POWER SUPPLY INCLUDING A MANUAL MAINTENANCE DISCONNECTOR (MSD) WITH A PYRO-FUSE

Abstract

A power supply includes a power component, first and second electrical connecting devices, an electrical circuit, and a manual disconnect device including a pyro-fuse. The manual disconnect device is configured to create an interruption of the electrical circuit and includes a base portion and an electrical contact portion that is selectively removable from the base portion. The pyro-fuse is mounted in the electrical contact portion. The electrical contact portion includes a low-voltage circuit including a first low-voltage connecting device mounted in the electrical contact portion. The base portion includes a second low-voltage connecting device disposed in the base portion.A tripping device is operatively connected to the low-voltage circuit and configured to signal the pyro-fuse to immediately interrupt the electrical circuit when an operating temperature or current in the power supply exceeds a parameter. The electrical contact portion includes first and second high-voltage contacts connected by a bridge element. Viewed in a direction from the electrical contact portion to the base portion, the first and second low-voltage connecting devices are disposed below the bridge element.

Description

INITIATIONThe subject disclosure relates to power supplies and more particularly to a power supply including a manual service disconnect having a pyro-fuse.The document GB 2 594 321 A discloses a power supply according to the preamble of claim 1. the documents US 2020 / 0 076 129 A1, US 8 440 337 B2, DE 11 2013 006 397 T5 and US 2012 / 0 058 382 A1 each show related power supplies.Power supplies, particularly battery-type energy storage devices, are used to provide energy to an electrical load. The power supply may include a plurality of cells that store and discharge the electrical energy. For various reasons, the battery may discharge energy through an electrical circuit at a rate that exceeds design thresholds, or may be charged through the electrical circuit via a charging device that does not meet design requirements. At such time, it is desirable to disconnect the power supply from the electrical load.Currently, power supplies, particularly high voltage power supplies, include a fuse that responds to an over-current condition to break the electrical circuit or to generate a break in the electrical circuit. In many cases, the fuse is a quick acting fuse that can use a quantity of pyrotechnic material to break contacts and open the electrical circuit. When the fuse is tripped, it quickly opens the electrical circuit to protect the internal battery components. The fuse is a one-time use device that requires replacement once it is triggered. Currently, replacement of the fuse is a time consuming and labor intensive effort that typically requires substantial power supply disassembly.It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a fuse which is readily accessible and easily replaceable.SUMMARYThe aforementioned object is achieved by the features of claim 1. Advantageous refinements are defined in the dependent claims.A power supply includes a housing including a plurality of walls, a power component disposed in the housing, a first electrical connector connected to the power component, a second electrical connector connected to the power component, an electrical circuit defined between the first electrical connector, the second electrical connector, and the power component, and a manual disconnect (MSD) device including a pyro-fuse connected to the electrical circuit, the MSD disposed on the housing and configured to generate a break in the electrical circuit.In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the MSD is mounted to one of the plurality of walls.In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the housing includes a cover, and the MSD is mounted to the cover.In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the power component includes a power storage system including a plurality of battery cells disposed in the housing.The MSD includes a base portion mounted to the housing and an electrical contact portion selectively removable from the base portion.In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the MSD includes a handle pivotally mounted to the electrical contact portion.In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the MSD includes a locking member that secures the electrical contact portion to the base portion.The pyro-fuse is mounted in the electrical contact portion.The electrical contact portion includes a low voltage circuit connected to the pyro-fuse, the low voltage circuit including a low voltage connection device.In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the electrical circuit includes a positive portion and a negative portion, with the MSD disposed in the positive portion.A manual service disconnect (MSD) for a power supply having an electrical circuit includes a pyro-fuse connected to the electrical circuit. The MSD is configured to generate the interruption of the electrical circuit by the activation of the pyro-fuse.The MSD includes a base portion and an electrical contact portion that can be selectively removed from the base portion.In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the electrical contact portion includes a rotatable handle.In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the rotatable handle includes a locking member that secures the electrical contact portion to the base portion.The pyro-fuse is mounted in the electrical contact portion.The electrical contact portion includes a low voltage circuit connected to the pyro-fuse, the low voltage circuit including a first low voltage connection device mounted in the electrical contact portion.The base portion includes a second low-voltage connector disposed in the base portion, the second low-voltage connector configured to operatively connect to the first low-voltage connector.A trip device is operatively connected to the low voltage circuit, the trip device configured to signal the pyro-fuse to generate an interruption of the electrical circuit.The electrical contact portion includes a first high voltage contact and a second high voltage contact joined by a bridge member, wherein the pyro-fuse includes a gap device disposed on the bridge member.In addition to one or more of the features described herein, the pyro-fuse includes a pyro-charge operatively connected to the low voltage circuit, the pyro-charge configured to selectively drive the gap device through the bridge element to generate the interruption of the electrical circuit.The above-described features and advantages and other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSOther features, advantages and details appear, by way of example only, in the following detailed description, the detailed description referring to the drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a power supply including, in a non-limiting example, a manual service disconnect (MSD) having a pyro-fuse; FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an electrical circuit of the power supply including, in a non-limiting example, the MSD connected between a power component of the power supply and an electrical load; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the MSD of FIG. 2 including a base portion and an electrical contact portion in a non-limiting example; FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the electrical contact portion of the MSD of FIG. 3 in a non-limiting example; FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the pyro-fuse in a non-limiting example prior to disconnecting an electrical circuit; FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the pyro-fuse in a non-limiting example after disconnection of the electrical circuit; FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a released locking mechanism of the MSD of FIG. 3 in a non-limiting example; and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the MSD of FIG. 6 in a non-limiting example showing the electrical contact portion removed from the base portion.