JP2016021299A - Short circuit element, and led circuit, battery protection circuit and short circuit using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a short circuit element in which a heating resistor is allowed to complete heat generation after a short circuit between two electrodes has been surely formed, and an LED circuit, a battery protection circuit and a short circuit using the short circuit element.SOLUTION: A short circuit element of the present invention includes: an insulation substrate; a heating resistor provided on the insulation substrate; first and second electrodes provided adjacent to each other on the insulation substrate; and a first fusible conductor that is heated by the heating resistor to be fused and short circuits between the first electrode and the second electrode by concentrating so as to be in contact with the first and second electrodes. One end of the heating resistor is connected to the first electrode, and the other end of the heating resistor is connected to the second electrode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a short-circuit element that is short-circuited by a fusible conductor as a low-melting-point metal body in which opposed electrodes are heated and melted, and an LED (Light Emitting Diode) circuit, a battery protection circuit, and a short-circuit circuit using the short-circuit element.

  Conventionally, for example, in an LED lighting device in which a plurality of LED elements are connected in series, a short-circuit element is used in order to prevent the device from being completely turned off even if any of the LED elements fails. . Moreover, in a solar cell system with a large capacity and a large current flowing, a short-circuit element is used to prevent the entire system from stopping even when a part of the solar cells connected in series fails.

  As such an LED lighting device, a short-circuit element is connected in parallel to each of the LED elements connected in series, and when the LED element is abnormal, the short-circuit element is short-circuited at a predetermined voltage to cause normal remaining LED elements to emit light Is disclosed (see Patent Document 1). In the example of Patent Document 1, a plurality of elements configured by sandwiching an insulating barrier layer having a predetermined thickness between metals are connected in series to form a short circuit element.

  On the other hand, a secondary battery protection circuit using a protection element in which a heating resistor and a fuse element are provided on a substrate is disclosed (see Patent Document 2). In the example of Patent Document 2, when an abnormality occurs in any of the cells connected in series, the entire battery pack is shut off, and in that case, the entire electronic device cannot be used.

  In addition, a fusible conductor is connected to each of the two adjacent electrodes, and the fusible conductors are also arranged adjacent to each other. In the event of an abnormality, it is possible to generate heat by energizing a heating resistor connected in series with the fusible conductor. There is also a short-circuit element that is short-circuited by melting and fusing molten conductors.

JP 2007-12811 A JP 2006-109596 A

  However, according to the current-voltage characteristic curve, the short-circuit element described in Patent Document 1 has a high resistance value of about 17 kΩ when 10 V is applied. In order to efficiently bypass the open (open) mode LED element, the resistance value must be further increased. Lowering is desired.

  Further, in the above-described configuration in which the fusible conductor and the heating resistor are connected in series, if variation occurs in the melting progress of the fusible conductor, before the short circuit between the two electrodes is completed, the heating resistor is connected to the heating resistor. There is a concern that the current will be cut off.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and the object thereof is a short-circuit element in which heat generation of a heating resistor is terminated after a reliable short-circuit between two electrodes, and an LED using the same It is to provide a circuit, a battery protection circuit, and a short circuit.

  A short-circuit element according to one aspect of the present invention includes an insulating substrate, a heating resistor provided on the insulating substrate, first and second electrodes provided adjacent to each other on the insulating substrate, and the heat generation. A first soluble conductor that melts by heating from a resistor and gathers so as to be in contact with the first and second electrodes to short-circuit the first electrode and the second electrode; One end of the heating resistor is connected to the first electrode, and the other end of the heating resistor is connected to the second electrode.

  According to the present invention, by connecting in parallel the energization path of the heating resistor and the short-circuit path composed of the two electrodes facing each other, the heat generation of the heating resistor is completed after the two electrodes are reliably short-circuited. Thus, while having a simple configuration that does not require a control circuit, it is resistant to static electricity, has a low resistance value at the time of a short circuit, and can flow a large current, and an LED circuit and a battery protection circuit using the same A short circuit can be provided.

