EP0021976B1 - Electromagnetic relay - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to electromagnetic relays of the stacking type of electrical contact blades, in particular for telecommunications.

It is known to produce blocks for stacking contact blades comprising at least one stack of metal blades separated by an insulating material. This material may consist of plates obtained by cutting or molding, the blade-plate assembly being fixed to the cylinder head of the remake.

The stacking of the contact blades and the plates requires precise alignment so that the facing contacts at the end of said blades can be established on an optimum surface. An approximate centering can be obtained by fixing the stack to the cylinder head of the relay by means of two screws or rivets passing through the blade-insert assembly. This has the disadvantage of requiring a large dimensioning of the blades and a certain clearance between the diameter of the screws and the drilling holes.

A solution for a more precise alignment of blades of a small size consists in using only one fixing screw for a block of two stacks of blades, said blades of each stack being centered by two insulating pins passing through the assembly blade plates in the axis of symmetry of said blades. However, these insulating pins must be calibrated with precision, which weighs significantly on the cost of the product.

The patent US-A-2838631 describes a different solution in which a single screw makes it possible to fix a block of two stacks of blades, the block consists of insulating plates which can be inserted one inside the other thanks to transverse recesses and complementary shoulders respectively made on either side of the plates to ensure the positioning of the blades inserted between these nested plates.

The fixing of the stacking block by a screw or a rivet passing through the central part of the block has the drawback of concentrating the pressure on the central zone of the plates, the lateral parts of which tend to spread out in a fan on either side of the central area.

This led to the use of simple flanges as shown in patent GB-A-1 337 678 or possibly more complex as shown in patent DE-B-171 086 which then aim to distribute the pressure over an area as great as possible. To this end, the German patent provides in particular a central crown flange associated with a flat leaf spring applied between the central crown and the plates as well as a central crown flange and side flaps pressing simultaneously on a leaf spring applied to the platelets.

Another means of producing stacking blocks consists in coating a part of each strip in molten insulating material in order to obtain a strip-plate and in positioning them according to the preceding solution. Another way is to position the blades of one or more stacks in a special mold and fill the mold with molten insulating material.

These embodiments of stacking blocks by hot-coating of the blades have the drawback of causing a degradation of the elasticity of the blades and of creating internal tensions causing the dimensions to be adjusted at the level of the contacts.

The present invention therefore provides an electromagnetic relay with stacks of fixed and movable electrical contact blades held in at least one support block which is fixed to a yoke of the relay by means of a screw and which consists of interlocking insulating plates one inside the other thanks to transverse recesses and complementary shoulders respectively produced on one and / or the other face of the plates to ensure the positioning in alignment of the contact blades clamped in the recesses by the shoulders under the action of the screw.

According to a characteristic of the invention, the plates of a support block are assembled in at least two sets, nested and aligned, in each of which the plates are assembled together by means of two retaining fingers carried by the one of them placed at one end of the game in question, the support block being secured to a base, transverse to the cylinder head and integral with this cylinder head, by means of a bar with bent ends and with central part reinforced on which rests on the fixing screw passing through said reinforced central part and said plates in their respective central parts to be screwed into said base so that pressure is distributed over the central part and over the lateral parts of the plates.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the plates of a support block are assembled in at least two interlocked and aligned sets, in each of which the plates are assembled together by means of two retaining fingers carried by t ' one of them placed at one end of the game in question, the support block being secured to the cylinder head, by means of a U-shaped flange shaped so as to have a central bulge and two lateral bulges so as to be ensured a distribution of the pressure on the central part and on the lateral parts of the pads.

