JP2017103124A - breaker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide breaker that has a low possibility in occurrence of arc discharge and having a stable separation distance between a fixed contact and a movable contact.SOLUTION: A breaker includes a substrate 1 having a main surface 1u, an electrically conductive fixed contact 3 fixed to the main surface 1u, a movable piece 5 which is in contact with the fixed contact 3, contains an electrically conductive movable contact 5a separable from the fixed contact 3, and contains a movable piece fixed portion 5b partially fixed to the main surface 1u, and a thermally responsive element 4 which is configured to be convex at one surface thereof and concaved at the other surface thereof. When the temperature increases by a fixed level or higher, at least a part of the movable piece 5 being displaced due to reversion caused by a snap action, whereby the movable contact 5a is separated from the fixed contact 3. A part of the thermally responsive element 4 is directly or indirectly connected to the substrate 1 to be fixed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a breaker.

  Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2014-120379 (Patent Document 1) describes an example of a breaker including a movable piece having a movable contact and a thermally responsive element for operating the movable piece. The thermoresponsive element is inverted when the temperature rises, and operates the movable piece.

JP, 2014-120379, A

  In the breaker described in Patent Document 1, a state in which the thermally responsive element is not positioned with respect to the base occurs in the process of changing the thermally responsive element from the normal state to the inverted state. Therefore, the position where the thermally responsive element contacts the base is not necessarily constant, and the separation distance between the fixed contact and the movable contact is not stable. When the separation distance is insufficient, an arc discharge is generated between the fixed contact and the movable contact, and there is a possibility that the arc discharge may last for a certain time. If arc discharge occurs and persists for a certain period of time, it may lead to damage of any contact. However, if an attempt is made to ensure a large amount of warpage of the thermally responsive element so that the separation distance becomes sufficiently large in order to prevent this, the entire breaker will be undesirably increased in size.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a breaker that can instantaneously cut arc discharge and has a stable separation distance between a fixed contact and a movable contact.

  In order to achieve the above object, a breaker according to the present invention is in contact with a substrate having a main surface, a conductive fixed contact fixed to the main surface, and the fixed contact. A movable piece including a movable movable contact fixed portion that includes a movable movable contact that can be separated from each other and is partially fixed to the main surface, and one surface is convex and the other surface is concave. A thermally responsive element arranged to displace the movable contact from the fixed contact by displacing at least a part of the movable piece by reversing by a snap action when the temperature rises above a certain level. A part of the thermally responsive element is fixed by being directly or indirectly connected to the substrate.

  According to the present invention, since a part of the thermally responsive element is fixed relative to the substrate, it is possible to prevent the thermally responsive element from shifting to an undesired position, and the movable contact is sufficient from the fixed contact. Will be separated. Therefore, the arc discharge can be instantaneously cut, and a breaker having a stable separation distance between the fixed contact and the movable contact can be obtained.

