阅读说明：本技术 电磁继电器 (Electromagnetic relay ) 是由 森真吾 箕轮亮太 于 2018-08-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：电磁继电器具备：壳体；第一固定触点端子,其具有第一固定触点；第二固定触点端子,其具有第二固定触点；可动接触片,其在一方的面上具有能够在触点接触分离方向上接触分离的第一可动触点和第二可动触点；第一固定触点端子具有相对于可动接触片的另一方的面,与可动接触片分开地对置配置的对置部,对置部的至少一部分在从触点接触分离方向观察时的平面图中与可动接触片重叠。(The electromagnetic relay is provided with: a housing; a first fixed contact terminal having a first fixed contact; a second fixed contact terminal having a second fixed contact; a movable contact piece having a first movable contact point and a second movable contact point on one surface, the first movable contact point and the second movable contact point being capable of being contacted and separated in a contact point contact and separation direction; the first fixed contact terminal has an opposing portion disposed to face the movable contact piece with respect to the other surface of the movable contact piece, and at least a part of the opposing portion overlaps the movable contact piece in a plan view when viewed from the contact separation direction.)

1. An electromagnetic relay is characterized by comprising:

a housing;

a first fixed contact terminal fixed to the housing, extending outward from an inside of the housing, and having a first fixed contact;

a second fixed contact terminal fixed to the housing, extending outward from an inside of the housing, and having a second fixed contact;

a movable contact piece having a first movable contact point and a second movable contact point on one surface, the first movable contact point and the second movable contact point being capable of being brought into contact with and separated from the first fixed contact point of the first fixed contact point terminal and the second fixed contact point of the second fixed contact point terminal, respectively, in a contact point contact and separation direction, and being disposed in the housing so as to be movable in the contact point contact and separation direction;

the first fixed contact terminal has an opposing portion disposed to face the movable contact piece in the contact/separation direction with respect to the other surface of the movable contact piece on the opposite side of the one surface in the contact/separation direction,

the opposing portion intersects with the contact separation direction and extends along an arrangement direction of the first movable contact and the second movable contact of the movable contact piece,

at least a part of the opposing portion overlaps with the movable contact piece in a plan view when viewed from the contact-separation direction.

2. The electromagnetic relay of claim 1,

a contact spring disposed in the direction of separation with respect to the one surface of the movable contact piece and biasing the movable contact piece in the direction of contact along the direction of contact and separation,

a part of the movable contact piece extends between the contact spring and the opposing portion of the first fixed contact terminal in a plan view as viewed from a direction orthogonal to the contact-separation direction,

the movable contact piece has a current path from the first movable contact to the second movable contact through between the contact spring and the opposing portion of the first fixed contact terminal.

3. The electromagnetic relay of claim 1,

the contact spring is disposed on the one surface side of the movable contact piece, and biases the movable contact piece in a contact direction along a contact/separation direction.

4. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, comprising:

a movable shaft that supports the movable contact piece and reciprocates the movable contact piece in the contact/separation direction;

and a contact spring disposed on the opposite side of the movable contact piece supported by the movable shaft, the contact spring biasing the movable contact piece in a contact direction via the movable shaft.

5. The electromagnetic relay according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein,

the opposing portion of the first fixed contact terminal extends in the planar view so as to oppose a central portion of the movable contact piece in the direction in which the first movable contact and the second movable contact are arranged.

6. The electromagnetic relay according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein,

an insulating member is disposed in the housing between the opposing portion of the first fixed contact terminal and the movable contact piece.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an electromagnetic relay, and more particularly, to a connection terminal of an electromagnetic relay.

Background

Conventionally, an electromagnetic relay that opens and closes a current path is connected to a power supply source and other electronic components using a bus bar. For example, there is an electromagnetic relay exemplified in patent document 1. The electromagnetic relay of patent document 1 will be described with reference to fig. 22. Fig. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing a flow of current in a state where the electromagnetic relay of patent document 1 is closed.

