Patent ID: 8450881

Claim:
An apparatus for protecting an electric line in a vehicle, comprising: an electric fuse, and a controllable switching element, the controllable switching element and the electric fuse being formed as a parallel circuit, and the parallel circuit being connectable in series to the electric line, the electric fuse being disposed in a first branch of the parallel circuit, which has a first resistance, and the controllable switching element being disposed in a second branch of the parallel circuit, and the controllable switching element accommodating at least a first state and a second state, with the first state having a second resistance higher than the first resistance, and with the second state having a third resistance lower than the first resistance, wherein, during normal current conditions, the controllable switching element is in the first state, and wherein, when a pulse load condition is sensed, the controllable switching element switches from the first state where current primarily flows through the electric fuse into the second state where current flows primarily through the controllable switching element, wherein the pulse load condition exists when the current flowing through the parallel circuit exceeds a first threshold value, and wherein the controllable switching element switches from the second state into the first state: 1) upon an overload condition, wherein the overload condition exists when the current flowing through the parallel circuit remains above the first threshold for a specified duration, or 2) upon a drop in current flowing through the parallel circuit below a second threshold value.