Patent ID: 8325455

Claim:
A voltage surge and overvoltage protection system, comprising: at least one first voltage clamping device configured to clamp a voltage of an input power voltage applied to an electrical load to a predetermined first voltage clamping level; at least one second voltage clamping device configured to clamp the voltage applied to the electrical load to a predetermined second voltage clamping level; a series inductance coupled between the first and second voltage clamping devices; a selectably actuatable switch connected between the series inductance and the second voltage clamping device for disconnecting power from the second voltage clamping device and the electrical load; an high impedance component coupled between the series inductance and the second voltage clamping device in parallel with the switch for providing isolation between the input power voltage to the electrical load when the switch is off; and a switch control circuit that controls actuation of the switch in response to detection that the input power voltage has exceeded a predetermined voltage level for a predetermined time.