JP5754775B2 - Fuse unit - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fuse unit, and more particularly to a fuse unit used by being attached to a battery mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile.

  Various types of fuse units have been proposed as fuse units used for connecting batteries and loads of automobiles and the like. For example, the fuse unit described in Patent Document 1 embeds a conductor in which a battery connection terminal to which a battery is connected and a tab terminal to which a load is connected by a fuse element is embedded in a resin body, and for battery connection. A fuse unit has been proposed in which the upper surface side where the terminals are exposed is covered with a waterproof, dustproof and insulating cover. In addition, an opening is formed in the space in which the fuse element is accommodated, and the opening is covered with a plate-like cover having a transparent window. Thereby, it is supposed that water and dust can be prevented from entering from the opening for visually recognizing the fuse element.

JP 2001-297683 A

  However, the fuse unit of Patent Document 1 is a double protective cover including a waterproof / dustproof / insulating cover that covers the upper surface side and a window cover that closes an opening for visually recognizing the fuse element. Therefore, there is a problem that not only the number of parts increases, but also the number of assembly steps increases.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to simplify the configuration without duplicating the protective cover.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a first aspect of the present invention is a resin housing in which a conductor formed by connecting a terminal connected to a battery and a terminal connected to a load with a fuse element is accommodated. And a fuse unit including a protective cover made of resin clad on the housing, the element accommodating chamber in which the fuse element is accommodated encloses a window opened at the position of the fuse element and a periphery of the window. The protective cover has a wall portion that can close the window of the element housing chamber, and the inner surface of the wall portion is in contact with the protruding portion so that it can be crowned. It is characterized by.

  According to this, when the protective cover is put on the housing, the exposed portion including the terminal connected to the battery is protected, and the window opened in the element accommodating chamber is closed by the wall portion of the protective cover. At the same time, the protrusions formed on the peripheral edge of the window come into contact with the inner surface of the wall portion of the protective cover, thereby preventing water and dust from entering the element accommodating chamber. Moreover, since the window of the element storage chamber can be closed simply by covering the housing with the protective cover, the structure can be simplified without duplicating the protective cover, and the assembly workability of the fuse unit can be improved. The state of the fuse element can be confirmed from the window opened in the element accommodating chamber by removing the protective cover from the housing. Further, even if the fuse element is melted, it can be kept in the element accommodating chamber, so that it is possible to prevent the melted element from falling and damaging other automobile parts.

  By the way, a fuse unit of a type that is directly attached to a battery of a vehicle such as an automobile is usually installed in a bent shape at the upper corner of the battery in order to reduce a planar installation space. That is, the terminal to which the battery is connected is formed in a horizontal portion obtained by bending a plate-shaped conductor, the fuse element is suspended from the horizontal portion, and the terminal connected to the load is connected to the lower end to connect the resin housing. It is integrally formed. In this case, it is preferable that the element accommodating chamber is formed in the hanging portion of the housing, and the window for visually recognizing the fuse element is formed in the wall on the side opposite to the battery of the element accommodating chamber. The protective cover is composed of a cap-shaped portion that covers the upper surface of the housing and a cap-shaped portion that covers the wall of the hanging portion opposite the battery, and is locked to the housing at an appropriate position. Also in this case, the first aspect of the present invention can be applied. That is, the effect of the 1st aspect of this invention can be show | played by enclosing the periphery of the window formed in the wall by the side of the element storage chamber on the anti-battery side, and forming a protruding part.

  In the case of the first aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of fuse elements are partitioned and arranged in the element accommodating chamber by the partition plate, the partition plate located in the window extends so as to be in contact with the inner surface of the wall portion of the protective cover. It is preferable to make it. As a result, even if one fuse element is melted by overcurrent, the melted element can be kept in the element accommodating chamber partitioned by the partition plate, so that other fuse elements are not affected.

  Here, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the horizontal portion of the housing is obstructed even if the protective cover is put on the battery-side surface of the hanging portion of the housing. It is necessary to open the lower surface of the unit and the battery side surface of the hanging part. Therefore, a window cannot be opened on the battery-side surface of the element housing chamber at the bottom of the housing. However, the fuse element can be confirmed sufficiently from the window provided on one side of the element accommodating chamber.

