Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of circuit protection devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to a fuse end cap having a crimpable terminal for providing a secure electrical connection between a conductor and a fuse.
Fuses have long been used in electrical devices for providing an interruptible electrical connection between a source of electrical power and a component in an electrical circuit that is to be protected. For example, upon the occurrence of an overcurrent condition in a circuit, such as may result from a short circuit or other sudden electrical surge, an element within in the fuse may separate and interrupt the flow of electrical current to a protected circuit component, thereby preventing or mitigating damage to the component that would otherwise result if the overcurrent condition were allowed to persist.
Fuses may be disposed between a source of electrical power and a component in an electrical circuit by conductive wires, for example. These wires may be connected to respective ends of the fuse by soldering, welding, etc. Unfortunately, these methods of attaching wires to a fuse may generate excessive heat that can damage the internal components of the fuse, namely the fuse element. In addition, soldering of the wires to the fuse ends is prone to inconsistent manufacturing methods thereby compromising the electrical conductivity between the wires and fuse as well as susceptibility to disconnection. Moreover, prior fuse connections may have required separate components such as, for example, fuse-holders and/or fuseblocks which occupy valuable circuit real estate as well as adding to circuit complexity. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved fuse end cap that provides a more robust electrical connection mechanism between a fuse and wire connections without the need to additional components that avoids soldered, welded.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Various embodiments of the present disclosure are generally directed to a fuse end cap for providing an electrical connection between a fuse and an electrical conductor. An exemplary fuse end cap in accordance with the present disclosure may include a mounting cuff defining a first cavity that is adapted to receive a fuse body. The mounting cuff may be configured to be mounted to the fuse body by friction fit, for example. The fuse end cap may further include a terminal defining a second cavity adapted to receive a conductor. The terminal may be configured to be crimped about the conductor to grip and retain the conductor within the second cavity.
An exemplary fuse assembly in accordance with the present disclosure may include a first fuse end cap including a mounting cuff defining a first cavity and a terminal defining a second cavity. The fuse assembly may further include a second fuse end cap including a mounting cuff defining a first cavity and a terminal defining a second cavity. The fuse assembly may further include a fuse having a fuse body with a first end mounted within the first cavity of the first fuse end cap and a second end mounted within the first cavity of the second fuse end cap. The fuse assembly may further include a first conductor having an end disposed within the second cavity of the first fuse end cap, wherein the terminal of the first fuse end cap is crimped about the end of the first conductor to secure the end of the first conductor within the second cavity of the first fuse end cap. The fuse assembly may further include a second conductor having an end disposed within the second cavity of the second fuse end cap, wherein the terminal of the second fuse end cap is crimped about the end of the second conductor to secure the end of the second conductor within the second cavity of the second fuse end cap.
By way of example, specific embodiments of the disclosed device will now be described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention, however, may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
The fuse assembly 100 may include a fuse 120, a pair of wires or cables 111 and 114 (hereinafter referred to as “the wires 111 and 114”), and a pair of electrically conductive end caps 130a and 130b that electrically couple the wires 111 and 114 to the fuse 120 as further described below. The wires 111 and 114 may provide an electrical connection between the fuse 120 and various other circuit elements (not shown) for which the fuse 120 may provide protection against certain overcurrent conditions. The wires 111 and 114 may include respective conductors 116 and 117 and respective insulating jackets 118 and 119 surrounding the conductors 116 and 117. Alternatively, it is contemplated that the one or both of the insulating jackets 118 and 119 may be omitted and that the wires 111 and 114 may include only bare conductors 116 and 117. The conductors 116 and 117 may be formed of any suitable, electrically conductive material, including, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, brass, gold, silver, or other metallic conductors. The insulating jackets 118 and 119 may be formed of any suitable, insulating material, including, but not limited to, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene, TEFLON, and the like.
Referring to the enlarged view of the fuse 120 in
Each end cap 130a and 130b of the fuse assembly may include respective mounting cuffs 134a and 134b and respective crimpable terminals or tubes 132a and 132b (hereafter referred to as “the terminals 132a and 132b”) that extend longitudinally outwardly from the respective mounting cuffs 134a and 134b. The terminals 132a and 132b may be coaxial with the mounting cuffs 134a and 134b, but this is not critical. The mounting cuffs 134a and 134b may have respective cavities 136a and 136b formed in the inwardly-facing sides thereof, wherein each cavity 136a and 136b has a size and a shape that is configured to matingly receive one the respective ends 122 and 124 of the fuse body 140 in a close clearance relationship therewith. For example, the ends 122 and 124 may be longitudinally inserted entirely or partially into the respective cavities 136a and 136b and may be securely held within the cavities 136a and 136b by friction fit, snap fit, or interference fit. Alternatively or additionally, the ends 122 and 124 may be securely held within the respective cavities 136a and 136b by various adhesives, such as conductive epoxy, or by various mechanical fasteners. In any case, the ends 122 and 124 may be disposed securely within the mounting cuffs 134a and 134b.