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe following description is merely exemplary in nature. It should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals designate similar or corresponding portions and features.In one non-limiting example, a power supply is generally indicated at 38 in FIG. 1. The power supply 38 includes a housing 42 having a plurality of walls 44 including at least a first end wall 52, a second end wall (not shown), a first side wall 56, a second side wall 58, and a cover 60. The housing 42 encloses a power component 68. In the non-limiting example shown, the power component 68 is defined by a plurality of rechargeable battery cells 72. It should be understood, however, that the power component 68 may take various forms including generators, transformers, and the like.In a non-limiting example, a first electrical connector 80 and a second electrical connector 82 are mounted to the first end wall 52. The first electrical connector 80 and the second electrical connector 82 provide connection for an electrical load 84 (FIG. 2 ) connected to the power supply 38. As shown in FIG. 2, an electrical circuit 86 is defined between the first electrical connector 80 and the second electrical connector 82. The electrical circuit 86 connects the power supply 38 to the electrical load 84. In one non-limiting example, the electrical circuit 86 includes a positive portion 92 that extends between a positive terminal (not separately labeled) of the power supply 38 and a first electrical connector 80 and a negative portion 94 that extends between a negative terminal (also not separately labeled) of the power supply 38 and a second electrical connector 82.In a non-limiting example, the power supply 38 includes a manual service disconnect (MSD) 100 disposed in the electrical circuit 86. In a non-limiting example, the MSD 100 is mounted to the cover 60 (FIG. 1 ) and configured to interrupt current flow conducted through the positive portion 92 of the electrical circuit 86 to the electrical load 84. As shown in FIG. 3, the MSD 100 includes a base portion 106 and an electrical contact portion 108. The base portion 106 includes a recess or receptacle 110 (FIG. 8 ) that engages the electrical contact portion 108. With this configuration, the electrical contact portion 108 is detachably connected to the base portion 106.When the electrical contact portion 108 is connected to the base portion 106, electric current flows from the power supply 38 through the electrical circuit 86 to the electrical load 84, When the electrical contact portion 108 is removed from the base portion 106, an open circuit is generated that interrupts the flow of the electric current. In a non-limiting example, the electrical contact portion 108 includes a handle 114 having a locking member 116. The base portion 106 includes a protrusion 119 that aligns with the handle 114 and selectively engages the locking member 116.In a non-limiting example shown in FIG. 4, the MSD 100 includes a switching portion 124 that forms part of the electrical circuit 86. The switching portion 124 includes a first high voltage contact 130 and a second high voltage contact 132 connected to the electrical contact portion 108 by a bridge member 134. As shown in FIG. 5, a third high voltage contact 136 and a fourth high voltage contact 138 are disposed in the base portion 106. The third high voltage contact and the fourth high voltage contact 138 are connected to the electrical circuit 86.When the electrical contact portion 108 engages the base portion 106, the first high voltage contact 130 and the third high voltage contact 136 are electrically connected and the second high voltage contact 132 and the fourth high voltage contact 138 are electrically connected. When the electric flux in the electric circuit 86 is disconnected, it is turned off. In addition to shutting off the electrical flux by removing the electrical contact portion 108 from the base portion 106, the MSD 100 also includes a switch cut portion 140 that acts to shut off the electrical flux quickly in response to an operating condition of the power supply 38. The circuit breaking portion 140 may disconnect the electrical circuit 86 in the event operating temperatures, currents, or the like in the power supply 38 exceed the design parameters.Referring to FIG. 5 and with continued reference to FIG. 4, the electrical contact portion 108 also includes a switch break portion 140 having a pyro-fuse 142 configured to disconnect the bridge element 134 and open the electrical circuit 86. As shown in FIG. 5, the pyro-fuse 142 includes a gap device 144 disposed adjacent to the bridge member 134 and a pyro-charge 146 disposed adjacent to the gap device 144. Firing of the pyrocharge 146 drives the splitter 144 through the bridge element 134, which, as shown in FIG. 6, disconnects the electrical circuit 86. In a non-limiting example, the pyro-fuse 142 further includes a low voltage circuit 148 connected to the pyro-charge 146.The low voltage circuit 148 includes a first low voltage connector 154 provided to the electrical contact portion 108 and a second low voltage connector 156 provided to the base portion 106. The low voltage circuit 148 is complete when the electrical contact portion 108 is engaged with the base portion 106. The low voltage circuit 148 is connected to a trip device 160 (FIG. 2 ) that signals the pyro-fuse 142 to ignite the pyro-charge 146 to drive the gap device 144 through the bridge element 134 and open the electrical circuit 86. This occurs upon detection of operating conditions outside the parameters, wherein the triggering device 160 causes the pyro-fuse 142 to open the electrical circuit 86 directly. The use of the pyrocharge 146 ensures that the opening occurs in 2 ms or less. At this point, it should be understood that the term "low voltage" describes a voltage that is lower than or equal to 30 VAC or 60 VDC, and the term "high voltage" describes a voltage that is higher than 30 VAC or 60 VDC.To manually disconnect the power supply 38 from the electrical circuit 86, the electrical contact portion 108 is simply removed from the base portion 106. To remove the electrical contact portion 108 from the base portion 106, the handle 114 is rotated as shown in FIG. 7. Rotation of the handle 114 disengages the locking member 116 from the protrusion 119. As shown in FIG. 8, when the latch member 116 is disengaged from the protrusion 119, the electrical contact portion 108 may be removed from the base portion 106 to interrupt electrical flow from the power supply 38 to the electrical circuit 86. By disposing the MSD 100 in a readily accessible area (e.g., the cover 60), the electrical current can be more easily cut off during maintenance of any load connected to the power supply 38. Further, in the event of a fuse failure, replacement of the electrical contact portion 108 can be achieved without the need to disassemble the power supply 38. Further, by incorporating the pyro-fuse 142 into the MSD 100, repair or replacement of the electrical contact portion 108 in the event that the pyro-charge 146 is triggered can be readily achieved.The terms "a" and "an" do not denote a limitation of a number, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced element. The term "or" means "and / or" unless clearly indicated otherwise by context. Reference throughout the specification to "one aspect" or "an aspect" means that a particular element (e.g., feature, structure, step, or characteristic) described in connection with the aspect is included in at least one aspect described herein and may or may not be present in other aspects. In addition, it is to be understood that the described elements in the various aspects may be combined in any suitable manner.The terms "around" and "substantially" are intended to include the degree of error associated with a measurement of the particular size based on the devices available during filing of the application. For example, "about" and / or "substantially" may include a range of ±8%, or 5%, or 2% of a given value.When an element such as a layer, a thin layer, a region or a substrate is referred to as being "on" another element, it may be directly disposed on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" another element, there are no intervening elements present.Unless otherwise specified herein, all test standards are the most recently valid standard at the filing date of this application or, if priority is claimed, the filing date of the earliest priority application in which the test standard appears.Unless otherwise defined, technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

