US2312902A - Relay - Google Patents

Description

March 2, 1943.

c. N. HICKMAN EI'AL 2,312,902

RELAY Filed Nov. 27, 19.40 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .c. /v. H/CKMAN ATITORNEV Patented Mar. 2, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OF'FlCE RELAY Application November 27, 1940, Serial No. 367,339

*l'v Claims.

This invention relates to electromagnetic devices and more particularly to relays.

Relays used as line relays in telephone systems of the cross-bar type are customarily mounted in groups of ten, each relay having two pairs of contact springs. One spring of each pair is connected to the grounded terminal of the central ofiice battery, the other spring of one pair is connected to a circuit individual to the line with which the relay is associated and the other spring of the other pair is connected to a circuit which is common to ten lines. It is thus apparent that upon the installation of such a group of ten-line relays it is necessary to connect three springs of each relay in multiple-with the corresponding spings of the other relays of the group of ten relays thus requiring thirty soldering operations. A consideration of these requirements has led to the conclusion that a considerable simplification of the structure and installation of relays of this type might be achieved.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to simplify the manufacturing and assembling of relays of the type above discussed.

In accordance with the present invention this object is attained by eliminating the usual contact springs and by so constructing the magnetic circuit of the relay that the required circuit paths may be established entirely through the conductive engagement of a single reed typearmature with a divided core. The magnetic-circuit of the relay comprises two parallelly disposed cores positioned out of contact with each other and having out-turned po1e-piece-ends,-a fiat reed type armature and a cylindrical heel-piece interposed between the rear ends of the cores and the rear end of the armatures. The armature-is in engagement with oneend of the heel-piece but the cores are electrically insulated from the other end ofthe heel-piece by an-interposed strip of insulating material. The reed armature is slotted to form two armature sections and each such section is bifurcated to formtwo contact prongs, the armature sections cooperating respectively with the pole-piece ends ofthe-two cores and being separatedtherefrom by suitably. adjusted air-gaps. The energizing coil surrounds both cores and a forwardly extending portion of the insulating strip, the forward end of. such strip having a lug extending between the out-turned pole-pieces of the cores to'maintain them out of contact with each other.

The rear spoolhead of the energizing coil has two parallellydisposed winding terminal 1 lugs, Which also-serve as soldering terminals, riveted thereto by eyelets formed integrally with such terminals. These terminal lugs extend rearwardly parallel to the two cores and are separated from such cores-byan interposed strip of insulating material. These relay elements are clamped together between a mounting bracket which is in conductive engagement with the armature reed and a clamping washer insulated from the coil terminal lugs by an interposed insulating washer by a screw which extends through holes in the clamping washer, in the insulating washer, in the heelrpiece, in the armature and into a threaded hole in the bracket. To assure that the rear ends of the cores are suitably insulated from each other and fromtheclamping screw and that the coil terminal lugs are also insulated from each other .and from the clamping screw, the screw is surroundedby a bushing of insulating material where it passes between the rear ends of the .cores and between the rear ends of the terminal lugs.

It is proposed to mount these relays close together in groups of five or. more on a relay mounting plate. .When: thus mounted all of the relay armatures will be conductively connected to the mounting'plate which. isin turn connected to thegroundbus=bar and one core of each relay will be connectedto acommon circuit multiple. Thus when the. coil of. any relay isenergized, the engagement of the reed armature with the two cores thereof willconnect ground to the common circuit multiple and will also connect groundto the other core which is connected to a circuit individual to such relay.

To prevent the creation of stray magnetic fields which might hinder the operation of adjacent relays when one relay vof the group is operated, the relay. cores are given a reduced cross-section at the portions thereof which are enclosed by thevrelay coil to concentrate the magnetic flux. Inaddition, if found desirable the dust cover which covers thev group of relays maybe made of magnetic material and provided with partitions interposed between adjacent relays, or the mounting bracket of each relay may be extended forwardly to provide a magnetic shield which is interposed between the magnetic circuits of adjacent relays.

To improve the releasing characteristic of the relay one of the bifurcated sections of the reed armature may be bent so that its prongs lie in a plane slightlyin advance of the plane of the prongs of the other bifurcated section.

