Electrical fuse for rotary current generator with rectifier

• US 20030071711A1
• Filed: 01/25/2002
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Haussmann, Holger, Labitzke, Herbert, Haupt, Martin, Scholzen, Holger, Heinz, Karl-Otto, Mittelstaedt, Klaus-Uwe, Csicser, Walter, Stilke, Henning
• Granted Patent: US 6,696,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 337/159
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2085/0283 Structural association with a semiconductor device
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/0241 Structural association of a fuse and another component or apparatus switches with built-in fuses H01H9/10, spark-gap arresters H01H85/44, transformers and inductances H01F27/402, capacitors H01G2/14, lamps H01K1/66, semiconductors H01L23/5256 or H01L23/62
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/044 General constructions or structure of low voltage fuses, i.e. below 1000 V, or of fuses where the applicable voltage is not specified H01H85/046 - H01H85/048 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/47 Means for cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 11/05 Rectifiers associated with casings, enclosures or brackets

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrical fuse for rotary current generators, having a rectifier assembly (14) for supplying a DC network, in particular in motor vehicles. To achieve simple, cost-effective and rapid-response fuse performance in the event of an overload, it is provided that a fuse element (21) be disposed in a line strand, carrying all the generator current, between the rectifier assembly (14) and a DC connection terminal (22) of the generator.

Claims

1. An electrical fuse (21, 40) for rotary current generators, having a rectifier assembly (14) for supplying a dc network, in particular in motor vehicles, characterized in that the fuse is disposed, in the form of a fuse element (21, 40), in a line segment carrying all the generator current, between the rectifier assembly (14) and a generator connection terminal (22, 25) of the generator.

2. The electrical fuse of claim 1, characterized in that the fuse element (21, 40) is disposed between a heat sink (20), forming the positive pole, of the rectifier assembly (14) and a positive connection bolt (25) of the generator, forming the generator connection terminal (22), and the positive connection bolt (25) is secured in insulated fashion and detachably on the positive heat sink (20), preferably in a hole (33) in the positive heat sink (20).

3. The electrical fuse of claim 2, characterized in that the fuse element (21), together with an insulator part (26) that embraces the head (27) of the positive connection bolt (25), is slipped onto the positive connection bolt (25) and put into electrical contact with it on the face end (27a) of the head (27).

4. The electrical fuse of claim 3, characterized in that the positive connection bolt (25), insulator part (26) and fuse element (21) form a prefabricated component unit (24), in that the fuse element (21) is galvanically connected, preferably welded, by one terminal (29), to the connection bolt head (27), on the face end (27a) thereof.

5. The electrical fuse of claim 4, characterized in that with its other terminal (30), the fuse element (21) is embodied annularly and is placed on a collar (26a), embracing the connection bolt (25), of the insulator part (26), so that this terminal, on its top side, is put into electrical contact with the positive heat sink (20) by pressure.

6. The electrical fuse of claim 5, characterized in that the fuse element (21) is a stamped metal part, which between its two terminals (29, 30) has a portion (31) of narrowed cross section, embraced laterally on the head (27) of the positive connection bolt (25) by the insulator part (26), which portion melts away in the event of an overload.

7. The electrical fuse of one of claims 3-6, characterized in that an insulating ring (34) is placed on the connection bolt (25) on the positive heat sink (25), in order to insulate the positive heat sink (20) from a protective cap (32) that is secured in a manner known per se on the connection bolt (25).

8. The electrical fuse of claim 2, characterized in that the positive connection bolt (25) is embraced at its head region (27) by an insulator part (41) and protrudes in insulated fashion through the hole (33) in the positive heat sink, the fuse element (40) being placed on the positive connection bolt (25) in such a way that with its lower terminal (29), it rests on the positive heat sink (20), and with its upper terminal (30), it is put into electrical contact with the positive connection bolt (25) by means of a nut (37).

9. The electrical fuse of claim 8, characterized in that the fuse element (40) is embodied of an annular, disklike insulating substrate body (43), which on each of its two face ends has a respective annular-disklike terminal (29, 30), and a melting portion (31, 31a) of narrowed cross section is moved laterally past the insulating substrate body (43) between the two terminals (29, 30).

10. The electrical fuse of claim 9, characterized in that the melting portion (31a) is guided around a platelike protrusion (43a), formed laterally onto the insulating substrate body (43), that embraces the melting portion (31a) on both sides.

11. The electrical fuse of claim 10, characterized in that the protrusion (43a) of the insulating substrate body (43) is embraced and positionally fixed on both sides by lugs (44) formed onto the positive heat sink (20).

12. The electrical fuse of one of claims 9-11, characterized in that the two annular-disklike terminals (29, 30) of the fuse element (40) embrace the insulating substrate body (43) on its outer edge, in each case by means of angled tongues (44).

13. The electrical fuse of one of claims 8-12, characterized in that a contact disk (42) slipped onto the positive connection bolt (45) rests on the upper terminal (29) of the fuse element (40) and is firmly fastened, together with the fuse element (40) and the positive heat sink (20), on the positive connection bolt (25) by the nut (37).

14. The electrical fuse of claim 13, characterized in that a clamping disk (36) injected into a fastening opening (38) of a protective cap (32) is fastened between the contact disk (42) and the nut (37).