Relay

Abstract

Provided in the present disclosure is a relay, comprising a casing, an exciter and a valve assembly, wherein the casing has a pressure relief hole that extends through an inner wall surface and an outer wall surface of the casing; the exciter is mounted inside or on the casing, and is configured to be activated to release gas into the casing when a threshold current passes through the relay; and the valve assembly is mounted on the casing and covers the pressure relief hole, and is configured such that when the exciter has been activated and the gas pressure in the casing is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the valve assembly is ruptured by gas in the casing and opens the pressure relief hole.

Description

relay

[0001] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202423168630.8, filed on December 20, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of electrical control device technology, and more specifically, to a relay. Background Technology

[0003] A relay is an electronic control device that has a control system (also known as an input circuit) and a controlled system (also known as an output circuit), and is commonly used in automatic control circuits. Essentially, a relay is an "automatic switch" that uses a smaller current to control a larger current. Therefore, it plays a role in automatic adjustment, safety protection, and circuit switching in circuits.

[0004] During operation, when the short-circuit load is very large, the moving contact and stationary contact of the high-voltage DC relay may spring apart due to the electrodynamic repulsion generated by the short-circuit current, resulting in contact arcing. Because both the load short-circuit current and voltage are very high, the moving contact and stationary contact may instantly and violently arc, which could easily cause the relay to explode, posing a significant safety hazard. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a relay to address the problem that relays in related technologies are prone to explosion.

[0006] The relay in this application embodiment includes:

[0007] The housing has a pressure relief hole penetrating the inner and outer walls of the housing;

[0008] An exciter, disposed inside or on the housing, and configured to be activated to release gas into the housing when a threshold current passes through the relay; and

[0009] A valve assembly, mounted on the housing and covering the pressure relief port, is configured such that when the actuator is activated and the gas pressure inside the housing is greater than or equal to a threshold, the valve assembly is ruptured by the gas inside the housing and opens the pressure relief port.

[0010] According to some embodiments of this application, the housing also has a through hole penetrating the inner wall surface and the outer wall surface of the housing;

[0011] The exciter is installed on the outer wall of the housing and seals the through hole; when the exciter is activated, it releases gas into the housing through the through hole.

[0012] According to some embodiments of this application, at least a portion of the exciter is located within the through hole.

[0013] According to some embodiments of this application, the exciter is mounted on the outer wall of the housing via an adapter.

[0014] According to some embodiments of this application, the adapter includes an adapter sleeve and an adapter flange. One axial end of the adapter sleeve is connected to the outer wall surface of the housing, and the adapter flange is connected to the other axial end of the adapter sleeve and protrudes from the outer peripheral side of the adapter sleeve.

[0015] The exciter includes a body and an overlapping part. The body is inserted into the adapter sleeve, and the overlapping part is connected to the outer peripheral side of the body and overlaps the side surface of the adapter flange facing away from the housing.

[0016] According to some embodiments of this application, the adapter is made of plastic or wood.

[0017] According to some embodiments of this application, the housing includes an insulating cover and a yoke plate. The insulating cover is located on one side of the yoke plate in the thickness direction. The insulating cover has the through hole, and the yoke plate has the pressure relief hole. The exciter is mounted on the insulating cover, and the valve assembly is mounted on the yoke plate.

[0018] According to some embodiments of this application, the housing includes an insulating cover, the insulating cover including a top wall and a side wall connected to each other, one of the top wall and the side wall having the through hole and the other having the pressure relief hole.

[0019] According to some embodiments of this application, the valve assembly is configured to close the pressure relief port when the gas pressure inside the housing is less than the threshold.

[0020] According to some embodiments of this application, the housing is provided with multiple pairs of stationary contacts;

[0021] The relay also includes an internal component movably disposed inside the housing; the internal component includes a push rod member and a plurality of spaced movable contacts mounted on the push rod member, the plurality of movable contacts being used to contact or separate from a plurality of pairs of stationary contacts respectively.

[0022] According to some embodiments of this application, the structural strength of the valve assembly is less than the structural strength of the housing.

[0023] An embodiment of the above application has at least the following advantages or beneficial effects:

[0024] In this embodiment of the relay, when a threshold current passes through the relay, the exciter is activated, releasing gas into the housing. This causes the internal gas pressure to rise, rapidly reaching the threshold pressure and rupturing the valve assembly to open the pressure relief port. The gas inside the housing is then discharged to the outside through the pressure relief port, achieving pressure relief and preventing the housing from exploding. Therefore, this embodiment of the relay, through the coordinated action of the exciter and the valve assembly, achieves pressure relief by the exciter "actively" releasing gas into the housing and the valve assembly "actively" exploding. The valve assembly's explosion action is more timely and safer. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a relay according to an embodiment of this application.