Having briefly outlined the novel features and construction of the improved relay, reference may now be had for a more complete understanding of the invention to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled group of relays constructed in accordance with the present invention together with the associated shielding cover, such cover being broken away to better disclose two of the relays;

Fig. 2 is a side View of the improved relay;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the relay disclosed in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a front end View of the relay;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the coil terminal lugs of the relay;

Fig. 6 is a perspective exploded View of the relay parts; and V Fig. 7 is a bottom view of the relay equipped with a mounting bracket modified to also serve as a shielding member.

Referring first to Fig. 1, an assembly of relays is disclosed each secured by its mounting bracket l and a screw 2 to a U-shaped mounting plate 3 which may be secured in any desired manner to a relay or apparatus rack. The out-turned arms 4 of the plate 3 serve as guides for a relay cover 5 which, when in positon over the guide arms, effectively encloses the relays. The cover 5 may be made of magnetic material for the purpose of introducing a shield between the assembly of relays and adjacent relay assemblies. In order to provide shielding between the adjacent relays of the assembly, the cover 5 may be provided with partitions 6 of magnetic material secured between the parallel top and bottom walls 1 and 8 by cars 9 which are formed on the top and bottom edges of the partition, are inserted through slots in in the walls and are then bent over on the outside of such walls. To permit the soldering terminal lugs of the relays to extend towards the wiring side of the mounting plate 3 such plate is provided with a notch H adjacent to each relay. While, for convenience, the relay assembly has been illustrated as in a vertical position in Fig. 1, it is to be understood that it would be installed in a horizontal position, that is, with the wall 7 of cover 5 uppermost and lying in a horizontal plane.

Each relay of the assembly comprises two cores l2 and I3 stamped from a sheet of magnetic material into the shape best disclosed in Fig. 6 The core 12 has its forward end bent laterally at right angles and then outwardly to form a pole-piece M upon the pole-face of which two contacts l5 are welded or otherwise secured, has the portion thereof lying within the relay coil 28 reduced in cross-section as indicated at 56 for the purpose of concentrating the lines of flux generated upon the energization of the coil, has the inside edge of its rear portion arcuately notched as indicated at i! for the reception of the insulating bushing or sleeve i8 as will be later described and has its rear portion narrowed and thinned to form a soldering terminal is. The other core I3 similarly has it forward end bent laterally at right angles and then outwardly to form a pole-piece 20 upon the pole-face of which two contacts 2| are welded or otherwise secured, has the portion thereof lying within the relay coil reduced in cross-section as indicated at 22, has the inside edge of its rear portion arcuately notched as indicated at 23 and has its rear portion narrowed and thinned to form a soldering terminal 24.

Positioned adjacent to one face of the cores i2 and I3 is a strip 25 stamped from a sheet of suitable insulating material, such as hard rubber or fiber. The strip 25 has its forward end narrowed sufiiciently for insertion through the relay coil, is provided on its forward end with a lug portion 25 which enters between the laterally bent end portions of the cores l2 and I3 to hold such cores spaced out of conductive engagement, is provided with a hole 21 in the center of its rear end portion for the reception of a clamping screw t9 as later described and is provided with a notch iii in its rear end to receive a locking lug 52 of the bracket l.

A coil 28 having a rear spoolhead is provided with a central rectangular openin therethrough for the reception of the cores E2 and I3 and the insulating strip Riveted to the rear face of the spoolhead 29 are two L- shaped terminal lugs 3! and 32. Lug 35 is disclosed in perspective in Fig. 5 and comprises a short arm 33 having two parallelly disposed eyelet portions 34 pressed therein and a long arm terminating in a soldering terminal. The long rm is provided with an arcuate notch 35 in its inner edge for the reception of the insulating bushing l8. Lug 32 is similar to lug 35 but the notch 36 and soldering terminal thereof are reversely positioned as more clearly disclosed in Fig. 6. a

The relay armature 31 is stamped from a sheet of magnetic material and comprises a wide rear clamping section 38 having a hole 39 therein for the reception of the clamping screw 49 as will be later described, a narrow portion 40 for rendering the armature more resilient and for causing a concentration of the lines of force and a widened and slotted forward end portion. The central long slot 6| divides the forward end of the reed armature into two magnetic sections each of sufiicient width to cooperate with the pole-piece of one of the cores and the shorter slots 42 and 43 further bifurcate the two sections to form contact carrying prongs each provided with a contact 44 welded or otherwise secured to the inner surface thereof. These contacts are so positioned that two of them cooperate with the two contacts I5 carried by the pole-piece M of core 12 and the other two of them cooperate with the two contacts 2% carried by the polepiece 20 of core l3.

