Fusible Link Unit

Abstract

To provide a fusible link unit which enables easy assembly to a battery.SOLUTION: A fusible link unit 1 includes: a lower cover 2 being latched to a battery 10 to be movable in a long side direction X and attached to the battery 10; a fusible link 3 which has a fusible portion 33 configured to fuse when a current supplied from the battery 10 is an overcurrent and is latched to the lower cover 2 to be movable in a short side direction Y intersecting with the long side direction X and attached to the lower cover 2; and a battery terminal 4 attached to the fusible link 3 and connected to a battery post 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A known conventional fusible link unit is configured by, for example, attaching a lower cover to a battery and attaching a fusible link to the lower cover. In this fusible link unit, battery terminals are connected to the fusible link via connecting terminals, and the battery terminals are connected to battery posts of the battery. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5869789 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Such fusible link units have room for improvement in that assembling the fusible link to the battery is complicated. For example, in the above-mentioned fusible link unit, the fusible link is attached to the battery by fastening the fusible link to the connecting terminal, connecting the connecting terminal to the battery terminal, and then connecting the battery terminal to the battery post. That is, in the above-mentioned fusible link unit, connecting terminals are used to attach the fusible link, and fastening the connecting terminals is required, which requires many work steps. For this reason, there is a need for the development of a fusible link unit that can be more easily attached to the battery.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fusible link unit that can be easily assembled to a battery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] That is, the fusible link unit of the present invention is configured to include a holding member attached to the battery and movably hooked to the battery in a first direction intersecting the axial direction of the battery post; a fusible link attached to the holding member, having a fusible portion that melts when the current supplied from the battery is an overcurrent, and movably hooked to the holding member in a second direction intersecting the axial direction and the first direction; and a battery terminal attached to the fusible link and connected to the battery post. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The fusible link unit according to the present invention can be easily connected to an electrical device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fusible link unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the fusible link unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the fusible link unit according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the fusible link unit taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a battery terminal of the fusible link according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the assembly of the fusible link according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the assembly of the fusible link according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are easily replaceable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] [Embodiment] This embodiment relates to a fusible link unit. In the following description, of the first, second, and third directions that intersect with one another, the first direction is referred to as the "long-side direction X," the second direction is referred to as the "short-side direction Y," and the third direction is referred to as the "height direction Z." Here, the long-side direction X, the short-side direction Y, and the height direction Z are perpendicular to one another. The long-side direction X corresponds to the direction along the long sides of a rectangular battery in plan view. The short-side direction Y corresponds to the direction along the short sides of the battery. The height direction Z is the height direction of the battery and corresponds to the axial direction of the battery post. Unless otherwise specified, the directions used in the following description refer to the directions when each component is mounted on a vehicle. Here, "orthogonal" includes "approximately perpendicular."

[0011] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the fusible link unit 1 is attached to a battery 10 mounted on a vehicle and provides overcurrent protection for electrical equipment that receives power from the battery 10. The battery 10 is an electricity storage device that supplies power to electrical equipment installed in the vehicle, and has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped appearance with a rectangular planar shape. For example, the battery 10 has two side surfaces 11A formed along the short side direction Y and two side surfaces 11B formed along the long side direction X. Here, the term "rectangular parallelepiped" includes an approximately rectangular parallelepiped, and the term "rectangular" includes an approximately rectangular shape.

[0012] The battery 10 is provided with battery posts 12. The battery posts 12 are terminal members for extracting power from the battery 10 and are provided in recesses 14 recessed from the upper surface 13 of the battery 10. The recesses 14 are, for example, areas formed one step lower than the upper surface 13, and are formed in two corners of the battery 10, at both ends of one side surface 11B. A battery post 12 is erected on the floor surface 14A of each of the two recesses 14. The battery post 12 has a cylindrical or truncated cone shape and is made of, for example, metal. The battery post 12 is provided with, for example, an axial direction A aligned with the height direction Z of the battery 10. For example, a battery conforming to the EN (European Norm) standard is used as the battery 10. The fusible link unit 1 is installed on one of the two battery posts 12.