[0026] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a relay according to an embodiment of this application.

[0027] Figure 3 shows a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the internal components.

[0028] The reference numerals in the attached drawings are explained as follows: 100. Housing; 101. Through hole; 110. Insulating cover; 111. Top wall; 112. Side wall; 120. Frame plate; 130. Yoke plate; 131. Pressure relief hole; 140. Metal cover; 200. Stationary contact; 300. Internal component; 310. Push rod component; 330. Moving contact plate; 340. Elastic element; 400. Valve assembly; 500. Actuator; 510. Body; 520. Overlapping part; 600. Adapter; 610. Adapter sleeve; 620. Adapter flange. Detailed Implementation

[0029] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this application will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and therefore their detailed description will be omitted.

[0030] It is understood that the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, in the embodiments of this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the steps or units listed, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or components inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0031] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the relay of this embodiment includes a housing 100, an actuator 500, and a valve assembly 400. The housing 100 has a pressure relief hole 131 penetrating both its inner and outer walls. The actuator 500 is installed inside or on the housing 100 and configured to release gas into the housing 100 when a threshold current passes through it. The valve assembly 400 is installed in the housing 100 and covers the pressure relief hole 131. It is configured to be ruptured by the gas inside the housing 100 and open the pressure relief hole 131 when the actuator 500 is activated and the gas pressure inside the housing 100 is greater than or equal to a threshold value. The threshold value refers to the minimum or maximum limit required for an effect, state, or system to occur, change, or be activated; it is also called a critical value or threshold threshold. When a certain quantity reaches or exceeds this specific value, it will switch from one state to another or trigger a specific action. The threshold current in this disclosure refers to a critical current value. When the current exceeds this critical value, the exciter 310 will be activated to generate gas. The threshold current of the relay in this embodiment can be set, for example, to 15kA to 20kA. In some other types of relays, the threshold current used to activate the exciter 310 is not limited to the above range and can be set according to different needs.

[0032] In this embodiment of the relay, when a threshold current passes through the relay, the exciter 500 is activated, releasing gas into the housing 100. This causes the internal gas pressure of the housing 100 to rise rapidly, quickly reaching the threshold pressure and breaking through the valve assembly 400 to open the pressure relief port 131. The gas inside the housing 100 is then discharged to the outside through the pressure relief port 131, achieving pressure relief and preventing the housing 100 from exploding. Therefore, this embodiment of the relay, through the synergistic action of the exciter 500 and the valve assembly 400, achieves pressure relief by the exciter 500 "actively" releasing gas into the housing 100 and the valve assembly 400 "actively" exploding. The explosion of the valve assembly 400 is more timely and safer.

[0033] In one embodiment, the valve assembly 400 is also configured to close the pressure relief port 131 when the gas pressure inside the housing 100 is less than a threshold.

[0034] Understandably, when the relay is in normal operating condition, the actuator 500 is not activated, and the gas pressure inside the housing 100 is less than the threshold. At this time, the valve assembly 400 is not ruptured by the gas inside the housing 100, and the valve assembly 400 remains closed to the pressure relief port 131. When the relay is in abnormal operating condition, the actuator 500 is activated, and the gas pressure inside the housing 100 is greater than or equal to the threshold. At this time, the valve assembly 400 is ruptured by the gas.

[0035] The structural strength of the valve assembly 400 is less than that of the housing 100. In other words, the ultimate strength of the valve assembly 400 is greater than the upper limit of the strength of the housing 100 during normal operation, but less than the ultimate strength of the housing 100.

[0036] The structural strength of the valve assembly 400 is less than that of the housing 100, which can be achieved by using different materials and / or different structures for the two. For example, in one embodiment, when the valve assembly 400 and the housing 100 are made of the same material, the thickness of the valve assembly 400 can be designed to be thinner and less than the wall thickness of the housing 100. In another embodiment, when the wall thickness of the valve assembly 400 and the housing 100 is the same, the valve assembly 400 can be made of ceramic material, while the housing 100 can be made of metal material. Of course, other suitable combinations can also be used to make the structural strength of the valve assembly 400 less than that of the housing 100, which will not be listed here.

