JPH1145644A - Electric equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily mark a case surface by a laser, and also easily visually confirm a character marked by the laser by performing pear-skin finish on a laser marking part of a transparent resin protective case surface. SOLUTION: An electromagnetic relay uses a transparent resin protective case 2 so that a condition of a relay contact in a case can be visually confirmed from a case upper surface on which pear-skin finish is performed. In the transparent resin protective case 2, a pear-skin finished surface 4 is simultaneously formed at fabrication time by using a metal mold where a rough ground area is formed on a cavity inside surface so that a pear-skin depth becomes 10 to 30 μm. At the same time, in the transparent resin protective case 2, a transparent window 7 capable of visually confirming a condition of a part such as a relay contact housed on the case inside from the case outside, is also secured. Since absorptivity of a laser beam and laser energy is comparatively large when the pear-skin depth is 10 to 30 μm, marking is easily performed, and a marked character can be easily visually confirmed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electric apparatus provided with a transparent resin protective case, and more particularly to a transparent resin protective case provided for an electromagnetic relay, which facilitates laser marking and visually recognizes laser-marked characters. Regarding technology to facilitate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an electromagnetic relay is provided with a protective case made of a transparent resin, and the inside of the relay, for example, the state of a relay contact can be visually confirmed through the protective case made of a transparent resin.

On the other hand, since the transparent resin protective case has a poor absorptivity of laser light,
When laser marking is performed by laser irradiation, laser energy reaches the rear parts (parts in the case) and adverse thermal effects occur. In addition, laser-marked characters and the like had remarkable differences in visibility depending on the viewing angle.

[0004] By the way, in order to improve the visibility of laser marks (such as laser-marked characters), various proposals have been made for techniques for performing processing such as satin finishing on the resin surface. Most of these are related to a technology for marking a semiconductor or the like.
No. 6, JP-A-5-166949, JP-A-6-143360, and JP-A-8-153815.

In particular, the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-143360 is a technique in which the surface of a resin molded product is subjected to laser marking with a rough surface, so that the technique is applied to a transparent resin protective case of an electromagnetic relay. Would be considered applicable.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
No. 43360 does not describe how to deal with the case where the resin molded product is a transparent resin protective case. In other words, there is no disclosure of a technique capable of coping with a demand for making it easy to perform laser marking on the surface of the transparent resin protective case and at the same time making it easy to visually recognize laser-marked characters and the like.

Therefore, it is substantially impossible to perform laser marking on the transparent resin protective case of the electromagnetic relay as desired using only the contents disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-143360.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to take into account the advantage of a transparent resin protective case in which the state of components (relay contacts) in the case can be visually confirmed. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric device (electromagnetic relay) that makes it easy to perform laser marking on the surface of the transparent resin protective case under the conditions and at the same time makes it easy to visually recognize the laser-marked characters and the like.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric appliance provided with a transparent resin protective case, wherein the transparent resin protective case is provided on a surface of a portion to be laser-marked. An electrical device characterized by a satin finish.

Here, as the transparent resin which is the material of the transparent resin protective case, the following can be mentioned.

[Thermoplastic resin] Polycarbonate (abbreviation: PC) Hard vinyl chloride (abbreviation: PVC) Polypropylene (abbreviation: PP) Polyethylene (abbreviation: PE) Nylon (abbreviation: PA) Acrylonitrile butadiene Styrene resin (abbreviation:
ABS) ・ Acrylonitrile ・ Styrene resin (abbreviation: AS) ・ Methacrylic resin (abbreviation: PMMA) [Thermosetting resin] ・ Urea resin (abbreviation: UF) ・ Melamine resin (abbreviation: MF) Among these transparent resins, PC As for, improvement of laser energy absorption rate by satin finish was confirmed. Similar improvements in the laser energy absorptivity are estimated for other resins.

