US3145279A

US3145279A - Enclosed multipole relay

Info

Publication number: US3145279A
Application number: US101483A
Authority: US
Inventors: Vradenburgh Robert
Original assignee: Ward Leonard Electric Co
Current assignee: Ward Leonard Electric Co
Priority date: 1961-04-07
Filing date: 1961-04-07
Publication date: 1964-08-18
Anticipated expiration: 1981-08-18

Description

g R. VRADENBURGH ENCLOSED MULTIPOLE RELAY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 7, 1961 INVENTOR.

rray/wry 4 045 477 [Imam/0019s I IMF u 18, 1954 R. VRADENBURGH ENCLOSED MULTIPOLE RELAY Filed April 7, 19 61 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Pcseqr kpqoavau sy ,qrrapms'r w. E l 1 United States Patent 3,145,279 ENCLOSED MULTIPOLE RELAY Robert Vradenburgh, Yonkers, N.Y., assignor to Ward Leonard Electric Co., Mount Vernon, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Apr. 7, 1961, Ser. No. 101,483 3 Claims. (Cl. 290104) This invention relates to enclosed electrical relays and particularly to the assembly and form of the components.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified enclosed relay.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved enclosed relay that minimizes the number of components and the number of manipulative steps to assemble.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the plug-in type relay with the enclosing cover illustrated in section;

FIG. 2 is a side view of plug-in type relay with enclosing cover in section;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the base portion taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 illustrates the relationship of the armature and contacts on energization of the relay;

FIG. 6 is a front sectional view of the pin type enclosed relay with the cover illustrated in section;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the front connected type enclosed relay; and

FIG. 8 is a side view of the base of the front connected type relay.

Referring to FIG. 1, a plug-in type enclosed relay is illustrated. This relay comprises a base 19 with a supporting flange 11 and an enclosing cover 12 mounted on the flange. The base 18 comprises a disc shaped molded plastic member 13 with electrically conductive hollow prongs 14 molded therein.

In this embodiment the base is provided with eight prongs circumferentially arranged in an evenly spaced relation. A tongue 15 with a key 16 is provided at the center of the base for properly positioning the base and guiding the insertion of the prongs into the appropriate terminals of a socket. The supporting

pins

31, 33, 34, 35, 36 and 38 are solid, cylindrical metal pieces and are easily inserted in the

prongs

21, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 28 and firmly fastened thereto by any conventional means. The pins extend above the disc member 13 to provide electrically conductive means in the enclosed chamber 19 formed by the base and cover. The pins extend a sulficient distance to provide ample space for engagement and fastening of electrical elements. The electromagnet with the armature is mounted on the cover. The contacts are mounted on the base which is separable from the cover.

The resilient

contact mounting members

29 and 30 are securely fastened to the

pins

31 and 38 and have

contact buttons

39, 40 and 41, 42 for engaging the

pins

33, 34 and 35, 36 respectively. The contact mounting means 29 and 30 are resiliently biased to normally engage the

pins

34 and 35.

In this embodiment the

contact mounting members

29 and 30 are elongated thin resiliently stifi metal pieces having straight portions 29a and 30a fastened to the

pins

31 and 38 and straight portions 29b and 30b on which the contact buttons are mounted. The straight portions are connected by sloped portions 290 and 300 to form

edges

46 and 47. A wedge-shaped member 44 is provided to engage the

edges

46 and 47 which on movement in direction indicated by the arrow A forces the contact buttons against the

pins

33 and 36 and on movement in direction of the arrow B releases the pressure to permit the buttons to normally engage the

pins

34, 35.

3,145,279 Patented Aug. 18, 1964 The electromagnet 50 is fastened tocover 12 by means of a bolt 51 passing through the cover and threading into the core 52 of the electromagnet. The L-shaped frame 53 is also mounted with the electromagnet on the cover 12 engaging the core 52 and pivotally supporting the armature 54 to engage the opposite end of the core 52 to complete the flux path. The L-shaped frame has spaced projections 55 fitting notches 56 on the edges of the armature 54. On top of the L-shaped frame is a spring support 57 having a forked member 58 between which the prong 59 of the armature extends. The helical spring 60 is attached to the prong 59 and to the spring support 57 to pivot the armature 54 away from the core 52 on deenergization of the winding.

The armature 54 is of ferromagnetic material and completes the outside flux path for the relay. An insulating or insulated actuating member 61 is attached by the bolt 62 to the armature and extends toward the base 10 between the

resilient contact members

29 and 30. The actuating member 61 supports the wedge-shaped member 44 to engage the

edges

46 and 47 on the

resilient contact members

29 and 30. The electromagnet with the wedgeshaped member 44 is separable from the base and contact members by unfastening the cover 12 and for complete separation the leads 64 and 65 are unsoldered.

The winding of the electromagnet is supplied with current through the prongs 22 and 27.

Pins

32 and 37 fit in the prongs 22 and 27 and are attached adjacent to the electromagnet by mean-s of the flexible cables 64, 65. The flexible cables 64 and 65 are spaced from the pins and the resilient contact members so as not to engage the other conductive members of the relay.

