Patent Application
20050083166
The present invention relates to an element for a thermal fuse, a thermal fuse including the element, and a battery including the thermal fuse.
Electronic apparatuses excluding cadmium and lead are recently demanded since it is an issue that cadmium and lead are released from the electronic apparatuses and contaminate the natural environment. It is accordingly desired that thermal fuses used for protection of the electronic apparatuses are free from cadmium and lead.
Particularly in packaged batteries used in devices, such as mobile telephones, thermal fuses that do not contain lead and cadmium are demanded since the thermal fuses are connected to batteries by spot welding, and lead-free solder is already used for protection circuits for regulating charges and discharges of the batteries.
These packaged batteries have small thermal capacities according to reducing if their sizes, and have their temperatures rising rapidly when being heated. It is therefore necessary that these thermal fuses have low fusible temperatures ranging from 85° C. to 95° C. in order to stop electric currents quickly in case of abnormal conditions.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.2000-90792 discloses a thermal fuse including a fusible alloy containing lead and cadmium.
Since the conventional thermal fuse uses fusible alloy 2 containing lead and cadmium, disposal of an electronic apparatus using this thermal fuse releases lead and cadmium.
A fusible element used in a thermal fuse includes an alloy containing 20 wt. % to 39.5 wt. % of tin, 11.5 wt. % to 31 wt. % of bismuth, and 49 wt. % to 68.5 wt. % of indium.
A thermal fuse including the fusible element does not release lead or cadmium even if being disposed of.
Metal terminals 12 have flat strip or filament shapes made of metal essentially including nickel, nickel-based alloy, such as copper nickel, solid nickel, or nickel alloy including other material. Metal terminals 12 containing more than 98% of nickel has a low specific resistance ranging from 6.8×10−8Ω·−m to 12×10−8Ω·−m, hence having an improved reliability including a resistance to corrosion. A thickness of the metal terminal 12 is not more than 0.15 mm. If the thickness exceeds 0.15 mm, the thermal fuse becomes too thick. Since metal terminals 12 are made of material having a Young's modulus ranging from 3×1010 Pa to 8×1010 Pa and a tensile strength ranging from 4×108 Pa to 6×108 Pa, they do not often deform accidentally during handling and transportation, hence being easily bent without breaking in a bending process. If the Young's modulus is not larger than 3×1010 Pa, metal terminal 12 is easily bent, hence having wavy deformation at portions which are not to be bent (e.g., end portions of metal terminals 12 to be arranged to use for electrical connections). This prevents the terminals from being connected fusible alloy 13 by welding. If the Young's modulus is not less than 8×1010 Pa, metal terminals 12 are hardly to bent and broken,. Furthermore, if the tensile strength is not more than 4×108 Pa, metal terminals 12 is easily bent. If the strength is not less than 6×108 Pa, the terminals are hardly bent and broken.
Each of metal terminals 12 may include metal layer 12A made of material, such as tin or copper on an upper surface at the distal end thereof, as shown in
Materials suitable for metal layers 12A include solid metals of copper, tin, bismuth, indium, and alloys of them. Metal layers 12A preferably have thicknesses not more than 15[tm. If the thicknesses are larger than 15 μm, an amount of metal composing metal layers 12A diffusing towards fusible alloy 13 increases. This increase changes a melting point of fusible alloy 13, hence causing a fusing temperature of the thermal fuse to shift. Metal layers 12A may be made of material having a composition identical to that of fusible alloy 13, and does not change the melting point of fusible alloy 13 since the amount of the diffusing metal composing the metal layers 12A is very small even if it diffuses to fusible alloy 13.
Fusible alloy 13 is composed of Sn—Bi—In alloy which contains 20 to 39.5 wt. % of tin, 49 to 68.5 wt. % of indium, and 11.5 to 31 wt. % of bismuth. The alloy provides the thermal fuse having a fusing temperature rated not higher than 95° C. and excluding lead and cadmium.
Fusible alloy 13 does not have a sufficient strength if a composition of tin is less than 20 wt. % in Sn—Bi—In alloy composing fusible alloy 13 since indium is softer than tin, and since bismuth is more brittle than tin. As a result, it is difficult to handle fusible alloy 13 in manufacturing processes. In Sn—Bi—In alloy containing not less than 20 wt. % of tin, if a composition of indium is less than 49 wt. %, the amount of tin is excessively large. The composition of indium more than 55 wt. % is excessively large. A melting point of solid tin is 232° C., which is higher than the melting point of 156° C. of solid indium. The melting point of fusible alloy 13 depends greatly upon the composition of tin if the alloy contains an excessive amount of tin. Hence, a variation of the composition causes deviation of the melting point, hence causing a large change of the fusing temperature of the thermal fuse. For this reason, the composition of indium is more than 49 wt. %, and preferably ranges from 49 to 55 wt, % since these figures provide a desirable balance between tin and indium. In the case that Sn—Bi—In alloy containing 20 wt. % of tin and 49 wt. % of indium, the melting point of fusible alloy 13 exceeds 95° C. if a composition of bismuth is less than 11.5 wt. %. Therefore, the Sn—Bi—In alloy contains not less than 11.5 wt % of bismuth for use in the thermal fuse having the fusing temperature rated not higher than 95° C. for protecting a battery.
