JP2011090816A - Contact device, relay using the same, and micro relay - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a contact device capable of preventing adhesion of abrasive powders generated at a movable contact and a fixed contact as a movable portion rocks, a relay using the same, and to provide a micro relay. <P>SOLUTION: The contact device includes: a fixed contact 1; a movable contact 21a; a movable portion 2 having the movable contact 21a and capable of freely rocking between a position where the movable contact 21a makes contact with the fixed contact 1 and a position where it moves away from the fixed contact 1; and a compartment for housing the fixed contact 1, the movable contact 21a, and the movable portion 2. The movable portion 2 comprises a body part 20 supported in such a manner as to freely rock, a contact part 21 provided away from the body part 20 and provided with the movable contact 21a on one side opposite to the fixed contact 1, and a support part 22 having elasticity and interconnecting the body part 20 and the contact part 21. A protective wall C1 separating space on the side of the body part 20 from space on the side of the contact part 21 inside the compartment, except a gap passing through the support part 22, is provided between the body part 20 and the contact part 21. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a contact device, a relay using the contact device, and a micro relay.

  Conventionally, as a high-frequency small-sized relay, a micro relay such as a MEMS relay formed by using a semiconductor microfabrication technique has been provided, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1. The micro relay described in Patent Document 1 has a storage portion that stores an electromagnet device that generates a magnetic flux in response to an excitation current applied to a coil wound around a yoke, and a fixed contact is provided on one surface side in the thickness direction. Provided base substrate. Also, a frame-like frame portion fixed to the one surface side of the base substrate, and an armature disposed inside the frame portion and supported by the frame portion through a support spring portion so as to be swingable and driven by an electromagnet device And a main block having a movable contact base portion supported by a movable portion to which the armature is fixed via a contact pressure spring portion and provided with a movable contact. Further, a cover having a peripheral portion fixed to the frame portion on the side opposite to the base substrate in the main block is provided. In the electromagnet device, a permanent magnet is provided in a magnetic path formed by the armature and the yoke within the thickness dimension of the base substrate. The contact device according to the present invention includes a fixed contact, a movable contact, and a means for displacing the movable contact so that the movable contact can be freely moved. As in the conventional example, an electromagnet device is used as the means. Used for electromagnetic relays.

JP 2005-216541 A

  However, in the above conventional example, when the movable part swings, wear powder generated from the movable part is scattered and may adhere to the surface of the movable contact or the fixed contact. When wear powder adheres to the surface of a movable contact or fixed contact, the wear powder intervenes when closing the contacts, reducing the contact area between the contacts and impairing the switching performance between the contacts. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and uses a contact device that can prevent the abrasion powder generated by the swinging of the movable portion from adhering to the movable contact or the fixed contact and the same. An object is to provide a relay and a micro relay.

  In order to achieve the above object, the first aspect of the present invention provides a fixed contact, a movable contact that can be brought into contact with and separated from the fixed contact, a position having the movable contact and a position at which the movable contact comes into contact with the fixed contact A contact device comprising a movable part swingable between, a stationary contact, a movable contact, and a housing part for housing the movable part, wherein the movable part is supported in a swingable manner, and a main body The movable portion is composed of a contact portion which is provided apart from the portion and has a movable contact on one surface facing the fixed contact, and a support portion which has elasticity and connects the main body portion and the contact portion to each other. And a blocking means for blocking intrusion of the abrasion powder generated along with the movable contact and the fixed contact in the housing portion.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the blocking means is provided between the main body portion and the contact portion, and the support portion has a space between the main body portion side and the space on the contact portion side inside the housing portion. It is a protective wall that is separated with the exception of a passing gap.

  According to a third aspect of the invention, in the invention of the second aspect, the protective wall is provided to face the contact portion so as to cover one surface of the contact portion facing the main body portion.

  The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 3, there is only one support portion, and the gap of the protective wall is provided in a portion other than the portion facing the contact portion.

  The invention of claim 5 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 2, the fixed contact is provided so as to face a portion farthest from the gap of the protective wall in the contact portion.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, the receiving portion is provided on a base portion provided with a fixed contact on one surface side in the thickness direction, and on the one surface side of the base portion. It consists of a frame that covers the periphery of the fixed contact and the movable contact and the movable part, and a lid that is provided on the opposite side of the base in the frame and closes the space surrounded by the base and the frame. The one end portion is provided so as to have a predetermined gap between the base portion and the base portion.

  A seventh aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the sixth aspect of the invention, the protective wall is provided integrally with the movable portion, and one end thereof is fitted into a concave portion provided in the base portion.

  The invention of claim 8 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 1, the blocking means is an adsorbing member made of a material which is provided between the main body portion and the contact portion and adsorbs the wear powder.

  The invention of claim 9 is the invention according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the blocking means includes an adsorbing member made of a material provided between the main body portion and the contact portion to adsorb the wear powder. The adsorption member is provided on one surface of the protective wall facing the main body.

  A tenth aspect of the invention includes the contact device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, and a driving device that drives the movable portion so that the movable contact is in contact with and away from the fixed contact. Features.

