Contact Device

• US 20070241847A1
• Filed: 03/27/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kubo, Motoharu, Uruma, Katsuya, Ito, Masahiro, Uotome, Riichi, Yamamoto, Ritsu
• Granted Patent: US 7,859,373 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 335/196
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2050/025 containing inert or dielectric gasses, e.g. SF6, for arc prevention or arc extinction
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 50/305 damping vibration due to functional movement of armature in air-gap H01H50/163
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 50/546 for contactors having bridging contacts
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 50/66 with lost motion
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 51/065 Relays having a pair of normally open contacts rigidly fixed to a magnetic core movable along the axis of a solenoid, e.g. relays for starting automobiles details H01H50/20

Abstract

This contact device comprises a pair of fixed terminals 2 with a fixed contact 2a each, a movable armature 3 with movable contacts 3a which contact to or separate from the fixed contacts 2a, a movable shaft 4 connected to the movable armature 3 at its one end, a movable core 8 secured to the opposite end 4b side of the movable shaft 4, a movable core receiver 7 slid onto the movable shaft 4 so that it faces a surface 8b on the movable armature side of the movable core 3 to receive the movable core 8 driven by an electromagnetic mechanism, an impact absorber 17 disposed on a surface 7a on the movable armature side of the movable core receiver 7 to absorb an impact generated when the movable core 3 hit the movable core receiver 7, and a stopper 16 (a movement restriction member) disposed on a surface on the movable armature side of the impact absorber 17 to restrict a movement of the impact absorber 17.

Claims

1. A contact device comprising:

a fixed terminal with a fixed contact;

a movable armature with a movable contact which contacts to or separates from said fixed contact;

a movable shaft connected to said movable armature at its one end;

a movable core secured to an opposite end of said movable shaft;

an electromagnetic mechanism for driving said movable core in response to an excitation current so as to bring said movable contact into contact with said fixed contact;

wherein

said contact device further comprises;

a movable core receiver slid onto said movable shaft so that it faces a surface on the movable armature side of said movable core to receive said movable core driven by said electromagnetic mechanism,

an impact absorber disposed on a surface on the movable armature side of said movable core receiver to absorb an impact generated when said movable core hit said movable core receiver, and

a movement restriction member disposed on a surface on the movable armature side of said impact absorber to restrict a movement of said impact absorber.

2. The contact device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said electromagnetic mechanism includes a yoke which has a generally U-shaped configuration and houses said movable core and said movable core receiver therein,

said contact device further comprising a fixed plate made of a magnetic material and connected to said yoke so that it closes tips of said yoke,

said fixed plate having a hole into which said movable core receiver is inserted,

said movable core receiver having a flange at an end on the movable armature side and being engaged with a surface on the movable armature side of said fixed plate by said flange in a condition where an end on the movable core side of said movable core receiver is inserted into said hole of said fixed plate,

said movement restriction member having a cylindrical shape with a bottom and having a hole into which said movable shaft is inserted and being slid onto said movable shaft so that an inner bottom surface of said movement restriction member is in contact with the surface on the movable armature side of said impact absorber,

a periphery of an opening of said movement restriction member being fixed on said fixed plate.

3. The contact device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said electromagnetic mechanism includes a yoke which has a generally U-shaped configuration and houses said movable core and said movable core receiver therein,

said contact device further comprising a fixed plate made of a magnetic material and connected to said yoke so that it closes tips of said yoke and a fixed core,

said fixed core having a through hole into which said movable shaft is inserted and a flange at one end in the axial direction, said fixed plate having a hole into which said fixed core is inserted, said fixed core being secured to said fixed plate so that said flange is disposed between said fixed plate and said movable core,

said movable core receiver having a cylindrical shape with a bottom and having a hole in the bottom into which said fixed core is inserted, said movement restriction member being slid onto said movable shaft so that an opening thereof faces the movable core side and being engaged with said flange of said fixed core by a periphery of said hole on the inner bottom side,

said impact absorber being disposed in a gap between an outer surface of said movable core receiver and said fixed plate, a part of said fixed plate which is in contact with said impact absorber constituting said movement restriction member.