Fusible alloy 13 is processed to have a filament shape by a process, such as die drawing or die extrusion with a die having a circular cross-section. Alloy 13 of the filament shape is pressed to have a rectangular or oval cross section having a thickness not more than 0.1 mm. This filament shape is then cut to have a predetermined length. Fusible alloy 13 is placed between the respective ends of metal terminals 12 and at the center over first insulation film 11. Metal terminals 12 and fusible alloy 13 are connected by a process, such as laser welding, hot welding, or ultrasonic welding. The laser welding is suitable since reducing an area to be heated for the connection of fusible alloy 13 to metal terminals 12 without causing damages to areas other than welding portions.
First insulation film 11 and second insulation film 14 have thicknesses not more than 0.15 mm. Films having thicknesses exceeding 0.15 mm are not suitable for the thin thermal fuse since increasing a thickness of the thermal fuse. First insulation film 11 and second insulation film 14 may be made of resin essentially including one of polyethylene terephthalate (“PET”), polyethylene naphthalate (“PEN”), ABS resin, SAN resin, polysulfone, polycarbonate, Noryl, vinyl chloride, polyethylene, polyester, polypropylene, polyamide, PPS resin, polyacetal, fluorine-base resin and polyester, and may be preferably includes thermoplastic resin.
According to Embodiment 1, first insulation film 11 and second insulation film 14 made of single-layered sheets are explained, and may be made of laminated sheets of plural materials different from each other. For example, first insulation film 11 and second insulation film 14 may be composed of laminated sheets of PET film and PEN film to obtain a larger strength. This can increase a mechanical strength of the thermal fuse. In addition, laminated sheets of first insulation film 11 and second insulation film 14 may be made of combination of materials having a low thermal resistance and a high thermal resistance, respectively, besides the combination described above.
According to Embodiment 1, a sufficient insulation distance may not be ensured between metal terminals 12 after the thermal fuse is fused due to a spine-like projection, such as a burr, left on metal terminals 12 at manufacturing processes. A main body of the thermal fuse consisting of first insulation film 11, second insulation film 14, and fusible alloy 13 has an overall length not more than 2.0 mm, as denoted by reference symbol La in
Furthermore, if a thickness Lb in
Fusible alloys according to Embodiment 1 having predetermined compositions were prepared, and were examined.
Alloy composed of 37 wt. % of tin, 12 wt. % of bismuth, and 51 wt. % of indium was die-drawn to have a filament shape having a circular cross-section having a diameter of 0.5 mm, is pressed to have a filament shape having a rectangular cross section having a thickness of 0.1 mm and a width of 1.95 mm, and then, is cut to have a length of 3 mm, thus providing fusible alloy 13 PET films having a length of 5 mm, a width of 3 mm and a thickness of 0.1 mm were used for first insulation films 11 and second insulation films 14. Metal terminals 12 were made of nickel plates having a length of 10mm a width of 3 mm, and a thickness of 0.1 mm, and have respective end portions tin-plated to provide plated layers 12A having thicknesses of 10 μm. Flux (not shown) essentially included rosin.
Alloy composed of 32 wt. % of tin, 18 wt. % of bismuth, and 50 wt. % of indium was used for fusible alloys 13. First insulation films 11, metal terminals 12, second insulation films 14 and flux were the same as those of Example 1.
Alloy composed of 40 wt. % of tin, 15 wt. % of bismuth, and 45 wt. % of indium was used for fusible alloys 13. First insulation films 11, metal terminals 12, second insulation films 14 and flux were the same as those of Example 1.
Alloy composed of 42 wt. % of tin, 8 wt. % of bismuth, and 50 wt. % of indium was used for fusible alloys 13. First insulation films 11, metal terminals 12, second insulation films 14 and flux were the same as those of Example 1.
Twenty samples of each of thermal fuses include fusible alloys 13 of Example 1, Example 2, comparative Example 1, and Comparative Example 2. The thermal fuses have small thicknesses ranging from 0.55 to 0.70 mm. The prepared thermal fuses were placed inside an air-circulating oven, and were measured in fusing temperatures on the thermal fuses while the temperature in the oven rose at a rate of 1° C./min.
Table 1 shows a result of the measured fusing temperatures of the thermal fuses of Example 1, Example 2, Comparative Example 1, and Comparative Example 2.
As shown in Table 1, the thermal fuses of Examples 1 and 2 exhibit differences between their respective highest fusing temperatures and the lowest fusing temperatures not more than 3° C., hence providing thermal fuses having small variations in their fusing temperature. The thermal fuses of Comparative Example 1 includes alloy containing excessive proportion of tin, and hence, exhibits the difference exceeding 4° C. between the highest fusing temperature and the lowest fusing temperature, thus exhibiting large variations of the fusing temperature. In other words, the fusible alloy used in the fuse of Comparative Example 1 is not suitable for use in the thermal fuses since exhibiting variations exceeding 4° C. of the fusing temperature, which is a limit required for ordinary thermal fuses. The thermal fuses of Comparative Example 2 have fusing temperatures exceeding 95° C. since they contain a small amount, 8% of bismuth.