(A) is a top view which shows the structure of the short circuit element concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a sectional side view of the said short circuit element, (c) is a bottom view of the said short circuit element. It is a figure which shows the structure of the LED circuit using the short circuiting element concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the LED circuit using the short circuiting element concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the LED circuit using the short circuiting element concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a top view which shows the state at the time of the voltage application of the short circuit element concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a figure which shows the equivalent circuit of the said short circuit element. (A) is a top view which shows the state at the time of the heat generation start of the short circuit element concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a figure which shows the equivalent circuit of the said short circuit element. (A) is the top view which showed the state at the time of the short circuit of the short circuit element concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a figure which shows the equivalent circuit of the said short circuit element. (A) is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a plan view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element. (A) is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a plan view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element. (A) is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a plan view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element. (A) is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a plan view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element. (A) is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a plan view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element. (A) is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a plan view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element. (A) is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a plan view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element. (A) is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a plan view showing the configuration of the short-circuit element. It is a top view which shows the structure of the short circuiting element concerning the 10th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the battery protection circuit to which the short circuit element which concerns on the 11th Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the structure of the battery protection circuit to which the short circuit element which concerns on the 11th Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the structure of the battery protection circuit to which the short circuit element which concerns on the 11th Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the structure of the example of improvement of the short circuiting element concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments relating to a short-circuit element of the present invention, and an LED circuit, a battery protection circuit, and a short-circuit using the same will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In addition, the short circuit element of this invention is not limited to the following description, In the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention, it can change suitably.

  A short-circuit element according to an embodiment of the present invention includes first and second electrodes facing each other, a fusible conductor as a low-melting-point metal body, and a heating resistor, and heat-melting the low-melting-point metal body, The first electrode and the second electrode are short-circuited. Hereinafter, each embodiment will be described in detail.

(First embodiment)
First, the short circuit element according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  1A is a plan view of the short-circuit element according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a side sectional view of the short-circuit element, FIG. 1C is a bottom view of the short-circuit element, Respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the short-circuit element 1 includes an insulating substrate 10 made of ceramic or the like. The heating resistor 3 is laminated on one surface of the insulating substrate 10, and the periphery thereof is covered with the insulating layer 2. Electrodes 4 and 5 are provided adjacent to each other on the insulating substrate 10, and insulating layers 8 and 9 are laminated on at least a part of the surfaces of the electrodes 4 and 5. The fusible conductors 6 and 7 are laminated on the insulating layers 8 and 9 so that at least a part of the surfaces thereof are in contact with the insulating layers 8 and 9, respectively.

  More specifically, electrodes 4 and 5 are connected to both ends of the heating resistor 3 for connecting a power source for causing the heating resistor 3 to generate heat by flowing a current. That is, one end of the heating resistor 3 is connected to the electrode 4, and the other end is connected to the electrode 5. The short-circuit element 1 is obtained by melting the soluble conductors 6 and 7 as the low melting point metal body by heating from the heating resistor 3 and gathering so as to be in contact with the electrodes 4 and 5 at the substantially central portion thereof. , 5 are short-circuited. In this sense, it can also be said that the soluble conductors 6 and 7 are aggregated in a substantially central portion.

  Although illustration is omitted here for convenience of explanation, a cover may be employed to protect the inside of the short-circuit element 1. In that case, for the cover, an insulating material having a predetermined heat resistance such as crystalline polymer, glass epoxy, ceramics, etc. may be used.

  The insulating substrate 10 is made of an insulating material such as alumina, glass ceramic, mullite, or zirconia. In addition, materials used for printed wiring boards such as glass epoxy boards and phenol boards may be used. That is, various kinds of materials having high heat resistance and low thermal conductivity can be used. It may be a metal whose surface is coated with an insulating film or the like.

  The heating resistor 3 is a conductive member that has a relatively high resistance value and generates heat when energized, and is made of, for example, tungsten (W), molybdenum (Mo), ruthenium (Ru), or the like. These alloys, compositions, or compound powders may be mixed with a resin binder or the like to form a paste on an insulating substrate by patterning using a screen printing technique and firing. .

  The electrodes 4 and 5 can be formed using a general electrode material such as Cu or Ag. That is, as the electrodes 4 and 5, basically any material can be applied as long as it is a metal material having a property that can be appropriately processed into a predetermined shape. Further, for example, various electrode materials in which various powders are uniformly dispersed in an organic solvent to form a paste may be used.

  The insulating layers 8 and 9 are provided in order to efficiently transmit the heat of the heating resistor 3 to the fusible conductors 6 and 7, and are made of, for example, a glass layer. The heating resistor 3 melts the soluble conductors 6 and 7 by heating the electrodes 4 and 5, and makes it easy to gather so as to be in contact with the electrodes 4 and 5.

