FUSE CASSETTE

• US 20080050981A1
• Filed: 05/18/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Pavlovic, Slobadan, Zeidan, Mohamad
• Granted Patent: US 7,568,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/701
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2085/0555 Input terminal connected to a plurality of output terminals, e.g. multielectrode
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2085/208 specially adapted for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/0417 with parallel side contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/68 with built-in fuse
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/26 for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/085 Short circuiting bus-strips
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

A fuse cassette for use with Power Distribution Boxes (PDBs) and other electrical devices. The fuse cassette may include a fuse circuit having a power distribution bar for distributing power between a number of terminals. The terminals may include electrical traces having fuse-like characteristics. The traces may open during over current conditions to protect the PDB and devices connected thereto from over current conditions.

Claims

1. A fuse cassette for use with a power distribution box (PDB), the cassette comprising:

a housing having a number of slots configured for removably securing a number of electrical connectors, the housing configured for removable receipt within the PDB;

a fuse circuit permanently adhered within the housing, the fuse circuit having a power distribution bar for distributing power from a power input to a number of terminals, each terminal including an electrical trace configured to act as a fuse by opening at an over current threshold in order to prevent current flow therethrough; and

wherein the permanent adherence of the fuse circuit within the housing requires the entire fuse cassette to be discarded and replaced if one of the fuses opens due to current exceeding the over current threshold.

2. The cassette of claim 1 wherein the housing includes one or more compressible tabs to removable secure the housing within the PDB, the tabs having an uncompressed state for retaining the housing within the PDB and a compressed state for releasing the housing from the PDB.

3. The cassette of claim 1 wherein the fuse circuit is a stamped circuit.

4. The cassette of claim 3 wherein the electrical traces are composed of a material configured to melt at a lower temperature than the rest of the stamped circuit.

5. The cassette of claim 3 wherein at least two of the terminals are separately stamped pieces electrically adhered to each other and the housing.

6. The cassette of claim 1 wherein the housing includes a number protrusions for receipt within a number of openings within the fuse circuit to facilitate aligning the terminals with the connector slots.

7. The cassette of claim 5 wherein the protrusions are heated to stake the fuse circuit to the housing.

8. The cassette of claim 1 further comprising a covering permanently adhered to the housing to cover an exposed portion of the fuse circuit.

9. The cassette of claim 7 wherein the covering extends across the fuse circuit such that the covering covers at least a portion of the power distribution bar and a portion of the terminals extending to an alignment feature included on the housing and protruding through the fuse circuit, the electrical traces being located behind the covering.

10. The cassette of claim 8 wherein the power distribution bar includes a predominately laterally extending portion that extends across a top of the housing and a predominately vertically extending portion that extends across a side of the housing, the covering covering a portion of the vertically extending portion and not the laterally extending portion.

11. The cassette of claim 1 wherein at least two of the terminal are connected to the same connector to provide parallel fusing.

12. The cassette of claim 1 wherein at least one of the terminals is shaped as a blade to form a male connector.

13. The cassette of claim 11 wherein at least one of the blades includes a spring to form a female connector.

14. A vehicle power distribution system comprising:

a generator configured to generate electrical power from mechanical energy resulting from driving on the vehicle;

a power distribution box (PDB) configured to distribute the electrical power to a number of loads;

a fuse cassette within the PDB configured to facilitate electrically connecting the PDB to the generator, a battery, and a wire harness, the fuse cassette including a housing and a fuse circuit, the housing having a number of slots configured for removably securing a number of electrical connectors used to connect to the generator, battery, and wire harness; and

a fuse circuit permanently adhered within the housing, the fuse circuit having a power distribution bar and a number of terminals for distributing power from the generator to the battery and wire harness connectors, each terminal including an integrated fuse configured to open at an over current threshold in order to prevent current flow therethrough.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the permanent adherence of the fuse circuit within the housing requires the entire fuse cassette to be discarded and replaced if one of the fuses opens due to current exceeding the over current threshold.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein two terminals are associated with the generator connector to provide parallel fusing for the generator.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the fuses are dimensioned to melt at a lower temperature than the rest of the terminal or include a material selected to melt at a lower temperature than the rest of the terminal.

18. A method of manufacturing a fuse cassette for use with a power distribution box (PDB), the method comprising:

forming a housing having a number of slots configured for removably securing a number of electrical connectors, the housing configured for removable receipt within the PDB;

stamping an electrically conducting material to form a fuse circuit, the fuse circuit having a power distribution bar for distributing power from a power input to a number of terminals, each terminal including an electrical trace configured to act as a fuse; and

permanently adhering the fuse circuit to the housing such that the entire fuse cassette must be discarded and replaced if one of the fuses opens due to current exceeding the over current threshold.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising stamping all the terminals to be shaped as blades in order to form male connectors and adding a spring clip to one or more of the blades in order to form one or more female connector.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising stamping the fuse circuit as separate sections and thereafter electrically adhering the separately stamped sections together.