Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Patent
1989-01-18
1990-04-10
Echols, P. W.
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
29827, 29883, 200 1A, 200 51R, H01H 1104
Patent
active
049148060
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
[TECHNICAL FIELD]
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a contact block used in a relay or the like and, more particularly, to a method of manufacturing the contact block with high quality.
[BACKGROUND ART]
A small relay is generally constituted by components such as a contact block, a coil, a yoke, an armature, and a driving card. The contact block is an integral member formed by assembling contact components such as make contacts, break contacts, and movable contact springs in accordance with a predetermined positional relationship. When the coil is biased, the armature is moved, and the movable contact springs of the contact block are moved through the driving card, thereby performing a switching operation of a relay contact. In such a small relay, the contact switching characteristics, reliability, and the like of the relay are greatly influenced by the precision of the contact block. As a demand has arisen for a smaller relay, the precision and reliability of the contact block are required to be further increased.
In order to increase the precision of the contact block, according to a conventional method, a plurality of make contacts, break contacts, and movable contact springs are integrally formed by molding using a resin so as to form subassemblies, and the subassemblies are assembled to form a contact block. Japanese Patent Publication (Kokoku) No. 57-22174 and Japanese Patent Disclosure (Kokai) No. 58-14440 disclose such a contact block.
Such a contact block, however, is assembled after subassemblies of make contacts, break contacts, movable contact springs, and the like are independently separated. Consequently, subassemblies which are processed and managed under the same conditions may sometimes be assembled together, and subassemblies which are obtained by different processes or from different lots may sometimes be assembled together, thus posing limitations in precision and reliability.
In order to solve such a problem, another method has been developed. According to this method, these contact members are blanked from a hoop member and are integrally formed by using a resin member, and final contact blocks are completed by assembling contacts and movable contact springs on this hoop member in successive processes, and are sequentially cut off.
Such a method will be described below with reference to FIGS. 14 to 18. As shown in FIG. 14, blanking of first hoop member 1 is performed by a blanking unit (not shown) so as to form pairs of coil contact pieces, base pieces 3, break contact pieces 4, and make contact plate pieces 5. These pairs of pieces are arranged to be symmetrical about the central line of hoop member 1. These pieces are coupled to hoop member 1 through coupling portions 6 and the like. Subsequently, first hoop member 1 blanked in this manner is transferred to a molding unit (not shown) so as to mold intermediate portions of coil contact pieces 2, base pieces 3, break contact pieces, and make contact plate pieces 5, thereby forming a pair of right and left insulating blocks 17 made of a resin material. After this process, coupling portions 8a, 8b, and 8c are cut off.
As shown in FIG. 15, a second hoop member having a width larger than that of the first hoop member is blanked by a blanking unit (not shown) independently from the first hoop member so as to form a pair of movable contact spring plate pieces 10. These movable contact plate pieces are arranged to be symmetrical about the central line of the second hoop member, and are coupled thereto through coupling portion 11. Contacts 12 and 13 are respectively welded to the distal end portions of movable contact spring plate pieces 10 in this state. Intermediate portions 10a of plate pieces 10 are then bent by tension.
Subsequently, second hoop member 9 is aligned with a portion between insulating blocks 7 of first hoop member 1. The proximal end portions of movable contact plate pieces 10 of the second hoop member are respectively welded to base pieces 3 of the first hoop member, and movable contact spring
REFERENCES:
patent: 4356465 (1982-10-01), Agatanama
patent: 4490903 (1985-01-01), Agatahama
patent: 4595805 (1986-06-01), Masuda
patent: 4783906 (1988-11-01), Gingerich et al.
Tada Manabu
Taguchi Jisei
Anritsu Corporation
Echols P. W.
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