This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority of the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-008531, filed Jan. 21, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electromagnetic relay.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a device which is arranged in an electrical circuit to electrically connect and disconnect it, an electromagnetic relay is known. An electromagnetic relay is provided with an electromagnet which includes a coil, an armature which faces the electromagnet, and electrodes which are connected to the armature and include contacts. In the electromagnetic relay, when the coil is energized, the armature is pulled by the electromagnet causing the armature to move. Due to movement of the armature, a plurality of contacts are electrically contacted or separated.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-312161 discloses an electromagnet which is provided with a coil block, a plate shaped yoke which is fastened by being inserted between magnetic poles of the coil block and which forms a magnetic circuit with the iron core, and a block shaped permanent magnet which is provided at the center part of the plate shaped yoke. It is disclosed that the armature of the electromagnet is formed with a hole part, cutaway part, and recess part as parts for adjusting the magnetic resistance.
Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 63-47000B2 discloses an electromagnet relay which fastens a spring component which includes a fixed contact spring and a moving contact spring integrally to an electromagnet component. In this electromagnetic relay, it is disclosed that a hole which is provided at a free end of the moving spring and a hole which is provided at a front end of the armature are connected by a drive card.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 9-245599A discloses an electromagnetic relay in which a coil block and contact operating mechanism are arranged separated on a base member and in which a moving piece which is attached to the coil block and the contact operating mechanism which includes electrodes having contacts are connected by a card. It is disclosed that the card of this electromagnetic relay has a bottom end which is locked with a lock hole of a moving contact piece and has a top end with a lock recess in which a lock projection which is formed on the moving iron piece is locked.
As disclosed in the above patent literature, it is known to arrange a card between an armature and electrodes to transmit the operation of the armature to the electrodes in the electromagnetic relay. The electromagnetic relay which is provided with the card is formed so that the card moves corresponding to the operation of the armature and the electrodes move corresponding to the operation of the card. The armature is formed by iron etc. since it is formed by for example a magnetic body. As opposed to this, the card is formed by an insulating material of resin etc.
In the production of an electromagnetic relay, the card has to be connected to the armature, but in the process of connecting the card to the armature, sometimes part of the card is scraped off. For example, sometimes the connecting part of a card is fit into a connecting part of an armature. The armature is formed by iron or another hard material, while the card is formed by resin or other soft material, so when fitting the card in the armature, sometimes the part of the card which slides against the armature is scraped off and scrapings are produced.
After assembling the electromagnet or the card or other inside parts, the inside parts are covered by a case. In this regard, the scrapings of the card sometimes remain in the case. If the scrapings of the card remain inside the case, for example, they sometimes stick to the contacts and cause poor connection between the contacts.
Further, an armature is sometimes formed with a narrow part for fitting the card. In this regard, sometimes the strength of the part for fitting the card is insufficient and the part for fitting the card deforms in the production of the armature. If the part for fitting the card was not formed to the desired shape, the armature is treated as defective.
The present invention has as its object the provision of an electromagnetic relay which suppresses defects in the process of production.
A first electromagnetic relay of the present invention is provided with an electromagnet which includes a coil, an armature which is pulled by the electromagnet, a moving member which has a moving contact, and a connecting member which engages with the armature and the moving member and transmits the operation of the armature to the moving member. The armature includes an armature body and an engagement part which engages with the connecting member, while the connecting member includes a connecting member body, a pedestal part which extends from the connecting member body, a deforming part which extends from the connecting member body and can elastically deform, and a tab which is formed at the end of the deforming part and sticks out toward the pedestal part. The deforming part has a first part which extends from the connecting member body and a second part which extends bent from the first part and deforms when the engagement part is pushed between the pedestal part and the tab. The engagement part is sandwiched between the pedestal part and second part when the engagement part engages with the connecting member. A chamfered part where an angular part is chamfered is formed at the end of a surface in the width direction which the tab contacts when the engagement part is pushed between the pedestal part and the tab.