The laser marking is roughly classified into (1) a scanning method in which a focused laser beam is irradiated to a desired position by two mirrors to scan a laser beam,
(2) There is a mask method in which a metal plate (mask) in which characters or the like to be marked are hollowed out is irradiated with a pulse of a large-area laser beam to project the characters or the like of the mask onto a work.

[0013] According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the area of the transparent resin protective case to which the satin finish is applied has improved laser energy absorption, the marking line by laser marking is provided. The width increases.

More specifically, the solid marking was performed by the above-mentioned scanning laser marking, and the marking line width was measured.
In contrast to 1 mm, the line width when the satin depth was 30 μm was about 0.35 mm, which was 3.5 times the line width. Therefore, the portion subjected to the satin finish can be marked with a smaller number of lines than the portion without the satin finish.

As a result, the time required for laser marking can be significantly reduced by performing the satin finish as in the present invention, as compared with the related art.

Further, since the satin-finished portion is opaque in the satin-finished state, it is not affected by the color tone of the back part. Compared with the above, the coloring property (continuity of lines) of the marking character by laser marking is improved, and the visibility of the marking character is remarkably improved.

When the laser absorptance was measured, it was 9% without the satin finish and 12% when the satin depth was 10 μm.
%, And 15% when the satin depth was 30 μm.

That is, by applying the satin finish as in the present invention, the color of the base material is changed, and further the color of the marking character is changed, so that the visibility of the marking character is significantly improved by the synergistic effect.

Further, since the laser energy transmittance is reduced in the area where the satin finish is applied, when laser marking is performed after the production of the electrical equipment, the laser energy is slightly reduced to the rear parts (parts in the case). It only has to be reached, so there is little thermal effect.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the electric apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the satin finish is simultaneously performed at the time of forming the transparent resin protective case.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the surface of the portion to be laser-marked is made of a transparent resin having a matte finish by a molding die having a rough surface region formed on the inner surface of the cavity. A protective case can be made. This eliminates the need for a post-process for the satin finish after the transparent resin protective case is manufactured.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the electric apparatus according to any one of the first to second aspects, the satin finish is such that the satin depth is 10 to 30 μm.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the satin depth is 10 to 30 μm as described above, the absorptance of laser light and laser energy is relatively large. The surface of the protective case made of laser can be easily marked with laser, and at the same time, the characters and the like marked with laser can be easily recognized.

Moreover, from the viewpoint of moldability and mold life,
It has been experimentally confirmed that the transparent resin protective case may be molded at the same time as the transparent resin protective case is formed using a molding die having a rough inner surface of the cavity so that the matte depth is 10 to 30 μm. Note that even if the satin finish is processed so that the satin depth exceeds 30 μm, a larger effect cannot be expected, and it will be disadvantageous from various viewpoints.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the surface of the portion to be laser-marked is provided with a transparent window through which the state of components housed in the case can be visually confirmed from outside the case. The electric device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a satin finish is applied.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the transparent resin protective case can be visually checked for the condition of the components in the case, taking into account the advantage of the transparent resin protective case. It is possible to provide an electric device capable of easily performing laser marking on the surface and also making characters and the like marked by laser marking easily visible.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the electric device is an electromagnetic relay, and the component whose condition should be visually confirmed is a relay contact. In the electrical equipment described in the above.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the surface of the transparent resin protective case can be visually checked for the condition of the relay contact under the condition considering the advantage of the transparent resin protective case. And an electromagnetic relay capable of making laser-marked characters and the like easily visible at the same time.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the electric device is an electromagnetic relay, and the part whose condition is to be visually checked is an indicator linked to a movable iron piece. The electric device according to claim 4, wherein

According to the invention described in claim 6 of the present invention, the transparent resin can be visually checked for the state of the indicator linked to the movable iron piece under the condition in consideration of the advantage of the transparent resin protective case. It is possible to provide an electromagnetic relay that makes it easy to perform laser marking on the surface of a protective case made at the same time as making the laser-marked characters and the like easily visible.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the electric device is an electromagnetic relay, and the component to visually confirm the state of the component is a light emitting diode for informing an operating state. The electric device according to claim 4, wherein

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the transparent resin is protected under the condition in consideration of the advantage of the transparent resin protective case that the on / off state of the light emitting diode for operating state notification can be visually confirmed. It is possible to provide an electromagnetic relay that makes it easy to perform laser marking on the surface of a resin protective case and at the same time makes it easy to visually recognize laser-marked characters and the like.