  The fusible conductors 6 and 7 are conductive materials that melt when heat of a predetermined temperature or higher is applied. As the soluble conductors 6 and 7, for example, BiPbSn alloy, BiPb alloy, BiSn alloy, SnPb alloy, PbIn alloy, ZnAl alloy, InSn alloy, PbAgSn alloy or the like can be used. The fusible conductors 6 and 7 are laminates of a high melting point metal composed of a metal mainly composed of Ag or Cu, Ag or Cu, and a low melting point metal such as Pb-free solder composed mainly of Sn. May be. If the Pb-free solder is, for example, SnAgCu, the melting point is generally 220 ° C. at the maximum.

  2 to 4 show an example in which the short-circuit element according to the first embodiment is applied to an LED circuit, and the operation of the short-circuit element will be described in detail. A portion where the short-circuit elements are connected in parallel corresponds to a short-circuit.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the LED circuit in which a plurality of LEDs 20, 21... Are connected in series to a power source (not shown), a short-circuit element 1 is connected in parallel to each LED 20, 21. . During normal operation in which the LEDs 20 and 21 are not malfunctioning, the resistance value of the heating resistor 3 of the short-circuit element 1 is sufficiently large, so that current continues to flow to the LEDs 20 and 21 side. As a result, the LEDs 20 and 21 emit light.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when one LED 20 fails in the open (open) mode, a current flows through the heating resistor 3 of the short-circuit element 1. Thereby, the heating resistor 3 starts to generate heat. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the heat of the heating resistor 3 is transmitted to the soluble conductors 6 and 7 through the electrodes 4 and 5, and the soluble conductors 6 and 7 are melted and short-circuited. Then, since the resistance on the short-circuit side by the fusible conductors 6 and 7 is lower, the current almost does not flow through the heating resistor 3, and the heat generation of the heating resistor 3 is stopped.

  FIG. 5A shows the state of the short-circuit element when a voltage is applied, and FIG. 5B shows the operation of the short-circuit element when a voltage is applied in an equivalent circuit. FIG. 6A shows the state of the short-circuit element at the start of heat generation of the heating resistor, and FIG. 6B shows the operation of the short-circuit element at the start of heat generation of the heating resistor by an equivalent circuit. FIG. 7A shows the state of the short-circuit element at the time of short circuit, and FIG. 7B shows the operation of the short-circuit element at the time of short circuit by an equivalent circuit. Hereinafter, a series of operations will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, when a voltage is applied to the short-circuit element 1, the heating resistor 3 starts to generate heat as shown in FIG. 6 and 7 are transmitted through the electrodes 4 and 5. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are melted and short-circuited. At the time of voltage application and at the start of heat generation, as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 6 (a), no change is seen in the soluble conductors 6 and 7 of the short-circuit element 1, but a predetermined time from the voltage application. After the elapse, as shown in FIG. 7A, the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are melted and gathered at a substantially central portion to short-circuit the electrodes 4 and 5.

  As described above, the short-circuit element according to the first embodiment is a self-contained type that operates by self-heating by energizing the heating resistor, and stops the heat generation by the heating resistor when short-circuited, and the control circuit An unnecessary simple LED circuit can be realized. Further, the short-circuit element according to the first embodiment is resistant to static electricity because the fusible conductor is melted and short-circuited by heating of the heating resistor, so that it is not necessary to form a circuit with a thin film.

(Second Embodiment)
A short-circuit element according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 8A is a side sectional view of the short-circuit element according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8B is a plan view of the short-circuit element. Here, the same components as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 1 and the like) will be described using mainly the same reference numerals and different points.

  As shown in the figure, the short-circuit element 20 includes an insulating substrate 10 made of ceramic or the like. The heating resistor 3 is laminated on one surface of the insulating substrate 10, and the periphery thereof is covered with the insulating layer 2. Electrodes 4 and 5 are provided adjacent to each other on the insulating substrate 10, and insulating layers 8 and 9 are laminated on at least a part of the surfaces of the electrodes 4 and 5. The fusible conductors 6 and 7 are laminated on the insulating layers 8 and 9 so that at least a part of the surfaces thereof is in contact with the insulating layers 8 and 9, respectively. The fusible conductors 8 and 9 are melted by heating from the heating resistor 3 and gathered so as to be in contact with the electrodes 4 and 5, thereby short-circuiting the electrodes 4 and 5.

  In the short-circuit element 20, the two fusible conductors 6 and 7 that face each other are arranged on the electrodes 4 and 5 so that a predetermined range on the opposite side, that is, the bottom surface of the end near the center of the short-circuit element 20. It is characterized by being fixed by the solder pastes 11 and 12 provided. Various types of conductive pastes or heat conductive pastes can be used for this fixing. In the following embodiments, description will be given by taking a solder paste as an example.