  According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the relay according to the tenth aspect, the driving device is an electromagnet device that swings the movable portion by generating a magnetic field that is made of a magnetic material and attracts the armature provided on the movable portion. A base formed of a substrate and containing an electromagnet device and having a fixed contact on one side in the thickness direction; a frame-like frame fixed to the one side of the base; and a frame A main block having a movable part and an armature that are swingably supported, and a cover whose peripheral part is fixed to the frame on the opposite side of the base of the main block.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the relay according to the tenth aspect, the driving device comprises an electromagnet device that oscillates the movable portion by generating a magnetic field that is made of a magnetic material and attracts the armature provided on the movable portion. And a base made of a substrate and provided with a fixed contact on one side in the thickness direction, a frame-like frame fixed to the one side of the base, and a movable part and an armature that are swingably supported by the frame. And a cover having a peripheral portion fixed to the frame on the opposite side of the base of the main block and having a storage portion for storing the electromagnet device.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the movable contact is provided by providing the blocking means for blocking the wear powder generated by the swinging of the movable portion from entering the space where the movable contact and the fixed contact are present in the accommodating portion. It is possible to prevent wear powder from adhering to the fixed contact. Therefore, when the gap between the contacts is closed, the wear powder does not intervene, so that the contact area between the contacts does not decrease, and the opening / closing performance between the contacts can be prevented from being impaired.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, even if the wear powder generated with the swinging of the movable part is scattered toward the space on the contact part side, the protective wall prevents the wear powder from scattering to the space on the contact part side. can do. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the abrasion powder from adhering to the movable contact and the fixed contact.

  According to the invention of claim 3, by providing the protective wall in front of the contact portion, it is possible to prevent the abrasion powder from adhering to the movable contact and the fixed contact.

  According to the invention of claim 4, since there is one support portion, there is only one path from the space on the main body side to the space on the contact portion side, so that the abrasion powder reaches the space on the contact portion side. hard. In addition, since the route is a route that goes around the contact part avoiding the protective wall, even if the wear powder reaches the space on the contact part side, it is difficult to reach the contact part. It can prevent more reliably that it adheres to.

  According to the invention of claim 5, even if the wear powder reaches the space on the contact portion side, it is difficult to reach the contact portion of each contact, and therefore the wear powder more reliably adheres to the movable contact and the fixed contact. Can be prevented.

  According to the invention of claim 6, by providing a gap between the protective wall and the base portion, it is possible to prevent the protective wall from obstructing the joining when the frame portion is joined to the base portion. Therefore, it is possible to improve the stability of the joining between the base portion and the frame portion.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the one end portion of the protective wall is fitted into the recess, the space between the main body portion side and the space on the contact portion side is connected by an intricate path. It can prevent more reliably that it adheres to a fixed contact.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the abrasion powder scattered toward the space on the contact portion side can be adsorbed by the adsorbing member, so that the abrasion powder can be prevented from adhering to the movable contact and the fixed contact. .

  According to invention of Claim 9, it can prevent more reliably that abrasion powder adheres to a movable contact or a fixed contact by combining an adsorption member and a protective wall.

  According to the invention of claim 10, it is possible to realize a relay having the effect described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

  According to the inventions of claims 11 and 12, it is possible to realize a microrelay having the effects described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows Embodiment 1 of the contact apparatus which concerns on this invention, (a) is a top view of the principal part, (b) is a sectional view on the a-a 'line | wire. It is a top view of the principal part which shows the other structure same as the above. It is a top view of the principal part which shows other structure same as the above. It is sectional drawing which shows the case where a clearance gap is provided between the protective wall same as the above and a base. It is sectional drawing which shows the case where a recessed part is provided in the base same as the above. It is sectional drawing which shows Embodiment 2 of the contact apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows Embodiment 3 of the contact apparatus which concerns on this invention, (a) is sectional drawing, (b) is sectional drawing at the time of providing a protective wall. It is a figure which shows the basic form 1 of the micro relay which concerns on this invention, (a) is a disassembled perspective view, (b) is the perspective view seen from the lower side. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the basic form 2 of the micro relay which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing same as the above.

  Hereinafter, in describing embodiments of a contact device according to the present invention, basic forms 1 and 2 of a microrelay including the contact device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the vertical direction in FIG. 8A is defined as the vertical direction.

(Basic form 1)
In this basic form, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, an electromagnet device 6 that generates a magnetic flux according to an exciting current applied to a coil 62 wound around a yoke 60, and a rectangular plate-like glass substrate. A base 5 provided with a pair of fixed contacts 50 at each end in the longitudinal direction on one surface (upper surface) side in the thickness direction, a rectangular frame 31 fixed to the upper surface side of the base 5, and A movable portion 30 disposed inside the frame 31 and supported by the frame 31 via the four support spring portions 32 so as to be swingable. The movable portion 30 is supported by two contact pressure spring portions 35. In addition, two movable contact bases 34 each provided with a movable contact (not shown) and an armature (not shown) provided on the movable part 30 made of a magnetic material and driven by the electromagnet device 6 are provided. Main block having When, and a cover 4 made of a rectangular plate-shaped glass substrate peripheral portion on the opposite side of the base 5 in the main block 3 is fixed to the frame 3.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the yoke 60 in the electromagnet device 6 has an elongated rectangular plate-shaped coil winding portion 60a around which the two coils 62 are directly wound, and a longitudinal direction of the coil winding portion 60a. A pair of leg pieces 60b that extend from both ends toward the movable part 30 and whose opposite end surfaces are excited with different polarities according to the excitation current to the coil 62, and the coil between the leg pieces 60b. A rectangular plate-shaped permanent magnet 61 arranged to be overlapped with the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the winding portion 60a and an elongated rectangular plate shape on the opposite side of the surface facing the permanent magnet 61 in the coil winding portion 60a. And a resin molded body 63 fixed so as to be orthogonal to the coil winding portion 60a. The yoke 60 is formed by bending or casting an iron plate such as electromagnetic soft iron, and the cross sections of both leg pieces 60b are formed in a rectangular shape.

