relay

Abstract

To provide a relay with a structure that ensures sufficient insulation distance even when it is small. [Solution] The relay 10 comprises a base molded portion 12 having an electromagnet, a contactor molded portion 14 having a movable contact spring 18 equipped with a movable contact 19 that can move toward and away from the base molded portion 12 in accordance with the operation of the electromagnet, a pair of make terminals 32 provided on the base molded portion 12, each having a make fixed contact 34, and a base spring 30 integrally formed with the base molded portion 12 and electrically connected to the movable contact spring 18, wherein a pair of contact sets, each consisting of a make fixed contact 34 and a movable contact 19, are arranged in series via the base spring 30.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a relay.

Background Art

[0002] Electromagnetic relays (relays) mounted on devices with large space constraints such as communication devices and medical devices are desired to be miniaturized. In addition, relays are known that are configured such that a movable contact spring member constituting a contact portion connects a terminal fixed to a substrate and a contact spring element having a movable contact in combination with each other. The contact portion has a movable contact spring member having a movable contact and a fixed contact member having a fixed contact opposing the movable contact, and a pair of contacts performs both functions of interrupting and energizing a load.

[0003] Relays for communication and the like having a two-pole structure having a pair of break terminals, a pair of common terminals, and a pair of make terminals are known. In a relay having a two-pole structure, one break terminal and one make terminal are connected to a common common terminal, and only one of the pair of break terminals or the pair of make terminals is configured to close in accordance with the ON / OFF of an electromagnet.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In a small relay for communication applications and the like, due to its small size, there is a limit to the insulation distance between members, and it has been difficult to obtain higher insulation performance.

[0006] Therefore, a relay with a structure that can ensure sufficient insulation distance even when small is desirable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is a relay comprising: a base mold portion having an electromagnet; an axle mold portion having a movable contact spring equipped with a movable contact that can move toward and away from the base mold portion in accordance with the operation of the electromagnet; a pair of make terminals provided on the base mold portion, each having a make fixed contact; and a base spring integrally formed on the base mold portion and electrically connected to the movable contact spring, wherein a pair of contact sets, each composed of the make fixed contact and the movable contact, are arranged in series via the base spring. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, by using a single-pole structure in which the contacts of the two make terminals are connected in series, the insulation distance between the open contacts can be increased, resulting in a relay with improved insulation performance. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of the relay according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the affix molded portion of the relay. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of the axis mold section in Figure 2 from a different angle. [Figure 4] Figure 1 is a diagram in which some of the components have been omitted from the illustration for clarity. [Figure 5] Figure 2 is a diagram in which some of the components have been omitted from the illustration for further clarity. [Figure 6] This diagram schematically shows the terminal configuration of the relay shown in Figure 1. [Figure 7] This is a perspective view of a relay related to a comparative example. [Figure 8]It is a figure in which the illustration of the mold part is omitted in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] It is a figure schematically showing the terminal configuration of the relay in FIG. 7. [Figure 10] It is a plan view of the insert part before processing. [Figure 11] It is a plan view of the insert part after processing. [Figure 12] It is a perspective view of the insert part after processing. [Figure 13] It is a perspective view showing a molded product obtained by insert molding using the insert part of FIG. 12. [Figure 14] It is a perspective view showing a state where unnecessary terminals are cut off from the molded product of FIG. 13. [Figure 15] It is a partial enlarged view showing the vicinity of the break terminal of the relay in FIG. 7. [Figure 16] It is a partial enlarged view showing the vicinity of the make terminal fixing spring of the relay in FIG. 1.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a relay 10 according to an embodiment. The relay 10 is a small or ultra-small relay used in medical devices, communication devices, etc. The relay 10 has a base mold part 12, a contactor mold part 14 configured to be movable with respect to the base mold part 12, and a cover covering the mold parts 12 and 14. In FIG. 1, the cover is omitted for clarity of the internal structure of the relay 10.

[0011] Figures 2 and 3 show a structural example of the pole mold part 14. The pole mold part 14 has a permanent magnet 15, a pole 16, and a movable contact spring 18, which are integrally formed by, for example, mold molding. The central part of the pole mold part 14 is formed of resin 17, and the central part of the pole 16 is covered with the resin 17. A permanent magnet 15 is provided at the central part on the lower side of the pole mold part 14, and the pole 16 is in contact with the permanent magnet 15 and has magnetism. The tip of the movable contact spring 18 is bifurcated, and movable contacts 19 are provided at the tip parts thereof respectively.

[0012] Figure 4 is a view in which the permanent magnet 15, the pole 16, and the resin 17 of the pole mold part 14 are omitted for clarity of the internal structure of the relay 10. Further, Figure 5 is a view in which the movable contact spring 18 is further omitted from Figure 4 for further clarity. The base mold part 12 has a coil 20 constituting an electromagnet, an iron core 22 arranged to penetrate the winding frame of the coil 20, a pair of coil terminals 24 for energizing the coil 20, a base spring 30, a pair of make terminals 32, and a pair of make fixed contacts 34 attached to the make terminals 32, which are integrally formed by insert molding described later.

