JP2024083767A - fuse - Google Patents

Abstract

【assignment】
The present invention provides a fuse that allows easy modification of the structure for mounting an external fuse and achieves a low height.
SOLUTION
The fuse 600 comprises an input terminal 110, an external terminal 120, a bus bar 100 having a circuit section 200 and a melting section 113 provided between the input terminal 110 and the external terminal 120, and a housing 500 covering at least a portion of the bus bar 100, wherein the circuit section 200 comprises opposing main body section 210 and separate section 220, the separate section 220 comprises a connection section 290 connected to the main body section 210, and the separate section 220 is capable of receiving an external fuse 700 having a melting section 730 and a connection terminal 720.
[Selected figure] Figure 8

Description

This invention relates to fuses that are primarily used in automotive electrical circuits.

Traditionally, fuses have been used to protect electrical circuits installed in automobiles and the various electrical devices connected to the electrical circuits. More specifically, when an unintended overcurrent flows through an electrical circuit, the melting part melts due to heat generated by the overcurrent, protecting the various electrical devices from excessive current.

There are various types of fuses depending on the application. For example, the fuse of Patent Document 1 includes an input terminal, an external terminal, a bus bar with a fusing portion provided between the input terminal and the external terminal, and a housing that covers the bus bar. A fuse connection terminal connected to the bus bar and a fuse-side external terminal that pairs with the fuse connection terminal are provided above the bus bar, and an external fuse can be attached by inserting it into the fuse connection terminal and the fuse-side external terminal. Therefore, when the model of the automobile or the load of various electrical equipment is changed, it is easy to respond by replacing the external fuse with a different rating. However, since part of the structure for attaching the external fuse (such as the fuse connection terminal) is integrated with the entire bus bar, it is not easy to change the design of the structure, and since the structure is provided above the bus bar, there is a problem that the height of the entire fuse becomes high when the external fuse is attached.

JP 2018-010768 A

In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a fuse that allows easy modification of the structure for attaching an external fuse and achieves a low profile.

The fuse of the present invention is a fuse comprising an input terminal, an external terminal, a bus bar having a circuit section and a fusing section provided between the input terminal and the external terminal, and a housing covering at least a portion of the bus bar, wherein the circuit section comprises a main body section and a separate section that face each other, the separate section comprises a connection section that is connected to the main body section, and the separate section is capable of receiving an external fuse having a fusing section and a connection terminal.

According to the above features, the circuit unit has a separate part that faces the main body, and an external fuse can be attached to this separate part, so the height of the circuit unit can be kept low. As a result, the fuse can be made low-profile even when an external fuse is attached. Furthermore, by making the separate part to which the external fuse is connected separate from the main body, it is possible to easily change only the separate part (i.e., only the structure for attaching the external fuse) to an optimal thickness and structure according to the current flowing through the external fuse and various electrical equipment, etc.

The fuse of the present invention is characterized in that the separate part has a plate-shaped male connection terminal that extends upward, and the male connection terminal is configured to be connectable to the female connection terminal of the external fuse.

The above features simplify the structure of the part that electrically connects the external fuse and the fuse circuit section, reducing manufacturing costs and improving manufacturing efficiency.

The fuse of the present invention is characterized in that the housing is provided with a storage portion capable of storing the external fuse.

The above features make it easy to install an external fuse.

As described above, according to the fuse of the present invention, the structure for mounting the external fuse can be easily modified and a low height can be achieved.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a bus bar of the fuse according to the present invention. 4A is a front view of the main body, and FIG. 4B is a plan view of the main body. 1A is a front view of the separate part, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the separate part. FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a housing split piece of a fuse housing. 4A is an overall perspective view of the front side of a housing split piece, and FIG. 4B is an overall perspective view of the rear side of the housing split piece. 4A is a rear view of the housing split piece, and FIG. 4B is a plan view of the housing split piece. 1A is an overall perspective view of an external fuse, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA. FIG. 4A is an overall perspective view showing only the bus bar in an assembled state, and FIG. 4B is a side view of the bus bar. FIG. 2 is a general perspective view of an assembled fuse. 1A is a front view of the fuse, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the fuse. 11A is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of FIG. 11B, and FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of FIG. FIG. 11 is an overall perspective view of a bus bar according to a modified example of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 bus bar 110 input terminal 120 external terminal 113 fusing portion 200 circuit portion 210 main body portion 220 separate portion 290 connection portion 500 housing 600 fuse 720 connection terminal 730 fusing portion 700 external fuse

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the shapes and materials of the fuse components in the embodiments described below are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting.

