KR20060007791A - Thermostat - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a thermostat that can be improved by improving the connection structure between the resistor and the terminal.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a base forming a body, a fixed contact and a movable contact provided in the base, a terminal electrically connected to the contact and extending out of the base, and connected between the one terminal and the movable contact and being movable. A contact arm for elastically closely contacting the fixed contact point, a guide pin slidably installed at the center of the base to closely contact the contact arm, a disc-shaped bimetal placed on one end of the base and selectively pushing the guide pin; A cap installed on the base to cover the bimetal, a resistor installed in the base and positioned near the bimetal to dissipate heat, a heater terminal installed on the base and connected to the resistor to supply power to the resistor, and the resistor Is fitted into the heater terminal It is assembled to provide a thermostat comprising a connection member for electrically connecting the resistor and the heater terminal.

Resistor, ceramic heater, connecting member, clip, fitting

Description

Thermostat {THERMOSTAT}

1 is an exploded view showing the configuration of a thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a ceramic heater mounting structure in the thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing the assembled state of the thermostat according to the embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a plan view of a thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: thermostat 11: base

17: guide pin 18: bimetal

19: cap 20: resistor

24: support bracket 25: step

26: insertion hole 27: pin hole

28: lead 29, 43: locking jaw

30: connecting member 31: lower clip

32: upper clip 33: fitting

34, 41: engaging projection 35: elastic portion

40: heater terminal 42: slit

The present invention relates to a thermostat, and more particularly, to a thermostat capable of improving assembly performance by improving a mounting structure of an embedded ceramic heater.

In general, a thermostat is an electrical component for controlling an open / close contact on and off by sensing a change in ambient temperature by a built-in thermostat.

Generally, a disk-shaped bimetal is used as the thermal member, and when the ambient temperature exceeds the first set temperature, the curved shape is displaced, and when the ambient temperature drops and falls below the second set temperature, the original member is returned. You will return to the state of.

Therefore, the thermostat converts the on / off state of the open / close contact by using the property of this heat-sensitive body.

The thermostat is usually provided with two terminals installed in a circular base, a contact arm installed in one terminal, a movable contact installed in the contact arm, a fixed contact installed in the other terminal and in contact with the movable contact, and an upper portion of the circular base. A top cover to cover, a guide pin slidably fitted into the center hole of the top cover to be in close contact with the contact arm, a disc-shaped bimetal placed on the top cover to selectively push the guide pin, and installed in close proximity to the bimetal to be opened on the bimetal It includes a resistor for applying a and a terminal connected to the resistor for supplying power.

Accordingly, when the bimetal expands in the opposite direction in response to the temperature, the guide pin is pushed outward by the bimetal and pushes the contact arm. To cut off the circuit. In addition, through the operation of the resistor it is possible to shorten the operating time of the bimetal, that is, the time to turn on / off the circuit.

However, the conventional structure has a disadvantage in that workability is not good as the connection between the terminal for supplying power to the resistor and the resistor is made by welding.

That is, in the conventional structure, the welding work is performed to connect the lead extending from the resistor to the inner end of the terminal. Accordingly, additional equipment for welding must be provided. This lowers the cost of manufacturing.

In addition, in the case of the prior art, as the cylindrical resistor is used, there is a disadvantage in that the operation time of the thermostat decreases along with the constraint on the installation space of the resistor.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a thermostat that can improve the assembly structure by improving the connection structure between the resistor and the terminal.

In addition, the present invention has another object to provide a thermostat with improved operating performance by reducing the operating time.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a structure in which the resistor is connected to the heater terminal through a separate connecting member fitted to the heater terminal and the resistor.

That is, the thermostat of the present invention

The base forming the body,

A fixed contact and a movable contact provided in the base,

A terminal electrically connected to the contact and extending out of the base,

A contact arm installed between the one terminal and the movable contact to elastically contact the movable contact with the fixed contact;

A guide pin slidably installed in the center of the base to be in close contact with the contact arm;

Disc-shaped bimetal placed on one end of the base for selectively pushing the guide pin,

A cap installed on the base to cover the bimetal,

A resistor installed in the base and positioned in proximity to the bimetal to dissipate heat,

A heater terminal installed at the base and connected to the resistor to supply power to the resistor;

And a connecting member fitted to the resistor and fitted to the heater terminal to electrically connect the resistor and the heater terminal.

