EP0617447B1 - Method for adjusting the armature travel in a relay - Google Patents

Abstract

In the case of the method, a contact spring (23) which is operatively connected to an armature (3) is moved, when in a position corresponding to the operating position of the armature, into touching contact with its respective mating contact element. After this, a further movement is exerted on the armature in such a manner that the desired contact force is produced. A fastening end of the respective contact spring is fitted to a support (20) in a position corresponding to the further movement, and is connected to said support (20). As a result of the additional movement setting before fastening of the contact spring, this contact spring is already fixed in the correct position on its support so that tolerance accumulation is largely precluded and subsequent adjustment is avoided. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a method for adjusting the armature stroke on a relay having at least one contact spring which can be actuated by an armature and which is fastened to a carrier with a fastening section in order to cooperate with a contact section with a mating contact element firmly anchored in a base body.

In the case of relays of the most varied types, there is generally the problem that tolerances of the individual elements often accumulate due to a layer structure, so that after the assembly the contacts do not close in the desired manner or at least do not give the necessary contact force. In order to generate a certain contact force between a contact spring and a mating contact element, an overstroke, that is to say a movement of the contact spring beyond the first contact with the mating contact element, is required anyway. In order to set this overstroke and to generate the desired contact force, it is often necessary to additionally adjust the contact springs by bending after installing the relay. Such a bend adjustment is not only labor intensive, but also prone to errors. In the case of very small relays in particular, it also means that the design options can be restricted if the contact springs must be individually accessible for bending adjustment.

The aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a method for setting the armature stroke, which enables a final overstroke setting already in the assembly process, without the tolerances of the individual parts impairing the result.

• die mit dem Anker in Wirkverbindung stehende Kontaktfeder wird bei einer der Arbeitsposition des Ankers entsprechenden Stellung in Kontaktberührung mit dem Gegenkontaktelement gebracht,
• der Kontaktabschnitt der Kontaktfeder wird in eine einem vorgegebenen Überhub entsprechende Position gebracht und
• dann wird der Befestigungsabschnitt der Kontaktfeder in einer dem Überhub entsprechenden Position mit dem Träger verbunden.

According to the invention, such a method comprises the following steps for a relay of the type mentioned at the beginning:

• the contact spring which is operatively connected to the armature is brought into contact with the mating contact element in a position corresponding to the working position of the armature,
• the contact section of the contact spring is brought into a position corresponding to a predetermined overstroke and
• then the fastening section of the contact spring is connected to the carrier in a position corresponding to the overstroke.

In the method according to the invention, the contact force or a corresponding overstroke is thus set during manufacture in the closed state of each contact; only then is the contact spring itself fixed with its fastening section. This ensures that the tolerances of the individual parts no longer affect the position of the fully assembled contact spring and that subsequent contact adjustment is therefore no longer necessary.

Depending on the structure of a relay system, this method is expediently modified. Corresponding procedures are specified in the subclaims.

As a rule, a metal connection element is provided as a carrier for the contact springs, which also represents the current supply to the contact spring. In these cases, the contact spring is usually welded to its support after the overstroke has been set; a soldered connection or an equivalent fastening is also possible. Furthermore, it is advisable to check the continuity of current at the closed contacts in the manufacturing process before attaching the contact spring. This makes it possible to use the tools in the event of deviations in the overstroke setting readjust without producing faulty relays.

• Figur 1 ein Relais mit einem Wippanker, der eine symmetrische Kontaktfederanordnung trägt,
• Figur 2 das Relais von Figur 1 in geschnittener Darstellung,
• Figur 3 den Sockel und die Ankerbaugruppe des Relais von Figur 1,
• Figur 4 eine Montagevorrichtung für die Ankerbaugruppe von Figur 3,
• Figuren 5, 6 und 7 den Sockel und die Ankerbaugruppe des Relais von Figur 1 in verschiedenen Montageschritten (im Schnitt),
• Figur 8 und Figur 9 ein schematisch dargestelltes Klappankerrelais in zwei verschiedenen Montagezuständen und
• Figur 10 und Figur 11 ein Relais mit Schieberbetätigung in zwei schematisch dargestellten Montagezuständen.

The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawing. Show it

• 1 shows a relay with a rocker armature which carries a symmetrical contact spring arrangement,
• FIG. 2 shows the relay from FIG. 1 in a sectional representation,
• FIG. 3 the base and the armature assembly of the relay from FIG. 1,
• FIG. 4 shows a mounting device for the armature assembly from FIG. 3,
• FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 the base and the armature assembly of the relay from FIG. 1 in different assembly steps (in section),
• Figure 8 and Figure 9 is a schematically illustrated hinged armature relay in two different mounting states and
• Figure 10 and Figure 11 shows a relay with slide actuation in two schematically illustrated mounting states.