  That is, the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are laminated on the insulating layers 8 and 9. At the time of lamination, the solder pastes 11 and 12 in the same layer as the insulating layers 8 and 9 are opposed to the fusible conductors 6 and 7. The predetermined range of the bottom surface of the side end is fixed. In addition to the solder paste, various methods for physically fixing the soluble conductors 6 and 7 can be employed.

  In such a configuration, the short-circuit element 20 is substantially fixed in which the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are melted from the end opposite to the opposite side by heating from the heating resistor 3 and are fixed by the solder pastes 11 and 12. The electrodes 4 and 5 are short-circuited by gathering in contact with the electrodes 4 and 5 on the center side. At this time, the insulating layers 8 and 9 prevent the fusible conductors 6 and 7 from spreading.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, a circuit is formed with a thin film for melting of a low melting point metal by heat generation of a heating resistor and solder bonding. Because there is no need to do it, it is strong against static electricity. In addition, because of the solder joint, the conductor resistance can be lowered, and further, contact failure such as so-called chattering that causes minute and very fast mechanical vibration when the fusible conductor melts and short-circuits does not occur.

(Third embodiment)
A short-circuit element according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 9A is a side sectional view of a short-circuit element according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9B is a plan view of the short-circuit element. Here, the same components as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 1 and the like) will be described using mainly the same reference numerals and different points.

  As shown in the figure, the short-circuit element 21 includes an insulating substrate 10 made of ceramic or the like. A heating resistor 3 is embedded in the insulating substrate 10. Electrodes 4 and 5 are provided adjacent to each other on the insulating substrate 10, and insulating layers 8 and 9 are laminated on at least a part of the surfaces of the electrodes 4 and 5. The fusible conductors 6 and 7 are laminated on the insulating layers 8 and 9 so that at least a part of the bottom surface thereof is in contact with the insulating layers 8 and 9, respectively.

  The two fusible conductors 6 and 7 that face each other are fixed by solder pastes 11 and 12 that are disposed on the electrodes 4 and 5 in a predetermined range of the bottom surface at the end near the center of the short-circuit element 21. That is, the soluble conductors 6 and 7 are laminated on the insulating layers 8 and 9, but a part of the bottom surface is fixed by the solder pastes 11 and 12 in the same layer as the insulating layers 8 and 9. In addition to the solder paste, various methods for physically fixing the soluble conductors 6 and 7 can be employed.

  In such a configuration, the short-circuit element 21 is substantially fixed in which the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are melted from the end opposite to the opposite side by heating from the heating resistor 3 and fixed by the solder pastes 11 and 12. The electrodes 4 and 5 are short-circuited by gathering in contact with the electrodes 4 and 5 on the center side. The insulating layers 8 and 9 prevent the fusible conductors 6 and 7 from spreading out.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first and second embodiments, the heating resistor 3 is embedded in the insulating substrate 10, and Since it is located at a distance closer to the electrodes 4 and 5 than the embodiment, it is possible to improve heat transfer to the fusible conductors 6 and 7 and speed up the operation.

(Fourth embodiment)
A short-circuit element according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 10A is a side sectional view of a short-circuit element according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10B is a plan view of the short-circuit element. Here, the same components as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 1 and the like) will be described using mainly the same reference numerals and different points.

  As shown in the figure, the short-circuit element 22 includes an insulating substrate 10 made of ceramic or the like. A heating resistor 3 is laminated on the upper surface of the insulating substrate 10, and the heating resistor 3 is covered with an insulating layer 17. Electrodes 4 and 5 are provided adjacent to each other on the insulating substrate 10, and insulating layers 8 and 9 are laminated on at least a part of the surfaces of the electrodes 4 and 5. The fusible conductors 6 and 7 are laminated on the insulating layers 8 and 9 so that at least a part of the bottom surface thereof is in contact with the insulating layers 8 and 9, respectively. As described above, this embodiment is characterized in that the heating resistor 3 is laminated on the insulating layer 10 and is in a position close to the fusible conductors 6 and 7.

  The two soluble conductors 6 and 7 are arranged to face each other. Solder pastes 11 and 12 are disposed on the electrodes 4 and 5, and the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are fixed by the solder pastes 11 and 12 at a predetermined range at the opposite ends. That is, when the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are laminated on the insulating layers 8 and 9, the solder pastes 11 and 12 in the same layer (same layer) as the insulating layers 8 and 9, The predetermined range is fixed. In addition to the solder paste, various methods for physically fixing the soluble conductors 6 and 7 can be employed.

