US3340376A

US3340376A - Antibounce contact means

Info

Publication number: US3340376A
Application number: US445158A
Authority: US
Inventors: John E Lundberg
Original assignee: Honeywell Inc
Current assignee: Honeywell Inc
Priority date: 1965-04-02
Filing date: 1965-04-02
Publication date: 1967-09-05
Anticipated expiration: 1984-09-05

Description

' Sept. 5, 1967- J. E. LUNDBERG 3,340,376

ANT-IBOUNCE CONTACT MEANS Filed April 2, 1965 f as 41 -?4 46 32 40 m. 30 50 1 6 n 17 51 44 3 "u" 5 16 a 43 23 I "u I 2? I "I" I] A I I m ;4 12 g INVENTOR. J29 NW/W WWW United States Patent 3,340,376 ANTIBOUNCE CONTACT MEANS John E. Lundberg, Richfield, Minn., assignor to Honeywell Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 445,158 8 Claims. (Cl. 200166) The present invention is directed generally to a contact structure and operating means to form an antibounce contact means, and more particularly is directed to a relay which utilizes a very simple structure to provide an initial tension to a relay contact blade to eliminate contact bounce upon operation of the relay contact structure.

In the electrical contact art, particularly where applied to the use of contact structures that are electromagnetically operated to provide relaying functions, the life and current carrying capacity of the contact structure are to a great degree dependent on the elimination of bounce or vibration of the contacts. Bounce or vibration creates an arcing condition that causes deterioration of the contacts and eventual welding of the contact members in a closed condition. It has been long recognized that as the moving contact of a pair of contact members strikes a fixed or stationary contact, that the two contact members tend to bounce apart thereby causing an arcing to occur which reduces the contact life. There are extensive antibounce contact arrangements and these arrangements generally require complex structures and extra components to accomplish the antibounce function. The addition of components and structure obviously increases the cost of a contact structure and is therefore undesirable. The present invention is directed to a very simplified arrangement which applies initial tension to the contact blade structure and adds little in the way of expense to the unit.

It is the primary object of the present invention to disclose a very simple antibounce contact arrangement for electrical contacts wherein the contact means carries one of the contacts on a conventional blade that has an extension that is under an initial tension to eliminate the bounce, and which initial tension is applied by a simple pair of overlapping projections carried by the actuator means or relay.

It is another object of the present invention to disclose an antibounce contact arrangement that supplies initial tension to a blade of the contact structure by means of a pair of insulated projections that are carried on one of the two relatively movable members of the actuating means and which initial tension is maintained by a frictional engagement of the contact blade until the contacts have mated and sufiicient contact pressure has been applied to prevent bounce or reopening of the contact members.

Yet another object of the present invention is to disclose an antibounce contact arrangement that in elfect utilizes but a minimum of parts in addition to the parts normally required in a switch structure to provide an antibounce feature, thereby being of very little additional cost in the fabrication of the structure.

These and other objects will become apparent when the present drawing is considered in detail, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a conventional relay disclosing the antibounce structure, and wherein the relay has its relatively movable magnetic circuit portions in their open or most remote position, and;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation as in FIGURE 1, except with the relay in the actuated position wherein the magnetic circuit portions are fully engaged with one another. In FIGURE 1 an electromagnetic means 10 is generally disclosed. The electromagnetic means 10 forms a general actuator means for an antibounce contact structure that will be described in some detail. The electromagnetic 10 includes a coil 11 surrounding a laminated core 12 that is attached mechanically to a fixed magnetic member or frame 13. The coil 11 is energized by means including wire 14, and an additional wire (not shown).

Pivotally mounted at 15 is an armature member or movable portion 16 of the electromagnetic means 10. The movable portion or armature member 16 forms the movable member for the electromagnetic means 10 and rests against an upstanding member 17 that is formed integrally with the fixed portion or magnetic member 13. The member 13, the laminated core 12, the coil 11, and the movable portion or armature 16 forms a conventional magnetic circuit for the electromagnetic means 10. The coil 11 is held on the laminated core 12 by a shading coil 20, of conventional design. Also included in the fixed portion or member 13 of the magnetic circuit is an up standing leg 21 that supports contact means generally shown at 22. The contact means 22 is attached by a screw 23 to the upstanding portion 21 in a conventional fashion. The contact means 22 is formed of an insulating member 24 through which screw 23 is placed in attaching the contact means 22 to the member 21. A contact blade 25 is separated by insulating member 26 from a blade 27. Blade 27 in turn is separated by insulating member 30 from the upper blade 31. An insulating member 32 is then provided above the blade 31. Screws 33 and plates 34 are utilized to hold the contact means 22 into a stacked arrangement wherein the blades 25, 27, and 31 form a plurality of stack contacts electrically independent from one another. This general style of contact means 22 is well known and, is disclosed as exemplary of one of the embodiments possible in the present invention.