  In the permanent magnet 61, both magnetic pole surfaces in the thickness direction are magnetized differently from each other, one magnetic pole surface is in contact with the coil winding portion 60a, and the other magnetic pole surface is flush with the tip surfaces of both leg pieces 60b. The thickness dimension is set so as to be located above. Further, each coil 62 is restricted from moving in the longitudinal direction of the coil winding portion 60a by the permanent magnet 61 and both leg pieces 60b. The resin molded body 63 is made of an insulating resin material, and the coil terminals 63a are provided so as to partially expose the longitudinal ends of one surface thereof. In each of the coil terminals 63a, a circular part forms an external connection electrode, and a rectangular part forms a coil connection part. A bump 64 made of a conductive material (for example, Au, Ag, Cu, solder, etc.) is appropriately fixed to the external connection electrode in each coil terminal 63a, but a bonding wire is used instead of fixing the bump 64. Bonding is acceptable.

  The base 5 is formed in a rectangular shape by heat-resistant glass such as Pyrex (registered trademark), and as shown in FIG. 8B, the electromagnet device 6 is accommodated through the center portion in the thickness direction. A storage hole 56 is provided therethrough, and through holes (not shown) penetrating in the thickness direction are provided in the vicinity of the four corners. Also, lands 52 are formed on both sides of the base 5 in the thickness direction and on the periphery of each through hole. Here, the lands 52 overlapping in the thickness direction of the base 5 are conductive materials (for example, Cu, Cr, Ti, Pt, Co, Ni, Au, or alloys thereof) deposited on the inner peripheral surface of the through hole. Etc.) are electrically connected by a conductor layer (not shown). Further, bumps 53 are appropriately fixed to the lands 52 on the other surface (lower surface) side in the thickness direction of the base 5. By fixing the bumps 53 to the lands 52, openings of through holes are formed on the lower surface side of the base 5. The surface is covered with bumps 53. The opening surface of each through hole is circular, and four lids 54 made of a silicon thin film covering the opening surface of each through hole and the land 52 are fixed to the upper surface of the base 5.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, each pair of fixed contacts 50 is arranged in parallel between two through-holes that are spaced apart in the lateral direction of the base 5 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the base 5. It is electrically connected via a conductive pattern 51 and a land 52 formed at the periphery of the through hole adjacent in the short direction. Here, as a material of the fixed contact 50, the conductive pattern 51, and the land 52, for example, a conductive material such as Cr, Ti, Pt, Co, Cu, Ni, Au, or an alloy thereof may be employed. As the material of 53, for example, a conductive material such as Au, Ag, Cu, or solder may be employed. The through hole and the accommodation hole 56 may be formed by, for example, a sand blast method or an etching method, and the conductor layer may be formed by, for example, an electroplating method, a vacuum evaporation method, a sputtering method, or the like.

  The opening surface of the storage hole 56 has a cross shape as shown in FIG. 8B, and a lid 57 made of a silicon thin film for closing the storage hole 56 is fixed to the upper surface side of the base. Here, the electromagnet device 6 is inserted into the storage hole 56 in such a manner that the front end surfaces of both leg pieces 60 b of the yoke 60 face the lid body 57. In the electromagnet device 6, the permanent magnet 61 is provided in a magnetic path formed by the armature and the yoke 60 within the thickness dimension of the base 5, and the surface of the resin molded body 63 is substantially flush with the lower surface of the base 5. Yes. The lids 54 and 57 are made of a silicon thin film formed by thinning a silicon substrate by etching or polishing, and the thickness dimension is set to 20 μm. Here, the thickness dimension of the lid 57 is not limited to 20 μm, and may be appropriately set within a range of, for example, about 5 to 50 μm. Further, the lids 54 and 57 are not limited to the silicon thin film, but may be formed of a glass thin film formed by thinning a glass substrate by etching or polishing.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the main block 3 is formed by processing a semiconductor substrate made of a silicon substrate by a semiconductor micromachining process, and the rectangular frame-shaped frame 31 and four support springs. It comprises a part 32, a rectangular plate-like movable part 30 arranged inside the frame 31, four contact pressure spring parts 35, and two movable contact base parts 34. For example, a rectangular plate-shaped armature made of a magnetic material such as soft iron, electromagnetic stainless steel, or permalloy is fixed to the surface of the movable portion 30 facing the base 5.

  The support spring parts 32 are formed at two locations on both sides in the short side direction of the movable part 30 so as to be separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the movable part 30. Each support spring portion 32 has one end portion integrally connected to the frame 31 and the other end portion integrally connected to the movable portion 30. In addition, each support spring part 32 is lengthened by forming the site | part between one end part and the other end part in the planar shape in the meandering shape in the same plane. For this reason, when the movable part 30 swings, the stress concerning each support spring part 32 can be disperse | distributed, and it can prevent that each support spring part 32 is damaged.

