JP2004193100A - Dc relay - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a DC relay which has a simple and compact structure. <P>SOLUTION: The DC relay is provided with a pair of contacts 10, 20 to open/close for each other at least one of which is a travelling contact, and a conductive plate 30 which is interposed between the contacts 10, 20, is in contact with both the contacts to carry current during electric communication, and divides the voltage with a space between the conductive plate 30 and each of the contacts during electric breaking. Since the space between one side of the conductive plate 30 and the one contact 10 and the space between the other side of the conductive plate 30 and the other contact 20 make a series contact structure on opening both the contacts, the one side and the other side of the conductive plate 30 divide the breaking voltage at breaking to suppress the occurrence of arc, thereby achieving short-time breaking. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a direct current relay. In particular, the present invention relates to a relay that can reliably cut off direct current with a simple structure.

  Power (AC) relays can be classified according to the arc extinguishing medium and arc extinguishing method used: (1) oil relay, (2) water relay, (3) magnetic relay, (4) air relay, (5) There are gas relays and (6) vacuum relays. In the case of alternating current, since there is a zero current point, it is common practice to interrupt the current using this zero point.

  In recent years, high-voltage (about 300 V) vehicles such as hybrid vehicles and fuel cell vehicles have been developed due to environmental problems. These vehicles are equipped with a control circuit comprising a DC high voltage main battery and a high voltage circuit. Further, since the main battery has a high DC voltage, it is necessary to disconnect the battery from the control circuit in the event of an accident or the like, and a DC relay having mechanical contacts is provided between the battery and the control circuit.

  By the way, it is difficult to cut off the direct current because there is no current zero point. In general, extinguishing a DC arc is a rapid change in conductivity between contacts. Ideally, it is desired to change the resistance value from 0 to infinity. Specific means include (1) increasing the contact opening distance, (2) increasing the contact opening speed, (3) extending the arc by a magnetic field (for example, Patent Document 1), (4) cooling gas or The resistance is increased by cooling or airtightness by an arc chamber (for example, Patent Document 2).

JP-A-8-203368 JP-A-9-320411

However, there has been a problem that the size of the conventional DC relay has to be increased, which leads to an increase in cost. For example, when interrupting a DC arc in the atmosphere, it is necessary to increase the distance between the contacts, and it is necessary to secure a space therefor. Further, in the case of cutting by opening an electric contact in a completely airtight structure, a gas tight structure is required. In addition, when the arc is extended by the action of a magnetic field, a space necessary for the extension is required. Thus, it has been difficult to reduce the size of any of the conventional DC relays.

  Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a DC relay that can be reduced in size with a simple structure.

  The present invention achieves the above object by opening and closing the contacts and interposing a conductor plate between the contacts.

  That is, the DC relay of the present invention has at least one movable contact, a contact pair having contacts that open and close with each other, and is interposed between these contacts. It is characterized by comprising a conductor plate for dividing a voltage at intervals with each contact.

  With the above configuration, conduction between the contacts is obtained by sandwiching the conductor plate between the two contacts. In addition, disconnection is performed by opening between both contacts. In this way, it is possible to reliably perform the shut-off with a simple configuration of opening and closing the contact. In particular, when both contacts are opened, there are two series contact structures between one surface of the conductor plate and one contact and between the other surface of the conductor plate and the other contact. The generation of an arc can be suppressed by dividing the cutoff voltage on one side and the other side, and the cutoff can be realized in a short time. Further, the relay of the present invention does not require a driving source or an airtight structure for the conductor plate, and can be manufactured at a small size and at low cost.

  Here, the contact used for the relay of the present invention is preferably a metal body such as a block, a column, and a bar. At least one of the contacts is a movable contact. Therefore, not only the case where one is a movable contact and the other is a fixed contact, but also both may be movable contacts.

  Various driving sources can be used for the opening and closing operations of the contacts. A motor can be used for the rotary drive source, and a solenoid or cylinder can be used for the linear drive source. The rotating system drive source directly reciprocates the contacts via a conversion mechanism that converts the rotational motion into reciprocating motion, and the direct drive system drive source.

  The conductor plate is preferably made of copper, copper alloy, aluminum, an aluminum alloy, and a contact material for relays and breakers having excellent conductivity.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the conductor plate is sandwiched between one contact and the conductor plate and between the other contact and the conductor plate with an insulating elastic material interposed therebetween. By sandwiching the conductor plate via the elastic material, the contact between the contact and the conductor plate during conduction and the separation between the contact and the conductor plate during interruption can be easily realized. As the insulating elastic material, a spring, particularly a compression spring, is suitable.

  This spring may be formed using an insulating material such as plastic. By making the elastic material insulative, conduction between the two contacts via the elastic material during interruption is avoided. In particular, it is desirable to use springs having the same spring constant between the one contact and the conductor plate and between the other contact and the conductor plate. At the time of interruption, the distance between each contact and the metal plate becomes equal, and the pressure can be divided evenly.

  Further, when the conductive plate is supported by an insulating elastic material, it is preferable to dispose the elastic material at a place where the influence of the arc is small. That is, a holding hole is formed in the contact surface of each contact with the conductor plate, and an insulating elastic material that can expand and contract in the contact opening and closing direction is inserted into the holding hole, and the conductive plate is sandwiched by the insulating elastic material. The insulating elastic material is disposed between one contact and the conductor plate and between the other contact and the conductor plate to sandwich the conductor plate.

  In this way, the elastic material is inserted into the holding hole, and the contacts are brought into contact with the conductor plate while the conductor plate is held therebetween, thereby establishing electrical continuity between the contacts. According to this configuration, it is possible to reliably perform the cutoff with a simple configuration of opening and closing the contact.

  The insulating elastic material may be configured using an insulating material such as plastic. For example, a coiled compression spring made of synthetic resin having an insulating property, elastic rubber, or the like can be used, and a coiled compression spring is particularly preferable. By making the spring insulative, conduction between the two contacts via the elastic material at the time of interruption is avoided.

  For example, when a coil-shaped compression spring is used as the insulating elastic material, one end of the spring projects from the holding hole when the spring has a free length, and when the spring is compressed, the spring is completely housed in the holding hole. Form at depth. Then, one end of the spring is inserted into the holding hole to support the spring with the holding hole, and the other end of the spring supports the conductor plate. The insulating spring expands and contracts while supporting the conductor plate with the opening and closing operation of the contact.

  When the contact comes into contact with the conductor plate by closing operation, the spring is compressed and completely housed in the holding hole, and when the contact is separated from the conductor plate by opening operation, the spring expands by elastic recovery and extends from the holding hole to the tip. Project and support the conductive plate.

  By sandwiching the conductor plate by the spring supported by the holding hole of each contact, the contact between the contact and the conductor plate during conduction and the separation between the contact and the conductor plate during interruption can be easily realized. In addition, since the spring is inserted into the holding hole provided in the contact and the spring is supported by the contact, it is possible to prevent the spring from being damaged by an arc generated at the time of interruption.

  Further, a plurality of conductor plates may be interposed between the contacts. By using a plurality of conductor plates, the contacts are separated by the plurality of conductor plates at the time of breaking, and the breaking voltage is divided between each contact and the conductor plate and between the conductor plates to suppress the occurrence of an arc, and The interruption in time can be realized.

  When a plurality of conductor plates are used, a fixed electrode may usually be interposed between the conductor plates. By interposing an insulating elastic material also between the conductor plates with the fixed electrode interposed therebetween, it is possible to easily realize the cutoff between the conductor plates when the contact is opened.

  In addition, it is desirable to provide a magnet for distorting an arc generated between each of the contacts and the conductor plate by a magnetic field at the time of interruption. At the time of interruption, an arc is generated between the contact and the conductor plate, and this arc is extended outward by Lorentz force by a magnet to shorten the arc extinguishing time.

  Here, the arc path is interrupted by the conductor plate, thereby increasing the moving distance of the arc or utilizing the heat radiation effect of the conductor plate to further reduce the arc extinguishing time. In particular, it is preferable that the magnet is constructed and arranged so as to draw an arc outward from between each contact and the conductor plate. In general, it is desirable that the conductor plate be fixed and installed in the arc path in advance.

  Further, when the arc is distorted by a magnetic field using a magnet, it is preferable that the conductor plate be configured to include a conductor portion and an insulating portion provided around the conductor portion. A conductor plate having a conductor portion and an insulating portion is fixedly installed, and the contacts are brought into contact with the conductor portion in a state where the contacts are closed, and an arc is applied to the insulating portion by a magnet in a state where the contacts are open. To be distorted.