In patent document 1, a pair of contact portions 130a of the movable contact 130 is brought into contact with the fixed contacts 118a of the fixed contacts 111 and 112, respectively, to cause a current Ip to flow. In the fixed contacts 111 and 112, the contact conductor portions 115 having the fixed contacts 118a are C-shaped and inverted C-shaped, and therefore, a section in which the directions of the currents Ip flowing through the contact conductor portions 115 and the movable contact 130 are opposite to each other is generated. In this interval, electromagnetic repulsion forces in opposite directions are generated by lorentz forces caused by the current Ip flowing through the contact conductor portion 115 and the movable contact piece 130, and the contact pressure between the pair of contact portions 130a of the movable contact piece 130 and the respective fixed contacts 118a is increased.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem to be solved by the invention

However, the current has a property of flowing on the shortest path, and even if the contact conductor portion 115 is C-shaped or inverted C-shaped, the current Ip does not flow through the portion W of the C-shaped or inverted C-shaped upper plate portion 116 on the side of the connecting shaft 131, but flows only through the peripheral portions of both ends of the movable contact 130. As a result, electromagnetic repulsive force due to the lorentz force is generated only at the peripheral portions of both ends of the movable contact 130. Therefore, there is a possibility that the contacts may be separated by another electromagnetic repulsive force generated between the contact portions 130a of the movable contact 130 and the contacts of the fixed contacts 118 a.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an electromagnetic relay in which contact separation due to electromagnetic repulsion between contacts is suppressed.

Technical solution for solving technical problem

An electromagnetic relay according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes:

a housing;

a first fixed contact terminal fixed to the housing, extending outward from an inside of the housing, and having a first fixed contact;

a second fixed contact terminal fixed to the housing, extending outward from an inside of the housing, and having a second fixed contact;

a movable contact piece having a first movable contact point and a second movable contact point on one surface, the first movable contact point and the second movable contact point being capable of being brought into contact with and separated from the first fixed contact point of the first fixed contact point terminal and the second fixed contact point of the second fixed contact point terminal, respectively, in a contact point contact and separation direction, and being disposed in the housing so as to be movable in the contact point contact and separation direction;

the first fixed contact terminal has an opposing portion disposed to face the movable contact piece in the contact/separation direction with respect to the other surface of the movable contact piece on the opposite side of the one surface in the contact/separation direction,

the opposing portion intersects with the contact separation direction and extends along an arrangement direction of the first movable contact and the second movable contact of the movable contact piece,

at least a part of the opposing portion overlaps with the movable contact piece in a plan view when viewed from the contact-separation direction.

According to the electromagnetic relay of the above aspect, in each region where the opposing portion of the first fixed contact terminal overlaps the movable contact piece in a plan view as viewed in the contact/separation direction, the direction of the current flowing through the opposing portion of the first fixed contact terminal that intersects the contact/separation direction and extends along the direction in which the first movable contact and the second movable contact of the movable contact piece are arranged is opposite to the direction of the current flowing through the movable contact piece. Accordingly, since the movable contact piece generates a force pressing the movable contact toward the fixed contacts by the lorentz force, the contact pressure between the first movable contact and the second movable contact of the movable contact piece and the first fixed contact and the second fixed contact can be increased. In this way, the movable contact piece can be prevented from being separated from the first and second fixed contact terminals by the electromagnetic repulsive force derived from the lorentz force. Further, since the contact pressure between the movable contact and the fixed contact can be increased only by the electromagnetic relay unit having the above configuration, the design of the periphery such as the bus bar can be eliminated.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an electromagnetic relay capable of suppressing contact separation caused by electromagnetic repulsion between contacts.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram schematically showing an example of an application scenario of an electromagnetic relay according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a front view schematically showing an electromagnetic relay according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 3 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the electromagnetic relay in the separated state.

Fig. 4 is a plan view seen from the direction IV of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a front sectional view of the electromagnetic relay schematically showing a closed state.

Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the direction of current flowing in the electromagnetic relay in the closed state.

Fig. 7 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the electromagnetic relay in the separated state according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 8 is a front cross-sectional view of the electromagnetic relay schematically showing a closed state.

Fig. 9 is a partial sectional view of the electromagnetic relay.

Fig. 10 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the electromagnetic relay in the separated state according to embodiment 3.

Fig. 11 is a front cross-sectional view of the electromagnetic relay schematically showing a closed state.

Fig. 12 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the electromagnetic relay in the separated state according to embodiment 4.

Fig. 13 is a front cross-sectional view of the electromagnetic relay schematically showing a closed state.

Fig. 14 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the electromagnetic relay in the separated state according to embodiment 5.

Fig. 15 is a front cross-sectional view of the electromagnetic relay schematically showing a closed state.

Fig. 16 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the electromagnetic relay in the separated state according to embodiment 6.

Fig. 17 is a front cross-sectional view of the electromagnetic relay schematically showing a closed state.

Fig. 18 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the electromagnetic relay in the separated state according to embodiment 7.

Fig. 19 is a plan view of the contact mechanism unit as viewed from the contact separating direction.

