Abstract
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide medium or high voltage fuses that employ spiral wound elements supported by rods, which may replace the usages of a ceramic core. In particular, the use of rods to wind and fix spiral fuse elements provides increased reliability by minimizing the fuse elements from drifting within the fuse assembly.
Claims
1. A fuse assembly comprising: two end plates; a plurality of rods coupled to the end plates, wherein, for each of the plurality of rods, a first end of the rod is coupled to a first end plate of the two end plates and a second end of the rod is coupled to a second end plate of the two end plates, and wherein each of the plurality of rods is detached and radially spaced from each of the other rods; and a spherical fuse element that is conductively coupled to the two end plates, wherein the spherical fuse element is wound around the plurality of rods in a helical fashion.
2. The fuse assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of rods corresponds to an outer portion of the fuse assembly, and wherein the fuse assembly further comprises a second set of a plurality of rods that are configured in an inner portion of the fuse assembly.
3. The fuse assembly of claim 1, wherein one or more rods of the outer portion or the inner portion comprises an inner chamber filled with an arc-quenching filler.
4. The fuse assembly of claim 2, wherein the spherical fuse element corresponds to the outer portion of the fuse assembly, and wherein the fuse assembly further comprises another spherical fuse element that is wound around the plurality of rods that are configured in the inner portion of the fuse assembly.
5. The fuse assembly of claim 4, wherein the spherical fuse element corresponding to the inner portion of the fuse assembly is conductively coupled to the two end plates.
6. The fuse assembly of claim 1, further comprising one or more rod support spacers configured to support a radial structure of the plurality of rods.
7. The fuse assembly of claim 6, wherein the one or more rod support spacers are further configured with holes to allow fuse filler material to flow through the fuse assembly.
8. The fuse assembly of claim 1, wherein the fuse assembly is encased in a casing.
9. The fuse assembly of claim 8, wherein the casing of the fuse assembly is filled with the fuse filler material.
10. A method of manufacturing a fuse assembly, the method comprising: configuring each of two end plates with a plurality anchor points; positioning a plurality of rods between the two end plates, wherein, for each of the plurality of rods, a first end of the rod is coupled to one of the anchor points of a first end plate of the two end plates and a second end of the rod is coupled to another of the anchor points of a second end plate of the two end plates, and wherein each of the plurality of rods is detached and radially spaced from each of the other rods; winding a spherical fuse element around the set of the plurality of rods in a helical fashion, wherein the spherical fuse element is conductively coupled to the two end plates.
11. The method of manufacturing of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of rods and the plurality of anchor points correspond to an outer portion of the fuse assembly, and wherein the method further comprises: configuring each of the two end plates with another set of anchor points in an inner portion of the fuse assembly; and positioning a second set of a plurality of rods that are configured in the inner portion of the fuse assembly.
12. The method of manufacturing of claim 11, wherein one or more rods of the outer portion or the inner portion comprises an inner chamber filled with an arc-quenching filler.
13. The method of manufacturing of claim 12, wherein the spherical fuse element corresponds to the outer portion of the fuse assembly, and wherein the method further comprises: winding another spherical fuse element around the plurality of rods that are configured in the inner portion of the fuse assembly.
14. The method of manufacturing of claim 13, wherein the spherical fuse element corresponding to the inner portion of the fuse assembly is conductively coupled to the two end plates.
15. The method of manufacturing of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises: positioning one or more rod support spacers within the fuse assembly to support a radial structure of the plurality of rods.
16. The method of manufacturing of claim 14, wherein the one or more rod support spacers are configured with holes.
17. The method of manufacturing of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises: encasing the fuse assembly within a casing.
18. The method of manufacturing of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises: filling the casing of the fuse assembly with fuse filler material.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments are described with reference to the following Figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various drawings unless otherwise specified.
[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a fuse assembly with two sets of windings.
[0010] FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of an exemplary fuse assembly.
[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates another front view of an exemplary fuse assembly.
[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary fuse assembly with a rod support system.
[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates another exemplary fuse assembly showing the inner rods.
[0014] FIG. 6 illustrates another exemplary fuse assembly showing the inner rods and the outer rods.
[0015] FIG. 7 illustrates another exemplary fuse assembly with a casing that encloses the fuse assembly components.
[0016] FIG. 8 illustrates exemplary steps of manufacturing a fuse assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.
[0018] FIGS. 1-3 provide illustrations of an exemplary fuse assembly that are intended to provide the context of the disclosure. No aspect of the descriptions corresponding to FIGS. 1-3 is intended to qualify as prior art at the time of filing, and is neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a fuse assembly 100 with a ceramic core 102 and fuse element 104 wound around the ceramic core 102. The fuse assembly 100 may be configured to operate in medium or high-voltage situations. In one example, a fuse element 104 may be wound around the ceramic core 102. In particular, referring to FIG. 1, the ceramic core 102 of the fuse assembly 100 may be a star or spider-shaped ceramic core 102. The fuse element 104 may be wound around the ceramic core 102 by linear accordion-shaped bends or by helical spiral form. In an embodiment, more than one fuse element may be wound around the ceramic core, each fuse element placed in parallel with another and placed at angular intervals about the core diameter of the ceramic core 102. The number of fuse elements incorporated into the fuse assembly may be limited by the space available around the ceramic core 102 to allow sufficient separating of arcs along and between other fuse elements.