  Furthermore, the present invention can achieve the above object by opening and closing the contacts and reciprocating a conductor plate having a conductor portion and an insulating portion arranged in parallel between the contacts.

  That is, the DC relay of the present invention, a pair of movable contacts that open and close each other, a conductor plate in which a conductor and an insulating portion are integrated, and the conductor is interposed between the contacts in a state where the contacts are closed, A drive source for a conductor plate having an insulating portion interposed between the contacts when the contacts are open.

  With the configuration described above, conduction between the contacts is achieved by sandwiching the conductor of the conductor plate between the two contacts. In addition, disconnection is performed by opening between both contacts. At this time, the arc is interrupted by interposing the insulating portion of the conductor plate between the opened contacts. As described above, the interaction between the opening / closing drive of the contact and the insertion / removal drive of the conductor plate enables reliable shutoff with a simple configuration.

  Also in this case, when both contacts are opened, two series contact structures are provided between one surface of the conductor portion and one contact and between the other surface of the conductor portion and the other contact. The breaking voltage is divided on one side and the other side of the plate to suppress the occurrence of arc, and the breaking can be realized in a short time. Further, an airtight structure is not required, and the device can be manufactured at low cost.

  Further, when a predetermined distance is established between the two contacts, an arc is generated between one contact and the conductor and between the other contact and the conductor, and the arc path is cut off by the insulating part. The arc extinguishing time is shortened by increasing the moving distance of the arc or utilizing the heat radiation effect of the insulating part.

  It is also conceivable that one of the two contacts is formed of a leaf spring or the like so that the two contacts are always kept in a closed state, and an insulating plate is press-fitted between the two contacts. In this case, in consideration of the ease of insertion of the insulating plate, the contact area between the two contacts cannot be increased, and as a result, the contact resistance increases and the arc resistance decreases. Further, when the insulating plate is forcibly inserted between the contacts as described above, the mechanical life of the relay is shortened due to wear between the insulating plate and the contacts. Further, an insulating plate having high strength and high hardness enough to withstand forced insertion between the contacts is required, and the material of the insulating plate is restricted, and the cost tends to be high.

  However, in the case of a configuration in which both contacts are opened as in the present invention, it is not necessary to forcibly insert an insulating plate between the contacts, and the contact area between the contacts can be increased to improve the arc resistance. . In addition, since the contact and the insulating portion are not in contact with each other, the range of material selection for the insulating portion itself can be widened, and the mechanical life of the relay can be significantly extended.

  Here, various driving sources can be used for the opening / closing operation of the contacts and the insertion / removal operation of the conductor plate. A motor can be used for the rotary drive source, and a solenoid or cylinder can be used for the linear drive source. In the case of a rotary drive source, a direct drive drive source is connected directly to a contact or a conductive plate via a conversion mechanism for converting a rotary motion into a reciprocating motion. Both are electrically driven, and the timing for opening and closing the contact and inserting and removing the conductor plate is set so that they are not in contact with each other.

  As a concrete means for taking this timing, an electric timing adjusting means and a mechanical timing adjusting means can be considered.

  First, as the electrical timing adjusting means, a means using a timer means can be mentioned. In other words, after outputting a drive signal for opening both contacts, after a lapse of a certain time, a drive signal for inserting the insulating portion between both contacts is output, and after outputting a drive signal for pulling out the insulating portion from between both contacts, the two contacts are brought close to each other Adjustment is made so as to output a drive signal, and the contact and the insulating portion are kept in non-contact.

  As another electrical timing adjusting means, there is one using a CR circuit. That is, by using the resistor and the capacitor and utilizing the charging time of the capacitor, one of the driving source for opening and closing the contact and the driving source for inserting and removing the conductor plate is adjusted to operate with a delay. Thereby, after opening both contacts, the conductor part is pulled out from between both contacts, the insulating part is inserted between both contacts, the insulating part is pulled out from between both opened contacts, and the conductor part is inserted between both contacts. The drive timing of the contacts and the conductor plate is controlled such that the two contacts sandwich the conductor.

  On the other hand, as a mechanical timing adjusting means, there is a means using a tapered surface. In other words, it has a tapered surface that is interlocked with the reciprocating drive of the conductor plate, and an opening and closing mechanism that contacts the tapered surface and opens and closes between the two movable contacts. With this configuration, the tapered surface is interlocked with the reciprocating motion of the conductor plate to open and close the movable contacts, and when the insulating portion is inserted between the contacts, the contacts open, and when the conductor is inserted between the contacts, the contacts close. By operating as described above, it is possible to suppress the insulating portion from slidingly contacting the contact.

  When the above-mentioned taper is used, the opening and closing of the contact may be performed using a driving source, but may be performed by a combination of a tapered surface and an opening and closing mechanism without using a driving source. In the latter case, the driving source is only for the reciprocating motion of the conductor plate, and a relay with a very simple configuration can be realized.

  In the case of a relay using a conductor plate having a conductor portion and an insulating portion, the contact is preferably a metal body such as a block, a column, or a bar, and both contacts are movable contacts.

  For the conductor part constituting the conductor plate, copper, copper alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, and contact materials for relays and breakers having excellent conductivity are suitable.

The insulating material used for the insulating portion is preferably at least one selected from plastic, ceramic, and diamond. As the plastic, a general plastic as an electric insulating material can be used. For example, epoxy resin, polyamide resin, fluorine resin, silicone resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and the like are preferable. As the ceramic, at least one selected from the group consisting of elements from the periodic table IVa, Va, and VIa, carbides, nitrides, borides, oxides of Al and Si, and solid solutions thereof is preferable. More specifically, there is a WC, TiC, TiN, TiCN, TiB 2, TiBN, ZrC, ZrN, SiN, AlN, VC, TaC, HfC, Mo 2 C, SiO, SiO 2, Al 2 O 3 or the like. In addition, glassy substances such as quartz glass, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, lead glass, and crystallized glass can be used. Diamond may be single crystal or polycrystal, natural or synthetic.

  Among these materials, the plastic can be obtained by molding into a sheet by extrusion, or by coating the substrate with the plastic by a method such as electrostatic coating or powder coating to form a thin-film insulating portion. Further, the ceramic or diamond thin film is preferably formed by a vapor phase synthesis method. For example, a diamond film can be formed by a CVD (Chemical vapor deposition) method such as a hot filament method, a microwave plasma method, a high-frequency plasma method, and an arc discharge plasma jet method.

  The conductor portion and the insulation portion may be provided with an insulation portion on the outer periphery of the conductor portion, or may be integrated if both are arranged in parallel, or may be simply arranged. For example, the former method includes joining such that a step does not occur at the boundary between the conductor portion and the insulating portion. As the latter, the conductor and the insulating part are aligned so that no gap is formed at the boundary between them, and the side edges are surrounded by a frame to maintain the positional relationship between the conductor and the insulating part. It is mentioned.

  Further, the relay of the present invention preferably includes a plurality of contact pairs, and these contact pairs are preferably arranged in series. By reducing the voltage applied to one contact, damage to the contact due to arc current can be suppressed.

  It is also preferable to provide a plurality of contact pairs and arrange these contact pairs in parallel. By reducing the current flowing through one contact, damage to the contact due to the arc current can be suppressed.

  Further, the contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor plate with the contact are made of an Ag alloy having a chemical composition containing 1 to 9% by mass of Sn and 1 to 9% by mass of In. Having a second layer, the micro Vickers hardness of the first layer is 190 or more, the micro Vickers hardness of the second layer is 130 or less, and the thickness of the first layer is in the range of 10 to 360 μm. Preferably, it is formed.

  The reason why the content of Sn is set to 1 to 9% by mass is that when the content is less than 1% by mass, the welding resistance of the contact decreases, and when the content exceeds 9% by mass, the temperature characteristic of the contact deteriorates. Preferably, it is 2 to 7% by mass.

  Here, the welding resistance property refers to a state in which the contact cannot be broken, particularly, the occurrence of welding in which the contact does not separate from the contact. The temperature characteristics refer to the degree of temperature rise of the contacts when energized, and the good temperature characteristics mean that the temperature of the contacts is unlikely to rise due to energization, and the thermal effects on cables and equipment connected to the relay It is difficult to give.

  The reason why the content of In is set to 1 to 9% by mass is that if the content is out of this range, the temperature characteristic of the contact point is deteriorated. This is because the welding resistance is reduced depending on the amount. Preferably, it is 3 to 7% by mass.

  The reason why the hardness of the first layer (usually a load of 5 g) is 190 or more in terms of micro Vickers hardness is that if the hardness is less than this level, the welding resistance and the temperature characteristics are reduced. The reason for setting the hardness to 130 or less is that if the hardness exceeds this level, the contacts become brittle and the wear resistance decreases.

