Relay

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of electrical control, in particular to a relay which comprises a relay assembly and a cooling assembly, the relay assembly comprises a shell, an electromagnetic adjusting piece, two static contacts and a closing element, and a closing bridge of the closing element is made of a shape memory material. The contact state of the movable contact and the static contact is controlled by presenting different shapes at different temperatures; and the cooling assembly is provided with a capillary network, a cooling tank, radiating fins, an exhaust fan and the like which are wound outside the static contact, and is also provided with instantaneous temperature control structures such as an infrared temperature sensor and an atomizing nozzle and the like. The technical effects that the on-off of the circuit can be effectively controlled, meanwhile, key components such as the static contact are efficiently cooled through the cooling assembly, and it is ensured that the relay stably works under the high-load condition are achieved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electrical control, and particularly relates to a relay. BACKGROUND

[0002] Electromagnetic relays play a crucial role in modern electrical systems, and with the continuous development of power systems and the increasing degree of industrial automation, the demand for relays that can reliably control high-load circuits is also growing. In today's society, whether it is large-scale industrial production workshops, small-scale commercial sites, or even smart home systems in daily life, all cannot do without the stable operation of electrical systems. As an indispensable key component in electrical systems, the performance of electromagnetic relays directly affects the safety and reliability of the entire system. As one of the common types, normally closed relays are widely used in various scenarios that require power protection or emergency shutdown functions. For example, in the fields of power transmission, industrial production equipment, and transportation, normally closed relays can quickly cut off the circuit in abnormal situations to ensure the safety of equipment and personnel. Its stability and reliability directly affect the normal operation of the entire electrical system, and play an important role in improving the safety and stability of the system, and are an important foundation for ensuring the stable operation of electrical systems.

[0003] In the design of traditional normally closed electromagnetic relays, in order to realize the on-off control of the circuit, the method of driving the armature to move by electromagnetic force is generally used. By changing the energization state of the electromagnetic coil, the magnetic field is generated or eliminated, thereby attracting or releasing the armature, driving the connected contacts to realize closing or opening. This method is simple and direct, and is a more common approach. In addition, some relays use mechanical springs to assist the reset of the armature to ensure that the contacts can be restored to the normally closed state in time when the power is off. At the same time, some relays use special contact materials to improve the conductivity and wear resistance, further ensuring the service life and working efficiency of the relay. In addition, some relays also optimize the structure design, such as adjusting the movement trajectory and stroke of the armature, to more accurately control the closing and opening of the contacts. In addition, some relays also use sealing structures to prevent external dust, moisture, etc. from eroding the internal components, prolonging the service life of the relay.

[0004] However, the traditional normally closed electromagnetic relay has obvious limitations in dealing with high load circuits. Because high load circuits generate a large amount of heat during operation, if this heat exceeds the temperature limit of the relay design, it will cause the relay to fail prematurely, and in severe cases, it will cause the relay to catch fire. Once the relay fails prematurely, it cannot normally implement the on-off control of the circuit, which may cause the electrical system to be in an unstable operating state, affecting the normal operation of the equipment. In addition, the relay fire will cause serious safety accidents, causing great harm to equipment and personnel. In addition, high temperature can also cause the temperature of the contacts inside the relay to rise, causing the contacts to deform and wear out, etc. These problems may cause the contact performance of the relay to decline, even cause the phenomenon of sticking, and cannot reliably implement the on-off control of the circuit, seriously affecting the stability and reliability of the relay in a high load environment. SUMMARY

[0005] In order to overcome the above technical problems, the present application provides a relay.