According to Embodiment 1, fusible alloy 13 made of Sn—Bi—In alloy is explained, and may not necessarily exclude unavoidable impurities, such as zinc, silver, copper mixed in this alloy. An amount of such impurities is preferably not more than 0.5 wt. % since the impurities may further change the fusing temperature if included at a rate more than 0.5 wt. %.
The thermal fuse of Embodiment 2 shown in
Accordingly, in this thin thermal fuse of Embodiment 2, fusible alloy 113 includes a fusible element of the thermal fuse connected between respective ends of metal terminals 112 and positioned above first insulation film 111. The fusible element is composed of Sn—Bi—In alloy containing more than 20 wt. % tin, more than 11.5 wt. % of bismuth, and more than 49 wt. % of indium. Fusible alloy 113 thus contains neither lead nor cadmium that may be released to the outside.
The thermal fuse according to Embodiment 2 includes a main body consisting of first insulation film 111, second insulation film 114, and fusible alloy 113 and having an overall length Lc. If the length Lc is not more than 2.0 mm, a sufficient insulation distance may not be ensured between metal terminals 112 after the thermal fuse is fused since a spine like projection, such as a burr, on metal terminals 112 in manufacturing processes, hence being not useful for the thermal fuse. If the length Lc is not less than 5.0 mm, the thermal fuse is not practical for use in a small size battery since requiring a large space for mounting it. The length Lc of the main body may range preferably from 2.0 mm to 5.0 mm.
If a thickness Ld measured from the bottom surface of first insulation film 111 to the upper surface of second insulation film 114 shown in
Thin thermal fuse 22 of the battery includes fusible alloy 13 including a fusible element. The element is connected between respective ends of metal terminals 12 and positioned above first insulation film 11, for instance, as shown in
If Sn—Bi—In alloy composing fusible alloy 32 contains less than 20 wt. % of tin, Fusible alloy 32 does not have a sufficient strength since indium is softer than tin and bismuth is more brittle than tin. This composition prevents fusible alloy 32 from being to handled easily in manufacturing processes. The Sn—Bi—In alloy containing not less than 20 wt % of tin is regarded as containing excessive amount of tin if containing less than 49 wt. % of indium. The Sn—Bi—In alloy containing not less than 55 wt. % of indium is regarded as containing an excessive amount of indium. A melting point of solid tin is 232° C., which is higher than a melting point of 156° C. of solid indium. The melting point of fusible alloy 32 depends greatly upon the compounding ratio of tin if alloy 32 contains an excessive amount of tin. Hence, a variation of the compounding ratio increases a deviation of the melting point, hence changing the fusing temperature of the thermal fuse. For this reason, the alloy preferably contains at least 49 wt. % of indium, preferably 49 to 55 wt. % of indium, thus providing a desirable balance between tin and indium. Sn—Bi—In alloy containing 20 wt. % of tin and 49 wt. % of indium provides the melting point of fusible alloy 32 exceeds 95° C. if containing less than 11.5 wt. % of bismuth. The fusible alloy may preferably contain not less than 11.5 wt. % of bismuth for use in the radial type thermal fuse having a rated fusing temperature not higher than 95° C. for protection of the battery.
Lead conductors 33 have respective one ends connected to respective ones of both ends of fusible alloy 32, and have respective other ends extending to the outside through an opening of insulation case 31. Lead conductors 33 having a filament shape may be made of solid metal, such as copper, iron, nickel, alloy of them, and have surfaces plated with metal, such as tin, zinc, bismuth, indium, silver, copper, and alloy containing any of these metals. Fusible alloy 32 is coated with flux (not shown) which melts and removes an oxide film from the fusible alloy 32 when the ambient temperature rises.
The opening of insulation case 31 is sealed with sealing member 34 made of thermosetting resin, such as epoxy or silicone. Fusible alloy 32 and lead conductors 33 are connected by welding or ultrasonic welding. Alternatively, they are connected by having them melt with an electric current.
The radial type thermal fuse of Embodiment 4 includes fusible alloy 32 composed of the Sn—Bi—In alloy containing not less than 20 wt. % of tin, not less than 11.5 wt. % of bismuth, and not less than 49 wt. % of indium, not containing lead or cadmium. Therefore, fusible alloy 32 does not release lead or cadmium. Lead conductors 33 having their respective one ends connected with fusible alloy 32 have respective other ends extending to the outside through the opening of insulation case 31. This structure provides the radial type thermal fuse having a large flexibility for an orientation in mounting it to a device, such as a battery.
In
A fusible element for a thermal fuse according to the present invention does not contain lead or cadmium, hence not releasing lead or cadmium even after the fuse is disposed of.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-293865 | Oct 2002 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP03/12769 | 10/6/2003 | WO |