  Preferably, the hardness of the first layer is 240 or more and that of the second layer is 120 or less. In addition, the hardness in the present invention is determined by micro Vickers hardness at an arbitrary point in each of the first layer and the second layer on a cross section perpendicular to the surface of the contact. In the contact of the present invention, a hardness distribution may be present in each of the first layer and the second layer.

  Also, there is usually a hardness drop (micro Vickers hardness of 60 or more) at the boundary between the first layer and the second layer, and the boundary has an intermediate hardness between the two layers (that is, the hardness is the lower limit hardness of the first layer). (Hereinafter, referred to as an intermediate portion).

  The thickness of the first layer is 10 to 360 μm. If the amount is less than the lower limit, the welding resistance characteristics and the temperature characteristics decrease, and if the amount exceeds the upper limit, the temperature characteristics of the contact point deteriorate. Preferably it is 30 to 120 μm. In addition, the contact surface having the first layer and the second layer includes a contact surface having an intermediate portion. In this case, the thickness of the intermediate portion is desirably 200 μm or less. If it exceeds 200 μm, the temperature characteristics of the contact are likely to be reduced. Preferably it is 100 μm or less.

  The contact surface may further include at least one element selected from the group consisting of Sb, Ca, Bi, Ni, Co, Zn, and Pb as a subsidiary component in addition to the basic components. Usually, most of these components are dispersed in the form of compounds, especially oxides, in the Ag matrix.

  However, the desired dispersion range varies depending on the individual components. For example, 0.05 to 2 (Sb), 0.03 to 0.3 (Ca), 0.01 to 1 (Bi), 0.02 to 1.5 (Ni), 0.02 to 0.5 (Co), 0.02 to 8.5 in mass% units converted to elements. (Zn), 0.05 to 5 (Pb). The elements in parentheses are the target elements. In each of the above component types, if the amount is outside the above range, the temperature characteristics may decrease depending on the type of DC relay, and particularly when the amount exceeds the upper limit, the welding resistance characteristics also decrease depending on the type of relay. There is.

Usually, the above-mentioned auxiliary components slightly affect the performance of the contact, but other components include, for example, the following. Any of these may be included in trace amounts within the scope of the present invention. Although the desired content varies depending on the component, of the values in parentheses, those indicated by element symbols are expressed in units of mass% converted to elements, and those indicated by molecular formulas are expressed in units of mass% converted to the same molecule. This is the allowable upper limit. Ce (5), Li (5 ), Cr (5), Sr (5), Ti (5), Te (5), Mn (5), AlF 3 (5), CrF 3 (5) and CaF ₂ ( 5), Ge (3) and Ga (3), Si (0.5), Fe (0.1) and Mg (0.1).

  Examples of a method for producing a contact surface having the first layer and the second layer include a melting / casting method and a powder metallurgy method.

  For example, in the melting and casting method, the following procedures are available. First, an ingot melted and cast so as to have a chemical composition of each of the first layer and the second layer is produced, and these are roughly rolled, and then two types of rolled materials are hot pressed. At that time or thereafter, a thin connection layer such as the above-described pure Ag is pressure-bonded as necessary.

  This is further rolled to form a plate having a predetermined thickness, and then punched or further formed into an Ag alloy material having a size close to the final shape, and further, the material is internally oxidized (post-oxidation method) to form a Sn alloy. Converts metal components such as In and In into oxides.

  Prior to melting and casting, compounds other than oxides of the component elements may be included. In addition, if necessary, a step of adjusting the shape or heat treatment after the rolling is appropriately performed. In this case, by devising heat treatment conditions, it is possible to consciously control the microstructure of each layer and change the material characteristics and the level thereof.

  When the contact surface is formed by powder metallurgy, for example, a powder of Sn or In and a powder of Ag are blended and mixed in two predetermined compositions in advance, and then heat-treated for internal oxidation (pre-oxidation method). ), And the obtained two kinds of powders are laminated and filled in a mold, and compression molded to obtain a preform. The powder of Sn or In and the powder of Ag may be mixed with other compounds.

  Various plastic workings such as hot extrusion, hot / cold roll rolling, and hot forging can be applied to the preform. Further, similarly to the above-mentioned casting method, a step of adjusting the heat treatment and the shape after rolling is added as necessary. By controlling the heat treatment conditions, desired characteristics of each layer can be controlled.

  Also, after preparing only the material of the second layer by the procedure of melting and casting method or powder metallurgy method according to the above, the first layer, thermal spraying, thick film formation by CVD, etc., thick film printing by screen printing, etc. It may be formed by various means such as baking after application. Further, various means such as diffusion bonding by hot isostatic pressing and hot extrusion can be applied to the joining of the alloy plate constituting the first layer and the alloy plate constituting the second layer. In addition, by performing the heat treatment, the fine structure of each layer can be consciously controlled to obtain desired characteristics.

  Further, in the relay of the present invention, the Ag alloy material forming the contact surface is within the range of the above-mentioned conditions, and the one in which the first layer and the second layer have the same chemical composition is also included. When the first layer and the second layer have the same chemical composition, the hardness levels of both layers are made different by means described later.

  For example, there is a method in which only the first layer is rapidly heated / quenched so that the residual stress in the first layer is larger than that in the second layer, and a method in which only the first layer on the surface is shot-blasted and hardened.

  In addition, after performing so-called thermomechanical processing (thermal processing) on the Ag alloy plate in addition to hot rolling and cold rolling, and performing heat treatment, internal oxidation is performed, and a finer needle is formed on the first layer than on the second layer. There is a method of precipitating oxide particles in a shape and increasing the hardness of the surface. Also, there is a method in which when the Ag alloy sheets of the first layer and the second layer are rolled or hot pressed, the forging ratio of the first layer and the second layer is changed.

  Further, the material of the contact surface is within the range of the above-mentioned conditions, and further includes those in which the content of Sn in the first layer is the same as or higher than that of the second layer. Thereby, the hardness of the first layer is almost certainly higher than the hardness of the second layer.

  The contact surface is formed by a melting / casting method, a powder metallurgy method, or the like. At this time, it is preferable that the first layer and the second layer are internally oxidized. The internal oxidation method includes a post-oxidation method and a pre-oxidation method. The post-oxidation method is a method of performing internal oxidation after finishing the alloy to a final contact shape or forming the alloy close to the final contact shape. The pre-oxidation method is a method in which powder or grains of an alloy are internally oxidized, and then molded, compressed and sintered.

  By sandwiching the conductor plate between the contacts, it is possible to form a series two-contact structure on the right and left sides of the conductor plate with the same size as a relay with an open contact structure. As a result, the breaking voltage can be divided between the right and left surfaces of the conductor plate at the time of breaking, the occurrence of arc can be suppressed, and the breaking can be achieved in a short time.

  When an insulating elastic material is interposed between the contact at both ends and the metal plate, the conductor plate and the movable contact can be easily separated. In particular, when the conductor plate is sandwiched between springs having the same spring constant, the distance between the two movable contacts and the conductor plate becomes equal at the time of interruption, so that the pressure can be equally divided and interruption can be performed in a short time. In addition, in the case where the insulating elastic material is supported by the holding hole provided on the end face of the contact where the influence of the arc is small, it is possible to suppress damage caused by the arc generated when the contact is separated.

  In the case where a plurality of metal plates are sandwiched between the two contacts, a further plurality of serial contacts can be realized, and the voltage can be divided into a plurality of pieces and cut off in a short time.

  If a permanent magnet is installed near the contact to disperse the arc generated at the time of interruption, the interruption can be realized in a short time.

  At this time, if the conductor plate is configured to include a conductor portion and an insulating portion provided on the outer periphery of the conductor portion, the breaking voltage is divided in the conductor portion to suppress the occurrence of an arc, and furthermore, the arc is generated. Even if it occurs, the arc will receive resistance in the insulation while being stretched by the magnetic field. As a result, the arc extinguishing time can be further reduced.

  Further, in the case where the conductor plate has a configuration in which the conductor portion and the insulation portion are arranged in parallel, reliable shutoff can be performed with a simple configuration by opening and closing the contact and shifting the conductor portion and the insulation portion. In particular, an airtight structure or a space for extending the arc is not required, and the device can be manufactured inexpensively and compactly.

  In the case of this configuration, when the two movable contacts are opened, two series contact structures are provided between one surface of the conductor and one contact and between the other surface of the conductor and the other contact. At the time of interruption, the interruption voltage is divided on one side and the other side of the conductor plate to suppress occurrence of an arc, and interruption can be realized in a short time.