[0006] The relay provided by the present application adopts the following technical scheme: A relay, comprising a relay assembly, the relay assembly comprising a housing, an electromagnetic adjusting member, two static contacts and a closing element, the two static contacts being arranged at intervals, the closing element comprising an armature and a contact element, the armature being connected to the contact element through an insulating connecting piece, the closing element being movably arranged in the housing, the closing element having a closed position and an open position, the electromagnetic adjusting member being used to drive the armature to move the closing element from the closed position to the open position, the contact element comprising a closing bridge, the closing bridge having a movable contact at both ends for cooperating with the static contact, the closing bridge being made of a shape memory material designed to assume a first shape when its temperature is below a critical temperature, and to assume a second shape when its temperature is above the critical temperature, when the closing element is in the closed position and the closing bridge assumes the first shape, the movable contact simultaneously contacts the static contact corresponding to itself, and the static contacts are electrically connected to each other through the contact element, when the closing element is in the closed position and the closing bridge assumes the second shape, one of the movable contacts does not contact the static contact corresponding to itself, and when the closing element is in the open position, the movable contacts do not contact the static contacts.

[0007] By adopting the above technical scheme, the closing bridge made of shape memory material changes shape according to temperature change, realizes different contact states of the moving contact and the stationary contact, closes the conduction circuit at normal low temperature, and causes partial disconnection due to deformation of the closing bridge at high temperature, so that overheating damage caused by continuous high load current can be avoided, and the safety and stability of the relay are improved; meanwhile, the electromagnetic adjusting member can drive the closing element to move from the closed position to the disconnected position, and control the working circuit to be cut off.

[0008] Optionally, the cooling assembly further comprises a capillary network wound outside the stationary contact and a cooling tank for storing the first cooling medium, the cooling tank being connected with the capillary network through a delivery pipeline and a return pipeline, and the delivery pipeline being provided with a first liquid pump.

[0009] By adopting the above technical scheme, the cooling assembly is added in the relay, the first cooling medium is circulated and delivered by the capillary network wound outside the stationary contact and the first liquid pump, heat exchange between the first cooling medium in the capillary network and the stationary contact is utilized to effectively reduce the temperature of the stationary contact and prevent overheating, so that the stable operation of the relay under high load is further ensured, the service life is prolonged, and the abnormal state of the relay caused by shape change of the closing bridge due to high temperature is avoided, and normal operation of the relay is ensured.

[0010] Optionally, the return pipeline is provided with a heat dissipation fin, and one side of the heat dissipation fin is provided with an exhaust fan.

[0011] By adopting the above technical scheme, the heat dissipation fin and the exhaust fan work cooperatively to accelerate heat dissipation of the cooling medium and improve heat exchange efficiency.

[0012] Optionally, the first cooling medium is deionized water.

[0013] By adopting the above technical scheme, the use of deionized water as the first cooling medium avoids the influence of impurities in water on the safety and performance of the circuit when leakage occurs in the pipeline, and also prevents scaling and blockage of the pipeline.

[0014] Optionally, the cooling assembly further comprises an infrared temperature sensor, a control assembly, an atomizing nozzle and a second cooling medium, the infrared temperature sensor is arranged in the shell for real-time monitoring of the temperature of the stationary contact, the atomizing nozzle is arranged in the shell and has a spraying direction towards the stationary contact, the second cooling medium is arranged in a cooling cavity at the bottom of the shell, the atomizing nozzle is connected with the cooling cavity through a cooling pipeline, the cooling pipeline is provided with a second liquid pump, and the infrared temperature sensor and the second liquid pump are signal-connected with the control assembly.

[0015] By adopting the technical scheme, the infrared temperature sensor monitors the temperature of the stationary contact in real time, and sends the current temperature to the control assembly, the control assembly monitors the temperature change of the stationary contact in real time, when the temperature exceeds the preset threshold value (the preset threshold value is equal to the deformation critical temperature of the shape memory material), the control assembly starts the second liquid pump to make the second cooling medium in the cooling cavity sprayed to the stationary contact through the atomizing nozzle, and the temperature of the stationary contact is further reduced. In the case that the working circuit is disconnected, the atomizing nozzle mainly reduces the temperature of the stationary contact, and secondarily reduces the temperature of the closed bridge. With the working of the atomizing nozzle, the temperature of the stationary contact is reduced, and the closed bridge gradually returns to the original state. When the temperature is lower than the preset threshold value, the second liquid pump continues to work for a few seconds and then stops working, so as to ensure that the relay is normal when it is closed next time, effectively avoid the mechanical stress damage caused by frequent temperature fluctuations, realize better protection of the electromagnetic relay, and improve the overall system reliability and stability.

