JPH0426172B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field] The present invention uses an electromagnet to open and close a sealed contact part in which a fixed contact and a movable contact are housed in a sealed container using a bellows together with a mixed gas containing hydrogen. The present invention relates to a sealed contact device.

Such a sealed contact device can be suitably used in power load switching equipment such as electromagnetic switches and relays.

[Background Art] When switching on and off a power load, especially when cutting off direct current, the contacts are likely to be worn out or welded due to arcing, which poses a problem of reducing the reliability and lifespan of the contact device. Therefore, the applicant proposed that a fixed contact provided on a fixed electrode and a movable contact provided on a movable electrode are housed in a sealed container using a bellows together with a mixed gas containing hydrogen, and fixed to one end of the bellows. The movable electrode is exposed to the outside of the sealed container,
In addition, we have proposed various sealed contact structures whose basic structure is to keep the contacts open at all times, in an effort to improve the reliability and lifespan of contact devices.

In order to open and close such a sealed contact device, it is common to use an electromagnet and cause a movable electrode to respond to the attraction or release operation of the armature.

FIG. 9 shows a general example of a sealed contact device, in which a sealed contact portion A has a movable electrode C exposed to the outside of a sealed container B. D and E are permanent magnets and yokes for arc expansion. The electromagnet part F has a yoke G, an iron core H, a coil J, an armature K, a return spring L, and the like.
M is a drive member for the movable electrode, which is made of an elastic plate material to ensure a predetermined contact pressure, and the base end is an armature K.
The tip is fixed to the movable electrode C and can press the movable electrode C.

In the state shown in the figure, the coil J is energized and the armature K is in the attraction position, so that the driving member M is in contact with the movable electrode C by pressing it with a predetermined spring force. When the coil J is de-energized in this state, the armature K moves to the release position, and the drive member M releases the pressure of the movable electrode C and enters the contact open state.

However, in such an electromagnet, when the coil is changed from an energized state to a non-excited state, the attraction force of the armature does not disappear instantly, and the initial speed of the release operation is not fast. Therefore, the contact opening speed decreases in conjunction with the use of an elastic plate material for the drive member M to ensure contact pressure, which leads to the inability to fully demonstrate the performance of the sealed contact portion itself. It is.

[Object of the Invention] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its purpose is to fully demonstrate the performance of the sealed contact portion itself without reducing the contact opening speed. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sealed contact device that can improve reliability and service life.

[Disclosure of the Invention] The sealed contact device of the present invention has a fixed contact provided on a fixed electrode and a movable contact provided on a movable electrode.
A seal in which a mixed gas containing hydrogen is housed in a sealed container using bellows, a movable electrode fixed to the free end of the bellows is exposed to the outside of the sealed container, and the contact is always in an open state. A sealed contact device consisting of a contact part and an electromagnet part having an armature that presses or releases an externally exposed movable electrode in response to its own movement to an attraction or release position, the base end of which is rotatable. In addition to providing a rigid driving member whose tip is supported and whose tip can press the movable electrode,
A spring is installed between the armature and the driving member, and when the armature is in the suction position, the armature and the driving member are linked only through the spring, and the spring force of the spring is maximum, and the armature is at least in the release position. In this case, the armature and the drive member are directly linked to each other, so that the spring force of the spring is minimized.

According to the present invention, when the contact is opened, that is, when the armature is released, the armature receives the maximum spring force of the spring, and the contact state is maintained until the armature is first directly linked to the drive member. The drive member moves with increasing speed and then receives the impact energy of the armature and moves to the release position together with the armature, so the performance of the sealed contact itself is improved without reducing the displacement speed of the movable electrode, that is, the contact opening speed. Therefore, the reliability and life of the sealed contact device can be improved.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 4. The present invention consists of a sealed contact part and an electromagnet part as basic elements.

