Lithium Ion Battery Safety with Fuses & Circuit Breakers

Fusible thermal interface material for traction battery packs that limits thermal runaway propagation in electric vehicle batteries. The material is placed between battery cells and heat exchangers. It transitions from conductive to insulative when temperature exceeds a threshold, preventing thermal propagation between cells. This prevents battery thermal events from spreading like a chain reaction. The fusible interface material prevents catastrophic cell-to-cell thermal runaway in packs.

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Detection and mitigation of thermal runaway propagation in a vehicle battery to prevent battery damage and safety hazards. The system uses sensors like gas, temperature, and infrared inside modules to detect conditions leading to thermal runaway. If thresholds are exceeded, active relays isolate the faulty module to stop propagation. The battery management system coordinates this based on sensor data. This allows proactive isolation before runaway instead of waiting for voltage/temp indicators.

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Fuse device for electric vehicle charging and discharging circuits that quickly extinguishes arcs to prevent fires when a fuse blows. The device has a housing, two sheet pins for circuit connection, a fuse made of temperature sensing material, and magnetic sheets. When the fuse melts due to high temperature, arcs are created. The magnetic sheets rapidly quench the arcs to prevent further damage and fires.

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Battery disconnect bracket for electric vehicles that rapidly isolates overheating battery cells to prevent thermal propagation. The bracket is made of materials with different thermal expansion rates. When a cell experiences a thermal event, the bracket expands more on the hot side than the cold side, causing it to transition from a closed conductive position to an open isolation position. This disconnects the hot cell from the others to prevent further thermal propagation. The bracket can also have sensors and an electronic control unit to monitor and manage isolated cells.

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An overload fuse protector for batteries in electric vehicles that prevents fires and electrical failures due to overload currents and excessive temperatures. The protector has multiple fuses in series inside an insulated housing. It uses both current fuses and temperature fuses to disconnect the battery circuit in response to overload currents and excessive temperatures. The fuses are housed separately inside insulated shells with sealing caps. This allows the fuses to be replaced individually if needed. The fuse housings connect to the battery terminals through conductive leads. This allows the fuses to be removed and replaced without disconnecting the battery.

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Non-resettable safety device for battery systems that prevents user reset after system faults. The device uses a fuse, temperature switches, and BMS monitoring to protect the system. During normal operation, the BMS controls the fuse. If the battery faults, the BMS outputs a signal to disconnect the fuse, protecting the system. If temperature exceeds limits, the switches connect and fuse disconnects. The fuse irreversibly fuses, preventing user reset after faults.

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Thermal fuse circuit for safely disconnecting DC voltage sources that prevents arcing and re-entry issues common in voltage-controlled fuses. The circuit has a temperature sensor, fuse, and heating element. When temperature exceeds a threshold, the sensor generates a digital signal to irreversibly deactivate the fuse's current path using thermal action. This prevents arcing and re-entry compared to voltage-controlled fuses.

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Thermal fuse assembly and circuit breaker for high voltage DC applications that provides reliable arc extinguishing and circuit disconnection in DC circuits with voltages up to 1000V. The assembly has a main thermal fuse, shut-off circuit, and arc-extinguishing circuit. When the thermal fuse melts due to overcurrent or overtemperature, the load is disconnected normally using the load itself as an arc extinguisher. If the overcurrent/overtemperature persists, the shut-off circuit is triggered to fully disconnect the circuit. This prevents arcing through the thermal fuse.

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Combined electrical device with integrated fuse and circuit breaker that automatically disconnects and isolates blown fuses to prevent overheating and fire hazards. The device has a load switch fuse with a pushrod mechanism. When the fuse blows, a temperature sensor detects the increased heat and triggers the pushrod to push the fuse tube down into an insulating ferrule. This isolates the blown fuse and prevents further current flow. The pushrod is controlled by a controller connected to the temperature sensor.

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Circuit breakers for protecting electrical systems from overheating and overcurrent faults in batteries and cells. The circuit breakers have a three-terminal configuration with one terminal connected to the cell, one to the system power, and a switch between them. During normal operation, the switch connects the cell to the system. If a fault condition like overheating or overcurrent occurs, the switch disconnects the cell and shunts most current around it through a resistor. This allows continued system power while bypassing the faulty cell.