The blades 25, 27, and 31 each have

contact members

35, 36 and 37 respectively. The contact members are in the form of button-type contacts that are mounted physically through the blades 25, 27, and 31, in a conventional fashion. The blade 27 has a portion or blade 40 which extends beyond the contact member 36 and the projecting blade 40 acts as the operating means for the present contact structure, as will become apparent as the present invention is described in detail.

Supported through the insulating member 30 is an adjusting screw 41 that forms a stop for the movement of the armature 16 by resting at end 42 on a plastic member 43 that is riveted at 44 to the armature 16. The plastic member 43 has an upstanding post 45 Which has a projection 46 around which a spring 47 is mounted. The end 50 of spring 47 is around the upstanding portion 17 of the magnetic frame 13 and forms a spring bia means to hold the armature 16 in the position shown in FIGURE 1 with the plastic member 43 against the stop 41. This is the normally de-energized position of the electromagnetic means 10. In this de-energized position the two relatively movable portions of the magnetic circuit 16 and 13 are in their most remote positions wherein the armature or movable portion 16 is held in the upper position by the spring 47.

Attached to the armature or movable portion 16 by the rivet 44, the plastic member 43 provides the operating portion for the electric relay means and provides part of the novel antibounce feature. The plastic member 43 has a base portion 51 that has two

opposed projections

52 and 53 are formed of an insulating material in the preferred embodiment and apply an initial tension to the blade end 40. The projection 53 extends upward beneath the blade 40 adjacent the contact means 22 generally, while the second projection 52 is above the blade 40 and extends downward at a position more remote from the contact means 22 than the first projection 53.

The two

projections

52 and 53 apply a rotating force to blade 40 that tends to bow the blade 40 as shown in FIGURE 1, thereby placing an initial tension on this means blade holding the blade 40 so that the contact member 36 touches contact member 37 thereby completing an electric circuit between the blades 31 and 27. It will be noted that the contact member 36 is held above the contact member 35 thereby having an open circuit between the blades 27 and the blade 25. This provides a contact arrangement with normally open and normally closed contacts.

In FIGURE 2 the same contact structure is disclosed for the electric relay means and all of the parts are numbered identically to those disclosed in FIGURE 1. In FIGURE 2, however, the armature or movable portion 16 is shown in a fully engaged position with the laminated core 12. This position occurs when the coil 11 of the electromagnetic means is energized by applying a potential between the wires connected to the coil 11 in a conventional fashion. In the position disclosed in FIG- URE 2, the projection 52 applies a force to blade 40 which drives the blade 40 and its accompanying contact member 36 into engagement with the contact member 35. In the position of FIGURE 2, with the electromagnetic means 10 energized, the contact member 36 is separated from the contact member 37 thereby open circuiting the previously closed circuit between the blades 31 and 27. It will be noted also that blade 40 now just clears projection 53 thereby removing the rotating tension initially present on the blade end 40.

It will become apparent that somewhere between the position disclosed in FIGURE 1 and the position disclosed in FIGURE 2 that projection 53 pulls away from the blade 40. The removal of the projection 53 from the blade 40 occurs after the contact member 36 engages the contact member 35 driving the two into closed engagement. The initial tension created by the

projections

52 and 53 on the blade 40 are retained until suflicient downward force is applied to blade 40 by projection 52 to maintain a fixed contact between the

contact member

35 and 36 without these two contact members being allowed to bounce or separate during the movement of the armature 16 to the position shown in FIGURE 2. The position disclosed in FIGURE 2 has been referred to in the present application as the fully engaged position.

