AC Contactor Asymmetric Yoke Support Stroke Adjustment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing alternating current contactors lack protection for their coils and have complex designs due to the need for surge suppressors, which complicate assembly and manufacturing, and suffer from limited adjustability leading to reliability issues.

Innovation Solution

An alternating current contactor with a magnetic yoke support structure featuring asymmetric eccentric design, allowing for adjustable mounting and buffering, and integrated surge suppressor mounting that simplifies assembly and manufacturing by using different thickness sidewalls and identifying members for precise alignment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a surge suppressor is mounted inside the product near the coil, then the coil is protected under special environments, but the mounting groove or concave hole must be provided which occupies large area and complicates the base design and mold manufacturing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoil protectionVSAvoidbase design complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The surge suppressor is extracted from the internal mounting near the coil and relocated to mount on the outer surface of the base. This extraction eliminates the need for internal mounting grooves or concave holes, simplifying the base structure and mold design while maintaining the coil protection function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Ease of manufacture

If the magnetic yoke support uses a symmetric non-eccentric structure, then the mold manufacturing process is simple, but the total stroke of the contactor cannot be adjusted if dimensional deviations occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemold manufacturing simplicityVSAvoidtotal stroke adjustability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The magnetic yoke support is designed with an asymmetric eccentric structure where the thickness of sidewalls at two sides differs. This asymmetry enables adjustment of the total stroke by changing the assembly direction of the magnetic yoke support, allowing compensation for dimensional deviations while keeping the mold manufacturing process simple.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

3Adaptability or versatility

If the sidewalls of magnetic yoke support are different in thickness, then the total stroke can be adjusted by changing assembly direction, but the structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetotal stroke adjustabilityVSAvoidmagnetic yoke support structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The magnetic yoke support employs an asymmetric eccentric structure with different thickness sidewalls, enabling total stroke adjustment through directional assembly changes. This design achieves adaptability while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing processes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

4Ease of operation

If identifying members are added to distinguish different thickness sidewalls, then the assembly process becomes more convenient, but the manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly convenienceVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses identifying members (such as differentiating marks or visual indicators) on the magnetic yoke support to distinguish between sidewalls of different thicknesses. This enables workers to quickly identify the correct assembly orientation, improving assembly convenience while the identifying members themselves are simple features that do not significantly increase manufacturing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

Data Source

PatentEP3389073B1Alternating-current contactor
Publication Date: 2020.09.16 ZHEJIANG CHINT ELECTRIC CO LTD
  • EP3389073B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3389073B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3389073B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

An alternating current contactor comprises a base and a magnetic yoke. The magnetic yoke is mounted on a bottom plate of the base. A magnetic yoke support for supporting and buffering the magnetic yoke is respectively provided at two sides of the magnetic yoke, wherein sidewalls at two sides of each magnetic yoke support, which are connected with the magnetic yoke are different in thickness. The magnetic yoke support of the alternating current contactor of the utility model has a simple structure due to the arrangement of an asymmetric eccentric structure. The up-down position of the magnetic yoke relative to the bottom plate of the base can be adjusted by changing an assembly direction of the magnetic yoke supports, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the total stroke of the product with high flexibility. When a dimension of a housing of a plastic part is abnormal, the magnetic yoke has a certain adjustment amount to ensure that the integral assembly of the product can be completed and the efficiency and reliability can be improved.