Fuse Unit

Abstract

To provide a fuse unit capable of enhancing expandability while saving the space.SOLUTION: A bus bar 10 has a plurality of first terminal connection parts 12, bent at a first bent part 21, at one side part of its main body part 11, has a fusible part 13 between the main body part 11 and the first terminal connection parts 12, and has a coupling part 15 formed on the other side part of the main body part 11 to enable an extension bus bar 61 to be coupled. The main body part 11 is bent to the opposite direction from the bending direction of the first bent part 21 at a second bent part 22 more on the other side part side than the first bent part 21. A housing 30 has: a plane part 31 where the main body part 11 is mounted and which has an insertion hole 31a formed to insert the plurality of first terminal connection parts 12; and an upright part 32 along the main body part 11 bent at the second bent part 22, and a translucent cover 50 formed in an L shape in side view to cover the plane part 31 and upright part 32 is fitted in the housing 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fuse unit. [Background technology]

[0002] Fuse units mounted on vehicles such as automobiles include a fuse element having a fusible portion and a housing that contains the fuse element with the fusible portion exposed to the outside. In this fuse unit, space is saved by bending the fuse element (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-114357 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above fuse unit, the fuse element is almost entirely covered by the housing, so that in order to expand the circuit to add functions, it is necessary to change the shape of the entire fuse unit, which is difficult.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fuse unit that is space-saving and has high expandability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the fuse unit according to the present invention has the following features (1) to (3). (1) A fuse unit including a bus bar having a plurality of terminal connection portions and a housing that accommodates the bus bar, The bus bar includes: A main body portion, a plurality of first terminal connection portions formed in parallel on one side of the main body portion; a second terminal connection portion formed on the other side of the main body portion; a fusible portion provided between at least one of the plurality of first terminal connection portions and the main body portion to connect the main body portion and the first terminal connection portion; a coupling portion formed on the other side of the main body portion and to which a separate bus bar can be coupled; having the plurality of first terminal connection portions are bent by first bending portions along a longitudinal direction of the main body portion, the main body is bent at a second bent portion closer to the other side than the first bent portion in a direction opposite to a bending direction of the first bent portion, The housing includes: a flat surface on which the main body is placed and in which insertion holes into which the first terminal connection portions are inserted are formed; a standing portion along the main body portion bent by the second bending portion; having A light-transmitting cover that is L-shaped in a side view and covers the flat portion and the standing portion is fitted into the housing. Fuse unit.

[0007] According to the fuse unit having the above configuration (1), the body of the bus bar has a coupling portion to which a separate bus bar can be coupled. Therefore, the circuit can be easily expanded by coupling a separate bus bar to the coupling portion to add functions. Moreover, the first terminal connection portion is bent by a first bent portion along the longitudinal direction of the body, and the body is further bent by a second bent portion on the other side side of the first bent portion in the opposite direction to the bending direction of the first bent portion, so that the overall height can be reduced. That is, it is possible to provide a fuse unit that is space-saving due to its low profile and has improved expandability.

[0008] (2) The second terminal connection portion is bent by a third bent portion in a direction opposite to a bending direction of the second bent portion. The fuse unit according to (1) above.

[0009] According to the fuse unit having the above configuration (2), the second terminal connection portion of the bus bar, whose main body portion is bent by the second bend portion, is bent by the third bend portion in the opposite direction to the bending direction of the second bend portion, thereby making it possible to achieve a further reduction in height.

[0010] (3) The separate bus bar has a joint portion at one end thereof that sandwiches the coupling portion, and has a terminal portion at the other end thereof to which a fuse is attached. A fuse unit according to (1) or (2) above.

[0011] According to the fuse unit having the above configuration (3), a fuse function can be easily added by attaching a fuse to a separate bus bar that is connected to the connecting portion. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a fuse unit that is space-saving and has high expandability.