The antibounce contact means disclosed for the contact structure has been extensively tested and the test results have indicated that by applying the initial tension through the means of rotating the end of the blade 40, that extensive life can be given to the

contact memebers

35 and 36. The antibounce contact means obviously can be actuated by any actuator means such as the electromagnetic means 10 or by any other means which can create relative movement between the insulating member 43 and the fixed contact means 22. It is further obvious, that the plastic member 43 could be manufactured of some conducting material thereby placing the blade end 40 at the same potential as the movable portion or armature 16 of the electromagnetic means 10, which is normally ground as the device disclosed would normally be mounted on a panel. In this case the contact 36 would be at the same potential as the frame 13 and would provide a Convenient method of making electrical contact to the contact member 36 without attaching an electrical lead directly to the blade 27.

The present antibounce contact means can be constructed in a number of different fashions utilizing various materials and operating means in addition to the electromagnetic means specifically disclosed. Since the present invention can be carried out through the application of any number of different arrangements, the applicant wishes to be limited in the scope of the present invention solely by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. Electric relay means, including: electromagnetic means to controllably create a magnetic flux in a magnetic circuit; said magnetic circuit including a fixed portion and a movable portion pivoted upon said fixed portion and which portions rotate with respect to each other in response to said magnetic flux against spring bias means; said fixed portion supporting contact means having a fixed contact member, and a movable contact member with a blade projecting beyond said fixed contact member; said movable magnetic portion including a pair of offset insulated opposed projections overlapping said blade of said movable contact member to place said movable contact member under an initial tension when said magnetic circuit portions are rotated to their most remote position by said spring bias means; and said pair of 0&- set projections being spaced along said blade with a first of said projections beneath said blade adjacent said contact means and with a second of said projections above said blade placed more remote from said contact means than said first of said projections; said movable magnetic circuit portion including the pair of offset projections maintaining said initial tension on said movable contact member as said movable magnetic circuit portion travels towards said fixed magnetic circuit portion against said spring bias means until said movable contact member engages said fixed contact member prior to said magnetic circuit portions reaching a position wherein said magnetic circuit portions fully engage one another.

2. Electric relay means, including: electromagnetic means to controllably create a magnetic flux in a magnetic circuit; said magnetic circuit including a fixed portion and a movable portion which portions move with respect to each other in response to said magnetic flux; said fixed portion supporting contact means having a fixed contact member, and a movable contact member with a blade projecting beyond said fixed contact member; said movable magnetic portion including a pair of insulated offset opposed projections overlapping said blade of said movable contact member to place said movable contact member under an initial tension when said magnetic circuit portions are in their most remote position; and said pair of offset projections being spaced along said blade with a first of said projections beneath said blade adjacent said contact means and with a second of said projections above said blade placed more remote from said contact means than said first of said projections; said movable magnetic circuit portion including the pair of ofiset projections maintaining said initial tension on said movable contact member as said movable magnetic circuit portion travels towards said fixed magnetic circuit portion until said movable contact member engages said fixed contact member prior to said magnetic circuit portions reaching a position wherein said magnetic circuit portions fully engage one another.

3. Electric relay means, including: electromagnetic means to controllably create a magnetic flux in a magnetic circuit; said magnetic circuit including a fixed portion and a movable portion which portions move with respect to each other in response to said magnetic flux; said fixed portion supporting contact means having a plurality of stacked contact members with at least one of said contact members including a blade projecting beyond said contact members; and said movable magnetic portion including a pair of offset opposed projections overlapping said blade of said contact member to place said contact member with said blade under an initial tension when said magnetic circuit portions are in their most remote position; said movable magnetic circuit portion including said pair of otfset projections maintaining said initial tension on said contact member with said blade as said movable magnetic circuit portion travels towards said fixed magnetic circuit portion until said contact member with said blade engages said stacked contact member prior to said magnetic circuit portions reaching a position wherein said magnetic circuit portions fully engage one another.

4. Electric relay means, including: electromagnetic means to controllably create a magnetic flux in a magnetic circuit; said magnetic circuit including a fixed portion a movable portion which pontions move with respect to each other in response to said magnetic flux; said fixed portion supporting contact means having a fixed contact member, and a movable contact member with a blade projecting beyond said fixed contact member; and said movable magnetic portion including a pair of oifset opposed projections overlapping said blade of said movable contact member to place said movable contact member under an initial tension when said magnetic circuit portions are in their most remote position; said movable magnetic circuit portion including said pair of otfset projections maintaining said initial tension on said movable contact member as said movable magnetic circuit portion travels towards said fixed magnetic circuit portion until said movable contact member engages said fixed contact member prior to said magnetic circuit portions reaching a position wherein said magnetic circuit portions fully engage one another.