[0013] The fusible link unit 1 includes a lower cover 2, a fusible link 3, and a battery terminal 4. The lower cover 2 is a holding member attached to the top of the battery 10 and holds the fusible link 3. The lower cover 2 is, for example, a plate-like member having a rectangular planar shape. It is formed larger than the battery 10 in the short side direction Y, covers the upper surface 13 and part of the recess 14 of the battery 10, and is provided so as to include the installation position of one of the battery posts 12. An installation hole 21 is formed in the lower cover 2. The installation hole 21 is a hole through which the battery post 12 is inserted. The installation hole 21 is formed, for example, in a lower layer portion 22. The lower layer portion 22 is a plate-like portion formed one step below an installation surface 23 on which the fusible link 3 is installed. The installation hole 21 is formed larger than an insertion hole 411 of the battery terminal 4, which will be described later.

[0014] The lower cover 2 is hooked to the battery 10 so as to be movable in the long side direction X. The long side direction X is a direction along the side surface 11B and is a first direction intersecting the axial direction A of the battery post 12. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the lower cover 2 has a hook portion 24 extending downward from a side portion in the short side direction Y. The hook portion 24 is a first hook portion that hooks onto a protrusion 15 protruding from the side surface 11B of the battery 10. The hook portion 24 is provided on each side portion of the lower cover 2 in the short side direction Y. The hook portion 24 has an arm portion 24A extending downward and a hook portion 24B that protrudes from the arm portion 24A toward the side surface 11B and hooks onto the protrusion 15. The hook portion 24 hooks onto the protrusion 15 of the battery 10, thereby allowing the lower cover 2 to move in the long side direction X relative to the battery 10. That is, by forming the hooking portions 24, the movement of the lower cover 2 in the short side direction Y and the height direction Z is restricted, but the lower cover 2 is hooked to the battery 10 so as to be movable in the long side direction X. The lower cover 2 may be hooked to the battery 10 so as to be movable by a mechanism other than the protrusions 15 and the hooking portions 24. The fusible link unit 1 may be provided with an upper cover that covers the upper part of the lower cover 2.

[0015] 1 and 2 , the fusible link 3 is a component that prevents an overcurrent from flowing to an electrical device connected to an external output portion 31. The fusible link 3 has an external output portion 31, a terminal connection portion 32, and a fusible portion 33. The external output portion 31 is a terminal member connected to an electrical device installed in a vehicle, and for example, a stud bolt is used. A plurality of external output portions 31 are provided, for example, on a main body portion 30 of the fusible link 3. The main body portion 30 is a plate-shaped member and is made of, for example, a resin material. The main body portion 30 is installed on the installation surface 23 of the lower cover 2. The terminal connection portion 32 is a portion that is connected to a battery terminal 4 and is located downward from the main body portion 30. A connection hole 321 is formed in the terminal connection portion 32. The external output portion 31 and the terminal connection portion 32 are electrically connected via the fusible portion 33. The external output unit 31 and the terminal connection unit 32 are connected by a conductive member 30A, such as a bus bar built into the main body 30. The fusible portion 33 is incorporated into the conductive member 30A. The fusible portion 33 is formed of a fusible element that melts when the current supplied from the battery 10 becomes an overcurrent, and functions as a fusible link or fuse. For example, the fusible portion 33 melts when a current equal to or greater than a predetermined current value flows in the fusible link 30A for a predetermined period of time or longer. Furthermore, a plurality of fusible portions 33 may be provided for the conductive member 30A.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 4, the fusible link 3 is hooked to the lower cover 2 so as to be movable in the short side direction Y. The short side direction Y is a direction along the side surface 11B, and is a second direction intersecting the axial direction A and the long side direction X of the battery post 12. For example, the main body 30 of the fusible link 3 is hooked to a hook portion 25 formed on the lower cover 2. The hook portion 25 is a second hook portion that hooks the main body 30 of the fusible link 3. The hook portion 25 is provided on the installation surface 23, for example, and a plurality of hook portions 25 are formed so as to sandwich the main body 30. The hook portion 25 is formed by an arm portion extending upward. 25a , and arm portion 25a A hook protruding from the main body 30 side 25bThe hooking portion 25 hooks the main body portion 30, thereby allowing the fusible link 3 to move in the short side direction Y relative to the lower cover 2. In other words, by being hooked to the hooking portion 25, movement of the fusible link 3 in the long side direction X and the height direction Z is restricted, but the fusible link 3 is hooked to the lower cover 2 so as to be movable in the short side direction Y. Note that the fusible link 3 may be hooked to the lower cover 2 by a mechanism other than the hooking portion 25 so as to be movable relative to the lower cover 2.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 5 , the battery terminal 4 is a terminal member connected to the battery post 12 and is made of a conductive material such as metal. The battery terminal 4 has an attachment portion 41, a tightening mechanism 42, and a connection portion 43. The attachment portion 41 is attached to the outer periphery of the battery post 12 and has an insertion hole 411 through which the battery post 12 is inserted. For example, the attachment portion 41 has a ring shape with a portion cut out. A connection portion 43 is formed continuously with the attachment portion 41. The connection portion 43 is a portion for connection to the terminal connection portion 32 of the fusible link 3 and is formed in a plate shape. A stud bolt 431 is erected on the connection portion 43. The connection portion 43 is connected to the terminal connection portion 32 by inserting the stud bolt 431 into the terminal connection portion 32 and fastening it by screwing a nut 432 onto the stud bolt 431.

