Thin type thermal fuse and manufacturing method thereof

• US 6,040,754 A
• Filed: 02/26/1999
• Issued: 03/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Uchihashi Estec Co.,Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Uchihashi Estec Co.,Ltd.
• Inventors: Kawanishi, Toshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vortman, Anatoly
• Application Number:
  US09/258,255
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 337/404, 337/159, 337/228, 337/290, 337/295, 337/296, 337/297, 337/405, 337/417, 337/227, 337/160, 337/231, 29/623
• US Class Current: 337/297
• 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

A thin type thermal fuse is structured by a resin base film, a pair of belt-shaped lead conductors, a low melting-point fusible alloy piece, flux and a resin cover film. Tip portions of the pair of belt-shaped lead conductors is fixed on the resin base film. The low melting-point fusible alloy piece is coupled between the tip end portions of the belt-shaped lead conductors. The flux applied on the low melting-point fusible alloy piece. The resin cover film which is disposed on a one surface of the resin base film so that a space between said films at peripheries of both the resin cover film and the resin base film is sealed and a space between the resin cover film and the belt-shaped lead conductors is sealed. In the thin type thermal fuse, a relation of (V/L)^1/2 /d≦1.8 is satisfied, where a distance between the tip portions of the belt-shaped lead conductors is set to be L, a volume of the low melting-point fusible alloy piece is set to be V and a distance between the front surface of the resin base film and an inner surface of the resin cover film is set to be d.

Claims

1. A thin type thermal fuse comprising:

a resin base film;

a pair of belt-shaped lead conductors, tip portions of the pair of belt-shaped lead conductors being fixed on the resin base film;

a low melting-point fusible alloy piece coupled between the tip end portions of the belt-shaped lead conductors;

a flux applied on the low melting-point fusible alloy piece;

a resin cover film which is disposed on a one surface of the resin base film so that a space between said films at peripheries of both the resin cover film and the resin base film is sealed and a space between the resin cover film and the belt-shaped lead conductors is sealed;

wherein a relation of (V/L)^1/2 /d≦

1.8 is satisfied, where a distance between the tip portions of the belt-shaped lead conductors is set to be L, a volume of the low melting-point fusible alloy piece is set to be V and a distance between a front surface of the resin base film and an inner surface of the resin cover film is set to be d.

2. The thin type thermal fuse according to claim 1, wherein the belt-shaped lead conductor comprises copper, aluminum or nickel.

3. The thin type thermal fuse according to claim 1, wherein the resin base film comprises polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, polyimide, polybutylene terephthalate, polyphenylene oxide, polyethylene sulfide, or polysulfone.

4. The thin type thermal fuse according to claim 1, wherein the resin cover film comprises polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, polyimide, polybutylene terephthalate, polyphenylene oxide, polyethylene sulfide, or polysulfone.

5. The thin type thermal fuse according to claim 1, wherein the tip portions of the pair of belt-shaped lead conductors are fixed on the one surface of the resin base film.

6. The thin type thermal fuse according to claim 1, wherein one of the tip portions of the pair of belt-shaped lead conductors is fixed on the one surface of the resin base film, the other of the tip portions of the pair of belt-shaped lead conductors is exposed from an other surface to the one surface of the resin base film, and the low melting-point fusible alloy piece is coupled between the exposed tip portions of the belt-shaped lead conductors.

7. The thin type thermal fuse according to claim 1, wherein the tip portions of the pair of belt-shaped lead conductors are exposed from an other surface to the one surface of the resin base film, and the low melting-point fusible alloy piece is coupled between the exposed tip portions of the belt-shaped lead conductors.

8. The thin type thermal fuse according to claim 1, wherein the resin cover film is a molded material having the relation of (V/L)^1/2 /d≦

1.8.

13. The thin type thermal fuse according to claim 1, wherein the resin cover film has been previously molded to have the relation of (V/L)^1/2 /d≦

1.8.

9. A method of manufacturing a thin type thermal fuse comprising the steps of:

fixing tip portions of a pair of belt-shaped lead conductors on a resin base film;

coupling a low melting-point fusible alloy piece between the tip end portions of the belt-shaped lead conductors;

applying a flux on the low melting-point fusible alloy piece;

disposing a resin cover film on a one surface of the resin base film so that a space between said films at peripheries of both the resin cover film and the resin base film is sealed and a space between the resin cover film and the belt-shaped lead conductors is sealed;

wherein a relation of (V/L)^1/2 /d≦

1.8 is satisfied, where a distance between the tip portions of the belt-shaped lead conductors is set to be L, a volume of the low melting-point fusible alloy piece is set to be V and a distance between the front surface of the resin base film and an inner surface of the resin cover film is set to be d.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the tip portions of the pair of belt-shaped lead conductors are fixed on the one surface of the resin base film.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein one of the tip portions of the pair of belt-shaped lead conductors is fixed on the one surface of the resin base film, the other of the tip portions of the pair of belt-shaped lead conductors is exposed from an other surface to the one surface of the resin base film, and the low melting-point fusible alloy piece is coupled between the exposed tip portions of the belt-shaped lead conductors.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the tip portions of the pair of belt-shaped lead conductors are exposed from an other surface to the one surface of the resin base film, and the low melting-point fusible alloy piece is coupled between the exposed tip portions of the belt-shaped lead conductors.