[0016] Optionally, the second cooling medium is perfluoropolyether alkyl ether.

[0017] By adopting the technical scheme, perfluoropolyether alkyl ether is used as the second cooling medium, which has excellent insulation and thermal stability, and is non-toxic. This substance lacks hygroscopicity and is not soluble in organic solvents, and only has mutual solubility in perfluoro oil or fluoron 113 (triamine trifluoroethane). This property makes it almost harmless to plastics and rubbers, so it does not affect the insulation shell.

[0018] Optionally, the cooling cavity is connected with the shell through a one-way valve, and the one-way valve is used to control the flow direction of the second cooling medium in the shell to the cooling cavity.

[0019] By adopting the technical scheme, the one-way valve enables the second cooling medium accumulated in the shell to flow to the cooling cavity, so as to facilitate recycling and reuse of the second cooling medium, improve the use efficiency of the cooling medium, reduce the cost, and ensure stable operation of the cooling system.

[0020] Optionally, the shell comprises a working chamber arranged at the top and a control chamber arranged below the working chamber, the stationary contact and the contact element are arranged in the working chamber, the armature and the electromagnetic adjusting member are arranged in the control chamber, a sliding groove is arranged in the control chamber for reciprocating movement of the armature in the vertical direction, a spring is arranged at the bottom of the sliding groove, the electromagnetic adjusting member comprises at least one coil that can be energized, the coil is arranged outside the sliding groove and surrounds the armature, and a magnetic field generated when the coil is energized drives the armature to move downward in the vertical direction.

[0021] By adopting the technical scheme, the relay assembly is divided into a working chamber and a control chamber, so that the static contact, the contact element, the armature and the electromagnetic adjusting member are reasonably distributed, and the rationality of the internal structure layout of the relay is improved; the slide groove arranged in the control chamber enables the armature to reciprocate in the vertical direction, so that the stability of the movement of the armature is ensured; the spring arranged at the bottom of the slide groove can push the armature, so that the armature drives the closing bridge to complete the contact closing action through the insulating connecting piece, and the contact is ensured to be tightly contacted; the coil generates a magnetic field to drive the armature to move downward in the vertical direction, and the stable switching of the closing element between the closing position and the opening position can be realized.

[0022] To sum up, the present application has at least one of the following beneficial technical effects: 1. The closing bridge is made of shape memory material, which changes shape when the temperature changes, causing the working circuit to be disconnected, avoiding the relay from catching fire due to continuous temperature rise, realizing reliable on-off control of the circuit, and improving the stability and reliability of the relay in a high load environment; 2. The cooling assembly circulates the first cooling medium through the capillary network and the cooling tank to continuously cool the static contact, reducing the heat generated by the high load circuit; 3. The arrangement of the heat dissipation fins and the exhaust fan enhances the heat dissipation effect of the first cooling medium, further reducing the temperature of the static contact; 4. The infrared temperature sensor monitors the temperature of the static contact in real time, and the atomizing nozzle sprays the second cooling medium to form a cooling mist to instantaneously cool the static contact, rapidly reducing the temperature. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a relay provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a relay provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] Marked as follows: 1 - shell; 101 - working chamber; 102 - control chamber; 1021 - slide groove; 2 - static contact; 3 - armature; 4 - insulating connecting piece; 5 - closing bridge; 6 - moving contact; 7 - spring; 8 - coil; 9 - capillary network; 10 - cooling tank; 11 - outlet pipeline; 12 - return pipeline; 13 - first liquid pump; 14 - heat dissipation fin; 15 - exhaust fan; 16 - infrared temperature sensor; 17 - atomizing nozzle; 18 - cooling cavity; 19 - second liquid pump; 20 - cooling pipeline; 21 - one-way valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following will be described in detail in combination with the accompanying Figures 1-2 The present application will be further described in detail.