  Furthermore, since the insulating portion is inserted after the contact is opened, the contact and the insulating portion are not in contact with each other, and there is no need to consider the ease of insertion, so that the contact area between the two contacts can be increased and the arc resistance can be improved. Moreover, it is not necessary to use an insulating portion having a high hardness and a low friction coefficient, and a low-cost relay can be realized.

  When a plurality of contact pairs are provided and these contact pairs are arranged in series, a further series of multiple contacts can be created, and the voltage can be divided to suppress the occurrence of arcs and realize short-time interruption. it can.

  When a plurality of contact pairs are provided and these contact pairs are arranged in parallel, current can be shunted, arc generation can be suppressed, and interruption can be realized in a short time.

  Furthermore, if the contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor plate with the contact are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, even if a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited, the contact is reliably shut off without welding. be able to.

(1st Embodiment)
The first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a basic configuration of the relay of the present invention, and shows a schematic configuration diagram of the relay. The relay of the present invention includes a pair of movable contacts 10, 20 and a fixed conductor plate 30. Here, a cylindrical metal block is used for both contacts 10, 20, and the contact surfaces 10a, 20a of the movable contacts 10, 20 have a chemical composition containing 1 to 9% by mass of Sn and 1 to 9% by mass of In. It is made of an Ag alloy, has a first layer on the surface and a second layer on the inside, the micro Vickers hardness of the first layer is 190 or more, the micro Vickers hardness of the second layer is 130 or less, and the first layer has a micro Vickers hardness of 130 or less. It is formed of a material having a thickness in the range of 10 to 360 μm. Further, the contact surfaces 10a and 20a are internally oxidized in a chip state by a post-oxidation method. For example, the chip is kept at 750 ° C. for 170 hours in an oxygen atmosphere at 4 atm (405.3 kPa).

  In each of the embodiments described below, the contact surfaces 10a and 20a of the respective contacts are formed of the same material as in the first embodiment.

  The movable contacts 10, 20 open and close between the two contacts by reciprocating in the axial direction with a solenoid (not shown). Further, a DC power supply (not shown) is connected to each of the contacts 10 and 20 to supply a current, and the contacts are turned on and off by contacting and separating from the conductor plate.

  On the other hand, a copper plate having a thickness of 2 mm is used for the conductor plate 30. Further, the contact surface 30a of the copper plate with the contact is formed of the same Ag alloy as the Ag alloy forming the contact surfaces 10a and 20a of the contact. The contact surface of the conductor plate (conductor portion) used in each of the embodiments described below, which is in contact with the contact, is also formed of the same Ag alloy as in the first embodiment. This copper plate is fixed by a support (not shown). Therefore, no drive mechanism is used for the conductor plate itself.

  When the contacts are closed, conduction is achieved by sandwiching the conductor plate 30 between the contacts (FIG. 1A). In addition, when the two contacts 10 and 20 are opened, the one movable contact and the conductor plate are separated from each other, and the other movable contact and the conductor plate are separated from each other, so that interruption is performed (FIG. 1B).

  In this way, it is possible to reliably perform the cutoff with a simple configuration in which the contacts are simply opened. In particular, when both contacts are opened, two series contact structures are provided between one movable contact and the conductor plate and between the other movable contact and the conductor plate. The occurrence of the arc 100 can be suppressed by dividing the breaking voltage between the other side and the other side, and the breaking can be realized in a short time.

  In addition, in this configuration, it is not necessary to provide an airtight structure around the contact or to provide a space for extending the arc, and a very compact DC relay can be realized.

  In the first embodiment, the two contacts are movable contacts, but one may be a movable contact and the other may be a fixed contact. In that case, a drive mechanism for moving the conductor plate in the opening and closing direction of the contact is required to separate the conductor plate from the fixed contact at the time of interruption.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor plate with the contact are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, the contact does not weld even when a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited. Can be reliably shut off.

(2nd Embodiment)
Next, an embodiment of the relay of the present invention using a compression spring will be described based on a second embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 2 (A) is a schematic diagram of the relay of the present invention showing a state at the time of energization, and FIG. 2 (B) is a state at the time of interruption.

  This relay has substantially the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that a compression spring is attached to each contact.

  That is, each of the movable contacts 10 and 20 has steps 17 and 27 on the base side (the side opposite to the contact surfaces 10a and 20a with the conductor plate), and one end abuts on the steps 17 and 27 and the conductor plate A compression spring 40 whose other end is in contact with 30 is fitted. The pair of compression springs 40 are made of plastic and are configured as springs having the same spring constant.

  At the time of energization, as shown in FIG. 2 (A), both movable contacts are closed and the movable contacts 10, 20 are in contact with both sides of the conductor plate 30, so that the two contacts can be conducted. . On the other hand, at the time of interruption, conduction is interrupted by separating the contacts 10, 20 on both sides of the conductor plate 30. Also in this example, the breaking voltage is divided between the one surface side and the other surface side of the conductor plate 30 to suppress the generation of the arc 100, and the breaking can be realized in a short time. At this time, one end of the compression spring 40 is in contact with the conductive plate 30, but since the compression spring itself is formed of an insulator, there is no conduction between the contacts. Further, since the compression springs 40 having the same spring constant are used, the intervals between the two movable contacts and the conductor plate at the time of interruption are equalized, so that the pressure can be equally divided.

  Also in the present embodiment, since the contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor plate with the contact are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, even if a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited, the contact is not welded. Can be shut off.

(Third embodiment)
FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams showing a third embodiment of the relay of the present invention. The relay according to the present embodiment includes a pair of movable contacts 10, 20, a compression spring 40 supported by each movable contact 10, 20, and a conductor plate 30 disposed between the movable contacts 10, 20.

  A cylindrical metal block is used for the contacts 10, 20, and the movable contacts 10, 20 are reciprocated in the axial direction by a solenoid (not shown) to open and close the contacts.

  Further, an insulating coil-shaped compression spring 40 is inserted into the center of the contact surfaces 10a, 20a of the contact points 10, 20 with the conductor plate 30, and forms a bottomed holding hole 8 extending in the axial direction. ing. Then, one end of the compression spring 40 is inserted into the holding hole 8, and the compression spring 40 is supported by the holding hole 8, and the conductor plate 30 is supported by the other end of the compression spring 40 while being sandwiched. These paired compression springs 40 are made of plastic similarly to the second embodiment, and are formed as springs having the same spring constant.

  One end of the compression spring 40 is in contact with the conductor plate 30, but since the compression spring 40 itself is made of an insulator, there is no conduction even if the contacts are separated. Further, since the compression springs 40 having the same spring constant are used, the distance between the movable contacts 10, 20 and the conductor plate 30 becomes equal at the time of interruption, and the voltage can be divided evenly.

  When the compression spring 40 is compressed by the contact between the contacts 10 and 20 and the conductor plate 30, the compression hole 40 is completely housed in the retention hole 8, and the contacts 10 and 20 are separated from each other. When the compression spring 40 is in a state of elastic recovery, one end of the compression spring 40 is formed to have a depth protruding from the holding hole 8.

  The compression spring 40 supported in the holding hole 8 expands and contracts while supporting the conductor plate 30 with the opening and closing operations of the contacts 10 and 20.

  Further, a DC power supply (not shown) is connected to each of the contacts 10, 20 to supply a current, and the contacts 10, 20 are energized and cut off by contacting and separating from the conductor plate 30.

  On the other hand, as in the first embodiment, a silver-based contact material having a thickness of 2 mm is used for the conductor plate 30. Since the conductor plate 30 is supported by the contacts 10 and 20 via the compression spring 40, no drive mechanism is used for the conductor plate itself.

  Further, also in this embodiment, the contact surfaces 10a and 20a of the contacts and the contact surface 30a of the conductor plate 30 with the contacts are formed of the same material having excellent welding resistance as in the first embodiment. The surface 30a is formed by joining a ring-shaped plate to the main body.

  Next, the energization / interruption of the contact will be described. When energizing by closing the contacts, the contacts 10 and 20 are brought into contact with the conductor plate 30 by the closing operation. At this time, the compression spring 40 is compressed and completely housed in the holding hole 8, and each of the contacts 10, 20 contacts the conductor plate 30, and conducts in a state where the conductor plate 30 is sandwiched between both contacts ( Figure 3).

  When the contacts 10 and 20 are opened and cut off, the opening operation of the contacts 10 and 20 causes a gap between one movable contact 10 and the conductor plate 30 and a gap between the other movable contact 20 and the conductor plate 30. Separated and shut off. At this time, the compression spring 40 is extended by elastic recovery while supporting the conductor plate 30, and the distal end projects from the holding hole 8 (FIG. 4).