  In such a configuration, the short-circuit element 22 is brought into contact with the electrodes 4 and 5 on the substantially central side fixed by the solder pastes 11 and 12 by melting the fusible conductors 6 and 7 by heating from the heating resistor 3. As a result, the electrodes 4 and 5 are short-circuited. At this time, the insulating layers 8 and 9 prevent the fusible conductors 6 and 7 from spreading.

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first and second embodiments, the heating resistor 3 is laminated on the insulating layer 10, and the first to third Since it is located at a distance closer to the electrodes 4 and 5 than in the embodiment, it is possible to improve the heat transfer to the fusible conductors 6 and 7 and speed up the operation.

(Fifth embodiment)
A short-circuit element according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 11A is a side sectional view of a short-circuit element according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11B is a plan view of the short-circuit element. Here, the same components as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 1 and the like) will be described using the same reference numerals and focusing on different feature points.

  As shown in the figure, the short-circuit element 23 includes an insulating substrate 10 made of ceramic or the like. Two heat generating resistors 3 a and 3 b are separately laminated on one surface of the insulating substrate 10, and the periphery thereof is covered with the insulating layer 2. Electrodes 4 and 5 are provided adjacent to each other on the insulating substrate 10, and insulating layers 8 and 9 are laminated on at least a part of the surfaces of the electrodes 4 and 5. The fusible conductors 6 and 7 are laminated on the insulating layers 8 and 9 so that at least a part of the bottom surfaces thereof are in contact with the insulating layers 8 and 9, respectively. The fusible conductors 6, 7 are melted by heating from the heating resistors 3 a, 3 b and gather to come into contact with the electrodes 4, 5 to short-circuit the electrodes 4, 5.

  That is, the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are laminated on the insulating layers 8 and 9, but the solder pastes 11 and 12 in the same layer (same layer) as the insulating layers 8 and 9, A predetermined range of the bottom surface is fixed. In addition to the solder paste, various methods for physically fixing the soluble conductors 6 and 7 can be employed.

  In such a configuration, the short-circuit element 23 has the fusible conductors 6 and 7 melted from the opposite end to the solder by heating from the two heating resistors 3a and 3b. The electrodes 4 and 5 are short-circuited by gathering so as to be in contact with the electrodes 4 and 5 at the opposite side fixed by the pastes 11 and 12, that is, at substantially the center of the short-circuit element. At this time, the insulating layers 8 and 9 prevent the fusible conductors 6 and 7 from spreading out.

  As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first and second embodiments, the heating resistors 3a and 3b face the arrangement surface of the soluble conductors 6 and 7. Since the insulating layer 10 is provided at the position, the fusible conductors 6 and 7 can be heated from the end portion on the opposite side to the opposite side, and the accuracy of gathering to the substantially central portion can be improved.

(Sixth embodiment)
A short-circuit element according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 12A is a side sectional view of a short-circuit element according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12B is a plan view of the short-circuit element. Here, the same components as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 1 and the like) will be described using the same reference numerals and focusing on different feature points.

  As shown in the figure, the short-circuit element 24 includes an insulating substrate 10 made of ceramic or the like. The heating resistor 3 is laminated on one surface of the insulating substrate 10, and the periphery thereof is covered with the insulating layer 2. Electrodes 4 and 5 are provided adjacent to each other on the insulating substrate 10. Soluble conductors 6 and 7 are fixed to at least a part of the surfaces of the electrodes 4 and 5 via solder pastes 11 and 12. In addition to the solder paste, various methods for physically fixing the soluble conductors 6 and 7 can be employed.

  In such a configuration, the short-circuit element 24 is melted from the end opposite to the side where the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are opposed by heating from the heating resistor 3 and is fixed by the solder pastes 11 and 12. The electrodes 4 and 5 are short-circuited by gathering so as to be in contact with the electrodes 4 and 5 at the opposite side, that is, at the substantially central portion of the short-circuit element 24. The electrodes 4 and 5 have openings 4a and 5a in a predetermined range at portions corresponding to the lower surfaces of the soluble conductors 6 and 7 from the viewpoint of cost reduction and improvement in cohesiveness of the soluble conductors 6 and 7.

  As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first and second embodiments, the formation area of the electrodes 4 and 5 is reduced. The agglomeration property to the substantially central part of the molten conductors 6 and 7 can also be improved.

(Seventh embodiment)
A short-circuit element according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 13A is a side sectional view of a short-circuit element according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13B is a plan view of the short-circuit element. Here, the same components as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 1 and the like) will be described using the same reference numerals and focusing on different feature points.