  The movable portion 30 has a rectangular protruding piece 36 integrally extending from the center of both side edges in the short direction, and a rectangular protruding piece 37 from a portion corresponding to the protruding piece 36 on the inner peripheral surface of the frame 31. Is integrally extended. The projecting pieces 36 and 37 are such that the tip surfaces thereof face each other, and the projection provided on the tip surface of the projection piece 36 abuts on the inner peripheral surface of the recess provided on the tip surface of the projection piece 37. Thus, the movement of the movable portion 30 in the plane orthogonal to the thickness direction of the frame 31 is restricted.

  The movable contact base portion 34 is disposed between both ends of the movable portion 30 and the frame 31 in the longitudinal direction of the movable portion 30, and a movable contact made of a conductive material on a surface (lower surface) facing the base 5. Is fixed. Here, the movable contact base part 34 is supported by the movable part 30 via two contact pressure spring parts 35. In addition, since the stopper part 33 which restrict | limits the displacement amount of a magnetic body is each integrally extended in the four corners of the movable part 30, the planar shape of the contact pressure spring part 35 is 3 of the outer periphery of the stopper part 33. It is formed in a U shape along the side.

  The cover 4 is made of heat-resistant glass such as Pyrex (registered trademark), and a recess (not shown) that secures a swinging space of the movable portion 30 is formed on the surface facing the main block 3. .

  Here, a metal thin film for bonding (not shown) is formed over the entire periphery of the surface (lower surface) facing the base 5 in the frame 31, and the periphery of the surface (upper surface) facing the cover 4. A metal thin film for bonding 38a is also formed on the entire portion over the entire circumference. Further, a metal thin film 55 for bonding is formed over the entire periphery of the surface of the base 5 facing the main block 3 (upper surface), and the periphery of the surface of the cover 4 facing the main block 3 (lower surface). In addition, a bonding metal thin film (not shown) is formed over the entire circumference. Therefore, the main block 3, the cover 4, and the base 5 can be hermetically joined by pressure welding or anodic bonding, and the airtightness of the space surrounded by the base 5, the cover 4, and the frame 31 can be improved.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the basic mode will be described. When the coil 62 is energized, one end of the armature in the longitudinal direction is attracted to one leg piece 60b of the yoke 60 according to the direction of magnetization, and the movable part 30 swings, and the other end side of the movable part 30 The movable contact held by the movable contact base 34 contacts the pair of fixed contacts 50 facing each other with a predetermined contact pressure. Even if energization is stopped in this state, the attractive force is maintained by the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 61, and the state is maintained as it is.

  Further, when the energization direction to the coil 62 is reversed, the other end portion of the armature in the longitudinal direction is attracted to the other leg piece 60b of the yoke 60, and the movable portion 30 swings. The movable contact held by the movable contact base 34 contacts the pair of fixed contacts 50 facing each other with a predetermined contact pressure. Even if energization is stopped in this state, the attractive force is maintained by the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 61, and the state is maintained as it is.

(Basic form 2)
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the basic form is mainly the base 100, the main block 200 provided on one surface (upper surface) side in the thickness direction of the base 100, and the opposite side of the main block 200 to the base 100 side. A cover 300 provided on the upper side and an electromagnet device 400 are provided.

  The base 100 is formed of, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped glass substrate. As shown in FIG. 9, a pair of transmission lines 110 are formed on both ends in the longitudinal direction on the upper surface side of the base 100. All of the transmission lines 110 are formed in a straight line, and the longitudinal direction thereof coincides with the short direction of the base 100. In addition, the pair of transmission lines 110 are arranged in a line along the short direction of the base 100. Here, a pair of external connection electrodes (not shown) are formed on both ends in the longitudinal direction on the other surface (lower surface) side in the thickness direction of the base 100. The pair of external connection electrodes are electrically connected to a pair of transmission lines 110 and through-hole wirings (not shown) penetrating the base 100 in the thickness direction.

  A plurality of fixed contacts 120 electrically connected to the transmission line 110 are formed on the upper surface side of the base 100. Each fixed contact 120 is connected to an end portion that is inside the base 100 in each transmission line 110. Therefore, a pair of fixed contacts 120 are formed on each of the left and right ends of the base 100. In each transmission line 110, an end portion that is outside the base 100 is electrically connected to the external connection electrode through the above-described through-hole wiring. The fixed contact 120 is a metal thin film made of a metal material having good conductivity such as Cu or Au, and is formed by using a sputtering method, an electroplating method, a vacuum deposition method, or the like. Further, the fixed contact 120 is not limited to a single layer structure, and may be a multilayer structure including, for example, an Au layer and a Ti layer interposed between the Au layer and the base 100.

  The main block 200 mainly includes a movable part 210 and a frame 220. The frame 220 is formed in a rectangular frame shape, and the movable portion 210 is disposed in the opening of the frame 220. Here, the opening of the frame 220 includes a rectangular first opening 230 provided at the center of the frame 220 and a second opening 231 provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the frame 220. Including. The second opening 231 communicates with the first opening 230 at the center in the vertical direction. The outer dimensions of the frame 220 are the same as the outer dimensions of the base 100.