Figures 1 to 3 show the busbar 100 of the fuse 600 according to the present invention. Note that Figure 1 is an overall perspective view of the busbar 100, Figure 2(a) is a front view of the main body 210, Figure 2(b) is a plan view of the main body 210, Figure 3(a) is a front view of the separate body 220, and Figure 3(b) is a plan view of the separate body 220.

As shown in FIG. 1, the busbar 100 includes an input terminal 110 that can be electrically connected to a battery or the like, a plurality of external terminals 120, and a circuit section 200. The circuit section 200 further includes a pair of opposing main body sections 210 and separate sections 220. The main body section 210 is a flat plate-shaped member of uniform thickness made of a conductive metal such as copper or its alloy, which is punched into a predetermined shape as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 by a press or the like. The input terminal 110 is connected to the main body section 210 of the circuit section 200, and the external terminal 120 is connected to the main body section 210 via a fusing section 113. Therefore, when an overcurrent flows from a power source such as a battery connected to the input terminal 110, the fusing section 113 melts, thereby protecting the load of various electrical equipment and the like connected to the external terminal 120. The main body section 210 is provided with a fixing hole 202, which is configured to allow a fixing shaft of a housing to be described later to pass through.

The separate part 220 is a flat plate-like member of uniform thickness made of a conductive metal such as copper or its alloy, punched into a predetermined shape as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 3 by a press or the like. The separate part 220 has a plurality of plate-like male connection terminals 250 extending upward, which are connected to an external fuse 700 described later. The separate part 220 also has a connection part 290 extending to the side, which is electrically connected to a part of the main part 210. As will be described in detail later, the connection part 290 is configured to overlap the input terminal 110 connected to the main part 210 from above and below, and is connected to a power source such as a battery together with the input terminal 110. The connection part 290 is configured to overlap the input terminal 110 from above and below, but is not limited to this, and may have any shape as long as it can be electrically connected to a part of the main part 210.

Next, referring to Figure 4, the housing 500 of the fuse 600 according to the present invention will be described. The housing 500 is composed of a pair of housing segments 300 and 400. Figure 4 is an overall perspective view of the housing segment 300.

As shown in FIG. 4, the housing split piece 300 is made of synthetic resin and has a generally rectangular shape, and includes an upper end accommodating section 310 that accommodates the circuit section 200 of the busbar 100, a central accommodating section 320 that accommodates the fusing section 113 of the busbar 100, and a lower end accommodating section 330 that accommodates the upper end side (the side connected to the fusing section 113) of the external terminal 120 of the busbar 100. Furthermore, the upper end accommodating section 310 is provided with a fixing hole 313, and the lower end accommodating section 330 is provided with a fixing hole 333. Also, the central accommodating section 320 is provided with a viewing window 301 made of transparent resin so that the fusing section 113 of the busbar 100 accommodated in the housing split piece 300 can be seen from the outside.

Next, the housing split piece 400 will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5(a) is an overall perspective view of the front side of the housing split piece 400, Figure 5(b) is an overall perspective view of the back side of the housing split piece 400, Figure 6(a) is a back view of the housing split piece 400, and Figure 6(b) is a plan view of the housing split piece 400.