[0013] The present invention has been briefly described above. Furthermore, the details of the present invention will be further clarified by reading the following description of the embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as "embodiment") with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fuse unit according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fuse unit according to this embodiment with the fuse block removed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the fuse unit according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the fuse unit according to the present embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the housing. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fuse unit according to a reference example. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a front view of a fuse unit according to a reference example. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a fuse unit according to a reference example. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a fuse unit according to a modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a front view of a fuse unit according to a modified example. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a fuse unit according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the fuse unit according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the fuse unit according to the present embodiment with the fuse block removed. Fig. 3 is a front view of the fuse unit according to the present embodiment. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the fuse unit according to the present embodiment. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the housing.

[0017] 1 to 4, a fuse unit 100 according to this embodiment includes a bus bar 10 and a housing 30, and a light-transmitting cover 50 is attached to the housing 30. The fuse unit 100 is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile and electrically connects a battery and an external load. The fuse unit 100 has a breaker function that breaks the electrical connection when a current exceeding a rated current flows between the battery and the external load.

[0018] The bus bar 10 is formed of a metal plate having electrical conductivity, such as copper or a copper alloy. The bus bar 10 is formed by pressing the metal plate. The housing 30 and the light-transmitting cover 50 are molded from an insulating synthetic resin, and the light-transmitting cover 50 is transparent or translucent. The fuse unit 100 is provided with a fuse block 60 on its upper portion, and the fuse block 60 is detachable.

[0019] The busbar 10 has a main body portion 11, a first terminal connection portion 12, a fusible portion 13, a second terminal connection portion 14, and a coupling portion 15.

[0020] The main body 11 is composed of two divided main bodies 11a and 11b, which are connected to each other by a fusible portion 11c. The fusible portion 11c melts when a current exceeding the rated current flows, and breaks the electrical connection between the divided main bodies 11a and 11b.

[0021] The first terminal connection portions 12 are formed in parallel on one side of the body portion 11. In this example, the busbar 10 has six first terminal connection portions 12, and four of the first terminal connection portions 12 have fastening holes 12a. These first terminal connection portions 12 are bent downward with respect to the body portion 11 by first bend portions 21 that extend along the longitudinal direction of the body portion 11.

[0022] Further, the main body 11 is bent in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the first bent portion 21 by a second bent portion 22 provided on the other side side of the first bent portion 21. As a result, the main body 11 is formed in an L-shape in a side view.

[0023] Fusible portions 13 are provided between the three first terminal connection portions 12 and the main body portion 11. These fusible portions 13 melt when a current exceeding the rated current flows, and cut off the electrical connection between the main body portion 11 and the first terminal connection portions 12.

[0024] The second terminal connection portion 14 is formed on the other side of the body portion 11 opposite to the side on which the first terminal connection portion 12 is formed. This second terminal connection portion 14 is formed on one divided body portion 11a of the body portion 11. This second terminal connection portion 14 has a fastening hole 14a. The second terminal connection portion 14 is bent by a third bend portion 23 in a direction opposite to the bending direction by the second bend portion 22.

[0025] The joint portion 15 is formed on the other side of the main body portion 11 opposite to the side on which the first terminal connection portion 12 is formed. The joint portion 15 is formed on the other divided main body portion 11b of the main body portion 11.

[0026] The housing 30 has a flat portion 31 and an upright portion 32. The upright portion 32 is formed on one side of the flat portion 31. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of insertion holes 31a penetrating from the front to the back are formed in the flat portion 31 of the housing 30 near the edge opposite the upright portion 32. The first terminal connection portion 12 of the busbar 10 is inserted into these insertion holes 31a from above. The corners of the flat portion 31 and the upright portion 32 of the housing 30 are surrounded by a peripheral wall 33, and the corners of the flat portion 31 and the upright portion 32 surrounded by the peripheral wall 33 are busbar attachment portions 34 to which the main body portion 11 of the busbar 10 is attached.