[0037] It should be noted that the term "normal operating condition" refers to the relay current being at its rated operating condition, while the term "abnormal operating condition" refers to the relay current being at a high-current short-circuit moment or an overload trip moment. Furthermore, the pressure represented by the term "threshold" is slightly greater than the gas pressure within the housing 100 when the relay is in its normal operating condition. The threshold may be adjusted depending on the relay model, but it cannot exceed the structural strength of the housing 100.

[0038] In other words, when the relay is in normal working condition, the gas pressure inside the housing 100 will not reach this threshold, and the valve assembly 400 will not be ruptured. When the relay is in abnormal working condition, the gas pressure inside the housing 100 is greater than or equal to this threshold, and the valve assembly 400 can be ruptured by the gas.

[0039] As shown in Figure 1, the valve assembly 400 can be a plate-like structure, such as a circular plate-like structure, a rectangular plate-like structure, an oval plate-like structure, an elliptical plate-like structure, etc.

[0040] In addition, the valve assembly 400 can be made of materials such as ceramics and glass. Ceramic and glass materials are more brittle, making the valve assembly 400 more likely to be broken by gas, thus releasing the gas in a timely manner.

[0041] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the relay also includes an internal component 300, which is movably disposed within the housing 100 and configured to switch the state of the relay from a closed state to an open state and from an open state to a closed state in response to an input signal.

[0042] In one embodiment, the igniter 500 may include gunpowder. When a threshold current passes through the internal component 300, a large amount of gas is generated instantaneously in response to the ignition of the gunpowder. The release of this large amount of gas into the housing 100 instantaneously increases the gas pressure inside the housing 100.

[0043] For example, the exciter 500 can be an electric detonator or an electric detonating tube, but is not limited to this.

[0044] Furthermore, for threshold current monitoring, a Hall element can be used to monitor the magnetic field strength near the moving and stationary contacts to detect the current value passing through the internal component 300. Specifically, when current passes through the moving contact 330, a magnetic field is generated around it according to Ampere's law. The Hall sensor, located on the outer periphery of the housing 100, near the moving contact 330, senses this magnetic field and generates a Hall voltage. The magnitude of this Hall voltage is proportional to the current intensity passing through the moving contact 330. Therefore, by measuring the Hall voltage, the current value passing through the moving contact 330 can be indirectly obtained.

[0045] Of course, the monitoring of threshold current is not limited to the Hall element mentioned above. For example, it can also be a device that directly monitors the current value passing through the internal component 300 in the current loop.

[0046] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2. The housing 100 is an airtight housing. This airtight construction helps prevent arcing between adjacent conductive elements in the relay and helps provide electrical isolation between moving and stationary contacts.

[0047] The housing 100 may include an insulating cover 110, a frame 120, a yoke plate 130, and a metal cover 140. The insulating cover 110 and the frame 120 are located on one side of the thickness direction of the yoke plate 130, and the metal cover 140 is located on the other side of the thickness direction of the yoke plate 130.

[0048] In one embodiment, the insulating cover 110 is made of ceramic material and is connected to the yoke plate 130 via a frame plate 120. The frame plate 120 can be a ring-shaped metal part, such as an iron-nickel alloy. One end of the frame plate 120 is connected to the opening edge of the insulating cover 110, for example, by laser welding, brazing, resistance welding, or adhesive bonding. The other end of the frame plate 120 is connected to the yoke plate 130, also by laser welding, brazing, resistance welding, or adhesive bonding. The frame plate 120 is provided between the insulating cover 110 and the yoke plate 130 to facilitate the connection between them.

[0049] The insulating cover 110 includes a top wall 111 and a side wall 112. The top wall 111 is located at one end of the internal component 300, and the side wall 112 is located around the periphery of the internal component 300. A stationary contact 200 is mounted on the top wall 111. When the relay is in the closed state, the internal component 300 is in contact with the stationary contact 200; when the relay is in the open state, the internal component 300 is separated from the stationary contact 200. One end of the side wall 112 is connected to the edge of the top wall 111, and the other end of the side wall 112 is connected to the yoke plate 130 through a frame plate 120.

[0050] The sidewall 112 can be a rectangular ring structure, a circular ring structure, or a ring structure of other shapes. This application does not make any special limitation on this.

[0051] In one embodiment, the housing 100 further has a through hole 101 penetrating both the inner and outer wall surfaces of the housing 100; the exciter 500 is mounted on the outer wall surface of the housing 100 and seals the through hole 101. When the exciter 500 is activated, it releases gas into the housing 100 through the through hole 101. On the one hand, when assembling the exciter 500, it is convenient for operators to operate from outside the housing 100, providing a larger operating space and facilitating assembly; on the other hand, since the exciter 500 is mounted on the outer wall surface of the housing 100 and not inside the housing 100, it does not occupy the internal space of the housing 100, which is beneficial for achieving miniaturized relay design.

