Contact device

• US 9,087,655 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2011
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Enomoto, Hideki, Yamamoto, Ritu, Fukuda, Yoshihisa, Ikeda, Yoji, Ozaki, Ryosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Rojas, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US13/636,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20130012037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,602 Days
• Field of Search: 335 78- 86, 335/124, 335128-135, 335/201, 335/202
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2050/025 containing inert or dielectric gasses, e.g. SF6, for arc prevention or arc extinction
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 50/38 Part of main magnetic circuit shaped to suppress arcing between the contacts of the relay
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 50/546 for contactors having bridging contacts
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/443 using permanent magnets
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/446 using magnetisable elements associated with the contacts

Abstract

A contact device includes a contact point block, a drive unit, and permanent magnets. The contact point block includes fixed terminals having fixed contact points and a movable contactor having movable contact points arranged side by side on one surface of the movable contactor. The movable contact points are configured to come into contact and out of contact with the fixed contact points. The drive unit drives the movable contactor such that the movable contact points come into contact and out of contact with the fixed contact points. The permanent magnets are arranged in a mutually opposing relationship across the contact point block along a direction orthogonal to an arrangement direction of the movable contact points and to a direction in which the movable contact points come into contact and out of contact with the fixed contact points. The permanent magnets are provided with mutually-opposing surfaces having the same polarity.

Claims

1. A contact device, comprising:

a contact point block including a pair of fixed terminals having fixed contact points and a movable contactor having a pair of movable contact points arranged side by side on one surface of the movable contactor, the movable contact points configured to come into contact and out of contact with the fixed contact points;

a driver that drives the movable contactor such that the movable contact points come into contact and out of contact with the fixed contact points;

a pair of permanent magnets arranged in a mutually opposing relationship across the contact point block along a direction orthogonal to an arrangement direction of the movable contact points and to a direction in which the movable contact points come into contact and out of contact with the fixed contact points, the permanent magnets provided with mutually-opposing surfaces having the same polarity;

a second yoke arranged between the permanent magnets in a mutually opposing relationship to each of the permanent magnets, the second yoke being positioned in an opposing relationship with said one surface of the movable contactor; and

a third yoke that makes contact with the other surface of the movable contactor and opposes the second yoke across the movable contactor.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a pair of first yokes provided in an opposing relationship with end surfaces of the movable contactor in the arrangement direction of the movable contact points and arranged to interconnect the permanent magnets.

3. The device of claim 2, further comprising:

a permanent magnet piece arranged between the permanent magnets, the permanent magnet piece including first surfaces opposing to the permanent magnets and second surfaces opposing to the first yokes, the polarity of the first surfaces of the permanent magnet piece is different from the polarity of the surfaces of the permanent magnets opposing to the first surfaces, and the polarity of the second surfaces of the permanent magnet piece is different from the polarity of the first surfaces.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the driver includes a compression spring biasing the movable contactor toward the fixed contact points, a restrainer to restrain the movable contactor from moving toward the fixed contact points, a movable shaft to which the restrainer is connected, and an electromagnet block to drive the movable shaft such that the movable contact points come into contact and out of contact with the fixed contact points.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the movable shaft includes a shaft portion movably inserted through an insertion hole provided in the movable contactor and a contact portion arranged at one end of the shaft portion to contact said one surface of the movable contactor.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the second yoke serves as the contact portion of the movable shaft.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the second yoke serves as the contact portion of the movable shaft and is provided as one-piece with the movable shaft.

8. The device of claim 4, wherein the restrainer is arranged to hold the second yoke, the movable contactor and the compression spring and is configured to restrain movement of the movable contactor toward the fixed contact points through the second yoke.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the contact point block is stored within a container, at least a portion of an outer periphery of the second yoke making contact with an inner wall of the container.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the contact point block is stored within a container, at least a portion of the outer periphery of each of the second yoke and the third yoke making contact with an inner wall of the container.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the second yoke comprises a flat plate shape.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the second yoke and the third yoke comprises a flat plate shape.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the second yoke comprises a substantially square bracket-like cross-sectional shape and includes a plate-shaped base portion opposed to the movable contactor and a pair of extension portions extending from tip ends of the base portion toward the movable contactor.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein a gap between the second yoke and a third yoke is opposed to side surfaces of the movable contactor at least when the movable contact points come into contact with the fixed contact points.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the second yoke and the third yoke comprises a substantially square bracket-like cross-sectional shape and includes a plate-shaped base portion opposed to the movable contactor and a pair of extension portions extending from tip ends of the base portion toward the movable contactor.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein a groove is provided on the opposite surface of the third yoke from the surface thereof making contact with the movable contactor, and one end of a compression spring is fitted to the groove.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein a protrusion is provided on the opposite surface of the third yoke from the surface thereof making contact with the movable contactor, and the protrusion is fitted to one end of a compression spring.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the fixed contact points are provided as one-piece or independently provided with the fixed terminals.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the movable contact points are provided as one-piece or independently provided with the movable contactor.

