Patent Grant
10153115
This application claims benefit of priority under 35 USC 119 based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-002332 filed on Jan. 11, 2017, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to an electromagnetic contactor that performs opening and closing of a current path.
As an electromagnetic contactor that performs opening and closing of a current path, for example, an electromagnetic contactor described in US 2008/0084260 A1 has been conventionally known.
The electromagnetic contactor in US 2008/0084260 A1 includes a main contact mechanism that includes a pair of main fixed contacts and a main movable contact that is contactable with and separable from the pair of main fixed contacts, an auxiliary contact mechanism that operates in conjunction with the main movable contact, and an electromagnet unit that drives the main movable contact of the main contact mechanism.
The electromagnetic contactor in US 2008/0084260 A1 has a structure in which lead wires of the electromagnet unit and the auxiliary contact mechanism that are housed inside a device case are led out of a portion of the device case to the outside.
To connect the electromagnetic contactor in US 2008/0084260 A1 to another electrical component disposed in a current path, it is required to fit a terminal block and connection components such as a ferrule to the lead wires and to connect the connection components to lead wires of the another electrical component. For this reason, there is a problem in that the contact device in US 2008/0084260 A1 requires a large amount of effort and time for connection work of connecting another electrical component.
Accordingly, the present invention is made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electromagnetic contactor that enables electrical connection work of connecting the electromagnetic contactor to another electrical component disposed in a current path to be performed easily and efficiently.
In order to achieve the above-described object, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electromagnetic contactor including: a main contact portion; an auxiliary contact portion that operates in conjunction with the main contact portion; a contact housing case that houses the main contact portion and the auxiliary contact portion; an electromagnet unit that drives the main contact portion and the auxiliary contact portion; at least a pair of auxiliary contact electrodes that are connected to a pair of fixed contacts of the auxiliary contact portion and project out of a case wall to an outside; and an auxiliary contact external terminal portion that is connected to the auxiliary contact electrodes and is arranged on the case wall.
According to an electromagnetic contactor according to the present invention, it is possible to carryout electrical connection work of connecting the electromagnetic contactor to another electrical component disposed in a current path to be performed easily and efficiently.
The object and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention.
Next, with reference to the accompanying drawings, first to ninth embodiments according to the present invention will be described. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar reference signs are assigned to the same or similar composing elements. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and relations between thicknesses and planar dimensions, ratios among thicknesses of respective layers, and the like are different from actual ones. Therefore, specific thicknesses and dimensions should be determined in consideration of the following description. It should also be noted that the drawings include portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios from each other.
In addition, the first to ninth embodiments, which will be described below, indicate devices and methods to embody the technical idea of the present invention, and the technical idea of the present invention does not limit the materials, shapes, structures, arrangements, and the like of the constituent components to those described below. The technical idea of the present invention can be subjected to a variety of alterations within the technical scope prescribed by the claims.
With reference to
As illustrated in
A portion illustrated in
The contact device 4 includes a main contact mechanism 6, first and second auxiliary contact mechanisms 7 and 8 that operate in conjunction with the main contact mechanism 6, and a housing case 9, as illustrated in
The housing case 9 is made up of a joining member 10 that has polygonal tubular shape and is made of metal, a top plate 11 that is joined to an upper end portion of the joining member 10 to close the upper side of the joining member 10 and is made of ceramic, a magnetic yoke 12 the upper surface of which is seal-joined to a lower end portion of the joining member 10 and that has a flat plate shape, and a cap 13 that is seal-joined to the lower surface of the magnetic yoke 12, has a cylindrical shape, and is made of metal.
Inside the housing case 9, the main contact mechanism 6, the first and second auxiliary contact mechanisms 7 and 8, and a connecting shaft 14, a fixed iron core 15, and a movable plunger 16 of the electromagnet unit 5 are housed in a sealed state and arc-extinguishing gas is enclosed.
The main contact mechanism 6 includes a pair of main fixed contacts 17 and 18 that are fixed to the top plate 11 and a main movable contact 19 that is contactable with and separable from the pair of main fixed contacts 17 and 18, as illustrated in
The aforementioned main contact external terminal portions 50a and 50b are arranged in a projecting state from the right and left side surfaces of the first insulating case 2 by screwing captive screws 80 (see
The main movable contact 19 is a conductive plate that is made of a conductive metal material and extends long in the right-left direction and is supported by the connecting shaft 14, which is fixed to the movable plunger 16 of the electromagnet unit 5, in an upwardly and downwardly movable manner. A contact portion 19a that comes into contact with the contact portion 17a of the main fixed contact 17 is formed on the upper surface of the left end side portion of the main movable contact 19, and a contact portion 19b that comes into contact with the contact portion 18a of the main fixed contact 18 is formed on the upper surface of the right end side portion of the main movable contact 19.
The connecting shaft 14 is made up of a first connecting shaft 14a that is fixed to the main movable contact 19, a second connecting shaft 14b that is fixed to the movable plunger 16, and a shaft coupling member 14c that fixes the first connecting shaft 14a and the second connecting shaft 14b coaxially.
On a portion of the first connecting shaft 14a lower than the main movable contact 19, a flange portion 14d is formed in an outwardly protruding manner, and, between the flange portion 14d and the main movable contact 19, a contact spring 20 that biases the main movable contact 19 upward is fitted.