• - la fig. 1 représente une vue de profil d'un relais selon l'invention dont l'embase et le capot protecteur sont représentés en coupe,
• - la fig. 2 représente en vue de profil un bloc d'empilages de lames conductrices à 2 jeux J1, J2 dont le jeu J1 a ses éléments séparés et le jeu J2 ses éléments emboîtés, - la fig. 3 est une vue en perspective des plaquettes isolantes d'un jeu d'empilages, les plaquettes étant espacées et les lames conductrices non représentées,
• - la fig. 4 est une vue de profil d'un bloc d'empilages de lames de contact doubles,
• - la fig. 5 représente en coupe un bloc d'empilages de 2 jeux J1, J2 emboîtés et assemblés sur la culasse du relais, les lames de contact n'étant pas représentées,
• - la fig. 6 est une vue en perspective des éléments de fixation de l'empilage sur une plaquette d'extrémité,
• - la fig. 7 représente en coupe un bloc d'empilages d'un jeu J1, d'un jeu J2 et de 2 jeux intermédiaires J3, les lames de contact n'étant pas représentées,
• - la fig. 8 représente par une vue en perspective une plaquette d'extrémité d'un jeu d'intermédiaire J3,
• - la fig. 9 représente par une vue en perspective la culasse du relais formée d'un socle pour la fixation de l'ensemble barrette-bloc d'empilages,
• - la fig. 10 représente une bride de fixation à niveaux de pression répartie,
• - la fig. 11 représente une vue de dessous du relais embase enlevée, montrant la fixation du bloc d'empilages sur la culasse exempte de socle, au moyen de la bride à niveaux de pression répartie.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description of an embodiment of the relay according to the invention, given by way of nonlimiting example, with reference to the appended figures listed below:

• - fig. 1 represents a profile view of a relay according to the invention, the base and the protective cover of which are shown in section,
• - fig. 2 is a side view of a block of stacks of conductive strips with 2 sets J1, J2, the set J1 of which has its separate elements and the set of J2 of its nested elements, - fig. 3 is a perspective view of the insulating plates of a set of stacks, the plates being spaced and the conductive strips not shown,
• - fig. 4 is a side view of a block of stacks of double contact blades,
• - fig. 5 shows in section a stacking block of 2 sets J1, J2 fitted and assembled on the cylinder head of the relay, the contact blades not being shown,
• - fig. 6 is a perspective view of the fastening elements of the stack on an end plate,
• - fig. 7 shows in section a stacking block of a set J1, of a set J2 and of 2 intermediate sets J3, the contact blades not being shown,
• - fig. 8 represents a perspective view of an end plate of an intermediate set J3,
• - fig. 9 is a perspective view of the relay yoke formed by a base for fixing the bar-stacking block assembly,
• - fig. 10 represents a fixing flange with distributed pressure levels,
• - fig. 11 shows a view from below of the base relay removed, showing the fixing of the stacking block to the cylinder head without base, by means of the flange with distributed pressure levels.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the relay comprises, integral with the cylinder head 1, a base 2 on which rests a block of stacks of fixed conductive blades 3, 5 and mobile 4 constituting rest-work contacts or RT contacts. The conductive strips 3, 4, 5 and their wiring pins 6 are positioned between insulating plates 7, 9, 10, 11 which can be fitted together, some of said plates being extended towards the contact ends of the conductors by an insulating tab 8a, 8b including faces is oblique profile. A metal bar 12 fixes the stacking block to the frame of the relay by a screw 13, the end of which is screwed to the base 2.

The relay is protected by a transparent cover 20 embedded on a base 19. The "floating" of the relay in the cover is prohibited in width by the lateral sides of the cylinder head, in length by two pairs of internal ribs 21, 22 with opposite ramps and in height by a shoulder 24 at the bottom of the cover having a bearing on the cylinder head between the bent part of the small face of said cylinder head and the core of the coil.

The pairs of ribs 21, 22 molded in the mass of the cover respectively in the middle part of the bottom of the cover and in a lateral part adjacent to said bottom, allow on the one hand a correct automatic positioning of the relay in the cover when it is introduced into said cover and, on the other hand, the timing of said relay between the bent part of the frame and one side of the cheek 23 of the coil.

Fig. 2 shows the stacking block seen in profile. It includes, for example two columns of two rows of blades 3, 4, 5 or four RT contacts. The stacking block is formed by two homologous sets J1 and J2 of contiguous and / or nested elements, each of said sets constituting two RT contacts. The J2 set is shown with its elements nested while the J1 set is shown with its spaced elements.