[0027] An embodiment of the present application discloses a relay.

[0028] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 A relay includes a relay assembly and a cooling assembly, wherein the cooling assembly cools the relay assembly, effectively avoiding the damage of the heat generated by the high load circuit to the relay, and improving the stability and reliability of the relay in the high load environment.

[0029] Specifically, the relay assembly includes a housing 1, an electromagnetic adjusting member, two static contacts 2 and a closing element. The housing 1 protects the internal elements, and its shape can be square, circular and other forms, and can be made of insulating and high-temperature resistant plastic or ceramic material. The housing 1 includes a working chamber 101 arranged at the top and a control chamber 102 arranged below the working chamber 101. The two static contacts 2 are arranged in the working chamber 101 of the housing 1, and the static contacts 2 are usually made of copper alloy or other materials with good conductivity, and the surface can be treated with silver plating to improve the conductivity and wear resistance. The shape of the static contact 2 can be sheet-shaped, columnar, etc., and in this embodiment, the static contact 2 is cylindrical to ensure good contact with the moving contact 6.

[0030] The closing element includes an armature 3 and a contact element, and the armature 3 is connected to the contact element through an insulating connecting piece 4. The armature 3 is usually made of soft magnetic material, such as pure iron, silicon steel, etc., which can quickly respond under the action of the magnetic field, and the residual magnetism is small after the magnetic field disappears, but in this embodiment, the armature 3 needs to move under the action of the electromagnetic adjusting member, so it needs to use permanent magnetic material with its own magnetic field, such as aluminum-nickel-cobalt permanent magnet alloy, iron-chromium-cobalt permanent magnet alloy or permanent ferrite. The insulating connecting piece 4 is made of plastic or rubber with good insulation performance, which is used to isolate the armature 3 and the contact element to avoid current conduction. The closing element is movably arranged in the housing 1, and it has a closed position and an open position. The contact element includes a closing bridge 5, and the closing bridge 5 is provided with a moving contact 6 at both ends for cooperation with the static contact 2, and the material and treatment method of the moving contact 6 are similar to those of the static contact 2. The material of the closing bridge 5 is a shape memory material, which is designed to make the closing bridge 5 present a first shape when its temperature is below a critical temperature, and make the closing bridge 5 present a second shape when its temperature is above the critical temperature. Common shape memory materials include nickel-titanium alloy, etc., which has unique memory characteristics.

[0031] When the closing element is in the closed position and the closing bridge 5 is in the first shape, the moving contact 6 is simultaneously in contact with its corresponding stationary contact 2. The stationary contacts 2 are electrically connected to each other through contact elements, and the circuit is in a conducting state. When the closing element is in the closed position and the closing bridge 5 is in the second shape, one of the moving contacts 6 is not in contact with its corresponding stationary contact 2, and the circuit is open. When the closing element is in the open position, neither of the moving contacts 6 is in contact with the stationary contacts 2, and the circuit is also in a disconnected state.

[0032] The electromagnetic adjustment component is used to drive the closed element to move from the closed position to the open position. It includes at least one energized coil 8, which is located outside the slide 1021 within the control chamber 102 for the armature 3 to move, and surrounds the armature 3. When the coil 8 is energized, it generates a magnetic field, which drives the armature 3 to move downward in the vertical direction by utilizing the principle of magnetic field interaction.

[0033] To move the closed element, which is not affected by the electromagnetic adjustment component, to the closed position, the control chamber 102 is provided with a slide 1021 for the armature 3 to reciprocate vertically. A spring 7 is provided at the bottom of the slide 1021. The spring 7 at the bottom of the slide 1021 can push the armature 3, causing the armature 3 to drive the closing bridge 5 through the insulating connector 4 to complete the contact closing action, ensuring tight contact. The spring 7 can be a rubber spring, and its elastic coefficient should be selected according to the actual requirements.

