JPH10241524A - Electric circuit breaker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely break an electric circuit with a simple structure when abnormality occurs by providing a breaking member jumped out toward the broken part of the electric circuit by the explosion of explosives for breaking this broken part. SOLUTION: An electric circuit breaker 6 includes an explosive seal part 10 installed in the holding member 9 of a power supply wire, a housing 11 and a breaking member 50 jumped out toward a broken part 17 according to the exploding force of the explosives 21. The holding member 9 is composed of a main body 14 having an opening part 12 for explosion formed in the upper part and an opening part 13 in the lower part and an attaching part 16. The breaking member 50 is composed of an insulating body such as a ceramic material having a strength for breaking the broken part 17 and formed to have a tapered conical shape. Thus, the amount of explosives is reduced compared with the conventional example, and damage is effectively prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric circuit breaker for automatically interrupting an electric circuit when an abnormality such as an overload current or a short-circuit current occurs.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in electric circuits for automobiles and the like,
Fuses and fusible links are commonly used as a means for immediately breaking a circuit when an overload current or a short-circuit current occurs. These fuses and fusible links have a fusible conductor inside the container and have a basic structure with connection terminals led out of the container.Most of them are connected to electrical junction boxes and used. Have been.

However, the fuse and the fusible link blow out only when an overcurrent is generated and cut off the circuit, so that the circuit cannot be forcibly cut off at an arbitrary timing. Therefore, in the event of an emergency such as when a vehicle accident occurs, if it is desired to forcibly shut off the circuit without overcurrent flowing for safety reasons, replace the fuse or fusible link above, or use an external It is necessary to install a circuit breaker that can forcibly cut off the circuit by the operation from.

[0004] As a circuit breaker of the latter type, Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-47809 discloses a circuit breaker in which the conductor is forcibly broken using the explosive force of explosive.
In this circuit breaker, an output fuse, an explosive, and a filament for heating the explosive are enclosed in a single enclosed glass, and an input terminal connected to the filament penetrates the enclosed glass. It is led out of the sealed glass, and the surface of the sealed glass is provided with an explosion-proof coating.

[0005] According to such a circuit breaker, the filament is heated by applying a certain amount of current or voltage to the input terminal, and the explosive is exploded by the heat. Can be forcibly broken. Therefore, in the event of an abnormality such as the occurrence of an overcurrent, the circuit can be interrupted at an arbitrary timing by controlling the input current or input voltage to the input terminal.

[0006]

In the circuit breaker described in the above publication, the fuse is broken by the blast generated when the explosive explodes, so that the fuse is reliably broken. Requires the use of a considerable amount of gunpowder to increase the explosive power. When the explosive power of the gunpowder is increased, it is necessary to ensure sufficient strength of the sealing glass in which the gunpowder is disposed, and use an expensive material or improve the strength of the sealing glass. Special processing must be performed, and there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of such circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an electric circuit breaker that can reliably shut off an electric circuit with a simple configuration when an abnormality occurs.

[0008]

The invention according to claim 1 is
In an electric circuit breaker having an explosive for breaking an electric circuit and explosive means for exploding the explosive by energization, a breaking member that jumps out toward a breakable portion of an electric circuit by the explosion of the explosive and breaks the breakable portion. It is provided with.

According to the above configuration, when an explosion current is supplied to the detonating means and the detonating means is operated, for example, when an abnormality occurs in the electric circuit, the explosive explodes and the breaking member pops out, and the breaking member jumps out. The stepped portion of the electric circuit will be broken.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the electric circuit breaker according to the first aspect, the breaking member is formed of an insulator.

According to the above construction, when an electric current for initiating is supplied to the initiating means at the time of occurrence of an abnormality in the electric circuit or the like and the initiating means is operated, the explosive explodes and the breaking member is directed toward the part to be broken. The breakable member that jumps out and is made of an insulator breaks the broken portion of the electric circuit.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electric circuit breaker according to the second aspect, the ruptured portion of the electric circuit, the explosive and the detonating means are accommodated in a housing, and the explosive of the explosive is stored in the housing. And a holding portion for the rupture member protruding out of the holding member is provided, and the rupture target portion after the rupture is maintained in a separated state by the rupture member held by the holding portion.

According to the above configuration, when an explosion current is supplied to the explosion means when the electric circuit is abnormal or the like and the explosion means is activated, the explosive explodes and the breaking member is directed toward the portion to be broken. After the breakable member of the electric circuit is broken by the breakable member which is protruded and made of an insulator, the breakable member is held in the holding portion of the housing, and the broken portion is separated by the breakable member. Will be maintained.

