Airtight Surface Mount Fuse Isolating Arc Sparks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surface mount fuses pose a fire hazard when used in environments with flammable gases due to arc sparks and can malfunction in unknown external conditions, such as outer space.
Innovation Solution
An airtight surface mount fuse with a cavity, featuring a housing, fusible element, cover, and encapsulant that seals the inner space, preventing arc sparks from interacting with flammable gases and protecting the fusible element from external environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional fuse is used in environments with flammable gases, then the fuse can perform its basic protection function, but arc sparks may ignite flammable gases causing fire hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the inert atmosphere principle by sealing the fusible element within an airtight housing that creates an isolated environment. The housing with its sealed structure prevents external flammable gases from contacting the arc sparks generated during fuse operation, effectively eliminating the fire hazard while maintaining the protection function.
2Device complexity
If a conventional fuse is exposed to unknown external environments, then the structure remains simple, but the fusible element may malfunction due to environmental effects
Solution Approach 1:
The airtight housing creates a controlled inert environment that isolates the fusible element from unknown external conditions such as humidity, temperature extremes, or corrosive atmospheres. This sealing approach protects the fusible element without requiring complex environmental sensing or adjustment mechanisms, maintaining structural simplicity while improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The airtight housing acts as an intermediary barrier between the fusible element and the external environment. It mediates the interaction by providing physical isolation, allowing the fuse to operate reliably in unknown environments without direct exposure to potentially harmful external factors.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The airtight design effectively prevents fire hazards and ensures the fusible element operates reliably across various environments by sealing the inner space, thus enhancing safety and performance.
Implementation Method 1
an encapsulant, encapsulating the housing, the cover and a part of the conductive portions of the fusible element
Data Source
AI summary
An airtight surface mount fuse with a cavity has a housing, a conductive fuse, a cover and an encapsulant. The housing has an opening and an airtight inner space. The fusible element has a part disposed inside of the airtight inner space and another part exposed from the opening. The cover is configured to fit into the opening. The encapsulant encapsulates the housing, the cover and a segment of the exposing part of the fusible element. The other segment of the fusible element is exposed from the encapsulant. The inner space of the housing is encapsulated by the encapsulant and becomes airtight. The fusible element is disposed inside of the airtight inner space to prevent the hazard occurring from arc spark interacting with flammable gases when a fusible body of the fusible element is fused. It also ensures the fusible body is affected by the external environment.