It is a perspective view of the breaker in Embodiment 1 based on this invention. It is an exploded view of the breaker in Embodiment 1 based on this invention. It is 1st explanatory drawing of the relationship between the movable piece with which the breaker in Embodiment 1 based on this invention is equipped, and a board | substrate. It is 2nd explanatory drawing of the relationship between the movable piece with which the breaker in Embodiment 1 based on this invention is equipped, and a board | substrate. It is a perspective view of the thermally responsive element with which the breaker in Embodiment 1 based on this invention is equipped. It is a top view of the thermally responsive element with which the breaker in Embodiment 1 based on this invention is equipped. It is 1st explanatory drawing of the relationship between the movable piece with which the breaker in Embodiment 1 based on this invention is equipped, and a thermally responsive element. It is 2nd explanatory drawing of the relationship between the movable piece with which the breaker in Embodiment 1 based on this invention is equipped, and a thermally responsive element. It is a side view at the time of steady state of the principal part of the breaker in Embodiment 1 based on this invention. It is a side view of the principal part after the thermally responsive element of the breaker in Embodiment 1 based on this invention reverse | inverted by the snap action. (A) shows the state before the inversion of the thermally responsive element placed on the main surface of the substrate in the free state, and (b) shows the inversion of the thermally responsive element placed on the main surface of the substrate in the free state. Shown later. (A) shows the state before inversion of the thermally responsive element mounted on the main surface of the substrate with one end fixed to the substrate, and (b) shows one end fixed to the substrate. The state after the inversion of the thermally responsive element placed on the main surface of the substrate in the state is shown. It is a perspective view of the breaker in Embodiment 2 based on this invention. It is an exploded view of the breaker in Embodiment 2 based on this invention. It is 1st explanatory drawing of the relationship between the movable piece with which the breaker in Embodiment 2 based on this invention is equipped, and a board | substrate. It is 2nd explanatory drawing of the relationship between the movable piece with which the breaker in Embodiment 2 based on this invention is equipped, and a board | substrate. It is a side view at the time of the steady state of the principal part of the breaker in Embodiment 2 based on this invention. It is a side view of the principal part after the thermally responsive element of the breaker in Embodiment 2 based on this invention reverse | inverted by the snap action. (A) shows the state before inversion of the thermally responsive element placed on the main surface of the substrate on which the support is placed, with one end fixed to the substrate, and (b) The state after the inversion of the thermally responsive element mounted on the main surface of the board | substrate with which the support stand is arrange | positioned in the state fixed with respect to the board | substrate is shown. It is sectional drawing of the bimetal material prepared in order to produce a breaker as an experiment example. It is sectional drawing of the board | plate material obtained by rolling the bimetal material shown in FIG. It is a top view of what processed the board | plate material shown in FIG. It is arrow sectional drawing regarding the XXIII-XXIII line | wire in FIG. FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the thermally responsive element shown in FIG. 23. It is sectional drawing of the alloy board | plate material prepared in order to produce a breaker as an experiment example. It is sectional drawing of the metal plate obtained by rolling the alloy board | plate material shown in FIG. It is a top view of what processed the metal plate shown in FIG. 26 into T shape. It is sectional drawing of the movable piece shown in FIG. It is a top view of the state which combined the thermoresponsive element and the movable piece. It is arrow sectional drawing regarding the XXX-XXX line in FIG. It is a top view of the board | substrate prepared in order to produce a breaker as an experiment example. It is arrow sectional drawing regarding the XXXII-XXXII line | wire in FIG. It is a top view of the state which mounted the assembly of a movable piece and a thermally responsive element on the board | substrate. It is arrow sectional drawing regarding the XXXIV-XXXIV line | wire in FIG. It is a top view of the 1st SUS board prepared in order to produce a breaker as an example of an experiment. It is a top view of the 2nd SUS board prepared in order to produce a breaker as an example of an experiment. It is a top view of a lid | cover. It is a 1st side view of a lid | cover. It is a 2nd side view of a lid | cover. It is a bottom view of a lid. It is sectional drawing of the breaker produced as an experiment example. It is a top view of an aggregate substrate provided with two or more parts of the shape corresponding to a movable piece. It is a top view of an aggregate substrate provided with two or more portions corresponding to a thermoresponsive element. It is a top view in the state where collective substrates were piled up. This is a collective substrate having a plurality of regions corresponding to the substrate. FIG. 46 is a plan view showing a state where the assembly assembly is overlaid on the assembly substrate shown in FIG. 45. It is a top view of the assembly | attachment assembly from which the frame-shaped part was removed. It is a top view of an aggregate substrate provided with two or more fields corresponding to a lid. FIG. 49 is a plan view showing a state in which the collective substrate shown in FIG. 48 is overlapped with the collective assembly shown in FIG. 47 and joined with a sealing adhesive. It is explanatory drawing of a mode that the several breaker was obtained by dividing | segmenting an assembly assembly.

  The dimensional ratios shown in the drawings do not always faithfully represent the actual ones, and the dimensional ratios may be exaggerated for convenience of explanation. In the following description, when referring to a concept above or below, it does not mean absolute above or below, but rather relative above or below in the illustrated posture. .

(Embodiment 1)
(Constitution)
With reference to FIGS. 1-8, the breaker in Embodiment 1 based on this invention is demonstrated. An appearance of the breaker 101 in the present embodiment is shown in FIG. An exploded view of the breaker 101 is shown in FIG.

  Breaker 101 in the present embodiment is in contact with substrate 1 having main surface 1u, conductive fixed contact 3 fixed to main surface 1u, and fixed contact 3, and is separated from fixed contact 3. And a movable piece 5 including a movable piece fixing portion 5b including a movable movable contact 5a that is partially fixed to the main surface 1u. One surface is convex and the other surface is concave. And a thermally responsive element 4 arranged to separate the movable contact 5a from the fixed contact 3 by displacing at least a part of the movable piece 5 by reversing by a snap action when the temperature rises above a certain level. Is provided. A part of the thermally responsive element 4 is fixed by being directly or indirectly connected to the substrate 1. In the example shown here, a part of the thermally responsive element 4 is fixed to the movable piece 5 and a part of the movable piece 5 is fixed to the substrate 1. Accordingly, it can be said that a part of the thermally responsive element 4 is fixed by being indirectly connected to the substrate 1.