[0013] The coil 20 and the iron core 22 act as an electromagnet by power supply from an external power source (not shown) connected to the coil terminals 24. Since the operation is the same as that of the prior art, detailed description thereof is omitted. Hereinafter, the operation of the relay 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 will be described by taking the case where the relay 10 operates as a non-latching relay as an example.

[0014] The axle molded portion 14 is rotatable around its central point, as the axle 16 is attracted to the iron core 22 in response to the operation of the electromagnet. In the state shown in Figure 1, the axle molded portion 14 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise. The axle molded portion 14 is also biased counterclockwise in Figure 1 by the biasing force of the movable contact spring 18. When the coil 20 is not energized, the left axle 16 in Figure 1 is attracted to the left iron core 22 by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 15 provided inside the axle molded portion 14, and this state is maintained.

[0015] When current is applied to the coil terminal 24 to turn on the relay 10, the electromagnet generates a magnetic force in a direction that causes the right axole 16 in Figure 1 to be attracted to the right core 22. As a result, the axole mold portion 14 rotates clockwise, causing the right axole 16 to be attracted to the right core 22, closing the make contact and allowing current to flow from one make terminal 32 to the other.

[0016] By providing copper material or the like on the right-hand (make-up) axole 16 in the diagram, the attractive force of the right-hand axole 16 can be made lower than that of the left-hand axole 16. Therefore, when the current to the coil 20 is stopped, the axole molded part 14 rotates counterclockwise due to the spring force of the movable contact spring 18 and returns to its original position. As a result, each contact set opens and the current between the make-up terminals 32 is stopped. Even if the current to the coil 20 is stopped after this, the magnetic force of the magnet 15 inside the axole molded part 14 maintains the state in which the right-hand axole 16 and the right-hand iron core 22 are attracted to each other.

[0017] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the terminal configuration of relay 10. Relay 10 does not have a break terminal or a common terminal, and has two pairs of contact sets consisting of a make fixed contact 34 and a movable contact 19. These two pairs of contact sets are connected in series via a base spring 30, in other words, relay 10 has a single-pole structure. The base spring 30 is integrally formed with the base molded part 12, not the abutment molded part 14, and is connected to the movable contact spring 18 at its end 31 by welding or the like.

[0018] Figure 7 is a perspective view of relay 100 according to a comparative example, and Figure 8 is a diagram in which the base mold portion 112 is omitted from Figure 7. Parts similar to those of relay 10 are represented by reference numerals with "1" added to the beginning of the reference numerals of the components of relay 10, and detailed explanations are omitted.

[0019] Relay 100 has two coil terminals 124 and two make terminals 132, as well as two break terminals 133 and two common terminals 135. A movable contact spring 118 is attached to the upper end of the common terminal 135 in the diagram. A break movable contact 129 is attached to the left side of the movable contact spring 118 in the diagram. A break fixed contact 128 is attached to the upper end of the break terminal 133 in the diagram. As shown schematically in Figure 6, which illustrates the terminal configuration of relay 100, in relay 100, one break terminal 133, one common terminal 135, and one make terminal 132 constitute one pole, resulting in an overall two-pole structure.

[0020] In the comparative example, when the axle mold portion 114 rotates counterclockwise in Figure 7, the break movable contact 129 and the break fixed contact 128 close, and the make fixed contact 134 and the make movable contact 119 open. This allows current to flow between the common terminal 135 and the break terminal 133. On the other hand, when the axle mold portion 114 rotates clockwise, the make fixed contact 134 and the make movable contact 119 close, allowing current to flow between the common terminal 135 and the make terminal 132.

[0021] Next, a specific example of a part of the manufacturing process of the relay 10 will be described. Figure 10 is a plan view of the insert part 40 before processing. The insert part 40 is a component that includes parts that will ultimately be formed into coil terminals 24, make terminals 32, base springs 30, etc., and is formed from a conductive material such as metal.

[0022] By cutting off the portion indicated by reference numeral 42 in Figure 10 by press working or the like, and then bending the predetermined portion, an insert part 40 as shown in Figures 11 and 12 can be obtained. In Figures 11 and 12, the portions formed into the coil terminal 24, the break fixing contact 28, the base spring 30, the make terminal 32, and the make fixing contact 34 are given the same reference numerals.

[0023] Next, as shown in Figure 13, a base mold portion 12 in which the base spring 30 is embedded is formed by insert molding using the insert component 40. Then, as shown in Figure 14, unnecessary parts are removed and the terminals are bent, etc., to obtain the base mold portion 12 as shown in Figure 1.

