Polarized electromagnetic relay and method for production thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9368304-B2
Application number	US-201314388104-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2013
Priority date	Mar 30, 2012
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A polarized relay comprising an electromagnet, a two-pole or three-pole permanent magnet, an armature, and switches, which are mounted in and on a shelf-like support component. The support component accommodates magnetic flux pieces and the permanent magnet in an upper cavity, and the permanent magnet is magnetized while the electromagnet is still outside the support component. Subsequently, the electromagnet is inserted into lower cavity of the support component and the rest of the components of the relay are mounted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing a polarized electromagnetic relay comprising an electromagnet, a permanent magnet, an armature, and an actuable switch, comprising the steps of:
a) providing a coil assembly comprising a coil with a core and pole pieces as a structural unit;
b) providing a support component that has a first accommodation space for a pole assembly extending to the side of the armature, and a second accommodation space for the coil assembly, the first and second accommodation spaces being arranged in the manner of shelf compartments;
c) mounting the pole assembly including magnetic flux pieces and an unmagnetized permanent magnet precursor in the first accommodation space;
d) magnetizing the permanent magnet precursor in the pole assembly while the second accommodation space is empty, to obtain the permanent magnet;
e) mounting the coil assembly in the second accommodation space;
f) mounting the rest of the relay components to complete the relay.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , for providing a three-pole permanent magnet;
wherein step c) comprises mounting two precursor magnet portions which are magnetizable to a different extent, between three magnetic flux pieces of the pole assembly; and
wherein step d) comprises the sub-steps of:
d1) magnetizing the two precursor magnet portions;
d2) remagnetizing the weaker precursor magnet portion in such a manner that like poles of the magnetized portions face each other at the magnetic flux piece separating them.

3. A polarized electromagnetic relay, comprising:
a support component of a shelf-like or storey-like configuration, having a first accommodation space extending to the side of an armature, a second accommodation space, and a third accommodation space, the first, second and third accommodation spaces being arranged one upon the other, the second, intermediate accommodation space being arranged in a manner of a shelf compartment;
a pole assembly comprising magnetic flux pieces defining a central magnetic flux piece and first pole pieces on either side thereof, and a magnetized permanent magnet between at least one of the first pole pieces and the central magnetic flux piece, the pole assembly being accommodated in the first accommodation space of the support component;
a coil assembly comprising a coil with a core and second pole pieces as a structural unit and forming part of an electromagnet, which is inserted in the second accommodation space;
the armature which is arranged on the pole assembly and is pivotable relative thereto, and which is connected to movable switch elements.

4. The relay as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the third accommodation space of the support component accommodates a load switch and is closed by a housing bottom.

5. The relay as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the housing bottom supports at least one fixed contact of the load switch, and together with the support component supports terminal pins.

6. The relay as claimed in claim 3 :
wherein the electromagnet comprises a U-shaped yoke with adjacent pole pieces that define magnetic flux pieces;
wherein the armature is configured as a rocking armature having a first and a second leg, the armature being supported on the central magnetic flux piece and forming a closed low magnetic gap magnetic flux path, by a respective one of its legs together with the central magnetic flux piece and a respective one of the magnetic flux pieces operative as the first pole pieces; and
wherein each of the legs actuates a movable contact of a respective switch.

7. The relay as claimed in claim 6 , wherein a first switch which is usable as a diagnostic switch is formed by a fixed contact on the support component and a movable contact at a first contact spring which is fixed on the first leg of the rocking armature, and wherein a second switch which is usable as a load switch is formed by a fixed contact on the housing bottom and a movable contact at a second contact spring which is mechanically coupled to the second leg of the rocking armature through an electrically insulating coupling member.

8. The relay as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the support component has a guideway for the insulating coupling member, and wherein a housing cap encloses the support component thereby partially encompassing the housing bottom.

9. The relay as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the permanent magnet is a one-piece component, one pole thereof adjoining the central magnetic flux piece and the other pole thereof adjoining one of the magnetic flux pieces that are effective as magnetic poles.

10. The relay as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the permanent magnet comprises two portions which are facing each other with like poles at the central magnetic flux piece so as to form a three-pole permanent magnet as a whole.

11. The relay as claimed in claim 10 , wherein one of the portions has a higher coercive force than the other portion.

12. The relay as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the portion with the higher coercive force occupies a smaller volume than the portion with the lower coercive force.

Assignees

• Phoenix Contact Gmbh & Co

Inventors

• Heinrich Jens
• Mueller Christian
• Hoffmann Ralf

Classifications

• H01H51/22

  Polarised relays {(H01H51/284 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• Y10T29/49073

  by assembling coil and core · CPC title

• H01H49/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of relays or parts thereof · CPC title

• H01F7/122

  by permanent magnets {(H01F7/1615, H01F7/1646 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H01H50/041 Primary

  Details concerning assembly of relays · CPC title