20. A contact device, comprising:

a contact point block including a pair of fixed terminals having fixed contact points and a movable contactor having a pair of movable contact points arranged side by side on one surface of the movable contactor, the movable contact points configured to come into contact and out of contact with the fixed contact points;

a driver that drives the movable contactor such that the movable contact points come into contact and out of contact with the fixed contact points;

a pair of permanent magnets arranged in a mutually opposing relationship across the contact point block along an arrangement direction of the movable contact points, the permanent magnets are provided with mutually-opposing surfaces having the same polarity;

a second yoke arranged between the permanent magnets in a mutually opposing relationship to each of the permanent magnets; and

a third yoke that makes contact with the other surface of the movable contactor and opposes the second yoke across the movable contactor.

21. The device of claim 20, further comprising:

a pair of first yokes provided in an opposing relationship with end surfaces of the movable contactor in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the movable contact points and to the direction in which the movable contact points come into contact and out of contact with the fixed contact points, the first yokes being arranged to interconnect the permanent magnets.

22. The device of claim 20, wherein the permanent magnets are arranged such that centers of mutually-opposing surfaces of the permanent magnets lie on extension lines of a straight line interconnecting the fixed contact points.

23. The device of claim 20, wherein the driver includes a compression spring biasing the movable contactor toward the fixed contact points, a restrainer to restrain the movable contactor from moving toward the fixed contact points, a movable shaft to which the restrainer is connected, and an electromagnet block to drive the movable shaft such that the movable contact points come into contact and out of contact with the fixed contact points.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the movable shaft includes a shaft portion movably inserted through an insertion hole provided in the movable contactor and a contact portion arranged at one end of the shaft portion to contact said one surface of the movable contactor.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the first yoke serves as the contact portion of the movable shaft.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the second yoke serves as the contact portion of the movable shaft and is provided as one-piece with the movable shaft.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the contact point block is stored within a container, at least a portion of the outer periphery of each of the second yoke and the third yoke making contact with an inner wall of the container.

28. The device of claim 26, wherein at least one of the second yoke and a third yoke comprises a flat plate shape.

29. The device of claim 26, wherein at least one of the second yoke and a third yoke comprises a substantially square bracket-like cross-sectional shape and includes a plate-shaped base portion opposed to the movable contactor and a pair of extension portions extending from tip ends of the base portion toward the movable contactor.

30. The device of claim 26, wherein a groove is provided on the opposite surface of a third yoke from the surface thereof making contact with the movable contactor, and one end of the compression spring is fitted to the groove.

31. The device of claim 26, wherein a protrusion is provided on the opposite surface of a third yoke from the surface thereof making contact with the movable contactor, and the protrusion is fitted to one end of the compression spring.

32. The device of claim 23, wherein the restrainer is arranged to hold the second yoke, the movable contactor and the compression spring and is configured to restrain movement of the movable contactor toward the fixed contact points through the second yoke.

33. The device of claim 20, wherein the contact point block is stored within a container, at least a portion of an outer periphery of the second yoke making contact with an inner wall of the container.

34. The device of claim 20, wherein the second yoke comprises a flat plate shape.

35. The device of claim 20, wherein the second yoke comprises a substantially square bracket-like cross-sectional shape and includes a plate-shaped base portion opposed to the movable contactor and a pair of extension portions extending from tip ends of the base portion toward the movable contactor.

36. The device of claim 35, wherein a gap between the second yoke and the third yoke is opposed to side surfaces of the movable contactor at least when the movable contact points come into contact with the fixed contact points.

37. The device of claim 20, further comprising:

a permanent magnet piece arranged between the permanent magnets, the permanent magnet piece including first surfaces opposing to the permanent magnets and second surfaces opposing to the first yokes, the polarity of the first surfaces of the permanent magnet piece is different from the polarity of the surfaces of the permanent magnets opposing to the first surfaces, and the polarity of the second surfaces of the permanent magnet piece is different from the polarity of the first surfaces.

38. The device of claim 20, wherein the fixed contact points are provided as one-piece or independently provided with the fixed terminals.

39. The device of claim 20, wherein the movable contact points are provided as one-piece or independently provided with the movable contactor.