US3753178A

US3753178A - Relay for voltage regulator

Info

Publication number: US3753178A
Application number: US00258107A
Authority: US
Inventors: T Kato
Original assignee: NipponDenso Co Ltd
Current assignee: Denso Corp
Priority date: 1971-06-03
Filing date: 1972-05-31
Publication date: 1973-08-14
Anticipated expiration: 1990-08-14

Abstract

A relay for the voltage regulator in which a setting voltage for voltage regulation is capable of being easily and accurately adjusted without moving the armature and contacts by providing a movable iron piece for effectively changing the gap between the armature and the yoke.

Description

United States Patent [1 1 Kato [ Aug. 14, 1973 RELAY FOR VOLTAGE REGULATOR [75] Inventor: Tetsuo Kato, Anjo-shi, :lapan [73] Assignee: Nippondenso Co. Ltd.,

Aichi-Ken, Japan 22 Filed: May31, 1972 21 Appl.No.:258,107

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 3, 1971 Japan 46/38925 [52] US. Cl 335/135, 335/237, 336/135 [51] Int. Cl. H0lh 51/06 {58] Field of Search 335/135, 187, 237,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,505,225 4/1950 Akroyd 335/187 3,518,595 6/1970 Dawson et a1. 336/135 2,774,057 12/1956 Jones 336/135 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,205,579 1960 France 335/187 P11111111? 119111 1 51-11 1 5fld 21 29 1 Attorney-John W. Malley, G. Lloyd Knight et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A relay for the voltage regulator in which a setting voltage for voltage regulation is capable of being easily and accurately adjusted without moving the armature and contacts by providing a rnovable iron piece for effectively changing the gap between the armature and the yoke.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 1 Patented Aug. 14, 1973 3,753,178

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 P/P/Of? ART PfP/OFP ART F 6 25 P/P/O? ART Pm'md Aug. 14,1973

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG .13

F/G.5I

RELAY FOR VOLTAGE REGULATOR FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a relay used with a voltage regulator and more in particular to an improved construction of a two-contact relay for the voltage regulator used mainly with the charging device such as the generator of a powered vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a plan view of a prior art relay.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are plan and side views, respectively, showing portions including an armature and spring of the relay shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front sectional view showing the essential parts of an embodiment of the relay according to the present invention.

FIG. 4; is. a side view showing the relay according to the present. invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the essential parts of another embodiment of the movable iron piece used in the relay according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION vOF THE PRIOR ART The well-known prior art voltage regulator relay of this. kindhas, the construction as. shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, which requires twotypes of adjustment of the setting voltage for voltage regulation. Firstly, in order to adjust the magnitude-of the voltage for actuating its armature 5, the force of the first spring 8', which works against the attractive forceof the iron core 2 woundwith the voltage coil l and=the armature 5 attracted: tothe iron core 2, is changed by bending the adjusting protrusion 3 upward or downward. Secondly, at low vehicle speeds when thegeneratorvoltage is relatively low, the voltage regulation is achieved by vibratory operation" for opening-andzclosing alternatelybetween the contact 12 and movable contact 6,. whereas at high vehicle speeds when the generator. voltage is relatively high, the contact 13 and movable contact6 are alternatelyconnected and disconnected to regulate the voltage. In this case, it isnecessary to achieve the same effect of the voltage regulation at both high and low vehicle speeds, andin'order to achieve this purpose, as shown in FIG. 2, the aperture 90 for fixing the spring 9 on the armature Sismade in theforrnof anelongated slot so that the armature'5ismovable'in the direction of X s X relative to the yoke 4' by loosening the fastening screw 11, or the gap g between the armature 5 and yoke 4 is changeable by bending the contacts l2and 13 in the direction X= X. These two types of adjustment of the setting'voltage, however, affect each other and SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION' An object of the present invention is to provide a very useful relay for a voltage regulator capable of easy and accurateadjustment of the setting voltage for voltage regulation withoutchanging the position of the armature and the contacts by providing a movable iron piece to effectively changethe gap between the armature and yoke, whereby the problems, as mentioned with reference to the conventional relay, are solved.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a relay for a voltage regulator comprising an iron core wound with voltage coils, an armature with a movable contact adapted to be attracted to said iron core, a yoke supporting said armature and combining with said iron core and armature to constitute a magnetic circuit, a movable contact of said armature, said movable contact being adapted to be connected and disconnected to a contact for controlling the output voltage of the generator at low vehicle speeds and to another contact for controlling the same at high vehicle speeds, and a movable iron piece for effectively changing the' gap between said armature and said yoke.

