Overvoltage protection circuit for power converters

Claim 1

ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY COMPRISING: A SOURCE OF DIRECT CURRENT ELECTRICAL ENERGY HAVING A FIRST OUTPUT TERMINAL AND HAVING A SECOND OUTPUT TERMINAL CONNECTED TO A GROUND; A LOAD DEVICE CONNECTED ACROSS SAID SOURCE AND INCLUDING A FIRST ELECTRON DISCHARGE DEVICE HAVING A CONTROL ELECTRODE AND FIRST AND SECOND LOAD ELECTRODES, SAID SECOND LOAD ELECTRODE BEING CONNECTED TO GROUND AND SAID FIRST LOAD ELECTRODE BEING CONNECTED THROUGH FIRST IMPEDANCE MEANS TO SAID FIRST OUTPUT TERMINAL, AND SAID LOAD DEVICE FURTHER INCLUDING MEANS COUPLED TO SAID CONTROL ELECTRODE AND PERIODICALLY CHANGING THE CONDUCTING STATE OF SAID FIRST ELECTRON DISCHARGE DEVICE; AND MEANS FOR PROTECTING SAID FIRST ELECTRON DISCHARGE DEVICE FROM TRANSIENT ENERGY DAMAGE AND INCLUDING A NORMALLY NON-CONDUCTING UNIDIRECTIONAL MEANS HAVING HIGH RESISTANCE TO CURRENT FLOW THERETHROUGH IN ONE DIRECTION AT VOLTAGES THEREACROSS BELOW A PREDETERMINED VALUE AND HAVING ONE TERMINAL CONNECTED THROUGH RESISTANCE MEANS TO SAID FIRST OUTPUT TERMINAL OF SAID SOURCE AND ANOTHER TERMINAL CONNECTED TO GROUND; AND SAID PROTECTING MEANS INCLUDING A SECOND ELECTRON DISCHARGE DEVICE HAVING A FIRST ELECTRODE COUPLED TO THE FIRST OUTPUT TERMINAL OF SAID ENERGY SOURCE, A SECOND ELECTRODE COUPLED THROUGH A PORTION OF SAID RESISTANCE MEANS TO SAID UNIDIRECTIONAL MEANS, AND A THIRD ELECTRODE COUPLED TO THE CONTROL ELECTRODE OF SAID FIRST DISCHARGE DEVICE, SAID UNIDIRECTIONAL MEANS NORMALLY KEEPING SAID SECOND ELECTRON DISCHARGE DEVICE NON-CONDUCTING; THE COUPLING OF SAID FIRST ELECTRODE TO SAID SOURCE AND SAID SECOND ELECTRODE TO SAID UNIDIRECTIONAL DEVICE AND THE ORIENTATION OF SAID UNIDIRECTIONAL DEVICE BEING SUCH THAT A VOLTAGE IN SAID SOURCE CAUSING A VOLTAGE EXCEEDING SAID PREDETERMINED VALUE ACROSS SAID UNIDIRECTIONAL MEANS INITIATES CURRENT FLOW THROUGH SAID UNIDIRECTIONAL MEANS IN THE HIGH RESISTANCE DIRECTION RENDERING SAID SECOND ELECTRON DISCHARGE DEVICE CONDUCTIVE TO PRODUCE A SIGNAL AT SAID THIRD ELECTRODE CUTTING OFF CONDUCTION OF SAID FIRST ELECTRON DISCHARGE DEVICE DURING THE PRESENCE OF SAID EXCEEDING VOLTAGE.