  The relationship between the board | substrate 1 and the movable piece 5 among what was shown with the exploded view of FIG. 2 is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. Actually, the movable piece 5 is connected to the substrate 1 after the movable piece 5 and the thermal responsive element 4 are connected first, but here, for convenience of explanation, there is no thermal responsive element 4. Description will be made by paying attention to only the substrate 1 and the movable piece 5 in the state. As shown in FIG. 3, the movable piece 5 has a T-shape. The movable piece 5 includes a main body portion extending linearly and a branch portion extending from the main body portion in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main body portion. A movable contact 5a is provided at one end of the main body. The movable piece 5 includes a movable piece fixing portion 5b at the other end of the main body portion. When the movable piece 5 is T-shaped, the movable piece fixed portion 5b corresponds to a portion where the horizontal bar and the vertical bar of the letter “T” intersect. The main body portion of the movable piece 5 corresponds to a vertical bar portion of the letter “T”, and the branch portion of the movable piece 5 corresponds to a horizontal bar portion extending to the left and right of the letter “T”. That is, the branch portion of the movable piece 5 is a portion extending from the movable piece fixing portion 5b to the left and right.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the substrate 1 has a main surface 1u, and a movable piece connection electrode 2 and a fixed contact 3 are arranged on the main surface 1u. The movable piece connection electrode 2 and the fixed contact 3 are arranged in a state where they are not electrically connected to each other. The movable piece connection electrode 2 and the fixed contact 3 are arranged at positions separated from each other on the main surface 1u. As shown by an arrow 91 in FIG. 3, the movable piece fixing portion 5b of the movable piece 5 is joined to the movable piece connection electrode 2 arranged on the main surface 1u. This joining may be performed by laser welding, for example. The joined state is shown in FIG. The movable piece fixing portion 5 b of the movable piece 5 is joined to the movable piece connection electrode 2. Portions of the movable piece 5 other than the movable piece fixing portion 5 b are not joined to the movable piece connection electrode 2 or the substrate 1.

  The thermally responsive element 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 shows a place where the thermally responsive element 4 included in the breaker 101 in the present embodiment is taken out alone. A plan view of the thermally responsive element 4 is shown in FIG. The thermally responsive element 4 includes a frustoconical first portion 4a and a second portion 4b extending tangentially from the first portion 4a. The second portion 4b may be referred to as a “leg”. Second portion 4b includes portions 4b1 and 4b2. In the example shown here, the second portion 4b includes two portions extending linearly in parallel with each other. The portions 4b1 and 4b2 are the end portions on the side far from the first portion 4a of these two portions. As shown in FIG. 6, the width of the second portion 4b may be widened at the portions 4b1 and 4b2. The first portion 4a is inverted by a snap action when the temperature becomes a certain level or more. Here, the first portion 4a of the thermoresponsive element 4 has a truncated cone shape, but the first portion 4a may have a conical shape or a curved surface shape. The first portion 4a may have any other shape as long as it has a shape that can be reversed by a snap action.

  The relationship between the thermoresponsive element 4 and the movable piece 5 among what was shown with the exploded view of FIG. 2 is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. The movable piece 5 includes a portion 5 c for joining the thermally responsive element 4. In the example shown here, the branch part of the movable piece 5 includes the part 5c. The portion 5c includes two portions 5c1 and 5c2. As indicated by an arrow 92 in FIG. 7, the part 5 c 1 of the movable piece 5 is joined to the part 4 b 1 of the second part 4 b of the thermally responsive element 4. As shown by an arrow 93 in FIG. 7, the part 5 c 2 of the movable piece 5 is joined to the part 4 b 2 of the second part 4 b of the thermally responsive element 4. These joints may be performed by laser welding, for example. The joined state is shown in FIG. The main body portion of the movable piece 5 extends longer than the thermally responsive element 4. A movable contact 5 a provided at one end of the movable piece 5 protrudes from the thermally responsive element 4.

(Action / Effect)
With reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the state before and behind inversion by the snap action of the thermoresponsive element 4 is demonstrated. First, FIG. 9 shows a side view of the main part of the breaker 101 in a steady state. The steady state is a state where the temperature is lower than a certain level. A movable piece 5 is fixed to the main surface 1 u of the substrate 1, and a thermally responsive element 4 is disposed below the movable piece 5. The second portion 4 b of the thermoresponsive element 4 is fixed to the portion 5 c of the movable piece 5. The first portion 4a of the thermally responsive element 4 rests on the main surface 1u in a state where the surface far from the substrate 1 is convex. The movable piece 5 is bent and extends to the left side in the figure so as to avoid the first portion 4a of the thermally responsive element 4. The movable contact 5 a provided at the tip of the movable piece 5 is in contact with the fixed contact 3 provided on the main surface 1 u of the substrate 1.