According to the present invention, the yoke is provided with a movable iron piece for effectively changing the gap between the yoke and the armature. As a result, there is no need to move either the armature or the contact to change the gap between the yoke and armature, making possible such adjustment that the setting voltages for voltage regulation at both high and low vehicle speeds agree with each other very easily.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The device according to the present invention will be now explained with reference to the embodiments shown in the attached drawing. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the reference numeral 1' shows voltage coils, numeral 2 an iron core wound with said coils and integrated with a protrusion 33*, and 4- a yoke so shaped as to have at its top and. bottom bent portions 4a and' 4b respectively adapted to extend in opposite directions, said iron core standing upright on the bottom bent portion 4b. The numeral 5' shows an inverted-L shaped armature with one end opposed to the iron core 2 and the other end provided with the movable contact 6.'The first and sec-

0nd springs

8 and 9 are fixed on the armature 5 at its bent portion by means of the rivet 7. The first spring 8 has a free end supported by the protrusion 3', while the other end of the second spring 9 with a couple of holding plates 10 on the upper and lower sides thereof is fixed on the bent portion 4a of the top of the yoke 4. The numeral 12 shows a contact for controlling the output voltage of the generator at low vehicle speeds, and numeral 13 a contact for controlling the output voltage of the generator at high vehicle speeds, both of the contactsbeing opposed to eachother witha'movable contact 6 between them. The numeral'l4 shows a fan-shaped movableiron piece with teeth 14a on its periphery, which is rotatably mounted on the yoke 4 by means of the rivet 15 between the yoke 4 and the annature 5. The teeth 14a of the movable iron piece l4-are projected sideway from the yoke-4 for providing means for rotating the movable iron piece l4-around the rivet 15' thereby to change the areaof the movable iron piece interposed between the yoke 4-and the armature 5..

Explanation will be made now of the operation of the relay with the above-described construction according tothe present invention. When a voltage is applied 'to the voltage coils l, a magnetic flux is generated in a magnetic circuit consisting of the iron'core 2, yoke 4 and armature 5 as much in accordance with the magni tude of the votage applied, whereupon, as the applied voltage-exceeds a pre-determined 'value the armature 5 is attracted to the iron core 2 by the attractive force generated between the armature S and the combination of the iron core 2 and the yoke 4, resulting in the movable contact 6 disconnecting from the contact 12.

The voltage regulation is achieved by connecting and disconnecting alternately the movable contact 6 with the contact 12 at low vehicle speeds and with the contact 13 at high vehicle speeds thereby reducing a current supplied to a filed winding (not shown) of the generator to regulate the voltage thereof.

By rotating the movable iron piece 14, it is possible to equalize the regulated voltage obtained by the cooperation between the

contacts

6 and 12 for low vehicle speeds and that obtained by the cooperation between the

contacts

6 and 13 for high vehicle speeds. Thus when the movable iron piece 14 is rotated in the direction of 6 or using a screw driver or the like tool, the area of the movable iron piece inserted between the yoke 4 and armature is increased or decreased as the case may be. When the movable iron piece 14 is inserted between the yoke 4 and armature 5, the magnetic gap between the yoke 4 and the armature 5 is in effect replaced by the magnetic gap between the movable iron piece 14 and armature 5. In consequence, by controlling the area of the movable iron piece inserted between the yoke 4 and the armature 5, the same effect is achieved as if the gap between the yoke 4 and the armature 5 is adjusted.

Although in the embodiment shown above a fanshaped magnetic plate with the teeth 14a is used as the movable iron piece 14 and is rotatably mounted on the yoke 4, the yoke may be provided with a groove in the upward direction to receive slidably a movable iron piece of magnetic material in the form of plate tapered, as desired, in the direction of width or thickness. As another possibility, the yoke 4 may be provided with an internally threaded hole 4c as shown in FIG. 5 into which the movable iron piece of magnetic material consisting of the screw 14' is fitted so that the gap between the leading end of the screw 14' and the armature 5 may be controlled by turning the screw 14' with a screw-driver or the like tool applied to the recess l4'a.