A second electromagnetic relay of the present invention is provided with an electromagnet which includes a coil, an armature which is pulled by the electromagnet, a moving member which has a moving contact, and a connecting member which engages with the armature and the moving member and transmits operation of the armature to the moving member. The armature includes an armature body and an engagement part which engages with the connecting member, while the connecting member includes a connecting member body, a pedestal part which extends from the connecting member body, a deforming part which extends from the connecting member body and can elastically deform, and a tab which is formed at the end of the deforming part and sticks out toward the pedestal part. The deforming part has a first part which extends from the connecting member body and a second part which extends bent from the first part and deforms when the engagement part is pushed between the pedestal part and the tab. The engagement part is sandwiched between the pedestal part and the second part when the engagement part engages with the connecting member, and is configured by a part which is sandwiched between a cutaway part which is formed at one end of the armature in the width direction and a recess part which is formed at the other end in the width direction.
Referring to
The electromagnetic relay of the present embodiment is provided with an electromagnet 12. In the present embodiment, the electromagnet 12 comprises a coil and an iron core which are covered by resin. The electromagnet 12 generates magnetic force when the coil is energized, that is, the electromagnet 12 is excited. The electromagnet 12 stops generating a magnetic force when energization of the coil is stopped.
The electromagnetic relay of the present embodiment is provided with a base member 10. In the present embodiment, the base member 10 is formed by resin which has an electrical insulating property. The base member 10 includes a support part 11. The electromagnet 12 is placed on the base member 10 and is supported by the support part 11. The coil inside of the electromagnet 12 is connected to coil terminals 23 and 24.
The electromagnetic relay has an armature 31 which is pulled by the electromagnet 12. The armature 31 is formed into a plate shape from a magnetic material. The armature 31 of the present embodiment is formed from iron. The armature 31 has one end fastened to a flat spring 14. The flat spring 14 is fastened to the base member 10. The flat spring 14 has elasticity and is formed so as to bias the armature 31 in a direction away from the electromagnet 12.
The electromagnetic relay is provided with a moving electrode plate 18 as a moving member which has a moving contact 18a. The moving electrode plate 18 is formed into a plate shape and has elasticity. The moving electrode plate 18 has one end 18b which is fastened to the base member 10. The moving electrode plate 18 is formed by a material which has electrical conductivity. The moving electrode plate 18 is connected to a contact terminal 22. The contact terminal 22 is connected to an external electrical circuit.
The electromagnetic relay includes a fixed electrode plate 17 as a fixed member which has a fixed contact 17a. The fixed electrode plate 17 is formed into a plate shape. The fixed electrode plate 17 is arranged so as to face the moving electrode plate 18. The fixed electrode plate 17 is fixed to the base member 10. The moving contact 18a and the fixed contact 17a are arranged so as to face each other. The fixed electrode plate 17 is formed by a material which has electrical conductivity. The fixed electrode plate 17 is connected to a contact terminal 21. The contact terminal 21 is connected to an external electrical circuit.
The electromagnetic relay is provided with a card 16 as a connecting member which transmits the operation of the armature 31 to the moving electrode plate 18. The card 16 is connected to the other end of the armature 31 at the opposite side to the one end where the flat spring 14 is arranged. The card 16 engages with the armature 31 and the moving electrode plate 18. The card 16 is formed to be able to move in the direction which is shown by the arrow 82 and in the direction opposite to the direction which is shown by the arrow 82. The card 16 transmits the operation of the other end of the armature 31 to the moving electrode plate 18.
When the coil of the electromagnet 12 is not being energized, the armature 31 separates from the electromagnet 12 due to the biasing force of the flat spring 14. At this time, the moving electrode plate 18 is in a state separated from the fixed electrode plate 17. The moving contact 18a is separated from the fixed contact 17a and electrically disconnected.
