Relay

Abstract

Provided is a relay having a structure capable of ensuring a sufficient insulation distance even with a small size. This relay includes: a base mold part having an electromagnet; an armature mold part having a movable contact spring provided with a movable contact capable of coming into contact with and separating from the base mold part in conjunction with the operation of the electromagnet; a pair of make terminals provided to the base mold part and each having a make fixed contact; and a base spring formed integrally with the base mold part and conductively connected to the movable contact spring. A pair of contact sets constituted by each of the make fixed contacts and the movable contact are arranged in series via the base spring.

Description

relay

[0001] The present invention relates to a relay.

[0002] Electromagnetic relays (relays) mounted in devices with significant space constraints, such as communication devices and medical devices, are desired to be miniaturized. In addition, relays are known in which a movable contact spring member constituting a contact section is configured to connect a terminal fixed to a substrate with a contact spring element having a movable contact by combining them with each other. The contact section includes a movable contact spring member having a movable contact and a fixed contact member having a fixed contact facing the movable contact, and the pair of contacts performs both the functions of breaking a load and conducting current.

[0003] There are known relays for communication and the like that have a two-pole structure with a pair of break terminals, a pair of common terminals, and a pair of make terminals. Some two-pole relays have one break terminal and one make terminal connected to a common terminal, and are configured so that only one of the pair of break terminals or the pair of make terminals is closed when an electromagnet is turned on or off.

[0004] Patent Publication No. 2023-546233 Patent Publication No. 2024-505298 Chinese Utility Model Application Publication No. 218939543

[0005] In small relays used for communication applications, etc., the insulation distance between each component is limited due to their small size, making it difficult to achieve higher insulation performance.

[0006] Therefore, there is a demand for a relay that is small in size but has a structure that can ensure a sufficient insulation distance.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is a relay comprising: a base mold portion having an electromagnet; an armature mold portion having a movable contact spring with a movable contact that can be moved toward or away from the base mold portion in response to activation of the electromagnet; a pair of make terminals provided on the base mold portion, each having a fixed make contact; and a base spring formed integrally with the base mold portion and conductively connected to the movable contact spring, wherein a pair of contact sets formed by each of the fixed make contacts and the movable contact are arranged in series via the base spring.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, by adopting 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.

[0009] 1. A perspective view of a relay according to an embodiment. 2. A perspective view showing an armature molded part of the relay of FIG. 1. 3. A perspective view of the armature molded part of FIG. 2, seen from a different angle. 4. A view in which some of the components are omitted from FIG. 1 for clarity. 5. A view in which some of the components are omitted from FIG. 2 for further clarity. 6. A view schematically showing a terminal configuration of the relay of FIG. 1. 7. A perspective view of a relay according to a comparative example. 8. A view in which the molded part is omitted from FIG. 7. 9. A view schematically showing a terminal configuration of the relay of FIG. 7. 10. A plan view of an insert part before processing. 11. A plan view of an insert part after processing. 12. A perspective view of an insert part after processing. 13. A perspective view showing a molded product obtained by insert molding using the insert part of FIG. 12. 14. A perspective view showing a state in which unnecessary terminals have been removed from the molded product of FIG. 13. 15. A partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of the break terminal of the relay of FIG. 7. 16. A partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of a make terminal fixing spring of the relay of FIG. 1.

[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 equipment, communication equipment, etc. The relay 10 has a base molded portion 12, an armature molded portion 14 configured to be movable relative to the base molded portion 12, and a cover that covers the molded portions 12 and 14. Note that the cover is not shown in Fig. 1 to clarify the internal structure of the relay 10.

[0011] 2 and 3 show an example of the structure of the armature mold 14. The armature mold 14 has a permanent magnet 15, an armature 16, and a movable contact spring 18, which are integrally formed by, for example, molding. The central portion of the armature mold 14 is formed from resin 17, and the central portion of the armature 16 is covered with resin 17. The permanent magnet 15 is provided in the central portion below the armature mold 14, and the armature 16 is in contact with the permanent magnet 15 and is therefore magnetic. The tip of the movable contact spring 18 is bifurcated, and a movable contact 19 is provided at each tip.