2 and 3 show the sealed contact portion 1. FIG. 2
The case is made of an insulating material such as ceramics, and has a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape, with stepped portions 2a and 2b provided on the inner wall. 3 and 4 are upper and lower end plates made of conductive material such as 42 alloy, which close the open end of the case 2 and are fixed thereto. The upper end plate 3 has an insertion hole 3 approximately in the center.
It has a. The lower end plate 4 has a fixing hole 4a approximately in the center,
It has a gas supply hole 4b around it.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a fixed electrode made of copper alloy, the base portion 5a of which is caulked and fixed in the fixing hole 4a, and the fixed contact 6 made of tungsten fixed to the large diameter portion 5b of the tip. This fixed contact 6 has a substantially disk shape, and an insulating material 6a such as ceramics is attached to both flat surfaces by thermal spraying or the like.

7 and 8 are a trachea and a trachea support member made of acid-free copper. The trachea support member 8 is fixed to the outer surface of the lower end plate 4 by brazing or the like so as to cover the gas supply hole 4b, and the trachea 7 is fixed through the trachea support member 8 substantially at the center thereof. After the trachea 7 is filled with a mixed gas of hydrogen and, for example, nitrogen, its ends are sealed under pressure, and by connecting the lead wire 9, it also functions as a fixed contact terminal.

Reference numerals 10 and 11 indicate upper and lower insulating members made of an insulating material such as ceramics, which are sandwiched between the upper and lower end plates 3 and 4 and the step portions 2a and 2b of the case. Upper insulating member 10
is an insertion hole 10 that communicates with the insertion hole 3a of the upper end plate 3.
It has a. The lower insulating member 11 is the upper insulating member 10
It is considerably thicker and has an insertion hole 11a through which the fixed electrode 5 is inserted with a margin, and a recess 11b on the side of the lower end plate 4 to ensure a creeping distance, and is positioned and fitted to a protrusion of the lower end plate 4. 11c is the fixed electrode 5
The cylindrical insulating member 11d surrounding the fixed electrode 5 is a bowl-shaped insulating member sandwiched between the large diameter portion of the fixed electrode 5 and the cylindrical insulating member 11c.

Reference numeral 12 denotes a cylindrical member made of a conductive material such as 42 alloy, which has an inner diameter larger than the insertion hole 3a of the upper end plate 3, and is fixed to the outer surface of the upper end plate 3 concentrically with the insertion hole 3a by brazing or the like. Reference numeral 13 denotes a bellows pressing plate made of a conductive material such as 42 alloy, which closes the open end of the cylindrical member 12 and fixes a guide member 14 extending into the cylindrical member 12 at a substantially central portion.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a bellows made of a three-layer thin plate material of, for example, nickel-copper-nickel, and has a bellows part 15a in the middle part.
has. The proximal end 15b bent outward is
It is sandwiched between the cylindrical member 12 and the bellows holding plate 13, and is hermetically fixed thereto by laser beam welding or the like. On the other hand, the free end 15c is hermetically fixed to a movable electrode, which will be described later.

16 is a movable electrode made of copper alloy, and the cylindrical member 1
2 and is guided by a guide member 14. A movable contact 17 made of tungsten and having a substantially disk shape that comes into contact with and separates from the fixed contact 6 is fixed to the inner large-diameter tip portion 16a. Further, the free end 15c of the bellows described above is fixed in the vicinity of the large-diameter tip portion 16a of the intermediate shaft portion 16b.
In this case, both contacts 6 and 17 are made to open when the movable electrode 16 is in a free state. Furthermore, a plastic spring receiver 18 and a movable contact terminal 19 are fixed to the base portion 16c exposed to the outside. 20 is a return spring compressed and mounted between the spring receiver 18 and the upper end plate 3; 21 is a lead wire connected to the movable contact terminal 19; Furthermore, a hemispherical contact member 22 made of a low friction coefficient material such as Teflon is fixed to the end surface of the base 16c.

However, the case 2, the upper and lower end plates 3, 4, the trachea 7,
The trachea support member 8, the cylindrical member 12, the bellows 15, and the movable electrode 16 constitute a sealed container Y.
A mixed gas of hydrogen and nitrogen is supplied into the sealed container Y from the trachea 7 at a pressure of 2 to 3 atmospheres, and then the trachea 7 is sealed under pressure. The arc chamber is composed of a case 2 and upper and lower insulating members 10 and 11.

23, 23 are permanent magnets for arc expansion provided outside the sealed container Y so as to face each other with both contacts 6, 17 in between; Fixed.