[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the ceramic core 102 with two sets of windings. As noted above, more than one fuse element may be wound around the core of a fuse assembly, for example, placed in parallel with one another and at angular intervals about the core diameter of the ceramic core. Examples of such fuse elements are shown in FIG. 2 as the inner windings 206. When the maximum number of fuse elements are incorporated at a particular distance from the core (e.g., inner windings 206), additional fuse elements may be incorporated into the fuse assembly at a different distance from the core (e.g., outer windings 204). Typically, the outer windings 204 may be suspended on nothing but an arc quenching filler, such as compacted sand. However, fuse elements suspended on such sand fillers may be susceptible to drifting within the fuse assembly due to, for example, dimensional influences over time from thermal cycling, shock, and vibration. The drifting of the fuse elements may worsen over time, and thereby create dangerous fuse operating conditions.
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates the drifting of the fuse elements corresponding to the outer windings 204 (or outer elements 204). The drifting issue may cause the outer elements 204 to be positioned too closely with other fuse elements, e.g., the inner windings 206 (or inner elements 206). When fuse elements are positioned too close to each other, there is an increased risk of undesirable arc events. In particular embodiments, to reduce the drifting of the fuse elements 104 and the cost of manufacturing the fuse assembly 100, a rod support system may be used to secure the fuse elements within the fuse assembly.
[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates a fuse assembly 400 with a rod support system. A fuse 400 may comprise two sets of rods, a first set of rods 414 corresponding to the inner portion of the fuse 400 and a second set of rods 406 corresponding to the outer portion of the fuse 400. FIG. 5 illustrates another view of the fuse assembly 400 showing just the inner rods 414. FIG. 6 illustrates another view of the fuse assembly 400 showing both the inner rods 414 and the outer rods 406. For each set of the rods, the rods may be configured at a particular distance away from the center and radially spaced from each of the other rods in the set. An example of such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 4, where the inner rods 414 are shown at a closer distance from the center, relative to the outer rods 406. FIG. 4 further illustrates the rods being radially spaced from each of the other rods in the set. In an embodiment, the rods may be cylindrical-shaped glass rods. In other embodiments, different shapes of rods may be used, such as a prism with n-number of faces. The rods may also be made of a material different than glass, for example, non-conductive materials such as paper, glass, rubber, porcelain, ceramic, or plastic.
[0023] In an embodiment, one or more rods in the outer portion and/or the inner portion may be configured with an inner chamber. The inner chamber in the rod may be filled with an arc-quenching filler. The arc-quenching filler acts as an arc-quenching medium, examples of which include quartz silica sand and liquid sodium silicate binder. The arc-quenching liquid in the inner chamber of the rods provides improved performance by reducing the impact of arc events.
[0024] In an embodiment, a fuse assembly 400 may be configured with one or more rod support spacers 422. For example, FIG. 5 illustrates rod spacers 422 is configured to fit between the rods 406. The rod support spacers provide structural support to the rods. In an embodiment, the rod spacers 422 may be configured with one or more holes 420 through which filler material can flow through, e.g., such as when filler material is poured into the fuse assembly 400. Additional details of the filler material are discussed above. In an embodiment, the rod spacers 422 may comprise another portion that is used to support the outer rods 406, e.g., outer rod spacers 424 shown in FIGS. 4 and 6. In an embodiment, the rod spacers 422 and the outer rod spacer 424 may be manufactured in one piece, or alternatively, the rod spacers 422 and the outer rod spacers 424 may be manufactured to be their own separate pieces. In embodiments where the rod spacers 422 and 424 are manufactured to be their own separate pieces, the rod spacers 422 and 424 may be combined with each other using adhesives before fitting them between the rods, or alternatively after fitting them between the rods. In an embodiment, rod spacers 422 and 424 may be configured with indents or holes matching the shape of the rods (or a portion of the rods), such that the rods can be secured to the indents/holes in a fixed manner, which minimizes undesired movement.
[0025] In an embodiment, fuse elements may be wound around the rods. For example, in FIG. 5, a fuse element 414 corresponding to the inner windings 206 is shown as being wound around the inner rods 406. In FIG. 6, a fuse element 406 corresponding to the outer windings 204 is shown as being wound around the outer rods 424. As shown in the figures, the fuse elements may be wound around the rods in a helical fashion or spiral form. FIGS. 5 and 6 have been illustrated with the reduced number of fuse elements as simplified variations of the embodiments herein, but in practice, additional fuse elements may be incorporated into the fuse assembly. The simplified illustrations are not intended to be limiting in any way.
