US2611012A - Armature mounting for plural electromagnetic relays - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 16, 1952 G. T.. BAKER ARMATURE MOUNTING FOR PLURAL ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAYS Filed April '25, 1946 INVENTOR. GEORGE THOMAS BAKER ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 16, 1952 ARMATURE MOUNTING FOR PLUR-AL ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAYS George Thomas Baker, Liverpool, England, as-

signorto Automatic Electric Laboratories Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application April 25, 1946, Serial No. 664,782

In Great Britain May 16, 1945 1 Claim. l The present invention relates to electromagnetic relays of the type used in telephone and similar light current electrical signalling systems tageously to multiple relays of this type which will be of reduced size sothat the complete assembly can be mounted in the space which would be occupied by a relay of the type which has been standardised by telephone administrations in various parts of the world. There are various circumstances in which the use of such a multiple relay offers appreciable advantages, for instance, in cases where signals are transmitted in code which requires the use of a plurality of relays, for instance four, to'produce the necessary decoding operation and in such cases it is very convenient to have the multiple relay available as a single item.

According to one feature of the invention, in a multiple electromagnetic relay comprising a plurality of movable armatures adapted to be operated independently .by separate energising coils mounted on a common support and thereupon to actuate associated contact springs, the individual contact springs are located in a plane at right angles to the axes of the coils.

According to another feature of the invention, in a multiple electromagnetic relay comprising a plurality of movable armatures adapted to be operated independently by separate energising coils mounted on a common support and thereupon to actuate associated contact springs, the contact springs are all mounted on a separate common support member so as to be detachable as a whole.

A further feature of the invention is that in a multiple electromagnetic relay comprisin a plurality of movable armatures adapted to be operated independently by separate energising coils mounted on a common support and thereupon to actuate associated contact springs, the coils are secured to the common support at one end and the other ends of two or more coils are linked together by a rigid non-magnetic member.

The invention will be better understood from the following description of a preferred method of carrying it into effect which should be taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, comprising Figs. 1 to 6. Of these Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the complete assembly in the position in which it would be mounted, Fig. 2 is a plan View, Fig. 3 is a side view, Fig. 4 is an end view from the lower end of Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is an end view from the upper end of Fig. 2,'while Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional View along the line 6-45 in Fig. 2.

It will be seen that the multiple relay comprises an L-shaped heelpiece H) of magnetic material on which are mounted four cores ll each carrying an operating coil 1 2. Each coil is wound in the usual manner on a spool with insulating cheeks l3 and I3, cheek l3 carryin soldering tags I 4 for the making of the external connections. The end of. each core remote from the heelpiece Ii] has secured to it an L-shaped member of magnetic material l5 and the magnetic circuit is completed by an L shaped armature l6 adapted to be mounted on a knife-edge formed on the heelpiece. Each armature I6 is provided with a so-called residual stud l I to prevent sticking in the operated position and at its opposite end carries an insulating buffer I8 for operating the contact springs. Armature I6 is also provided with a shallow groove 9 on an angle for the reception of a retaining spring I9 which is so formed that a single spring serves for two adjacent armatures and is secured to the heelpiece ID by the screw 20. In order to secure rigidity of the whole structure and maintain a uniform air-gap, the ends of the cores remote from the heelpiece iii are linked by a rigid non-magnetic member 2| provided with suitable holes to pass over the ends of the cores H. Member 2| is se cured in position by the nuts 22 which also serve for securing the L-shaped members I5 to their respective cores I. It may be found desirable to provide a shake-proof washer 32 between the member 2| and each member IS in order to resist any tendency of the latter to turn when the nuts 22 are tightened up.

Each unit of the assembly is shown with a single pair of contact springs 23 and 24 which are of the twin contact type and are provided with wiring tags 25 and 26 and each of these is secured to the insulating plate 21 by rivets 28. This plate with its associated contacts is held in position by the screws 29 in conjunction with collars 3B and the screws are provided with heads of such size as to form guard posts for protecting the contact springs against damage, for instance from the careless application of a cover.

The contact springs are preferably produced by a stamping operation and by the use of suitable jigs the riveting operation may be rendered very simple so that ease of assembly is secured.

It will be appreciated that with this construction the contact springs for all the difierent units can be removed in a single operation and this makes for" simplified maintenance and largeli does away'with the need for separate adjustment on site.

The whole relay is mounted on a suitable; mounting plate by means of screwsexten dinginto, the holes 3| and it will be understoodlthat itthen occupies only the mounting space of a standard relay and retains the important feature that the plane of the contact springs is vertica'l so that: any tendency for dust to settle and -produce-poorcontact is overcome.

According to the invention thereforea very neat and compact construction has been produced whereby a plurality of miniature relays terial, a common heel=piececof magnetic mate rial; a common" brace element ofi non-magnetic material; means for attaching; one; end of. the cores-of saidima'gnets to said' heel piece, means for-"attachingsaid brace element? tot the other 7 ends octtthe co'res :of? said" magnetssto" stifien "said, ;assembly of" said heel piece and said magnets,

said; last mentionedl means: also attaching said pole piecesrespectively to said" others-ends of: the

coresof: said magnets;- twoi armatures of: magnetic material; each' saida armature: having a positioning recess, a; retaining clip having" two members; means: for: mounting said: clip, on said heelvpiece to cause: one of; said members of said 4 clip to engage said recess of one of saidarmatures and to cause said other member of said clip to engage said recess of said other armature, said engagements of said members of said clip pivotally positioning and supporting said armatures on 'said-heehpiece adjacent respectively to said individual pole pieces with a small air gap between each said armature and its adjacent individual pole piece, the magnetic fiux path for one ofsaidarmatures being completed by way ofga portionpf said heel piece, the core of one of 'said'magnets, and one of said individual pole pieceszinresponseto the energization of said one magnet for causing the operation of said one armature; the-non1nagnetic material of said brace elementipreyenting the inclusion of the core of said-other magnet and said other individual pole piece insaid path.

GEORGE THOMAS BAKER. REFERENCES. CITED The following references are of record in the file of 1 this patent:

UNITED, srrA Es. PATENTS Number Name Date;

701,499. Norstrom June-3,- 1902 762,338 McBerty "June 14, 1904 1,085,721 Berdon Feb. 3, 1914 1,100,428 Graves June16, 1914 1,577,031 Kaisling .,Mar. 16, 1926 1,647,792 Gentt .Nov. 1, 1927 1,958,640 Reynolds 7 ,May 15,1934 2,169,551, Bakeret a1 1 Aug ;'1- l'93 9 2,321,710 S toller ,1 une 15, 1-943 2321,83; Marcoet al June lS, 1943 2,326,054. Morton-ct al; 1. Aug..3,. 1943 2,369,616, Spah-mJr. .f .L'Febl 1'3, 1945 2,380,541 Morton QJuly 31, 1945 2,441,001 Bellamy j May 4, 1948 2,463,333. Van Valkenburgi 1., Mar. 1, 1949 2,510,157 Townern "11;; June: 6, 1950

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