Next, the electromagnet section 31 that opens and closes the sealed contact section will be explained.

In FIGS. 1 and 4, 32 is a yoke made of magnetic plate material, and is made up of a long piece 32a and a short piece 32b.
It is bent into a letter shape. The end of the long piece 32a has a bent piece 32c bent from both sides, and the bent piece 32c further has a support hole 32d for supporting a drive member, which will be described later. Reference numeral 33 denotes an iron core fixed to the short piece 32b of the yoke, and is located parallel to the long piece 32a. A coil 34 is wound around the iron core 33 via a coil frame 35. Reference numeral 36 denotes an armature made of a magnetic material, the proximal end of which is rotatably supported by the long piece 32a, and the distal end of which approaches and separates from the iron core 33 by receiving and not receiving an attractive force. The armature 36 also presses or releases the movable electrode 16 in response to its own movement to the suction or release position.
The base end of a spring receiving member 36a, which is bent in two stages, is fixed to the base end of the armature 36. In addition,
For reliable support of the armature 36, a support spring (not shown) with a small spring force is provided.

Reference numeral 37 is a drive member made of a low specific gravity and high strength insulating material such as polycarbonate, and a support shaft 37a press-fitted into the base end is supported in a support hole 32d, so that it is polymerized with the armature 36 but independent above it. It is rotatably supported by the yoke 32. The driving member 37 has a planar shape that is wide at the base end and becomes narrower toward the distal end, and the distal end extends considerably farther than the distal end of the armature 36. That is, this tip extends to a position where it can press the movable electrode 16 (specifically, the contact member 22) of the sealed contact device 1. Also, a recess 37b is provided in the middle part.
is formed. Furthermore, this driving member is made into a rigid body or a nearly rigid body that does not bend like a general spring material.

Reference numeral 38 denotes a coiled spring that is compressed and mounted between the spring receiving member 36a of the armature and the bottom of the recess 37b of the driving member. Therefore, when the armature 36 is in the release position, its spring force causes the spring 38 to be stretched the most (the spring force is at its minimum), that is, the tip of the armature 36 is in contact with the intermediate portion of the drive member 37. . In this vicinity, the armature 36 and the drive member 37 operate in direct coordination. On the other hand, when the armature 36 is in the suction position, the tip of the drive member 37 presses the movable electrode 16 and the spring 38 functions to ensure contact pressure. Separate armature 36 and drive member 37 are linked only via spring 38 . In this state, the spring 38 is in its most compressed state (the spring force is maximum).

Although not explained in some cases, the sealed contact portion 1 and the electromagnet portion 31 are appropriately arranged on a base or the like with the above-described relationship.

(Operation) In FIGS. 1 to 3 and 5a, the contacts are in contact state, that is, the armature 36 is in the suction position. Therefore, the spring 38 is most compressed, and its spring force ensures a predetermined contact pressure. And Amathya 36
A gap g exists between the tip of the drive member 37 and the drive member 37.

In this state, when the coil 34 is de-energized to open the contacts, the attractive force of the armature 36 gradually weakens and the armature 36 receives the maximum spring force of the spring 38, so that the contact state is maintained. As it is, only the armature 36 rotates while gradually increasing its speed until it is directly linked to the drive member 37 (the tip of the armature 36 comes into contact with the drive member 37), resulting in the state shown in FIG. 5b. That is, from a to b, the amateur gear 36 runs idle.

In the state shown in Fig. 5b, Amateur 3 was running idle.
6 becomes high speed and collides with the driving member 37 with sufficient collision energy. Therefore, the driving member 37
very quickly rotates together with the armature 36 to the release position shown in FIG. 5c. As a result, the movable electrode 1
6 receives the spring force of the return spring 20, the mixed gas pressure, the return force of the bellows 15, etc., and quickly completes the contact opening operation without reducing the original speed of the sealed contact portion 1. 39 is a stopper that determines the release position of the armature 36 and the drive member 37.

In such a contact opening operation, the arc is sufficiently stretched by high-speed opening and the arc stretching action of the permanent magnet, and the arc can be extinguished favorably by the arc cooling action of the mixed gas.