Fig. 20 is a front sectional view of the electromagnetic relay schematically showing a closed state.

Fig. 21 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing an electromagnetic relay according to a modification.

Fig. 22 is a front partial sectional view of a conventional electromagnetic relay.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, terms indicating specific directions or positions (for example, terms including "up", "down", "left" and "right") are used as necessary to facilitate understanding of the disclosure with reference to the drawings, and the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the meanings of the terms. The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure in any way, application, or uses. The drawings are only schematic, and the proportions of the dimensions and the like do not necessarily coincide with reality.

(application example)

First, an example of a scenario to which the present disclosure is applied will be described with reference to fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram schematically showing an example of an application scenario of the electromagnetic relay 1 according to the embodiment. As shown in fig. 1, the electromagnetic relay 1 of the present embodiment is connected between a battery 3 and an electric motor 5 of an electric vehicle, for example.

The battery 3 and the motor 5 are connected via the electromagnetic relay 1 and the inverter 7. The inverter 7 is connected to a motor 5 and a generator 8. The electromagnetic relay 1 opens and closes a current path for supplying power from the battery 3 to the motor 5 via the inverter 7. The electromagnetic relay 1 opens and closes a current path for charging the battery 3 from the generator 8 via the inverter 7.

A precharge relay 10 and a resistor 11 are connected in parallel with the electromagnetic relay 1 between the battery 3 and the inverter 7.

(embodiment mode 1)

An electromagnetic relay 1 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 is a front view schematically showing the electromagnetic relay 1 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 3 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the electromagnetic relay 1 in a separated state. In the following description, the direction in which the first movable contact 35a and the second movable contact 35b of the movable contact piece 35 are separated from the first fixed contact 19a and the second fixed contact 22a is referred to as an upper direction, and the direction in which the first movable contact 35a and the second movable contact 35b are in contact with the first fixed contact 19a and the second fixed contact 22a is referred to as a lower direction. The contact/separation direction is a direction in which the first movable contact 35a and the second movable contact 35b are separated from or brought into contact with the first fixed contact 19a and the second fixed contact 22 a.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the electromagnetic relay 1 includes a first fixed contact terminal 19, a second fixed contact terminal 22, a movable contact piece 35, and a case 24 that houses the first fixed contact terminal 19, the second fixed contact terminal 22, and the movable contact piece 35. The first fixed contact terminal 19 and the second fixed contact terminal 22 are fixed to the housing 24 and are arranged separately from each other. The case 24 is formed in a substantially rectangular box shape by, for example, an insulating resin.

As shown in fig. 3, the first fixed contact terminal 19 and the second fixed contact terminal 22 extend from the inside of the housing 24 to the outside of the housing 24, and protrude from an opening 24b provided in an outer side surface 24a of the housing 24 in a direction intersecting the contact and separation direction. The first fixed contact terminal 19 has a connection end portion 19b connected to the bus bar at one end side outside the housing 24 in a direction intersecting the contact separation direction. The second fixed contact terminal 22 has a connection end portion 22b connected to the bus bar at one end side outside the housing 24 in a direction intersecting the contact/separation direction.

The connection end portion 19b of the first fixed contact terminal 19 and the connection end portion 22b of the second fixed contact terminal 22 are arranged outside the housing 24 in parallel in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the movable contact piece 35. The first fixed contact terminal 19 has an inverted J-shape lying laterally. The first fixed contact terminal 19 has a first fixed contact 19a on the other end side in the housing 24, which is in contact with and separated from the first movable contact 35a of the movable contact piece 35. The second fixed contact terminal 22 has a second fixed contact 22a on the other end side in the housing 24, which is in contact with and separated from the second movable contact 35b of the movable contact piece 35. The movable contact piece 35 is disposed in the housing 24 so as to be movable in the contact/separation direction between the other end of the first fixed contact terminal 19 and the other end of the second fixed contact terminal 22.

The first fixed contact terminal 19 and the second fixed contact terminal 22 are made of, for example, metal, and have a flat plate shape. The first fixed contact terminal 19 has an opposing portion 19c, and the opposing portion 19c is fixedly disposed on the upper surface of the movable contact piece 35, which is located on the opposite side of the contact/separation direction from the lower surface, so as to be spaced apart from the movable contact piece 35 in the contact/separation direction.

The electromagnetic relay 1 further includes a contact mechanism unit 29 and an electromagnet unit 30 in the case 24.

