Electricity: magnetically operated switches – magnets – and electr – Electromagnetically actuated switches – With housing or support means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-11
2001-02-06
Donovan, Lincoln (Department: 2832)
Electricity: magnetically operated switches, magnets, and electr
Electromagnetically actuated switches
With housing or support means
C335S132000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06184762
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an arrangement of a relay and control module combination wherein the relay has an approximately cuboid housing with a main connection side from which load connecting elements emerge and with an auxiliary connection side with control connections. The the control module has a module housing with a coupling side which can be fitted to the auxiliary connection side of the relay housing and, in the region of the coupling side to the control connections, has complementary plug connections which produce an electrical connection of the control module for the relay.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electrical and electronic circuits which are arranged separately from the relay, for example on a printed circuit board, are widely used for actuating and monitoring electromagnetic relays. It is often desirable to combine the relay with its actuation circuit, in which case it is also known for an electronic circuit to be accommodated in the relay housing itself. However, such a relay with a built-in electronic circuit is more complex and more expensive and, owing to the special circuitry, can be used only for specific purposes. In addition, the required quantities for such designs are typically relatively low. It is also known for an electronic module to be produced for a relay as a separate module and, if required, to be accommodated in an appropriate chamber in the relay housing (DE 36 14 919 A1). The electrical coupling between the electronic module and the relay is, in this case, produced externally via a printed circuit board or the like.
Furthermore, it is also known for a plug-in relay and an additional module to be connected via their respective housings to form a unit (EP 05 07 729 A2). In this case, however, the electrical coupling of the additional module to the relay is once again produced only via the respective connecting pins and via a common relay socket. In contrast, the housings are connected to one another mechanically. On the other hand, relays have also been disclosed (EP 0409 613 A2) which have connecting pins on various housing sides in order, for example, to carry out the actuation via a solder side of a printed circuit board while the load connections are coupled via blade plugs.
FR-A1-26 96 040 discloses an interrupter switch whose design corresponds to the relay construction mentioned initially. There, however, the load connecting elements are not connected to a main connection side until additional modules have been fitted. As a result, the multi-part housing has openings on all sides which is unacceptable for a relay subject to relatively stringent requirements for insulation and electric-shock protection. A control module in the form of a heat protection relay is likewise schematically indicated, without any matching of the respective housing shapes being evident.
The aim of the present invention is to provide an arrangement of a relay with a control module of the type mentioned at the beginning, wherein the module can be coupled, as required, to the relay. In addition, the module forms not only a mechanical unit with the relay, but also an electrical unit; the relay also capable of being operated normally without the control module.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, this aim is achieved in that the module housing is cuboid in shape, wherein the module housing and the auxiliary connection side of the relay housing on the coupling side of the module housing have identical areas and are matched to one another in such a manner that, once the two housings have been plugged onto one another, they form an approximately cuboid combination housing.
On its housing, the control module of the present invention has a coupling side with plug elements by means of which it can be plugged onto a corresponding relay housing which has an auxiliary connection side with corresponding control plug connections. Since the relay itself invariably has a main connection side via which coil connections can be connected, the control module could be operated on its own with the plug connections of its coupling side toward the relay. However, in addition to its coupling side, the control module preferably also has a further module connection side with external connections. In this case, particularly good electrical isolation of all the control and test connections from the load connections of the relay is possible.
The control module according to the present invention, which can be plugged on, allows the use of a relay designed for universal purposes both with and without this control module. As such, it is feasible for the relay to contain only additional connecting elements in a cap, with all the functional elements having a completely identical design. In this case, it is possible to produce either a normal relay without additional control or a relay which can be combined with the control module; for example, by replacing the cap. Plugging the control module on connects the two housings not only electrically but also mechanically. In order to reinforce this mechanical connection, latching elements which engage one another can be provided on both housings. Furthermore, the housing gap between the relay housing on the one side and the module housing on the other side can be sealed.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention are described in, and will be apparent from, the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments and the Drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4356368 (1982-10-01), Osika
patent: 5003430 (1991-03-01), VonArx et al.
patent: 5053634 (1991-10-01), Kakinuma
patent: 36 14919 A1 (1987-11-01), None
patent: 296 12042 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 0 189 924 (1986-08-01), None
patent: 0 198 099 (1986-10-01), None
patent: 0 409 613 A2 (1991-01-01), None
patent: 0 507 729 A2 (1992-10-01), None
patent: 2 696 040 (1994-03-01), None
patent: 2 242 570 (1991-10-01), None
Breitlow-Hertzfeldt Jurgen
Reiss Heiko
Donovan Lincoln
Hill & Simpson
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
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