[0033]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition,
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an electric device according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied, FIGS. 2 to 5 illustrate an electromagnetic relay according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied, and FIGS. An electromagnetic relay according to another embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, this electric device
A protective case 2 made of a transparent resin is provided in the electric device main body 1, and a matte treated surface 4 is formed on a predetermined portion of a side surface 3 selected in advance in the transparent resin protective case 2.

The satin-finished surface 4 is a portion to be laser-marked by irradiating a laser beam as shown in the figure, and takes into account the advantage of the transparent resin protective case 2 that the state of the components 5 in the case can be visually confirmed. And then, it has been subjected to satin finish.

Here, the transparent resin which is a material of the transparent resin protective case 2 includes the following.

[Thermoplastic resin] Polycarbonate (abbreviation: PC) Hard vinyl chloride (abbreviation: PVC) Polypropylene (abbreviation: PP) Polyethylene (abbreviation: PE) Nylon (abbreviation: PA) Acrylonitr-butadiene Styrene resin (abbreviation:
ABS) ・ Acrylonitrile ・ Styrene resin (abbreviation: AS) ・ Methacrylic resin (abbreviation: PMMA) [Thermosetting resin] ・ Urea resin (abbreviation: UF) ・ Melamine resin (abbreviation: MF) Among these transparent resins, PC As for, improvement of laser energy absorption rate by satin finish was confirmed. Similar improvements in the laser energy absorptivity are estimated for other resins.

Laser marking can be roughly classified into (1) a scanning method in which a laser beam is scanned by irradiating a narrowed laser beam to a desired position with two mirrors;
(2) There is a mask method in which a large area laser beam is irradiated on a metal plate (mask) in which characters or the like to be marked are cut out, and the characters on the mask are projected onto a work.

After the electrical device of the present embodiment had a finished product structure, laser marking was performed on the satin-finished surface 4, and the following effects were obtained.

Since the satin-finished surface 4 has an improved laser energy absorptivity, the marking line width by laser marking is larger than that of the region without satin.

More specifically, when the solid marking was performed by the above-described scanning laser marking and the marking line width was measured, the line width at the part without satin was about 0.1 mm, whereas the line width at the satin depth was 30 μm. The line width on the finished matte-finished surface 4 was about 0.35 mm, which was 3.5 times the line width. Therefore, on the matte-finished surface 4, marking can be performed with a smaller number of lines as compared with a part without matte, and the time required for laser marking can be greatly reduced.

Since the matte-finished surface 4 is matte and opaque, it is not affected by the color of the back part (the part 5 in the case). Since it is greatly improved as compared with the case, the color developability (continuity of lines) of the marking character 6 by the laser marking is improved, and the visibility of the marking character 6 is remarkably improved.

When the laser beam absorptance was measured,
9% without matte, 12 with matte depth 10μm
%, And 15% when the satin depth was 30 μm.

That is, on the matte-finished surface 4, the color of the base material changes and further the color of the marking character 6 changes.

Further, since the laser energy transmittance is reduced on the satin-finished surface 4, when laser marking is performed after the production of the electric equipment, the laser energy only slightly reaches the back part (the part 5 in the case). Therefore, there is almost no adverse thermal effect.

As described above, when the satin depth is 10 to 30 μm, the absorptivity of laser light and laser energy is relatively large, so that the surface of the transparent resin protective case is easily laser-marked and is simultaneously laser-marked. Characters and the like can be easily viewed.

Further, from the viewpoint of moldability and mold life, it is preferable to mold the transparent resin protective case using a mold having a rough inner surface of the cavity so that the satin depth is 10 to 30 μm.