  The movable part 210 has a main body part 211 disposed in the first opening 230 of the frame 220. The main body 211 is formed in a rectangular plate shape, and is disposed in the first opening 230 so that its longitudinal direction is along the longitudinal direction of the frame 220. A contact protrusion 212 is provided at each central portion of both ends in the short direction of the main body 211, and the tip thereof is disposed in the second opening 231. A movable contact 213 is provided on the surface (lower surface) of the contact protrusion 212 facing the base 100 (see FIG. 10). The movable contact 213 is configured to short-circuit between the pair of fixed contacts 120 when contacting the pair of fixed contacts 120. The movable contact 213 is a metal thin film made of a metal material such as Cu or Au, like the fixed contact 120, and is formed using a sputtering method, an electroplating method, a vacuum deposition method, or the like. Further, the movable contact 213 is not limited to a single layer structure, and may have a multilayer structure like the fixed contact 120 described above.

  On the other hand, a fulcrum protrusion 214 projects from the center of the surface (upper surface) of the main body 211 facing the cover 300. The fulcrum protrusion 214 is used as a fulcrum for the swinging operation (seesaw operation) of the movable portion 210.

  Such a movable portion 210 is integrally connected to the frame 220 by a plurality of (four in the drawing) support pieces 240. Each of the support pieces 240 is configured to integrally connect the inner side surface of the first opening 230 of the frame 220 in the longitudinal direction and the outer side surface of the main body 211 in the short direction. The four support pieces 240 are arranged so as to be point-symmetric about the center of the main body 211. Further, the support piece 240 is formed in a meandering shape so as to advance and retreat in a direction along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 211 within a plane orthogonal to the thickness direction. As a result, the movable portion 210 is swingably supported by the frame 220. Further, each support piece 240 is formed in a meandering shape to increase the length dimension, and the stress applied to the support piece 240 when the movable portion 210 swings is dispersed.

In the main block 200 described above, the movable portion 210, the frame 220, and the support piece 240 are formed on a semiconductor substrate 25 having a thickness of, for example, about 50 μm to 300 μm, preferably about 200 μm, using a semiconductor fine processing technology such as a photolithography technology and an etching technology. It is integrally formed by patterning using it. The semiconductor substrate 25 is an SOI (two-layer SOI) substrate in which semiconductor layers made of silicon and insulating layers made of silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) are alternately stacked.

  An armature 500 is provided on a surface (upper surface) of the main body 211 of the movable unit 210 facing the cover 300. The armature 500 is used for swinging the movable part 210 by a magnetic field generated by the electromagnet device 400. The armature 500 is formed into a rectangular plate shape by machining a magnetic material such as electromagnetic soft iron, electromagnetic stainless steel, or permalloy, and is joined to the main body 211 by a method such as adhesion, welding, heat fitting, or brazing. In addition, a reinforcing member 600 that holds the armature 500 on the movable portion 210 and reinforces the movable portion 210 is provided on the side of the movable portion 210 facing the base 100 (lower surface). In order to avoid an increase in the thickness of the micro relay due to the reinforcing member 600, the base 100 is provided with a recess 130 that avoids the reinforcing member 600 (see FIG. 9).

  The main block 200 described above is attached to the upper surface side of the base 100 by joining the frame 220 to the base 100 such that the movable contact 213 and the pair of fixed contacts 120 face each other.

  The cover 300 is formed of, for example, a glass substrate that is an insulating material, and the outer dimensions thereof are equal to the outer dimensions of the base 100. Thus, the cover 300 is formed in a size that can close the opening of the frame 220. An opening 310 that penetrates in the thickness direction is formed at the center of the surface (upper surface) opposite to the frame 220 side of the cover 300. The opening 310 is formed in a size that can accommodate the electromagnet device 400, and a closing plate 320 that closes the entire opening 310 is tightly bonded to a surface (lower surface) on the frame 220 side. The closing plate 320 is made of, for example, a silicon plate or a glass plate having a thickness of about 5 to 50 μm (preferably about 20 μm). A space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the opening 310 and the closing plate 320 constitutes a storage chamber of the electromagnet device 400. The cover 300 described above is joined to the surface (upper surface) of the frame 220 opposite to the base 100 side.

  The electromagnet device 400 generates a magnetic field that attracts the armature 500 and includes a permanent magnet 410 for latching the movable portion 210. The electromagnet device 400 mainly includes a yoke 420 and a pair of coils 430. The yoke 420 is integrally provided with a long rectangular plate-shaped main piece 421 and rectangular plate-shaped leg pieces 422 projecting from both ends in the longitudinal direction on the surface side (lower surface side) of the main piece 421. . Such a yoke 420 is formed by bending or forging an iron plate such as electromagnetic soft iron. The permanent magnet 410 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is magnetized so that one surface side and the other surface side in the thickness direction have different polarities. The permanent magnet 410 is attached to the yoke 420 such that the other surface is in contact with the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the lower surface of the main piece 421 of the yoke 420. The pair of coils 430 is disposed at each portion of the main piece 421 between each leg piece 422 and the permanent magnet 410.