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Rapid response thermal fuse that quickly breaks the circuit when temperature reaches a fusing point. The fuse has a housing with a compressed spring inside. The leads and conductor are connected through fusible alloy. When the alloy melts, the spring pushes the conductor to quickly break the circuit. The compressed spring limits the spring's extension to improve accuracy and force. This allows quicker circuit disconnection compared to conventional thermal fuses.

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An emergency protection device for circuits that provides improved reliability compared to traditional fuses. The device uses a thermally conductive ceramic support with embedded leadouts, a fuse layer, and a bimetallic strip. The ceramic support allows heat to spread and prevent welding between the leadouts and fuse. The bimetallic strip deforms when overcurrent and breaks the connection. This prevents reconnections and short circuits that can occur with fuses. The ceramic support also has channels for melted fuse material to flow away. The device can have an oil reservoir to flood the chamber for further insulation. The transparent container allows visual monitoring of the oil level. The ceramic support is sandwiched between the leads and housing.

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Quickly disconnecting a battery pack from a circuit in the event of an overcurrent to prevent damage. The system uses two fuses and two contactors in parallel with the battery cells. If a short circuit occurs, both contactors are opened to quickly disconnect the battery. This allows faster interruption of the circuit compared to fuses alone. However, contactors can be damaged by high currents. To prevent this, the system uses fuses in series with the contactors for high currents. The fuses blow while the contactors open, protecting them. This tradeoff balances fast disconnection vs contactor durability.

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A multi-channel synchronously controlled temperature fuse for protecting multiple circuits from overheating. The fuse has a housing, temperature sensing body, conductive component, electrode assembly, and spring. When the temperature exceeds the fuse point, the spring releases to disconnect multiple electrical contacts in the electrode assembly, simultaneously cutting off multiple circuits. The fuse design allows simultaneous failure protection of multiple channels.

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Intelligent high-temperature circuit breaker protection plug strip that uses a load sensor and a thermistor to test the power-off performance of the plug strip in the case of overheating in the circuit. The strip has a thermistor that acts as a self-recovering fuse. When the circuit is normal, the thermistor has low resistance and the strip powers on. If the circuit overheats, the thermistor rapidly increases resistance and cuts off power, indicating a safety hazard. The strip also has a load sensor to detect high current. When both thermistor and load sensor are low, the strip powers on. If either is high, the strip disconnects power and alarms the user. This provides automated fuse recovery and overload protection without manual fuse replacement or short circuit issues.

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Safety prevention and control system for electric vehicle battery packs that provides active and direct prevention and control for battery faults, thermal runaway, and propagation. The system has three prevention stages: diagnosing faults, detecting cell thermal runaway, and determining pack thermal runaway propagation. It uses a step-by-step prevention execution device that receives instructions from the diagnosis, runaway, and propagation modules. This allows targeted prevention actions based on the specific fault type and runaway stage. It complements passive prevention measures like cooling and extinguishing. The active prevention improves electric vehicle safety by accurately starting prevention mechanisms tailored to the accident stage.

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Electrical system for supplying power to multiple loads that can isolate faulty batteries to prevent short circuits. The system has parallel connected batteries and switches to disconnect the problematic battery from its load and the bus. This prevents current surges from spreading to other loads. The switches disconnect the battery when its current exceeds thresholds. A controller monitors bus current to initiate isolation. By selectively isolating faulty batteries, it prevents short circuits from spreading through the system.

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A circuit breaker that provides fast and reliable overcurrent and overheating protection for electrical circuits. The breaker uses a combination of a ceramic positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistor and a bimetallic sheet. The PTC resistor cuts off the circuit when it gets too hot or current exceeds limits. The bimetallic sheet deforms to disconnect the circuit at higher temperatures. This instantaneous protection prevents overcurrent damage and allows quick restoration when safe. The PTC resistor and bimetallic sheet are arranged on movable ends of the breaker to disconnect the circuit when faults occur.

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Circuit breaker with improved overheating and overcurrent protection that responds quickly and reliably to prevent circuit failures and fires. The breaker uses a combination of a thermistor (PTC) and bimetallic strip to physically disconnect the circuit when temperatures reach a certain level. The thermistor generates heat under low current to keep the bimetallic strip disconnected until the fault is eliminated. This provides faster, more reliable protection compared to methods using NTCs or MOSFETs.