Accordingly, it is possible to connect the resistor and the heater terminal by inserting a resistor into the connection member and assembling the connection member into the heater terminal.

The resistor is preferably made of a ceramic heater of a flat plate structure and disposed in parallel with the bimetal.

In addition, the resistor is preferably made of a rectangular shape, in this case, leads are respectively supplied with electricity at both ends of the heater terminal corresponding to each other so that the connection member is mounted.

And the base is in contact with the front end of the resistor on the inner side may be further formed with a support bracket for preventing the flow of the resistor.

Therefore, the resistance of the rectangular shape is controlled by the connection member mounted on both sides and the support brackets supported on both ends, the flow can be prevented.

In addition, the base has a structure in which the stepped portion is formed on the inner side so that the bimetal is placed. And the step is preferably formed at intervals, more preferably has a structure formed between the position where the support bracket and the connection member is installed.

In addition, the pin hole formed in the center of the base to guide the guide pin is preferably made of a rectangular shape.

Accordingly, by minimizing the contact area between the cylindrical guide pin and the pinhole, the guide pin can slide smoothly.

On the other hand, the connecting member is a structure in which the upper and lower clips are formed so that the resistor is fitted to one end, the other end is extended by a predetermined length to form a fitting portion, the fitting portion is inserted between the heater terminal and the base on which the heater terminal is installed. It is.

In addition, the fitting portion of the connection member may be further formed elastic portion in contact with the inner surface of the insertion hole in order to prevent the flow in the insertion hole.

Preferably, the elastic part is integrally formed with the fitting part, and for this purpose, the elastic part may have a structure which is cut out and partially opened to the outside.

In addition, in order to prevent the connection member from falling off to the heater terminal, a hole may be formed in the front surface of the heater terminal, and a protrusion may be formed in the fitting portion of the connection member to be caught in the hole formed in the heater terminal.

In addition, the heater terminal is inserted into the insertion hole formed in the base so that the front end protrudes outward for the fixing installation of the heater terminal is formed in the insertion hole of the base and corresponding to the locking jaw on the heater terminal side The locking protrusion may be formed to protrude from the locking jaw at the position.

Here, the heater terminal may be a structure that the upper end is bent at an angle to the top of the insertion hole of the base, in this case, the slit into which the fitting is inserted into the upper bent portion of the heater terminal so that the fitting can be inserted into the heater terminal Is formed.

Herein, the protrusions formed on the connection member may be integrally formed on the front surface of the connection member. For this purpose, the protrusions may have a structure which is cut out of the front surface of the connection member and opened to the outside.

In addition, it is preferable that the locking protrusion formed on the heater terminal is integrally formed on the heater terminal. For this purpose, the locking protrusion may be a structure which is cut out of a part of the heater terminal and opened to the outside.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is an exploded view showing the configuration of a thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a ceramic heater mounting structure in the thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a present invention 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an assembly state of a thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of a thermostat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Looking at the thermostat first with reference to the drawings, the thermostat is a base 11 constituting the body, the fixed contact 12 and the movable contact 13 provided in the base 11, the base ( 11) two terminals 14 and 15 installed in the inner space and electrically connected to the contacts 12 and 13, respectively, and extending out of the base 11, and fixing the two terminals to the base 11. A fixed rivet 23, a cover base 16 covering the base lower portion, and is installed between the one terminal 15 and the movable contact 13 to elastically move the movable contact 13 to the fixed contact 12 A contact arm 22 to be in close contact, a guide pin 17 slidably installed at the center of the base 11 to be in close contact with the contact arm 22, and a push pin placed on one end of the base to selectively push the guide pin Disc-shaped bimetal 18 for the bimetal A cap 19 that is overlaid on the mask 18 and installed in the base, a resistor 20 installed in the base and located in proximity to the bimetal to dissipate heat, and an insertion hole 26 formed in the base 11. Is fitted to the resistor 20 and connected to the resistor 20 to supply power to the resistor, the resistor 20 is fitted to the heater 20 and assembled to the heater terminal 40 to electrically connect the resistor and the heater terminal. It includes a connecting member 30 for connecting.