In FIGS. 7 and 8 the plug-in base is replaced by a base having terminals accessible on the same side of the base as the electromagnet. In this embodiment the electromagnet is also supported by the casing in a similar manner to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2. The pins 31a to 38a are rigidly fastened to the terminal members 71-78. The terminal members have an L shape fitting in grooves 79. The cover is mounted on the base and fastened thereto by suitable means. The grooves 79 extend exteriorly to the cover 80 to locate the terminal portions 71-78 outside the cover readily accessible for fastening leads to the relay. The relay is mounted to a panel or chassis or the like by means of bolts through the holes 82 at the corners of the base. The pins 31a through 38a are similar to pins 31 to 38 and support the resilient members 29a, 30a and pass current therewith.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that a new improved enclosed relay has been developed. The attachment of the contacts to the prongs in the base has been greatly simplified by inserting solid cylindrical pins into the base and using the projecting portion as the means for mounting the resilient contacts and as electrical fixed contacts. Thus by inserting and fastening the pins in the prongs a completed contact is provided. The use of the pins also eliminates the difiicult insertion of flexible stranded leads into the hollow prongs. Thus not only is the entire structure of the fixed contact simplified but the fastening of the fixed contacts and other leads to the prongs is also greatly simplified.

The separation of the resilient contact members from the electromagnet provides for an accurate positioning of the movable contact members in relation to the fixed contacts. The same supporting element is used to support both the fixed contacts and the movable contacts.

Further, the separation of the movable contact members from the electromagnet structure eliminates the requirement for flexible conductive leads and thus eliminates all the .manufacturing steps for connecting the contacts araaare to the prongs. This separation also permits the mounting of the electromagnet on the cover so that the electromagnet may be mounted on the cover separate from the mounting of the movable contacts. Any variations in positioning of the electromagnet in relation to the movable contacts may be compensated for by the size of the Wedge-shaped member.

Another unexpected advantage of the foregoing structure is that the cam action of the wedge-shaped member against the sloped sides and edges of the resilient contact members produces a wiping or self-cleaning action between the eontact buttons and the fixed contact pins. Another feature of the wedge or cam action between the wedge-shaped member and the resilient contacts is the reduced force required to hold the contacts in the closed position on energization of the electromagnet. The contact members are flexed in opposition and therefore produce only a relatively small component of force to the moving magnetic armature in a direction that would tend to unseat it. This reduction of the unseating force minimizes the AC. hum. Thus in addition to providing for a simplified enclosed relay that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture, the relay has operative advantages not heretofore realized in previous relays. The key 16 is illustrated in relation to the pins to lit in sockets adapted for relays of this type. However, the key may be positioned at other locations to lit in other types of sockets.

Various modifications and changes may be made in the various components without departing from the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An enclosed electromagnetic relay comprising a base having at least two pairs of conductive pins extending from said base, two thin resilient metal contact members extending generally parallel to one another in spaced relation and secured at one end to a respective pin of one pair and extending to flex in and out of engagement with a respective pin of the other pair, an electromagnet having an armature having a free end positioned between said contact members and having the other end pivotally attached to the electromagnet to move said first end parallel to said contact members on actuation of the armature, said contact members having facing sloped surfaces and said armature having a wedge-shaped piece on the end of the armature between said contact members and engaging said surfaces to actuate said contact members in opposite directions to vary the relationship of the engagement of said contact members and the respective conductive pins.

2. An enclosed electromagnetic relay as set forth in claim 1 wherein said base has an inner center portion and a terminal portion and a plurality of grooves extending from said terminal portion into said inner center portion on one side of said base, said pins extending from said base on the same side as said grooves and located within said inner center portion, a cover mounted on said base separating said terminal portion and said center portion to enclose said pins, said contact members and said electromagnet, terminals positioned in said grooves extending from said terminal portion into said center portion and electrically attached to said pins.

3. An enclosed electromagnetic relay comprising a base and a tubular shaped cover mounted on said base and forming an enclosing chamber with said base, an electromagnet mounted on said cover and having an armature extending toward said base and actuated to move generally parallel to said base, a plurality of supporting pins extending through said base for providing conductive paths from said enclosed chamber, said pins extending from said base into said chamber, elongated ribbonlike resilient metal contact members extending generally parallel to said base and each pivotally secured at one end to a respective pin to resiliently move transversely to said pins and to the movement of said armature, said contact members in an engaging relation With said pins and said armature separably engaging said contact members to move said contact members in opposite directions to alter the engaging relation on energization and deenergization of said magnet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,185,371 Cook May 30, 1916 1,226,617 Parker May 15, 1917 2,292,134 Leonard Aug. 4, 1942 2,556,716 Viol June 12, 1951 2,731,527 Marsh Jan. 17, 1956 2,749,396 Horrnan et al June 5, 1956 2,790,876 Wagner Apr. 30, 1957 2,866,046 Pandapas ec. 23, 1958 2,951,134 Lazich Aug. 30, 1960