4. The contact device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

a surface of said movable core receiver and a surface of said movable core which face each other are inclined with respect to a moving direction of said movable core.

5. The contact device as set forth in claim 3, wherein

said fixed core has, on a surface on the movable core side, an inclined surface which inclines with respect to a moving direction of said movable core, said movable core having, on a surface on the fixed core side thereof, an inclined surface which faces said inclined surface of said fixed core.

6. The contact device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said impact absorber has a protrusion on a surface facing said movable core receiver, a tip of said protrusion being in contact with said movable core receiver.

7. The contact device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said impact absorber has a protrusion on a surface facing said movement restriction member, a tip of said protrusion being in contact with said movement restriction member.

8. The contact device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said movement restriction member has a protrusion on a surface facing said impact absorber, a tip of said protrusion being in contact with said impact absorber.

9. The contact device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said movable core receiver has a protrusion on a surface facing said impact absorber, a tip of said protrusion being in contact with said impact absorber.

10. The contact device as set forth in claim 2, wherein

said flange of the movable core receiver has a protrusion on a surface facing said fixed plate, a tip of said protrusion being in contact with said fixed plate.

11. The contact device as set forth in claim 2, wherein

said fixed plate has a protrusion on a surface facing said flange of the movable core receiver, a tip of said protrusion being in contact with said flange of the movable core receiver.

12. The contact device as set forth in claim 3, wherein

said movable core receiver has a protrusion on the inner bottom surface, a tip of said protrusion being in contact with said flange of the fixed core.

13. The contact device as set forth in claim 3, wherein

said flange of the fixed core has a protrusion on a surface facing the inner bottom surface of said movable core receiver, a tip of said protrusion being in contact with the inner bottom surface of said movable core receiver.

14. The contact device as set forth in claim 2, wherein

a residual plate made of a nonmagnetic material is disposed between said flange of said movable core receiver and said fixed plate.

15. The contact device as set forth in claim 2, wherein

a residual ring made of a nonmagnetic material is disposed on an inner circumference surface of the hole of said fixed plate.

16. The contact device as set forth in claim 15, wherein

a residual plate made of a nonmagnetic material is disposed between said flange of said movable core receiver and said fixed plate, said residual plate and said residual ring being formed integrally.

17. The contact device as set forth in claim 3, wherein

a residual plate made of a nonmagnetic material is disposed between said flange of said fixed core receiver and said inner bottom surface of said movable core receiver.

18. The contact device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said fixed contact has a conductive bar for electrical connection between said fixed terminal and an external electrical circuit,

said conductive bar being formed by stacking a plurality of thin plates in a thickness direction.

19. The contact device as set forth in claim 18, wherein

both ends of said conductive bar are welded.

20. The contact device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said contact device further comprises a boxy case for surrounding said contact device,

said case having a holding piece on an inner surface thereof for holding said electromagnetic mechanism,

said electromagnetic mechanism being kept separated from the inner surface of said case except said holding piece.

21. The contact device as set forth in claim 20, wherein

said electromagnetic mechanism has a generally U-shaped yoke,

said contact device further comprising a fixed plate made of a magnetic material and secured to said yoke so that it closes tips of said yoke,

said holding piece holding a curved part of said yoke and a junction part between said yoke and said fixed plate.

22. The contact device as set forth in claim 20, wherein

said electromagnetic mechanism further comprises a coil bobbin which has flanges at its both ends and around which a winding is wound between said flanges,

said holding piece holding said flanges of said coil bobbin.

23. The contact device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

said electromagnetic mechanism further comprises a coil bobbin which has flanges at its both ends and around which a winding is wound between said flanges, and a yoke which has a generally U-shaped configuration and houses said movable core and said movable core receiver therein and has, in an underside, a through hole which is communicated with an inside of said coil bobbin, said yoke having an upstanding piece which rises from a periphery of said through hole toward the inside of said coil bobbin,

said movable core and said movable core receiver being housed in said coil bobbin in an order of said movable core to said movable core receiver from a side near said upstanding piece,

said movable core having a generally cylindrical shape, a diameter of a part of said movable core which faces said upstanding piece being smaller than that of a part of said movable core which does not face said upstanding piece.