Switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11205546-B2
Application number	US-201816614803-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2018
Priority date	Jul 26, 2017
Publication date	Dec 21, 2021
Grant date	Dec 21, 2021

Abstract

A switch includes a first fixed contact, a second fixed contact, a movable contact, a drive shaft, a first outside yoke, a second outside yoke, a first inside yoke, a second inside yoke, and a permanent magnet. The permanent magnet magnetically couples the first outside yoke, the second outside yoke, the first inside yoke, and the second inside yoke, and produces a magnetic field component in a direction in which the first fixed contact point and the second fixed contact point are aligned, between the first fixed contact point and the first movable contact point and between the second fixed contact point and the second movable contact point.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A switch comprising:
a first fixed contact having a first fixed contact point;
a second fixed contact disposed to be aligned in a row with a gap from the first fixed contact, the second fixed contact having a second fixed contact point;
a movable contact disposed to a side of the first fixed contact point and the second fixed contact point, the movable contact having a first movable contact point at one end portion at a position facing the first fixed contact point and a second movable contact point at another end portion at a position facing the second fixed contact point;
a drive shaft formed of an insulator and disposed to pass through the gap to move the movable contact to the side;
a first outside yoke formed of a magnetic substance, a part of the first outside yoke being located at a position outside the one end portion of the movable contact in a direction in which the first fixed contact point and the second fixed contact point are aligned;
a second outside yoke formed of a magnetic substance, a part of the second outside yoke being located at a position outside the other end portion of the movable contact in the direction aligned;
a first inside yoke formed of a magnetic substance, a part of the first inside yoke being located at a position between the first fixed contact and the drive shaft;
a second inside yoke formed of a magnetic substance, a part of the second inside yoke being located at a position between the second fixed contact and the drive shaft; and
a permanent magnet connected to each of the first outside yoke and the second outside yoke, wherein
the permanent magnet magnetically couples the first outside yoke, the second outside yoke, the first inside yoke, and the second inside yoke, and produces a magnetic field component in the direction aligned, between the first fixed contact point and the first movable contact point and between the second fixed contact point and the second movable contact point,
the movable contact extends in the direction aligned,
the first movable contact point is configured to come into contact with and separate from the first fixed contact point,
the second movable contact point is configured to come into contact with and separate from the second fixed contact point,
the drive shaft moves the movable contact in an axial direction vertical to the direction aligned while keeping the first fixed contact point and the first movable contact point facing each other and while keeping the second fixed contact point and the second movable contact point facing each other,
the permanent magnet is disposed at a position on an opposite side to the first fixed contact and the second fixed contact in the axial direction with respect to the movable contact or at a position on an opposite side to the movable contact in the axial direction with respect to the first fixed contact and the second fixed contact,
a part of the first outside yoke and a part of the first inside yoke face each other between the first fixed contact point and the first movable contact point, as viewed from the direction aligned, and
a part of the second outside yoke and a part of the second inside yoke face each other between the second fixed contact point and the second movable contact point, as viewed from the direction aligned.

2. A switch comprising:
a first fixed contact having a first fixed contact point;
a second fixed contact disposed to be aligned in a row with a gap from the first fixed contact, the second fixed contact having a second fixed contact point;
a movable contact disposed to a side of the first fixed contact point and the second fixed contact point, the movable contact having a first movable contact point at one end portion at a position facing the first fixed contact point and a second movable contact point at another end portion at a position facing the second fixed contact point;
a drive shaft formed of an insulator and disposed to pass through the gap to move the movable contact to the side;
a first outside yoke formed of a magnetic substance, a part of the first outside yoke being located at a position outside the one end portion of the movable contact in a direction in which the first fixed contact point and the second fixed contact point are aligned;
a second outside yoke formed of a magnetic substance, a part of the second outside yoke being located at a position outside the other end portion of the movable contact in the direction aligned;
a first inside yoke formed of a magnetic substance, a part of the first inside yoke being located at a position between the first fixed contact and the drive shaft;
a second inside yoke formed of a magnetic substance, a part of the second inside yoke being located at a position between the second fixed contact and the drive shaft; and
a permanent magnet connected to each of the first outside yoke and the second outside yoke, wherein
the permanent magnet magnetically couples the first outside yoke, the second outside yoke, the first inside yoke, and the second inside yoke, and produces a magnetic field component in the direction aligned, between the first fixed contact point and the first movable contact point and between the second fixed contact point and the second movable contact point,
the movable contact extends in the direction aligned,
the first movable contact point is configured to come into contact with and separate from the first fixed contact point,
the second movable contact point is configured to come into contact with and separate from the second fixed contact point,
the drive shaft moves the movable contact in an axial direction vertical to the direction aligned while keeping the first fixed contact point and the first movable contact point facing each other and while keeping the second fixed contact point and the second movable contact point facing each other,
the permanent magnet is disposed at a position on an opposite side to the first fixed contact and the second fixed contact in the axial direction with respect to the movable contact or at a position on an opposite side to the movable contact in the axial direction with respect to the first fixed contact and the second fixed contact,
an outer width of the first inside yoke is larger than an outer width of the first outside yoke in a width direction vertical to each of the direction aligned and the axial direction, and
an outer width of the second inside yoke is larger than an outer width of the second outside yoke in the width direction.

3. The switch according to claim 1 , wherein
a part of the first outside yoke and a part of the first inside yoke are located between the first fixed contact point and the first movable contact point, as viewed from the direction aligned, and
a part of the second outside yoke and a part of the second inside yoke are located between the second fixed contact point and the second movable contact point, as viewed from the direction aligned.

4. The switch according to claim 1 , wherein the switch comprises only one permanent magnet as the permanent magnet.

5. The switch according to claim 1 , wherein the first inside yoke and the second inside yoke are integrally formed.

6. The switch according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first inside yoke and the second inside yoke is connected to the drive shaft.

7. The switch according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first inside yoke and the second inside yoke is connected to the permanent magnet.

8. The switch according to claim 1 , wherein
the first outside yoke passes through a center portion of the first fixed contact in a width direction vertical to each of the direction aligned and an axial direction vertical to the direction aligned, and
the second outside yoke passes

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Hotta Katsuki
• Inaguchi Takashi
• Takahashi Kazuki

Classifications

• H01H9/443 Primary

  using permanent magnets · CPC title

• H01H9/36

  Metal parts · CPC title

• H01H50/38

  Part of main magnetic circuit shaped to suppress arcing between the contacts of the relay · CPC title

• H01H50/546

  for contactors having bridging contacts · CPC title

• H01H9/446

  using magnetisable elements associated with the contacts · CPC title