[0018] The tightening mechanism 42 tightens the mounting portion 41 to attach the battery terminal 4 to the battery post 12. The tightening mechanism 42 has a nut member 421, a wedge member 422, and a bolt 423. The nut member 421 has an insertion hole 421A that threads onto the bolt 423. The nut member 421 has, for example, a rod shape with a rectangular cross section and is disposed facing the long side direction X. The nut member 421 is inserted through the tightening pieces 412A and 412B of the mounting portion 41. The tightening pieces 412A and 412B are formed to sandwich a ring-shaped cutout portion of the mounting portion 41. In other words, the tightening pieces 412A and 412B are formed to be spaced apart in the long side direction X. The tightening pieces 412A and 412B are moved toward each other by the tightening mechanism 42, applying a tightening force to the mounting portion 41.

[0019] The end of the nut member 421 forms enlarged portions 421B and 421C that are enlarged in a direction intersecting with the long side direction X. The enlarged portions 421B and 421C are formed to a size that does not allow the fastening pieces 412A and 412B to be inserted therethrough. The enlarged portion 421B is provided so as to come into contact with the fastening piece 412A, and the enlarged portion 421C is provided so as to come into contact with the wedge member 422.

[0020] The wedge member 422 is provided above the nut member 421 and has a base portion 422A and a wedge portion 422B. The base portion 422A is a plate-shaped member for placing the head portion 423A of the bolt 423, and is disposed at a position spaced apart from the insertion hole 421A in the height direction Z. The base portion 422A has an elongated hole through which the shaft portion 423B of the bolt 423 is inserted. 422d A long hole is formed. 422d is a hole that is long in the long side direction X. Therefore, bolt 423 is movable in the long side direction X relative to wedge member 422. Wedge portion 422B is a triangular plate that hangs down from the end of base portion 422A, and is provided at both ends of base portion 422A. Wedge portion 422B is tapered downward and is provided so as to abut against enlarged portion 421C and tightening piece 412B.