• - une plaquette intermédiaire 9 comportant des moyens de retenue 31 des autres plaquettes dudit jeu,
• - deux plaquettes à palettes 8b, 8a prenant en sandwich par des moyens emboîtables une rangée de deux lames de commande 4; les faces à profil oblique 82, 83 des palettes sont en regard de manière à aménager entre elles un espace en V permettant l'aiguillage de la lame de commande; les palettes 8a, 8b desdites plaquettes sont de forme trapézoïdale,
• - une plaquette d'extrémité 7 prenant appui directement ou non sur la culasse du relais.

The J1 game includes:

• an intermediate plate 9 comprising means 31 for retaining the other plates of said set,
• - Two pallet plates 8b, 8a sandwiching by interlocking means a row of two control blades 4; the oblique profile faces 82, 83 of the pallets are facing each other so as to form a V-shaped space between them allowing the switch of the control blade; the pallets 8a, 8b of said plates are of trapezoidal shape,
• - An end plate 7 bearing directly or indirectly on the cylinder head of the relay.

The row of the pair of working contact blades 5 is sandwiched by interlocking means of the plates 9 and 8b. The row of the pair of rest contact blades 3 is sandwiched by interlocking means of plates 8a and 7.

• - une plaquette intermédiaire 10 identique à la 9 du jeu J1 mais retournée de 180° et comportant des doigts de retenue 31 légèrement plus courts,
• - deux plaquettes à palettes 8a, 8b respectivement identiques à celles du jeu J1 mais retournées de 180°,
• - une plaquette d'extrémité 11 dont la face externe diffère de celle de son homologue opposée 7 du jeu J1.

The J2 game includes:

• an intermediate plate 10 identical to the 9 of the set J1 but turned 180 ° and comprising slightly shorter retaining fingers 31,
• - two paddle plates 8a, 8b respectively identical to those of set J1 but turned 180 °,
• - An end plate 11 whose external face differs from that of its opposite counterpart 7 of the set J1.

The intermediate retaining plate 9 or 10, the pallet plates 8a and 8b and the end plate 7 are shown in more detail in FIG. 3. The intermediate plate 9 of rectangular shape has on one face two parallel and symmetrical recesses 30 with vertical sides. Two retaining fingers 31 molded in the mass of the wafer are each arranged orthogonally to the plane of the wafer; the base of said finger, starting from the bottom of the recess, comprises an annular cup 32. The contact blades and the other plates of a stacking set have holes opposite the retaining fingers 31 and are threaded into said fingers . The plate 9 has a hole 33 used for the passage of the screw 13 for fixing the stacking block of the contact blades. The lateral edges of the plate have, respectively, a recess 34 and a stud 35 located on the face of the plate opposite to that provided with the fingers 31. Said recess and stud have a semi-cylindrical shape oriented towards the inside of the disc. so that the stud 35 of the intermediate plate of the set J1 is received in the recess 34 of the intermediate plate of the set J2 and vice versa.

8b vane platelets games J1 and J2 are positioned so that their right sides to _D rofile 81 are opposite. The face of the wafer on the right profile side 81 of its pallet has two shoulders 40 with a flat base and oblique sides, said bases forming two parallel strips. The face of the plate on the oblique profile side 82 has two recesses 41 with straight sides, said recesses being superimposed on the two shoulders 40. The plate has two holes 42 each opening on an annular bowl 43, 44 arranged respectively at the top of the shoulder and at the bottom of the recess; said bowls promote the plating of the blades by a suction effect. The plate also has a central hole 45.

The pallet plates 8a and 8b of any play are positioned so that their respective oblique profile faces 83, 82 are facing each other. The face of the pallet as an extension of the oblique profile face 83 of the pallet has shoulders 50 with oblique sides. The opposite face located on the opposite side with a straight profile 84 of the pallet has recesses 51 with straight sides. Like the previous pallet plate, it has two holes 52 each opening onto a shoulder and a recess via a respective annular bowl 53, 54 and a central hole 55.