The terminals 132a and 132b of the end caps 130a and 130b may be substantially tubular members having respective cavities 138a and 138b formed therein. The cavities 138a and 138b may extend longitudinally through the entire lengths of the respective terminals 132a and 132b (as in
The mounting cuffs 134a and 134b may be formed from any suitable, electrically conductive material, including, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, brass, gold, silver, and the like. The terminals 132a and 132b may also be formed from any suitable, electrically conductive material, including, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, brass, gold, silver, and the like, and may also be sufficiently malleable to facilitate crimping in the manner described above. Such malleability may be achieved through selection of a particularly malleable conductive material (e.g. gold) and/or by making the sidewalls of the terminals 132a and 132b sufficiently thin so as to facilitate deformation thereof.
It is contemplated that the end caps 130a and 130b may be produced by forming the mounting cuffs 134a and 134b and the respective terminals 132a and 132b separately from one another (e.g. from separate pieces of material) and subsequently joining them together. Alternatively, it is contemplated that each of the end caps 130a and 130b, including the respective mounting cuffs 134a and 134b and respective terminals 132a and 132b, may be formed from a single piece of material. Non-limiting examples of both embodiments of the end caps 130a and 130b (i.e. formed by both separate and unitary construction) are depicted in
The end cap 230 may be formed from a single piece of any suitable, electrically conductive material, including, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, brass, gold, or other metallic conductors. Particularly, mounting cuff 260, cavity 225, crimpable terminal 232, and cavity 210 may be created by machining, cold heading, or otherwise forming (collectively referred to herein as “machining”) such features from a single piece, blank, slug, or block of conductive material, such as by using a drill press, saw, lathe, computer numerical control (CNC) machine, milling machine, cold header, part former, etc.
The end cap 330 may be formed from a single piece of any suitable, electrically conductive material, including, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, brass, gold, or other metallic conductors. However, unlike the end cap 230 described above, the end cap 330 may be stamped (as opposed to machined) from a single piece (e.g. sheet) of conductive material. Particularly, the mounting cuff 360, cavity 325, crimpable terminal 332, and cavity 310 may be created by bending, folding, and pressing a sheet of conductive material using tools and process that will be familiar to those of ordinary skill in the art.
Unlike the end caps 230 and 330 described above, the end cap 430 may be formed from two separate pieces of any suitable, electrically conductive material, including, but not limited to, copper, aluminum, brass, gold, or other metallic conductors that are joined together. Particularly, the mounting cuff 460 of the end cap 430 may be machined, stamped, or otherwise formed from one or more pieces of conductive material, and the terminal 432 of the end cap 430 may be machined, stamped, or otherwise formed from one or more separate pieces of conductive material. After the mounting cuff 460 and the terminal 432 have been formed thusly, they may be joined together, such as by press-fitting the fastening stem 465 of the mounting cuff 460 into the cavity 410 of the terminal 432 as shown in
It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the end caps 230-430 described above are set forth by way of example only, and that there exist various other, similar end cap embodiments that may be produced using a variety of different manufacturing methods. It is contemplated that all such end cap embodiments may be implemented in the fuse assembly 100 in the manner of the end caps 130a and 130b described above without departing from the present disclosure.
Referring to
The protective wrapping 570 may provide the fuse 120, end caps 130a and 130b, and wires 111 and 114 with protection against abrasion and other potentially damaging contact. In addition, the protective wrapping 570 may provide a liquid-tight and/or airtight seal around the fuse assembly 100, thereby protecting the fuse assembly 100 from environmental elements such as water, grease, oil, dirt, dust, etc., which might otherwise enter the fuse assembly 100 and cause corrosion and/or degradation of performance. Still further, the protective wrapping 570 may electrically insulate all current carrying components of the fuse assembly 100 and may provide some degree of ultraviolet (UV) protection.
In another embodiment of the fuse assembly 100, it is contemplated that an over-molding or molded housing (not shown) may be disposed over the protective wrapping 570, proximate the fuse 120 and/or over the entire fuse assembly 100, for providing further protection against damage and environmental elements. Such an over-molding may be injection molded and may be made from plastic, rubber, or other durable, wear-resistant materials.
The end caps 130a and 130b described herein thus eliminate the need for traditional fuse holders and fuse blocks by providing convenient means for attaching conductive wires directly to a fuse. Furthermore, the end caps 130a and 130b mitigate the possibility of damaging internal components of a fuse when attaching conductive wires thereto, such as may otherwise occur if traditional means of attachment, such as welding or soldering, are employed. Still further, the end caps 130a and 130b improve the wire retention capability of a fuse assembly by eliminating soldered or welded connections between a fuse and conductive wires. Still further, the end caps 130a and 130b simplify the task of attaching conductive wires to a fuse as compared to soldering or welding, which require additional tools and materials to effectuate attachment.
As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular and proceeded with the word “a” or “an” should be understood as not excluding plural elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly recited. Furthermore, references to “one embodiment” of the present invention are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.
While the present invention has been disclosed with reference to certain embodiments, numerous modifications, alterations and changes to the described embodiments are possible without departing from the sphere and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claim(s). Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention not be limited to the described embodiments, but that it has the full scope defined by the language of the following claims, and equivalents thereof.
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