WO1998012723A1 - An electromechanical relay and method of manufacturing same - Google Patents
An electromechanical relay and method of manufacturing same Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1998012723A1 WO1998012723A1 PCT/US1997/015210 US9715210W WO9812723A1 WO 1998012723 A1 WO1998012723 A1 WO 1998012723A1 US 9715210 W US9715210 W US 9715210W WO 9812723 A1 WO9812723 A1 WO 9812723A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- contact
- contact pieces
- hole
- blade
- pieces
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H11/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches
- H01H11/04—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches of switch contacts
- H01H11/041—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches of switch contacts by bonding of a contact marking face to a contact body portion
- H01H11/043—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches of switch contacts by bonding of a contact marking face to a contact body portion by resistance welding
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H45/00—Details of relays
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H11/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches
- H01H11/04—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches of switch contacts
- H01H11/041—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches of switch contacts by bonding of a contact marking face to a contact body portion
- H01H11/045—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches of switch contacts by bonding of a contact marking face to a contact body portion with the help of an intermediate layer
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H11/00—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches
- H01H11/04—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches of switch contacts
- H01H11/041—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches of switch contacts by bonding of a contact marking face to a contact body portion
- H01H2011/047—Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of electric switches of switch contacts by bonding of a contact marking face to a contact body portion on both sides of the contact body portion
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an electromechanical switching device, such as, a relay. More particularly, the invention relates to an electromechanical switching device with an electrical contact arm having contact pieces on both sides thereof, which is used, for example, as a moveable contact arm.
- rivet style contacts are commonly used in the making of the electrical contact arms.
- a contact configuration having a center contact arm that needs contacts on both sides e.g. SPDT, Break-Make, Form C
- a rivet contact for this arm has to be preformed, then staked through a hole in the arm and deformed again in order to achieve a matching contact surface on both sides of the contact arm.
- This known method of making a contact arm requires expensive manufacturing of the contact rivets. Further, the resulting contact arm structure does not pass some harsh application life requirements for particular switching applications.
- British Patent Specification No. GB-A-l, 158, 119 describes a spring blade assembly, and a method of manufacturing same, having a plurality of superimposed spring blades that are clamped together via connected contact pieces located on either side of the plurality of spring blades.
- the spring blades have aligned apertures formed therethrough, a head contact overlying the apertures on one side of the plurality of spring blades and a backing member overlying the apertures on the other side.
- the head contact and the backing member are connected to each other by means of soldering or welding.
- Due to the plurality of superimposed spring blades the contact pieces have to be connected with good conductivity within the aligned apertures. This requires each contact piece to have a connecting member extending from the head contact and/or backing member into the respective aperture for joining to the other contact piece.
- the contact pieces have rivet shapes and require expensive manufacturing similar to the rivet contacts described above.
- an electromagnetic switch that includes: a coil assembly having a magnetic core, a coil wound around the core, and a frame that holds the coil and core; a contact assembly having (a) a pair of stationary contact arms arranged opposite one another and with the respective contacts facing one another; and (b) a moveable contact arm arranged between the pair of stationary contact arms and having a metal blade with a through-hole formed therethrough and a pair of contact pieces, each having a planar bottom surface, said contact pieces being brazed with the bottom surface to the metal blade so as to cover the through-hole from both sides and said through-hole being filled at least partially with excess braze material; and means for actuating the moveable contact arm upon energization and de-energization of the coil.
- the present invention also provides an electrical contact arm, comprising a metal blade having a through-hole formed therethrough, and a pair of contact pieces, each having a planar bottom surface, said contact pieces being joined with the bottom surface to the metal blade so as to cover the through-hole from both sides and said through- hole being filled at least partially with excess joining material .
- the present invention provides a method of manufacturing an electrical contact arm, comprising the steps of: providing a metal blade having a through-hole formed therein; providing a pair of contact pieces each having a planar bottom surface greater than the through-hole in said blade, each of said bottom surfaces being coated with a layer of joining material; positioning one of said contact pieces on either side of said blade so as to cover said through-hole from either side; joining the contact pieces to the blade by applying heat for melting said layers of joining material while pressing said contact pieces from either side against said blade, the through-hole serving as a reservoir where excess molten joining material flows in; and solidifying the joining material.