5 and 6, the housing split piece 400 is made of synthetic resin and has a substantially rectangular shape, and has a shape corresponding to the housing split piece 300 so that the busbar 100 accommodated in the housing split piece 300 can be sandwiched and covered. Specifically, the housing split piece 400 includes an upper end accommodating portion 410 that accommodates the circuit section 200 of the busbar 100, a central accommodating portion 420 that accommodates the fusing portion 113 of the busbar 100, and a lower end accommodating portion 430 that accommodates the upper end side (the side connected to the fusing portion 113) of the external terminal 120 of the busbar 100. In addition, a accommodating portion 450 that is recessed toward the front side so as to be continuous with the upper end accommodating portion 410 is provided on the front side of the upper end accommodating portion 410. This accommodating portion 450 is configured to accommodate an external fuse 700 described later. In addition, a wall portion 451 is provided between adjacent accommodating portions 450. Furthermore, the accommodating section 450 is provided with a canopy-shaped fixing section 452 that covers and engages a portion of the upper surface side of the external fuse 700 to prevent the accommodated external fuse 700 from being inadvertently removed. The upper end accommodating section 410 is provided with a fixing shaft 413 that is connected to the fixing hole 313 of the housing segment 300, and the lower end accommodating section 430 is provided with a fixing shaft 433 that is connected to the fixing hole 333 of the housing segment 300.

Next, referring to Figure 7, we will explain the external fuse 700 that can be attached to the fuse 600 of the present invention. Figure 7(a) is an overall perspective view of the external fuse 700, and Figure 7(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A.

As shown in FIG. 7, the external fuse 700 comprises a housing 710 made of synthetic resin and having a generally rectangular shape, a pair of connection terminals 720 housed inside the housing 710, and a fusing portion 730 provided between the connection terminals 720. The housing 710 is provided with an insertion groove 740 that exposes the connection terminals 720. The female terminal-shaped (female connection terminal) connection terminal 720 is configured to be electrically connectable with the male connection terminal 250 of the fuse 600 when the male connection terminal 250 is inserted into the insertion groove 740 as described below. In this way, the male connection terminal 250, connection terminal 720, and fusing portion 730 of the fuse 600 are electrically connected.

Next, the manner in which the fuse 600 of the present invention is assembled will be described with reference to Figs. 8 to 12. Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the fuse 600, Fig. 9(a) is an overall perspective view showing only the bus bar 100 in an assembled state, Fig. 9(b) is a side view of the bus bar 100, Fig. 10 is an overall perspective view of the assembled fuse 600, Fig. 11(a) is a front view of the fuse 600, Fig. 11(b) is a plan view of the fuse 600, Fig. 12(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of Fig. 11(b), and Fig. 12(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C of Fig. 11(b).

First, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the main body 210 and the separate body 220 are arranged to face each other in the busbar 100 to form the circuit section 200. Specifically, the input terminal 110 connected to the main body 210 and the connection section 290 of the separate body 220 are stacked vertically and brought into close contact with each other, electrically connecting the input terminal 110 and the connection section 290. As a result, the main body 210 connected to the input terminal 110 and the separate body 220 connected to the connection section 290 are electrically connected to each other. In this state, the main body 210 and the separate body 220 are arranged parallel to each other, facing each other and spaced apart by a predetermined distance. Similarly, the male connection terminal 250 of the separate body 220 is also arranged parallel to the main body 210, facing each other and spaced apart by a predetermined distance.

Next, the busbar 100, with the main body portion 210 and the separate portion 220 arranged opposite each other to form the circuit portion 200, is accommodated by being sandwiched between a pair of housing segments 300 and 400 from the front and rear. Specifically, the circuit portion 200 of the busbar 100 is accommodated in the upper end accommodation portion 310 of the housing segment 300, the fusion portion 113 of the busbar 100 is accommodated in the central accommodation portion 320 of the housing segment 300, and the fixing hole 123 side of the external terminal 120 of the busbar 100 is accommodated in the lower end accommodation portion 330 of the housing segment 300. The housing segment 400 is then attached so as to cover the front side of the busbar 100. At this time, the circuit section 200 of the bus bar 100 is accommodated in the upper accommodation portion 410 of the housing split piece 400, the fused portion 113 of the bus bar 100 is accommodated in the central accommodation portion 420 of the housing split piece 400, and the fixing hole 123 side of the external terminal 120 of the bus bar 100 is accommodated in the lower accommodation portion 430 of the housing split piece 400. The fixing shaft 413 of the housing split piece 400 passes through the fixing hole 202 of the bus bar 100 and is connected to the fixing hole 313 of the housing split piece 300. In addition, the fixing shaft 433 of the housing split piece 400 passes through the fixing hole 123 of the external terminal 120 of the bus bar 100 and is connected to the fixing hole 333 of the housing split piece 300. Therefore, the housing split piece 300 and the housing split piece 400 are firmly connected and fixed to each other. In this way, the busbar 100 is housed inside the housing 500, which includes the housing segments 300 and 400.