For suitably spacing the armature reed 31 from the cores [2 and I3 at the rear end of the relay structure and for completing the magnetic circuit a cylindrical heel-piece 45 of magnetic material is provided for insertion between the armature and the strip 25.

In assembling the relay the cores l2 and |3are first assembled side by side in the position disclosed in Fig. 6 and are then pushed rearwardly through the opening 30 in the coil 28. The insulating strip 46 is then inserted between the rear ends of the cores l2 and I3 and the coil terminal lugs 3| and 32 with the hole therein in alignment with the arcuate notches in the inner edges of the cores and terminal lugs. The reduced portion of the insulating strip 25 is" then pushed forwardly through the opening in the coil 28 until its outer end abuts the rear faces of the lateraly bent portions of the cores l2 and I3 and its lug portion 26 ispositionedbetween the inner edgesof such bent portions. The cylindrical heel-piece 45 is then mounted on the exposed face of the strip 25 withthe axial hole thereof in alignment with thehole 21 in the strip 2-5. ThearmatureB'I-is then positioned on the exposed end of the heel-piece 45 with the hole 39 therein aligned with the axial hole through the heel-piece and the angular mounting and clamping bracket is then positioned outside the armature with the threaded hole 41 therein in alignment with the hole 39 in the armature with the end of the armature engaged in the inner angle of the bracket and the lug 52 engaged lin the notch in the end of strip 25. The washer 48 is then positioned in engagement with the outer faces of the terminal lugs 3|, 32 with the hole therein in alignment with the hole in strip 46 and insulating bushing H3 is then inserted through the holes in the washer 48 and strip 46 and through the circular spaces defined by the arcuate notches and 36 in the terminal lugs 3| and 32 and by the arcuate notches l1 and 23 in the cores l2 and I3. The bushing l8 then serves to hold the parallel terminal lugs 3| and 32 in spaced relationship and the rear end of the cores also in spaced relationship and insulated from the clamping screw 49 which, when inserted through the hole in the clamping washer 53, through the bushing l8, through the holes in the strip 25, heel-piece and armature 3 and threaded into the threaded hole 41 in the bracket clamps the several members together. It will be noted that when the relay has been thus assembled the engagement of the end of the armature within the inner angle of the bracket and the engagement of the lug 52 of the bracket in the notch 5| of the insulating strip 25 holds the armature in proper alignment with the polepieces I4 and 20 of the cores l2 and I3.

After the relay has been thus assembled, the reed armature may be bent as required to secure the proper air-gaps between the prongs thereof and the pole-pieces of the cores l2 and I3 and to insure that the relay armature will release quickly. The plane of the two contact prongs of the armature which cooperate with the polepiece of one of the cores may be displaced relative to the plane of the other two contact prongs whereby when the armature is attracted to engage all contact prongs with the pole-pieces of the cores the two contact prongs which have been displaced ahead of the other two will be under slightly greater tension than the other two and will therefore tend to accelerate the release of the armature when the strength of the energizing current flowing through the coil 28 falls below a predetermined holding value. It is to be noted however that even with the contact prongs thus bent, the two sections of the armature formed by the central slot 4| will both be attracted into contact engagement with their associated core pole-pieces by the same value of operating current thus insuring that when the energizing current in the coil 28 is strong enough to engage the contacts 4| of one armature section with contacts |5 on core l2, the contacts 4| of the other armature section will also engage with contacts 2| on core [3.

As hereinbefore stated, the magnetic crossfire between adjacent relays of the assembly may be materially reduced by the provision of the cover shield 5 having the partition 6. The same result may be secured by the use of a cover shield without partitions and by the provision of a mounting bracket for each relay of the type disclosed in Fig. 7. This bracket 53 is made of magnetic material and has a portion 54 of rectangular shape extending forwardly to a point just beyond the forward end of the relay. This rectangular portion is of sufiicient length and width to effectively fill the space between the side walls I and 8 and the end wall of the cover 5 when such cover is in the position over the relay assembly illustrated in Fig. 1. Instead of bending the bracket as disclosed in Fig. 7 to form a forwardly extending shield portion 54, the bracket may be of the type disclosed in Fig. 3 with a separate shield portion welded or otherwise secured thereto.