To change the contact state from the open state to the contact state, the coil 34 is excited. That is, from the state c, the armature 36 is attracted to the iron core 33 and rotates, and when it reaches the state b, it is in contact contact state, and thereafter only the armature 36 rotates to the state a.

In this operation, especially in the operation from c to b, the armature 3
When the elongation change of the bellows 15 cannot follow the rotational speed of the bellows 15, the spring 38 absorbs the change and can reduce the decrease in the life of the bellows 15.

6 to 8 show second to fourth embodiments of the present invention, in which the armature, drive member, spring, and yoke are modified. Note that the same reference numerals are given to substantially the same members as in the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, the armature 46 is formed in an L-shape, the driving member 47 is also formed in a substantially L-shape, and the spring 48 is disposed near the long piece 32a of the yoke 32. This eliminates the need for the armature spring receiving member that existed in the first embodiment.

In the third embodiment, the drive member 57 is made into a substantially flat plate shape, and a locking protrusion 57a is provided on the base end side.
This is fixed to the proximal end of the armature 36, and the pivot points of the armature 36 and the drive member 57 are closer to each other than in the first and second embodiments, allowing for smoother operation when opening the contact. .

In the fourth embodiment, the spring 68 is a leaf spring, so that the armature 66 does not need a spring receiving member as in the first embodiment. Also, the driving member 67
has substantially the same shape as the third embodiment and can be miniaturized.

It goes without saying that the second to fourth embodiments have the effects described in the first embodiment. In addition, the armature, drive members, springs, yokes, etc.
The examples are not limited to those described in the examples.
It can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

[Effects of the Invention] In the driving device for a sealed contact device of the present invention, a fixed contact provided on a fixed electrode and a movable contact provided on a movable electrode are operated together with a hydrogen-containing mixed gas in a sealed container using a bellows. The movable electrode fixed to the free end of the bellows is exposed to the outside of the sealed container, and the sealed contact part which is normally in an open state and the movable electrode fixed to the free end of the bellows are connected to the closed contact part and the movable electrode fixed to the free end of the bellows. In a sealed contact device consisting of an electromagnet having an armature that presses or releases a movable electrode exposed to the outside in response, a rigid drive whose base end is rotatably supported and whose tip can press the movable electrode is used. In addition, a spring is installed between the armature and the drive member, and when the armature is in the suction position, the armature and the drive member are linked only through the spring, and the spring force of the spring is maximum, and the armature is in the suction position. At least when the armature is in the release position, the armature and the driving member are directly linked and the spring force of the spring is minimized. Therefore, when the contact is opened, that is, when the armature is released, the maximum spring force of the spring is Amachiya received the
While maintaining the contact state, only the armature moves while gradually increasing the speed until it is directly linked to the drive member.Then, the drive member receiving the impact energy of the armature moves to the release position together with the armature, so that the movable electrode The performance of the sealed contact portion itself can be fully demonstrated without decreasing the displacement speed of the contact, that is, the contact opening speed, thereby improving the reliability and life of the sealed contact device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a first embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the sealed contact portion, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the sealed contact portion.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the electromagnet section, FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a third embodiment of the invention, FIG. 8 is a side view showing a fourth embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 9 is a side view showing a conventional example. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Sealed contact part, 5... Fixed electrode, 6... Fixed contact, 15... Bellows, 16... Movable electrode,
17...Movable contact, Y...Sealing container, 31...Electromagnet part, 36...Amateur, 37...Driving member,
38...Spring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A fixed contact provided on a fixed electrode and a movable contact provided on a movable electrode are housed together with a mixed gas containing hydrogen in a sealed container using a bellows, and the movable electrode fixed to the free end of the bellows is A sealed contact portion that is exposed to the outside of the sealed container and that is normally in an open state, and an armature that presses or releases the movable electrode that is exposed to the outside in response to its own movement to the suction or release position. In the sealed contact device, a rigid drive member is provided whose base end is rotatably supported and whose tip can press the movable electrode, and a spring is provided between the armature and the drive member. When the armature is installed and the armature is in the suction position, the armature and the driving member are linked only through the spring, and the spring force of the spring is maximum, and when the armature is at least in the release position, the armature and the driving member are connected together. is a sealed contact device that is directly linked to minimize the spring force of the spring.