  The second aspect of the present invention applied when a window is also formed on the battery-side surface of the element storage chamber is suitable when a protective cover is formed on the battery side of the element storage chamber. That is, the protective cover on the battery side of the element housing chamber is formed by a door that can be opened and closed so that the protective cover is not disturbed by the horizontal portion of the housing. According to this, after opening the door of the protective cover so as not to hit the housing and covering the housing with the protective cover, the door is closed to close the window of the element accommodating portion. In this case, the configuration of the window and the protrusions formed on the periphery are the same as in the first aspect.

  In the second aspect, in order to open and close the door of the protective cover, it is necessary to leave a gap between the hinge portion of the door and the battery more than the rotation width of the door. Here, in order to reduce the gap between the battery and the fuse unit, a double door can be used. In this case, a middle column for providing a locking projection for the door is provided on the element accommodating chamber side.

  According to the second aspect, if the door is opened, the state of the fuse element can be easily confirmed without removing the protective cover from the housing.

  According to the present invention, the configuration can be simplified without duplicating the protective cover.

It is a perspective view of the fuse unit of one embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which looked at FIG. 1 from the battery side. It is a perspective view of the state which closed the door of FIG. (A) is a perspective view of the housing of FIG. 1, (b) is an enlarged view of a portion 20 surrounded by a dotted line in (a). It is a perspective view of the protective cover of FIG. (A) is a side view of the housing of FIG. 4, (b) is a perspective view of a portion B surrounded by a dotted line in (a), and (c) is a perspective view of a portion C surrounded by a dotted line in (a). FIG. (A) is a top view of the fuse unit of FIG. 1, (b) is a sectional view taken along line AA in (a), and (c) is an enlarged view of a portion 40 surrounded by a dotted line in (b). It is.

(Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments. As shown in FIGS. 1-7, the fuse unit of this embodiment is the fuse unit 1 connected between the battery and load of a motor vehicle, for example, and the plate-shaped conductor 3 and the conductor 3 were accommodated. A resin housing 5 and a resin protective cover 7 covered with the housing 5 are provided. The fuse unit 1 is installed in a shape bent at the upper corner of the battery, and is formed in a shape bent in an L shape.

  For example, the conductor 3 is a tab terminal that is a terminal that is connected to a battery by forming a terminal 9 connected to a battery in a horizontal portion obtained by bending a plate-like conductor, and dropping a fuse element 17 from the horizontal portion. 15 are integrally formed with the resin housing 5. In addition to the terminals 9 connected to the battery electrode terminals by bolting, terminals 10 and 11 to which main devices such as an alternator and a starter are connected are formed on the horizontal portion of the conductor 3. A plurality of tab terminals 15 (four in this embodiment) are provided on the hanging portion of the conductor 3, and each tab terminal 15 is connected to a fuse element 17. Each fuse element 17 is formed with a fusible portion 19 that is melted by an overcurrent flow. As a result, the fuse unit 1 protects the battery and the load from overcurrent. The horizontal portion of the conductor 3 is provided with a fuse element (not shown), and a battery and an alternator are connected via the fuse element.

  The housing 5 is formed in an L shape along the conductor 3, and accommodates the conductor 3 by, for example, insert molding. Terminals 9, 10, 11 formed on the horizontal portion of the conductor 3 are exposed at the L-shaped horizontal portion 21 that is the upper surface of the housing 5. An hanging portion 23 that is suspended from the horizontal portion 21 is formed with an element accommodating chamber 25 that accommodates each fuse element 17 and a cylindrical connector portion 27 that surrounds the tab terminal 15. The element accommodating chamber 25 accommodates a plurality of fuse elements 17 in the arrangement direction. For example, the connector 27 is formed so that a mating connector connected to a load via an electric wire can be mounted, and the mating terminal and the tab terminal 15 are electrically connected.

  The protective cover 7 includes a cap-shaped horizontal portion 31 that is crowned by the horizontal portion 21 of the housing 5, and a cap-shaped hanging portion 32 that is suspended from the horizontal portion 31. The horizontal portion 31 covers the horizontal portion 21 where the terminals 9, 10, 11 of the housing 5 are exposed. Thereby, the waterproof part of the horizontal part 21 of the housing 5 which the terminal 9, 10, 11 exposes, dustproof property, and insulation are ensured and protected.