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Fuse protection device for batteries in electric vehicles that reduces fuse failure and improves reliability. The device has a temperature sensor on the fuse surface, a controllable switch, and a heat dissipation component. The switch and dissipation are connected in parallel with the fuse. When fuse temperature rises, the sensor triggers the switch to close and engage the dissipation component to cool the fuse. This prevents excessive temperature damage that can cause premature fuse failure.

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A circuit protection system using RF induction heating to trigger fuses at lower current levels than conventional fuses. The system has an inductive heating element, a control module, and a current detection device. When a predetermined fault current is detected, the control module sends a signal to an RF power supply. The RF power supply sends high frequency power to the inductive heating element. This induces a high frequency electromagnetic field at the fuse element, heating it and melting the fuse to open the circuit. The RF induction heating allows triggering fuses at much lower currents than the fuse rating.

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Protection device for electric circuits that provides reliable current and voltage overload protection without risk of deficiencies or damage due to arc re-strikes. The protection device combines a thermal fuse and a PTC (positive temperature coefficient) component. When an overload occurs, the thermal fuse melts and separates to cut off current. The PTC component then activates to generate heat and further increase resistance, ensuring complete current interruption. The PTC has a longer activation time than the fuse insulation time to prevent arcing after fuse separation. This prevents issues like arc re-strikes or damaged parts due to voltage spikes after the fuse cuts.

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Power battery assembly for electric vehicles that provides improved safety by dividing the battery into multiple isolated modules if a fault occurs. The assembly has a relay with normally open contacts connected in series with the battery modules. A controller can turn off the relay if sensors detect issues. If a short circuit generates high current, the relay fuses open and separates the modules at safe voltages. This prevents further damage compared to relying on fuses alone or relay response times.

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Protection circuit using a resettable fuse like a PTC device with controllable switches to prevent damage when the fuse trips. The fuse is in series with the circuit and switches. When the fuse voltage exceeds a threshold, the switches open to isolate the fuse. After a determined time, the switches close again when the fuse resistance is expected to have reset. This prevents arcing and ignition in the fuse if overvoltage occurs while tripped.

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Dual protection thermal fuse with improved safety and reliability compared to single bimetallic strip thermal protectors. The dual protection thermal fuse has a housing with a partition inside. One side of the partition has a fixed thermal protector, and the other side has a fixed fuse. This creates a series circuit between the thermal protector and fuse. This provides redundant circuit protection by preventing short circuits from bypassing the thermal protection if the thermal protector fails. The fuse prevents overcurrent, and the thermal protector prevents excessive temperature. The dual protection prevents circuit failures if one component fails. The fuse has a threaded copper pillar for electrical connection. The housing has a blocking part near the pillar with a groove. The pillar has a convex part below the groove. This prevents dislodging of the pillar when the fuse blows.

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Fast-breaking, high-current fuse for electric vehicles that can quickly and accurately cut off power in case of failures or emergencies. The fuse has a heat generating device and a flow passing device. The flow passing device has separate left and right electrode pins with a center fuse connected between them. The pins have steps flush with the heat generating device. This allows heat conduction from the fuse to the pins, enabling fast response time. The fuse is located adjacent to the heat generating device to quickly react to its temperature.

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Thermal fuse structure to automatically disconnect electrical circuits when excessive heat is detected to prevent overheating and fires in electronic devices. The fuse has an insulating tube, vertical plate, springs, fusible alloy, limiting rod, pulley, and contact arm inside a housing. The fusible alloy melts at high temperature to break the circuit. The springs, rod, and pulley mechanism provide tension and motion to disconnect the contacts. The insulating tube isolates the fuse from the device's internal wiring.

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Fuse design for battery packs that provides reliable protection against both low overload and short circuits. The fuse has a trigger member that thermally deforms under high current conditions like overload. This pushes a separate contact knife to cut the fuse, protecting against overload faults. For short circuits, the fuse itself melts quickly to break the circuit. The trigger member is separate from the fuse, avoiding direct current flow. This allows safer and more effective circuit protection compared to conventional fuses.

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Fast breaking high current fuse for electric vehicles that can quickly disconnect power in case of faults to prevent safety issues. The fuse has a heating device to generate heat and a through-flow device with electrode pins that connects to the power circuit. The fuse also has a separate first fuse device adjacent to the heating element. This configuration allows the first fuse to quickly respond to the heat from the heating element, since it has a direct heat conduction path. This enables faster and more accurate fuse operation compared to a single fuse.