  Further, the electromagnet device 400 is provided with a pair of coil terminals (not shown). By applying a voltage between the pair of coil terminals, a current flows through both coils 430. Such an electromagnet device 400 is stored in the storage chamber of the cover 300. Here, a linear wiring pattern (not shown) is formed on the surface (upper surface) of the cover 300 opposite to the main block 200 side, and a coil terminal is soldered to one end of the wiring pattern. Etc. are electrically connected.

  A drive electrode (not shown) for energizing both coils 430 is provided on the lower surface side of the base 100, and the base 100 is located at a position where the drive electrode and the other end of the wiring pattern overlap in the thickness direction. A through hole (not shown) penetrating the main block 200 and the cover 300 in the thickness direction is provided. A through-hole wiring (not shown) is formed in the through-hole, and the drive electrode and the coil terminal are electrically connected through the through-hole wiring and the wiring pattern.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the basic mode will be described. When energization of both the coils 430 is performed, one end of the armature 500 in the longitudinal direction is attracted to one leg piece 422 of the yoke 420 according to the direction of magnetization, and the main body 211 of the movable unit 210 swings. The movable contact 213 provided on the contact protrusion 212 on one end in the longitudinal direction of the main body 211 comes into contact with the pair of fixed contacts 120 facing each other with a predetermined contact pressure. Even if energization is stopped in this state, the attractive force is maintained by the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 410, and the state is maintained as it is.

  Further, when the energization direction of both the coils 430 is reversed, the other end portion of the armature 500 in the longitudinal direction is attracted to the other leg piece 422 of the yoke 420, and the main body portion 211 of the movable portion 210 swings. The movable contact 213 provided on the contact protrusion 212 on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the portion 211 comes into contact with a pair of fixed contacts 120 facing each other with a predetermined contact pressure. Even if energization is stopped in this state, the attractive force is maintained by the magnetic flux generated by the permanent magnet 410, and the state is maintained as it is.

  As described above, since the electromagnet device 400 is housed in the opening 310 of the cover 300 in this basic embodiment, the thickness of the base 100 can be reduced compared to the case where the electromagnet device 400 is housed in the base 100. it can. For this reason, the through-hole wiring for connecting the fixed contact 120 to the external connection electrode can be shortened, and the high frequency characteristics can be improved. In addition, since the distance between the electromagnet device 400 and the fixed contact 120 can be increased, the influence of the magnetic field generated by the electromagnet device 400 can be reduced.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, a contact device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the top, bottom, left, and right in FIG. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a pair (one in the figure) of the fixed contacts 1 and a pair (one in the figure) that can be contacted and separated from each of the fixed contacts 1 are shown. And a movable part 2 having a movable contact 21a and swingable between a position where the movable contact 21a contacts the fixed contact 1 and a position where the movable contact 21a is separated. In the present embodiment, the base A (base part), the cover B (lid part), and the frame C (frame part) are joined to form a housing part that houses the fixed contact 1, the movable contact 21a, and the movable part 2. is doing. In addition, fixed contacts 1 are provided at portions of the base A that face both ends in the longitudinal direction of the movable portion 2. The movable portion 2 of the present embodiment swings when a rectangular plate-shaped armature 2a provided on one surface (lower surface) facing the base A is attracted by an electromagnet device (not shown). ing.

  The movable portion 2 is a rectangular plate-shaped main body portion 20 that is supported in a swingable manner, and a rectangular shape that is provided apart from the main body portion 20 and that has a movable contact 21 a on one surface (lower surface) facing the fixed contact 1. A pair of plate-shaped contact portions (one in the drawing) 21 and two pairs (1 in the drawing) that connect the main body portion 20 and the contact portion 21 to each other at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the movable portion 2 having elasticity. A pair of support portions 22.

  A fulcrum projection 20a that protrudes upward is integrally formed at a portion of the base A that faces the central portion of the main body 20 in the longitudinal direction. The fulcrum projection 20a is integrally formed when the movable portion 2 swings. It becomes a fulcrum. Further, stoppers 20b projecting downward are integrally formed on the lower surfaces of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the main body 20 (only one end in the figure). When the movable portion 2 swings, the lower end portion of the stopper 20b contacts the base A, thereby restricting the vertical movement of the movable portion 2.

  The contact portion 21 is provided to be separated from both longitudinal ends of the main body portion 20, and a movable contact 21 a is fixed to one surface (lower surface) facing each base A. Further, the end portion (left end portion in the drawing) of the contact portion 21 on the side close to the main body portion 20 is a contact portion with the fixed contact 1. Each of the support portions 22 is formed in a substantially U shape, and one end portion thereof is integrally connected to the main body portion 20 and the other end portion is integrally connected to the contact portion 21. Note that support portions 22 are provided at both ends in the short direction of the movable portion 2 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the movable portion 2. On the other end side of each support portion 22, a meandering portion 22a formed in a meandering shape in the same plane is provided, and the length of the support portion 22 is increased by the meandering portion 22a. For this reason, when the movable part 2 swings, the stress applied to each support part 22 is dispersed to prevent each support part 22 from being damaged. The contact portion 21 is supported by the support portion 22 by connecting a portion where the end portions of the meandering portions 22a are connected to the contact portion 21 via a gap between the protective walls C1 described later.