When the busbar 100 is accommodated in the housing split pieces 300 and 400, the external fuse 700 is assembled to the busbar 100. Specifically, the external fuse 700 is brought close to the separate part 220 of the circuit part 200 from above, and the external fuse 700 is pushed downward so that the male connection terminal 250 of the circuit part 200 is inserted into the insertion groove 740 of the external fuse 700. After that, the external fuse 700 is accommodated in the housing 500 by sandwiching the front and rear of the external fuse 700 between the upper end side accommodation part 310 of the housing split piece 300 and the accommodation part 450 of the housing split piece 400. In this way, the housing 500 of the fuse 600 is provided with the accommodation part 450 capable of accommodating the external fuse 700, so that the external fuse 700 can be easily attached.

Then, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the fuse 600 is assembled and completed. Note that the fuse 600 of the present invention is simply configured so that the external fuse 700 can be assembled as desired, and the fuse 600 itself does not require the external fuse 700 as a required component. Also, in Figures 10 and 11, the external fuse 700 is not attached to the housing portion 450 on the near side in order to clearly show the state in which the external fuse 700 is assembled to the fuse 600.

11 and 12, the tip side of the input terminal 110 and the tip side of the connection part 290 protrude outward from the housing 500, and the tip side of the external terminal 120 also protrudes outward from the housing 500. The external terminal 120 is connected to a connection terminal connected to various electrical equipment. Normally, as shown in FIG. 12(a), current from the power source side such as a battery connected to the input terminal 110 flows from the input terminal 110 to the main body part 210 of the circuit part 200, and further flows to the external terminal 120 and various electrical equipment through the fusing part 113. When an overcurrent flows from the power source side such as a battery connected to the input terminal 110, the fusing part 113 melts, thereby protecting the load of various electrical equipment connected to the external terminal 120.

As shown in FIG. 12(a), a part of the circuit section 200 (on the separate section 220 side) is disposed within the housing section 450 of the fuse 600, and the male connection terminal 250 of the circuit section 200 faces the upper opening of the housing section 450. An opening 454 is provided below the housing section 450 so that the male external terminal 910 of the external connection device 900 can be inserted, as described below.

12(b), when the external fuse 700 is housed in the housing 450, the male connection terminal 250 of the circuit section 200 is inserted into and connected to the connection terminal 720 in the insertion groove 740 of the external fuse 700. The fuse 600 is attached to an external connection device 900 such as a fuse box and used, and the male external terminal 910 of the external connection device 900 is inserted into the insertion groove 740 of the external fuse 700 through the opening 454 and connected to the connection terminal 720. The male external terminal 910 of the external connection device 900 is connected to various electrical equipment.

12(b), under normal circumstances, current from the power source such as a battery connected to the input terminal 110 and the connection portion 290 flows from the connection portion 290 to the male connection terminal 250 of the separate portion 220 of the circuit portion 200, and then flows from one connection terminal 720 of the external fuse 700 connected to the male connection terminal 250 through the melting portion 730 to the other connection terminal 720. The current then flows from the male external terminal 910 connected to the other connection terminal 720 to various electrical equipment connected to the male external terminal 910. When an overcurrent flows from the power source such as a battery connected to the input terminal 110 and the connection portion 290, the melting portion 730 of the external fuse 700 melts, thereby protecting the load of various electrical equipment connected to the male external terminal 910. Furthermore, if the load of the various electrical equipment connected to the male external terminal 910 changes, it is sufficient to replace it with another external fuse 700 that has a fusing part 730 with a different rating. This eliminates the need to change the mold for the busbar 100, as compared to changing the fusing part 113 of the busbar 100, and reduces manufacturing costs.