  As described above, by sandwiching the conductor plate 30 by the compression spring 40 supported by the holding hole 8 of each of the contacts 10, 20, between the one movable contact 10 and the conductor plate 30, and between the other movable contact 20 and the conductor It is possible to easily realize contact with the plate 30 during conduction and separation at the time of interruption.

  Also in the present embodiment, when both contacts are opened, two series contact structures are provided between one movable contact 10 and the conductor plate 30 and between the other movable contact 20 and the conductor plate 30. As a result, at the time of interruption, the interruption voltage is divided between the one surface side and the other surface side of the conductor plate 30, the occurrence of the arc 100 is suppressed, and the interruption can be realized in a short time.

  In addition, since the compression spring 40 is inserted into the holding hole 8 where the influence of the arc is small and the compression spring 40 is supported by the contacts 10 and 20, the compression spring 40 is prevented from being damaged by the arc generated at the time of interruption. be able to.

  In addition, in this configuration, it is not necessary to provide an airtight structure around the contact or to provide a space for extending the arc, and a very compact DC relay can be realized.

  In this embodiment, both contacts are movable contacts. However, one contact may be a movable contact and the other may be a fixed contact.

  Also in the present embodiment, since the contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor plate with the contact are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, even if a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited, the contact is not welded. Can be shut off.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, an embodiment of the relay of the present invention using a magnet for extending an arc generated at the time of interruption will be described based on a fourth embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of the relay of the present invention using a magnet.

  This relay includes movable contacts 10 and 20 that can reciprocate on both sides of a conductor plate 30 as in the first embodiment. It is preferable to use a non-magnetic material such as copper for the conductor plate 30. The use of a non-magnetic material for the conductive plate 30 is more preferable because it does not adversely affect the arc distortion effect because there is no influence of the surrounding magnetic field.

  Further, also in this embodiment, the contact surfaces 10a and 20a of the contacts and the contact surface 30a of the conductor plate 30 with the contacts are formed of the same material having excellent welding resistance as in the first embodiment. The surface 30a is formed by joining a disk having substantially the same outer diameter as the contact to the main body.

  A magnetic field is applied between the movable contacts 10 and 20 by a magnet. In the present embodiment, a permanent magnet 50 is provided at a position sandwiching the movable contacts 10 and 20 from above and below, and a magnetic field is applied between the movable contacts. If the movable contacts 10 and 20 are opened in this state, an arc is generated when the conductor plate 30 and each of the movable contacts 10 and 20 have a predetermined interval. This arc is elongated by receiving Lorentz force from a magnetic field. Therefore, the arc extinguishing time can be shortened by increasing the moving distance of the arc or utilizing the heat radiation effect of the conductor plate.

  Also in the present embodiment, since the contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor plate with the contact are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, even if a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited, the contact is not welded. Can be shut off.

(Fifth embodiment)
Next, another embodiment of the relay of the present invention using a magnet for extending an arc generated at the time of interruption will be described based on a fifth embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of the relay of the present invention using a permanent magnet, which is a modification of the spring holding structure of the fourth embodiment.

  This relay has movable contacts 10 and 20 reciprocally movable on both sides of a conductor plate 30 as in the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment, and connects the conductor plate 30 to the contacts 10 and 20 via a compression spring 40. Is to be supported.

  It is preferable to use a non-magnetic material such as copper for the conductor plate 30. The use of a non-magnetic material for the conductive plate 30 is more preferable because it does not adversely affect the arc distortion effect because there is no influence of the surrounding magnetic field. In the fifth embodiment, the configuration other than the magnet is the same as that of the third embodiment, and the description is omitted.

  Further, also in this embodiment, the contact surfaces 10a and 20a of the contacts and the contact surface 30a of the conductor plate 30 with the contacts are formed of the same material having excellent welding resistance as in the first embodiment. The surface 30a is formed by joining a ring-shaped plate to the main body.

  A magnetic field is applied between the movable contacts 10 and 20 by a magnet. In this embodiment, a permanent magnet 50 is provided at a position sandwiching the movable contacts 10 and 20 from above and below as in the fourth embodiment, and a magnetic field is applied between the movable contacts. When the movable contacts 10 and 20 are opened in that state, an arc 100 is generated when the conductor plate 30 and each of the movable contacts 10 and 20 have a predetermined interval. The arc 100 is elongated by receiving Lorentz force from a magnetic field. Therefore, the arc extinguishing time can be shortened by increasing the moving distance of the arc or utilizing the heat radiation effect of the conductor plate.

  Also in the present embodiment, since the contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor plate with the contact are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, even if a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited, the contact is not welded. Can be shut off.

(Sixth embodiment)
Next, an embodiment of the relay of the present invention using a plurality of conductor plates will be described based on a sixth embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of the relay of the present invention using three conductor plates.

  This relay has a pair of movable contacts 10, 20 at both ends which are close to and separated from each other, three conductor plates 31 to 33 arranged at a predetermined interval between the movable contacts 10, 20 at both ends, and a gap between the conductor plates. It has two intermediate movable contacts 15, 25 interposed.

  Although the first to fifth embodiments each describe an example in which the movable contacts 10 and 20 are single contacts, the relay according to the present embodiment includes both ends movable contacts 10 and 20 and an intermediate movable contact 15. , 25, three contact pairs are connected in series.

  The contact surfaces 10a, 20a of the movable contacts 10, 20 at both ends, the contact surfaces 31a, 32a, 33a of the conductor plates 31, 32, 33, and the contact surfaces 15a, 25a of the intermediate movable contacts 15, 25 are the same as in the first embodiment. It is made of a material with excellent welding resistance.

  The movable contacts 10, 20 at both ends are reciprocated in the axial direction by a solenoid, as in the first embodiment. Of the conductor plates 31, 32, and 33, only one in the center is fixed, and two on both sides are movable. Here, the movable conductor plates 32 and 33 are configured to be movable in the contact opening and closing direction. The conductor plates 32 and 33 may be moved by using a solenoid or a motor.

  The intermediate movable contacts 15, 25 are also formed of a short columnar metal block, and are driven by a solenoid or the like in the axial direction.

  Although not shown, an insulating compression spring is fitted on each of the movable contacts 10 and 20 and the intermediate movable contacts 15 and 25 on the outside. One compression spring is mounted on each of the movable contacts at both ends, and two compression springs are mounted on each of the intermediate movable contacts 15, 25. That is, each intermediate movable contact has an annular projection on the center outer periphery, and compression springs are fitted on both sides of the annular projection.

  In a relay having such a configuration, when energized, both ends / middle movable contacts 10, 20, 15, 25 and conductor plates 31, 32, 33 are all placed in contact with each other, and conduction between the movable contacts at both ends is established. On the other hand, at the time of interruption, conduction is interrupted by providing a space between both ends or the intermediate movable contacts 10, 20, 15, 25 on both sides of each conductor plate 31, 32, 33. At that time, since a total of six spaces are defined between the two movable contacts 10 and 20, the partial pressure can be performed at each of the spaces, and the interruption can be performed in a shorter time.

  Also in this embodiment, the contact surfaces of the movable contact at both ends, the contact surfaces of the respective conductor plates, and the contact surface of the intermediate movable contact are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, so that even when a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited. The contacts can be reliably shut off without welding.

(Seventh embodiment)
Further, an embodiment of the relay according to the present invention having two series contact points will be described based on a seventh embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a pair of movable contacts 21 and 22 and one movable contact 10 that comes into contact with and separates from these. Here, two columnar blocks are used for the movable contacts 21 and 22, and a substantially disk-shaped block is used for the movable contact 10. The columnar block has such a size that it can ride on the movable contact 10 with a margin in a state where two blocks are arranged.

  The conductor plate 30 is arranged between the movable contact 20 and the movable contact 10. It is conceivable that two conductor plates 30 are used, for example, and are interposed between the movable contacts 21 and 10 and between the movable contacts 22 and 10, respectively.

  Further, the contact surfaces 10a, 21a, 22a of the movable contacts 10, 21, 22 and the contact surface 30a of the conductor plate 30 are formed of the same material having excellent welding resistance as in the first embodiment.

  By using such contacts 10 and 20, a current flow path when both contacts are conducted is passed from one movable contact 21 through the conductor plate to the movable contact 10 and further through the conductor plate to the other movable contact 22. Will pass through. Therefore, by using the two movable contacts 21 and 22 arranged in series, the voltage can be divided, and the cutoff characteristics can be improved and the contact durability can be improved. The conductor plate 30 separates the arc between the movable contacts 21 and 10 on one side and the other side, and the conductor plate 30 similarly separates the one side and the other side between the movable contacts 22 and 10. Since the arc is separated from the side, the breaking can be performed in a very short time.