  When the temperature rises above a certain level, the first portion 4a of the thermally responsive element 4 is inverted by a snap action. A side view of the main part after inversion by the snap action is shown in FIG. The first portion 4a of the thermally responsive element 4 rests on the main surface 1u in a state where the surface close to the substrate 1 is convex. The end 4e on the side farther from the second portion 4b in the first portion 4a is in a state of being raised to some extent from the main surface 1u. The end 4e of the thermal response element 4 abuts on the movable piece 5 and pushes up the movable piece 5. Since the movable piece 5 is fixed to the main surface 1u of the substrate 1 at the right end in the figure, the left end in the figure rises away from the main surface 1u. As a result, the movable contact 5 a is separated from the fixed contact 3. 9 and 10, the first portion 4a of the thermally responsive element 4 has been described as having a conical shape, but the basic portion is the same when the shape of the first portion 4a is other than a conical shape. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, it is assumed that the first portion 4a of the thermally responsive element 4 is a cone having a diameter of 1600 μm and a height of 100 μm and rests on the main surface 1u of the substrate 1 in a free state. At this time, the height of the highest point measured from the main surface 1u is 100 μm. When the thermally responsive element 4 is not fixed to the substrate 1 at all, when the thermally responsive element 4 is inverted, the height of the highest point can remain 100 μm as shown in FIG. In particular, when the thermally responsive element 4 is pressed downward uniformly by another member from above, the posture as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 12A, the first portion 4a of the thermally responsive element 4 is a cone having a diameter of 1600 μm and a height of 100 μm, and the thermally responsive element 4 is fixed to the main surface 1u of the substrate 1 at the second portion 4b. It is assumed that At this time, in the state before the reversal by the snap action, the height of the highest point remains 100 μm, but after the reversal, as shown in FIG. 12B, the second portion 4b is separated from the main surface 1u. Due to the absence, the end 4e rises and the height of the end 4e becomes 198 μm. Thus, by fixing the 2nd part 4b to the main surface 1u, the height of the end 4e which is the highest point can be made higher. The fact that the height of the end 4e is increased means that the movable contact 5a can be further away from the fixed contact 3.

  11 (a), 11 (b) and 12 (a), 12 (b), the first portion 4a of the thermally responsive element 4 has been described as having a conical shape. However, the shape of the first portion 4a is conical. In other cases, the basic part is the same.

  In the breaker according to the present embodiment, the second portion 4 b of the thermally responsive element 4 is connected to the movable piece 5, and the movable piece 5 is connected to the substrate 1, whereby a part of the thermally responsive element 4 is attached to the substrate 1. Since the heat-responsive element 4 is relatively fixed, the displacement of the heat-responsive element 4 has a certain reproducibility even when the heat-responsive element 4 is reversed by a snap action, and the heat-responsive element 4 is shifted to an undesired position. Can be suppressed. When the movable contact 5a is separated from the fixed contact 3, the movable piece 5 is lifted by the end 4e of the thermally responsive element 4, so that the movable contact 5a is sufficiently separated from the fixed contact 3 to avoid occurrence of arc discharge. can do.

  As described above, the breaker in the present embodiment can cut the arc discharge instantaneously, and can be a breaker in which the separation distance between the fixed contact and the movable contact is stable.

  As shown in the present embodiment, a part of the thermally responsive element 4 is preferably fixed to the movable piece 5. By adopting this configuration, the thermally responsive element 4 and the movable piece 5 can be assembled in advance. Instead of fixing a part of the thermally responsive element 4 to the movable piece 5, a part of the thermally responsive element 4 may be directly fixed to any part of the substrate 1.

  As shown in the present embodiment, the portion where part of the thermally responsive element 4 is fixed to the movable piece 5 sandwiches the movable piece fixing portion 5b when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the main surface 1u. The second portion 4b as a part of the thermally responsive element 4 is from two places where the second portion 4b is fixed so as to sandwich the main body portion of the movable piece 5 therebetween. It extends along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion of the movable piece 5 toward the first portion 4a. By adopting this configuration, when the thermal response element 4 is reversed, the thermal response element 4 rotates about a straight line connecting these two fixed locations as the center line. The movement becomes stable. When the thermally responsive element 4 is reversed, the thermally responsive element 4 can efficiently lift the movable piece 5. In particular, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the main surface 1u, it is preferable that the thermally responsive element 4 has a symmetrical shape, the movable piece 5 also has a symmetrical shape, and the center line of both is common. . It is preferable that the two fixing points for fixing the space between the thermoresponsive element 4 and the movable piece 5 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line.

  In the present embodiment, the thermally responsive element 4 includes the first portion 4a and the second portion 4b, but more specifically, the following configuration is preferable. The thermally responsive element 4 extends from the first portion 4a and the first portion 4a in which two or more materials are laminated so as to include a first material and a second material having different thermal expansion coefficients. Preferably, the second portion 4b made of an alloy of the first material and the second material is provided, and the thermally responsive element 4 is fixed by the second portion 4b. By adopting this configuration, the portion that reverses due to temperature change is distinguished from the portion that fixes the thermally responsive element 4 to another member. can do.

(Embodiment 2)
(Constitution)
With reference to FIGS. 13-16, the breaker in Embodiment 2 based on this invention is demonstrated. An appearance of the breaker 102 in this embodiment is shown in FIG. An exploded view of the breaker 102 is shown in FIG.

  The basic configuration of the breaker 102 in the present embodiment is the same as the breaker 101 described in the first embodiment, and differs in the following points.

  In the breaker 102 according to the present embodiment, the main surface 1u is covered with the concave surface of the thermal response element 4 when the thermal response element 4 is not inverted, and when the thermal response element 4 is inverted, the main surface 1u is covered with the main surface 1u. A support base 7 that comes into contact with the convex surface is provided so as to protrude. In the example shown here, the support base 7 is a film having a circular constant thickness. However, this is merely an example, and the support base 7 may have a shape other than a circle. The support base 7 may not have a constant thickness.