According to the thermostat 10 of the present invention configured as described above, the power applied from the heater terminal 40 is transferred to the resistor 20 through the connecting member 30 to generate heat in the resistor 20 and thus generated When the bimetal 18 senses the temperature by the heat and reaches a temperature higher than the temperature stored in the bimetal 18, the disc-shaped bimetal 18 having a slight gradient is inverted (expanded) and the guide pin 17 is in contact with it. The reverse force is applied to the contact arm 22 which is in contact with the lower portion of the guide pin 17 to move downward.

According to this movement, the movable contact 13 provided at the end of this contact arm 30 is turned OFF in the ON state which is in contact with the fixed contact 12, thereby turning off the circuit of the apparatus. When the heat generated by the resistor 20 and the temperature around the cap 19 are lowered by the bimetal 18 storage temperature, the bimetal 18 is reversed again to energize the contacts 12 and 13. .

According to the present embodiment, the resistor 20 is formed of a ceramic heater having a rectangular flat plate shape as shown in FIG. 2.

Accordingly, the thermal efficiency can be increased, thereby sufficiently securing the gap between the cap 19 and the heater terminal 40. The distance between the heater terminal 40 and the cap 19 is an essential part of the insulation between the two members, and the insulation can be increased by widening the interval between the two members, but in this case, the distance between the resistor and the bimetal is farther away, resulting in thermal efficiency. Has a contradictory deterioration. Thus, by using the resistor 20 of the ceramic heater having a high thermal efficiency as in this embodiment, it is possible to sufficiently secure the gap between the cap and the heater terminal 40, it is possible to increase the thermostat reaction rate.

Table below is a chart showing the reaction rate between the thermostat and the conventional thermostat according to the present embodiment.

TABLE 1

One 2 3 4 5 Prior art ON (hours) 90 97 95 95 95 OFF (time) 180 182 176 175 175 Invention ON (hours) 64 66 65 65 64 OFF (time) 102 98 96 83 89

In the above experiment, a ceramic heater was used in the present invention, and in the prior art, a general resistor having a resistance value of 1 / 2W was used, and the power source was AC240V.

In the present invention, as shown in Table 1, it can be seen that the on-off time is relatively short, and thus the reaction rate is improved.

In addition, the leads 28 are exposed on both side surfaces of the resistor 20 so that power is applied through the connection member 30 fitted to the leads 28.

Here, when looking at the installation structure of the resistor 20, the resistor 20 is placed in parallel with the bimetal 18 is located directly below the bimetal 18 located in the upper end of the housing in a state in which the housing is upright cap. Both ends of the resistor 20 are fixed by two connecting members 30 inserted into the insertion holes 26 of the base 11 and connected to the heater terminal 40, and both ends of the resistor 20 are connected to each other. It is formed inside the upper end of the base 11 is supported by the support bracket 24 in contact with both ends of the resistor 20 is not to flow in the base (11).

When the power is supplied to the lead 28 through the connecting member 30, the ceramic heater, which is the resistor 20, is heated to apply heat to the bimetal 18 located immediately above.

Here, the base 11 has a structure in which a step 25 is formed on an inner side in which the bimetal 18 is placed, and the step 25 is provided with the support bracket 24 and the connection member 30. It is a structure formed between positions.

In addition, the pin hole 27 formed in the center of the base 11 to guide the guide pin 17 has a square shape. Accordingly, the guide pin is smoothly minimized by minimizing the contact area between the cylindrical guide pin and the pin hole. It can slide.

In addition, both sides of the pin hole 27 of the base 11 are spaced apart by a predetermined distance, and the insertion hole 26 having a slot shape is formed therethrough so that the heater terminal 40 is inserted through the insertion hole 26.

The heater terminal 40 penetrates through the insertion hole 26 so that the lower end protrudes out of the base 11 and the upper end is bent at a right angle to cover the upper end of the insertion hole 26. In addition, a locking jaw 29 is formed inside the insertion hole 26 of the base 11 to fix the heater terminal 40, and the locking jaw 29 corresponds to the side of the heater terminal 40. The locking protrusion 41 is formed to protrude from the locking jaw at the position of the locking projection.

The slit 42 is formed at the upper bent portion of the heater terminal 40 so that the connection member 30 can be fitted, which will be described later.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the locking protrusion 41 formed in the heater terminal 40 is integrally formed in the heater terminal 40, and the front surface of the heater terminal 40 is cut out in a rectangular shape, but the bottom is cut out. It is connected to the heater terminal 40 without having a structure open to the center around the connected portion.

