Fuse Terminal Vent Channel Design for Outgassing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fuse designs often have poorly formed vents in plastic housings that can be damaged during assembly, leading to ineffective outgassing of debris after a fuse breaks, potentially creating an electrically conductive path across terminals.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of terminal vent channels formed through coining or milling operations in the terminals, providing a controlled path for outgassing debris, which is more accurate and cost-effective than forming vents in plastic housings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If vents are created in plastic housing material, then vents can be placed in different locations of the housing, but the vents may be damaged from assembly processes such as ultrasonic welding such that the vents do not have the intended shape or dimension
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a metal terminal as an intermediary component that contains the vent channel, separating the vent formation process from the plastic housing molding process. The metal terminal serves as a mediator that protects the vent channel from damage during ultrasonic welding of the plastic housing, while still allowing flexible placement of vents in different locations of the housing assembly.
2Adaptability or versatility
If vents are created in plastic housing material, then vents can be placed in different locations of the housing, but the vents may be damaged during assembly processes
Solution Approach 1:
The metal terminal acts as a protective intermediary that shields the vent channel from damage during ultrasonic welding operations. The vent channel is formed within the metal terminal structure rather than directly in the plastic housing, isolating it from the damaging effects of assembly processes while maintaining placement flexibility.
3Manufacturing precision
If coining or milling operations are used to form terminal vent channels, then precise and effective outgassing path is achieved, but additional manufacturing steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the vent channel formation process from the plastic housing molding operation and relocates it to the metal terminal manufacturing process. By taking out the vent channel creation from the plastic molding step and implementing it separately in metal terminal fabrication through coining or milling, the design achieves precise vent geometry while allowing the plastic housing to be molded independently with standard techniques.
Data Source
AI summary
A fuse assembly includes a fuse element and a terminal vent channel. The fuse element is located between a first terminal and a second terminal. The fuse element breaks in response to an overcurrent event. The terminal vent channel is located in the first terminal and provides a path for the outgassing of debris during the overcurrent event.