Electricity: circuit makers and breakers – Electric switch details – Contact
Patent
1999-01-29
2000-11-07
Friedhofer, Michael
Electricity: circuit makers and breakers
Electric switch details
Contact
29879, 200239, H01H 102, H01H 106
Patent
active
061439983
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an electric switch, and to a method for producing a contact system for such an electric switch.
Known switches are frequently equipped with a small housing, and so only a small installation space is available in the housing for the contact system. Nevertheless, the contact system designed for this small installation space is intended to ensure a reliable switching performance.
DE-A 195 12 277 has disclosed such an electric switch having a contact system, the contact system having a contact arranged on a contact carrier. The contact, comprising in turn a contact body and a contact surface, is arranged in a recess on the contact carrier in such a way that the contact surface is exposed on a first side of the contact carrier. The contact body projects at a further, second side of the contact carrier, the second side being approximately perpendicular to the first side, and is fastened on the contact carrier by embossing, calking, welding or the like.
This contact system is installed in the housing of the switch together with further components in subsequent fabrication steps. The fabrication steps are frequently performed in appropriately designed automatic machines. It has been found that in some circumstances the contact can become detached from the contact carrier in the course of the further fabrication steps, with the result that the functional reliability of the switch is endangered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to further improve the fastening of the contact on the contact carrier in the known contact system, and to specify a suitable method for producing such an improved contact system, the aim being, in particular, for the method of production to be suitable for use in an automatic machine.
This object is achieved by an electric switch with a contact system arranged in a recess where a region adjacent to an edge of the recess of a projecting contact body is embossed with a first side of the contact carrier, and at least one spot weld is arranged at least partially on the embossed region of the contact body and is produced by means of a laser beam in such a way that the resultant weld zone of the spot weld includes at least partially a region bordering the contact carrier and the embossed region.
The above object is further achieved in a method for producing a contact system for an electric switch by the steps of embossing a region adjacent an edge of a recess of a projecting contact body with a first side of the contact carrier and focussing a laser beam at least partially on the embossed region of the contact body in such a way to produce a weld zone of a resultant spot weld that includes at least partially a region bordering the contact carrier and the embossed region.
Further refinements of the invention are the subject matter of the subclaims.
It is advantageous when the embossed region of the contact body forms an essentially planar surface which runs parallel with reference to the surface of the second side of the contact carrier. As a result, it is possible to keep for the scattering losses of the laser radiation which do not contribute to the welding to be low. If the planar surface of the embossed region covers the joint zone included in the weld zone of the spot weld, the entire intensity of the laser beam falls on the embossed region, as a result of which the uncontrollable, fluctuating scattering losses of the contact carrier are completely eliminated. This planar surface is produced by planishing the region of the contact body during embossing by means of an appropriately configured tool. In particular, the planar surface can be constructed to run evenly with the second side of the contact carrier, with the result that the direction of the laser beam for the welding can be adjusted in a simple way with reference to the surface of the second side of the contact carrier. In addition, planishing ensures the contact body is clamped in the recess on the contact carrier, thus ruling out distortion during weldi
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Friedhofer Michael
Kinberg Robert
Marquardt GmbH
Voorhees Catherine M.
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