This invention relates to laminated bus bars, and more particularly to a high capacitance bus bar in which a plurality of multilayer ceramic capacitors are positioned in the bar between adjacent conductor strips. Even more particularly, this invention relates to improved bus bars containing multi-layer ceramic capacitors which are mounted in the bars in such manner that they are capable of withstanding very high laminating pressures without fracturing.
One of the major problems heretofore encountered in the production of laminated bus bars of the type containing ceramic capacitors has been the tendency of the capacitors readily to fracture during the lamination process, or even during subsequent use. With proper manufacturing procedures this problem can be substantially obviated when single layer capacitors are employed, such as taught for example by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,778,735; 4,266,091 and 4,430,522. Moreover, even when multilayer ceramic capacitors are employed in such bus bars, the problem can be minimized provided the capacitors or chips are mounted in registering openings in the metal strip conductors to which they are connected, as shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,321.
Heretofore, however, it has not been possible satisfactorily to incorporate multilayer capacitors of the ceramic variety directly between and in contact with the adjacent strip conductors of the laminated bus bar. In such cases the ceramic capacitors are usually fractured by the laminating forces which are transmitted by the metal conductor strips directly against the opposed surfaces of the ceramic capacitors. It has been discovered that a primary reason for this fracture is attributable to the presence of the relatively thick, metal end terminations, which are formed on opposite ends of the capacitor to interconnect its alternate and intervening electrode layers, respectively. When these end terminations are stressed during lamination, the forces applied thereto tend to shatter or fracture the capacitor.
It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide an improved, laminated bus bar containing multilayer ceramic capacitors which are sandwiched directly between adjacent conductor strips of the bar.
Another object of this invention is to provide improved laminated bus bars of the type described which are designed to prevent laminating pressures from being applied to the electrode terminations of the ceramic capacitors in the bar, and also to prevent any undesirable shorting of the terminations on adjacent conductors.
Still a further object of this invention is to provide an improved multilayer ceramic capacitor which is particularly suited for use in laminated bus bars of the high capacitance variety.
Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the specification and from the recital of the appended claims.