[0014]

FIG. 1 shows an electric circuit of a vehicle having an electric circuit breaker according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In the electric circuit, a power supply line 5 for connecting a collective portion 3 of electric wires 2 connected to a plurality of vehicle loads 1 and a power supply line 4 for a vehicle is cut off to cut off the electric circuit. A circuit breaker 6, a collision detecting means 7 for detecting that the vehicle has collided, and a control means 8 for controlling the electric circuit breaker 6 to operate in accordance with a detection signal of the collision detecting means 7 are provided. Have been.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electric circuit breaker 6 surrounds the holding member 9 of the power supply line 5, the explosive seal portion 10 installed in the holding member 9, and the periphery of the holding member 9. It has a housing 11 and a breaking member 50 for an electric circuit. The holding member 9 has a blast opening 12 formed in an upper part thereof, and a main body part 14 formed with an opening 13 for installing an explosive seal part 10 therebelow.
It is made of a material having an insulating property, for example, a heat-resistant high-strength synthetic resin material such as a ceramic material or a nylon resin containing a glass filler, a PPS resin, or the like. Have been.

In the blast opening 12 of the holding member 9, a to-be-broken portion 17 is installed horizontally.
Are attached to the upper ends of the power supply wires 5 extending upward through the main body 14 of the holding member 9 via a heat storage body 18. The breakable portion 17 is formed in a thin wall so as to be surely broken by a breakable member 50 protruding toward the breakable portion 17 in accordance with the explosive force of the explosive 21 provided in the explosive seal portion 10. It is made of Bulllink, and is blown even when an overcurrent occurs.

The explosive seal portion 10 is formed by enclosing a detonating means consisting of an electric heater wire 20 with lead wires 19 connected to both ends thereof and an explosive 21 disposed around the explosive means in a seal member 22, The two lead wires 19 penetrate the seal member 22 and are led out below. The sealing member 22 is preferably made of an epoxy resin material or a rubber-like resin material, and is directly or indirectly molded integrally with the electric heater wire 20 and the explosive 21 while enclosing the same.

Above the explosive seal portion 10 held in the opening 13 of the holding member 9, the breaking member 5
0 is held. The breakable member 50 is made of an insulator such as a ceramic material having a strength capable of breaking the breakable portion 17 and is formed in a tapered conical shape. At the upper end of the opening 13 is formed a locking projection for locking the breaking member 50 to prevent it from coming off.

The housing 11 has a bottom plate 24 to which the mounting portion 16 of the holding member 9 is screwed, and the bottom plate 24
Upper cover 25 fitted from above to cover the upper part of
And a lower cover 26 fitted from below so as to cover the lower surface of the upper cover 25.
6 and the bottom plate 24 are formed of an insulator such as a synthetic resin material, and the upper cover 25 is formed of a synthetic resin material or a metal material.

The upper cover 25 comprises a cylindrical portion 28 having a stepped portion 27 formed on the inner surface of the lower portion in contact with the upper surface of the mounting portion 16 of the holding member 9, and an upper surface portion 29 covering the upper surface. At the center of the portion 29, a holding portion 52 having a concave portion 51 for accommodating the breaking member 50 that has protruded from the holding member 9 due to the explosion of the explosive 21 is protruded downward, and a plurality of The air vent hole 30 is formed. In addition, a filter 31 made of a reticulated metal material or a porous metal material having excellent heat resistance and thermal conductivity is attached to the lower surface of the upper plate 29, and the explosive 21 is attached to the upper surface of the upper plate 29. A waterproof sheet material 32 having a strength that can be easily broken by an explosive force is attached.

The lower cover 26 includes a bottom wall portion 33 covering the lower end opening of the upper cover 25 and a side wall portion 34 covering the lower outer peripheral surface of the upper cover 25. The bottom wall 33 is fixed to the vehicle body side mounting portion 36 by means of screws or the like while being screwed to the cylindrical portion 28 of the cover 25.

The power supply lines 5 connected to the to-be-broken portion 17
5 is a bottom plate 24 of the housing 11 and the lower cover 2
6 is drawn out through a through hole formed in the bottom wall portion 33 of the vehicle 6, one end of which is connected to the vehicle power supply 4, and the other end of which is connected to the collecting portion 3. I have. The leads 19, 19 of the explosive seal portion 10 connected to the detonating means consisting of the electric heater wire 20 are connected to the control means 8 via the connector 37 and the leads 58, 58.