  Also in this embodiment, since the contact surface of the movable contact and the contact surface of the conductor plate are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, even if a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited, the contact is reliably welded off without welding. can do.

(Eighth embodiment)
Further, another embodiment of the relay of the present invention having two contacts connected in series will be described based on an eighth embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of two fixed contacts 23 and 24 and one movable contact 10 that contacts and separates them.

  Here, two columnar blocks are used for the fixed contacts 23 and 24, and a substantially disk-shaped block is used for the movable contact 10. The columnar block has such a size that it can ride on the movable contact 10 with a margin in a state where two blocks are arranged.

  Then, the conductor plate 30 is arranged between the fixed contacts 23, 24 and the movable contact 10. For example, two conductor plates 30 are used and are interposed between one fixed contact 23 and the movable contact 10 and between the other fixed contact 24 and the movable contact 10, respectively.

  The present embodiment is a modification of the seventh embodiment, in which a holding hole 8 is formed in the contact surface between the fixed contacts 23 and 24 and the movable contact 10, and a compression spring 40 for supporting the conductor plate 30 in the holding hole 8. Is inserted.

  Also in this embodiment, the contact surfaces 23a, 24a of the fixed contacts 23, 24, the contact surface 10a of the movable contact 10, and the contact surface 30a of the conductor plate 30 are formed of the same material having excellent welding resistance as in the first embodiment. ing.

  By using such a contact, the current flow path when both contacts are conductive is passed from one fixed contact 23 to the movable contact 10 via the conductor plate 30 and further to the other fixed contact 24 via the conductor plate 30. I will pass. Therefore, by using the two fixed contacts 23 and 24 arranged in series, the voltage is divided, thereby improving the cutoff characteristics and the durability of the contacts.

  The arc between the fixed contact 23 and the movable contact 10 is divided by the conductor plate 30 into one side and the other side. Similarly, the arc between the fixed contact 24 and the movable contact 10 is divided by the conductor plate 30 into one side and the other side. As a result, the shutoff can be performed in a very short time.

  In the eighth embodiment, one is a fixed contact, but a disk-shaped block may be a movable contact.

  Also in this embodiment, since the contact surface of each contact and the contact surface of the conductor plate are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, even when a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited, the contact is reliably welded without welding. can do.

(Ninth embodiment)
Next, an embodiment of the relay of the present invention having two parallel contact pairs will be described based on a ninth embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an example in which each of the movable contacts 11, 12 and each of the movable contacts 21, 22 is two. Here, the movable contacts 10 and 20 are formed by fixing two columnar blocks 11, 12, 21, and 22 to each of the substantially disk-shaped blocks 91 and 92 with an interval therebetween.

  The conductor plate 30 is arranged between the movable contacts 11 and 21 and between the movable contacts 12 and 22. It is conceivable that two conductor plates 30 are used, for example, and are interposed between the movable contacts 11 and 21 and between the movable contacts 12 and 22, respectively.

  Also in this embodiment, the contact surfaces 11a, 12a, 21a, 22a of the contacts 11, 12, 21, 22 and the contact surface 30a of the conductor plate 30 are formed of the same material having excellent welding resistance as in the first embodiment. ing.

  By using such contacts, the current flow path when both contacts are conducted is a flow path that passes through the movable contact 11 facing from one movable contact 21 and a movable contact 12 that faces from the other movable contact 22. It is split into two flow paths, one through and the other through. Therefore, by using the two contact pairs of the movable contacts 11 and 21 and the movable contacts 12 and 22, the current is shunted, and the breaking characteristics and the durability of the contacts can be improved.

  In particular, between each of the movable contacts 11 and 21 and each of the movable contacts 12 and 22, the arc is divided on one side and the other side of the conductor plate 30, so that the arc can be interrupted in a very short time.

  Also in this embodiment, since the contact surface of each contact and the contact surface of the conductor plate are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, even when a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited, the contact is reliably welded without welding. can do.

(Tenth embodiment)
Next, another embodiment of the relay of the present invention having two parallel contact pairs will be described based on a tenth embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic view of an example having two fixed contacts 23 and 24 and two movable contacts 13 and 14. Here, two cylindrical blocks are fixed to each of the substantially disk-shaped blocks 91 and 92 with a space therebetween to form the fixed contacts 23 and 24 and the movable contacts 13 and 14. The disk-shaped blocks 91 and 92 are formed of a conductive metal material.

  Then, the conductor plate 30 is arranged between the fixed contact 23 and the movable contact 13 and between the fixed contact 24 and the movable contact 14. Two conductive plates 30 are used and are interposed between the fixed contact 23 and the movable contact 13 and between the fixed contact 24 and the movable contact 14, respectively.

  This embodiment is a modification of the ninth embodiment, in which holding holes 8 are formed in the respective contact surfaces of the fixed contacts 23, 24 and the movable contacts 13, 14, and the conductor plate 30 is supported in the holding holes 8. The compression spring 40 is inserted.

  Also in the present embodiment, the contact surfaces 23a and 24a of the fixed contacts 23 and 24, the contact surfaces 13a and 14a of the movable contacts 13 and 14, and the contact surface 30a of the conductor plate 30 have the same excellent welding resistance as the first embodiment. It is made of material.

  By using such a contact, a current flow path when both contacts are conducted is a flow path that passes through a fixed contact 23 facing from one movable contact 13 and a fixed contact 24 that faces from the other movable contact 14. The flow is divided into two flow paths, namely, a flow path and a flow path. Therefore, by using two pairs of contacts, ie, the fixed contacts 23 and 24 and the movable contacts 13 and 14, the current is shunted, so that the breaking characteristics and the durability of the contacts can be improved.

  In particular, between each of the fixed contacts 23, 24 and the movable contacts 13, 14, the arc is divided on one side and the other side of the conductor plate 30, so that the arc can be cut off in a very short time. In the present embodiment, the fixed contact and the movable contact may be reversed.

  In the third, eighth, and tenth embodiments described above, the holding holes formed in the contact point are formed to have the same diameter in the depth direction. It may be formed or a taper may be formed. By forming the step portion or the like in this manner, generation of an arc around the holding hole can be suppressed, and damage to the insulating elastic material by the arc can be more effectively suppressed.

(Eleventh embodiment)
Next, another embodiment of the relay of the present invention using a magnet for extending an arc generated at the time of interruption will be described based on an eleventh embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram of the relay of the present invention using a magnet.

  This relay has movable contacts 10 and 20 reciprocally movable on both sides of a conductor plate 30 and a magnet 50 as in the fourth embodiment.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the conductor plate 30 is configured to include the conductor portion 34 and an insulating portion 35 provided around the conductor portion 34. The conductor plate 30 is made of a rectangular plate member, and has a circular conductor portion 34 at the center thereof and an insulating portion 35 around the conductor portion 34.

  It is preferable to use a non-magnetic material such as copper for the conductor portion. When a non-magnetic material is used for the conductor portion 34, the influence of the surrounding magnetic field is not exerted, so that it is more preferable that the distortion effect of the arc is not adversely affected. In the present embodiment, a disk made of copper having a thickness of 2 mm is used for the conductor portion.

  For the insulating portion 35, for example, a plastic plate made of epoxy resin, polyamide resin, fluorine resin, silicon resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, or the like is used. The thickness of the plastic plate is also 2 mm. A hole is formed in the center of the plastic plate into which the conductor portion 34 is to be fitted, and a copper disk is fitted into this hole to join them together.

  Further, the conductor plate 30 is fixedly installed together with the magnet 50, and the contacts 10, 20 are brought into contact with the conductor portion 34 in a state where the contacts are closed, and the arc 100 is insulated by the magnetic field of the magnet 50 in a state where the contacts are open. The distortion is made toward the part 34.

  Also in the present embodiment, the contact surfaces 10a and 20a of the contacts 10 and 20 and the contact surface of the conductor portion 34 of the conductor plate 30 that contacts the contacts 10 and 20 are made of the same material having excellent welding resistance as in the first embodiment. Has formed.

  Thus, a magnetic field is applied between the movable contacts 10 and 20 by the magnet. In the present embodiment, a permanent magnet 50 is provided at a position sandwiching the movable contacts 10 and 20 from above and below, and a magnetic field is applied between the movable contacts. If the movable contacts 10 and 20 are opened in this state, an arc is generated when the conductor plate 30 and each of the movable contacts 10 and 20 have a predetermined interval. This arc is extended in a predetermined direction by receiving Lorentz force from a magnetic field.

