilation system of claim 6, wherein:
the supply passage is in the shape of an L; and
the bypass passage is in the shape of an I, and is arranged at the inner corner of the supply passage to be connected between the ductwork side of the supply passage and the mist outlet.
8. The ventilation system of claim 6, wherein:
the supply passage is in the shape of an L; and
the bypass passage is in the shape of an I, and located opposite the inner corner of the supply passage to be connected between the outer corner of the supply passage and the mist outlet.
9. The ventilation system of claim 5, wherein the heat exchanger has a radiator that is put in the supply passage.
10. The ventilation system of claim 1, wherein:
the ductwork is located in a ceiling crawl space;
the air supply outlet is located at an opening of the ceiling of the living space and also connected with the ductwork through a passage; and
the fan pushes the outdoor air into the living space from the air supply outlet through the ductwork and the passage;
wherein the ventilation system comprises:
a supply grille having the air supply outlet, the passage and the electrostatic atomizer;
a room sensor that is configured to detect a state of the living space to produce a state signal; and
a controller that is configured to adjust a quantity of the mist based on the state signal.
11. The ventilation system of claim 10, wherein:
the room sensor is an illuminance sensor that is configured to detect illuminance of the living space to produce an illuminance signal; and
the controller is configured to change an operation mode of the electrostatic atomizer based on the illuminance signal and thereby to control a quantity of the mist.
12. The ventilation system of claim 10, wherein:
the room sensor is a sound sensor that is configured to detect a sound of the living space to produce a sound signal; and
the controller is configured to change an operation mode of the electrostatic atomizer based on the sound signal and thereby to control a quantity of the mist.
13. The ventilation system of claim 10, wherein:
the controller is configured to control the electrostatic atomizer based on the state signal from the room sensor; and
the supply grille, the room sensor and the controller are related with each other and provided for each of a plurality of living spaces.
14. The ventilation system of claim 10, further comprising:
a storage device that stores a plurality of operation modes with respect to the electrostatic atomizer; and
a selection means for selecting one of a sensor operation and at least one operation that correspond to the operation modes, respectively;
wherein: the supply grille, the room sensor, the controller, the storage device and the selection means are related with each other; and
the controller is configured:
(i) to adjust a quantity of the mist produced by the electrostatic atomizer of the related supply grille based on the state signal from the related room sensor in accordance with the operation mode corresponding to the sensor operation selected through the related selection means; and also
(ii) to adjust a quantity of the mist produced by the electrostatic atomizer of the related supply grille in accordance with the operation mode corresponding to said at least one operation selected through the related selection means.
15. The ventilation system of claim 1,
the ductwork is located in a ceiling crawl space;
the fan pulls off the indoor air from the living space through the ductwork to generate negative indoor pressure in the living space; and
the air supply outlet is located at an opening of an exterior wall of the living space, and supplies outdoor air into the living space by means of the negative indoor pressure;
wherein the electrostatic atomizer is configured to apply high voltage to condensation water at the side of the air supply outlet to produce mist of charged fine water particles.
16. The ventilation system of claim 15, further comprising:
an outlet sensor for detecting whether the air supply outlet is opened or closed; and
a controller that is configured to operate the electrostatic atomizer when the outlet sensor detects that the air supply outlet is opened, and also to stop the operation of the electrostatic atomizer when the outlet sensor detects that the air supply outlet is closed.
17. The ventilation system of claim 15, wherein the electrostatic atomizer can be attached to and detached from the side of the air supply outlet.
18. The ventilation system of claim 11, wherein:
the controller is configured to control the electrostatic atomizer based on the state signal from the room sensor; and
the supply grille, the room sensor and the controller are related with each other and provided for each of a plurality of living spaces.
19. The ventilation system of claim 11, further comprising:
a storage device that stores a plurality of operation modes with respect to the electrostatic atomizer; and
a selection means for selecting one of a sensor operation and at least one operation that correspond to the operation modes, respectively;
wherein: the supply grille, the room sensor, the controller, the storage device and the selection means are related with each other; and
the controller is configured:
(i) to adjust a quantity of the mist produced by the electrostatic atomizer of the related supply grille based on the state signal from the related room sensor in accordance with the operation mode corresponding to the sensor operation selected through the related selection means; and also
(ii) to adjust a quantity of the mist produced by the electrostatic atomizer of the related supply grille in accordance with the operation mode corresponding to said at least one operation selected through the related selection means.
20. The ventilation system of claim 16, wherein the electrostatic atomizer can be attached to and detached from the side of the air supply outlet.