The main contact mechanism 6 is housed in a main contact mechanism housing chamber 21 that is formed inside the housing case 9. In the main contact mechanism housing chamber 21, an arc-extinguishing container 22 that is made of an insulator is arranged.
As illustrated in
The first auxiliary contact mechanism 7 includes a first auxiliary fixed contact support members 24 and 24 that are disposed in a separated manner in the right-left direction inside the auxiliary contact mechanism housing chamber 23, a first auxiliary movable contact support member 25 that is located between the first auxiliary fixed contact support members 24 and 24 and moves upward and downward in conjunction with the shaft coupling member 14c of the connecting shaft 14, a pair of first auxiliary fixed contacts 26 and 27 that are fixed to the first auxiliary fixed contact support members 24 and 24, and a first auxiliary movable contact 28 that is supported by the first auxiliary movable contact support member 25 and both end portions of which in the longitudinal direction face the pair of first auxiliary fixed contacts 26 and 27, as illustrated in
The first auxiliary fixed contact 26 is a U-shaped member that includes a contact plate 26a on which a contact portion facing the first auxiliary movable contact 28 is formed and an electrode connection plate 26b that extends in parallel with the contact plate 26a as viewed in plan, as also illustrated in
Moreover, the first auxiliary fixed contact 27 has the same shape as that of the first auxiliary fixed contact 26, the lower end of the first auxiliary contact electrode 31 is connected to an electrode connection plate 27b of the first auxiliary fixed contact 27, and the first auxiliary contact electrode 31 extends upward and penetrates the top plate 11 on the front side to project to the outside along beside the first auxiliary contact electrode 30.
The first auxiliary fixed contacts 26 and 27 and first auxiliary movable contact 28 of the first auxiliary contact mechanism 7 compose a form B contact (Normally-Close type contact), and, when the main movable contact 19 is in a released state, contact portions at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first auxiliary movable contact 28 come into contact with the respective contact portions of the first auxiliary fixed contacts 26 and 27 with a predetermined contact force provided from the biasing spring 29. When the main movable contact 19 is put in a closed state, the first auxiliary movable contact 28 moves upward and the contact portions at both ends in the longitudinal direction are brought to an upwardly separated state from the contact portions of the first auxiliary fixed contacts 26 and 27 with a predetermined distance kept therebetween.
The second auxiliary contact mechanism 8 includes a second auxiliary fixed contact support members 32 and 32 that are disposed in a separated manner in the right-left direction inside the auxiliary contact mechanism housing chamber 23, a second auxiliary movable contact support member 33 that is located between the second auxiliary fixed contact support members 32 and 32 and moves upward and downward in conjunction with the shaft coupling member 14c of the connecting shaft 14, a pair of second auxiliary fixed contacts 34 and 35 that are fixed to the second auxiliary fixed contact support members 32 and 32, a second auxiliary movable contact 36 that is supported by the second auxiliary movable contact support member 33 and both end portions of which in the longitudinal direction face the pair of second auxiliary fixed contacts 34 and 35, a biasing spring 37 that is arranged on the second auxiliary movable contact support member 33 and provides the second auxiliary movable contact 36 with a biasing force, and second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39 that have rod shapes and are connected to the pair of second auxiliary fixed contacts 34 and 35 by way of electrical connection portions (not illustrated), respectively, as illustrated in
The second auxiliary fixed contacts 34 and 35 are U-shaped members that include contact plates (not illustrated) and electrode connection plates (not illustrated), which are the same as those of the first auxiliary fixed contacts 26 and 27, and the lower ends of the second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39 are connected to the electrode connection plates of the second auxiliary fixed contacts 34 and 35, respectively, and the second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39 extend upward and penetrate the top plate 11 on the rear side to project to the outside (see
The second auxiliary fixed contacts 34 and 35 and second auxiliary movable contact 36 of the second auxiliary contact mechanism 8 compose a form A contact (Normally-Open type contact), and, when the main movable contact 19 is in a released state, contact portions at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the second auxiliary movable contact 36 are put in an upwardly separated state from contact portions of the second auxiliary fixed contacts 34 and 35 with a predetermined distance kept therebetween. When the main movable contact 19 is put in a closed state, the second auxiliary movable contact 36 moves upward and the contact portions thereof come into contact with the respective contact portions of the second auxiliary fixed contacts 34 and 35 with a predetermined contact force provided from the biasing spring 37.
The electromagnet unit 5 includes a lower magnetic yoke 40 that is U-shaped as viewed from the side, as illustrated in
At a central portion of the lower surface of the magnetic yoke 12, the cap 13, which has a bottomed cylindrical shape, is seal-joined in such a way as to encircle the through hole 12a.
In the cap 13, the fixed iron core 15, which is fixed to the through hole 12a of the magnetic yoke 12 and has a cylindrical shape, is arranged and, under the fixed iron core 15, the movable plunger 16 is arranged in an upwardly and downwardly movable manner.
To the fixed iron core 15, a return spring housing recessed portion 15a that is recessed upward from the lower end surface of the fixed iron core is formed. To the movable plunger 16, a return spring housing recessed portion 16a that is recessed downward from the upper end surface of the movable plunger 16 is formed. Inside the return spring housing recessed portions 15a and 16a, a return spring 41 that constantly biases the movable plunger 16 downward is housed.