  Next, the characteristic configuration of the fuse unit 1 of the present embodiment will be described. The element accommodating chamber 25 divides the windows 33 and 34 opened at the position of the fuse element 17, the projecting portions 35 and 36 formed surrounding the periphery of the windows 33 and 34, and the plurality of fuse elements 17. A partition plate 37 is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, the window 33 is formed in a portion B surrounded by a dotted line that is a battery-side (L-shaped inner surface side) wall of the element housing chamber 25. As shown in FIG. 6, the window 34 is formed in a portion C surrounded by a dotted line that is a wall of the element storage chamber 25 on the side opposite to the battery (the outer surface side of the L shape). Each of the fuse elements in the element storage chamber 25 can be visually recognized by these windows 33 and 34. The protruding portion 35 is formed on the side of the window 33 and is formed in a rectangular window frame shape surrounding the window 33. The projecting portion 36 is formed on the side of the window 34 and is formed in a rectangular window frame shape surrounding the window 34. Each partition plate 37 is formed between the fuse elements 17 so that adjacent fuse elements 17 do not contact each other. Further, a locking projection 39 that can be locked with a locking portion of a door of the protective cover 7 described later is formed on the side surface of the element storage chamber 25.

  The hanging portion 32 of the protective cover 7 is formed with a door 41 that is a wall portion that closes the window 33 of the element storage chamber 25 and a wall portion 42 that closes the window 34. The door 41 is positioned on the battery side of the hanging portion 32, and the wall portion 42 is formed on the opposite battery side of the hanging portion 32. The door 41 is formed to face the window 33, and the wall portion 42 is formed to face the window 34. The door 41 is supported on the protective cover 7 by a hinge portion 45. The surface of the door 41 on the side of the window 33 is formed so as to be able to contact the protruding portion 35. The door 41 is formed with a locking portion 47 corresponding to the locking projection 39 of the element accommodating chamber 25, and the locking portion 47 is locked to the locking projection 39 so that the door 41 is brought into contact with the protruding portion 35. In addition, the protective cover 7 is locked to the housing 5. The surface of the wall portion 42 on the side of the window 34 is formed so as to be able to contact the protruding portion 36, and the wall portion 42 comes into contact with the protruding portion 36 by covering the housing 5 with the protective cover 7. Yes. When the locking portion of the door 41 is locked to the locking protrusion 39 of the housing 5, the door 41 and the wall portion 42 are formed in a cylindrical shape, and the element accommodating chamber 25 is positioned in this cylinder.

  The fuse unit 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above is connected to terminals 9, 10, and 11 of the horizontal portion 21 of the housing 5 to main devices such as battery electrode terminals and starters and alternators (not shown). Each terminal is connected. Thereafter, the protective cover 7 is put on the housing 5 in order to protect the horizontal portion 21 of the housing 5 where the terminals 9, 10, 11 are exposed. However, if the door 41 remains closed, the door 41 hits the horizontal portion 21 of the housing 5 and gets in the way, so the protective cover 7 cannot be covered. Therefore, in the fuse unit 1 of the present embodiment, the battery-side protective cover 7 of the element housing chamber 25 is formed by a door 41 that can be opened and closed so as not to be disturbed by the horizontal portion 21 of the housing 5. Thus, after the cover 5 is covered with the housing 5 in a state where the door 41 of the protection cover 7 is opened so as not to hit the housing 5, the locking portion 47 of the door 41 is locked to the locking protrusion 39 of the element accommodating chamber 25. Is closed and the door 41 is closed. As a result, the battery-side window 33 of the element storage chamber 25 can be closed by the door 41, and at the same time, the projection 35 surrounding the periphery of the window 33 and the door 41 come into contact with each other, and the window 33 enters the element storage chamber 25. Water and dust can be prevented from entering.

  On the other hand, the window 34 formed on the non-battery side of the element housing chamber 25 can be closed by the wall portion 42 of the protective cover 7, and at the same time, the protrusion 36 surrounding the periphery of the window 34 and the door 41 come into contact with each other. Water and dust can be prevented from entering the element accommodating chamber 25 from the window 34.

  According to this, even if the windows 33 and 34 for visually recognizing the fuse element 17 are formed on both the battery side and the non-battery side of the element storage chamber 25, the windows 33 and 34 are formed by one protective cover 7. Can be blocked. That is, the protective cover 7 that protects the horizontal portion 21 of the housing 5 from which the terminals 9, 10, 11 of the conductor 3 are exposed can close the windows 33, 34 of the element storage chamber 25. Thus, the fuse unit 1 having a simple structure can be realized.