- FIG 1 is a schematic illustration of the method of the present invention showing contact pieces being cut from a tape and being centered over both sides of a metal blade, the illustration using different scales;
- FIG 2 is an enlarged sectional view of an electrical contact arm of the present invention with the contact pieces at the beginning of the brazing process;
- FIG 3 is a sectional view of the contact arm of FIG 2 with the contact pieces after brazing;
- FIG 4 is an exploded view of a relay of the present invention.
- FIG 5 is the moveable contact arm of the relay of FIG 4.
- a contact tape 1 which is normally contained on a spool 2.
- the contact tape l has a specified thickness and width.
- a cutting mechanism 4 is shown only schematically and may be any type of known or conventional cutting mechanism.
- the contact tape 1 is comprised of contact material and is coated on one side with a braze alloy backing.
- the contact tape 1 and the contact pieces 3 are comprised of three bonded layers: a precious metal mating surface 31, a silver intermediate 32 and a braze alloy backing 33, which layers are shown in the enlarged cross section.
- a metal blade 5 is provided with a through-hole 6 at the desired contact position.
- the metal blade 5 may be made of any material suitable for the desired application, for example, copper alloy.
- a pair of cut contact pieces 3A, 3B are centered over both sides of the through-hole 6 with the braze backing 33 placed against the blade 5.
- Each contact piece 3A, 3B is larger in cross-sectional area than the through-hole 6 so that the through-hole 6 is completely covered on both sides of the metal blade 5 and the contact pieces 3A, 3B contact the respective surrounding surfaces of the metal blade 5.
- a pair of electrodes 7 , 8 are brought to the mating surfaces 31 of the contact pieces 3A, 3B.
- the electrodes 7, 8 exert a force on the contact pieces 3A, 3B to keep the pieces in position and to ensure acceptable electrical contact with the blade 5.
- a current is then passed through the first electrode 7 , through the blade and contacts assembly 3A, 5 and 3B, to the other electrode 8 for a sufficient amount of time to melt the braze alloy backing 33 on both contact pieces 3A, 3B.
- the amount of current applied is dependent upon the compositions and other physical characteristics of the various elements. After the current is stopped, the electrodes 7, 8 stay in place for a sufficient amount of time so the braze alloy can solidify.
- the method can also result in bonding the contact pieces 3A, 3B to one another. This can be accomplished by having the excess braze material 34 fill the through-hole 6 completely (as shown in FIG 3) or having the excess braze material 34 from each contact piece sufficiently join with one another in the through-hole 6.
- a moveable contact arm for a relay was made using the method of the present invention having the following dimensions:
- Contact pieces 3A, 3B length and width 3.5 mm; thickness of precious metal mating surface 31: 0.46mm(minimum) ; thickness of silver intermediate layer 32: 0.12mm(maximum) ; thickness of braze alloy backing 33: 0.02 mm to 0.04 mm; thickness of contact arm blade 5: 0.127 mm; diameter of through-hole 6: 2.39 mm.
- the braze alloy backing 33 consisted of a common braze alloy composition, for example 15% Ag, 80% Cu and 5% P.
- FIG 4 shows a relay 40 of the present invention.
- the relay 40 comprises a base 41, a coil assembly 42 that connects to the base 41, an armature 43, stationary contact members 44, 45 and a moveable contact arm 46 that is actuated by the armature 43 to contact the stationary contacts 44, 45.
- the moveable contact arm 46 is shown in more detail in FIG 5.
- the moveable contact arm 46 comprises a metal blade 46a having a through-hole 46b formed therethrough and a pair of contact pieces 46c, 46d that are joined to the metal blade 46a.
- the through-hole 46b acts as a reservoir to contain any excess joining material used to join the contact pieces 46c, 46d to the blade 46a.
- the relay 40, and the moveable contact arm 46 may be constructed by the method of the present invention.
- the contact tape 1 may be in the form of single strips rather than on a spool 2.
- the contact pieces 3A, 3B may be cut from the tape 1 in different shapes, for example, in rectangular or circular shapes.
- the braze alloy backing 33 may consist of any known or conventional brazing material.