  By the way, if the swinging of the movable part 2 is repeated to open and close the contacts, the movable part 2 and each part are worn by the contact between the fulcrum protrusion 20a and the main body part 20 and the contact between the stopper 20b and the base A, Wear powder is generated. Therefore, in this embodiment, the protective wall C1 is provided as a means for preventing the wear powder from adhering to the fixed contact 1 and the movable contact 21a. The protective walls C1 are formed integrally with the frame C and are provided in pairs between the main body portion 20 and the contact portion 21 so as to face each other along the longitudinal direction of the contact portion 21 (vertical direction in FIG. 1A). It has been. These protective walls C1 separate the space on the main body 20 side and the space on the contact portion 21 side inside the housing portion, except for the gap through which the support portion 22 passes. That is, the protective wall C1 serves as a blocking means for blocking the wear powder generated by the swinging of the movable portion 2 from entering the space where the movable contact 21a and the fixed contact 1 are present in the housing portion.

  As described above, by providing the protective wall C <b> 1 that separates the space on the main body 20 side and the space on the contact portion 21 side in the housing portion, the wear powder generated with the swinging of the movable portion 2 is caused on the contact portion 21 side. Even if it is scattered toward the space, the protective wall C1 can prevent the abrasion powder from scattering into the space on the contact portion 21 side. Therefore, since it is possible to prevent the wear powder from adhering to the movable contact 21a and the fixed contact 1, the contact area between the contacts does not decrease because the wear powder does not interven when closing the contacts. It is possible to prevent the switching performance between the contacts from being impaired.

  By the way, if the wear powder is scattered in the space on the contact portion 21 side through the gaps between the protective walls C1, the wear powder may adhere to the movable contact 21a or the fixed contact 1. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the contact portion 21 is formed in an elongated shape, and the fixed contact 1 is provided so that the contacts are opened and closed at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The distance between the contact portions may be increased (that is, the fixed contact 1 is provided so as to face the portion farthest from the gap between the protective walls C1 in the contact portion 21). In this case, the wear powder passing through the gaps between the protective walls C1 is difficult to reach the movable contact 21a and the fixed contact 1, so that the wear powder is more reliably prevented from adhering to the movable contact 21a and the fixed contact 1. can do.

  The configuration of the protective wall is not limited to a configuration that substantially completely separates the space on the main body 20 side and the space on the contact portion 21 side as described above. For example, as shown in FIG. You may provide the protective wall 23 facing the contact part 20 so that the one surface (left surface) facing the main-body part 20 in the contact part 21 may be covered. Even in this case, the same effects as described above can be obtained.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, the frame C is attached to the base A by abutting and joining the lower end edge of the frame C to the upper surface of the base A, but the lower end of the protective wall (for example, the protective wall C1). May come into contact with the base A at the time of joining, and the joining may be hindered and the stability of joining between the base A and the frame C may be impaired. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the protective wall C <b> 1 may be provided so as to have a predetermined gap between the lower end portion of the protective wall C <b> 1 and the base A. In this case, when the base A and the frame C are joined, the lower end of the protective wall C1 does not come into contact with the base A, so that the joining is not hindered. Therefore, the stability of the joining between the base A and the frame C is prevented. Can be improved.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a protective wall 24 may be integrally provided on the support portion 22 of the movable portion 2, and a concave portion A <b> 1 into which the lower end portion of the protective wall 24 is fitted may be provided in the base A. In this case, the space on the main body portion 20 side and the space on the contact portion 21 side are connected via an intricate path that avoids the protective wall 24 in the recess A1. For this reason, since the abrasion powder cannot reach the space on the side of the contact portion 21 without passing through the path, it is difficult to scatter and the wear powder can be more reliably prevented from adhering to the movable contact 21a and the fixed contact 1. Of course, the base A and the frame C can be joined in the same manner as described above by providing a predetermined gap between the lower end of the protective wall 24 and the bottom surface of the recess A1 regardless of the swinging of the movable part 2. Stability can be improved.

(Embodiment 2)
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the contact device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Since the basic configuration of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, common portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, one support portion 22 is provided at each of both ends in the longitudinal direction of the movable portion 2, and the gap between the protective walls C <b> 1 is located at a portion other than the portion facing the contact portion 21. It is characterized by being provided. The protective wall C1 has one end in the longitudinal direction (upper end in the figure) formed integrally with the frame C, and the other end (lower end in the figure) has a predetermined gap with the frame C. It is provided to have. The support part 22 has a pair of meandering parts 22a, one end part is connected to the main body part 20, and the other end part is connected to the contact part 21 through the gap between the protective wall C1 and the frame C. ing. The contact portion 21 is provided so as to face the protective wall C1.

  As described above, since there is one support portion 22, there is only one path from the space on the main body portion 20 side to the space on the contact portion 21 side, so that the abrasion powder reaches the space on the contact portion 21 side. hard. Further, since the route is a route that goes around the contact portion 21 while avoiding the protective wall C1, even if the wear powder reaches the space on the contact portion 21 side, it is difficult to reach the contact portion 21, and therefore the wear powder is movable. It can prevent more reliably that it adheres to the contact 21a and the fixed contact 1. FIG.

(Embodiment 3)
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the contact device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Since the basic configuration of the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, common portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. As shown in FIG. 7A, the present embodiment is characterized in that an adsorbing member 25 made of a material that adsorbs abrasion powder is provided between the main body portion 20 and the contact portion 21 as a blocking means. The adsorbing member 25 is made of a thin film made of an adsorbing material such as polyimide, a resist film, or the like, and is disposed in the vicinity of the fixed contact 1 on the upper surface of the base A.