• - deux trous latéraux 62, chacun centrés sur un épaulement 61 et débouchant via une cuvette annulaire 63, sur la face de la plaquette comportant les tétons 60,
• - un trou central 65,
• - la fig. 4 est une vue de profil de l'empilage montrant la plaquette d'extrémité 7, deux lames fixes de contact 3 et deux lames mobiles de contact 4, une plaquette à palette 8a et les broches 6,
• - la fig. 5 montre le bloc d'empilages J1, J2 serré par la vis 13 sur le socle 2.

The end plate 7 of rectangular shape has on one of its faces two pins 60 coming to take place according to the method of fixing the stacking block, in holes in the base 2 secured to the cylinder head. The opposite face has two symmetrical shoulders 61 with a flat base and oblique sides, said bases forming two parallel and symmetrical bands. The plate has three aligned holes:

• two lateral holes 62, each centered on a shoulder 61 and opening out via an annular bowl 63, on the face of the plate comprising the pins 60,
• - a central hole 65,
• - fig. 4 is a profile view of the stack showing the end plate 7, two fixed contact blades 3 and two movable contact blades 4, a pallet plate 8a and the pins 6,
• - fig. 5 shows the stacking block J1, J2 tightened by the screw 13 on the base 2.

The end plate 11 is shown in more detail in FIG. 6. It has on its external face a wide hollow band 70 throughout its length. The opposite face of said plate has two shoulders 71 similar to those of the previous plates. Lateral holes 72 centered on said shoulders each open out via an annular bowl 73 on the hollowed-out face 70. A central hole 75 passes through the plate.

The pads 8b, 8a and 7 of the set J1 for example are threaded through their respective lateral holes 42, 52 and 62 in the fingers 31 of the pad 9 by interposing between said pads the contact blades 5, 4, 3 and the pins 6 as shown in fig. 2, said blades and pins also being inserted in the fingers 31. The ends of the fingers 31 are then riveted in the corresponding cups 63 by ultrasound.

• - une plaquette intermédiaire 10 identique à la 9 du jeu J1 ou 10 du jeu J2,
• - deux plaquettes à palette 8a, 8b identiques à celles du jeu J1 ou du jeu J2,
• - une plaquette terminale 14 (fig. 8) comportant les épaulements (71), les trous (72, 75) et les cuvettes (73) de la plaquette 11 (fig. 6) mais la face opposée aux épaulements est plane et dépourvue de gorge 70, les cuvettes débouchant directement sur ladite face, laquelle comporte en outre un retrait 34 et un téton 35 identiques à ceux (34, 35) de la plaquette 9.

When the stacking block is made up of a number of sets greater than two, it comprises one or more sets J3 interposed between the sets J1 and J2. A J3 set includes (fig. 7):

• - an intermediate plate 10 identical to 9 of set J1 or 10 of set J2,
• - two pallet plates 8a, 8b identical to those of set J1 or set J2,
• - a terminal plate 14 (fig. 8) comprising the shoulders (71), the holes (72, 75) and the bowls (73) of the plate 11 (fig. 6) but the face opposite to the shoulders is flat and devoid of groove 70, the bowls opening directly onto said face, which further comprises a recess 34 and a stud 35 identical to those (34, 35) of the plate 9.

The plates, blades and pins are assembled in sets J1, J2, J3 to form end sets J1, J2 of the stacking block and sets J3 inside said block. This pre-assembly of the elements by sets J1, J2, J3, facilitates storage and makes it possible to manufacture relays with number of contacts varying on request, by simple fitting of a combination of said sets, the stacking blocks thus being produced so modular.

The stacking block detailed in FIGS. 2 and 4 can be fixed to the cylinder head by two different means making it possible to apply distributed pressure to said block.

A first fixing means consists of a bar 12 (fig. 6) with flexible branches comprising on either side of a rigid central part a straight part 15 and a curved end 16. The central part of the plate has a reinforcement annular 17 pierced with a hole 18. The bar 12 is disposed in the housing 70 of the end plate 11 and the pins 60 of the end plate 7 are adjusted in the holes 85 of the base 2 (figs 5, 6 and 9) fixed transversely on the relay cylinder head 1. Said base has in the center a threaded hole 87 into which is screwed the threaded end of the screw 13 which applies the stacking block against the base by pressing the central part 17 and end parts 16 of the bar. The base comprises opposite the frame 88 a recess 89 allowing the free play of said frame.