  The relationship between the board | substrate 1 and the movable piece 5 among what was shown with the exploded view of FIG. 14 is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. Although it is basically the same as that described in the first embodiment, a support base 7 is provided on the main surface 1u of the substrate 1 as shown in FIG. The movable piece 5 is disposed so as to cover part or all of the support base 7. Since the movable piece 5 is bent, the middle of the movable piece 5 is separated from the main surface 1u. A portion of the movable piece 5 that overlaps the support base 7 may be lifted away from the support base 7. In the example shown in FIG. 16, a part of the support base 7 on the lower side of the movable piece 5 is visible.

(Action / Effect)
FIG. 17 shows a side view of the main part of the breaker 102 in a steady state. Basically, it is the same as that described in the first embodiment, but unlike the first embodiment, a support base 7 is disposed below the first portion 4a of the thermally responsive element 4. The first portion 4 a has a convex shape in a direction away from the main surface 1 u, and the support base 7 is covered with the first portion 4 a of the thermally responsive element 4. The first portion 4a is directly on the main surface 1u. A fixed space is formed so as to be surrounded by the first portion 4a and the main surface 1u, and the support base 7 enters the space. In the example shown here, the first portion 4a is directly placed on the main surface 1u, but the first portion 4a is placed on the support base 7 and is not in direct contact with the main surface 1u. Also good.

  When the temperature rises above a certain level, the first portion 4a of the thermally responsive element 4 is inverted by a snap action. FIG. 18 shows a side view of the main part after inversion by the snap action. The first portion 4 a has a convex surface on the side close to the substrate 1. The first portion 4a is placed on the support base 7. In this state, the end 4e is the highest position among the thermally responsive elements 4. The end 4 e abuts on the movable piece 5 and supports the movable piece 5. The movable piece 5 is supported by the end 4e of the thermally responsive element 4 so that one end is lifted away from the main surface 1u. As a result, the movable contact 5 a is lifted away from the fixed contact 3.

  As shown in FIG. 19A, if the first portion 4a of the thermally responsive element 4 is a cone having a diameter of 1600 μm and a height of 100 μm, the second portion 4b of the thermally responsive element 4 is formed on the main surface 1u of the substrate 1. When the first portion 4a is placed on the support base 7 in a fixed state, the state becomes as shown in FIG. In this state, the end 4e of the thermally responsive element 4 is at a higher position than that shown in FIG. 12B, and the height from the main surface 1u is 336 μm.

  In the present embodiment, since the support base 7 is provided so as to protrude from the main surface 1 u, the end of the thermally responsive element can be lifted to a higher position. As a result, the movable contact 5 a is moved from the fixed contact 3. Can be separated greatly.

  As is common to the first and second embodiments, the substrate 1 itself is flat and does not have a complicated shape. The positional relationship between the thermally responsive element 4 and the movable piece 5 is determined to some extent by the positional relationship of the electrodes on the main surface 1 u of the substrate 1. Therefore, it is easy to increase the size, and it becomes easy to simultaneously form in parallel in units of hundreds to thousands. Thus, there is a merit from the viewpoint of mass productivity.

  As is common to the first and second embodiments, the movable piece 5 is firmly fixed to the substrate 1. Therefore, the contact resistance fluctuation at the connection portion between the movable piece 5 and the substrate 1 is eliminated.

  Since the thermally responsive element 4 is fixed to the movable piece 5, the relative positional relationship between the thermally responsive element 4 and the movable piece 5 does not shift. Therefore, even when the thermally responsive element 4 is reversed by the snap action, the position shift of the position where the movable piece 5 is pushed up is eliminated. As a result, it is possible to suppress variation in the amount by which the movable piece 5 is pushed up by the thermally responsive element 4 and to stabilize the distance when the contacts are separated from each other.

  One end of the thermoresponsive element 4 is fixed. In the second embodiment, since the support base 7 is further provided on the main surface 1u of the substrate 1, the amount of displacement before and after the snap action increases. Conventionally, when the size of the thermally responsive element 4 is reduced, there is a problem that the amount of displacement of the thermally responsive element 4 is reduced. However, as described in the second embodiment, if the support base 7 is used. Since the amount of displacement can be increased, the movable piece can be pushed up sufficiently large even if the entire apparatus is downsized.

  Since the thermally responsive element 4 is relatively fixed, the thermally responsive element 4 does not come into strong contact with the movable piece 5 even when a large acceleration is applied to the breaker. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the movable contact 5a and the fixed contact 3 from separating at an undesired timing.

(Experimental example)
An experimental example in which the inventors actually manufactured a breaker and confirmed the effect of the present invention will be described.