[0021] The tightening mechanism 42 tightens the bolt 423 to the nut member 421, thereby pushing down the wedge member 422 together with the head 423A of the bolt 423, and the movement of the nut member 421 in the long side direction X tightens the mounting portion 41. That is, when the bolt 423 is tightened to the nut member 421, the wedge portion 422B of the wedge member 422 is pushed down, and the wedge portion 422B enters between the expanded portion 421C and the tightening piece 412B. As a result, the expanded portion 421C and the tightening piece 412B move apart, the nut member 421 moves in the long side direction X (toward the upper left in FIG. 5 ), and the tightening piece 412B and the tightening piece 412A move closer to each other. As a result, the mounting portion 41 tightens the battery post 12, and the battery terminal 4 is attached to the battery post 12.

[0022] As the tightening mechanism for the battery terminal 4, a mechanism other than the tightening mechanism 42 described above may be used as long as it is possible to attach the battery terminal 4 to the battery post 12 by bringing the tightening pieces 412A, 412B close to each other.

[0023] Next, the assembly of the fusible link unit 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0024] Here, a case will be described in which the fusible link unit 1 is assembled to a battery 10 installed in a vehicle.

[0025] First, as shown in Fig. 2, before the fusible link unit 1 is assembled to the battery 10, the battery terminal 4 is connected to the fusible link 3 and the fusible link 3 is attached to the lower cover 2. The battery terminal 4 is connected to the fusible link 3 by inserting the stud bolt 431 of the battery terminal 4 into the hole 321 of the terminal connection portion 32 of the fusible link 3 and fastening a nut 432 to the stud bolt 431 (see Fig. 5). In this way, the battery terminal 4 is attached to the fusible link 3 and integrated with it. At this time, the fusible link 3 and the battery terminal 4 are directly connected.

[0026] 2, the fusible link 3 is attached to the lower cover 2 by placing the main body 30 of the fusible link 3 on the installation surface 23 with the battery terminal 4 attached to the fusible link 3. At this time, the hooking portion 25 is hooked onto the main body 30, and the fusible link 3 is attached to the lower cover 2. As a result, the fusible link 3 is attached to the lower cover 2 and becomes one with it, but the fusible link 3 is movable relative to the lower cover 2 along the short side direction Y (see FIG. 6).

[0027] 6, the fusible link unit 1 is assembled to the battery 10. The assembly of the fusible link unit 1 is performed while adjusting the positions of the lower cover 2 and the fusible link 3 so that the battery post 12 is inserted into the insertion hole 411. For example, the fusible link 3 is moved in the short side direction Y relative to the lower cover 2 to adjust the position of the insertion hole 411 in the short side direction Y. Furthermore, the lower cover 2 is moved in the long side direction X relative to the battery 10 to adjust the position of the insertion hole 411 in the long side direction X.

[0028] Then, with the position of the insertion hole 411 adjusted, the lower cover 2 is placed on the upper surface 13 of the battery 10. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the hooking portion 24 of the lower cover 2 is hooked onto the protrusion 15 of the battery 10, and the lower cover 2 and the fusible link 3 are attached to the battery 10. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the bolt 423 of the battery terminal 4 is tightened, and the battery terminal 4 is attached to the battery post 12. By attaching the battery terminal 4 to the battery post 12, the fusible link 3 is fixed to the battery 10, and the lower cover 2 is attached to the battery 10. too Fixed and battery 10 against This completes the assembly of the fusible link unit 1. The assembly of the fusible link unit 1 can be performed simply by fastening the bolts 423, so the assembly work can be easily performed.

[0029] 7, the positions of the battery posts 12 in the battery 10 may vary depending on the battery specifications, etc., but the fusible link unit 1 can be reliably and easily attached to accommodate these differences. That is, the fusible link unit 1 can be moved in the long side direction X relative to the battery 10 to attach the lower cover 2, and moved in the short side direction Y relative to the lower cover 2 to attach the fusible link 3, so that the fusible link unit 1 can be easily attached to a battery 10 having battery posts 12 installed in different positions.

[0030] Furthermore, because the fusible link unit 1 has a structure that directly connects the fusible link 3 and the battery terminal 4, there is no need to connect a member between the fusible link 3 and the battery terminal 4 to correspond to the position of the battery post 12. This allows the number of parts in the fusible link unit 1 to be reduced.