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Temperature fuse structure for electrical and electronic devices that automatically disconnects power when overheating occurs to prevent fires. The fuse has a housing connected to an insulating tube. Inside, a spring-loaded wedge slides on the housing wall. A contact moves between wires. When heat melts the fusible alloy, the wedge slides, compressing a spring and moving the contact to disconnect power. This prevents fire by breaking the circuit when components overheat.

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A compact battery protection device for improving integration and saving space in battery protection circuits. The device combines a fuse for electrical protection and a temperature sensor for thermal protection in a stacked configuration. This allows both electrical and temperature protection of the connected battery in a single, compact component. The fuse and sensor can be independent or share a pin. The device can be used in battery protection circuits to replace separate fuse and temperature sensors, reducing board space and improving integration.

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Power storage device design that improves safety by using cutouts in the connection terminal that connects the battery cells. The cutouts are placed perpendicular to the direction of the battery lines. This allows current to flow through the terminal and cells, but also provides visual indicators of any damaged cells since they won't have current flowing through the cutout. If a cell is damaged and the connection is broken, the fusing element in the cutout will blow to prevent further current flow. This isolates the damaged cell without affecting the other cells in the line. The cutouts allow identification of damaged cells and prevent propagation of failures through the battery pack.

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Battery cell design with integrated short circuit protection to prevent thermal runaway. The battery cell has a coil with electrodes and an electrical connection to the cell terminals. A safety fuse is added to electrically decouple the coil from the cell if a safety criterion is met, such as short circuit. The coil is made of materials with different electrical conductivity, and the coil and cell connections have insulation. This allows the coil to discharge heat during short circuit without overheating the cell, as the fuse cuts power.

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Battery design with internal fuses in individual cells to prevent thermal runaway propagation and explosions in high-energy batteries. The battery has a fuse in each cell that electrically isolates sections of the anode and cathode sheets during thermal runaway. This prevents failure in one cell from spreading to adjacent cells. The fuses divide the anode and cathode sheets into separate areas that are electrically isolated when the fuse melts at high temperature. The fuses help contain thermal runaway and prevent chain reactions between cells.

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Circuit protection device that provides repeated on-off protection at elevated temperatures while preventing permanent disconnection. The device has two connecting plates inside a housing. One plate has a fuse connected to a lead extending into the housing. The other plate has a bimetal-controlled contact. When the fuse temperature reaches a limit, it permanently disconnects. But below that temperature, the bimetal deforms to disconnect the contact. When the temperature drops, the bimetal returns to normal and reconnects. This provides repeatable on-off protection until fusing.

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Battery cell terminals with melting segments to prevent short circuits in high voltage battery packs. The terminals have multiple layers, with an inner segment having a lower melting point than the outer layers. If a cell shorts, the inner segment melts and separates the outer layers, preventing current flow. This isolates the faulty cell without needing fuses or complex electrical systems. The melting segment layers can be inside or outside the cell housing. The lower melting point material allows localized melting to prevent sparking. The segment material has a melting point below the cell's thermal runaway temperature.

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A fast-acting, high-current thermal fuse module for protecting components from overheating. The fuse has a housing, a first metal conductor inside, and a second metal conductor connected to the component. A fusible alloy connects the first and second conductors. When the component temperature rises, the fusible alloy melts, disconnecting power. The fuse design allows fast response time and can withstand high currents. It uses a bending in the first conductor inside the housing to enable the fuse to pop out when it melts. An elastic structure at the bend provides resilience.

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A fuse protection structure for temperature sensitive devices like electrical fuses that prevents overheating and short circuits while maintaining fuse protection. The structure has a movable temperature sensor connected to the fuse core. When the sensor detects high temperature, it pushes up the fuse core. This compresses a spring and shifts a fork to disconnect the circuit. The sensor also has an upper cover that moves with the core. When the cover contacts the sensor base, it activates an overheat protection device. This prevents the sensor from shorting the circuit. The design allows the sensor to measure temperature and cut off power if needed, while preventing false activations.

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Battery with internal fuses to prevent thermal runaway propagation and explosions. Each battery cell has fuses inside the anode and cathode sheets that isolate portions of the sheets during thermal runaway. This prevents runaway in one cell from spreading to adjacent cells. The fuses divide the anode and cathode into separate areas that electrically isolate when they reach a predefined temperature during runaway. This contains the failure to just the isolated area instead of propagating to the whole cell. The fuses can be in either the anode or cathode sheet or both. The battery may have multiple cells with internal fuses in each.

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