  By providing the adsorption member 25 as described above, the abrasion powder scattered toward the space on the contact portion 21 side can be adsorbed by the adsorption member 25, so that the abrasion powder adheres to the movable contact 21 a and the fixed contact 1. Can be prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, an adsorption member 25 is disposed on one surface (left surface) of the protective wall described in the first and second embodiments (the protective wall C1 in the figure) facing the main body 20. It doesn't matter. In this case, the adsorbing member 25 can adsorb the wear powder scattered toward the space on the contact portion 21 side, and can prevent the wear powder that cannot be adsorbed from being scattered by the protective wall. That is, by combining the adsorbing member 25 and the protective wall, it is possible to more reliably prevent the abrasion powder from adhering to the movable contact 21 a and the fixed contact 1.

  In addition, the contact device of each said embodiment is employable in any of the basic forms 1 and 2. When the contact device of each of the above embodiments is adopted as the basic form 1, the fixed contact 50 is the fixed contact 1, the movable contact provided on the movable contact base 34 is the movable contact 21a, and the movable part 30 is the movable part 2. Each may be replaced. Further, when the contact device of this embodiment is adopted as the basic form 2, the fixed contact 120 is replaced with the fixed contact 1, the movable contact 213 is replaced with the movable contact 21a, and the movable part 210 is replaced with the movable part 2, respectively. The projecting piece 212 may be formed separately and connected to each other by a support portion. Of course, the relay provided with the contact device of the present invention is not limited to the micro relay of the above basic form, and the contact device of the present invention may be adopted for a relay and a micro relay having other structures. . In addition, the driving device for swinging the movable portion is not limited to the electromagnetic driving type, and for example, an electrostatic driving type driving device may be adopted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fixed contact 2 Movable part 20 Main body part 21 Contact part 21a Movable contact 22 Support part C1 Protective wall (breaking means)

Claims (12)

  A fixed contact, a movable contact that can be moved to and away from the fixed contact, a movable portion that has a movable contact and is swingable between a position where the movable contact contacts the fixed contact and a position where the movable contact opens, and a fixed contact and a movable contact A contact device including a contact portion and a housing portion for housing a movable portion, wherein the movable portion is provided to be swingably supported on a surface facing the fixed contact while being provided apart from the body portion. It consists of a contact part provided with a movable contact and a support part that has elasticity and connects the main body part and the contact part to each other. A contact device comprising a blocking means for blocking entry into a space where a contact exists.   The blocking means is a protective wall that is provided between the main body portion and the contact portion and separates the space on the main body portion side and the space on the contact portion side inside the housing portion except for a gap through which the support portion passes. The contact device according to claim 1.   The contact device according to claim 2, wherein the protective wall is provided to face the contact portion so as to cover one surface of the contact portion facing the main body portion.   The contact device according to claim 3, wherein the number of the support portions is only one, and the clearance between the protective walls is provided at a portion other than the portion facing the contact portion.   The contact device according to claim 2, wherein the fixed contact is provided so as to face a portion farthest from the clearance of the protective wall in the contact portion.   The housing part includes a base part provided with a fixed contact on one surface side in the thickness direction, a frame part provided on the one surface side of the base part to cover the fixed contact, the movable contact and the movable part, and a base in the frame part The lid is provided on the opposite side of the base and closes the space surrounded by the base and the frame, and the protective wall is provided so that one end thereof has a predetermined gap between the base and the base. The contact device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that   The contact device according to claim 6, wherein the protective wall is provided integrally with the movable portion, and one end portion thereof is fitted into a concave portion provided in the base portion.   2. The contact device according to claim 1, wherein the blocking means is an adsorption member made of a material that is provided between the main body portion and the contact portion and adsorbs the wear powder.   The blocking means includes an adsorption member made of a material that is provided between the main body and the contact portion and adsorbs wear powder, and the adsorption member is provided on one surface of the protective wall facing the main body. The contact device according to claim 2, wherein the contact device is characterized in that:   10. A relay comprising: the contact device according to claim 1; and a drive device that drives a movable portion so that the movable contact comes in contact with and separates from the fixed contact.   11. The relay according to claim 10, wherein the driving device is a micro relay including an electromagnet device made of a magnetic material that swings the movable portion by generating a magnetic field that attracts an armature provided on the movable portion. A base having a storage portion for storing an electromagnet device and having a fixed contact provided on one surface side in the thickness direction, a frame-like frame fixed to the one surface side of the base, and a frame that is swingably supported A micro relay comprising: a main block having a movable part and an armature; and a cover whose peripheral part is fixed to the frame on the opposite side of the base in the main block.   11. The relay according to claim 10, wherein the driving device is a micro relay including an electromagnet device made of a magnetic material that swings the movable portion by generating a magnetic field that attracts an armature provided on the movable portion. A main block having a base provided with a fixed contact on one surface side in the thickness direction, a frame-like frame fixed to the one surface side of the base, and a movable portion and an armature that are swingably supported by the frame; A microrelay comprising a cover having a peripheral portion fixed to a frame on the opposite side of the base of the main block and having a storage portion for storing an electromagnet device.

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