Electromagnetic relay

• US 6,771,154 B1
• Filed: 10/25/2000
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Industrial Devices Taiko (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Taiko Device, Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Hiromitsu, Funayama, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Barrera, Ramon M.
• Application Number:
  US09/694,988
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 335/78-86, 335/136, 335/159-163, 335/106, 335/127-132
• US Class Current: 335/159
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2050/049 Assembling or mounting multiple relays in one common housing
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2300/002 Application electric motor braking, e.g. pole reversal of rotor, shorting motor coils, also for field discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 47/004 using plural redundant serial connected relay operated contacts in controlled circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 50/54 Contact arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/40 Multiple main contacts for the purpose of dividing the current through, or potential drop along, the arc

Abstract

An electromagnetic relay comprises a coil and a contact group containing a plurality of normally open contacts which are connected in series under control of an electromagnet created when this coil is energized. This electromagnetic relay can prevent a short-circuit from occurring between the normally closed contact and the normally open contact due to an arc even though the contact gap length is reduced.

Claims

1. An electromagnetic relay, comprising:

a coil;

a normally closed contact;

a plurality of independent movable contacts including a movable contact which is connected to said normally closed contact when said coil is not energized;

a plurality of independent normally open contacts disposed in correspondence with said plurality of movable contacts; and

an armature operated under control of an electromagnet created when said coil is energized, to thereby simultaneously displace said plurality of independent movable contacts so that said plurality of movable contacts are connected to said plurality of independent normally open contacts;

wherein said plurality of normally open contacts are electrically connected in common within a housing, said plurality of movable contacts respectively come in contact with said plurality of normally open contacts to permit said plurality of independent movable contacts to be electrically connected in series.

2. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of normally open contacts are integrally formed with a common normally open contact member.

3. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein said armature includes an armature card-like member which simultaneously displaces a plurality of movable contact spring members with respective movable contacts of said plurality of independent movable contacts formed thereon under control of an electromagnet created when said coil is energized.

4. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein said armature includes a plate-like member made of a magnetic material commonly fixed to a plurality of movable contact spring members with respective movable contacts of said plurality of movable contacts provided thereon and said plate-like member is attracted by a magnetic attraction from an electromagnet created when said coil is energized so that said plurality of movable contacts are simultaneously connected to said plurality of normally open contacts.

5. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein no terminal is led out from said commonly connected normally open contacts to the outside of said housing.

6. An electromagnetic relay in which first and second relay sections are provided within a housing, each of said first and second relay sections comprising:

a coil;

a normally closed contact;

a plurality of independent movable contacts including a movable contact which is connected to said normally closed contact when said coil is not energized;

a plurality of independent normally open contacts disposed in correspondence with said plurality of movable contacts; and

an armature operated under control of an electromagnet created when said coil is energized, to thereby simultaneously displace said plurality of independent movable contacts so that said plurality of movable contacts are connected to said plurality of independent normally open contacts;

wherein said plurality of normally open contacts of said first and second relay sections are electrically connected in common within a housing, said plurality of independent movable contacts of said first and second relay sections respectively come in contact with said plurality of normally open contacts of said first and second relay sections to permit said plurality of independent movable contacts of said first and second relay sections to be electrically connected in series.

7. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of normally open contacts of said first relay section and said plurality of normally open contacts of said second relay section are integrally formed with a common normally open contact member.

8. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 6, wherein each of said armatures of said first and second relay sections includes an armature card-like member which simultaneously displaces a plurality of movable contact spring members with respective movable contacts of said plurality of independent movable contacts formed thereon under control of an electromagnet created when coils of said first and second relay sections are energized.

9. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 6, wherein each of said armatures of said first and second relay sections includes a plate-like member made of a magnetic material commonly fixed to a plurality of movable contact spring members with respective movable contacts of said plurality of movable contacts provided thereon and said plate-like member is attracted by a magnetic attraction from an electromagnet created when coils of said first and second relay sections are energized so that said plurality of movable contacts are simultaneously connected to said plurality of normally open contacts.

10. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 6, wherein said normally closed contacts of said first and second relay sections are connected to each other within said housing and said normally closed contact terminals led out to the outside of said housing are integrally formed as a common normally closed contact terminal.

11. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of movable contacts of said first and second relay sections and which are not connected to said normally closed contacts are integrally formed as a common movable contact and said common movable contact is operated by any of said armatures of said first and second relay sections.

12. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 6, wherein no terminal is led out from said plurality of commonly connected normally open contacts to the outside of said housing.