FUSE

• US 20090102594A1
• Filed: 06/12/2006
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Europe Limited (Yazaki Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Europe Limited (Yazaki Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogilvie, William
• Application Number:
  US12/066,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20090102594A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 337/296
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 69/02 Manufacture of fuses
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 85/11 with applied local area of a metal which, on melting, forms a eutectic with the main material of the fusible member, i.e. M-effect devices

Abstract

A method of creating a fuse. The method comprises the steps of creating a fusible link electrically connecting a first terminal portion to a second terminal portion, the fusible link, the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion being made of a first electrically conductive material; and spraying a coating of a second electrically conductive material onto the fusible link. The second electrically conductive material has a lower melting point than the first electrically conductive material and is absorbable in the first electrically conductive material.

Claims

1. A method of creating a fuse, the method comprising the steps of:

creating a fusible link electrically connecting a first terminal portion to a second terminal portion, the fusible link, the first terminal portion and the second terminal portion being made of a first electrically conductive material; and

spraying a coating of a second electrically conductive material onto the fusible link, the second electrically conductive material having a lower melting point than the first electrically conductive material and being absorbable in the first electrically conductive material.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coating is applied to the fusible link using cold gas dynamic spraying.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal portion, the second terminal portion and the fusible link are formed of a single piece of material.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the single piece of material is formed by punching or cutting it out of a sheet of that material.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the single piece of material is formed by spraying that material onto another surface.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal portion, the second terminal portion and the fusible link are formed of a single piece of copper.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coating is formed of tin.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coating is formed of zinc.

9. A fuse made according to the method of claim 1.

10. A fuse array comprising a plurality of fuses made according to the method of claim 1.