  A thermally responsive element was fabricated as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 20, a bimetallic material (JIS C2530 TM-1) in which a first alloy layer 41 mainly composed of Mn, Ni and Cu and a second alloy layer 42 mainly composed of Ni and Fe are laminated. ) Was prepared. The first alloy layer 41 has a larger thermal expansion coefficient than the second alloy layer 42. This bimetal material was rolled to a thickness of 10 to 40 μm as shown in FIG. Furthermore, it processed into the shape which combined one circular part with a diameter of 1000-2000 micrometers, and two rectangular parts. In processing into a desired shape as described above, methods such as etching and punching can be employed. As shown in FIG. 22, the circular portion is the first portion 4a, and the two rectangular portions are the second portion 4b. The second part includes portions 4b1 and 4b2. Thereafter, the first portion 4a, which is a circular portion, was pressed and plastically deformed into a truncated cone shape or a dome shape (flat sphere shape) so that the first alloy layer 41 side was recessed. Thus, the thermally responsive element 4 was obtained. 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XXIII-XXIII in FIG.

  In the process of manufacturing the thermally responsive element 4 from the plate material of the bimetal material as shown in FIG. 21, instead of leaving the two-layer structure in the rectangular portion, like the thermally responsive element 4i shown in FIG. Processing may be performed so that two layers of materials are mixed to form one alloy layer 43.

  Next, a movable piece was produced. First, as shown in FIG. 25, an alloy plate material 51 containing Be and Cu as main materials was prepared. As shown in FIG. 26, the alloy plate material 51 was rolled to a thickness of 30 to 100 μm to form a metal plate 55. The metal plate 55 was processed into a T shape. For this processing, methods such as etching and punching can be employed. After that, a part of the tip of the portion corresponding to the T-shaped vertical bar (hereinafter referred to as “center beam”) is pressed into a hemisphere, and the hemispherical portion is movable. It becomes the contact 5a. Further, bending was performed at the root of the central beam and the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the central beam. At the base of the central beam, the surface on the same side as the surface from which the movable contact 5a protrudes (the back side in FIG. 27) is bent so as to be convex. In the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the central beam, the surface opposite to the surface from which the movable contact 5a protrudes (the front side in FIG. 27) is bent so as to be convex. In this way, the movable piece 5 was obtained as shown in FIGS. A portion corresponding to the intersection point of the T-shape of the movable piece 5 is a movable piece fixing portion 5b. Both ends of the portion corresponding to the T-shaped horizontal bar are portions 5c1 and 5c2.

  The surface of the movable contact 5a may be coated with Ag or Au as a main material in order to improve the reliability as a contact. Further, when the movable contact 5a is formed, it may be formed by using a rivet mainly made of Ag or Au produced separately, instead of press working. You may form using the clad material etc. with the alloy which used BeCu, Ag, and Au as the main material.

  The thermally responsive element 4 and the movable piece 5 produced as described above are combined. As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, the first portion 4 a having the truncated cone shape of the thermally responsive element 4 is overlapped so that the convex side of the first portion 4 a faces the movable piece 5 side and brought into contact with each other. 30 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XXX-XXX in FIG. The part 5 c 1 of the movable piece 5 overlaps with the part 4 b 1 of the thermally responsive element 4. The part 5c2 of the movable piece 5 overlaps with the part 4b2 of the thermally responsive element 4. In this state where the thermally responsive element 4 and the movable piece 5 are arranged so as to overlap with each other, the portions 5c1 and 5c2 are irradiated with laser light and laser-welded. By this laser irradiation, the part 5c1 of the movable piece 5 and the part 4b1 of the thermally responsive element 4 were welded, and the part 5c2 of the movable piece 5 and the part 4b2 of the thermally responsive element 4 were welded.

  Here, laser welding is employed as the joining method. However, in this joining, it is preferable to employ a joining method capable of eliminating the bimetallic laminated structure in the second portion 4b of the thermally responsive element 4. Since this laminated structure disappears if welding is performed, it is preferable to employ welding as a joining method. Laser welding is a type of welding. When joining by laser welding, the bimetallic laminated structure in the 2nd part 4b lose | disappears. If the laminated structure of the second portion 4b is eliminated, the thermal stress applied to the joint can be greatly reduced. Here, laser welding with a small joining area and high processing accuracy is used, but resistance welding or welding using ultrasonic waves may be used. Although welding is preferable, a joining method other than welding may be used. For example, you may join by solder.

  The joint location between the movable piece 5 and the thermal actuator 4 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 29, but the joint between the movable piece 5 and the movable piece connection electrode 2 on the substrate 1, and the movable contact 5 a and the fixed contact 3. Any position may be used as long as it does not hinder the contact.

  Next, a substrate was produced. As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, a Cu electrode thicker than the rolled bimetallic material was formed on the main surface 1u of the substrate 1 which is a glass epoxy substrate. 32 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XXXII-XXXII in FIG. The Cu electrode formed on the main surface 1u was formed so as to be divided into at least three independent portions within the range of one breaker. In the example shown in FIG. 31, three independent portions correspond to the movable piece connection electrode 2, the fixed contact 3, and the support base 7. Furthermore, another two electrodes 8 and 9 were formed by processing a Cu film on the surface opposite to the main surface 1u. The electrode 8 was connected to the movable piece connection electrode 2 using the interlayer connection conductor 10. The electrode 9 was connected to the fixed contact 3 using the interlayer connection conductor 11. The interlayer connection conductors 10 and 11 may be so-called through-hole vias.

