US3430165A

US3430165A - Electromagnetic cylindrical miniature relay

Info

Publication number: US3430165A
Application number: US577205A
Authority: US
Inventors: Horst Hermann Mussbach
Original assignee: International Standard Electric Corp
Current assignee: International Standard Electric Corp
Priority date: 1965-09-18
Filing date: 1966-09-06
Publication date: 1969-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 1986-02-25
Also published as: DE1514776A1; NL6612944A; CH447380A; FR1499443A; GB1119995A

Description

Feb. 25, 1969 H. H. MUSVSBACH 3,430,165

ELECTROMAGNETIC CYLINDRICAL-MINIATURE RELAY Filed Sept. 6, 1966 Fig.2

United States Patent St 24,402 US. Cl. 335-131 Int. Cl. H01h 67/02 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A miniature cylindrical sealed relay is provided. The relay employs a pot-shaped armature which responds to changes in electromagnetic fields to open and close a number of contacts.

The invention relates to an electromagnetic cylindrical miniature relay in which the excitation coil is arranged in a yoke, formed as a pot-shaped housing, with a concentric iron core.

The requirement prevailing in electro-mechanical engineering to construct multi-pole relays, i.e. relays with a plurality of contacts, in a most compact form, is met by known cylindrical relays. In these prior art relays the diameter of each relay is determined by the diameter of the coil and the contact spring set is arranged on the front side of the excitation coil.

The German patent specification 1,103,466 describes a pot-shaped miniature relay in which the relay armature actuates the contacts through a pin of non-magnetic material inserted in it and borne shiftable in the axial hole of the core. The contacts are arranged on the front side of the coil opposing the side of the armature. This relay has the disadvantage that only the electro-magnetic part is constructed compactly and the contact spring set is located outside the cylindrical coil housing and is unprotected.

By the German printed application 1,071,837, a relay became known in which a number of contact springs is arranged on one front side of the excitation coil reshaped, beingactuated via a pin, connected with the immersing armature, the said pin passing axially through the core. This relay, however, is extremely complicated and expensive with regard to production, so it is used only for special tasks in missiles and aircraft. This relay is unsuitable as a simple and cheap element.

It is a primary object of the invention to avoid the disadvantages of the arrangements known and to provide a cylindrical miniature relay which is completely enclosed, and has all its movable parts located inside a cylinder against the ingress of dust. It is a further object to provide a relay which can be manufactured simply and cheaply. These and other objects are achi ved, according to the invention, by providing a core with a cone-shaped hole provided to co-operate with a troughshaped armature. The armature, in turn, actuates a plural ity of contact springs through loose actuating pins of insulating material. The armature and contact spring set are arranged on one front side of the excitation coil.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the trough-shaped armature is kept, by a pressure spring, at the lifting distance, and the resting position of the armature is established by touching a perforated disc of insulating material which serves to guide the actuating pins.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, as many as twelve change-over contacts are arranged radially shaped on the circular contact support, closing the relay. The contact springs are inserted into slots of 3,430,165 Patented Feb. 25, 1969 the contact support and equipped with means which effect a firm engagement.

According to a further embodiment of the invention the cone-shaped pole is slotted down to the core and the coil wires are led through said slot or slots centrally to the contact support.

The relay can be packed air-tight most suitably with a compound mastic or lacquer. The terminal side is con structed so that the relay can be plugged-in or solder din. To enable constant checking of the function of the tightly packed relay the contact support is preferably made of a transparent material.

An electromagnetic cylindrical miniature relay constructed according to the invention has various advantages. For example, an all-enclosed, replaceable element requiring little space is obtained in which all mova'ble components are arranged inside a cylinder, properly protected against the ingress of dust. Due to the particular construction of the contact spring set the adjustment is eased, because only the operating springs must be adjusted. The cylindrical miniature relay shown as an embodiment of the invention requires only approximately 17 cm. space, despite the showing of twelve change-over contacts.

The invention is described with the aid of the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a cylindrical miniature relay according to the invention, seen from the side and partly in section,

FIG. 2 shows the relay according to FIG. 1, seen from the bottom.