On the outer periphery of the cap 13, a spool 42 is arranged, and, around the outer periphery of the spool 42, an excitation coil 43 that drives the movable plunger 16 is wound.
The two ends of the winding of the excitation coil 43 are connected to the electromagnet unit external terminal portions 52A and 52B, which is illustrated in
On the other hand, the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 51, which is arranged on the side surface on the front side of the first insulating case 2 in
The wiring board 55 is a substantially rectangular board that is, for example, formed by impregnating glass fibers with epoxy resin and the like, and the wiring patterns 60 to 63 are formed at four locations on the upper surface of the wiring board 55, which locations are separated from one another along the longitudinal direction of the wiring board 55. On two wiring patterns 60 and 61 that are formed adjacent to each other on the right side of
Each of the four terminals 57 includes a terminal plate 57b that has a square plate shape and on which a threaded hole 57a into which one of the terminal screws 58 is screwed is formed and a connection piece 57c that extends bent at a substantially right angle from the terminal plate 57b.
On a lower portion of the terminal block 56, four cylindrical large-diameter legs 66 are formed along the longitudinal direction with a predetermined distance between adjacent ones thereof, and two small-diameter legs 67 are formed in a separated manner in the longitudinal direction. On an upper portion of the terminal block 56, connection piece press-fit holes 68 through which the connection pieces 57c of the terminals 57 are made to pass are formed at four locations along the longitudinal direction with a predetermined distance between adjacent ones thereof, and, at four locations corresponding to the respective connection piece press-fit holes 68, four terminal plate support surfaces 69 with which the lower surfaces of the terminal plates 57b come into surface contact are formed.
Assembly of the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 51 is carried out as follows. First, by inserting the two small-diameter legs 67 and two large-diameter legs 66 of the terminal block 56 illustrated in
Subsequently, screwing the terminal screws 58 into the threaded holes 57a of four terminals 57 completes the assembly of the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 51.
The auxiliary contact external terminal portion 51 with the above-described configuration is arranged on the front side of the top plate 11 of the housing case 9, to which the main fixed contacts 17 and 18 of the main contact mechanism 6 are fixed, and is connected to the first auxiliary contact electrodes 30 and 31, which project on the front side of the top plate 11, and the second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39, which project on the rear side of the top plate 11, as illustrated in
That is, the first auxiliary contact electrodes 30 and 31, which project on the front side of the top plate 11 of the housing case 9, are respectively inserted into the electrode passage holes 60a and 61a, which are formed in the wiring patterns 60 and 61 of the wiring board 55, from underneath. Subsequently, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
Therefore, as illustrated in
Housing the contact device 4 and the electromagnet unit 5 illustrated in
In the above description, a housing case according to the present invention corresponds to the housing case 9, a case wall according to the present invention corresponds to the top plate 11, main contact electrodes according to the present invention that project out of the case wall to the outside correspond to the main fixed contacts 17 and 18, and a movable shaft according to the present invention corresponds to the connecting shaft 14.
Next, an operation of the electromagnetic contactor 1 of the first embodiment will be described.
It is assumed that the main contact external terminal portions 50a and 50b of the main contact mechanism 6 are, for example, respectively connected to a power supply source that supplies a large current and a load device.
It is also assumed that a first operation detection device (not illustrated) is connected to the pair of first auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51A and 51B, which are arranged on the front side of the first insulating case 2, and a second operation detection device (not illustrated) is connected to the pair of second auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51C and 51D, which are arranged along beside the pair of first auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51A and 51B.
It is still also assumed that an electromagnet unit control device (not illustrated) that performs energization control for the excitation coil 43 is connected to the electromagnet unit external terminal portions 52A and 52B.
It is assumed that, as illustrated in
In this released state, the movable plunger 16 is biased downward by the return spring 41. Thus, the main movable contact 19 of the main contact mechanism 6, which is coupled to the movable plunger 16 by way of the connecting shaft 14, is separated downward from the pair of main fixed contacts 17 and 18 by a predetermined distance. For this reason, the current path between the pair of main fixed contacts 17 and 18 is put in a cutoff state and the main contact mechanism 6 is in an open state.
At this time, with regard to the first auxiliary contact mechanism 7, since the movable plunger 16 is biased downward by the return spring 41 and the connecting shaft 14 coupled to the movable plunger 16 has also moved to a lower position, the first auxiliary movable contact 28 comes into contact with the first auxiliary fixed contacts 26 and 27 and the first operation detection device confirms continuity between the first auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51A and 51B. On the other hand, with regard to the second auxiliary contact mechanism 8, since the second auxiliary movable contact 36 is separated from the second auxiliary fixed contacts 34 and 35, the second operation detection device confirms non-continuity between the second auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51C and 51D.
When the excitation coil 43 of the electromagnet unit 5 is energized by the electromagnet unit control device while the electromagnet unit 5 is in the released state, an excitation force is generated in the electromagnet unit 5 and pushes the movable plunger 16 upward resisting against a biasing force from the return spring 41.
When the movable plunger 16 is elevated, the main movable contact 19, coupled to the movable plunger 16 by way of the connecting shaft 14, is also elevated, both contact portions 19a and 19b of the main movable contact 19 come into contact with both contact portions 17a and 18a of the pair of main fixed contacts 17 and 18, respectively, due to contact pressure from the contact spring 20.