[0012] In order to clarify the internal structure of the relay 10, Fig. 4 omits the permanent magnet 15, armature 16, and resin 17 of the armature mold portion 14. In addition, Fig. 5 is a diagram in which the movable contact spring 18 is further omitted from Fig. 4 for further clarity. The base mold portion 12 has a coil 20 constituting an electromagnet, an iron core 22 disposed so as to penetrate the bobbin of the coil 20, a pair of coil terminals 24 for supplying current to the coil 20, a base spring 30, a pair of make terminals 32, and a pair of fixed make contacts 34 attached to the make terminals 32, which are integrally molded by insert molding as described below.

[0013] The coil 20 and the iron core 22 act as electromagnets when power is supplied from an external power source (not shown) connected to the coil terminals 24, but this action may be the same as that of the prior art, so a detailed description will be omitted. The operation of the relay 10 shown in Figures 1 to 5 will be described below using as an example the case where the relay 10 is operated as a non-latching relay.

[0014] The armature 16 of the armature mold 14 is attracted to the iron core 22 in response to the operation of the electromagnet, allowing it to rotate around its center. In the state shown in Figure 1, the armature mold 14 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise. The armature mold 14 is also urged counterclockwise in Figure 1 by the urging force of the movable contact spring 18. When the coil 20 is not energized, the armature 16 on the left side in Figure 1 is attracted to the iron core 22 on the left side by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 15 provided in the armature mold 14, and this state is maintained.

[0015] When current is applied to the coil terminals 24 to turn on the relay 10, the electromagnet generates a magnetic force in a direction that attracts the right armature 16 to the right iron core 22 in Figure 1. This causes the armature mold 14 to rotate clockwise, attracting the right armature 16 to the right iron core 22, closing the make contacts and allowing current to flow from one make terminal 32 to the other.

[0016] By providing a copper material or the like on the armature 16 on the right side (make side) in the figure, it is possible to make the attractive force of the right armature 16 lower than that of the left armature 16. Therefore, when the supply of current to the coil 20 is stopped, the spring force of the movable contact spring 18 causes the armature mold 14 to rotate counterclockwise and return to its original position. This opens the contact pairs, and current between the make terminals 32 is stopped. Even if the supply of current to the coil 20 is then stopped, the magnetic force of the magnet 15 inside the armature mold 14 maintains the right armature 16 and the right iron core 22 in an attracted state.

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

[0018] Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a relay 100 according to a comparative example, and Fig. 8 is a view in which the base mold portion 112 is omitted from Fig. 7. Note that parts that are the same as those in the relay 10 are designated by reference numerals in which the number "1" is added to the beginning of the reference numerals of the components of the relay 10, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0019] The 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 drawing. A movable break contact 129 is attached to the left side of the movable contact spring 118 in the drawing. A fixed break contact 128 is attached to the upper end of the break terminal 133 in the drawing. As shown in Figure 6, which schematically shows the terminal configuration of the relay 100, in the 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 armature mold 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 armature mold 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 for the relay 10 will be described. Fig. 10 is a plan view of an insert component 40 before processing. The insert component 40 is a component that includes portions that will ultimately be formed into the coil terminal 24, the make terminal 32, the base spring 30, etc., and is made of a conductive material such as metal.

[0022] The portion indicated by reference numeral 42 in Fig. 10 is removed by pressing or the like, and predetermined portions are bent or the like to obtain an insert part 40 as shown in Fig. 11 and Fig. 12. In Fig. 11 and Fig. 12, the portions formed into the coil terminal 24, the fixed break contact 28, the base spring 30, the make terminal 32, and the fixed make contact 34 are given the same reference numerals.

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

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

[0025] Below, the advantageous effects obtained by relay 10 will be explained, comparing it with relay 100. Fig. 15 is a partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of break terminal 133 of relay 100. The withstand voltage between the coil contacts depends on the distance between the coil terminal and the break terminal, so in relay 100 which has break terminal 133, the distance d1 between coil terminal 124 and break terminal 133 is a factor on which the withstand voltage between the coil contacts depends.