In this way, according to the fuse 600 of the present invention, the circuit section 200 has a main body section 210 and a separate section 220 facing each other, and the external fuse 700 can be attached to the separate section 220, so that the height of the circuit section 200 can be kept low. As a result, even when the external fuse 700 is attached, the fuse 600 can be made low-profile. In particular, as shown in FIG. 12(b), the external fuse 700 is inserted into the separate section 220 and attached, so that the electric circuit parts such as the melting section 730 and the connection terminal 720 of the external fuse 700 are arranged to face the circuit section 200 of the fuse 600, and furthermore, are arranged substantially parallel to or at substantially the same height. Therefore, even when the external fuse 700 is attached to the fuse 600, the external fuse 700 can be prevented from protruding upward from the fuse 600, and the overall fuse 600 including the external fuse 700 can be made low-profile.

In addition, by making the separate part 220 to which the external fuse 700 is connected separate from the main body part 210, only the separate part 220 (i.e., only the structure for attaching the external fuse 700) can be easily changed to the optimal thickness and structure according to the current flowing through the external fuse 700 and various electrical equipment. If the main body part 210 and the separate part 220 were integrally molded, it would be necessary to change the entire circuit part 200 to the optimal thickness and structure according to the current flowing through the external fuse 700 and various electrical equipment, which would increase manufacturing costs. In addition, since it is easy to make the main body part 210 and the separate part 220 thicker, they can withstand the current even if the height of the main body part 210 and the separate part 220 is reduced accordingly. As a result, this contributes to the low profile of the entire fuse 600. In addition, by making the main body portion 210 and the separate portion 220 separate, there is no need to carry out a complex bending process to form the complex overall shape including the main body portion 210 and the separate portion 220 from a single metal plate, improving manufacturing efficiency.

In addition, the separate part 220 of the circuit part 200 is provided with a male connection terminal 250, which is configured to be connectable to the connection terminal 720 of the external fuse 700. This simplifies the structure of the part that electrically connects the external fuse 700 and the circuit part 200 of the fuse 600, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and improving manufacturing efficiency.

Note that the separate part 220 of the circuit part 200 includes a male connection terminal 250, which is configured to be connectable to the connection terminal 720 of the external fuse 700, but is not limited thereto, and any other structure may be adopted as long as it is possible to electrically connect the external fuse 700 and the circuit part 200 of the fuse 600. For example, the separate part 220 of the circuit part 200 may be further folded back to provide a groove-shaped female terminal structure, and the external fuse 700 may be provided with a corresponding male terminal, which is inserted into the female terminal structure of the circuit part 200 to provide an electrical connection.

Also, as shown in FIG. 13, instead of providing a male connection terminal as a connection terminal on the separate part 220A of the circuit part 200A, the upper end 221A of the separate part 220A may be inserted as a connection terminal into the insertion groove 740A of the external fuse 700A to connect the upper end 221A of the separate part 220A to the connection terminal 720A of the external fuse 700A. Note that FIG. 13 is an overall perspective view of the busbar 100A according to a modified example of the present invention. In this case, the insertion groove 740A of the external fuse 700A is shaped to penetrate to the front and rear side surfaces so that the upper end 221A of the separate part 220A, which extends in a straight line, can be inserted.

Furthermore, the fuse of the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various modifications and combinations are possible within the scope of the claims and the scope of the embodiments, and these modifications and combinations are also included in the scope of the rights.

Claims (3)

an input terminal, an external terminal, and a bus bar having a circuit portion and a fusing portion provided between the input terminal and the external terminal;
a housing covering at least a portion of the bus bar,
The circuit portion includes a main body portion and a separate portion that face each other,
The separate portion includes a connection portion that is connected to the main body portion,
The separate portion is capable of receiving an external fuse having a fusing portion and a connection terminal. The separate portion includes a plate-shaped male connection terminal extending upward,
2. The fuse according to claim 1, wherein the male connection terminal is configured to be connectable to a female connection terminal of the external fuse. The fuse according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the housing is provided with a storage portion capable of storing the external fuse.

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