For this reason, a large current from the power supply source is supplied to the load device through the main fixed contact 17 on one side, the main movable contact 19, and the main fixed contact 18 on the other side, and the main contact mechanism 6 is brought to a closed state.
Since, when the main contact mechanism 6 has been brought to a closed state from an open state, the connecting shaft 14, coupled to the movable plunger 16, has also moved to an upper position, the first auxiliary movable contact 28 is brought to a state separated from the first auxiliary fixed contacts 26 and 27, and the first operation detection device confirms non-energization between the first auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51A and 51B. In addition, since the second auxiliary movable contact 36 comes into contact with the second auxiliary fixed contacts 34 and 35, the second operation detection device confirms energization between the second auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51C and 51D.
In the case in which current supply to the load device is cut off while the main contact mechanism 6 is in a closed state, energization to the excitation coil 43 of the electromagnet unit 5 by the electromagnet unit control device is stopped.
When energization to the excitation coil 43 is stopped, disappearance of an excitation force, in the electromagnet unit 5 that moves the movable plunger 16 upward causes the movable plunger 16 to move to a lower position due to a biasing force from the return spring 41, and the connecting shaft 14 also moves to a lower position.
In this operation, there is a case in which an arc generated when the main contact mechanism 6 is brought to an open state from a closed state welds the main movable contact 19 to the pair of main fixed contacts 17 and 18. In such a case, the main movable contact 19 being welded to the pair of main fixed contacts 17 and 18 prevents the connecting shaft 14 from moving downward.
For this reason, with regard to the first auxiliary contact mechanism 7, the connecting shaft 14 not moving downward keeps the first auxiliary movable contact 28 separated from the first auxiliary fixed contacts 26 and 27. Thus, the first operation detection device can confirm non-continuity between the first auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51A and 51B and securely detect an occurrence of welding to the main contact mechanism 6.
Similarly, with regard to the second auxiliary contact mechanism 8, the connecting shaft 14 not moving downward also keeps the second auxiliary movable contact 36 in contact with the second auxiliary fixed contacts 34 and 35. Thus, the second operation detection device can confirm continuity between the second auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51C and 51D and securely detect an occurrence of welding to the main contact mechanism 6.
As described above, according to the electromagnetic contactor 1 of the first embodiment, the main movable contact 19 of the main contact mechanism 6, the first auxiliary movable contact 28 of the first auxiliary contact mechanism 7, and the second auxiliary movable contact 36 of the second auxiliary contact mechanism 8 are directly coupled to the connecting shaft 14, which serves as a movable shaft, and the first operation detection device confirming a continuity state of the first auxiliary contact mechanism 7 and the second operation detection device confirming a continuity state of the second auxiliary contact mechanism 8 make it possible to securely detect an occurrence of welding when the main contact mechanism 6 opens from a closed state.
In addition, only connecting the first operation detection device to the pair of first auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51A and 51B, which are arranged on the front side of the first insulating case 2, and connecting the second operation detection device to the pair of second auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51C and 51D, which are arranged on the front side of the first insulating case 2 in conjunction with the first auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51A and 51B, complete connection work for confirming a continuity state of the first and second auxiliary contact mechanisms 7 and 8. Therefore, it is possible to easily carry out connection work of connecting another electrical component, such as the first and second operation detection devices, that is disposed in a current path to the electromagnetic contactor 1.
Moreover, the wiring patterns 60 to 63, to which four terminals 57 are electrically connected, at four locations are formed on the wiring board 55 composing the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 51 (the pair of first auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51A and 51B and the pair of second auxiliary contact external terminal portions 51C and 51D), the first auxiliary contact electrodes 30 and 31, which project on the front side of the top plate 11 of the housing case 9, are directly connected to the wiring patterns 60 and 61 at two locations, and the second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39, which project on the rear side of the top plate 11 of the housing case 9, are connected to the wiring patterns 62 and 63 at the other two locations by way of the lead wires 73 and 74.
Therefore, mounting the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 51 on the top plate 11 of the housing case 9 requires only connecting the first auxiliary contact electrodes 30 and 31 and the second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39, which project out of the top plate 11, to the wiring board 55, which enables connection work to be carried out easily and efficiently.
Furthermore, since the first auxiliary contact electrodes 30 and 31 are directly connected to the wiring patterns 60 and 61 of the wiring board 55, the number of lead wires that are used in mounting the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 51 has been reduced (to two lead wires 73 and 74), which enables the number of components used in connection work to be reduced.
Next,
As illustrated in
The lead wire holding portion 81 includes a mounting plate 84 that has a rectangular shape and on which circular insertion holes 82 and 83 that have substantially the same shapes as the external shapes of main fixed contacts 17 and 18, respectively, are formed, protruding portions 85 to 88 that protrude at four locations and along the edges of the long sides and short sides of and from the upper surface of the mounting plate 84, and holding grooves 85a to 88a that are respectively formed on the protruding portions 85 to 88 in a linear form.
A lead wire 73 that is connected between a second auxiliary contact electrode 38 and a wiring pattern 62 (a lead wire connection hole 62a) of a wiring board 55 extends in a state of having entered and being held in the holding grooves 85a and 86a of the protruding portions 85 and 86 on the lead wire holding portion 81, which is arranged on the upper surface of the top plate 11. A lead wire 74 that is connected between a second auxiliary contact electrode 39 and a wiring pattern 63 (a lead wire connection hole 63a) of the wiring board 55 extends in a state of having entered and being held in the holding groove 87a of the protruding portion 87 on the lead wire holding portion 81.