5. Electric relay means, including: electromagnetic means to controllably create a magnetic flux in magnetic circuit means; said magnetic circuit means including a fixed portion and a movable portion which portions move with respect to each other in response to said magnetic fiux; said magnetic circuit means supporting contact means having a fixed contact member, and a movable contact member with a blade projecting beyond said fixed contact member; and said magnetic circuit means including offset opposed projections overlapping said blade of said movable contact member to place said movable contact member under an initial tension when said magnetic circuit portions are in their most remote position; said ofi'set projections maintaining said initial tension on said movable contact member as said movable magnetic circuit portion travels towards said fixed magnetic circuit portion until said movable contact member engages said fixed contact member prior to said magnetic circuit portions reaching a position wherein said magnetic circuit portions fully engage one another.

6. An antibounce contact arrangement, comprising: actuator means including a fixed member and a movable member which members move with respect to each other upon operation of said actuator means; said fixed member supporting contact means having a fixed contact, and a movable contact with a blade projection beyond said fixed contact; said movable member including a pair of offset opposed projections overlapping said movable contact blade to place said movable contact under an initial tension when said actuator members are in their most remote position; and said pair of offset projections being spaced along said blade with a first of said projections beneath said blade adjacent said contact means and with a second of said projections above said blade placed more remote from said contact means than said first of said projections; said movable member including said pair of oifset projections maintaining said initial tension on said movable contact as said movable member travels towards said fixed member until said movable contact engages said fixed contact prior to said actuators members reaching a position wherein said actuator members fully engage one another.

7. An antibounce contact arrangement, comprising: actuator means including a fixed member and a movable member which members move with respect to each other upon operation of said actuator means; said fixed member supporting contact means having a plurality of stacked contacts with at least one of said contacts including a blade projecting beyond said contacts; and said movable member including a pair of oifset opposed projections overlapping said blade of said contact to place said contact with said blade under an initial tension when said actuator members are in their most remote position; said movable member including said pair of offset projections maintaining said initial tension on said contact with said blade as said movable member travels towards said fixed member until said contact with said blade engages said stacked contacts prior to said actuator members reaching a position wherein said actuator members fully engage one another.

8. An antibounce contact arrangement, comprising: actuator means including a fixed member and a movable member which members move with respect to each other upon operation of said actuator means; said actuator means supporting contact means having a fixed contact, and a movable contact with a blade projecting beyond said fixed contact; and said actuator means including olfset opposed projection means overlapping said movable contact blade to place said movable contact under an initial tension when said actuator members are in their most remote position; said actuator means including said ofiset projection means maintaining said initial tension on said movable contact as said movable member travels towards said fixed member until said movable contact engages said fixed contact prior to said actuator members reaching a position wherein said actuator members fully engage one another.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,866,025 12/1958 Moran 3,240,893

335-194 3/1966 Farrell 200-466

Claims

8. AN ANTIBOUNCE CONTACT ARRANGEMENT, COMPRISING: ACTUATOR MEANS INCLUDING A FIXED MEMBER AND A MOVABLE MEMBER WHICH MEMBERS MOVE WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER UPON OPERATION OF SAID ACTUATOR MEANS; SAID ACTUATOR MEANS SUPPORTING CONTACT MEANS HAVING A FIXED CONTACT, AND A MOVABLE CONTACT WITH A BLADE PROJECCTING BEYOND SAID FIXED CONTACT; AND SAID ACTUATOR MEANS INCLUDING OFFSET OPPOSED PROJECTION MEANS OVERLAPPING SAID MOVABLE CONTACT BLADE TO PLACE SAID MOVABLE CONTACT UNDER AN INITIAL TENSION WHEN SAID ACTUATOR MEMBERS ARE IN THEIR MOST REMOTE POSITION; SAID ACTUATOR MEANS INCLUDING SAID OFFSET PROJECTION MEANS MAINTAINING SAID INITIAL TENSION ON SAID MOVABLE CONTACT AS SAID MOVABLE MEMBER TRAVELS TOWARDS SAID FIXED MEMBER UNTIL SAID MOVABLE CONTACT ENGAGES SAID FIXED CONTACT PRIOR TO SAID ACTUATOR MEMBERS REACHING A POSITION WHEREIN SAID ACTUATOR MEMBERS FULLY ENGAGE ONE ANOTHER.