  The material of the substrate 1 may be a ceramic substrate as long as insulation can be ensured. Further, regarding the continuity between the electrodes 8 and 9 opposite to the electrodes provided on the main surface 1u, instead of using the interlayer connection conductor, a wiring may be formed on the outer peripheral side surface of the substrate 1 or the like.

  The assembly of the movable piece 5 and the thermally responsive element 4 was mounted on the substrate 1 so that the thermally responsive element 4 was on the substrate 1 side. This is shown in FIG. 33 and FIG. 34 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XXXIV-XXXIV in FIG. In this mounting, the movable piece fixing portion 5b of the movable piece 5 was disposed so as to overlap the movable piece connection electrode 2 on the substrate 1, and this portion was laser welded.

  For this bonding, it is necessary to ensure electrical continuity between the movable piece 5 and the movable piece connection electrode 2 on the substrate 1. Here, laser welding with a small joining area and high processing accuracy is used as the joining method, but resistance welding or welding using ultrasonic waves may be used. Other than welding, joining by solder may be used.

  As shown in FIG. 34, the movable contact 5 a of the movable piece 5 is pushed up to the height of the upper surface of the fixed contact 3 by contact with the fixed contact 3. In this state, the thermally responsive element 4 is not in contact with the movable piece 5 except for the right-side joint in FIG. The shapes of the movable piece 5 and the thermally responsive element 4 are adjusted so as to be like this.

  Next, the lid 6 was produced. The lid 6 was formed into a cap shape by bending a SUS plate. In addition to the bending process, the lid 6 may be manufactured by etching and bonding as shown in FIGS. FIG. 35 shows a case where the through hole 61a is formed in the SUS plate 61 by etching. The SUS board 61 has a rectangular outer shape and has a + -shaped through hole 61a. FIG. 36 is a plan view of the SUS plate 62. The SUS plate 62 is rectangular and does not have a through hole. The lid 6 shown in FIG. 37 is obtained by bonding the SUS plate 61 and the SUS plate 62 together. FIG. 38 shows a view from the right side in FIG. FIG. 39 shows a view from the lower side in FIG. FIG. 40 shows the surface of the lid 6 opposite to that shown in FIG. The lid 6 has a recess 63 in the center.

  As shown in FIG. 41, the lid 6 produced by bending was placed on the substrate 1 so as not to contact the movable piece 5 and the thermally responsive element 4. The substrate 1 and the lid 6 were joined with a sealing adhesive. A breaker was thus obtained.

  When a current was passed through the breaker manufactured as described above, the temperature of the entire device rose due to Joule heat generated in the movable piece 5. When the device temperature exceeds the snap action temperature of the thermally responsive element 4, the frustoconical shape or the dome shape of the thermally responsive element 4 is inverted, and the inverted thermally responsive element 4 is formed at the tip of the movable piece 5. The vicinity of the movable contact 5a was pushed up to separate the movable contact 5a and the fixed contact 3 from each other. As a result, the current was cut off. Thus, it was confirmed that the produced breaker actually operated well as a breaker.

  When the thermally responsive element 4 is reversed to interrupt the current, the thermally responsive element 4 is in contact with the support base 7. In this state, the joint portion of the thermally responsive element 4 with the movable piece 5 is a fulcrum, the contact portion of the thermally responsive element 4 with the support 7 is a force point, and the portion that pushes up the movable piece 5 of the thermally responsive element 4 is the action point. By the lever principle, the displacement of the movable contact 5a is enlarged.

(Embodiment 3)
(Production method)
With reference to FIGS. 42 to 50, a method of manufacturing a breaker according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 42, a collective substrate 505 is prepared. The collective substrate 505 is a metal plate and includes a plurality of portions having a shape corresponding to the movable piece 5. Each part of the shape corresponding to the movable piece 5 is surrounded by a frame-like part. In one collective substrate 505, a plurality of portions having a shape corresponding to the movable piece 5 are arranged in a matrix.

  As shown in FIG. 43, a collective substrate 504 is prepared. The collective substrate 504 is a sheet of bimetal material, and includes a plurality of portions corresponding to the thermally responsive elements 4. Each part of the shape corresponding to the thermoresponsive element 4 is surrounded by a frame-like part. In one collective substrate 504, a plurality of portions having a shape corresponding to the thermally responsive element 4 are arranged in a matrix.

  As shown in FIG. 44, the collective substrate 505 is overlaid on the collective substrate 504, and laser welding is performed. The locations to be welded are as described with reference to FIG. 29 and FIG. Since the arrangement pitch of the portion corresponding to the heat-responsive element 4 in the collective substrate 504 and the arrangement pitch of the portion corresponding to the movable piece 5 in the collective substrate 505 are equal, heat is generated over the entire area of the collective substrates 505 and 504. Welding can be appropriately performed between each portion corresponding to the responding element 4 and each portion corresponding to the movable piece 5. Thus, the assembly assembly 520 is obtained by laser welding.