When a contact device 4 is housed inside a first insulating case 2 while the lead wires 73 and 74 are in the above state, an inner wall of the first insulating case 2 comes into proximity to the lead wire holding portion 81 to press and elastically deform the protruding portions 85 to 88, which causes the lead wires 73 and 74 having entered the holding grooves 85a, 86a, and 87a to be clamped.
As described above, in the second embodiment, since each of the lead wires 73 and 74, which are respectively connected between the second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39 and the wiring board 55 of an auxiliary contact external terminal portion 51, enters and is securely held in any of the holding grooves 85a to 88a of the protruding portions 85 to 88 on the lead wire holding portion 81, which is arranged on the upper surface of the top plate 11, a problem in that the lead wires 73 and 74 get caught between the first insulating case 2 and a second insulating case 3, and the like, when the contact device 4 and an electromagnet unit 5 are put into the first insulating case 2 and the second insulating case 3 may be solved.
In addition, since, when the contact device 4 is housed inside the first insulating case 2, an inner wall of the first insulating case 2 flattens the protruding portions 85 to 88 on the lead wire holding portion 81, the lead wires 73 and 74 in the holding grooves 85a, 86a, and 87a may be securely fixed.
Although, in the second embodiment, a structure in which the protruding portions 85 to 88 protrude on the upper surface of the mounting plate 84 was described, protruding portions may be formed on the lower surface of the mounting plate 84, which comes into contact with the top plate 11 of a housing case 9, and the lead wires 73 and 74 may be put into and held in holding grooves formed on the protruding portions.
As illustrated in
The lead wire holding portion 90 includes a mounting plate 93 that has a rectangular shape and a larger thickness than that of the mounting plate 84 in the second embodiment and on which circular insertion holes 91 and 92 that have substantially the same shapes as the external shapes of main fixed contacts 17 and 18, respectively, are formed and holding grooves 94 and 95 that are formed on the short side surfaces of the mounting plate 93.
In the third embodiment, a lead wire 73 that is connected between a second auxiliary contact electrode 38 and a wiring pattern 62 (a lead wire connection hole 62a) of a wiring board 55 extends in a state of having entered and being held in the holding groove 94 of the lead wire holding portion 90. In addition, a lead wire 74 that is connected between a second auxiliary contact electrode 39 and a wiring pattern 63 (a lead wire connection hole 63a) of the wiring board 55 extends in a state of having entered and being held in the holding groove 95 of the lead wire holding portion 90.
When a contact device 4 is housed inside a first insulating case 2 while the lead wires 73 and 74 are in the above state, an inner wall of the first insulating case 2 comes into proximity to the lead wire holding portion 90 to press and elastically deform the whole of the mounting plate 93, which causes the lead wires 73 and 74 having entered the holding grooves 94 and 95 to be clamped.
As described above, in the third embodiment, since the lead wires 73 and 74 enter and are securely held in the holding grooves 94 and 95 of the lead wire holding portion 90, which is arranged on the upper surface of the top plate 11, a problem in that the lead wires 73 and 74 get caught between the first insulating case 2 and a second insulating case 3, and the like, when the contact device 4 and an electromagnet unit 5 are put into the first insulating case 2 and the second insulating case 3 may be solved.
In addition, since, when the contact device 4 is housed inside the first insulating case 2, an inner wall of the first insulating case 2 flattens the mounting plate 93 of the lead wire holding portion 90, the lead wires 73 and 74 in the holding grooves 94 and 95 may be securely fixed.
As illustrated in
The lead wire holding portion 96 includes a mounting plate 99 that has a rectangular shape and on which circular insertion holes 97 and 98 that have substantially the same shapes as the external shapes of main fixed contacts 17 and 18, respectively, are formed and holding protrusion portions 100 and 101 that are formed along the edges of the short sides of and on the upper surface of the mounting plate 99.
The holding protrusion portions 100 and 101 are L-shaped portions that include rising portions 100a and 101a that rise up from the upper surface of the mounting plate 99 and bent portions 100b and 101b that extends from the upper ends of the rising portions 100a and 101a toward the side where the circular insertion holes 97 and 98 are located, respectively.
In the fourth embodiment, a lead wire 73 that is connected between a second auxiliary contact electrode 38 and a wiring pattern 62 (a lead wire connection hole 62a) of a wiring board 55 extends in contact with the inner wall, which faces the main fixed contact 17, of the rising portion 100a of the holding protrusion portion 100 on the lead wire holding portion 96.
In addition, a lead wire 74 that is connected between a second auxiliary contact electrode 39 and a wiring pattern 63 (a lead wire connection hole 63a) of the wiring board 55 extends in contact with the inner wall, which faces the main fixed contact 18, of the rising portion 101a of the holding protrusion portion 101 on the lead wire holding portion 96.
When a contact device 4 is housed inside a first insulating case 2 while the lead wires 73 and 74 are in the above state, an inner wall of the first insulating case 2 comes into proximity to the lead wire holding portion 96 to press the holding protrusion portions 100 and 101 and the rising portions 100a and 101a and the bent portions 100b and 101b elastically deform while bending down toward the mounting plate 99. Thus, the lead wires 73 and 74 are clamped by the holding protrusion portions 100 and 101, respectively.
