Fuse unit

Abstract

To provide a fuse unit that can improve versatility.SOLUTION: In a fuse unit 1 including a battery terminal 9 electrically connected to a battery post 7 of a battery 3, a fusible link 11 electrically connected to the battery terminal 9 and having a fuse that melts when an overcurrent occurs, and a mounting member 13 attached to the battery 3 and on which the fusible link 11 to which the battery terminal 9 is assembled is disposed, the fusible link 11 is disposed relative to the mounting member 13 so as to be movable in a plane parallel to the plane from which the battery post 7 of the battery 3 protrudes.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a fuse unit, there is provided a battery terminal that is electrically connected to a battery post of a battery, and a fusible link that is electrically connected to the battery terminal and melts by an overcurrent. Further, there is known a device including a protector as an attachment member to which the battery is attached and in which the fusible link to which the battery terminal is attached is disposed (see Patent Document 1). In this fuse unit, the protector is attached to the battery. The battery terminal and the fusible link are disposed in the protector, and the battery terminal and the fusible link are electrically connected. The battery terminal is electrically connected to the battery post of the battery, and the battery and the fusible link are electrically connected via the battery terminal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the fuse unit as in Patent Document 1 above, the fusible link is fixed so as not to move with respect to the attachment member. The fusible link fixed to the attachment member is electrically connected to the battery by electrically connecting the battery terminal to the battery post. Therefore, when the positions of the battery posts are different, the fuse unit cannot be assembled to the battery, and it is necessary to newly design the battery terminal and the attachment member, resulting in a decrease in versatility.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the problems of such prior art. The object of the present invention is to provide a fuse unit capable of improving versatility.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The fuse unit according to the present embodiment includes a battery terminal electrically connected to a battery post of a battery, a fusible link having a fuse that is electrically connected to the battery terminal and melts by an overcurrent, and an attachment member attached to the battery and in which the fusible link to which the battery terminal is assembled is disposed. The fusible link is disposed so as to be movable in a plane direction parallel to a plane in which the battery post of the battery protrudes with respect to the attachment member.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a fuse unit capable of improving versatility.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

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Figure 13

Figure 14

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, the fuse unit according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation and may be different from the actual ratios.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the fuse unit 1 according to this embodiment is applied to, for example, a battery 3 mounted on a vehicle. The fuse unit 1 is disposed between the battery 3 and an electrical component (not shown) mounted on the vehicle, and when an overcurrent flows, it cuts off the power supply from the battery 3 to the electrical component and protects the electrical component.

[0011] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the battery 3 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a recess 5 is provided at a corner of the upper surface, which is cut out so as to be one step lower than the upper surface. Inside the recess 5 of the battery 3, a battery post 7 protruding upward from the bottom surface is provided. The fuse unit 1 is electrically connected to the battery post 7.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 10, the fuse unit 1 includes a battery terminal 9, a fusible link 11, and a mounting member 13.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and 6, the battery terminal 9 is made of a conductive material and includes a link connection portion 15 and a battery connection portion 17.

[0014] The link connection portion 15 is composed of a stud bolt protruding upward on one end side of the battery terminal 9. The link connection portion 15 is electrically connected to the fusible link 11, and electrically connects the battery terminal 9 to the fusible link 11.

[0015] The battery connection portion 17 has a hole portion through which the battery post 7 can be inserted. By tightening a bolt inserted into the end portion, the diameter of the hole portion is reduced. The battery connection portion 17 is electrically connected to the battery post 7 by inserting the battery post 7 into the hole portion and then tightening the bolt. By electrically connecting the battery connection portion 17 to the battery post 7, the fusible link 11 is electrically connected to the battery 3 via the battery terminal 9.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, 6 to 8, the fusible link 11 is formed in a rectangular shape by molding a fuse element made of a conductive material provided with a fuse (not shown) that melts due to overcurrent with synthetic resin. An opening through which the state of the fuse can be confirmed is provided in the portion of the fusible link 11 where the fuse is located, and the opening is closed by a cover 19. The fusible link 11 includes a terminal connection portion 21 and a component connection portion 23.

[0017] The terminal connection portion 21 is provided on one side in the longitudinal direction of the fusible link 11. The terminal connection portion 21 is a hole that penetrates the fuse element exposed from the synthetic resin. The link connection portion 15 of the battery terminal 9 is inserted into the terminal connection portion 21, and the fusible link 11 and the battery terminal 9 are electrically connected by fastening a nut to the link connection portion 15.

