US3303442A

US3303442A - Reed relay construction

Info

Publication number: US3303442A
Application number: US509790A
Authority: US
Inventors: Patrick E Mckeon; Leigh B Robinson
Original assignee: Automatic Electric Laboratories Inc
Current assignee: Automatic Electric Laboratories Inc
Priority date: 1965-11-26
Filing date: 1965-11-26
Publication date: 1967-02-07
Anticipated expiration: 1984-02-07

Description

Feb. 7, 1967 P. E. MOKEQN ETAL 3,303,442

REED RELAY CONSTRUCTION 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed Nov. 26, 1965 xiii 23 INVENTORS Feb. 7, 1967 F. E. M KEON ETAL REED RELAY CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 26, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

i 3 s P 65 6| FIG.5

INVENTORS PATRICK E. MC KEON B./}OBINSO N/ K L 7/ L,

United States Patent 3,303,442 REED RELAY CONSTRUCTION Patrick E. McKeon, Chicago, and Leigh B. Robinson, Western Springs, 111., assignors to Automatic Electric Laboratories, Inc., Northlake, 11L, a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 509,790 4 Claims. (61. 335-153) This invention relates to relays and more particularly to reed relays of the type having a magnetic core inside a coil wound bobbin and reed switches located externally of the bobbin. A relay of this type is shown in US. Patent 3,188,424.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved reed relay of greatly simplified design.

Another object of this invention is to provide a relay of the above mentioned type which is easy to fabricate and requires a minimum of time to assemble.

This invention features a relay having magnetic cores each with two end-to-end sections which: provide a low reluctance magnetic path for the relay and thereby render the relay magnetically highly efiicient, act as terminals for the electrical connection of the reed switches of the relay, and may also provide mounting support for the reed switches of the relay.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a side, sectioned view of one embodiment of a reed relay according to the invention. 7

F IG. 2 is an end view of the relay of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is atop view of the relay of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side, sectioned view of another embodiment of a reed relay according to the invention.

FIG. 5 is an end view of the relay of FIG. 4.

The particular embodiments of the relay as will be describe-d herein, have been designed for use in a crosspoint matrix of an electronic telephone exchange. However, the relay is not limited to such application.

FIGS. 1-3 show a reed relay according to the invention which is made particularly for use with printed circuit boards. As can be seen, cores such as 10, which are electrically and magnetically insulated from each other, each comprise two sections, such as 11, 12 which are inserted into the opposite ends of bobbin 13 of relay 40. Core sections 11, 12 are electrically insulated from one another due to an air gap such as 14 between them near the center of bobbin 13. A plurality of reed capsules, such as 15, are mounted externally of coil 16 which is wound about bobbin 13 of relay 4t). As will be noted from FIG. 2 of the drawings, each reed capsule is associated with a corresponding two-sectioned core. Each reed capsule has located therein a pair of reeds, such as 17, 18, the free ends of which are mounted in guides, such as 19, in bobbin 13, shown best in FIG. 2. In turn, the free ends of the reed capsules are connected to their corresponding core sections at shoulder portions such as 20. 21.

The reed members are preferably welded or soldered to the last mentioned shoulder portions.

The free ends of core sections 11, 12 comprise terminals such as 22, 23 respectively, for plugging relay 40 into printed circuit board 24. Plug-in coil terminals such as 25, which are embedded in bobbin 13 which is made preferably of a plastic material are also provided.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawings, there is shown an embodiment of a relay according to the invention which may be panel mounted or mounted on a printed circuit board. The relay is shown both ways for purposes of illustration.

3,303,442 :Palten'ted Feb. 7, 1967 This embodiment of the relay also comprises a plurality of cores, such as 50 which have two-

sections

51, 52. Each of these sections is inserted from opposite ends of relay bobbin 53 with an air gap 54 therebetween to electrically insulate the

sections

51, 52 from one another.

.Here too, the cores such as 50, are both electrically and magnetically insulated from each other.

This embodiment 70 of the relay also has a plurality of reed capsules, such as 55 mounted externally of the relay coil 56. Because this embodiment is made primarily for mounting on a panel, such as 57, bobbin 53 has been elongated at its ends such as 58, where lugs such as 59 have been formed to enable relay 70 to be snapped into an aperture 66 in panel 57. The relay shown has lugs such as 59 integrally molded with bobbin 53, however, this does not preclude the use of auxiliary snap on lugs which may be fitted to bobbin 53.

When relay 70 is used as a panel mounted relay, terminals 60, 61 are of the wire wrap type.

Relay 70, as shown in FIG. 4, as mentioned above also, may be plugged into a printed circuit board 62. This requires terminals 60, 61 to be of the plug-in type.

However, because this embodiment of the relay is primarily for panel mounting, when it is used for printed circuit board mounting, the reed capsules arelocated between the coil and the printed circuit board. As in relay 40 of FIGS. l-3, each reed capsule is attached at the free ends of its reed members, such as 63, 64 to

shoulder portions

67, 68 of

core sections

51, 52 respectively. Terminals such as 65, are also provided as termination points for coil 56.

A more detailed description as to the manner in which the relay according to the invention functions will now be given.