As described above, in the fourth embodiment, since the lead wires 73 and 74 are securely held in the holding protrusion portions 100 and 101 of the lead wire holding portion 96, which is arranged on the upper surface of the top plate 11, a problem in that the lead wires 73 and 74 get caught between the first insulating case 2 and a second insulating case 3, and the like, when the contact device 4 and an electromagnet unit 5 are put into the first insulating case 2 and the second insulating case 3 may be solved.
In addition, since, when the contact device 4 is housed inside the first insulating case 2, an inner wall of the first insulating case 2 flattens the holding protrusion portions 100 and 101 of the lead wire holding portion 96 to make the holding protrusion portions 100 and 101 respectively cover the lead wires 73 and 74, the lead wires 73 and 74 may be securely fixed.
Although, in the fourth embodiment, a structure in which the holding protrusion portions 100 and 101 protrude on the upper surface of the mounting plate 99 was described, the holding protrusion portions 100 and 101 may be formed on the lower surface of the mounting plate 99, which comes into contact with the top plate 11 of a housing case 9.
As illustrated in
The lead wire holding portion 102 includes a mounting plate 105 that has a rectangular shape and on which circular insertion holes 103 and 104 that have substantially the same shapes as the external shapes of main fixed contacts 17 and 18, respectively, are formed and holding protrusion portions 106 and 107 that are formed along the edges of the short sides of and on the upper surface of the mounting plate 105.
To the holding protrusion portions 106 and 107, through holes 106a and 107a that penetrate therethrough in the direction along the short sides of the mounting plate 105 and through which lead wires 73 and 74 can be inserted are formed, respectively.
In the fifth embodiment, after the mounting plate 105 of the lead wire holding portion 102 is mounted on the upper surface of the top plate 11, the lead wires 73 and 74 that are neither connected to second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39 nor to a wiring board 55 are respectively inserted through the through holes 106a and 107a of the holding protrusion portions 106 and 107. Next, the lead wire 73 is connected between the second auxiliary contact electrode 38 and a wiring pattern 62 (a lead wire connection hole 62a) of the wiring board 55, and the lead wire 74 is connected between the second auxiliary contact electrode 39 and a wiring pattern 63 (a lead wire connection hole 63a) of the wiring board 55.
When a contact device 4 is housed inside a first insulating case 2 while the lead wires 73 and 74 are in the above state, an inner wall of the first insulating case 2 comes into proximity to the lead wire holding portion 102 to press and elastically deform the holding protrusion portions 106 and 107, which causes the lead wires 73 and 74 respectively inserted through the holding protrusion portions 106 and 107 of the lead wire holding portion 102 to be clamped.
As described above, in the fifth embodiment, since the lead wires 73 and 74 are securely held in the holding protrusion portions 106 and 107 of the lead wire holding portion 102, which is arranged on the upper surface of the top plate 11, a problem in that the lead wires 73 and 74 get caught between the first insulating case 2 and a second insulating case 3, and the like, when the contact device 4 and an electromagnet unit 5 are put into the first insulating case 2 and the second insulating case 3 may be solved.
In addition, since, when the contact device 4 is housed inside the first insulating case 2, an inner wall of the first insulating case 2 flattens the holding protrusion portions 106 and 107 of the lead wire holding portion 102, the lead wires 73 and 74 in the holding protrusion portions 106 and 107 may be securely fixed.
Although, in the fifth embodiment, a structure in which the holding protrusion portions 106 and 107 protrude on the upper surface of the mounting plate 105 was described, the holding protrusion portions 106 and 107 may be formed on the lower surface of the mounting plate 105, which comes into contact with the top plate 11 of a housing case 9.
As illustrated in
The lead wire holding portion 150 includes a mounting plate 153 that has a rectangular shape and on which circular insertion holes 151 and 152 that have substantially the same shapes as the external shapes of main fixed contacts 17 and 18, respectively, are formed, upper protruding portions 154 and 155 that protrude at two locations and along the edges of the long sides of and from the upper surface of the mounting plate 153, holding grooves 154a and 155a that are respectively formed on the upper surface of the upper protruding portions 154 and 155 in a linear form, side protruding portions 156 and 157 that protrude outward out of the short sides of the mounting plate 153, holding grooves 156a and 157a that are respectively formed on the lower surface of the side protruding portions 156 and 157 in a linear form, and a pair of first insulating partition walls 158 and 159 that rise up from the upper surface of the mounting plate 153, as illustrated in
A lead wire 73 that is connected between a second auxiliary contact electrode 38 and a wiring pattern 62 (a lead wire connection hole 62a) of a wiring board 55 extends in a state of having entered and being held in the holding groove 157a of the side protruding portion 157 and the holding groove 154a of the upper protruding portion 154. A lead wire 74 that is connected between a second auxiliary contact electrode 39 and a wiring pattern 63 (a lead wire connection hole 63a) of the wiring board 55 extends in a state of having entered and being held in the holding groove 156a of the side protruding portion 156.
In addition, the first insulating partition wall 158 separates the wiring patterns 62 and 63 (the lead wire connection holes 62a and 63a) to which the lead wires 73 and 74 are respectively connected, on the wiring board 55 from the main fixed contact 18.
