A personal consumer product having an energy emitting element in selective electrical communication with a power source is provided. Thermal control circuitry is used to isolate the energy emitting element from the power source when a temperature of the energy emitting element exceeds a threshold. The thermal control circuitry includes a primary thermal control circuit and a redundant thermal control circuit. Methods for controlling the temperature of an energy emitting element of a personal consumer product are also provided.

A personal consumer product having an energy emitting element in selective electrical communication with a power source is provided. Thermal control circuitry is used to isolate the energy emitting element from the power source when a temperature of the energy emitting element exceeds a threshold. The thermal control circuitry includes a primary thermal control circuit and a redundant thermal control circuit. Methods for controlling the temperature of an energy emitting element of a personal consumer product are also provided.

A chip ceramic semiconductor electronic component includes a ceramic body including a ceramic semiconductor, and a first surface and a second surface in contact with the first surface, the first outer electrode on the first surface of the ceramic body, and the second outer electrode covering the first outer electrode and extending onto the second surface of the ceramic body, in which an area of a first surface of the first outer electrode is less than about 0.17 mm.sup.2, and a hard particle made of a material harder than the first outer electrode is at the interface between the first and second outer electrodes.

A semiconductor resistance device includes a polysilicon resistance region; a first contact region in the resistance region, the first contact region having the same conductivity type as the resistance region and having a higher impurity concentration than the resistance region; a first wiring electrically connected to one end of the resistance region via a plurality of first vias; and a second wiring electrically connected to the other end of the resistance region via a plurality of second vias. At least one of the plurality of first vias and the plurality of second vias is in contact with the first contact region so as to form a low resistance contact structure, and at least another one of the plurality of first vias and the plurality of second vias forms a high resistance contact structure that has a contact resistance higher than a contact resistance of the low resistance contact structure.

The temperature sensor is provided with a pair of lead frames, a sensor portion connected to the pair of lead frames, and an insulating holding portion which is fixed to the pair of lead frames and holds the lead frames. The sensor portion is provided with an insulating film; a thin film thermistor portion formed as a pattern on the surface of the insulating film with a thermistor material; a pair of interdigitated electrodes formed as patterns having multiple comb portions and facing each other on the thin film thermistor portion; and a pair of pattern electrodes connected to the pair of interdigitated electrodes and formed as patterns on the surface of the insulating film. The pair of lead frames is extended and adhered to the surface of the insulating film disposing the thin film thermistor portion therebetween and is connected to the pair of pattern electrodes.

Provided is a thermistor sintered body which stably provides a desired B constant even if a composition deviation of an additive element has occurred. The thermistor sintered body-includes a Y.sub.2O.sub.3 phase and a YMnO.sub.3 phase, wherein a chemical composition of Cr, Mn, Ca and Y excluding oxygen includes Cr: 3 mol % or less (while including 0%), Mn: 5 to 18 mol %, Ca: 1 to 18 mol %, and Sr: 1 to 25 mol %, with the balance being unavoidable impurities and Y. In the thermistor sintered body, Ca and Sr may be dissolved in the YMnO.sub.3 phase.

An electrical assembly may include an electrical component including a terminal and/or circuit electrically connectable to a controller. The circuit may include a temperature sensor disposed proximate the terminal. The circuit may be configured to initiate a status change of said controller if a temperature of the terminal reaches a predetermined threshold. A method of operating an electrical assembly may include providing power from a power source to an electrical component and/or one or more loads, passively monitoring a current of the electrical component, and/or activating the status change of said controller if the current exceeds a current threshold.

An electrical assembly may include an electrical component including a terminal and/or circuit electrically connectable to a controller. The circuit may include a temperature sensor disposed proximate the terminal. The circuit may be configured to initiate a status change of said controller if a temperature of the terminal reaches a predetermined threshold. A method of operating an electrical assembly may include providing power from a power source to an electrical component and/or one or more loads, passively monitoring a current of the electrical component, and/or activating the status change of said controller if the current exceeds a current threshold.

A ceramic electronic component includes a ceramic body, baked external electrodes, and plated external electrodes, and glass layers derived from a glass material included in a conductive paste of the baked external electrodes, are provided at interfaces between the baked external electrodes and the ceramic body, such that the glass layers extend from the interfaces between the ceramic body and the baked external electrodes to a surface of the ceramic body that does not contain the baked external electrodes.

A composite circuit protection device includes: a first positive temperature coefficient (PTC) component; a first voltage-dependent resistor (VDR); a second VDR; and a plurality of conductive leads that correspondingly connect to the first PTC component, the first VDR and the second VDR. The second VDR and the first PTC component are electrically connected in series, the first VDR is electrically connected to the series connection of the first PTC component and the second VDR in parallel, and the first VDR has a varistor voltage greater than that of the second VDR as determined at 1 mA.