[0026] In particular embodiments, the rods may be configured to be placed between two end plates 482. In an embodiment, the end plates may be metal plates that are welded or soldered in place. In other embodiments, the end plates may be made of any other conductive material suitable for fuse operations.
[0027] In an embodiment, a fuse assembly 400 may be configured with anchor points to which rods may be secured to. For example, FIG. 6 illustrates end plates 482 that are configured with anchor points 471 to which rods may be secured. In an embodiment, an anchor point 471 may be a slot, a hole, openings, through-cut, round holes, square grooves, or any other shaped cavity configured to fit the ends of the rods. In an embodiment, the rods that are placed on the anchor point 471 may further be secured by the use of adhesives or other mechanical means.
[0028] FIG. 7 illustrates another view of the fuse assembly 400 with a casing that encloses the fuse assembly components. In an exemplary embodiment, the casing 470 may be a transparent tube that may be a glass epoxy composite material to encase the fuse assembly 400. In an embodiment, a fuse assembly 400 may be fitted with an end cap cover, such as element 492 shown in FIG. 7. The entirety or a portion of the end cap covers 492 may be made of conductive material that is conductively coupled with the end plates 482 shown in FIG. 6. For example, the end cap covers 492 may be conductively coupled to the end plates 482 using pins, snaps, or screws, or alternatively using adhesives to attach the end plates to the end cap covers, while still using a conductive material to allow the flow of electrical current.
[0029] In an embodiment, a fuse assembly 400 may be filled with an arc quenching filler (e.g., compacted sand). In an embodiment, the fuse assembly 400 may be filled with the filler material before the end plates 482 and/or the end cap covers 492 are fitted to the fuse assembly 400. In some embodiments, the end plates 482 may be configured with holes through which the filler material may be inserted into. As discussed previously, the rod spacers may be configured with one or more holes 420, as shown in FIG. 4, to allow the filler material to flow through. The filler material that has been compacted in the fuse assembly 400 may serve an arc quenching role by minimizing arc events, as well as serving a thermal management role. The compacted filler material may further provide structural support to the components included in the fuse assembly by reducing the movements thereof.
[0030] FIG. 8 illustrates exemplary steps of manufacturing 800 of the fuse assembly 400 that may correspond to medium or high voltage fuses employing spiral wound elements. The method may begin at step 801 by configuring a plurality of rods between two end plates, wherein one end of each of the rods is secured to anchor points of a first end plate of the two end plates and another end of each of the rods are secured to anchor points of a second end plate. In an embodiment, one or more rods may be configured with an inner chamber. The inner chamber in the rod may be filled with an arc-quenching filler. The rods may be configured to release the arc-quenching filler during an arc event, thereby reducing the impact of an arc event. The method may continue at step 802 by placing one or more rod support spacers between the plurality of rods to support a radial structure of the plurality of rods. The method may continue at step 803 by winding a fuse element around the plurality of rods and conductively coupling the fuse element to each of the two end plates. The method may continue at step 804 by encasing a fuse assembly comprising the plurality of rods and the one or more rod support spacers. The method may continue at step 805 by filling the fuse assembly with filler material. Particular embodiments may repeat one or more steps of the method of FIG. 8, where appropriate. Although this disclosure describes and illustrates particular steps of the method of FIG. 8 as occurring in a particular order, this disclosure contemplates any suitable steps of the method of FIG. 8 occurring in any suitable order. Moreover, although FIG. 8 describes an example method for manufacturing the fuse assembly, this disclosure contemplates any suitable method for manufacturing the fuse assembly, which may include all, some, or none of the steps of the method of FIG. 8, including any of the descriptions of the fuse assembly 400 with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.
[0031] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide medium or high voltage fuses that employ spiral wound elements supported by rods, which may replace the usages of a ceramic core. In particular, the use of rods to wind and fix spiral fuse elements provides increased reliability by minimizing the fuse elements from drifting within the fuse assembly.
[0032] Herein, or is inclusive and not exclusive, unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Therefore, herein, A or B means A, B, or both, unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Moreover, and is both joint and several, unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context. Therefore, herein, A and B means A and B, jointly or severally, unless expressly indicated otherwise or indicated otherwise by context.
[0033] The scope of this disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodiments described or illustrated herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. The scope of this disclosure is not limited to the example embodiments described or illustrated herein. Moreover, although this disclosure describes and illustrates respective embodiments herein as including particular components, elements, feature, functions, operations, or steps, any of these embodiments may include any combination or permutation of any of the components, elements, features, functions, operations, or steps described or illustrated anywhere herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend. Furthermore, reference in the appended claims to an apparatus or system or a component of an apparatus or system being adapted to, arranged to, capable of, configured to, enabled to, operable to, or operative to perform a particular function encompasses that apparatus, system, component, whether or not it or that particular function is activated, turned on, or unlocked, as long as that apparatus, system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, operable, or operative. Additionally, although this disclosure describes or illustrates particular embodiments as providing particular advantages, particular embodiments may provide none, some, or all of these advantages.