  As shown in the figure, the short-circuit element 25 includes an insulating substrate 10 made of ceramic or the like. The heating resistor 3 is laminated on one surface of the insulating substrate 10, and the periphery thereof is covered with the insulating layer 2. Electrodes 4 and 5 are provided adjacent to each other on the insulating substrate 10, and insulating layers 8 and 9 are laminated on at least a part of the surfaces of the electrodes 4 and 5. A soluble conductor 7 is laminated on the insulating layer 9.

  In this short-circuit element 25, the fusible conductor 7 is fixed by a solder paste 12 in which a predetermined range on the bottom surface of the end portion near the center of the short-circuit element 25 is disposed on the electrode 5. That is, a part of the soluble conductor 7 is laminated on the insulating layer 9, and at that time, a part of the bottom surface is fixed by the solder paste 12 in the same layer (same layer) as the insulating layer 9. In addition to the solder paste, various methods for physically fixing the soluble conductor 7 can be employed.

  In such a configuration, in the short-circuit element 25, the soluble conductor 7 is melted from the end opposite to the substantially central portion of the short-circuit element 25 by heating from the heating resistor 3, and is fixed by the solder paste 12. The electrodes 4 and 5 are gathered so as to be in contact with the electrodes 4 and 5 on the substantially center side of the short-circuit element 25, and the electrodes 4 and 5 are short-circuited. At this time, the insulating layer 9 prevents the soluble conductor 7 from spreading out.

  As described above, according to the seventh embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first and second embodiments, the fusible conductor is disposed only on one electrode, thereby reducing the cost. it can.

(Eighth embodiment)
A short-circuit element according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 14A is a side sectional view of a short-circuit element according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14B shows a plan view of the short-circuit element. Here, the same components as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 1 and the like) will be described using the same reference numerals and focusing on different feature points.

  As shown in the figure, the short-circuit element 26 includes an insulating substrate 10 made of ceramic or the like. The heating resistor 3 is laminated on one surface of the insulating substrate 10, and the periphery thereof is covered with the insulating layer 2. Electrodes 4 and 5 are provided adjacent to each other on the insulating substrate 10, and insulating layers 8 and 9 are laminated on at least a part of the surfaces of the electrodes 4 and 5. The fusible conductors 6 and 7 are laminated on the insulating layers 8 and 9 so that at least a part of the bottom surfaces thereof are in contact with the insulating layers 8 and 9, respectively.

  In this short-circuit element 26, the two soluble conductors 6, 7 are solder paste in which a predetermined range on the opposite side, that is, the bottom surface of the end portion near the center of the short-circuit element 6 is disposed on the electrodes 4, 5. 11 and 12, and has a feature in that a predetermined range of the bottom surface at the end opposite to the opposite side is fixed by solder pastes 13 and 14 disposed on the insulating layers 8 and 9. ing.

  That is, the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are laminated on the insulating layers 8 and 9, and the solder pastes 11 and 12 in the same layer (same layer) as the insulating layers 8 and 9 are disposed on the substantially central portion side of the short-circuit element 26. The bottom surface of the end is fixed, and the bottom surface of the end opposite to the opposite side is fixed by the solder pastes 13 and 14 disposed on the insulating layers 8 and 9. Of course, various methods for physically fixing the soluble conductors 6 and 7 in addition to the solder paste can be adopted.

  In such a configuration, the short-circuit element 26 is melted from the end portion on the opposite side to the opposite side by the heating from the heating resistor 3 while being fixed by the solder pastes 13 and 14. Is started, the melting range is expanded, and finally, the electrodes 4 and 5 are short-circuited by being gathered so as to be in contact with the electrodes 4 and 5 on the substantially center side fixed by the solder pastes 11 and 12. At this time, the insulating layers 8 and 9 prevent the fusible conductors 6 and 7 from spreading out.

  As described above, according to the eighth embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first and second embodiments, both ends of the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are fixed by the solder paste. It is possible to control so that the melting range is expanded in a stable state after starting, and finally gathered at a substantially central portion with high accuracy.

(Ninth embodiment)
A short-circuit element according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 15A is a side sectional view of a short-circuit element according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 15B is a plan view of the short-circuit element. Here, the same components as those in the first embodiment (FIG. 1 and the like) will be described using the same reference numerals and focusing on different feature points.