[0026] In contrast, relay 10 does not have a break terminal, so the distance d2 between end 50 of the movable contact spring closest to coil terminal 124 and coil terminal 124 in Figure 15 is a factor on which the withstand voltage between the coil contacts of relay 10 depends. Although it depends on the shape and size of the relay, d2 can be set to about 1.5 times d1, which makes it possible to significantly increase the withstand voltage between the coil contacts of relay 10, which does not have a break terminal. In recent years, the applications of communication relays have expanded, creating a need for relays without break terminals, and relay 10 is also suitable for such applications.

[0027] In a two-pole relay without a component equivalent to the base spring 30, the insert part 40 has a single-sided support structure, in which the movable spring at each pole is essentially connected to a single joint. With this structure, part A (see FIG. 12 ), which is supported on only one side, moves during insert molding, reducing the positional accuracy of part A. As a result, the positional and dimensional accuracy of the movable contact spring attached to part A may also be reduced. However, the single-pole relay 10 of this embodiment has the base spring 30 located approximately in the center of the relay 10's width, thereby achieving a two-sided support structure in the insert part 40. This structure prevents the base spring 30, which is supported on both sides, from moving during insert molding, thereby improving the positional and dimensional accuracy of the movable spring welded to the base spring 30. The width direction of the relay 10 refers to the arrangement direction of the pair of coil terminals 24 or make terminal 32, which is perpendicular to the axial direction of the coil 20.

[0028] Furthermore, since the base spring 30 is formed integrally with the base molded portion 12, for example by being partially embedded in the resin that forms the base molded portion 12, the positioning accuracy of the base spring 30 can be improved compared to when the base spring 30 is provided in the movable armature molded portion 14, which is particularly advantageous when the relay 10 is small or ultra-small.

[0029] FIG. 16 is a partially enlarged view showing the vicinity of the fixed make contact 34 of the relay 10. As described with reference to FIG. 6 , in the relay 10, two contact sets, each consisting of two fixed make contacts 34 and a movable contact, are connected in series via the base spring 30. In each contact set in FIG. 16 , the distance between each fixed make contact 34 and the movable contact 19 is d3. The insulation performance between the open contacts depends on the distance between the contacts. However, since the relay 10 does not have the break terminal 133 and common terminal 135 provided in the relay 100 and has a structure in which the contact sets are separated into two, the distance between the open contacts in the example of FIG. 16 is twice d3. Therefore, the withstand voltage between the terminals of the open contacts can be significantly increased compared to a relay with the contact configuration shown in FIG. 9 .

[0030] 16, a wall 52 made of a non-conductive material is preferably provided between the iron core 22 and a contact set consisting of the movable contact 19 and the fixed make contact 34. The non-conductive material may be, for example, the same material as the resin that constitutes the base molded portion 12, or may be molded integrally as part of the base molded portion 12. In the example of FIG. 16, the wall 52 increases the insulation distance between adjacent contact sets generally in the left-right direction, thereby increasing the withstand voltage between adjacent contact sets.

[0031] 10, 110 Relay, 12 Base molded portion, 14 Armature molded portion, 15 Permanent magnet, 16 Armature, 18, 118 Movable contact spring, 20 Coil, 22 Iron core, 24 Coil terminal, 128 Fixed break contact, 30 Base spring, 32, 132 Make terminal, 34, 134 Fixed make contact, 40 Insert part, 50 End, 52 Wall, 133 Break terminal, 135 Common terminal

Claims

1. A relay comprising: a base molded section having an electromagnet; an armature molded section having a movable contact spring with a movable contact that can be moved toward or away from the base molded section in response to the operation of the electromagnet; a pair of make terminals provided on the base molded section, each having a fixed make contact; and a base spring formed integrally with the base molded section and conductively connected to the movable contact spring, wherein a pair of contact sets formed by each of the fixed make contacts and the movable contact are arranged in series via the base spring.

2. The relay according to claim 1, wherein the base spring is disposed at approximately 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 that forms the base molded portion.

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

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