Thermal fuse

• US 20030156007A1
• Filed: 03/05/2003
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mukai, Takahiro, Senda, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 6,838,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 337/401
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2037/768 characterised by the composition of the fusible material
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 37/761 with a fusible element forming part of the switched circuit H01H37/767 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49107 Fuse making

Abstract

Quantity of flux coated on fusible alloy of a thermal fuse disclosed can be inspected accurately by an image processing method. The thermal fuse comprises:

(a) first insulation film 11 coupled with a pair of metal terminals 12;

(b) fusible alloy 13 coupled between ends of the metal terminals 12, being placed above first insulation film 11;

(c) flux 14 coated on fusible alloy 13; and

(d) second insulation film 15 disposed on first insulation film 11 so that an internal space is formed, being placed above fusible alloy 13,

wherein at least either of first insulation film 11 or second insulation film 15 is transparent or translucent, and flux 14 has the Gardner color scale from 4 to 16.

Claims

1. A thermal fuse comprises:

(a) a pair of metal terminals;

(b) a first insulation film coupled with said pair of metal terminals;

(c) a fusible alloy coupled between ends of said pair of metal terminals, being placed above said first insulation film;

(d) a flux coated on said fusible alloy; and

(e) a second insulation film disposed on said first insulation film so that an internal space is formed, being placed above said fusible alloy,

wherein at least either of said first insulation film or said second insulation film is transparent or translucent, and said flux has the Gardner color scale (hereafter referred to color scale) from 4 to 16.

2. The thermal fuse of claim 1, wherein an internal space formed between said first insulation film and said second insulation film has a height of at least 0.20 mm and lower than 0.35 mm and said flux has a color scale from 6 to 16.

3. The thermal fuse of claim 1, wherein an internal space formed between said first insulation film and said second insulation film has a height of at least 0.35 mm and lower than 0.65 mm and said flux has a color scale from 5 to 15.

4. The thermal fuse of claim 1, wherein an internal space formed between said first insulation film and said second insulation film has a height of at least 0.65 mm and at most 1.00 mm and said flux has a color scale from 4 to 14.

5. The thermal fuse of claim 1, wherein said flux has a thickness of at least 0.20 mm and thinner than 0.35 mm and has a color scale from 6 to 16.

6. The thermal fuse of claim 1, wherein said flux has a thickness of at least 0.35 mm and thinner than 0.65 mm and has a color scale from 5 to 15.

7. The thermal fuse of claim 1, wherein said flux has a thickness of at least 0.65 mm and at most 1.00 mm and has a color scale from 4 to 14.

15. A thermal fuse of any one of claim 1 and claim 8, wherein the housing overall length consists of first insulation film, second insulation film and fusible alloy has a length of at least 2.5 mm and at most 5.0 mm.

8. A thermal fuse comprises:

(a) a pair of metal terminals;

(b) a first insulation film coupled with said pair of metal terminals such that end portion of said each pair of metal terminal protrudes from bottom surface to out of upper surface of said first insulation film;

(c) a fusible alloy coupled between ends of said pair of metal terminals which protrude out of upper surface of said first insulation film;

(d) a flux coated on said fusible alloy; and

(e) a second insulation film disposed on said first insulation film so that an internal space is formed, being placed above said fusible alloy, wherein at least either of said first insulation film or said second insulation film must be transparent or translucent, and said flux has the Gardner color scale (hereafter referred to as color scale) from 4 to 16.

9. The thermal fuse of claim 8, wherein an internal space formed between said first insulation film and said second insulation film has a height of at least 0.20 mm and lower than 0.35 mm and said flux has a color scale from 6 to 16.

10. The thermal fuse of claim 8, wherein an internal space formed between said first insulation film and said second insulation film has a height of at least 0.35 mm and lower than 0.65 mm and said flux has a color scale from 5 to 15.

11. The thermal fuse of claim 8, wherein an internal space formed between said first insulation film and said second insulation film has a height of at least 0.65 mm and at most 1.00 mm and said flux has a color scale from 4 to 14.

12. The thermal fuse of claim 8, wherein said flux has a thickness of at least 0.20 mm and thinner than 0.35 mm and has a color scale from 6 to 16.

13. The thermal fuse of claim 8, wherein said flux has a thickness of at least 0.35 mm and thinner than 0.65 mm and has a color scale from 5 to 15.

14. The thermal fuse of claim 8, wherein said flux has a thickness of at least 0.65 mm and at most 1.00 mm and has a color scale from 4 to 14.