[0027] A connection portion 35 is integrally formed on the housing 30 below the flat portion 31. This connection portion 35 has a plurality of (four in this example) accommodating portions 37 partitioned by a plurality of (five in this example) partition walls 36. Each of the accommodating portions 37 has an accommodating slit portion 38 into which a nut 39 for fastening and connecting a terminal of a power line or the like to the first terminal connecting portion 12 is inserted from below.

[0028] The busbar 10 is attached to the housing 30 by fitting the main body 11 of the busbar 10 into the busbar attachment portion 34 formed by the corner portion between the flat portion 31 and the standing portion 32 while inserting the first terminal connection portion 12 into the insertion hole 31a of the flat portion 31. Then, the L-shaped main body 11 bent at the second bend portion 22 of the busbar 10 is arranged along the flat portion 31 and the standing portion 32.

[0029] When the busbar 10 is attached to the housing 30, the first terminal connection portion 12 having the fastening hole 12a is disposed in a position facing the nut 39 inserted into the accommodating slit portion 38 of the connection portion 35. The busbar 10 is also disposed such that the second terminal connection portion 14 projects laterally from the upper edge of the standing portion 32 of the housing 30, and the coupling portion 15 projects upward from the upper edge of the standing portion 32.

[0030] The light-transmitting cover 50 is formed in an L-shape in a side view, and has a flat cover portion 51 and an upright cover portion 52. The light-transmitting cover 50 is fitted into the busbar mounting portion 34 of the housing 30 to which the busbar 10 is attached, and assembled thereto. As a result, the flat portion 31 and the upright portions 32 constituting the busbar mounting portion 34 to which the main body portion 11 of the busbar 10 is attached are covered by the light-transmitting cover 50. The fusible portions 11c, 13 of the busbar 10 attached to the busbar mounting portion 34 of the housing 30 are visible through the light-transmitting cover 50 in a state where they are covered by the transparent or translucent light-transmitting cover 50.

[0031] In the fuse unit 100 having the above configuration, for example, a power line from a battery or an external load is connected to the first terminal connection portion 12 and the second terminal connection portion 14. In addition, the fuse unit 100 can be expanded by attaching a fuse block 60 to the coupling portion 15 of the bus bar 10 protruding upward.

[0032] The fuse block 60 attached to the connecting portion 15 of the bus bar 10 includes an extension bus bar 61 , a fuse housing 62 , and a fuse 63 .

[0033] The extension busbar 61 is made of a conductive metal material and has a joint 65 and a plurality of terminals 66 consisting of bifurcated tuning fork terminals. The joint 65 has a plurality of legs 65a, which are alternately arranged at positions offset in the thickness direction along the longitudinal direction. The coupling portion 15 of the busbar 10 can be inserted between the legs 65a.

[0034] The fuse housing 62 is molded from insulating synthetic resin and formed into a box shape. The fuse housing 62 accommodates the extension bus bar 61 inserted from the bottom. The fuse housing 62 has insertion holes 67 formed in the top, and the fuses 63 are inserted into these insertion holes 67. The fuses 63 are connected to the terminal portions 66 of the extension bus bar 61, which are tuning fork terminals, by being inserted into the insertion holes 67 of the fuse housing 62.

[0035] The fuse block 60 is attached to the coupling portion 15 of the bus bar 10 that protrudes from the upper portion of the housing 30 of the fuse unit 100. When the fuse block 60 is attached to the coupling portion 15, the coupling portion 15 is inserted into the leg portion 65a of the joint portion 65 formed on the extension bus bar 61 of the fuse block 60, thereby connecting the extension bus bar 61 to the coupling portion 15. Then, by attaching the fuse block 60 to the coupling portion 15, the separate extension bus bar 61 is coupled to the main body 11 of the bus bar 10, and the circuit is expanded.

[0036] Here, a fuse unit according to a reference example will be described. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a fuse unit according to a reference example, Fig. 7 is a front view of the fuse unit according to the reference example, and Fig. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the fuse unit according to the reference example.