The cross-fire may also be reduced by so connecting the battery and ground wires to the coil terminal lugs 3| and 32 of the relays of an assembly group that the current flow in alternate relays will be reversed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a relay, a pair of cores disposed parallel to and out of contact with each other, each of said cores having its forward end bent laterally and then outwardly to form a pole-piece, a strip of insulating material disposed adjacent to said cores having a lug on its forward end engaged between said laterally bent portions of said cores to hold said cores in spaced relationship, an energizing coil surrounding said cores and said strip, a heel-piece supported on the rear end of said strip and insulated thereby from the rear ends of said cores, a reed armature supported on said heel-piece, the forward end of which is attractable into conductive engagement with the pole-pieces of both of said cores, an insulating bushing disposed between the rear ends of said cores to hold them in spaced relationship, a clamping washer insulated from said cores by an interposed insulating washer, a mounting bracket and a screw extending through aligned holes in said clamping washer, said bushing, said heel-piece and said reed armature into a threaded hole in said bracket for clamping said elements together.

2. In a relay, a pair of cores disposed parallel to and out of contact with each other, each of said cores having a portion thereof adjacent its pole-piece end reduced in cross-sectional area to cause a concentration of flux flow therein, an energizing coil surrounding said portions of said cores, a reed armature having its rear end supported on but insulated from the rear end of said cores, the forward end of which is attractable into conductive engagement with the pole-piece ends of both of said cores, a mounting bracket and means to secure said cores and said armature to said bracket.

3. In a relay, a pair of cores disposed parallel to and out of contact with each other, an energizing coil surrounding said cores, a reed armature having its rear end supported on but insulated from said cores and having its forward end slotted to form two pairs of contact carrying prongs, one pair of which is attractable into conductive engagement with the forward end of one of said cores and the other pair of which is attractable into conductive engagement with the forward end of the other of said cores, one pair of said prongs being bent to normally lie in a plane slightly in advance of the plane of the other pair of prongs whereby the speed of release of said armature is increased, a mounting bracket and means to secure said cores and said armature to said bracket.

4. In a relay, a pair of cores disposed parallel to and out of contact with each other, an energizing coil surrounding said cores, a reed armature having its rear end supported on but insulated from the rear ends of said cores, the forward end of which is attractable into conductive engagement with the forward ends of both of said cores, a mounting bracket of magnetic material having a portion thereof extending forwardly parallel to said armature to shield it from stray magnetic flux, and means to secure said cores and said armature to said bracket.

5. In a relay a core having a pole-piece on its forward end, an energizing coil surrounding said core, an armature having its rear end supported on the rear end of said core, the forward end of which is attractable into engagement with the pole-piece of said core, a mounting bracket of magnetic material having a portion thereof extending forwardly parallel to said armature to shield it from stray magnetic flux, and means to secure said core and said armature to said bracket.

6. In a relay, a supporting bracket, a core secured thereto, an armature secured to said bracket with its free end cooperating with the free end' of said core, an energizing coil supported on said core having a rear spoolhead and L- shaped coil terminal lugs having eyelets integrally formed in their short arms extending through holes in said spoolhead and spun over on the inner surface thereof by which said lugs are secured to said spoolhead and having their long arms extending rearwardly from said spoolhead and insulatedly clamped to said bracket.

'7. In a relay, a pair of cores disposed parallel to and out of contact with each other, a reed armature having its rear end supported on but insulated from the rear ends of said cores the forward end of which is attractable into conductive engagement with the forward ends of both of said cores, an energizing coil surrounding said cores and having a rear spoolhead, two L-shaped coil terminal lugs having eyelets integrally formed in their short arms extending through holes in said spoolhead and spun over on the inner surface thereof by which said lugs are secured to said spoolhead and having their long arms extending rearwardly parallel to each other and to said cores and insulated from said cores, an insulating bushing disposed between the rear ends of said cores and between said lugs to hold them in spaced relationship, a clamping washer insulated from said lugs by an interposed insulating washer, a mounting bracket and a screw extending through aligned holes in said clamping washer, said bushing and said reed armature into a threaded hole in said bracket for clamping said members together.

CLARENCE .N. HICKMAN. EMORY LAKATOS.

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