[0052] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG1, the insulating cover 110 has a through hole 101, the yoke plate 130 has a pressure relief hole 131, the exciter 500 is mounted on the insulating cover 110, and the valve assembly 400 is mounted on the yoke plate 130.

[0053] In other embodiments, the through hole 101 may also be formed on any one of the frame plate 120, the yoke plate 130, and the metal cover 140, and the pressure relief hole 131 may also be formed on any one of the frame plate 120, the yoke plate 130, and the metal cover 140. For example, when the through hole 101 is formed on the yoke plate 130, the exciter 500 is mounted on the yoke plate 130; when the pressure relief hole 131 is formed on the metal cover 140, the valve assembly 400 is mounted on the metal cover 140.

[0054] Furthermore, when the through hole 101 is formed in the insulating cover 110, the through hole 101 can be formed in the top wall 111 or the side wall 112 of the insulating cover 110; when the pressure relief hole 131 is formed in the metal cover 140, the pressure relief hole 131 can be formed in the top wall 111 or the side wall 112 of the insulating cover 110.

[0055] In one embodiment, the top wall 111 has a through hole 101 that penetrates the inner and outer wall surfaces of the top wall 111, and the exciter 500 is mounted on the outer wall surface of the top wall 111.

[0056] As shown in Figure 2, at least a portion of the exciter 500 is located within the through hole 101. Since at least a portion of the exciter 500 is located within the through hole 101, when the exciter 500 is activated, the gas generated by the exciter 500 can be quickly released into the interior of the housing 100 through the through hole 101, so that the gas pressure inside the housing 100 instantaneously reaches the threshold.

[0057] As shown in Figure 2, the exciter 500 is mounted on the outer wall of the top wall 111 of the insulating cover 110 via the adapter 600.

[0058] In this embodiment of the application, the exciter 500 is connected to the insulating cover 110 via the adapter 600 but is not directly connected to the insulating cover 110, which can prevent the heat generated when the relay is working from being transferred to the exciter 500 and causing the exciter 500 to be falsely triggered.

[0059] The adapter 600 can be made of a material with poor thermal conductivity, such as plastic or wood, which can further prevent the heat from the insulating cover 110 from being transferred to the exciter 500.

[0060] In one embodiment, the adapter 600 includes an adapter sleeve 610 and an adapter flange 620. One axial end of the adapter sleeve 610 is connected to the outer wall surface of the housing 100, and the adapter flange 620 is connected to the other axial end of the adapter sleeve 610 and protrudes from the outer peripheral side surface of the adapter sleeve 610. The actuator 500 includes a body 510 and an overlapping portion 520. The body 510 passes through the adapter sleeve 610, and the overlapping portion 520 is connected to the outer peripheral side surface of the body 510 and overlaps the side surface of the adapter flange 620 facing away from the housing 100. The body 510 contains gunpowder.

[0061] In another embodiment, the adapter 600 may also include only an adapter sleeve 610, one axial end of which is connected to the top wall 111 of the insulating cover 110, and the other end is connected to the exciter 500.

[0062] In another embodiment, a transition flange 620 is provided at each of the two axial ends of the adapter sleeve 610, one of the transition flanges 620 is connected to the top wall 111 of the insulating cover 110, and the other transition flange 620 is connected to the exciter 500.

[0063] It is understood that the adapter 600 and the insulating cover 110, as well as the adapter 600 and the exciter 500, can be connected by welding, gluing, or other methods, and this application does not impose any special restrictions on this.

[0064] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the internal component 300 includes a push rod member 310, a moving contact 330, and an elastic element 340. The moving contact 330 is mounted on the push rod member 310 and is used to contact or separate from the stationary contact 200. The elastic element 340 is used to provide contact pressure to the moving contact 330. Specifically, when the relay is in the closed state, the moving contact 330 is in contact with the stationary contact 200; when the relay is in the open state, the moving contact 330 is separated from the stationary contact 200.

[0065] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the relay also includes multiple pairs of stationary contacts 200. The internal component 300 includes multiple elastic elements 340 and multiple spaced-apart moving contacts 330. The moving contacts 330 are mounted on the push rod component 310 and are used to contact or separate from the multiple pairs of stationary contacts 200 respectively. The multiple elastic elements 340 correspond to the multiple moving contacts 330. Each moving contact 330 corresponds to a pair of stationary contacts 200. When the relay is in the closed state, the multiple moving contacts 330 are in contact with the multiple pairs of stationary contacts 200; when the relay is in the open state, the multiple moving contacts 330 are separated from the multiple pairs of stationary contacts 200.