  Further, if the door 41 is opened, the state of the fuse element 17 can be easily confirmed without removing the protective cover 7 from the housing 5.

  Further, since the windows 33 and 34 of the element accommodating chamber 25 are closed, even if the fusible portion 19 is melted by the overcurrent flow and the fuse element 17 is melted, the melted element is kept in the element accommodating chamber 25. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the molten element from falling and damaging other automobile parts.

  Note that in order to open and close the door 41 of the protective cover 7, the space between the hinge portion 45 of the door 41 and the battery needs to be larger than the rotation width of the door 41, so that the installation space for the fuse unit 1 becomes large. . Therefore, in order to reduce the gap between the battery and the fuse unit 1, a double door can be used. In this case, a middle column for providing a locking projection for the door is provided on the element accommodating chamber 25 side.

  Moreover, each partition plate 37 can be extended so that the door 41 of the protective cover 7 and the inner surface of the wall part 42 may be contacted. According to this, since the space in which each fuse element 17 is located is closed by the protective cover 7 and each partition plate 37, for example, even if a certain fuse element 17 is blown by overcurrent, the blown fuse element 17 is blown. Since it remains in the closed space, it is possible to prevent the fusing effect from affecting other fuse elements 17.

  In the present embodiment, the terminal 9 to which the battery is connected and the terminals 10 and 11 to which main devices such as an alternator and a starter are connected are formed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The terminal and the terminal to which the main device is connected can be fastened together to make the terminal two places.

  In the present embodiment, the windows for visually recognizing the fuse element 17 are formed on both the battery side and the non-battery side of the element storage chamber. However, since the fuse element can be sufficiently confirmed by the window on one side, the element A window can be formed only on the opposite battery side of the storage chamber 25. In this case, the protective cover 7 includes a cap-shaped horizontal portion that covers the horizontal portion 21 (upper surface) of the housing and a cap-shaped drooping portion that covers the wall of the drooping portion 23 on the opposite side of the battery. 5 can be formed. Also in this case, the aspect of this embodiment can be applied. That is, the same effect as that of the present embodiment can be obtained by bringing the inner wall surface of the hanging portion of the protective cover 7 into contact with the protruding portion 36 that surrounds the periphery of the window 34 formed on the wall of the element housing chamber 25 on the opposite battery side. Can be played.

  Further, the fuse unit of the present invention is not limited to the fuse unit 1 bent into an L shape, and can be applied to a straight type or planar type fuse unit.

  That is, the fuse unit of the present invention includes a resin housing in which a conductor formed by connecting a terminal connected to a battery and a terminal connected to a load with a fuse element is housed, and the housing is crowned In a fuse unit having a protective cover made of resin, an element storage chamber in which a fuse element is stored has a window opened at the position of the fuse element and a protruding portion formed so as to surround the periphery of the window. The protective cover has a wall portion capable of closing the window of the element accommodating chamber, and is formed so as to be crowned by bringing the inner surface of the wall portion into contact with the protruding portion.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fuse unit 3 Conductor 5 Housing 7 Protective cover 17 Fuse element 25 Element storage chamber 33 Window 34 Window 35 Projection part 36 Projection part 37 Partition plate 41 Door 42 Wall part

Claims (3)

A resin housing in which a conductor formed by connecting a terminal connected to a battery and a terminal connected to a load with a fuse element is housed, and a resin protective cover covered with the housing Fuse unit
Said element accommodating chamber fuse element is accommodated in the housing, the position to open the window of the fuse element, and a projecting peripheral edge of the window frame shape formed to surround of the window Formed,
The protective cover includes a cylindrical portion that can be crowned in the element accommodating chamber, and the cylindrical portion has a wall portion that can close the window of the element accommodating chamber, and an inner surface of the wall portion protrudes from the protrusion. A fuse unit characterized in that the fuse unit is formed so as to be in contact with the shaped part. The fuse unit according to claim 1, wherein
The element storage chamber is formed by partitioning a plurality of the fuse elements with a partition plate, and the partition plate extends to a position in contact with the inner surface of the wall portion of the protective cover. unit. In the fuse unit according to claim 1 or 2,
The fuse cover unit is characterized in that a wall portion of the protective cover is formed of a door that can be opened and closed at a portion that closes the window, and an inner surface of the door is formed so as to be in contact with the protruding portion.

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