Another fastening means consists of a flexible U-shaped flange 90 (FIG. 10), the common branch of which comprises towards the inside of the U a central bulge 91, and two lateral bulges 92, 93. The common branch of the flange is placed in the recessed part 70 of the plate of the stacking block. In this method of attachment (fig. 11) the cylinder head does not have a base 2 but two lateral notches 94 receiving the ends 95 of the flange 90 and the pins of the stacking block. The bulges of the flange exert a clamping pressure of the pads distributed over the central and lateral zones of said pads.

Claims (6)

1. An electromagnetic relay having stacks of fixed and movable electrical contact strips (3, 5 and 4 resp.), which are positioned in at least one support block, this block being fixed on a relay yoke (1) by means of a screw (13) and being composed of insulating plates (7, 8a, 8b, 9, 10, 11) which may be stacked one in the other due to transverse recesses (30, 41, 51) and complementary shoulders (61) which are realized on one and/ or the other plate surface respectively so as to ensure the aligned positioning of the contact strips which are gripped by the shoulders in the recesses under the action of the screw, characterized in that the plates of a support block are assembled in at least two stacked and aligned sets (J1, J2), the plates of each set being mutually assembled via two retaining fingers (31) which are born by one of them (9, 10) placed at the end of the considered set; the support block being fixed to a socket (2), transverse lo the yoke (1) and integral therewith, by means of a bar (12) having incurved end portions (16) and a reinforced central portion (17) on which the fixation screw rests, this screw transversing said reinforced central portion and said plates in their respective central portions and engaging in said socket so as to ensure a pressure distribution on the central portion and on the lateral portions of the plates.

2. An electromagnetic relay having stacks of fixed and movable electrical contact strips (3, 5 and 4 resp.), which are positioned in at least one support block, this block being fixed on a relay yoke by means of mounting means providing distribution of pressure and being composed of in- suiating plates (7, 8a, 8b, 9, 10, 11) which may be stacked one in the other due to transverse recesses (30, 41, 51) and complementary shoulders (61) which are realized on one and/or the other plate surface respectively so as to ensure the aligned positioning of the contact strips which are gripped by the shoulders in the recesses under the action of a clamp (90), characterized in that the plates of a support block are assembled in at least two stacked and aligned sets (J1, J2), the plates of each set being mutually assembled via two retaining fingers (31) which are born by one of them (9, 10) placed at the end of the considered set, the support block being fixed to the yoke (1) via a U-shaped clamp (90) which shows a central bulge (91) and two lateral bulges (93) so as to ensure a pressure distribution on the central portion and on the lateral portions of the plates.

3. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of the stacking holes (42, 52 or 62) made in the plates for enabling the passage of a retaining finger (31) emerges at the center of a transverse recess (41, 51) and/or a shoulder (61), the stacking holes receiving the tip of the retaining fingers (31) which terminate each in a basis (63) for conjuring this tip which is riveted there.

4. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 3, characterized in that each contact strip (3, 4 or 5) or strip shaped pin (6) which is pressed into a transverse recess (30, 41, 51) having a flat ground by a shoulder (61) having a flat top, comprises a stacking hole for receiving a plate retaining finger (31).

5. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plate (9) bearing retaining fingers (31) comprises a notch (34) and a projection (35) located at the central rim portion of two opposed sides at the face which is opposite to the face bearing the fingers, in order to allow a head-to-tail juxtaposition of two identical plates in a support block composed of at least two sets (JI, J2).

6. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 5 including at least three sets, characterized in that it comprises an intermediate set (J3) in which a plate called rivet plate (14) located in the set opposite to the plate which bears retaining fingers (31) includes a notch (34) and a projection (35) which are identical to that of the plate bearing retaining fingers.

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