When a contact device 4 is housed inside a first insulating case 2 while the lead wires 73 and 74 are in the above state, an inner wall of the first insulating case 2 comes into proximity to the lead wire holding portion 150 to press and elastically deform the upper protruding portion 154 and the side protruding portions 156 and 157. Thus, the lead wires 73 and 74 having entered the holding grooves 156a and 157a and the holding groove 154a are clamped.
In addition, since the first insulating partition wall 158 is arranged between the lead wire connection holes 62a and 63a to which the lead wires 73 and 74 are respectively connected, and the main fixed contact 18, a sufficient creepage distance for insulation is maintained therebetween.
As described above, in the sixth embodiment, since each of the lead wires 73 and 74 is held in either of the upper protruding portions 154 and 155 and either of the side protruding portions 156 and 157 of the lead wire holding portion 150, which is arranged on the upper surface of the top plate 11, a problem in that the lead wires 73 and 74 get caught between the first insulating case 2 and a second insulating case 3, and the like, when the contact device 4 and an electromagnet unit 5 are put into the first insulating case 2 and the second insulating case 3 may be solved.
In addition, since the first insulating partition wall 158 is located between the lead wire connection hole 62a and 63a to which the lead wire 73 and 74 are respectively connected, and the main fixed contact 18, a sufficient creepage distance for insulation may be maintained therebetween.
Since the lead wire holding portion 150 has the circular insertion holes 151 and 152, the upper protruding portions 154 and 155, the side protruding portions 156 and 157, and the first insulating partition walls 158 and 159 formed at positions having point symmetry with respect to the center position of the mounting plate 153 as viewed in plan, arrangement of the lead wire holding portion 150 on the upper surface of the top plate 11 may be performed easily.
The second insulating partition wall 160 rises up between the lead wire 73, which comes out of the holding groove 157a of the side protruding portion 157, and the main fixed contact 17. The second insulating partition wall 161 is located between the lead wire 74 on the side where the second auxiliary contact electrode 39 is located and the main fixed contact 18.
Therefore, the second insulating partition wall 160 enables a sufficient creepage distance for insulation to be maintained between the lead wire 73, which comes out of the holding groove 157a of the side protruding portion 157, and the main fixed contact 17, and the second insulating partition wall 161 also enables a sufficient creepage distance for insulation to be maintained between the lead wire 74 on the side where the second auxiliary contact electrode 39 is located and the main fixed contact 18.
Next,
The auxiliary contact external terminal 110 includes a wiring board 111 that is mounted on substantially the whole area of the top plate 11, a terminal block 56, four terminals 57, and four terminal screws 58 with a washer.
The wiring board 111 is a square-shaped board that is, for example, formed by impregnating glass fibers with epoxy resin and the like and has substantially the same area as that of the top plate 11.
The wiring board 111 includes circular through holes 112 and 113 into which main fixed contacts 17 and 18 are positioned, first electrode through holes 114 and 115 through which the first auxiliary contact electrodes 30 and 31 are inserted, and second electrode through holes 116 and 117 through which the second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39 are inserted, as illustrated in
On the side, of the wiring board 111, where the first electrode through holes 114 and 115 are located, large-diameter through holes 118 into which large-diameter legs 66 of the terminal block 56 are fitted are formed at four locations with a predetermined distance between adjacent ones thereof, and terminal through holes 119a to 119d are also formed at four locations with a predetermined distance between adjacent ones thereof.
On the back surface (the surface facing the top plate 11) of the wiring board 111, a wiring pattern 120 that connects the first electrode through hole 114 and the terminal through holes 119a is formed, and a wiring pattern 121 that connects the first electrode through hole 115 and the terminal through hole 119b is formed.
In addition, on the back surface of the wiring board 111, a wiring pattern 122 that connects the second electrode through hole 116 and the terminal through hole 119c is formed, and a wiring pattern 123 that connects the second electrode through hole 117 and the terminal through hole 119d is formed.
The terminal block 56 is engaged with the wiring board 111 by the large-diameter legs 66 at four locations being inserted into the large-diameter through holes 118 of the wiring board 111.
Connection pieces 57c of four terminals 57 are press-fitted through connection piece press-fit holes 68 at four locations of the terminal block 56 and are subsequently inserted into and soldered to the terminal through holes 119a to 119d at four locations of the wiring board 111 to be connected to the wiring board 111.
The first auxiliary contact electrodes 30 and 31 that are respectively inserted into the first electrode through holes 114 and 115 of the wiring board 111, and the second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39 that are respectively inserted into the second electrode through holes 116 and 117 of the wiring board 111, are connected by soldering.
Therefore, as illustrated in
As described above, according to the seventh embodiment, since the wiring board 111, which composes the auxiliary contact external terminal 110 and the wiring patterns 120 and 121 of which directly connect the first auxiliary contact electrodes 30 and 31, respectively, and the wiring patterns 122 and 123 of which directly connect the second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39, respectively, eliminates the necessity of a lead wire, connection work relating to the auxiliary contact external terminal 110 may be carried out more efficiently and a reduction in the number of components used in the connection work may be facilitated.
Next,
The auxiliary contact external terminal portion 130 of the eighth embodiment includes an auxiliary contact external terminal portion 131 arranged on the front side of the top plate 11 and an auxiliary contact external terminal portion 136 arranged on the rear side of the top plate 11.