When energizing the coil of the electromagnet 12, a magnetic field is generated around the core of the electromagnet 12 and the armature 31 is pulled to the electromagnet 12 as shown by the arrow 81. The other end of the armature 31 pushes the card 16, whereby the card 16 moves in the direction which is shown by the arrow 82 and the end of the moving electrode plate 18 is pushed. When the moving electrode plate 18 is pushed by the card 16, the moving electrode plate 18 bends toward the fixed electrode plate 17 as shown by the arrow 83. The moving contact 18a moves toward the fixed contact 17a and contacts the fixed contact 17a. As a result, electrical conduction is achieved.
If stopping the energization of the coil of the electromagnet 12, the elastic force of the flat spring 14 causes the armature 31 to move in a direction away from the electromagnet 12. The other end of the armature 31 is lifted up, then the card 16 moves in a direction opposite to the arrow 82. The moving contact 18a separates from the fixed contact 17a and is electrically disconnected. The electromagnetic relay of the present embodiment can energize and deenergize the coil 2 so as to make the fixed contact 17a and the moving contact 18a contact and separate from each other.
The engagement part 31b of the first example is formed to a substantially rectangular shape when cutting in the width direction. The engagement part 31b has inclined parts 31d and 31e as chamfered parts obtained by chamfering angular parts. The inclined parts 31d and 31e are formed at the ends of the surface of the engagement part 31b in the width direction which a tab 16c of the card 16 contacts when pushing the engagement part 31b into the part sandwiched between the tab 16c and a pedestal part 16b of the card 16. The surfaces of the inclined parts 31d and 31e are formed in flat shapes. The inclined parts 31d and 31e are formed to be inclined with respect to the surface 31g of the armature body 31a. The inclined parts 31d and 31e are formed at the ends of the engagement part 31b at the both sides in the width direction. Such cutaway parts 31m and 31n and inclined part 31d and 31e of the armature 31 can be formed by cutting or grinding a material forming the engagement part 31b.
The card 16 includes a card body 16a as a connecting member body and an insertion part 16e which extends from the card body 16a and is inserted into the moving electrode plate 18. The insertion part 16e has the function of pushing the moving electrode plate 18. The card 16 includes a pedestal part 16b which extends from the card body 16a and forms a pedestal for the engagement part 31b of the armature 31. The card 16 includes a deforming part 16d which extends from the card body 16a and can elastically deform.
The deforming part 16d of the present embodiment has a first part 16f which extends from the card body 16a in the direction which is shown by the arrow 95 and a second part 16g which is bent from the first part 16f and extends in the direction which is shown by the arrow 96. In this way, the deforming part 16d has a bent shape when viewing the electromagnetic relay from the side. The front end of the deforming part 16d is formed with a tab 16c. The tab 16c is formed so as to face the pedestal part 16b. Furthermore, the tab 16c sticks out toward the pedestal part 16b. The distance between the pedestal part 16b and the tab 16c is made to be smaller than the thickness of the engagement part 31b of the armature 31.
When fitting the card 16 in the armature 31, the card 16 is moved so that the engagement part 31b of the armature 31 is arranged between the tab 16c and the pedestal part 16b. Next, as shown by the arrow 91, the card 16 is pushed into the armature 31. That is, the engagement part 31b is pushed into the part of the card 16 which is sandwiched between the pedestal part 16b and the tab 16c. At this time, the guide part 31c of the armature 31 keeps the card 16 from detaching from the engagement part 31b. For this reason, the card 16 can be easily made to move in the width direction of the engagement part 31b.
As explained above, when the card 16 is fit into the engagement part 31b of the armature 31, the card 16 is made to move in the state with the pedestal part 16b and the tab 16c made to contact the engagement part 31b. At this time, the deforming part 16d deforms and the tab 16c is lifted up as shown by the arrow 92. Due to the reaction force of the deforming part 16d, the tab 16c is pushed toward the inclined part 31d. The tab 16c of the present embodiment is formed by a material which is softer than the engagement part 31b. However, the tab 16c contacts the inclined part 31d and smoothly moves along the inclined part 31d. For this reason, even if the tab 16c presses against the engagement part 31b, the tab 16c can be kept from being scraped by the engagement part 31b.