Next, an electromagnetic relay according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS.

This electromagnetic relay uses a transparent resin protective case 2 as shown in FIG. 2 so that the state of the relay contacts in the case can be visually checked from the upper surface of the case subjected to satin finish. It is. That is, the protective case 2 made of transparent resin is provided with
A part such as a relay contact housed in the case from the outside of the case (FIGS. 3 and 4)
(See FIG. 2).

As a molding die for molding the transparent resin protective case 2, a molding die (not shown) having a rough surface region formed on the inner surface of the cavity is used, so that a window 7 is formed on the upper surface as shown in the figure. Can be produced. This eliminates the need for a post-process for the satin finish after the transparent resin protective case 2 is manufactured.

On the other hand, such a transparent resin protective case 2
3 and 4, a coil 10 is wound around a spool 9 through which an iron core 8 is inserted, and a rear end of the iron core 8 and a yoke (not shown) are used. A movable block 13 for connecting the standing piece 11 and driving the relay contact 12 is provided so as to be able to reciprocate in a direction orthogonal to the magnetic pole surface of the iron core 8, and a transparent resin protective case 2 is placed on a base 14. The protective case 2 is formed by filling the opening side of the protective case 2 with a sealing resin (not shown).

Laser marking on the matte-finished surface 4 of the transparent resin protective case 2 is performed on the transparent resin protective case 2 as a single case as shown in FIG. 2 and the electromagnetic relay as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Although any of the transparent resin protective cases 2 in the completed assembly state may be targeted, in the present embodiment, the transparent resin protective case 2 in a case alone state is used.
Was subjected to laser marking on the matte-finished surface 4 and marking characters 6 were written as shown in FIG. The effect of the laser marking on the satin-finished surface 4 is similar to that of FIG. 1 because the absorption rate of the laser light and the laser energy is relatively large, so that the surface of the transparent resin protective case can be easily laser-marked. Laser-marked characters and the like can be easily viewed.

Further, in this embodiment, the satin-finished surface 4 is
As shown in FIG. 5, a transparent window 7 for visually confirming the state of the relay contact 12 housed in the case from the outside of the case.
And the matte finish is applied, so that the advantage of the transparent resin protective case that the state of the relay contact 12 can be visually confirmed can be utilized.

Here, the relay contact 12 to be monitored is
A movable contact piece 20 to which a movable contact 19 is attached is arranged between a fixed contact 17 fixed to the fixed piece 15 and a fixed contact piece 18 fixed to the fixed piece 16 so as to be able to perform a contact operation. . For example, the movable contact piece 20 becomes the fixed contact piece 18
When a trouble occurs such that restoration is not performed when it is necessary to restore the state where the contact has been made, it can be confirmed through the window 7.

The transparent resin protective case 2 has a matte-finished surface 4 on its upper surface, but its four side surfaces are kept transparent.

Next, an electromagnetic relay according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in the figure, this electromagnetic relay can visually confirm the state of components such as the relay contact 12 in the case from the side of the case including the satin-finished portion (the satin-finished surface 4). For this purpose, a transparent window 7A for the relay contact 12 and a transparent window 7B for monitoring the movable contact piece 21, the movable iron piece 22, the return spring 23 and the like are secured. The satin-finished surface 4 is formed in the same manner as in each of the above-described embodiments, and the marking characters 6 are written on the satin-finished surface 4 by laser marking in the same manner as in each of the above-described embodiments. .

Thus, even in the present embodiment, the surface of the transparent resin protective case can be visually checked for the state of the relay contacts and the like under the condition in consideration of the advantage of the transparent resin protective case. And an electromagnetic relay capable of making laser-marked characters and the like easily visible at the same time.

Next, an electromagnetic relay according to still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 is a front view, FIG. 8 is a top view, and FIG. 9 is a side view.