[0024] At the stage shown in Figure 13, in addition to the break fixed contact 28, there are also parts corresponding to the break terminal 133 and common terminal 135 of the comparative example relay 100, so it is also possible to manufacture a two-pole relay 100 from the base molded part 12 in the state shown in Figure 13.

[0025] The following explains the advantages of relay 10, comparing it with relay 100. Figure 15 is a partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of the break terminal 133 of relay 100. Since the withstand voltage between coil contacts depends on the distance between the coil terminal and the break terminal, in relay 100, which has a break terminal 133, the distance d1 between the coil terminal 124 and the break terminal 133 becomes a factor on which the withstand voltage between coil contacts depends.

[0026] In contrast, since relay 10 does not have a break terminal, the distance d2 between the end 50 of the movable contact spring closest to the coil terminal 124 in Figure 15 and the coil terminal 124 becomes a factor on which the withstand voltage between the coil contacts in relay 10 depends. Depending on the shape and size of the relay, d2 can be made to about 1.5 times d1, so the withstand voltage between the coil contacts can be greatly increased in relay 10, which does not have a break terminal. In recent years, the applications of communication relays have expanded, and there is a need for relays without break terminals, and relay 10 is suitable for such applications.

[0027] In a two-pole relay that does not have a component equivalent to the base spring 30, the insert component 40 has a single-sided support structure where there is essentially only one joint for the movable spring at each pole. In such a structure, when insert molding is performed, part A in Figure 12, which is supported on only one side, moves, reducing the positional accuracy of part A. As a result, the accuracy of the position and dimensions of the movable contact spring attached to part A may also decrease. However, in the one-pole relay 10 according to this embodiment, the base spring 30 is located approximately in the center of the width direction of the relay 10, thereby realizing a double-sided support structure with essentially two locations in the insert component 40. With such a structure, the base spring 30, which is supported on both sides, does not move during insert molding, and as a result, the accuracy of the position and dimensions of the movable spring welded to the base spring 30 can be improved. The width direction of the relay 10 refers to the direction of arrangement of the pair of coil terminals 24 or make terminals 32, and is perpendicular to the axial direction of the coil 20.

[0028] Furthermore, since the base spring 30 is integrally formed with the base mold portion 12, such as by being partially embedded in the resin forming the base mold portion 12, the positioning accuracy of the base spring 30 can be improved compared to when it is provided on the movable axle mold portion 14, which is particularly advantageous when the relay 10 is small or ultra-small.

[0029] Figure 16 is a partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of the make fixed contact 34 of relay 10. As explained using Figure 6, in relay 10, two contact sets, each consisting of two make fixed contacts 34 and a movable contact, are connected in series via a base spring 30. In each contact set in Figure 16, the distance between each make fixed contact 34 and the movable contact 19 is d3. The insulation performance between open contacts depends on the distance between the contacts, but relay 10 does not have the break terminal 133 and common terminal 135 provided in relay 100, and the contact set has a structure divided into two, so in the example of Figure 16, the distance between contacts when the contacts are open is equivalent to twice d3. Therefore, the withstand voltage between the terminals of the open contacts can be greatly increased compared to a relay with a contact configuration like that of Figure 9.

[0030] As shown in Figure 16, it is preferable to provide a wall 52 made of a non-conductive material between the contact set, which consists of the movable contact 19 and the fixed contact 34, and the iron core 22. The non-conductive material can be, for example, the same material as the resin that constitutes the base mold part 12, or it can even be integrally molded as part of the base mold part 12. The wall 52 can increase the insulation distance between adjacent contact sets in the left-right direction in the example of Figure 16, and can increase the withstand voltage between adjacent contact sets. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0031] 10,110 relay, 12 base mold part, 14 axle mold part, 15 permanent magnets, 16 abutments, 18,118 movable contact springs, 20 coils, 22 Iron core, 24 Coil terminals, 128 Break fixed contact, 30 Base spring, 32,132 make terminals, 34,134 make fixed contacts, 40 insert components, 50 End, 52 Wall, 133 Break terminal, 135 Common terminal

Claims

1. A base mold part having an electromagnet, A contactor molded portion having a movable contact spring equipped with a movable contact that can move toward and away from the base molded portion in accordance with the operation of the electromagnet, A pair of make terminals are provided on the base mold portion, each having a make fixing contact, The base mold portion comprises a base spring integrally formed with the base mold portion and electrically connected to the movable contact spring, A relay in which a pair of contact sets, each consisting of the aforementioned fixed contacts and the aforementioned movable contacts, are arranged in series via the aforementioned base spring.

2. The relay according to claim 1, wherein the base spring is positioned approximately in the center of the relay in the width direction.

3. The relay according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the base spring is partially embedded in the resin forming the base mold portion.

4. The relay according to claim 1 or 2, which does not have a break terminal.

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