The structure of the locking projection 41 may be made through a lancing process including cutting and bending processes.

Therefore, the upper end of the engaging projection 41 which is opened to the outside is elastically opened and caught by the locking jaw 29 formed in the insertion hole 26 of the base 11 so that the heater terminal 40 does not fall out from the insertion hole 26. Will be.

On the other hand, look at the structure for connecting the plate-shaped resistor 20 to the heater terminal 40 as follows.

The resistor 20 is simply inserted into the connecting member 30 to be electrically connected to the heater terminal 40. For this purpose, the connecting member 30 includes a top and bottom clip for fitting the resistor 20 having a flat plate shape at one end thereof. (32,31) is formed, the other end is extended by a predetermined length to form a fitting portion 33 so that the fitting portion 33 between the heater terminal 40 and the base 11 on which the heater terminal 40 is installed It is structured to be fitted in the installation.

The upper and lower clips 32 and 31 are formed at intervals corresponding to the thickness of the ceramic heater, which is the resistor 20, and resistors inserted between the clips because one side of each of the clips 31 and 32 are bent inward. It is designed to hold 20 tightly.

In addition, the fitting part 33 is formed integrally with the upper and lower clips 32 and 31 and has a width corresponding to the slit 42 formed in the heater terminal 40 and the heater terminal 40 and the insertion hole ( 26) to be in close contact with the heater terminal 40.

In addition, in order to prevent the fitting portion 33 from being separated from the heater terminal 40, a locking jaw 43 is formed in the heater terminal 40 and a position corresponding to the locking jaw in the fitting portion 33. The locking protrusion 34 is formed to protrude from the locking jaw.

According to this embodiment, the locking jaw 43 formed in the heater terminal 40 may use a rectangular hole made by forming the locking protrusion 41 in the heater terminal 40, and the fitting portion ( 33 is formed in the engaging projection 34, like the engaging projection 41 formed in the heater terminal 40 cut the front of the fitting portion 33 in a rectangular shape, but the lower portion is connected to the fitting portion 33 without cutting. Thus, the structure is opened outward from the connected portion.

Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the locking protrusion 41 formed on the heater terminal 40 is elastically caught by the locking jaw 29 formed on the inner surface of the insertion hole 26 and the locking protrusion 41 on the heater terminal 40. The locking projection 34 formed in the fitting portion 33 is elastically caught in the hole formed by forming the locking jaw 43.

Here, the fitting portion 33 of the connection member 30 is electrically connected to the heater terminal 40, so that it does not flow in the insertion hole 26, so that the fitting portion 33 is partially It is cut out and opened to form an elastic portion 35.

Accordingly, when the fitting portion 33 is inserted into the insertion hole 26, the elastic portion 35 is elastically pressed and the fitting portion 33 of the connection member 30 is formed on the inner surface of the insertion hole 26 and the heater terminal. It will not flow in the gap between the 40.

Hereinafter, the operation of the present invention will be described.

In assembling the resistor 20 to the base 11 of the thermostat, each assembly member 30 is fitted to the leads 28 formed on both sides of the plate-shaped resistor 20.

Upper and lower clips 32 and 31 are formed at upper ends of the connection members 30, so that the clip is elastically inserted when the resistor 20 is inserted between the upper clip 32 and the lower clip 31. Engaging member 30 is mounted to the resistor 20.

In addition, the insertion hole 26 formed on the base 11 on which the resistor 20 is placed is fitted with a heater terminal 40 for supplying power to the resistor 20.

When the heater terminal 40 is inserted into the insertion hole 26, the lower end of the heater terminal 40 penetrates through the lower part of the base 11, and the upper end bent at a right angle spans the upper end of the insertion hole 26. .

In addition, the engaging projection 41 formed to be opened to the outside of the heater terminal 40 is bent in the process of passing through the narrow insertion hole 26 and when the heater terminal 40 is fully inserted, the engaging projection 41 is inserted. The locking jaw 29 is formed on the inner surface of the hole 26 and is caught by the locking jaw 29 while being elastically opened.