As shown in FIG. 4, the connector 37 is connected to the explosive seal portion 10 via the lead wires 19,19.
Left and right female terminals 38 connected to the electric heater wire 20 of FIG.
And a male connector 41 having a pair of male terminals 40 coupled to the female terminal 38. The two connectors 39, 41 are connected to connect the two terminals 38, 4 to each other.
By connecting 0, the lead wires 58, 58 connected to the male terminal 38 and the lead wires 19, 19 are configured to be in a conductive state.

In the female connector 39, the male connector 4 is connected to each other by a short-circuit plate 43 made of a conductor having a press-contact portion 42 pressed against the left and right female terminals 38.
1 is not connected, the left and right female terminals 38 are connected via the short-circuit plate 43.
Is connected, so that the detonating means consisting of the electric heater wire 20 of the explosive seal portion 10 is short-circuited. The male connector 41 is inserted between the female terminal 38 of the female connector 39 and the press-contact portion 42 of the short-circuit plate 43 when the two connectors 39 and 41 are connected. A protrusion 44 made of an insulator is provided so as to be released from the female terminal 38 so as to release the short-circuit state of the electric heater wire 20.

The control means 8 controls the vehicle body in response to a detection signal input from a collision detection means 7 including a G sensor for detecting an impact acceleration used in an airbag apparatus for protecting an occupant in the event of a vehicle collision. When it is confirmed that a collision has occurred, an explosive current is supplied to the electric heater wire 20 via the lead wires 58 and 19, so that the electric heater wire 20 is heated to explode the explosive 21. Have been.

In the above configuration, when the vehicle is in a collision accident, the control unit 8 supplies a detonating current to the detonating means including the electric heater wire 20 to heat the electric heater wire 20. Then, the temperature of the explosive 21 rises and explodes. And, by the explosive power of the explosive 21,
The breaking member 50 installed above is protruded upward from the inside of the opening 13 of the holding member 9 and breaks through the breakable portion 17 as shown in FIG. Instantaneously cuts off the conduction state with.

The breaking member 50 protruding upward from the opening 13 of the holding member 9 pierces into the concave portion 51 of the upper cover 25 and is held by the holding portion 52 and held by the holding portion 52. By the breaking member 50, the broken portions 17, 17 after the breaking are maintained in a separated state.

Thus, the explosive 21 for breaking the electric circuit,
Electric heater wire 20 that explodes this explosive 21 when energized
In the electric circuit breaker 6 having the detonating means, the explosive 21 explodes the explosive and the breaking member 50 for breaking the breakable portion 17 of the electric circuit is provided, so that the explosive power of the explosive 21 is effectively used. be able to. Therefore, even when the amount of the explosive is reduced as compared to the conventional example in which the ruptured portion of the electric circuit is broken by the explosive blast of the explosive, the electric circuit is reliably shut off when an abnormality such as a collision accident occurs. As a result, it is possible to prevent a current from flowing through the vehicle load 1 and effectively prevent damage or the like.

Further, in the above embodiment, since the breaking member 50 is formed of an insulator made of a ceramic material or the like,
The breakable parts 17, 1 broken by the breaking member 50
7 has an advantage that it can be prevented from becoming conductive through the breaking member 50.

In particular, as shown in the above embodiment, the breakable portion 17 of the electric circuit, the explosive 21 and the electric heater wire 2
0 is housed in the housing 11, and the housing 11 is provided with a holding portion 52 of the breaking member 50 that has protruded due to the explosion of the explosive 21, and the housing 11 has a breaking portion made of an insulator held by the holding portion 52. In the case where the fractured portions 17, 17 after the fracture are maintained by the member 50 in a separated state, the fractured portions 17, 17 come into contact with each other after the fractured portion 17 is fractured. The conductive state can be effectively prevented by the breaking member 50.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the to-be-fractured portion 17 is provided at a part of the power supply line 5 connecting the collective portion 3 of the electric wiring 2 connected to the plurality of vehicle loads 1 and the vehicle power supply 4. ,
Since the to-be-fractured portion 17 is configured to be broken by the breaking member 50 which pops out due to the explosive force of the explosive 21, the power supply lines 5 connected to the plurality of vehicle loads 1 are cut off to thereby load each vehicle load. 1 can be prevented from flowing at the same time.