The relay shown in Figures 1 to 3 has a base 1 on which a contact arrangement 2 is movably mounted, which in turn is firmly connected to a rocker armature 3. Above the armature, a flat permanent magnet 4 is arranged approximately parallel to it, which lies with a center pole above the bearing point of the armature and has two poles of the same name to the center pole at its two ends. A coil 5 is arranged above the permanent magnet and above the armature, which carries a winding 57 on a coil former 50 with two flanges 51 and 52 and in the coil former tube receives a rod-shaped core 6. A pole piece 7 is connected to the ends of the core. Each of the pole shoes 7 is also coupled to one end of the permanent magnet 4 in the region of a coil end and forms a pole surface for the armature 3 at the bottom.

At the four corners of the system, the coil flanges 51 and 52 each have lugs 53 which are extended downwards and overlap the base 1 in a box-like manner and come to lie in recesses 18 in the base. Vertical grooves 55 are also provided in the coil flanges or extensions 53, into which coil connection elements 56 are inserted. With a cap 8 placed on the base 1, a closed housing is finally formed, which can also be sealed in the usual way.

The base 1, shown enlarged in FIG. 3, consists of a base base body 10 which is formed from insulating material and in which fixed mating contact elements 11, 12, 13 and 14 as well as connecting elements 15 and 16 for movable middle contact elements are anchored. All these contact elements are expediently cut out of a common circuit board and embedded in the base body with a fastening section parallel to the base surface of the base. Of these embedded sections, connecting pins 11a, 12a, 13a, 14a, 15a and 16a are bent perpendicular to the underside of the base. The counter-contact elements 11, 12, 13 and 14 themselves are exposed at the top of the base in the trough-shaped base body 10 and are provided with welding profiles 11b, 12b, 13b and 14b. The connection elements 15 and 16, however, are bent upwards on opposite sides of the base, where they form two bearing supports 15b and 16b for the movable contact arrangement or for the armature by means of corresponding bends and offsets. A rib 17 is formed in each case between the fixed counter-contact elements 11 and 13 or 12 and 14 lying next to one another in order to enlarge the insulating distances.

The movable contact arrangement 2 has a contact carrier 20 made of insulating material, in which contact springs 21, 22, 23 and 24 are embedded. These contact springs optionally work together with the fixed counter-contact elements 11, 12, 13 and 14 located below them. To form two changeover contacts, the contact springs 21 and 22 are connected in one piece in the present example, so that they form a center contact element which is mechanically and electrically connected to the connecting element 15 in the base via a bearing band 25. Accordingly, the contact springs 23 and 24 are integrally connected to a bearing band 26 and coupled to the connecting element 16. The contact arrangement 2 is firmly connected to the armature 3 via two fastening pins 27.

When installing the relay, the movable contact arrangement 2 is first combined with the armature 3 to form an armature-contact assembly, the fastening pins 27 being anchored in the armature bores by hot deformation. Then this armature-contact assembly is connected to the base 1, the contact distances or the respective contact overstroke being set in a defined manner. This will now be explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7.

The bearing strips 25 and 26, which also serve as electrical connection tabs for the center contact elements 21/22 and 23/24 and are cut integrally therewith from a circuit board, each emerge essentially horizontally from the insulating carrier 20 of the contact arrangement. For this purpose, the carrier 20 has lateral lugs 28 from which the two bearing strips emerge in the longitudinal direction of the armature, from where they are then bent vertically upward with a relatively small radius. These upwardly bent sections of the bearing strips thus lie in a common plane perpendicular to the base plane, which on the other hand also runs approximately through the bearing axis of the armature.

After inserting the armature-contact assembly into the base 1 according to FIG. 3, the contact distances or the respective overstroke are set to a predetermined value. This is preferably done with a device according to FIG. 4 or with a comparable device. After the bearing strips 25 and 26 have been aligned with the bearing supports 15b and 16b of the base body, the armature-contact assembly with the contact springs 21, 22, 23 and 24 or their contacting sections lies on the associated mating contact elements 11, 12, 13 and 14 on. The bearing strips or connecting tabs 25 and 26 rest with their vertical contact surfaces on the bearing supports 15b and 16b of the connecting elements 15 and 16.