[0037] 6 to 8, a fuse unit 1 according to a reference example has a plate-shaped bus bar 2, and a plurality of first terminal connection parts 4 extend downward from a main body 3 of the bus bar 2. A second terminal connection part 5 having a fastening hole 5a is bent and extends laterally on the side of the main body 3 opposite to the first terminal connection parts 4. Resin housings 6, 7 are superimposed on both sides of the main body 3 of the bus bar 2, and a U-shaped light-transmitting cover 8 is inserted from one end side. As a result, the bus bar 2 is covered by the housings 6, 7, and a fusible part 9 formed on the bus bar 2 is covered and visible through the light-transmitting cover 8.

[0038] In the fuse unit 1 according to this reference example, the bus bar 2 is covered by the housings 6, 7 and the light-transmitting cover 8 except for the first terminal connection portion 4 and the second terminal connection portion 5, making it difficult to expand the circuit to add functions. In addition, the height H based on the fastening point where the fastening hole 4a is formed in the first terminal connection portion 4 is high, requiring a large installation space (see FIG. 7).

[0039] In contrast, according to the fuse unit 100 of this embodiment, the body 11 of the busbar 10 has a coupling portion 15 to which the extension busbar 61 of the fuse block 60 can be coupled. Therefore, in order to add a function, the fuse block 60 can be attached to the coupling portion 15 and the extension busbar 61 can be coupled to easily expand the circuit. Moreover, the first terminal connection portion 12 is bent by the first bent portion 21 along the longitudinal direction of the body 11, and the body 11 is further bent by the second bent portion 22 on the other side side of the first bent portion 21 in the opposite direction to the bending direction of the first bent portion 21, so that the height H based on the fastening portion where the fastening hole 12a is formed in the first terminal connection portion 12 can be reduced to achieve a low overall height (see FIG. 3). In other words, the fuse unit 100 can be made space-saving by reducing its height while improving its expandability.

[0040] Furthermore, since the second terminal connection portion 14 of the busbar 10, whose main body portion 11 is bent by the second bend portion 22, is bent by the third bend portion 23 in the opposite direction to the bending direction by the second bend portion 22, an even lower height can be achieved.

[0041] Further, the extension bus bar 61 has a terminal portion 66 to which the fuse 63 is attached. Therefore, by attaching the fuse 63 to the extension bus bar 61 of the fuse block 60 coupled to the coupling portion 15 and connecting it to the terminal portion 66, a fuse function can be easily added.

[0042] Next, a fuse unit according to a modified example will be described. In addition, the same components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a fuse unit according to a modified example, Fig. 10 is a front view of the fuse unit according to the modified example, and Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the fuse unit according to the modified example.

[0043] 9 to 11, a fuse unit 100A according to a modified example includes a busbar 10A in which a first terminal connection portion 12 is bent downward at a first bent portion 21 on one side relative to a main body portion 11. In this busbar 10A, a second terminal connection portion 14 extends laterally, and a portion on the other side other than the second terminal connection portion 14 is bent downward.

[0044] This busbar 10A is attached to a flat portion 31 of a housing 30A that does not have an upright portion 32. In the flat portion 31 of the housing 30A, an insertion hole 31b separate from the insertion hole 31a into which the first terminal connection portion 12 is inserted is formed, and the portion bent downward on the other side of the main body portion 11 is inserted into this insertion hole 31b.

[0045] A light-transmitting cover 50A formed in a flat plate shape is attached to the flat portion 31 of the housing 30A to which the bus bar 10A is attached, and the fusible portions 11c, 13 of the bus bar 10A are visible through the light-transmitting cover 50A.

[0046] In the case of the fuse unit 100A relating to this modified example, the height H based on the fastening point where the fastening hole 12a is formed in the first terminal connection portion 12 can also be reduced (see Figure 10), thereby enabling space saving in the installation space.

[0047] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified, improved, etc. In addition, the material, shape, size, number, arrangement location, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited.