The auxiliary contact external terminal portion 131 includes a wiring board 132 on which wiring patterns 132a and 132b at two locations are formed and two terminals 134 and 135 that are supported by a terminal block 133 and the terminal connection pieces (not illustrated) of which are respectively inserted into and connected to terminal insertion holes (not illustrated) at two locations that are formed in the wiring patterns 132a and 132b. The first auxiliary contact electrodes 30 and 31 that project on the front side of the top plate 11 are respectively inserted into and connected to electrode passage holes (not illustrated) formed in the wiring patterns 132a and 132b.
The other auxiliary contact external terminal portion 136 also includes a wiring board 137 on which wiring patterns 137a and 137b at two locations are formed and two terminals 139 and 140 that are supported by a terminal block 138 and the terminal connection pieces (not illustrated) of which are respectively inserted into and connected to terminal insertion holes (not illustrated) at two locations that are formed in the wiring patterns 137a and 137b. The second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39 that project on the rear side of the top plate 11 are respectively inserted into and connected to electrode passage holes (not illustrated) formed in the wiring patterns 137a and 137b.
In the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 130 of the eighth embodiment, the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 131 that is arranged on the front side of the top plate 11 is used as first auxiliary contact external terminal portions 130A and 130B that serve as the external terminals of a first auxiliary contact mechanism 7, and the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 136 that is arranged on the rear side of the top plate 11 is used as second auxiliary contact external terminal portions 130C and 130D that serve as the external terminals of a second auxiliary contact mechanism 8.
Therefore, according to the eighth embodiment, since the necessity of a lead wire is eliminated by the first auxiliary contact electrodes 30 and 31 being directly connected to the wiring patterns 132a and 132b of the first auxiliary contact external terminal portions 130A and 130B, respectively, and the second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39 being directly connected to the wiring patterns 137a and 137b of the second auxiliary contact external terminal portions 130C and 130D, respectively, connection work relating to the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 130 may be carried out more efficiently and a reduction in the number of components used in the connection work may be facilitated.
Furthermore, in a ninth embodiment illustrated in
In addition, an auxiliary contact external terminal portion 131 is arranged on the front side of the top plate 11, and a second auxiliary contact/electromagnet unit external terminal portion 143 is arranged on the rear side of the top plate 11.
Assuming that the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 131 has the same configuration as that of the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 131 illustrated in
The second auxiliary contact/electromagnet unit external terminal portion 143 includes a wiring board 144 on which wiring patterns 144a to 144d at four locations are formed and four terminals 146 that are supported by a terminal block 145 and the terminal connection pieces (not illustrated) of which are respectively inserted into and connected to terminal insertion holes (not illustrated) formed in the wiring patterns 144a to 144d at four locations
The second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39 that project on the rear side of the top plate 11 are respectively inserted into and connected to electrode passage holes that are formed in the wiring patterns 144a and 144b at two locations on the right side of the second auxiliary contact/electromagnet unit external terminal portion 143, and two terminals 146 on the right side of the second auxiliary contact/electromagnet unit external terminal portion 143 are configured as second auxiliary contact external terminal portions 147C and 147D that serve as the external terminals of a second auxiliary contact mechanism 8.
On the other hand, the pair of electromagnet unit electrodes 141 and 142 are respectively inserted into and connected to electrode passage holes formed in the wiring patterns 144c and 144d at two locations on the left side of the second auxiliary contact/electromagnet unit external terminal portion 143.
Therefore, two terminals 146 on the left side of the second auxiliary contact/electromagnet unit external terminal portion 143 are used as electromagnet unit external terminal portions 148A and 148B.
According to the ninth embodiment, since, in conjunction with the first auxiliary contact external terminal portions 130A and 130B and the second auxiliary contact external terminal portions 147C and 147D, the electromagnet unit external terminal portions 148A and 148B are configured to be arranged on the top plate 11, connection work of connecting another electrical component disposed in a current path and an electromagnetic contactor 1 may be performed more easily.
When a structure in which, by the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 131 being also arranged on the rear side of the top plate 11, all the auxiliary contact external terminal portion 131 and the second auxiliary contact/electromagnet unit external terminal portion 143 are convergently arranged at one side on the rear side of the top plate 11 is employed as another structure different from the ninth embodiment, connection work of connecting another electrical component disposed in a current path and the electromagnetic contactor 1 may be performed more easily as with the ninth embodiment.
In the above-described first to ninth embodiments, a main contact portion according to the present invention corresponds to the main contact mechanism 6, auxiliary contact portions according to the present invention correspond to the first and second auxiliary contact mechanisms 7 and 8, and a contact housing case according to the present invention corresponds to and the housing case 9. In addition, auxiliary contact electrodes according to the present invention correspond to the first auxiliary contact electrodes 30 and 31 and the second auxiliary contact electrodes 38 and 39. Further, wire holding portions according to the present invention correspond to the lead wire holding portion 81, 90, 96, 102, and 150. Furthermore, L-shaped protruding portions according to the present invention correspond to the holding protrusion portions 100 and 101. Moreover, partition walls according to the present invention correspond to the first insulating partition walls 158 and 159 and the second insulating partition walls 160 and 161.
All examples and conditional language provided herein are intended for the pedagogical purposes of aiding the reader in understanding the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to further the art, and are not to be construed as limitations to such specifically recited examples and conditions, nor does the organization of such examples in the specification relate to a showing of the superiority and inferiority of the invention. Although one or more embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it should be understood that the various changes, substitutions, and alterations could be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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