The power supply line 5 is provided by the breaking member 50.
Although it may be configured to break itself or a part of the electric wiring 2, as shown in the above-described embodiment, the collecting part 3 of the electric wiring 2 connected to the plurality of vehicle loads 1 and the vehicle power supply In the case where a breakable portion 17 made of a fusible link is provided in a part of the power supply line 5 connecting the fusible link 4 and the fusible link is broken by the explosive force of the explosive 21, the electric circuit Since there is no need to provide a fusible link installation part at a position different from the circuit breaker 6, there is an advantage that the structure can be simplified and the installation space can be made compact.

Further, the to-be-fractured portion 17, the electric heater wire 2,
0 and the holding member 9 for holding the explosive 21 are installed in the housing 11 composed of the bottom plate 24, the upper cover 25, and the lower cover 26, so that the seal destroyed by the explosion of the explosive 21 It is possible to effectively prevent the member 22 and the like from scattering around.

In addition, the upper plate 29 of the upper cover 25
The air vent hole 30 is formed in the air vent hole, and the waterproof sheet 32 and the filter 31 are attached above and below the air vent hole 30, so that the waterproof sheet 32 prevents water from entering through the air vent hole 30 at the time of normal operation. Gunpowder 21
By breaking the waterproof sheet material 32 by the blast, the air inside the housing 11 can be guided to the outside through the air vent hole 30 to prevent the internal pressure of the housing 11 from rising. Further, the sealing material 2
The filter 31 can prevent fragments such as 2 from jumping out of the air vent hole 30 to the outside.

In the above embodiment, the explosive seal 1
The lead wires 19, 19 connected to the detonating means consisting of the zero electric heater wire 20 and the lead wires 58, 58 connected to the control means 8 are connected via the connector 37. Is provided with a short-circuit plate 43 for connecting the left and right female terminals 38 to each other in a normal state, so that the detonating means including the electric heater wire 20 of the explosive seal portion 10 is short-circuited. In addition, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the explosive 21 erroneously explodes due to the influence of noise or static electricity due to disturbance during assembly or storage.

When the male connector 41 is connected to the female connector 39, the short-circuit plate 43 is inserted between the female terminal 38 of the female connector 39 and the short-circuit plate 43 to separate the short-circuit plate 43 from the female terminal 38. As a result, since the protrusion 44 for releasing the short-circuit state of the electric heater wire 20 is protruded into the male connector 41, the two connectors 39 and 41 are connected when the electric circuit breaker 6 is used. The short-circuit state of the electric heater wire 20 is released, and the lead wires 19, 19 and the lead wires 58, 58 can be properly brought into a conductive state.

Further, as shown in the above-described embodiment, the explosive seal portion 10 in which the electric heater wire 20 and the explosive 21 are sealed in the seal member 22 is connected to the opening 1 of the holding member 9.
3, the explosive 21 is used.
There is an advantage that the setting work such as can be performed easily and safely, and the explosive 21 can be reliably waterproofed.

The explosive seal portion 10 may be formed by using a capsule 47 or the like as shown in FIG. 6 instead of the above configuration. The capsule 47 is formed of a thin stainless steel or the like into a container shape that opens only downward, and in a state where the electric heater wire 20 and the explosive 21 are filled in the capsule 47, a lid is closed so as to close the lower end opening of the capsule 47. 48
Are attached and fixed by appropriate means. This lid 48
Is provided with a pair of lead wire insertion holes 49, and a pair of lead wires 19, 19 connected to the electric heater wire 21 are led out of the capsule 47 through both the lead wire insertion holes 49.

In such a configuration, the explosive seal portion 10 which has been completed in advance can be easily installed simply by inserting it into the opening 13 of the holding member 9. Then, when the explosive 21 explodes, the thin capsule 47 is pierced upward and the explosive force is concentrated and acts on the to-be-fractured portion 17, so that the to-be-fractured portion 17 can be reliably broken. Also,
Before the explosion, the explosive 21 is sealed in the capsule 47, so that waterproofing and dustproofing can be reliably performed. Note that, in place of the electric heater wire 20, a structure in which a detonating means that generates a spark when energized is provided in the explosive seal portion 10 may be used.

Further, as shown in FIG.
The lower portions of the lead wires 5, 5 connected to 7 are led out laterally along the lower surface of the holding member 9 and the upper surface of the bottom plate 24, and are bent along the side surfaces and lower surface of the bottom plate 24. The bottom wall 33 of the cover 26 is configured to be led out downward through the bottom wall 33, and the lead wires 5, 5 are attached to the bottom plate 24 and the lower cover 2 by mounting bolts 15.
6 may be configured to be fixed to the bottom wall portion 33.