Claims

A power supply (38) comprising: a housing (42) having a plurality of walls (44); a power component (68) disposed in the housing (42); a first electrical connector (80) connected to the power component (68); a second electrical connector (82) connected to the power component (68); an electrical circuit (86) defined between the first electrical connector (80), the second electrical connector (82), and the power component (68); and a manual disconnect (100) including a pyro-fuse (142) connected to the electrical circuit (86), the manual disconnect (100) provided on the housing (42) and configured to generate a break in the electrical circuit (86), the manual disconnect (100) including a base portion (106), which is mounted to the housing (42) and includes an electrical contact portion (108) selectively removable from the base portion (106), the pyro-fuse (142) being mounted in the electrical contact portion (108), the electrical contact portion (108) including a low voltage circuit (148) connected to the pyro-fuse (142), the low voltage circuit (148) including a first low voltage connector (154) mounted in the electrical contact portion (108), the base portion (106) including a second low voltage connector (156) disposed in the base portion (106), the second low voltage connector (156) being configured to operatively connect to the first low voltage connector (154), wherein a trip device (160) is operatively connected to the low voltage circuit (148), the trip device (160) being configured to signal the pyro-fuse (142) to generate the break of the electrical circuit (86) immediately when an operating temperature or current in the power supply (38) exceeds a parameter, wherein the electrical contact portion (108) includes a first high voltage contact (130) and a second high voltage contact (132) joined together by a bridge element (134), wherein the pyro-fuse (142) includes a break device (144) disposed on the bridge element (134), characterized in that, The first low-voltage connection device ( 154) and the second low-voltage connection device ( 156) are arranged under the bridge element ( 134) when viewed in a direction from the electrical contact portion ( 108) to the base portion ( 106).The power supply (38) of claim 1, wherein the manual disconnect device (100) is mounted to one of the plurality of walls (44).The power supply (38) of claim 1, wherein the housing (42) includes a cover (60), and wherein the manual disconnect device (100) is mounted to the cover (60).The power supply (38) of claim 1, wherein the power component (68) includes a power storage system including a plurality of battery cells (72) disposed in the housing (42).The power supply (38) of claim 1, wherein the manual disconnect device (100) includes a handle (114) pivotally mounted to the electrical contact portion (108).The power supply (38) of claim 5, wherein the manual disconnect device (100) includes a latch member (116) that secures the electrical contact portion (108) to the base portion (106).The power supply (38) of claim 1, wherein the electrical circuit (86) includes a positive portion (92) and a negative portion (94), and wherein the manual disconnect device (100) is disposed in the positive portion (92).

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