  In the present embodiment, the occurrence of an arc is suppressed by dividing the cutoff voltage in the conductor portion 34, and even if the arc occurs, the arc is subjected to resistance in the insulating portion while being stretched by the magnetic field. As a result, the arc extinguishing time can be further reduced.

  Also in this embodiment, since the contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor portion of the conductor plate are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, the contact does not weld even when a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited. Can be reliably shut off.

(Twelfth embodiment)
FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the relay of the present invention. In the present embodiment, a pair of movable contacts 10 and 20 and a conductor plate 30 are provided. Here, a cylindrical metal block is used for the two contacts 10, 20, and the movable contacts 10, 20 reciprocate in the axial direction to open and close between the two contacts to perform cut-off and energization. A DC power supply is connected to both contacts 10 and 20, and cuts off and conducts by opening and closing the contacts. A solenoid (not shown) is connected to each of the movable contacts 10, 20, and the movable contacts 10, 20 are reciprocated by driving the solenoids.

  On the other hand, the conductor plate 30 is a rectangular plate in which a rectangular conductor portion 36 and a rectangular insulating portion 37 are integrally formed. A copper plate having a thickness of 2 mm was used for the conductor portion 36, and a bonding plate in which a plastic plate was sandwiched between two artificial diamond plates was used for the insulating portion 37. This diamond plate was produced by synthesizing a diamond film on an appropriate substrate by a CVD method and removing the substrate. The thickness of the diamond plate is 0.5 mm, and the thickness of the plastic plate is 1.0 mm. The conductor portion and the insulating portion are arranged side by side so that no gap is formed at the boundary between them, and their side edges are surrounded by a frame to maintain the positional relationship between the conductor portion and the insulating portion.

  Also in the present embodiment, the contact surfaces of the contacts 10 and 20 and the contact surface of the conductor portion 36 of the conductor plate 30 that contacts the contacts 10 and 20 are formed of the same material having excellent welding resistance as in the first embodiment. I have.

  Such a conductor plate connects a solenoid (not shown) to the frame, and is reciprocated by driving the solenoid so that either a conductor portion or an insulating portion is interposed between the contacts.

  When the contacts are closed, conduction is achieved by sandwiching the conductor 36 between the contacts (FIG. 13A). When the contacts 10 and 20 are opened, the conductor plate between the contacts is shifted from the conductor portion 36 to the insulating portion 37 to cut off the contacts (FIG. 13B). As described above, the breaking is performed by opening the contacts, and the arc generated between the contacts is broken by inserting the insulating portion 37 between the contacts, so that the breaking can be reliably performed with a simple configuration.

  In particular, when both contacts are opened, two series contact structures are provided between one surface of the conductor portion 36 and one contact and between the other surface of the conductor portion 36 and the other contact. Breaking voltage is divided between the one surface side and the other surface side of the plate 30 to suppress the occurrence of an arc, and the breaking can be realized in a short time.

  With this configuration, it is not necessary to provide an airtight structure around the contact or to provide a space for extending the arc, and a very compact DC relay can be realized. In addition, since the contacts 10, 20 and the insulating portion 37 are not in contact with each other, a long mechanical life can be achieved without causing wear between them.

  Also in this embodiment, since the contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor portion of the conductor plate are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, the contact does not weld even when a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited. Can be reliably shut off.

(Thirteenth embodiment)
In this embodiment, in the configuration of the twelfth embodiment, the timing for opening and closing the contact and the timing for inserting and removing the conductor plate are adjusted by a timer. Here, it is assumed that the contacts 10 and 20 are opened and closed by the solenoid 1 and the conductor plate 30 is inserted and removed by the solenoid 2.

  First, as shown in FIG. 14, a current is supplied to the solenoid 1 to open between the two movable contacts 10 and 20 of the relay shown in FIG. After the two contacts are separated from the conductor by the timer, a current is applied to the solenoid 2 to drive the conductor plate 30, and a portion located between the two contacts is shifted from the conductor to the insulating portion 37.

  The drive time difference between the solenoid 1 and the solenoid 2 may be set so that the conductor plate does not slide and move to the two movable contacts 10 and 20. Conversely, when closing between the two contacts, a current is first applied to the solenoid 2 to drive the conductor plate 30 to dispose the conductor portion 36 between the contacts, and then a current is applied to the solenoid 1 to close the contact and close the conductor portion. Just insert 36.

  With this configuration, it is possible to reliably prevent the opening and closing operations of the contacts 10 and 20 and the shifting operation of the conductor plate 30 from interfering with each other.

(14th embodiment)
Next, a description will be given of an embodiment in which the timing for opening and closing the contacts 10, 20 and inserting / removing the conductor plate 30 in the relay according to the twelfth embodiment shown in FIG.

  FIG. 15 is a drive circuit diagram of the relay of the present invention for performing timing adjustment using a CR circuit. Also in the present embodiment, the contacts 1 and 2 are opened and closed by the solenoid 1, and the transfer of the conductor plate 30 is performed by the solenoid 2. Here, a push-type solenoid is used for both solenoids. The push type solenoid is a solenoid that is driven when the coil is energized and returns to the original position by the force of the spring when the coil is not energized. The switches S1 and S2 in the circuit may be either contact switches or semiconductor switches.

  At the time of disconnection, the switch S1 is closed and the switch S2 is opened to supply a current to the solenoids 1 and 2 to open between the movable contacts 10 and 20. Meanwhile, the capacitors C1 and C2 are charged. Since the resistance is R1≪R2, the amount of current to the solenoid 2 is suppressed, and as a result, the operation of the solenoid 2 can be delayed more than the operation of the solenoid 1 (FIG. 16). Accordingly, after the gap between the contacts is opened, the conductor plate 30 can be transferred from the conductor portion 36 to the insulating portion 37, and the sliding contact between the contacts 10, 20 and the conductor plate 30 can be avoided.

  At the time of conduction, when the switch S1 is opened, the switch S2 is closed at the same time. The capacitors C1 and C2 discharge, but since the resistance is R3≪R2, the amount of current to the solenoid 2 is suppressed, and as a result, the power supply to the solenoid 2 ends early (FIG. 16). Therefore, the solenoid 2 returns to the original state earlier than the solenoid 1 due to the spring, the insulating portion 37 is moved from between both contacts, and the conductor portion 36 is arranged between both contacts, and then the contact is closed. it can.

(Fifteenth embodiment)
Next, a description will be given of an embodiment of a configuration according to the twelfth embodiment shown in FIG. 13 in which a contact between a contact and an insulating portion is avoided by using a tapered surface.

  FIG. 17 is a schematic plan view of a relay of the present invention using a tapered surface, and FIG. 18 is a front view thereof. The relay includes a pair of swing arms 70 that swing, a roller 71 connected to the arm 70, and a conductor plate support mechanism 60 that reciprocates and slides on the roller 71.

  The swing arm 70 has a current lead connection terminal 72 at one end, a rotating shaft 73 at an intermediate portion, and a roller 71 at the other end. A pair of movable contacts 10 and 20 and a tension spring 74 for pulling the two swing arms 70 together are mounted between the rotation shaft 73 and the roller 71 in the swing arm 70. Both movable contacts 10 and 20 are opened and closed using a tapered surface 61 of a conductor plate support mechanism described below, and do not use a drive source for opening and closing contacts such as a solenoid.

  On the other hand, the conductor plate support mechanism 60 has a block portion 62 that is reciprocated by a solenoid (not shown), and has a tapered surface 61 that slides on a roller 71 on both sides thereof. Here, the block portion 62 is configured to be a flat surface after the roller 71 has crossed the tapered surface 61. The tapered surface 61 is formed in a direction that intersects at right angles to the direction in which the movable contact moves forward and backward. Further, a frame portion 63 integrated with the block portion 62 is provided so as to arrange the conductor plate 30 between the movable contacts, and holds the conductor portion 36 and the insulating portion 37 arranged in parallel in the frame portion. . When the block portion 62 is reciprocated by driving the solenoid, the conductor portion 36 or the insulating portion 37 is disposed between the movable contacts.

  Here, when the two contacts 10 and 20 are conducted, the conductor 36 is sandwiched between the two contacts, and one connection terminal → one swing arm → one movable contact → conductor → the other Current flows in the order of the movable contact, the other swing arm, and the other connection terminal (see the arrow in FIG. 17).

  On the other hand, at the time of shutoff, the solenoid is driven to move the block portion 62 to the right side in FIG. Accordingly, the roller 71 rides on the tapered surfaces 61 on both sides of the block portion 62, and the roller side of the two swing arms 70 is opened against the tensile force of the tension spring 74. As a result, the two movable contacts are opened, and the insulating part 37 is disposed between the two contacts.