In the case of such a configuration, the installation interval between the lower portions of the lead wires 5 and 5 regulated by a connector or the like provided on the vehicle body side mounting portion 36 and the insertion hole formed in the holding member 9 are provided. Even when there is a difference between the installation intervals of the lead wires 5 and 5 regulated by the above, there is an advantage that the lead wires 5 and 5 can be easily and appropriately wired. As shown in FIG. 8, the upper portions of the lead wires 5 and 5 and the lower portions of the lead wires 5 and 5 are formed separately, and their ends are overlapped with each other at the installation portion of the mounting bolt 15. Thus, the connection may be made.

In the above embodiment, the upper cover 25
The example in which the separate waterproof sheet 32 that covers the air vent hole 30 formed in the upper surface portion 29 of the upper cover 25 is described above, but the upper end of the air vent hole 30 is provided on the upper surface portion 29 of the upper cover 25. A thin-walled closing portion for closing the portion is integrally formed, and the closed portion is broken by the explosive force of the explosive 21 so that the inside of the housing 11 communicates with the inside through the air vent hole 30. May be.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, even in the event of a collision of a vehicle, etc., it is desirable to keep the vehicle in an operating state, for example, a hazard for notifying other vehicles of the presence of the own vehicle. By connecting the vehicle load 1a such as a lamp or a room lamp to the power supply line 5 upstream of the installation portion of the circuit breaker 6, even after the breakable portion 17 of the electric circuit is broken, It is desirable to supply a current to the load 1a.

Note that the electric circuit breaker according to the present invention is not limited to a vehicle, and various types of circuits configured to cut off a circuit when an abnormality occurs due to an overload current or a short-circuit current or the like. It can be used for electric circuits. Further, the shape of the breaking member 50 is not limited to a conical shape,
As shown in FIG. 8, various shapes such as a truncated cone shape can be used.

[0045]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric circuit breaker having explosives for breaking an electric circuit and explosive means for explosive explosives when energized. Because a breaking member was provided that jumps out toward the breakable portion of the circuit and breaks the breakable portion, the explosive force of the explosive is effectively used, and the breakable portion is broken by the blast of the explosive. The amount of the explosive can be reduced as compared with the conventional example, and at the time of occurrence of an abnormality such as a collision accident, the electric circuit is reliably shut off to prevent current from flowing to the load provided in the electric circuit, The damage can be effectively prevented.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the breakable member is formed of an insulator, the portion to be broken broken by the breakable member can be prevented from being brought into a conductive state through the breakable member. There is.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the to-be-fractured portion of the electric circuit, the explosive and the detonating means are housed in a housing, and the housing is provided with a holding portion for the breaking member which has protruded due to the explosion of the explosive. Since the rupturable member held by the holding portion is configured to maintain the ruptured portion in a separated state after being ruptured, the ruptured portion is ruptured, and then the ruptured portion in contact with the ruptured portion is brought into a conductive state. Can be effectively prevented by the breaking member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an electric circuit having an electric circuit breaker according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of an electric circuit breaker according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a connection connector.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a portion to be broken of the electric circuit is broken.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing another example of the explosive seal portion.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the electric circuit breaker according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing still another embodiment of the electric circuit breaker according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing another example of the electric circuit having the electric circuit breaker according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Electrical Wiring 5 Power Feeding Line 6 Electric Circuit Breaker 11 Housing 17 Breakable Part 20 Electric Heater Wire (Initiating Means) 21 Explosive 50 Breaking Member 52 Holding Part

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masahiro Kume 1-7-10 Kikuzumi, Minami-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi Harness Research Institute, Inc.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An electric circuit breaker having explosives for breaking an electric circuit and explosive means for explosive explosives when energized, wherein the explosive explosive expels the explosive toward a breakable portion of an electric circuit to break the explosive. An electric circuit breaker, comprising: a breaking member for breaking a circuit breaker. 2. The electric circuit breaker according to claim 1, wherein the breaking member is formed of an insulator. 3. A breakable portion of the electric circuit, explosive and explosive means are accommodated in a housing, and a holding portion for a breakable member protruded by the explosion of the explosive is provided in the housing, and is held by the holding portion. The electric circuit breaker according to claim 2, wherein the breakable member is configured to maintain the part to be broken after the break in a separated state.