The mounting device 9 shown in Figure 4 contains a schematically shown measuring device 90, which is brought with two electrically conductive legs 91 and 92 to a coupling point on the top 35 of the armature (double arrow 95) until an electrical passage from the leg 91 over the armature to Leg 92 takes place and is determined in the measuring device mentioned. If the armature is crooked due to a deformed contact spring, a certain pressure force is required to establish the electrical continuity over the armature. The size of the deformation can be derived from the size of this necessary pressing force; if a maximum permissible predetermined force is exceeded, the anchor system is eliminated as faulty.

However, if the armature-contact assembly has been determined to be sufficiently level by the above-described first measuring step, the measuring device travels down a predetermined path, that is to say toward the base 1. In this state, between the four contact springs 21, 22, 23 and 24 on the one hand and the associated mating contact elements 11, 12, 13 and 14 in the base on the other hand an electrical connection is established. This is determined by measurement on the connection pins 11a, 12a, 13a and 14a. This test procedure ensures that at least one contact arm each contact springs 21, 22, 23 and 24 divided into two arms each ensure a sufficient overstroke. This position with overtravel on all contact springs is shown in FIG. 5.

After this overstroke test, a slide 96, which is located in the measuring device 90, is lowered (double arrow direction 97). The armature 3 is held by a permanent magnet 98 which is fastened on the slide 96. The measuring device is now moved upwards together with the armature assembly, taking the previously generated overstroke into account, corresponding to the desired contact distance 29 when the armature is in the middle position (double arrow 95). This position is shown in Figure 6. The bearing strips 25 and 26 of the armature contact assembly are now at the desired height with respect to the bearing sockets 15b and 16b of the base assembly. In this position, the bearing strips 25 and 26 are welded to the adjacent bearing supports 15b and 16b, respectively. The welding can be carried out, for example, as resistance welding or laser welding.

The magnet system according to FIGS. 1 and 2 with the coil 5, the core 6, the pole pieces 7 and the permanent magnet 4 is then pushed onto the base assembly until the desired armature stroke is reached. The coil body is clamped onto the base body 10 or fixed in some other way. The position of the pole shoes 7 with respect to the armature 3 is shown schematically in FIG. Due to the polarization of the system with the permanent magnet 4, the armature is optionally attracted to one of its ends or one of its pole faces 32 or 33 to the opposite pole shoe 7. Correspondingly, the contact spring section below - in FIG. 7 the contact spring 24 - is taken upwards, while the opposite contact spring section - in FIG. 7 the contact spring 23 - is pressed onto the mating contact element underneath. It should thus be noted that the contact distance 29 in the central position of FIG. 6 does not correspond to the full armature stroke, but about half of it, since the respective anchor wing moves upwards to the pole shoe 7 in each case beyond the central position when the contact is opened. However, it is clear to the person skilled in the art that the contact distance 29 also does not correspond exactly to half the armature stroke, since when the corresponding armature wing moves downward from the central position, the associated contact spring section only moves along part of the armature stroke and then lies against the counter-contact element, while the armature itself performs the described overstroke to generate the desired contact force. When setting the device according to FIG. 4, the person skilled in the art can easily set the distance 29 such that the desired overstroke is ensured.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the possibility of a contact setting according to the invention using the example of a folding armature relay. In a simplified representation, a base body 101 is shown there, which carries a winding 102, a core 103 and an angled yoke 104 as the coil body. An armature 105 forms a working air gap with a slightly rounded core pole surface 106. A contact spring 107 is fastened to the armature, which is to be fastened to the yoke with a fastening section 108, which thus also serves as a bearing spring for the armature 105. The free end of the contact spring 107 forms a contact section 109 with a contact piece, which forms a normally open contact with a mating contact element 110. This counter-contact element 110 is anchored in the base body 101 in a conventional manner. Another mating contact element 111 can be provided to form a changeover contact.

For the setting of the overstroke of the armature according to the invention to obtain the desired contact force, the arrangement is first selected in accordance with FIG. 8 such that the armature 105 abuts the pole face 106 and the contact section 109 abuts the counter-contact element 110. Then the fastening section 108 is moved in the direction of arrow 112 on the yoke, while the armature is kept in contact with the pole face. This results in a change in the anchor angle relative to the bearing point on the yoke, as is exaggerated in FIG. 9. The armature rolls on the pole face 106, while the contact spring cannot go along with this overstroke because its contacting section 109 is already in contact with the mating contact element 110. As soon as the desired overstroke has been reached, the fastening section 108 is connected to the yoke 104 at a welding point 113.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show the setting of an armature overstroke using the example of a relay with slide actuation of the contact spring. In this likewise schematic illustration, a winding 202 is arranged on a coil former 201. In addition, a U-shaped yoke 203 is connected to the coil or arranged on a base body, not shown. In this case, an armature 205 is arranged within the coil in such a way that it forms a working air gap with a pole face 206 of the base body. A slide 204 is coupled to the free end of the armature and transmits the armature movement to a contact spring 207. This contact spring has a fastening section 208 and a contact section 209 with a contact piece which interacts with a mating contact element 210 anchored in the base body. The contact spring is actuated via the slide 204 at the free end 211 of the spring, so that the contact section 209 lies between the fastening section 208 and the actuating section 211. The fastening section is displaceable on a carrier 212 and can be fastened thereon, this carrier 212 being a connecting element anchored in the base body.

