Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Kazuo Osaki

Takao Takatsu

Yoshiharu Takasaki

Kensuke Nakatani

Hisashi Hashimoto

Takamasa Yamazoe

Shizuo Okano

Tatsuhito H&oslash;riuchi

The method of fuse manufacture has a step to fabricate a metal plate with an overall long narrow shape, with a plurality of rows of connecting pieces having separated tips and connected aft ends, and with the tip of each connecting piece arranged in a straight line; a step to connect the tips of adjacent connecting pieces by welding wire to the connecting piece tip regions which are arranged in a straight line; a step to treat two adjacent connecting pieces as a unit, to cut the wire between each two-connecting piece unit for separation, and to detach each individual connecting piece; and a step to bend the wire, connecting each cut two-connecting piece unit, to form the pair of connecting pieces into a straight line.

Method of fuse manufacture and a battery pack containing that fuse

A power source is provided with a holder-case housing a plurality of slender power modules. Cooling-air passes through on the surfaces of power modules by passing air through the holder-case. An air-duct is formed in the holder-case and intermediate air-inlets are opened in a central portion of the air-duct. A plurality of rows of power modules housed in the holder-case are cooled by the air inhaled from the intermediate air-inlets.

Power source containing rechargeable batteries

A thermostat comprises a first laminated metal plate and a second laminated metal plate in which a plurality of metal layers having different rates of expansion are laminated. The first laminated metal plate has a movable contact. The second laminated metal plate is disposed in such a position as to put the first laminated metal plate to the off and on positions. The first and second off temperatures, which put the movable contact in the off position by causing the first and second laminated metal plates to deform, and the first and second return temperatures, which return the movable contact from the off position to the on position, are set respectively at different temperatures.

Thermostat and battery pack containing the thermostat

The battery pack for electric power tools of this invention has a circuit breaker connected in series with the batteries to protect those batteries from abnormal temperature or abnormal current by cutting-off the current. The circuit breaker is provided with a manual reset mechanism wherein even if the temperature sensing element is cooled, automatic reset will not occur. The circuit breaker must be manually reset. After the circuit breaker detects battery abnormality and cuts-off current, the current cut-off state is maintained until the manual reset mechanism is operated.

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Mihara-gun, Japan

Kazuo Osaki