[0034] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, specifically, the cooling assembly includes a capillary network 9 located outside the stationary contact 2 and a cooling tank 10 for storing the first cooling medium. The cooling tank 10 is connected to the capillary network 9 via a destination pipe 11 and a return pipe 12. A first liquid pump 13 is located at the destination pipe 11. The capillary network 9 comprises a grid composed of capillaries spaced 5-15 mm apart. These capillaries are tightly wound around the stationary contact 2, increasing the contact area and facilitating heat transfer. The first cooling medium is deionized water, which has good thermal conductivity and is non-conductive, thus not affecting the internal circuitry of the relay and preventing scaling and clogging of the capillary network 9. The first liquid pump 13 is used to circulate the first cooling medium between the capillary network 9 and the cooling tank 10, achieving heat exchange. The first liquid pump 13 can be a centrifugal pump, characterized by high flow rate and high head.

[0035] The circuit pipe 12 is provided with heat dissipation fins 14, and one side of the heat dissipation fins 14 is provided with an exhaust fan 15. The heat dissipation fins 14 are usually made of metal with good heat conductivity, such as aluminum alloy, and can be in the shape of a sheet. The sheet-shaped heat dissipation fins 14 increase the heat dissipation area and accelerate heat dissipation. The exhaust fan 15 is used to accelerate air flow and take away the heat on the heat dissipation fins 14, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency. The exhaust fan 15 can be a centrifugal fan, which has a large air pressure and can better pass through the gaps between the heat dissipation fins 14.

[0036] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the cooling assembly further comprises an infrared temperature sensor 16, a control assembly, an atomizing nozzle 17 and a second cooling medium. The infrared temperature sensor 16 is arranged in the shell 1 to point to the part of the stationary contact 2 that is not wrapped by the capillary network 9, and is used to monitor the temperature of the stationary contact 2 in real time. It can quickly and accurately detect the temperature change of the stationary contact 2. The infrared temperature sensor 16 can be a thermocouple infrared sensor, which has high sensitivity; or a pyroelectric infrared sensor, which has fast response speed. The control assembly receives the signal of the infrared temperature sensor 16 and controls the start and stop of the second liquid pump 19 according to the temperature condition. The atomizing nozzle 17 is arranged in the shell 1 and has a spraying direction towards the stationary contact 2. The second cooling medium is arranged in a cooling cavity 18 at the bottom of the shell 1. The atomizing nozzle 17 is connected to the cooling cavity 18 through a cooling pipe 20, and the second liquid pump 19 is arranged at the cooling pipe 20. The second cooling medium is perfluoropolyether alkyl ether, which has good chemical stability and insulation performance, can remain stable at high temperature, is non-toxic, lacks hygroscopicity and is not soluble in organic solvents, only has mutual solubility in perfluoro oil or fluoron 113 (triamine trifluoroethane), and has little harmful effect on plastics and rubbers, so it has little effect on the insulating shell 1. When the temperature of the stationary contact 2 is too high (i.e. when the temperature exceeds the critical temperature of the shape memory material), the control assembly controls the second liquid pump 19 to start, and the second cooling medium is sprayed onto the stationary contact 2 through the atomizing nozzle 17 to achieve cooling.

[0037] The implementation principle of the relay according to an embodiment of the application is as follows: in a high-load circuit, the relay generates a large amount of heat when working. The first cooling medium in the cooling assembly is circulated through the capillary network 9 constantly, and the heat generated by the stationary contact 2 is taken away, and then the heat is dissipated through the heat dissipation fins 14 and the exhaust fan 15. At the same time, the infrared temperature sensor 16 monitors the temperature of the stationary contact 2 in real time, and when the temperature is too high, the control assembly controls the second liquid pump 19 to start, and the second cooling medium is sprayed to the stationary contact 2 to further cool it. Moreover, the closing bridge 5 in the closing element is made of shape memory material, and when the temperature exceeds the critical temperature, the shape of the closing bridge 5 changes, so that the moving contact 6 is separated from the stationary contact 2, and the circuit is disconnected, thereby avoiding damage to the relay caused by continuous temperature rise. This design effectively solves the problems of early failure, fire and contact caused by heat of the traditional normally closed electromagnetic relay in a high-load circuit, and improves the stability and reliability of the relay in a high-load environment.

