Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Patent
1981-07-27
1984-03-06
Hall, Carl E.
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
228180R, 228253, 337198, 337295, H01H 6902
Patent
active
044345488
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to plug-in electrical fuses of the type designed to be plugged directly into socket openings which extend transversely to the length of the fuse body. Such fuses are especially suitable for use in protecting automobile electrical circuits.
A typical plug-in fuse of the above type is described in British Patent Specification No. 1,500,183. This fuse includes a fuse element in the form of a one-piece, plate-like body of fuse metal, the body comprising a pair of laterally spaced generally parallel terminals, each of which comprises a blade portion adapted, in use, to be inserted into a socket, such as a pressure clip terminal, in a mounting panel, and a fusible link portion, of smaller cross-sectional area than the blade terminals, integral with the terminals at positions remote from their leading ends. The fuse element is mounted in an insulating housing so that the fusible link portion is enclosed in the housing and the leading ends of the blade terminals project therefrom for plugging into cooperating sockets. Such fuse elements may readily be mass-produced by stamping them from the end of a strip of fuse metal, preferably, after selected areas have been milled and/or compressed to reduce the cross-sectional areas of the portions of the strip which are to constitute the fusible link portions of the fuse elements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of manufacturing plug-in fuses of the type referred to which facilitates mass production of such fuses. The improved method also results in a novel construction of plug-in fuse which is interchangeable with other known fuses of this type.
From one aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of making a plug-in electrical fuse of the type referred to, which method comprises the steps of forming a terminal member from sheet metal material, which member has two spaced, substantially coplanar, blade-like terminal portions interconnected at or adjacent leading ends by an integral cross-bar portion, securing a fusible element to the terminal portions at or adjacent rear ends thereof, mounting the resulting assembly in an insulating housing with the fusible element disposed within the housing and the leading ends of the terminal portions projecting therefrom, and severing the cross bar from the terminal portions.
The terminal member may be formed as a simple stamping from sheet metal material. However, accordingly to a preferred embodiment, it is formed by stamping a generally H-shaped blank from the sheet material, folding the blank about an axis substantially parallel to the cross bar of the H-shape so as to dispose upper and lower portions of the uprights of the "H" in mutually opposed relation to form two blade-like terminal portions of double laminar construction. The laminar forming each of the terminal portions are integrally joined at the leading ends of the terminals, and the terminal portions remain joined together by the cross-bar of the original H-shape until this cross-bar is severed at a later stage in the production of the fuse.
The fusible element, which may comprise a length of fusible wire, may be soldered or welded to the terminal portions adjacent the rear ends thereof. To permit the length of the fusible link provided by the fuse element to be maximized, the terminal portions may be formed, at their rear ends, with mutually opposed rebates, and the fuse element may be connected between the remaining, rearwardly projecting lugs of the terminals. These rearwardly projecting lugs may be engaged in openings extending through the adjacent wall of the insulating housing so as to be accessible through the wall of the housing. Such a construction affords the terminals increased stability and permits testing of a circuit in which the fuse is connected without removal of the fuse.
In the preferred embodiment, where the terminal member is formed from a folded, H-shaped blank so that the blade-like terminal portions have a double lam
REFERENCES:
patent: 2292117 (1942-08-01), Grimshaw
patent: 2808485 (1957-10-01), Cardone
patent: 3421210 (1969-01-01), Harms et al.
patent: 3775724 (1973-11-01), Mamrick et al.
patent: 4203200 (1980-05-01), Wiebe
patent: 4224592 (1980-09-01), Urani et al.
Echols P. W.
Hall Carl E.
Kenneth E. Beswick Limited
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