Fuse Holder Lead-Guiding Structure for Compact PCB Isolation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge of high power density designs in power supply units requires compact component arrangements, leading to limited board space and time-intensive installation procedures, particularly for fuses, which often necessitate additional steps to isolate them from each other and neighboring components.
Innovation Solution
A fuse holder design comprising a pair of body halves with integrated channels and cavities that guide and support fuse leads, reducing installation steps and board space footprint by aligning and isolating fuses efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If components are physically arranged in tighter arrangements to meet high power density design requirements, then power output performance in smaller packages is improved, but board space and real estate become highly limited
Solution Approach 1:
The fuse holder utilizes three-dimensional space by stacking fuse cavities vertically within the holder body, allowing multiple fuses to be accommodated in a compact footprint. This vertical arrangement enables tighter component packing on the PCB while maintaining adequate isolation between fuses, thus achieving high power density without proportionally increasing board space occupation.
2Reliability
If additional installation steps are designed to isolate multiple fuses from each other and from other board components, then unintentional interactions between closely-packed components are prevented, but installation procedures become time-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The fuse holder integrates multiple isolation functions into a single component structure. The holder body with its internal cavities and walls simultaneously provides physical containment, electrical isolation between adjacent fuses, and mechanical support for lead routing. This merged design eliminates the need for separate heat shrink tubing, sleeving, and RTV silicone applications, significantly reducing installation steps while maintaining reliable electrical isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
The fuse holder structure is designed to automatically provide electrical isolation through its integrated cavities and walls when fuses are inserted. The physical barriers formed by the holder walls inherently prevent electrical interaction between fuses and other components without requiring additional isolation materials or steps, making the isolation function self-providing rather than externally applied.
3Reliability
If extra installation steps such as heat shrink tubing and RTV silicone are used to isolate fuses, then interaction of fuse's electrically conductive surfaces is reduced, but the number of installation steps increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fuse holder integrates multiple isolation functions into a single component structure. The holder body with its internal cavities and walls simultaneously provides physical containment, electrical isolation between adjacent fuses, and mechanical support for lead routing. This merged design eliminates the need for separate heat shrink tubing, sleeving, and RTV silicone applications, significantly reducing installation steps while maintaining reliable electrical isolation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the isolation function from separate external materials (heat shrink tubing, RTV silicone) and integrates it directly into the fuse holder structure through its cavities and walls. This extraction consolidates multiple components and steps into a single integrated solution, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining the essential electrical isolation function.
Data Source
AI summary
A fuse holder comprises body halves. A first body half comprises a wall having a fuse cavity formed therein, a first channel formed therein and extending from a first end of the fuse cavity of the first body half, and a second channel formed therein and extending from a second end of the fuse cavity of the first body half. A second body half comprises a wall having a fuse cavity formed therein, a third channel formed therein and extending from a first end of the fuse cavity of the second body half, and a fourth channel formed therein and extending from a second end of the fuse cavity of the second body half. The first channel and the third channel mate together and form a first fuse lead guide path, and the second channel and the fourth channel mate together and form a second fuse lead guide path.