Sliding-Housing Electrical Fuse With Integral PCB Terminals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical fuses face issues with connection failures between the fusible wire and end caps, cumbersome assembly processes, and the need for additional connecting means to seal the interior space, which complicates manufacturing and increases costs.
Innovation Solution
An electrical fuse design featuring a multi-part housing with a sliding engagement mechanism for the conductor element, allowing easy assembly and sealing without additional connecting means, and incorporating a single-piece fusible element with integral extension sections that serve as terminal areas, facilitating automatic placement on printed circuit boards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a tubular insulating housing with end caps and a fusible wire is used, then the fuse structure is simple, but the connection between the wire and end caps is prone to failure at lower currents
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into a multi-part construction with a base and a separate closure that can be assembled in parts. The conductor element is also segmented into a fusible section and extension sections, allowing independent optimization of each part's function and connection method.
Solution Approach 2:
The extension sections of the conductor element are integrally formed with the fusible section and serve dual purposes: providing electrical connection and sealing the housing openings. This merging eliminates the need for separate connection components and sealing elements.
2Ease of manufacture
If the second opening cross-section is made larger than the first opening to create a funnel geometry, then the assembly process is easier, but the housing structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the housing opening funnel-shaped to guide the conductor element, the conductor element itself is designed with a sealing section that actively seals the opening from the inside, reversing the approach of guiding through geometry to sealing through component design.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing section of the conductor element performs the sealing function without requiring additional connecting means or complex housing geometry. The conductor element serves its own sealing purpose through its integral design.
3Reliability
If additional connecting means are provided to seal the housing opening, then the sealing reliability is improved, but the manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is merged with the conductor element's structural function. The extension sections serve both as electrical conductors and as sealing elements that close the housing openings, eliminating the need for separate sealing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The extension sections of the conductor element perform multiple functions: providing electrical connection between the fusible wire and external circuitry, and simultaneously sealing the housing openings to contain the arc quenching material.
4Reliability
If the conductor element is inserted through both openings, then the electrical connection is established, but the assembly process becomes cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The conductor element is segmented into a fusible section contained within the housing and extension sections that protrude through the openings. This segmentation allows the fusible section to be protected and the extension sections to provide external connections without requiring complex insertion through both openings.
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 design ensures reliable operation by preventing premature triggering, allows for easy assembly and sealing, and supports high-current applications with arc quenching materials, while reducing manufacturing complexity and costs.
Implementation Method 1
filling the interior space with a filling material, e.g. an arc quenching material
Implementation Method 2
arc quenching material
Implementation Method 3
A fusible wire extending through the inside of the housing connects the two end caps. The fusible wire is dimensioned such that it melts when a predefined, maximum allowable electrical current flows through the wire.
Implementation Method 4
the fusible wire is dimensioned such that it melts when a predefined, maximum allowable electrical current flows through the wire
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b~1c
Figure 1d~1e
AI summary
An electrical fuse (100) comprising: - an electrical conductor element (108) comprising a melting section (110) and further comprising a first extension section (112) and a second extension section (114) both integrally formed with the melting section (110) and extending from both ends of the melting section (110) in the lengthwise direction thereof, - an electrically insulating, multi-part housing (102), which encloses said melting section (110) in an interior space (116), wherein the multi-part housing (102) comprises a first part (104) and a second part (106) slidingly engaged with said first part (104) and arranged such that the second part (106) covers an access opening (118) of the first part to the interior space(116), and wherein the first extension section (112) and second extension section (114) comprise a terminal area, respectively, both terminal areas are arranged outside the multi-part housing (102).