The cylindrical housing 1, shown in FIG. 1, is made as a can and simultaneously serves as a yoke. The contacts are supported in the recess 2 of the cylindrical housing 1. This recess 2 also determines the lifting height of the relay. The coil core 3 possesses a cone-shaped pole piece 4. The coil body 6 of the excitation coil 7 is placed to bear against the frustum 5. At least one slot 8 is milled into the cone-shaped pole piece 4 through which the coil wires 9 are led centrally to the contact'support 10. The armature 11 consists of a cylindrical pot or can in the centre of which a hole is punched through which the coil wires 9 are led. The; armature 11 is kept to a lifting distance by a pressure spring 12. A tube 13 of insulating material guides the pressure spring 12 in the chamber of the cylinder housing 1, extended by the recess 2, the contacts are accommodated. The circular construction permits twelve changer-over contacts at a maximum which are actuated by pins 14, made of insulating material. The contact support 10 consists of spray plastics, accommodating the contact spring sets. The individual contact springs 15, 1-6, 17 are of the engaging type, supported towards sheared-off resilient flaps 18. Only the operating springs 17 have contacting rivets 19, while the other springs 15, 1-6 have contacting surfaces of an arbitrary contacting material. The contact spring set can be tested and adjusted prior to assembling the relay. The perforated disc 20, serving to guide the actuating pins 14, is fixed in its position towards the contact support 10 by tenon 21, in order to determine the direction of the actuating pins 14 after beading the top rim of the cylindrical housing 1 at the edge of the contact support 10 the relay is tightly closed. The side of the soldering lugs or the terminal side, respectively, can be closed completely air-tight with lacquer. The contacts thereby remain completely free from dust. The relay is fixed by means of a welded-on perforated rail or bar, a clamp or a threaded ring.

FIG. 2 shows the ray-shaped arrangement of twelve change-over contacts on the contact support 10 of the relays bottom side. Circles 22 indicate the soldering lugs or plug pins, connected to the terminal wires of the excitation part.

While the principles of the invention have been described above in connection with specific apparatus and applications, it is to be understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An electromagnetic cylindrical miniature relay comprising an excitation coil, an iron core aligned concentrically within said excitation coil, said iron core terminating in a cone-shaped pole extended outside the excitation coil, a pot-shaped armature having an open side, means retaining said pot-shaped armature in a position enabling it to partially surround the cone-shaped pole, said means keeping said pot-shaped armature in contact with a plurality of contact springs through actuating pins, and said means permitting said pot-shaped armature to move responsive to a change in a magnetic field induced in said excitation coil, whereby the actuating pins are caused to change position relative to said contact springs and to alter the positions of the contact springs and provide switching functions.

2. An electromagnetic cylindrical miniature relay substantially according to claim 1, in which the pot-shaped armature is kept at a lifting distance by a pressure spring and the resting position of the armature is determined by touching a perforated disc made of insulating material, said perforated disc including means for guiding the actuating pins.

3. An electromagnetic cylindrical miniature relay according to claim 1 in which twelve change-over contacts are arranged in a radial formation on the circular contact support closing the relay at one end.

4. An electromagnetic cylindrical miniature relay according to claim 1 in which the contact springs are inserted into slots of a contact support and provided with means for causing a firm engagement.

5. An electromagnetic cylindrical miniature relay according to claim 4 in which the cone-shaped pole is slotted down to the core and coil wires are led through said slots to the contact support.

6. An electromagnetic cylindrical miniature relay according to claim 1 including an air-tight packing of compound mastic encapsulating the whole.

7. An electromagnetic cylindrical miniature relay according to claim 3, in which the contact support consists of transparent material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,333,542 3/1920 Geissinger 335279 2,444,198 6/ 1948 Hasselhorn 335-127 2,743,331 4/ 1956 Lauder 200l72 2,790,876 4/1957 Wagner 335-131 2,891,199 6/1959 Ugon -335279 2,905,788 9/1959 Harrison '33513l 3,248,508 4/1966 Pastorel 200l72 BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner.

HAROLD BROOME, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 33S-279