Referring to the embodiment of the relay of FIGS. 13, for example, upon energization of coil 16, a magnetic field is produced to operate the

reed members

17, 18, in reed switches such as 15. As stated before, each reed switch has associated with it a corresponding core 10. Therefore, each reed switch and core provides a separate magnetic path which the magnetic field traverses to operate the corresponding reed switch.

Because this path a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, is primarily of magnetic material, e.g., core sections 11, 12,

reed members

17, 18 and small air gaps 14, 26, it is of low reluctance. Consequently, the relay according to the invention operates more etficiently with less ampere-turns being needed in the relay coil. This aids too in being able to make the relay physically smaller.

Cores 10, serve a second purpose. This is to provide terminals such as 22, 23, for the electrical connection of the reed members of each reed switch. As will be noted in FIG. 1 of the drawings, electrical paths such as a, b, 2 and f, e, y are provided by core sections such as 11, 12.

A third purpose of core sections 11, 12, is to provide a mounting place for the reed switches such as 15. This is provided by shoulder portions such as 20, 21 where the free ends of

reed members

17, 18 are connected. In the embodiment of the relay shown in FIGS. l-3

shoulder portions

20, 21, in addition to providing a connecting place, aid guides 19 in the relay bobbin in supporting the reed switches.

Because the reed switches are connected to the shoulder portions in the manner mentioned above, a minimum amount of stress is applied to the reed members when electrical connections are being made to the terminals at the end of the core sections.

In addition to the above-mentioned features, both embodiments of the relay according to the invention, e.g., relay 40 of FIGS. l-3, when it is plugged into a printed circuit board, and relay 70 of FIGS. 4, 5 when it is panel done in less time than it would take to assemble comparable prior art reed relays.

For example, since no separate terminals are needed to electrically connect'up the reed switches of the relay, assembly timewhich Was used to imbed these separate terminals into the bobbin of the relay, and to strap the free ends of the reed members to these terminals is eliminated. Also, fewer kinds of parts are needed for the relay according to the invention, thus, fabrication costs can be reduced.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broadest aspects and therefore the aim in the appended claims is to cover allsuch changes and modifications as in the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A reed relay comprising:

a coil wound bobbin;

at least one core of magnetic material, each said core comprising two sections each having within said bobbin a main portion and outside of said bobbin a teri minal portion and a shoulder portion intermediate said main portion and said terminal portion, said main portions of the two sections being mutually.

aligned longitudinally in end to end relationship but electrically insulated from each other, and said shoulder portions extending in a direction parallel to said main portions while said terminal portions extend in a direction perpendicular to said main portions and shoulder portions; and

at least one reed switch comprising an elongated capsule of insulating material, having a pair of reed shoulder portion of the corresponding core sections;

2. A reed relay as claimed in claim 1 wherein the ends of said terminal portions are formed to provide plug-in connections to a printed circuit board.

3. A reed relay as claimed in claim 1 wherein theshoulder portions of said core sections are U-shaped and wherein said terminals are electrically connected to and mechanically supported by said shoulder portions at the base of said U.

4. A reed relay as claimed in claim 1 wherein the shoulder portions of said core sections are S-shaped and said terminals are electrically connected to and mechanically supported by said shoulder portions at the center section of said S, wherein said bobbin includes integrally molded therewith lugs for snapping said relay 'into a mounting frame, and wherein said terminal portions are of the type upon which wire may be wrapped.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,167,693 1/1965 Hayward 200-87 X 3,188,424 6/1965 Else et al. 20087 X 3,211,857 10/1965 Van Cortlandt 200-93 OTHER REFERENCES Bolan, P. 8.: IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Multiple Reed Switch, vol. 4, No. 7, p. 37.

' BERNARD A. G-ILHEANY, Primary Examiner.

J. BAKER, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. A REED RELAY COMPRISING: A COIL WOUND BOBBIN; AT LEAST ONE CORE OF MAGNETIC MATERIAL, EACH SAID CORE COMPRISING TWO SECTIONS EACH HAVING WITHIN SAID BOBBIN A MAIN PORTION AND OUTSIDE OF SID BOBBIN A TERMINAL PORTION AND A SHOULDER PORTION INTERMEDIATE SAID MAIN PORTION AND SAID TERMINAL PORTION, SAID MAIN PORTIONS OF THE TWO SECTIONS BEING MUTUALLY ALIGNED LONGITUDINALLY IN END TO END RELATIONSHIP BUT ELECTRICALLY INSULATED FROM EACH OTHER, AND SAID SHOULDER PORTIONS EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO SAID MAIN PORTIONS WHILE SAID TERMINAL PORTIONS EXTEND IN A DIRECTION PERPENDICULAR TO SAID MAIN PORTIONS AND SHOULDER PORTIONS; AND AT LEAST ONE REED SWITCH COMPRISING AN ELONGATED CAPSULE OF INSULATING MATERIAL, HAVING A PAIR OF REED MEMBERS THEREIN, EACH OF SAID REED MEMBERS EXTENDING OUTWARDLY, ALONG THE AXIS OF, AND FROM THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF, SAID CAPSULE TO FORM TERMINALS, SAID REED SWITCH DISPOSED EXTERNALLY AND PARALLEL TO THE LENGTH OF SAID BOBBIN, SAID TERMINALS EACH BEING MECHANICCALLY SUPPORTED BY AND ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED TO THE SHOULDER PORTION OF THE CORRESPONDING CORE SECTIONS.