Safety device of electric circuit and process for producing the same

• US 6,445,277 B1
• Filed: 06/21/2000
• Issued: 09/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yazaki Corporation
• Inventors: Soda, Osamu, Ishikawa, Satoshi, Maruo, Hisafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vortman, Anatoly
• Application Number:
  US09/598,694
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 337/290, 337/297, 337/295, 337/296, 337/159, 337/401-405, 337/416, 337/293, 296/23, 361/103, 361/104
• US Class Current: 337/297
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 7/12 Overvoltage protection resistors series resistors structurally associated with spark gaps H01T1/16
• CPC Class Codes: H01C 7/13 current responsive
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2037/046 being soldered on the printed circuit to be protected
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 37/761 with a fusible element forming part of the switched circuit H01H37/767 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0201 Thermal arrangements, e.g. for cooling, heating or preventing overheating
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0293 Individual printed conductors which are adapted for modification, e.g. fusable or breakable conductors, printed switches
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/116 Lands, clearance holes or other lay-out details concerning the surrounding of a via
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0305 Solder used for other purposes than connections between PCB or components, e.g. for filling vias or for programmable patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09572 Solder filled plated through-hole in the final product soldering lead-in-hole components H05K3/3447
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09663 Divided layout, i.e. conductors divided in two or more parts branched layout H05K2201/09254
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09809 Coaxial layout reduction of cross-talk, noise or interference by printed shielding conductors for shielding around a single via or around a group of vias H05K1/0222
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10022 Non-printed resistor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10151 Sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10181 Fuse
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/045 Solder-filled plated through-hole [PTH] during processing wherein the solder is removed from the PTH after processing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3447 Lead-in-hole components H05K3/3415 takes precedence

Abstract

A safety device of an electric circuit is provided, in which a thermal fuse securely prevents an accident from occurring when an overcurrent protector is extraordinarily overheated. The safety device includes: first protective means in an overcurrent protector for protecting the electric circuit from an overcurrent, which generates heat to increase its electrical resistance when an overcurrent flows in the electric circuit, whereby reducing or cutting off the overcurrent; and second protective means including a thermal fuse situated in the vicinity of the overcurrent protector containing: a first electrode having a first conductor pattern connected to the overcurrent protector; a second electrode having a second conductor pattern insulated from the first electrode by a gap; and solder connecting the first and second electrodes and melting by heat from the overcurrent protector so as to split into two parts toward the first and second electrodes. According to the safety device, the thermal fuse can quickly operate when the overcurrent protector is extraordinarily overheated and be easily formed by employing an automatic soldering machine and the like.

Claims

1. A safety device of an electric circuit comprising:

first protective means in an overcurrent protector for protecting the electric circuit from an overcurrent, which generates heat to increase its electrical resistance when an overcurrent flows in the electric circuit, whereby reducing or cutting off the overcurrent; and

second protective means including a thermal fuse situated in the vicinity of the overcurrent protector comprising;

a first electrode having a first conductor pattern connected to the overcurrent protector;

a second electrode having a second conductor pattern insulated from the first electrode by a gap; and

solder connecting the first and second electrodes and melting by heat from the overcurrent protector so as to split into two parts toward the first and second electrodes,

wherein the second conductor pattern for forming the thermal fuse is formed on one side of the circuit board and connected to the second electrode having an island shape formed on an opposite side of the circuit board through a through-hole, the first electrode continuously surrounds the second electrode with a gap between the first and second electrodes on the opposite side of the circuit board, and solder connects the first and second electrodes.

2. The safety device of an electric circuit according to claim 1, wherein resist films around the thermal fuse can be peeled off by the heat from the overcurrent protector.

3. The safety device of an electric circuit according to claim 1, wherein the thermal fuse is disposed at substantially the level of the overcurrent protector or a higher level than that of the overcurrent protector when a circuit board, on which the overcurrent protector and the thermal fuse are mounted, is set vertically.

4. The safety device of an electric circuit according to claim 2, wherein the thermal fuse is disposed at substantially the level of the overcurrent protector or a higher level than that of the overcurrent protector when a circuit board, on which the overcurrent protector and the thermal fuse are mounted, is set vertically.

5. The safety device of an electric circuit as defined in any one of claims 1-4, wherein the gap between the first and second electrodes for forming the thermal fuse is provided with a hole, a lead of an electric component is inserted in the hole, and the first and second electrodes together with the lead are connected by solder.

6. The safety device of an electric circuit according to claim 5, wherein the electric component is the overcurrent protector.

7. The safety device of an electric circuit as defined in any one of claims 1-4, wherein the second electrode for forming the thermal fuse is formed to have an island shape at the periphery of a hole for inserting a lead of an electric component therein, the first electrode continuously surrounds the second electrode with a gap between the first and second electrodes, and solder connects the first electrode, the second electrode and the lead of the electric component inserted in the hole.

8. The safety device of an electric circuit as defined in any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first electrode for forming the thermal fuse is formed to have an island shape at the periphery of a hole for inserting a lead of the overcurrent protector therein, the second electrode continuously surrounds the first electrode with a gap between the first and second electrodes, and solder connects the first electrode, the second electrode and the lead of the overcurrent protector inserted in the hole.

9. The safety device of an electric circuit as defined in any one of claims 1-4, wherein the overcurrent protector is a positive temperature coefficient element.

10. A process for producing the safety device of an electric circuit defined in claim 5, characterized in that soldering for connecting the first and second electrodes to form the thermal fuse is performed simultaneously with soldering of electric components including the overcurrent protector on the circuit board by employing an automatic soldering machine.

11. The safety device of an electric circuit according to claim 1, wherein a through-hole of a circuit board is filled with solder, the solder has a concave shape at one opening of the through-hole and a convex shape at an opposite opening of the through-hole, and the convex-shape solder connects the first and second electrodes.

12. The safety device of an electric circuit according to claim 11, wherein an inner diameter of the through-hole is larger than a thickness of the circuit board.

13. The safety device of an electric circuit according to claim 11 or 12, wherein an outer diameter of an exposed conductor on the circuit board at the concave-shape solder side is larger than an outer diameter of the second electrode at least near to the through-hole.

14. The safety device of an electric circuit according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the circuit board is arranged vertically or arranged so as to set the convex-shape solder up.

15. A process for producing the safety device of an electric circuit defined in claim 11 or 12 characterized in that the circuit board is arranged horizontally and the through-hole extending vertically is filled with molten solder, whereby the concave shape and the convex shape are formed at respective sides with its own weight.