Here, an armature of a comparative example will be explained.
The engagement part 35b of the comparative example is not formed with chamfered parts at angular parts which the tab 16c of the card 16 contacts. That is, the engagement part 35b is not formed with inclined parts at the ends in the width direction but has sharp corner parts 35d and 35e. The engagement part 35b is formed to have a rectangular cross-sectional shape.
If the card 16 is made to move relative to the armature 35 of the comparative example as shown by the arrow 91, the tab 16c contacts one angular part 35d of the engagement part 35b. At this time, since the angular part 35d has a sharp shape and, furthermore, the engagement part 35b is formed by a material which is harder than the tab 16c, sometimes the tab 16c is scraped when the tab 16c slides against the angular part 35d. Furthermore, when the tab 16c contacts the angular part 35e by making the card 16 move as shown by the arrow 91, sometimes the tab 16c is scraped. In this way, in the armature 35 of the comparative example, when fitting the card 16 in the armature 35, the tab 16c may be scraped and scrapings are formed. Scrapings remaining inside the electromagnetic relay may cause poor connection between the contacts.
Referring to
The recess part 32f is formed so as to be able to hold the tab 16c inside it. Further, the recess part 32f has a depth giving a clearance between the tab 16c and the bottom surface of the recess part 32f when holding the tab 16c. At the ends of the recess part 32f at the both sides in the width direction, an inclined part 32g is formed in addition to the inclined part 32e. Such a recess part 32f can, for example, be formed by pressing the member forming the base material by a die. That is, it may be formed by press forming the base material. Alternatively, it may be formed by cutting the surface of a member forming the base material.
In the electromagnetic relay which is provided with an armature 32 as well, the ends of the engagement part 32b at the both sides in the width direction are formed with inclined parts 32d and 32e, so it is possible to keep the tab 16c of the card 16 from being scraped when fitting the card 16 into the armature 32. As a result, it is possible to keep scrapings from remaining inside of the electromagnetic relay.
Further, the armature 32 is formed with a recess part 32f at the other end in the width direction. The armature 32 has a structure where the recess part 32f is connected to the engagement part 32b and guide part 32c. Therefore, the engagement part 32b and guide part 32c can be supported by the part where the recess part 32f is formed. That is, the armature 32 has a structure where it is reinforced so as to suppress deformation of the engagement part 32b and guide part 32c. In particular, in the production of the armature 32, it is possible to suppress deformation of the engagement part 32b and the guide part 32c and possible to suppress the occurrence of defective products.
The recess part 33f of the armature 33 is formed with a rectangular cross-sectional shape. The ends of the engagement part 33b at the both sides in the width direction are structured without inclined parts. Even in an armature 33 which includes such an engagement part 33b and recess part 33f, deformation of the engagement part 33b and the guide part 33c in the process of production of the armature 33 can be suppressed. Therefore, defects in the armature 33 can be suppressed.
In the present embodiment, the card is made to move relative to the armature so as to fit the card in the engagement part of the armature, but the invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to make the armature move relative to the card so as to fit the card in the engagement part of the armature.
A chamfered part of the present embodiment is formed with a flat surface, but the invention is not limited to this. It may also be formed into a curved surface.
The electromagnetic relay of the present embodiment brings two contacts into contact with each other, but the invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to an electromagnetic relay which has three or more contacts and electrically connects, disconnects, or switches any contacts.
The above embodiments may be suitably combined. In the above figures, the same or corresponding parts are assigned the same reference notations. Note that the above embodiments are illustrations and do not limit the invention. Further, in the embodiments, changes which are shown in the claims are included.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2013-008531 | Jan 2013 | JP | national |