  As shown in the figure, the short-circuit element 27 includes an insulating substrate 10 made of ceramic or the like. The heating resistor 3 is laminated on one surface of the insulating substrate 10, and the periphery thereof is covered with the insulating layer 2. Electrodes 4 and 5 are provided adjacent to each other on the insulating substrate 10, and insulating layers 8 and 9 are laminated on at least a part of the surfaces of the electrodes 4 and 5. The fusible conductors 6 and 7 are laminated on the insulating layers 8 and 9 so that at least a part of the surfaces thereof are in contact with the insulating layers 8 and 9.

  In this short-circuit element 27, the two fusible conductors 6 and 7 are solder paste in which a predetermined range on the opposite side, that is, the bottom surface of the short-circuit element 27 near the center is disposed on the electrodes 4 and 5. 11 and 12, and a feature is that a predetermined range of the bottom surface at the end opposite to the opposite side is fixed by solder pastes 15 and 16 disposed on the electrodes 4 and 5. Yes.

  That is, the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are laminated on the insulating layers 8 and 9, and the solder pastes 11 and 12 in the same layer (same layer) as the insulating layers 8 and 9 are disposed on the substantially central portion side of the short-circuit element 27. The end portions are fixed, and the end portions on the opposite side from the substantially central portion are fixed by solder pastes 15 and 16 in the same layer (same layer) as the insulating layers 8 and 9. In addition to the solder paste, various methods for physically fixing the soluble conductors 6 and 7 can be employed.

  In such a configuration, the short-circuit element 26 has the fusible conductors 6 and 7 on the opposite side to the opposite side in a state where the short-circuit element 26 is fixed by the solder pastes 11, 12, 15 and 16 by heating from the heating resistor 3. Start melting from the end of the. Then, the melting range is expanded and finally gathered so as to be in contact with the electrodes 4 and 5 on the substantially central side fixed by the solder pastes 11 and 12. Thus, the electrodes 4 and 5 are short-circuited. At this time, the insulating layers 8 and 9 prevent the fusible conductors 6 and 7 from spreading out.

  As described above, according to the eighth embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first and second embodiments, both ends of the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are fixed by the solder paste. It is possible to control so that it starts and spreads in a stable state and finally gathers at a substantially central portion with high accuracy.

(Tenth embodiment)
A short-circuit element according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 16 is a plan view of a short-circuit element according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the figure, electrodes 32 and 33 are formed so as to surround the insulating substrate 40, and insulating layers 34 and 35 are laminated on the electrodes 32 and 33, and the insulating layers 34 and 35 are formed. On the top, soluble conductors 36 and 37 are laminated. At this time, the opposite ends of the fusible conductors 36 and 37 are fixed by the solder pastes 38 and 39.

  The short-circuit element 30 is characterized in that the heating resistor 31 is connected in parallel to the electrodes 32 and 33 next to the region where the short circuit is formed. The heating resistor 31 is formed in the same layer as the insulating layers 34 and 35 when viewed from the side.

  In such a configuration, in the short-circuit element 30, the fusible conductors 36 and 37 are melted by heating from the heating resistor 31, and the opposite side fixed by the solder paste 38 and 39, that is, the substantially central portion of the short-circuit element 30. The electrodes 32 and 33 are short-circuited by gathering in contact with the electrodes 32 and 33 on the side. At this time, the insulating layers 34 and 35 prevent the fusible conductors 36 and 37 from spreading out.

  As described above, according to the tenth embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first and second embodiments, the heating resistor 31 is formed in the same layer (same layer) as the short circuit. It is possible to reduce the thickness. Furthermore, the heat of the heating resistor 31 is transmitted to the fusible conductors 36 and 37 via the electrodes 32 and 33, and the short circuit is realized with high accuracy by collecting them.

(Eleventh embodiment)
A battery protection circuit according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  17 to 19 show an example in which a short-circuit element is applied to a battery protection circuit as the eleventh embodiment, and the operation of the short-circuit element will be described in detail. A portion where the short-circuit elements are connected in parallel also corresponds to a short-circuit.

  In a battery protection circuit in which batteries are connected in series, when a part of the batteries connected in series becomes an open failure, all the power sources are cut off. Therefore, the battery protection circuit according to this embodiment uses the short-circuit element according to the first to tenth embodiments in order to cope with a situation where the power supply is not desired to be stopped, such as a backup power supply.

  As shown in FIG. 17, in a circuit in which a plurality of batteries 50, 51... Are connected in series, the short-circuit element 1 is connected in parallel to each of the batteries 50, 51. In this short-circuit element 1, the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are melted by heating of the heating resistor 3, and are agglomerated on the electrode to short-circuit. In the state of FIG. 17, there is no open failure and normal operation is performed.