[0038] The above are preferred embodiments of the application, and do not limit the protection scope of the application, so: any equivalent changes made according to the structure, shape, principle of the application should be covered within the protection scope of the application.

Claims

1. A relay characterized by comprising: The application relates to a relay assembly comprising a housing (1), an electromagnetic adjusting element, two static contacts (2) arranged at intervals, and a closing element comprising an armature (3) and a contact element, the armature (3) being connected to the contact element through an insulating connecting element (4), the closing element being movably arranged in the housing (1), the closing element having a closed position and an open position, the electromagnetic adjusting element being used to drive the armature (3) to move the closing element from the closed position to the open position, the contact element comprising a closing bridge (5), the closing bridge (5) having movable contacts (6) arranged at both ends and used to cooperate with the static contacts (2), the closing bridge (5) being made of a shape memory material, the shape memory material being designed to make the closing bridge (5) present a first shape when the temperature of the closing bridge (5) is lower than a critical temperature, and to make the closing bridge (5) present a second shape when the temperature of the closing bridge (5) is higher than the critical temperature, when the closing element is in the closed position and the closing bridge (5) presents the first shape, the movable contacts (6) are in contact with the static contacts (2) corresponding to the movable contacts (6) respectively, and the static contacts (2) are electrically connected to each other through the contact element, when the closing element is in the closed position and the closing bridge (5) presents the second shape, one of the movable contacts (6) is not in contact with the static contact (2) corresponding to the movable contact (6), when the closing element is in the open position, the movable contacts (6) are not in contact with the static contacts (2). The relay assembly further comprises a cooling assembly, the cooling assembly comprising a capillary network (9) wound around the static contacts (2) and a cooling tank (10) used to store a first cooling medium, the cooling tank (10) being connected to the capillary network (9) through a delivery pipeline (11) and a return pipeline (12), the delivery pipeline (11) being provided with a first liquid pump (13).

2. The relay according to claim 1, characterized in that The return pipeline (12) is provided with a heat dissipation fin (14), one side of the heat dissipation fin (14) being provided with an exhaust fan (15).

3. The relay according to claim 2, characterized in that The first cooling medium is deionized water.

4. The relay of claim 2, wherein The cooling assembly further comprises an infrared temperature sensor (16), a control assembly, an atomizing nozzle (17) and a second cooling medium, the infrared temperature sensor (16) being arranged in the housing (1) and used to monitor the temperature of the static contacts (2) in real time, the atomizing nozzle (17) being arranged in the housing (1) and having a spraying direction towards the static contacts (2), the second cooling medium being arranged in a cooling cavity (18) at the bottom of the housing (1), the atomizing nozzle (17) being connected to the cooling cavity (18) through a cooling pipeline (20), the cooling pipeline (20) being provided with a second liquid pump (19), the infrared temperature sensor (16) and the second liquid pump (19) being signal-connected to the control assembly.

5. The relay of claim 2, wherein The second cooling medium is a perfluoropolyether alkyl ether.

6. The relay according to claim 5, characterized in that ​ 7. The relay of claim 5, wherein The cooling cavity (18) is communicated with the shell (1) through a one-way valve (21) for controlling the flow of the second cooling medium in the shell (1) to the cooling cavity (18).

8. The relay of claim 5, wherein The shell (1) comprises a working chamber (101) arranged at the top and a control chamber (102) arranged below the working chamber (101), the stationary contact (2) and the contact element are arranged in the working chamber (101), the armature (3) and the electromagnetic adjusting member are arranged in the control chamber (102), the control chamber (102) is provided with a sliding groove (1021) for the reciprocating movement of the armature (3) in the vertical direction, the bottom of the sliding groove (1021) is provided with a spring (7), the electromagnetic adjusting member comprises at least one coil (8) which can be electrified, the coil (8) is arranged outside the sliding groove (1021) and surrounds the armature (3), and the magnetic field generated when the coil (8) is electrified drives the armature (3) to move downward in the vertical direction.

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