[0048] Here, the features of the fuse unit according to the embodiment of the present invention described above will be briefly summarized and listed in the following [1] to [3]. [1] A fuse unit (100) comprising: a bus bar (10) having a plurality of terminal connection portions (12, 14); and a housing (30) that accommodates the bus bar (10), The bus bar (10, 10A) is A main body portion (11), a plurality of first terminal connection portions (12) formed in parallel on one side of the main body portion (11); a second terminal connection portion (14) formed on the other side of the main body portion (11); a fusible portion (13) provided between at least one of the plurality of first terminal connection portions (12) and the main body portion (11) and connecting the main body portion (11) and the first terminal connection portion (12); a coupling portion (15) formed on the other side of the main body portion (11) to which a separate bus bar (extension bus bar 61) can be coupled; having The plurality of first terminal connection portions (12) are bent at first bending portions (21) along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion (11), the main body portion (11) is bent at a second bent portion (22) located closer to the other side portion than the first bent portion (21) in a direction opposite to the bending direction of the first bent portion (21); The housing (30) is a flat surface portion (31) on which the main body portion (11) is placed and in which insertion holes (31a) into which the plurality of first terminal connection portions (12) are inserted are formed; a standing portion (32) extending along the main body portion (11) bent by the second bent portion (22); having A light-transmitting cover (50) that is L-shaped in a side view and covers the flat portion (31) and the standing portion (32) is fitted into the housing (30). Fuse unit.

[0049] [2] The second terminal connection portion (14) is bent by a third bent portion (23) in a direction opposite to the bending direction by the second bent portion (22). 1. The fuse unit according to claim 1.

[0050] [3] The separate bus bar (extension bus bar 61) has a joint portion (65) that clamps the coupling portion (15) at one end and a terminal portion (66) to which a fuse (63) is attached at the other end. 1. A fuse unit according to claim 1 or 2. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 10, 10A busbar 11 Main body 11a Split body part 11b Split body part 11c Fusible part 12 First terminal connection part 13 Soluble part 14 Second terminal connection 15 Joint 21 1st bending part 22 Second bending part 23 3rd bending part 30, 30A Housing 31 Plane part 31a, 31b Insertion holes 32 Vertical section 33 Peripheral wall 34 Busbar mounting part 35 Connection 36 Bulkhead 37 Storage unit 38 Storage slit 39 Nut 50, 50A Light-transmitting cover 51 Flat cover part 52 Vertical cover part 61 Extended bus bar (separate bus bar) 62 Housing 63 Fuse 65 Joint 66 Terminal section 100 Fuse Unit

Claims

1. A fuse unit comprising: a bus bar having a plurality of terminal connection portions; and a housing that accommodates the bus bar, The bus bar includes: A main body portion, a plurality of first terminal connection portions formed in parallel on one side of the main body portion; a second terminal connection portion formed on the other side of the main body portion; a fusible portion provided between at least one of the plurality of first terminal connection portions and the main body portion to connect the main body portion and the first terminal connection portion; a coupling portion formed on the other side of the main body portion and to which a separate bus bar can be coupled; having the first terminal connection portions are bent by first bending portions along a longitudinal direction of the main body portion, the main body is bent at a second bent portion that is closer to the other side than the first bent portion in a direction opposite to a bending direction of the first bent portion, The housing includes: a flat surface portion on which the main body is placed and in which insertion holes into which the first terminal connection portions are inserted are formed; a standing portion along the main body portion bent by the second bend portion; having A light-transmitting cover that is L-shaped in a side view and covers the flat portion and the standing portion is fitted into the housing. Fuse unit.

2. the second terminal connection portion is bent by a third bent portion in a direction opposite to a bending direction by the second bent portion; The fuse unit of claim 1 .

3. The separate bus bar has a joint portion at one end thereof that sandwiches the coupling portion, and has a terminal portion at the other end thereof to which a fuse is attached. The fuse unit according to claim 1 or 2.

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