The contact mechanism unit 29 includes: a movable shaft 31 extending parallel to the contact separation direction; a movable iron core 33 connected to a lower portion of the movable shaft 31; a movable contact piece 35 into which the movable shaft 31 is inserted; a contact spring 37 that biases the movable contact piece 35 in a contact direction (i.e., downward) along a contact/separation direction; a ring 38 for preventing the movable contact piece 35 from moving downward; and a return spring 39 for biasing the movable core 33 upward.

The movable shaft 31 is inserted into the movable contact piece 35 at the upper portion and fixed to the movable core 33 at the lower end. The lower portion of the movable shaft 31 is inserted into the electromagnet unit 30 together with the movable core 33, and is capable of reciprocating in the axial direction of the movable shaft 31 parallel to the contact separation direction. The movable shaft 31 has a disc-shaped flange 31a at its upper end. A contact spring 37 is provided between the disk-shaped flange 31a and the movable contact piece 35, and the contact spring 37 biases the movable contact piece 35 in the contact direction along the contact/separation direction.

The movable contact piece 35 is made of, for example, metal and has a flat plate shape. The movable contact piece 35 is disposed in the housing 24 so as to be movable in the contact/separation direction. The surface (i.e., the lower surface) of the movable contact piece 35 on the electromagnet unit 30 side in the axial direction of the movable shaft 31 has a first movable contact point 35a and a second movable contact point 35b that can be brought into contact and separated from the first fixed contact point 19a and the second fixed contact point 22a in the contact-point contact and separation direction. The first movable contact 35a is opposed to the first fixed contact 19a of the first fixed contact terminal 19 so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from each other. The second movable contact 35b is opposed to the second fixed contact 22a of the second fixed contact terminal 22 so as to be able to be separated from and brought into contact with each other.

The lower end of the movable core 33 is supported by a return spring 39. The movable core 33 protrudes upward by the biasing force of the return spring 39 in the non-excited state of the electromagnet unit 30, and is pulled downward against the biasing force of the return spring 39 in the excited state.

The electromagnet unit 30 includes a coil 41, an insulating drum 43, a first yoke 45, a U-shaped second yoke 47, and a stopper 49. The coil 41 is wound around the trunk 43a of the bobbin 43. The first yoke 45 is fixed between the upper ends of the second yoke 47 which become open ends. The stopper 49 is provided above the first yoke 45 and regulates the upward movement of the movable core 33.

Reference is next made to fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a plan view seen from the upper side in the contact point contact and separation direction of the opposing portion 19c of the first fixed contact terminal 19 and the movable contact piece 35. In fig. 4, the contact mechanism unit 29 is not shown in order to facilitate understanding of the positional relationship between the movable contact piece 35 and the opposing portion 19c of the first fixed contact terminal 19.

The opposing portion 19c of the first fixed contact terminal 19 extends to face the central portion 35c of the movable contact piece 35 in the arrangement direction of the first movable contact 35a and the second movable contact 35b in a plan view when viewed from the contact/separation direction. The opposing portion 19c overlaps the entire movable contact piece 35 in the arrangement direction of the first movable contact 35a and the second movable contact 35b in a plan view when viewed from the contact-separation direction. The opposing portion 19c is disposed parallel to the movable contact piece 35 in a side view, and includes a section D described later. In fig. 4, the width of the facing portion 19c is narrower than the width of the movable contact piece 35, but the width of the facing portion 19c may be wider or may be equal to the width of the movable contact piece 35.

Next, the operation of the electromagnetic relay 1 having the above-described configuration will be described. First, as shown in fig. 3, when no voltage is applied to the coil 41, the movable core 33 is biased upward by the spring force of the return spring 39. Thereby, the movable shaft 31 integrated with the movable core 33 is pressed upward, and the movable contact piece 35 is pressed upward. As a result, the first movable contact 35a and the second movable contact 35b of the movable contact piece 35 are in a separated state from the first fixed contact 19a of the first fixed contact terminal 19 and the second fixed contact 22a of the second fixed contact terminal 22.

When the coil 41 is energized to excite the electromagnet unit 30, the movable core 33, the movable shaft 31, and the movable contact piece 35 slide downward against the spring force of the return spring 39 as shown in fig. 5. Thereby, the first and second movable contacts 35a and 35b are brought into a closed state in contact with the first and second fixed contacts 19a and 22 a. In this closed state, as shown in fig. 6, a current flows from the connection end portion 19b of the first fixed contact terminal 19 connected to the battery 3 to the connection end portion 22b of the second fixed contact terminal 22 via the movable contact piece 35 and the second fixed contact terminal 22.

