Stepped Relay Housing Layout to Prevent Contact Voltage Breakdown
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Relays with auxiliary contacts face high and low voltage breakdown risks due to close proximity between main and auxiliary contacts during arcing, compromising safety and stability.
Innovation Solution
The relay design includes auxiliary contacts arranged outside the housing, spaced apart from stationary contacts, with arc extinguishing devices and magnetic members to prevent high and low voltage breakdowns, enhancing detection reliability and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If auxiliary contacts are arranged close to main contacts to simplify structure, then device complexity is reduced, but high and low voltage breakdown risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a stepped structure that creates vertical dimensional separation between auxiliary contacts and main contacts. The first stepped portion and second stepped portion are arranged at different heights, forming a stepped isolation structure that increases the electrical distance between high voltage and low voltage contacts without increasing horizontal footprint, thus resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and voltage breakdown prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing with stepped portions acts as an intermediary structure between the auxiliary contacts and main contacts. This intermediate structure provides physical and electrical isolation, creating a buffer zone that prevents direct voltage breakdown while maintaining a compact overall design.
2Reliability
If auxiliary contacts are spaced far from stationary contacts to prevent voltage breakdown, then reliability is improved, but detection precision may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The stepped structure enables vertical separation of contacts while maintaining horizontal proximity. The auxiliary contacts on the first stepped portion and stationary contacts on the second stepped portion are separated in the vertical dimension, preventing voltage breakdown, while their horizontal positions remain aligned for accurate operating state detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing provides localized isolation through stepped portions at specific locations, allowing auxiliary contacts to be spaced appropriately from stationary contacts only where voltage breakdown risk exists, while maintaining close proximity elsewhere for detection accuracy.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures safer and more reliable detection of operating states by preventing voltage breakdowns and improving the working stability of the relay.
Implementation Method 1
arc extinguishing devices and magnetic members to prevent high and low voltage breakdowns
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A relay (100) is provided. The relay (100) includes a housing (13), a contact assembly and an auxiliary contact assembly. The contact assembly includes movable contacts (12), stationary contacts (11) and a movable contact bridge (17), where the movable contacts (12) are adapted to move towards or away from the stationary contacts (11) under the driving of the movable contact bridge (17). The auxiliary contact assembly includes an auxiliary contact bridge and auxiliary contacts (16), where at least portion of each of the auxiliary contacts (16) extends into the housing (13), and the auxiliary contact bridge moves synchronously with the movable contact bridge (17) to be selectively and electrically connected to the auxiliary contacts (16). The housing (13) includes a top surface and stepped portions (132). The top surface is spaced apart from the stepped portion (132) in the movement direction of the movable contact bridge (17) or the auxiliary contact bridge. The stationary contacts (11) are arranged on the top surface of the housing (13), and a portion of each of the auxiliary contacts 16 arranged outside the housing (13) is arranged on each of the stepped portions (132).