  As shown in FIG. 18, when one of the batteries has an open failure, no current flows through the battery 50, a current flows through the heating resistor 3 of the short-circuit element 1, and heat generation starts. Then, as shown in FIG. 19, when the fusible conductors 6 and 7 are melted by heating the heating resistor 3, a short circuit occurs, and since the resistance value is lower on the short-circuit side, a current flows, and the heating resistor No current flows to the side 3, and heat generation is stopped.

  As described above, the battery protection circuit using the short-circuit element according to the eleventh embodiment operates by self-heating due to energization of the heating resistor, and self-contains that the heat generation by the heating resistor stops with a short circuit. It is a type, and a simple battery protection circuit that does not require a control circuit can be realized. Further, the short-circuit element is resistant to static electricity because it is not necessary to form a circuit with a thin film because it is short-circuited due to melting of the soluble conductor due to heat generation of the heating resistor.

  As described above, according to the short-circuit element according to the first to eleventh embodiments of the present invention, the self-heating that operates by energizing the heating resistor and stops the heat generation by the heating resistor along with the short circuit. It is a complete type and can realize a simple circuit that does not require a control circuit.

  In particular, the short-circuit elements according to the second to eleventh embodiments of the present invention do not need to form a circuit with a thin film because melting of the low melting point metal due to the heat generated by the heating resistor and soldering using a solder paste. Resistant to static electricity. In addition, since the solder paste is used for soldering, the conductor resistance can be lowered, and further, contact failure such as chattering does not occur.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an insulating layer is laminated on an electrode, and a soluble conductor as a low melting point metal body is provided thereon, but a substance that does not wet and spread the soluble conductor is provided. Of course, the insulating layer is not limited.

  Further, in the short-circuit element 60 according to the improved example shown in FIG. 20, a further electrode 61 is provided between the electrodes 4 and 5, and the electrodes 4 and 61 are short-circuited by melting the soluble conductor 6. The electrodes 5, 61 are short-circuited by melting, and the electrodes 4, 61, 5 are short-circuited as a whole. In this case, since the size of the short-circuit element can be regulated by the size of the electrode 61, it will be possible to increase the degree of design freedom.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Shorting element 2 Insulating layer 3 Heating resistor 4,5 Electrode 6,7 Soluble conductor 8,9 Insulating layer 10 Insulating substrate 11,12 Solder paste

Claims (12)

An insulating substrate;
A heating resistor provided on the insulating substrate;
A first electrode and a second electrode provided adjacent to each other on the insulating substrate;
A first fusible conductor that is melted by heating from the heating resistor and gathers so as to be in contact with the first and second electrodes, thereby short-circuiting the first electrode and the second electrode; Prepared,
One end of the heating resistor is connected to the first electrode, and the other end of the heating resistor is connected to the second electrode. A second soluble conductor adjacent to the first soluble conductor;
By heating from the heating resistor, the first soluble conductor and the second soluble conductor are melted and gathered so as to be in contact with the first and second electrodes, whereby the first electrode The short-circuit element according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode and the second electrode are short-circuited. Comprising an insulating layer laminated on the insulating substrate;
The first and second electrodes are disposed on the insulating layer;
The short-circuit element according to claim 1, wherein the heating resistor is provided between the insulating layer and the insulating substrate. The short-circuit element according to claim 1, wherein the heating resistor is provided on the insulating substrate in a state of being covered with an insulating layer. The short-circuit element according to claim 1, wherein the heating resistor is installed inside the insulating substrate. The short-circuit element according to claim 1, wherein the heating resistor is installed on a surface opposite to the electrode forming surface of the insulating substrate. The short-circuit element according to claim 1, wherein the heating resistor is installed on an electrode forming surface of the insulating substrate. An insulating layer is laminated on at least a part of the first and second electrodes,
At least a part of the first and second electrodes is provided with a fixing portion,
At least a part of the first and second fusible conductors is laminated on the insulating layer,
The short circuit element according to claim 2, wherein a part of the first and second soluble conductors is fixed by the fixing portion. The short circuit element according to claim 8, wherein the fixing portion is a conductive paste or a heat conductive paste. A circuit in which a plurality of light emitting diodes are connected in series,
An LED circuit in which each of the light emitting diodes is provided with the short-circuit element according to claim 1. A battery protection circuit in which a plurality of batteries are connected in series,
A battery protection circuit in which each battery is provided with the short-circuit element according to claim 1.   The short circuit using the short circuiting element of any one of Claims 1 thru | or 9.