I claim:

1. A relay for a voltage regulator comprising:

an iron core wound with voltage coils, an armature with a movable contact adapted to be attracted to said iron core, a yoke supporting said armature and combining with said iron core and armature to provide a magnetic circuit, a movable contact of said armature, said movable contact being adapted to be alternately connected and disconnected to a contact for low vehicle speeds and a contact for high vehicle speeds, and a movable iron piece for changing the gap between said armature and said yoke such that the difference between the voltage to open and close the contacts for the high speed operation and the voltage to open and close the contacts for the low speed operation may be reduced in changing the former voltage much more than the latter voltage. v

2. A relay according to claim 1, in which said movable iron piece comprises a plurality of teeth formed on the periphery thereof and projected sideway from said yoke, said teeth being utilized to rotate said movable iron piece around a rivet, whereby the area of said movable iron piece inserted between said yoke and said armature is changed.

3. A relay according to claim 1, in which said yoke is provided with an internally threaded hole fitted with a movable iron piece consisting of a screw of magnetic material, said screw being operated to change the gap between said armature and said yoke,

4. A relay for a voltage regulator ofa vehicle, including:

an iron core and voltage coils wound thereabout',

an armature adapted to be attracted to said iron core upon energization of said voltage coils;

a yoke supporting said armature for providing a magnetic circuit with said iron core, said relay including a movable contact mounted to a free end of said armature and two contacts adapted to engage with the movable contact, said movable contact assuming one position engaging with one of said contacts when the voltage coils are energized to a selected voltage indicative of a low engine speed of the vehicle, and a second position engaging with the other of said contacts upon energization of the voltage coils to a selected voltage indicative of high engine speed, and movable means fixed to the yoke interposed spatially in an air gap of the armature to adjust the size of the air gap, such that the selected voltages are substantially equal, providing a voltage regulation of the relay whereby the movable contact switches in and out of engagement with its fixed contact at substantially the same voltage for both high and low engine speeds.

5. The relay as described in claim 4 wherein said means for adjusting the air gap comprises:

a movable iron piece including a plurality of teeth formed in the periphery thereof and projected sideway from said yoke, said teeth being utilized to rotate said movable iron piece around a rivet, the area of said movable iron piece inserted between said yoke and said armature to change the air gap.

6. A relay as described in claim 5, wherein said movable iron piece is wedge shaped so as to adjust the air gap when moved selectively.

7. A relay described in claim 4, wherein said yoke is provided with an internally threaded and a movable iron piece fitted therein comprising, a screw of magnetic material, said screw being operated to change the air gap between said armature and said yoke.

Claims

1. A relay for a voltage regulator comprising: an iron core wound with voltage coils, an armature with a movable contact adapted to be attracted to said iron core, a yoke supporting said armature and combining with said iron core and armature to provide a magnetic circuit, a movable contact of said armature, said movable contact being adapted to be alternately connected and disconnected to a contact for low vehicle speeds and a contact for high vehicle speeds, and a movable iron piece for changing the gap between said armature and said yoke such that the difference between the voltage to open and close the contacts for the high speed operation and the voltage to open and close the contacts for the low speed operation may be reduced in changing the former voltage much more than the latter voltage.

3. A relay according to claim 1, in which said yoke is provided with an internally threaded hole fitted with a movable iron piece consisting of a screw of magnetic material, said screw being operated to change the gap between said armature and said yoke.

4. A relay for a voltage regulator of a vehicle, including: an iron core and voltage coils wound thereabout; an armature adapted to be attracted to said iron core upon energization of said voltage coils; a yoke supporting said armature for providing a magnetic circuit with said iron core, said relay including a movable contact mounted to a free end of said armature and two contacts adapted to engage with the movable contact, said movable contact assuming one position engaging with one of said contacts when the voltage coils are energized to a selected voltage indicative of a low engine speed of the vehicle, and a second position engaging with the other of said contacts upon energization of the voltage coils to a selected voltage indicative of high engine speed, and movable means fixed to the yoke interposed spatially in an air gap of the armature to adjust the size of the air gap, such that the selected voltages are substantially equal, prOviding a voltage regulation of the relay whereby the movable contact switches in and out of engagement with its fixed contact at substantially the same voltage for both high and low engine speeds.

5. The relay as described in claim 4 wherein said means for adjusting the air gap comprises: a movable iron piece including a plurality of teeth formed in the periphery thereof and projected sideway from said yoke, said teeth being utilized to rotate said movable iron piece around a rivet, the area of said movable iron piece inserted between said yoke and said armature to change the air gap.