In this electromagnetic relay, as shown in FIG. 7, components such as a relay contact 12 mounted on a base 14 are covered with a protective case 2 made of a transparent resin. It is the same as the form. The difference is
An indicator 25 and a return spring 23 are attached to the movable iron piece 22, and when the movable iron piece 22 is attracted by the magnetic force of the electromagnet 26, the indicator 25 follows, and it is determined by the sliding movement of the distal end portion 25A of the indicator 25 that the suction is being performed. The point is to deal with the configuration that can be instructed.

That is, as shown in FIG. 8, an indicator operation confirmation window 27, an operation confirmation LED display window 28, and a space (recess) 29 for attaching a nameplate are secured on the upper surface of the indicator transparent resin protective case 2. The satin-finished surface 4 is formed, and whether or not the movable iron piece 22 is in the operating state can be confirmed based on whether or not the tip portion of the indicator 25 can be visually recognized through the indicator operation confirming window 27, and for notifying the operating state. The on / off state of the light emitting diode (not shown) can be confirmed by visually checking the operation confirmation LED display window 28.

As shown in FIG. 9, one side surface of the transparent resin protective case 2 is a matte-finished surface 4 except for a portion corresponding to the position of the base 14. In the figure, a contact mark 30 indicating the contact configuration of the relay contact 12 and a logo mark 31 of an overseas standard or the like are laser-marked and written as in the above-described embodiments.

Therefore, even in the present embodiment, the surface of the transparent resin protective case can be visually checked under the condition of taking advantage of the transparent resin protective case into consideration. And an electromagnetic relay capable of making laser-marked characters and the like easily visible at the same time.

[0064]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the transparent resin protective case can be visually checked for the condition of the components inside the case, taking into account the advantage of the transparent resin protective case. The surface of the laser can be easily laser-marked, and at the same time, the laser-marked characters and the like can be easily recognized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an electric device according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a transparent resin protective case used in the electromagnetic relay of the embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the electromagnetic relay of the embodiment to which the present invention is applied by notching a case.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the electromagnetic relay of the embodiment to which the present invention is applied by notching a case.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which laser marking is performed on a transparent resin protective case.

FIG. 6 is a main part side view showing an electromagnetic relay of another embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing an electromagnetic relay of still another embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 8 is a top view showing an electromagnetic relay of still another embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an electromagnetic relay of still another embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 base 2 transparent resin protective case 3 side surface 4 satin finish 5 parts 6 marking character 7 transparent window 7A transparent window 7B transparent window 8 iron core 9 spool 10 coil 11 upright piece 12 relay contact 13 movable block 14 base 15 Fixed piece 16 Fixed piece 17 Fixed contact 18 Fixed contact piece 19 Movable contact 20 Movable contact piece 21 Movable contact piece 22 Movable iron piece 23 Return spring 25 Indicator 25A Tip 26 Electromagnet 27 Indicator operation confirmation window 28 Operation confirmation LED display window 29 Space for attaching nameplate 30 Contact mark 31 Logo mark

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An electric device provided with a transparent resin protective case, wherein the transparent resin protective case is subjected to a satin finish on a surface of a portion to be laser-marked. 2. The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the satin finish is performed at the same time when the transparent resin protective case is formed. 3. The satin finish is adjusted to a satin depth of 10 to 30.
The electric device according to claim 1, wherein the thickness is set to μm. 4. The surface of the part to be laser-marked is provided with a matte finish by securing a transparent window from the outside of the case for visually confirming the state of components housed in the case. The electric device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein 5. The electric device according to claim 4, wherein the electric device is an electromagnetic relay, and the component whose state of the component should be visually checked is a relay contact. 6. The electric device according to claim 4, wherein the electric device is an electromagnetic relay, and the part whose state is to be visually checked is an indicator linked to a movable iron piece.
An electrical device according to claim 1. 7. The electric device according to claim 4, wherein the electric device is an electromagnetic relay, and the component whose status of the component should be visually confirmed is a light emitting diode for informing an operating state. .