The opposing portion 19c of the first fixed contact terminal 19 is disposed to face the movable contact piece 35 in the contact/separation direction, with respect to a surface (lower surface) having the first movable contact 35a and the second movable contact 35b of the movable contact piece 35 and the other surface (upper surface) located on the opposite side to the contact/separation direction. The opposing portion 19c of the first fixed contact terminal 19 intersects with the contact-separation direction and extends along the arrangement direction of the first movable contact 35a and the second movable contact 35b of the movable contact piece 35. Therefore, for example, when the current Ic flows from the first fixed contact terminal 19 to the second fixed contact terminal 22, in each region where the facing portion 19c of the first fixed contact terminal 19 overlaps the movable contact piece 35 in a plan view as viewed in the contact separation direction, a section D appears in which the direction of the current Ic flowing through the facing portion 19c of the first fixed contact terminal 19 extending above the movable contact piece 35 and the direction of the current Ic flowing through the movable contact piece 35 are opposite directions. In this section D, due to the lorentz force, an electromagnetic repulsive force F is generated in which the opposing portion 19c of the first fixed contact terminal 19 and the movable contact piece 35 repel each other in the contact and separation direction. As a result, the movable contact piece 35 is pressed toward the first fixed contact 19a of the first fixed contact terminal 19 and the second fixed contact 22a of the second fixed contact terminal 22 by the electromagnetic repulsive force F. In this way, the contact pressure of the first and second movable contacts 35a and 35b with the first and second fixed contacts 19a and 22a is improved due to the electromagnetic repulsive force F, and therefore, the contact reliability can be improved. Further, the movable contact piece 35 can be prevented from being separated from the first fixed contact terminal 19 and the second fixed contact terminal 22.

In a plan view as viewed in the contact separation direction, at least a part of the opposing portion 19c of the first fixed contact terminal 19 may overlap the movable contact piece 35, and the electromagnetic repulsive force F may be generated in each overlapping region. In a plan view seen from the contact separation direction, the lorentz force increases as the area where the opposing portion 19c of the first fixed contact terminal 19 overlaps the movable contact piece 35 increases. Since the lorentz force is proportional to the square of the current value, the contact pressure between the first and second movable contacts 35a and 35b and the first and second fixed contacts 19a and 22a increases as the current value flowing through the movable contact piece 35 increases. As a result, the contact separation can be suppressed.

The opposing portion 19c of the first fixed contact terminal 19 extends to face the central portion 35c of the movable contact piece 35 in the arrangement direction of the two movable contacts 35a and 35b, i.e., the first movable contact 35a and the second movable contact 35b, in a plan view when viewed from the contact-separation direction. Accordingly, when the current flows in the closed state, the central portion 35c of the movable contact piece 35 can be pressed downward, and therefore the first movable contact 35a and the second movable contact 35b at both ends of the movable contact piece 35 can be uniformly brought into contact with the two fixed contacts, i.e., the first fixed contact terminal 19 and the second fixed contact terminal 22. Further, since the opposing portion 19c of the first fixed contact terminal 19 is disposed parallel to the movable contact piece 35 in a plan view when viewed from the contact separation direction, the electromagnetic repulsion force F due to the lorentz force can be uniformly applied to the movable contact piece 35.

The opposing portion 19c of the first fixed contact terminal 19 overlaps the entire movable contact piece 35 in the arrangement direction of the two movable contacts, i.e., the first movable contact 35a and the second movable contact 35b, in a plan view when viewed from the contact/separation direction. This causes a downward force to be generated on the entire movable contact piece 35, and therefore the first fixed contact 19a and the second fixed contact 22a of the first fixed contact terminal 19 and the second fixed contact terminal 22 can be further prevented from being separated from the movable contact piece 35.

(embodiment mode 2)

Next, an electromagnetic relay 1a according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig. 7 to 9. Fig. 7 is a front cross-sectional view schematically showing the electromagnetic relay in the separated state according to embodiment 2. Fig. 8 is a front cross-sectional view of the electromagnetic relay schematically showing a closed state. Fig. 9 is a partial sectional view of the electromagnetic relay. The movable contact piece 35 of the electromagnetic relay 1 of embodiment 1 is disposed below the contact spring 37, and a part of the movable contact piece 35 of the electromagnetic relay 1a of embodiment 2 is disposed above the contact spring 36. The electromagnetic relay 1a according to embodiment 2 is common to the electromagnetic relay 1 according to embodiment 1 except for the following matters.