When the heater terminal 40 is installed in the base 11 as described above, the fitting portion 33 at the bottom of the connecting member 30 installed in the resistor 20 is inserted between the heater terminal 40 and the insertion hole 26. Simply connecting the resistor 20 and the heater terminal 40 can be completed.

That is, the fitting portion 33 of each connecting member 30 provided on both sides of the resistor 20 is placed at a right angle with respect to the resistor 20 and the spacing between the fitting portions 33 of each connecting member 30 is two. Since the gap between the two insertion holes 26 is matched, the insertion portion 33 moves to the position of the insertion hole 26 to be inserted from the top to the bottom so that the insertion portion 33 enters the insertion hole 26. .

Here, the bent portion of the heater terminal 40 is formed with a slit 42 so that the fitting portion 33 can be inserted so that the fitting portion 33 is inserted with the heater terminal 40 through the slit 42. It enters between the inner surfaces of the hole 26.

When the fitting portion 33 is fully inserted, the locking protrusion 34 formed on the fitting portion 33 and spread outwardly is fixed to the locking jaw 42 of the heater terminal 40, thereby fixing the heater terminal. 40 and the fitting portion 33 is to be interconnected.

The resistors 20 mounted on the upper and lower clips 32 and 31 of the connecting member 30 are seated on the upper portion of the base 11, and both side ends of the upper and lower clips 32 and 31 of the connecting member 30 are mounted. It is fixed by the) and both ends are supported between the four sides as it is placed between the support brackets 24 protruding in the base 11 to prevent the flow.

The present invention can be seen to provide a thermostat having a significantly innovative function as described above. While exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, various modifications and other embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art. Such modifications and other embodiments are all considered and included in the appended claims, without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

According to the thermostat according to the present invention as described above, it is possible to increase the thermal efficiency by using a ceramic heater in the form of a plate as a resistor, thereby increasing the reaction rate of the thermostat.

In addition, a sufficient space between the cap and the heater terminal can be secured to increase the insulation.

In addition, by simply inserting the connection member to electrically connect the resistor and the heater terminal can reduce the time and effort required for the connection work to reduce the cost and to secure a price competitiveness through cost improvement.

In addition, the base on which the bimetal is placed is formed with a stepped inward so that the bimetal can be easily seated and assembled, and the distance from the cap can be kept constant to increase the temperature reproducibility of the thermostat.

Claims (10)

The base forming the body, A fixed contact and a movable contact provided in the base, A terminal electrically connected to the contact and extending out of the base, A contact arm installed between the one terminal and the movable contact to elastically contact the movable contact with the fixed contact; A guide pin slidably installed in the center of the base to be in close contact with the contact arm; Disc-shaped bimetal placed on one end of the base for selectively pushing the guide pin, A cap installed on the base to cover the bimetal, A resistor installed in the base and positioned in proximity to the bimetal to dissipate heat, A heater terminal installed at the base and connected to the resistor to supply power to the resistor; A connecting member fitted to the resistor and assembled to the heater terminal to electrically connect the resistor and the heater terminal Thermostat comprising a. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the resistor is a ceramic heater having a flat plate structure. According to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connection member comprises an upper and lower clips formed so that the resistor is fitted on one end, and the fitting portion extending between the other end is inserted between the heater terminal and the base on which the heater terminal is installed. Thermostat. According to claim 3, The heater terminal is inserted into the insertion hole formed in the base, the side of the front end is cut off so as to be caught in the position corresponding to the locking step formed in the insertion hole of the base and the outer side of the block Formed thermostat. The thermostat of claim 4, wherein the heater terminal is bent at a right angle to the upper portion of the heater terminal, and a slit is formed in the upper bent portion of the heater terminal. The thermostat of claim 5, wherein a hole is formed in the front surface of the heater terminal, and a fitting portion of the connection member has a protrusion formed by cutting a portion of the front surface thereof and spreading outward to be caught in the hole. The thermostat according to claim 6, wherein the fitting part is partially cut and opened outward to elastically contact the inner surface of the insertion hole. The thermostat of claim 2, wherein the base has a support bracket on an inner side thereof in contact with a front end of the resistor to prevent flow of the resistor. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the base has a stepped portion on which the bimetal is placed, and the stepped gap is formed along the inner side of the base. The thermostat of claim 1, wherein the pinhole has a rectangular shape.

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