  As shown in FIG. 45, a collective substrate 501 is prepared. The collective substrate 501 is basically a glass epoxy substrate and includes a plurality of regions corresponding to the substrate 1. In each region corresponding to the substrate 1, a movable piece connection electrode 2, a support base 7, and a fixed contact 3 are arranged. The movable piece connection electrode 2, the support base 7, and the fixed contact 3 are formed of a metal film. Details of each region corresponding to the substrate 1 are as described with reference to FIGS. 31 and 32.

  As shown in FIG. 46, the assembly assembly 520 is stacked on the assembly substrate 501, and laser welding is performed. The locations to be welded are as described with reference to FIG. 33 and FIG. Since the arrangement pitch of the portion corresponding to the substrate 1 in the collective substrate 501 is equal to the arrangement pitch of the portion corresponding to the movable piece 5 in the collective assembly 520, it extends over the entire area of the collective substrate 501 and the collective assembly 520. Can be properly welded. The assembly assembly 521 is obtained by laser welding in this way.

  The frame-like portion of the collective substrate 505 and the frame-like portion of the collective substrate 504 are removed from the collective assembly 521. As a result, a collective assembly 522 is obtained as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 48, a collective substrate 506 is prepared. The collective substrate 506 is a substrate formed of, for example, SUS, and includes a plurality of regions corresponding to the lid 6. A recessed portion is formed in each region corresponding to the lid 6. In FIG. 48, since the recesses are formed not on the front side of the page but on the back side of the page, each recess is indicated by a broken line.

  As shown in FIG. 49, a collective substrate 506 is overlaid on the collective assembly 522 (see FIG. 47) and bonded with a sealing adhesive. In this way, the assembly assembly 523 is obtained. In this state, each of the concave portions provided in the collective substrate 506 is positioned so as to collectively cover the combination of the movable piece 5 and the thermally responsive element 4 formed in the collective substrate 506.

  By dividing the assembly assembly 523 for each region, a plurality of breakers 101 are obtained as shown in FIG.

(Action / Effect)
In the present embodiment, a plurality of breakers 101 can be produced efficiently. In the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, a total of six 2 × 3 breakers corresponding to a total of six breakers has been illustrated as a collective substrate or a collective assembly. The number of parts included in the assembly is not limited to six and may be other numbers. For example, hundreds or thousands of parts may be arranged on one aggregate substrate or aggregate assembly to produce hundreds or thousands of breakers.

In addition, you may employ | adopt combining suitably two or more among the said embodiment.
In addition, the said embodiment disclosed this time is an illustration in all the points, Comprising: It is not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and includes all modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  1 substrate, 1u main surface, 2 electrode (for connecting a movable piece), 3 fixed contact, 4, 4i thermal response element, 4a first part, 4b second part, 4b1, 4b2 part, 4e end, 5 movable Piece, 5a movable contact, 5b movable piece fixed part, 5c part (for joining a thermally responsive element), 5c1, 5c2 part, 6 lid, 7 support base, 8, 9 (provided on the lower surface of the substrate), 10, 11 interlayer connection conductor, 41 first material layer, 42 second material layer, 43 alloy layer, 51 alloy plate material, 55 metal plate, 61, 62 SUS substrate, 61a through hole, 63 recess, 91, 92, 93 arrow , 101,102 Breaker, 501, 504, 505, 506 Assembly substrate, 520, 521, 522, 523 Assembly assembly.

Claims (5)

A substrate having a main surface;
A conductive fixed contact fixed to the main surface;
A movable piece that is in contact with the fixed contact, includes a conductive movable contact that can be separated from the fixed contact, and includes a movable piece fixed portion that is partially fixed to the main surface;
One surface is convex and the other surface is concave. When the temperature rises above a certain level, the movable contact is displaced by displacing at least a part of the movable piece by inverting with a snap action. A thermally responsive element arranged to be spaced apart from the fixed contact;
A breaker in which a part of the thermally responsive element is fixed by being directly or indirectly connected to the substrate.   The breaker according to claim 1, wherein a part of the thermally responsive element is fixed to the movable piece.   The part where the part of the thermally responsive element is fixed to the movable piece is provided in at least two places so as to sandwich the movable piece fixed part when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the main surface. The breaker according to claim 2, wherein a part of the thermally responsive element extends along a longitudinal direction of the main body portion of the movable piece so as to sandwich the main body portion of the movable piece therebetween.   The thermally responsive element extends from the first portion, a first portion that is a laminate of two or more materials so as to include a first material and a second material having different thermal expansion coefficients, The breaker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a second portion made of an alloy of the first material and the second material, wherein the thermoresponsive element is fixed by the second portion. The thermally responsive element is disposed between the movable piece and the main surface,
The main surface is covered with a concave surface of the thermal responsive element when the thermal responsive element is not inverted, and contacts the convex surface of the thermal responsive element when the thermal responsive element is inverted. The breaker in any one of Claim 1 to 4 provided so that a support stand may protrude.

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