[0018] A plurality of (here, five) component connection portions 23 are provided in the center of the fusible link 11 in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of (here, three) component connection portions 23 are provided on the other longitudinal side of the fusible link 11. Insulation is maintained between the plurality of component connection portions 23 by partition walls made of synthetic resin. The component connection portions 23 are formed of stud bolts protruding upward from the surface of the fuse element exposed from the synthetic resin. For example, a terminal provided at an end of an electric wire electrically connected to an electric component is inserted into the component connection portions 23, and the component connection portions 23 are electrically connected to the electric component by fastening a nut. By electrically connecting the electric component to the component connection portions 23, the battery 3 and the electric component are electrically connected via the fusible link 11.

[0019] The fusible link 11 supplies power from the battery 3 to each of the electrical components. If an overcurrent is input to the fuse element, the fuse melts to cut off the power supply between the battery 3 and the electrical components, thereby protecting the electrical components. The fusible link 11 to which the battery terminal 9 is attached is disposed on a mounting member 13.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, FIG. 9, and FIG. 10, the mounting member 13 is made of an insulating material such as synthetic resin and is formed in a rectangular housing shape capable of accommodating the fuse link 11. The upper surface side of the mounting member 13 is opened so as to be able to accommodate the battery terminal 9 and the fuse link 11. The opening on the upper surface side of the mounting member 13 is closed by a cover (not shown). The mounting member 13 is provided with a plurality of cover locking portions (not shown) for holding the assembled state of the cover. On the lower surface side of the mounting member 13, a plurality of battery locking portions 29 are provided which are engaged with the locked portion 27 provided on the battery 3. By engaging the battery locking portion 29 with the locked portion 27, the mounting member 13 can be prevented from moving relative to the battery 3, and the assembled state of the mounting member 13 with respect to the battery 3 can be maintained. The mounting member 13 includes a link arrangement portion 31, a terminal arrangement portion 33, and a regulating portion 35.

[0021] The link arrangement portion 31 is arranged adjacent to the terminal arrangement portion 33 and is provided at a position above the terminal arrangement portion 33. The component connection portion 23 of the fuse link 11 is arranged in the link arrangement portion 31. The component connection portion 23 of the fuse link 11 arranged in the link arrangement portion 31 is movable in a plane direction parallel to the plane in which the battery post 7 of the battery 3 protrudes in the link arrangement portion 31.

[0022] The terminal arrangement section 33 is arranged adjacent to the link arrangement section 31 and is provided at a position below the link arrangement section 31. In the terminal arrangement section 33, the terminal connection section 21 of the fusible link 11 and the battery terminal 9 assembled to the terminal connection section 21 are arranged. The terminal connection section 21 of the fusible link 11 and the battery terminal 9 arranged in the terminal arrangement section 33 are movable in a plane direction parallel to the plane in which the battery post 7 of the battery 3 protrudes in the terminal arrangement section 33. A hole 37 through which the battery post 7 of the battery 3 is inserted is provided in the bottom surface of the terminal arrangement section 33. The size of the hole 37 is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the battery post 7 so that the battery post 7 can be inserted even if the position of the battery post 7 is different. In the terminal arrangement section 33, with the attachment member 13 attached to the battery 3, the battery post 7 is arranged through the hole 37. The battery connection section 17 of the battery terminal 9 is electrically connected to the battery post 7 arranged in the terminal arrangement section 33.

[0023] The restricting sections 35 are provided at a plurality of locations (here, four locations) on the peripheral wall defining the outer edge of the attachment member 13. The plurality of restricting sections 35 are provided at positions facing at least all four side surfaces of the rectangular fusible link 11. The restricting sections 35 abut on the side surfaces of the fusible link 11 when the fusible link 11 moves in the plane direction in the attachment member 13. By the abutment between the restricting sections 35 and the fusible link 11, the fusible link 11 cannot move further in the plane direction, and the movement of the fusible link 11 can be restricted. Therefore, the movement of the battery terminal 9 with respect to the battery post 7 can be restricted, and the electrical connection reliability between the battery 3 and the battery terminal 9 can be maintained.