[0031] As described above, the fusible link unit 1 according to this embodiment allows the lower cover 2 to move in the long side direction X relative to the battery 10, and the fusible link 3 to move in the short side direction Y relative to the lower cover 2, so that the lower cover 2 and the fusible link 3 can be moved according to the position of the battery post 12, and the fusible link unit 1 according to this embodiment can be easily assembled to the battery 10. Furthermore, the fusible link unit 1 according to this embodiment allows the battery terminal 4 to be directly connected to the fusible link 3, and can be assembled to the battery 10 with a small number of parts.

[0032] Furthermore, the fusible link unit 1 according to this embodiment is provided with the hook portion 24 and the hook portion 25 on the lower cover 2, thereby enabling the lower cover 2 to be moved in the long side direction X relative to the battery 10, and enabling the fusible link 3 to be moved in the short side direction Y relative to the lower cover 2.

[0033] Furthermore, in the fusible link unit 1 according to this embodiment, the installation hole 21 in the lower cover 2 is formed larger than the insertion hole 411 in the battery terminal 4, so that the battery post 12 can be inserted into the lower cover 2 even if the lower cover 2 and the fusible link 3 are moved relative to the battery 10. Therefore, the fusible link unit 1 according to this embodiment can be properly assembled to the battery 10.

[0034] Furthermore, the fusible link unit 1 according to this embodiment can be appropriately and easily assembled to a battery 10 (for example, an EN standard battery) in which a battery post 12 is provided at a position of a recess 14 recessed from an upper surface 13.

[0035] The fusible link unit according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The fusible link unit according to this embodiment may be configured by appropriately combining the components of the above-described embodiments and modifications.

[0036] For example, in the fusible link unit 1 according to the above embodiment, the case where it is assembled to the battery 10 having the recess 14 formed therein has been described, but it may also be assembled to a battery that does not have the recess 14 formed therein. Even with such a fusible link unit, it is possible to assemble it to a battery 10 having the recess 14 formed therein, in the same way as the fusible link unit 1 according to the above embodiment. 10 The battery 10 can be easily assembled to the battery 10 using a small number of parts. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1: Fusible link unit 2: Lower cover (retaining member) 3: Fusible link 4: Battery terminal 10: Battery 12: Battery post 13:Top surface 14: Recess 21: Installation hole 24: Latching part (first latch part) 25: Latching part (second latch part) 33: Soluble part 41: Mounting part 411: Insertion hole A: Axial direction X: Long side direction (first direction) Y: Short side direction (second direction)

Claims

1. a holding member attached to the battery and hooked to the battery so as to be movable in a first direction intersecting an axial direction of the battery post; a fusible link having a fusible portion that melts when the current supplied from the battery is an overcurrent, the fusible link being hooked to the holding member so as to be movable in the axial direction and a second direction that is a direction intersecting the first direction, and attached to the holding member; a battery terminal attached to the fusible link and connected to the battery post; the holding member has a first hook portion that hooks the battery and allows the holding member to move in the first direction relative to the battery, and a second hook portion that hooks the fusible link and allows the fusible link to move in the second direction relative to the holding member, The first hooking portion is provided to hook one side surface of the battery in the second direction and the other side surface opposite thereto, Fusible link unit.

2. The holding member is provided to cover an upper surface of the battery, The first hooking portion has an arm portion extending toward the side surface of the battery at both end portions of the holding member in the second direction, and a hook portion protruding from the arm portion toward the side surface and hooked onto a protrusion formed on the side surface.

2. The fusible link unit according to claim 1.

3. The battery terminal has a mounting portion formed with an insertion hole for inserting the battery post therethrough, The holding member has an installation hole for inserting the battery post therethrough, the installation hole being larger than the insertion hole.

3. The fusible link unit according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The battery post is attached to the battery at a recessed portion recessed from the upper surface.

3. The fusible link unit according to claim 1 or 2.

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