- the braze alloy backing 33 may be melted by another mechanism other than via the use of the electrodes 7, 8 and the application of current therebetween, for example, via the use of a heat chamber.
- the electrodes 7, 8 may be replaced or supplemented by another mechanism to press and hold the contact pieces 3A, 3B against the metal blade 5.
- the contact pieces may also be joined to the blade via any known or conventional metallurgical joining process, other than via brazing, such as, soldering or welding, using a suitable solder or joining material.
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Electromagnetism (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
- Manufacture Of Switches (AREA)
- Contacts (AREA)
- Electromagnets (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP51467998A JP3818393B2 (en) | 1996-09-19 | 1997-08-28 | Electromechanical relay and method of manufacturing electromechanical relay |
DE69704025T DE69704025T2 (en) | 1996-09-19 | 1997-08-28 | METHOD FOR PRODUCING AN ELECTROMECHANICAL RELAY |
EP97940680A EP0927427B1 (en) | 1996-09-19 | 1997-08-28 | Method of manufacturing an electromechanical relay |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US71612296A | 1996-09-19 | 1996-09-19 | |
US08/716,122 | 1996-09-19 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1998012723A1 true WO1998012723A1 (en) | 1998-03-26 |
Family
ID=24876847
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/US1997/015210 WO1998012723A1 (en) | 1996-09-19 | 1997-08-28 | An electromechanical relay and method of manufacturing same |
Country Status (7)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0927427B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP3818393B2 (en) |
KR (1) | KR100473425B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN1075235C (en) |
DE (1) | DE69704025T2 (en) |
TW (1) | TW357374B (en) |
WO (1) | WO1998012723A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP1339079A2 (en) * | 2002-02-21 | 2003-08-27 | Stanzbiegetechnik Ges.M.B.H. | Process and arrangement for welding an electrical contact |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN102513678A (en) * | 2011-12-13 | 2012-06-27 | 温州兴机电器有限公司 | Multilayer metal plate stitch welding process |
Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2759074A (en) * | 1952-10-16 | 1956-08-14 | Square D Co | Electric contact mounting |
GB1158119A (en) * | 1965-10-14 | 1969-07-16 | Texas Instruments Inc | Spring Blade Assembly |
WO1993011550A1 (en) * | 1991-12-04 | 1993-06-10 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | Contact with a silver contact base and process for making it |
-
1997
- 1997-08-28 JP JP51467998A patent/JP3818393B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1997-08-28 DE DE69704025T patent/DE69704025T2/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1997-08-28 EP EP97940680A patent/EP0927427B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 1997-08-28 KR KR10-1999-7002363A patent/KR100473425B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1997-08-28 WO PCT/US1997/015210 patent/WO1998012723A1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1997-08-28 CN CN97198063A patent/CN1075235C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1997-10-27 TW TW086113572A patent/TW357374B/en active
Patent Citations (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2759074A (en) * | 1952-10-16 | 1956-08-14 | Square D Co | Electric contact mounting |
GB1158119A (en) * | 1965-10-14 | 1969-07-16 | Texas Instruments Inc | Spring Blade Assembly |
WO1993011550A1 (en) * | 1991-12-04 | 1993-06-10 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | Contact with a silver contact base and process for making it |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP1339079A2 (en) * | 2002-02-21 | 2003-08-27 | Stanzbiegetechnik Ges.M.B.H. | Process and arrangement for welding an electrical contact |
EP1339079A3 (en) * | 2002-02-21 | 2004-07-28 | Stanzbiegetechnik Ges.M.B.H. | Process and arrangement for welding an electrical contact |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0927427A1 (en) | 1999-07-07 |
KR100473425B1 (en) | 2005-03-07 |
CN1075235C (en) | 2001-11-21 |
DE69704025D1 (en) | 2001-03-08 |
KR20000048484A (en) | 2000-07-25 |
CN1231058A (en) | 1999-10-06 |
JP3818393B2 (en) | 2006-09-06 |
DE69704025T2 (en) | 2001-07-19 |
EP0927427B1 (en) | 2001-01-31 |
TW357374B (en) | 1999-05-01 |
JP2001500664A (en) | 2001-01-16 |
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