During assembly, the armature 205 is first brought into its working position on the pole face 206, as shown in FIG. 10, so that the slide 204 assumes its lower position (in FIG. 10). The contact spring 207 is arranged so that on the one hand with the slider 211 is engaged and, on the other hand, its contact section 209 bears against the mating contact element 210. Then the fastening section 208 is displaced in the direction of the arrow 213, that is to say parallel to the actuating direction of the slide 204, until the desired overstroke or the desired contact force is reached. In this arrangement shown in FIG. 11, the fastening section 208 is then welded to the carrier 212.

Claims (6)

1. Method for setting the excess armature stroke in a relay having at least one contact spring (21, 22, 23, 24; 107; 207) which can be actuated by an armature (3; 105; 205) and is fastened by a fastening section (25, 26; 108; 208) to a carrier (15b, 16b; 104; 212), in order to interact by means of a contact section with a mating contact element which is permanently anchored in a base body, characterized by the following steps:

   - the contact spring (21, 22, 23, 24) which is operatively connected to the armature (3; 105; 205) is brought into contact with the mating contact element (11, 12, 13, 14; 110; 210) in a position corresponding to the operating position of the armature,

   - the contact section of the contact spring (21, 22, 23, 24; 109; 209) is brought into a position corresponding to a predetermined excess stroke, and

   - then the fastening section (25, 26; 108; 208) of the contact spring is connected to the carrier in the position corresponding to the excess stroke.
2. Method according to Claim 1, the contact spring (107) being coupled to the armature (105) in the region between its fastening section (108) and its contact section (109) and the contact section (109) touching the mating contact element (110) when the armature (105) bears on a core pole (106), characterized by the following steps:

   - the fastening end (108) of the contact spring is moved on the carrier (104) counter to the armature pull-in direction, whereas the section of the spring (107) which is coupled to the armature (105) is restrained, with the result that the contact-making section (109) is pressed onto the mating contact element (110), and

   - the fastening section (108) of the contact spring is connected to the carrier (104) when a predetermined excess stroke is reached.
3. Method according to Claim 1, the armature (205) engaging via an actuating member (204) on an end (211), opposite the fastening section (208), of the contact spring (207) outside the contact section (209), characterized by the following steps:

   - the contact spring (207) is arranged in a displaceable manner on its carrier (212) in such a way that it touches the actuating member (204) and the mating contact element (210),

   - then the fastening section (208) is displaced on the carrier (212) parallel to the effective direction of the actuating member (204), the mating contact element (210) serving as a pivot point, and

   - the fastening section (208) is connected to the carrier (212) after a predetermined excess stroke has been reached.
4. Method according to Claim 1, a rocker armature (3), which can be pivoted about a centre axis, being connected to at least one contact spring (21, 22, 23, 24) which has in each case a contact section in the region of the two armature ends and a fastening section (25, 26) in the region of the centre axis, and a base (1), which is arranged underneath the contact spring, having a mating contact element (11, 12, 13, 14) underneath each of the contact sections and having a respective carrier (15b, 16b) in the region of each fastening section (25, 26), characterized by the following steps:

   - together with the armature, each contact spring (21, 22, 23, 24) is pressed with the two opposite contact sections onto the associated mating contact elements (11, 12, 13, 14), until a desired excess stroke is reached,

   - afterwards the armature (3) is lifted with the contact springs (21, 22, 23, 24) by a distance which corresponds to approximately half the stroke of each armature end - taking account of the excess stroke - and

   - then each fastening section (25, 26) is connected to the associated carrier (15b, 16b) of the base (1).
5. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, after the excess stroke position has been reached, the current passage is tested in each case at all the closed contacts.
6. Method according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the carrier (15b, 16b; 104; 212) serves in each case as a power supply means for the contact spring (21, 22, 23, 24; 107; 207), and in that the contact spring is fastened to the carrier by soldering or welding.

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