[0066] In the embodiments of this application, multiple moving contacts 330 are mounted on the same push rod component 310, and each moving contact 330 corresponds to a pair of stationary contacts 200. When the push rod component 310 moves, multiple moving contacts 330 move simultaneously, thereby achieving the effect of "single-drive multiple-action", which is conducive to the miniaturization and integration of the relay size, and at the same time reduces the cost of the product to a certain extent.

[0067] In summary, the relays of the embodiments of this application have at least the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0068] In this embodiment of the relay, when a threshold current passes through the relay, the exciter 500 is activated, releasing gas into the housing 100. This causes the internal gas pressure of the housing 100 to rise rapidly, quickly reaching the threshold pressure and breaking through the valve assembly 400 to open the pressure relief port 131. The gas inside the housing 100 is then discharged to the outside through the pressure relief port 131, achieving pressure relief and preventing the housing 100 from exploding. Therefore, this embodiment of the relay, through the synergistic action of the exciter 500 and the valve assembly 400, achieves pressure relief by the exciter 500 "actively" releasing gas into the housing 100 and the valve assembly 400 "actively" exploding. The explosion of the valve assembly 400 is more timely and safer.

[0069] It is understood that the various embodiments / implementations provided in this application can be combined with each other without creating contradictions, and will not be described one by one here.

[0070] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance; the term "multiple" refers to two or more unless otherwise expressly defined. The terms "install," "connect," "link," and "fix" should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connect" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; "link" can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0071] In the description of the embodiments of the application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or unit referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of the application.

[0072] In the description of this specification, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "specific embodiment," etc., refer to a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example, which is included in at least one embodiment or example of the claims. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0073] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the application examples and are not intended to limit the application examples. For those skilled in the art, the application examples can have various modifications and variations. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the application examples should be included within the protection scope of the application examples.

Claims

1. A relay, characterized in that, include: The housing has a pressure relief hole penetrating the inner and outer walls of the housing; An exciter, installed inside or on the housing, is configured to release gas into the housing when a threshold current passes through the relay. as well as A valve assembly, mounted on the housing and covering the pressure relief port, is configured such that when the actuator is activated and the gas pressure inside the housing is greater than or equal to a threshold, the valve assembly is ruptured by the gas inside the housing and opens the pressure relief port.

2. The relay according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing also has a through hole penetrating the inner and outer walls of the housing; The exciter is installed on the outer wall of the housing and seals the through hole; when the exciter is activated, it releases gas into the housing through the through hole.

3. The relay according to claim 2, characterized in that, At least a portion of the exciter is located within the through hole.

4. The relay according to claim 2, characterized in that, The exciter is mounted on the outer wall of the housing via an adapter.

5. The relay according to claim 4, characterized in that, The adapter includes an adapter sleeve and an adapter flange. One axial end of the adapter sleeve is connected to the outer wall surface of the housing, and the adapter flange is connected to the other axial end of the adapter sleeve and protrudes from the outer peripheral side of the adapter sleeve. The exciter includes a body and an overlapping part. The body is inserted into the adapter sleeve, and the overlapping part is connected to the outer peripheral side of the body and overlaps the side surface of the adapter flange facing away from the housing.

6. The relay according to claim 4, characterized in that, The adapter is made of plastic or wood.

7. The relay according to claim 2, characterized in that, The housing includes an insulating cover and a yoke plate. The insulating cover is located on one side of the yoke plate in the thickness direction. The insulating cover has the through hole. The yoke plate has the pressure relief hole. The exciter is mounted on the insulating cover. The valve assembly is mounted on the yoke plate.

8. The relay according to claim 2, characterized in that, The housing includes an insulating cover, which includes a connected top wall and a side wall, one of which has the through hole and the other has the pressure relief hole.

9. The relay according to claim 1, characterized in that, The valve assembly is configured to close the pressure relief port when the gas pressure inside the housing is less than the threshold.

10. The relay according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing is equipped with multiple pairs of stationary contacts; The relay also includes an internal component movably disposed inside the housing; the internal component includes a push rod member and a plurality of spaced movable contacts mounted on the push rod member, the plurality of movable contacts being used to contact or separate from a plurality of pairs of stationary contacts respectively.

11. The relay according to claim 1, characterized in that, The structural strength of the valve assembly is less than that of the housing.

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