Bounce-reduced relay

• US 6,788,176 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2003
• Issued: 09/07/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gruner AG
• Original Assignee: Gruner AG
• Inventors: Schmelz, Rainer
• Primary Examiner(s): Donovan, Lincoln
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rojas, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US10/686,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20040080388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 329 Days
• Field of Search: 335/78-85, 335/124, 335/128, 335/129, 335/132
• US Class Current: 335/80
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 1/50 Means for increasing contact pressure, preventing vibration of contacts, holding contacts together after engagement, or biasing contacts to the open position
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 50/58 Driving arrangements structurally associated therewith; Mounting of driving arrangements on armature
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 50/642 intermediate part being generally a slide plate, e.g. a card
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 51/2227 in which the movable part comprises at least one permanent magnet, sandwiched between pole-plates, each forming an active air-gap with parts of the stationary magnetic circuit H01H51/2209 takes precedence

Abstract

In a relay (1) with two parallel contact springs (2a, 2b) which close or interrupt the electric circuit between a first and a second relay contact (3, 4), whose one end is connected in a conducting fashion to the first relay contact (3) and whose other free end (5a; 5b) closes or interrupts the electric circuit in a first end position and a second end position of the contact springs (2a, 2b), respectively, and with an armature (11) which can be adjusted by means of a magnetic field whose poles can be changed, for deflecting the contact spring (2a, 2b) into the respective end position, in accordance with the invention, a leaf spring (17) is centrally pivotably disposed on the armature (11) or its actuator (14) whose two free ends (18a, 18b) bias the two contact springs (2a, 2b) with force into the first end position.

Claims

1. Relay (1) with two parallel contact springs (2a, 2b) which each close or interrupt the electric circuit between a first and a second relay contact (3, 4) and whose one end is connected in a conducting fashion with the first relay contact (3) and whose other free end (5a;

5b) closes or interrupts the electric circuit in a first end position and a second end position of the contact springs (2a, 2b), respectively, and with an armature (11) which can be adjusted by means of a magnetic field, whose poles can be changed, for deflecting the contact springs (2a, 2b) into the respective end position,

characterized in that

a leaf spring (17) is centrally pivotably disposed on the armature (11) or its actuator (14) whose two free ends (18a, 18b) bias the two contact springs (2a, 2b) with force into the first end position.

2. Relay according to claim 1, characterized in that the free ends (18a, 18b) of the leaf spring (17) are arc-shaped.

3. Relay according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the leaf spring (17) is clamped on the armature (11) or on the actuator (14).

4. Relay according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the leaf spring (17) is formed of electrically conducting material.

5. Relay according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the two contact springs (2a, 2b) are formed in one piece.

6. Relay according to any one of the claims 1 through 4, characterized in that the two contact springs (2a, 2b) are formed as separate leaf springs.

7. Relay according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuator (14) is linearly displaceably disposed approximately in the deflecting direction (15) of the contact springs (2a, 2b).

8. Relay according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact springs (2a, 2b) are directly coupled with the armature (11) or the actuator (14) in the opening direction of the relay (1) and are motionally coupled in the closing direction of the relay (1) with the armature (11) or the actuator (14) via the leaf spring (17).