Thermally decoupling fuse holder and assembly

Abstract

In one aspect of the present invention, subminiature fuses are soldered to a PCB via clips attached to the fuse end caps. The clips are physically attached to the PCB pads, enabling the fuse to be replaced if needed and providing thermal decoupling between the fuse and the heating sinking solder/PCB pads. The fuse and clips can also be picked and placed in one operation. In another aspect, improved fuse clips are provided that include tabs that separate the housing portions of the clips from the heating sinking solder/PCB pads. Such improved clips further enhance thermal decoupling. In a further aspect, an improved fuse is provided, in which the thermal decoupling tabs just described are provided directly with the fuse. In yet a further aspect, a thermally insulative fuse body is provided to further decouple the fuse element from its surroundings.

1 . A fuse assembly comprising:
 a first clip holding a first terminal of a fuse; and   a second clip holding a second terminal of the fuse, wherein the first clip, second clip and fuse are configured such that (i) they may be picked and placed when assembled and (ii) the fuse spaces the first and second clips apart as needed according to a distance that a plurality of conductive pads or a printed circuit board (“PCB”) are spaced apart.   
   
   
       2 . The fuse assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second clips include first and second thermally decoupling tabs, respectively, the fuse spacing the first and second tabs apart as needed according to the distance that the plurality of conductive pads on the PCB are spaced apart. 
   
   
       3 . The fuse assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the first and second clips each include a base and at least one wall angled therefrom, the tabs each extending (i) in at least a substantially parallel direction with respect to the corresponding base or (ii) in at least a substantially perpendicular direction with respect to the corresponding base. 
   
   
       4 . The fuse assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the first and second tabs are soldered to the PCB such that fuse housing portions of the first and second clips (i) contact the PCB or (ii) are spaced apart from the PCB. 
   
   
       5 . The fuse assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the fuse is of a type selected from the group consisting of: midget, 2AG, 3AG, 3AB, 5×20 mm, Nano 2 ®, Pico® SMF and chip fuses. 
   
   
       6 . The fuse assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second clips are soldered to the PCB via a process selected from the group consisting of: wave soldering and reflow soldering. 
   
   
       7 . A fuse for a printed circuit board (“PCB”) comprising:
 a body;   a fuse element located within the body;   first and second conductive end caps coupled to the body and in electrical communication with the fuse element; and   a first tab extending from the first end cap and a second tab extending from the second end cap, the tabs configured so that when assembled to the PCB the end caps are at least partially thermally decoupled from first and second solder joints connecting the tabs to the PCB.