[0024] The fusible link 11 to which the battery terminal 9 arranged on the attachment member 13 is assembled is movable in a plane direction parallel to the plane in which the battery post 7 of the battery 3 protrudes. When the positions of the battery posts 7 are different, the battery terminal 9 can be electrically connected to the battery post 7 by moving the fusible link 11 with respect to the attachment member 13. Therefore, there is no need to newly design the battery terminal 9 and the attachment member 13, and the same fuse unit 1 can be assembled to a plurality of batteries 3 with different positions of the battery posts 7, and the versatility can be improved.

[0025] For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the position of the battery post 7 with respect to the battery 3 is located in the upper left, the fusible link 11 is moved with respect to the attachment member 13 so as to be located in the upper left in the plane direction. At this time, the side surface of the fusible link 11 abuts against the regulating portion 35 located on the left side of the attachment member 13 and the regulating portion 35 located on the upper side, and further movement of the fusible link 11 is regulated.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 12, when the position of the battery post 7 with respect to the battery 3 is located in the upper right, the fusible link 11 is moved with respect to the attachment member 13 so as to be located in the upper right in the plane direction. At this time, the side surface of the fusible link 11 abuts against the regulating portion 35 located on the right side of the attachment member 13 and the regulating portion 35 located on the upper side, and further movement of the fusible link 11 is regulated.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 13, when the position of the battery post 7 with respect to the battery 3 is located in the lower left, the fusible link 11 is moved with respect to the attachment member 13 so as to be located in the lower left in the plane direction. At this time, the side surface of the fusible link 11 abuts against the regulating portion 35 located on the left side of the attachment member 13 and the regulating portion 35 located on the lower side, and further movement of the fusible link 11 is regulated.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 14, when the position of the battery post 7 with respect to the battery 3 is located at the lower right, the fusible link 11 is moved with respect to the mounting member 13 so as to be located at the lower right in the plane direction. At this time, the side surface of the fusible link 11 abuts against the restricting portion 35 located on the right side of the mounting member 13 and the restricting portion 35 located on the lower side, and further movement of the fusible link 11 is restricted.

[0029] In such a fuse unit 1, a battery terminal 9 electrically connected to the battery post 7 of the battery 3 and a fusible link 11 having a fuse that is electrically connected to the battery terminal 9 and melts due to an overcurrent are provided. Further, a mounting member 13 to which the battery 3 is attached and on which the fusible link 11 to which the battery terminal 9 is assembled is disposed is provided. The fusible link 11 is disposed so as to be movable with respect to the mounting member 13 in a plane direction parallel to the plane in which the battery post 7 of the battery 3 protrudes.

[0030] When the position of the battery post 7 is different, the battery terminal 9 can be electrically connected to the battery post 7 by moving the fusible link 11 with respect to the mounting member 13. For this reason, there is no need to newly design the battery terminal 9 and the mounting member 13, and the same fuse unit 1 can be assembled to a plurality of batteries 3 having different positions of the battery post 7, and the versatility can be improved.

[0031] Therefore, in such a fuse unit 1, the versatility can be improved.

[0032] Further, the mounting member 13 is provided with a restricting portion 35 that can abut against the fusible link 11 when the fusible link 11 moves.

[0033] For this reason, movement of the battery terminal 9 with respect to the battery post 7 can be restricted, and the electrical connection reliability between the battery 3 and the battery terminal 9 can be maintained.

[0034] As described above, although the present embodiment has been described, the present embodiment is not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present embodiment.

[0035] For example, the attachment member may be provided with a locking portion that prevents the fusible link from rising from the attachment member. This locking portion has, for example, a protrusion facing the upper surface of the fusible link, and the protruding length of the protrusion may be set so as to always face the upper surface of the fusible link within the movement range of the fusible link.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0036] 1 fuse unit 3 battery 7 battery post 9 battery terminal 11 fusible link 13 attachment member 35 regulation unit

Claims

1. A battery terminal electrically connected to a battery post of a battery, A fusible link having a fuse that is electrically connected to the battery terminal and melts due to overcurrent, An attachment member attached to the battery and in which the fusible link to which the battery terminal is assembled is disposed, Comprising: The fusible link is a fuse unit that is disposed so as to be movable in a plane direction parallel to a plane in which the battery post of the battery protrudes with respect to the attachment member.

2. The fuse unit according to claim 1, wherein the attachment member is provided with a restricting portion that can come into contact with the fusible link when the fusible link moves.

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