  In such a series of operations, when the two movable contacts are opened at the time of interruption, between one surface of the conductor portion 36 and one movable contact 10 and between the other surface of the conductor portion 36 and the other movable contact 20. Since the two series contact structures are used, the breaking voltage is divided on one side and the other side of the conductor plate 30 at the time of breaking, thereby suppressing generation of an arc and realizing breaking in a short time.

  Further, in such a configuration, since the contacts are first opened by press-fitting the block portion 61 between the two rollers 71, when the conductor plate 30 between the contacts is transferred from the conductor portion 36 to the insulating portion 37, the insulating portion 37 Can also be prevented from sliding on the contact point. Of course, conversely, by removing both rollers from the tapered surface 61 of the block portion, both the contacts can be closed after the conductor plate 30 between the contacts is transferred from the insulating portion 37 to the conductor portion 36, and the conductor plate 30 and the contact Sliding contact can be prevented.

  Further, in this example, the movable contacts can be opened and closed by using the tapered surface 61 of the block portion without using a drive source for opening and closing the contacts.

  In the above example, a drive source for contact opening / closing may be used. As a drive source for opening and closing contacts, a solenoid or the like is suitable.

(Sixteenth embodiment)
Further, an embodiment of a relay according to the present invention, which is a relay using a conductor plate having a conductor portion and an insulating portion and has two contact pairs in series, will be described. Each of the twelfth to fifteenth embodiments describes an example in which the movable contacts 10 and 20 are single contacts. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram of a pair of movable contacts 21 and 22 and one movable contact 10 that comes into contact with and separates from these. Here, two columnar blocks are used for the movable contacts 21 and 22, and a substantially disk-shaped block is used for the movable contact 10. The columnar block has such a size that it can ride on the movable contact 10 with a margin in a state where two blocks are arranged.

  Also in this embodiment, the contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor portion of the conductor plate are formed of the same material having excellent welding resistance as in the first embodiment.

  A conductor plate (omitted in FIG. 19) is inserted and removed between the movable contact 20 and the movable contact 10. It is conceivable that two conductor plates are used, for example, and are interposed between the movable contacts 21 and 10 and between the movable contacts 22 and 10, respectively. That is, the transfer between the conductor portion and the insulating portion is performed by reciprocating the pair of conductor plates in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

  By using such contacts 10 and 20, a current flow path when both contacts are conducted is passed from one movable contact 21 through the conductor to the movable contact 10 and further through the conductor to the other movable contact 22. Will pass through. Therefore, by using the two movable contacts 21 and 22 arranged in series, the voltage is divided, so that it is possible to improve the cutoff characteristics and the durability of the contacts. Then, the arc between the movable contacts 21 and 10 is divided into one side and the other side by a conductor, and the one side and the other side are similarly separated between the movable contacts 22 and 10 by the conductor. Since the arc is divided at a short time, the interruption can be performed in a very short time.

  Also in the present embodiment, since the contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor portion of the conductor plate are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, even when a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited, the contact is not welded. Can be shut off.

(Seventeenth embodiment)
Next, an embodiment of a relay according to the present invention, which is a relay using a conductor plate having a conductor portion and an insulating portion and has two parallel contact pairs, will be described. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of an example in which each of the movable contacts 11, 12 and each of the movable contacts 21, 22 is two. Here, two columnar blocks 11, 12, 21, and 22 are fixed to each of the substantially disk-shaped blocks 10, 20 at an interval to form a movable contact.

  Also in this embodiment, the contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor portion of the conductor plate are formed of the same material having excellent welding resistance as in the first embodiment.

  A conductor plate (not shown in FIG. 20) is inserted and removed between the movable contacts 11 and 21 and between the movable contacts 12 and 22. It is conceivable that two conductor plates are used, for example, and are interposed between the movable contacts 11 and 21 and between the movable contacts 12 and 22, respectively. That is, the transfer between the conductor portion and the insulating portion is performed by reciprocating the pair of conductor plates in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

  By using such contacts, the current flow path when both contacts are conducted is a flow path that passes through the movable contact 11 facing from one movable contact 21 and a movable contact 12 that faces from the other movable contact 22. The flow is divided into two flow paths, namely, a flow path and a flow path. Therefore, by using two pairs of contacts, ie, the movable contacts 11 and 21 and the movable contacts 12 and 22, the current is shunted, and the cutoff characteristics and the durability of the contacts can be improved.

  In particular, between each of the movable contacts 11 and 21 and each of the movable contacts 12 and 22, the arc is divided on one side and the other side of the conductor, so that the arc can be interrupted in a very short time.

  Also in the present embodiment, since the contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor portion of the conductor plate are formed of a material having excellent welding resistance, even when a large current flows when the relay is short-circuited, the contact is not welded. Can be shut off.

  A relay having the structure described in the first embodiment and a comparative example in which there was no conductor plate and only the movable contact was opened were produced, and the breaking characteristics were compared.

  Each movable contact and the conductor plate were made of silver-plated copper. Then, the interruption time was measured under the conditions of 100 V and 25 A. The interruption time is a time from when the movable contacts are opened to when the voltage becomes zero. As a result, while the cutoff time was 0.44 ms in the configuration according to the first embodiment, it was 2.42 ms in the comparative example, and the relay of the present invention was able to realize overwhelmingly high-speed cutoff. I understand.

  Further, with respect to the DC relay having the structure according to the first embodiment, the contact surfaces 10a and 20a of the contacts and the contact surface 30a of the conductor plate with the contacts have the first layer shown in the "Chemical composition" column shown in Table 1. The second and third layers were fabricated using Ag alloys of two different chemical compositions, and their welding resistance and temperature characteristics were examined.

  For these Ag alloys, first, Ag alloys having two kinds of chemical compositions of a first layer and a second layer were melted and cast to produce ingots. After rough processing each of these, the ingots of the first layer and the second layer were overlapped and hot-pressed with a hot roll at 850 ° C. in an argon atmosphere to produce a composite material composed of a two-layer Ag alloy.

  After pre-heating the obtained composite material under the same conditions as hot pressing, a thin pure Ag plate is finally added to the second layer on the opposite side to the first layer so as to have a thickness of 1/10 of the total thickness. The surface of the layer was hot pressed. Thereafter, the material was further cold-rolled into a hoop-shaped material, which was punched out to produce a composite contact chip having a width of 6 mm, a length of 8 mm, and a thickness of 2.5 mm.

  The obtained chip was kept (internal oxidation) at 750 ° C. for 170 hours in an oxygen atmosphere at 4 atm (405.3 kPa) to obtain a composite contact specimen. The thickness of the first layer of the obtained specimen was as shown in Table 1, and the thickness of the Ag layer was approximately 1/10 of the thickness of each chip.

  The thickness of the first layer can be confirmed, for example, as follows using a cross-sectional specimen passing through the center of the contact and perpendicular to the surface. First, five starting points are set at equal intervals on the specimen surface near the surface in a direction parallel to the surface. Next, the hardness is confirmed from each point in the direction perpendicular to the surface (thickness) in the direction perpendicular to the surface at substantially equal intervals from the surface, and five hardness curves (line graphs) are created.

  Then, at a certain starting point, an intersection between the horizontal line having a hardness level of 190 and this curve is taken, and the horizontal distance from the surface to this intersection is defined as the thickness of the first layer at the starting point. Hereinafter, the thickness of the first layer at the starting points of the remaining four places is also taken, and the arithmetic average value of the obtained five data may be used as the thickness of the first layer. The thickness of the second layer can be measured similarly.

  At this time, an intersection with a horizontal line having a hardness level of 130 is taken, and the horizontal distance from the surface to this intersection may be set as the thickness of the second layer at a certain starting point. When an intermediate layer is provided, the horizontal distance between the intersection with the horizontal line having a hardness level of 190 and the intersection with the horizontal line having a hardness level of 130 may be the thickness of the intermediate layer at a certain starting point. In this example, the thickness of the first layer was measured by the above procedure.

  In addition, what attached * to the sample number in a table | surface is a comparative example. The amounts of the other components Sb, Ni, and Bi in Samples 11 to 18 were all 0.2% by mass. The chemical compositions of the first layer and the second layer of Samples 19 to 27 were the same, and the amounts of other components and Sb, Co, and Zn were 0.2% by mass in both layers. It is.

  The other components of Sample 28 and their amounts are 0.1 and 0.1 respectively for Sb, Pb, Ni, Bi, Co, and Zn in mass% units. The other components of Sample 29 and their amounts are 0.1 and 0.5 for Pb and 0.5 for Sb, Ni, Ca, Bi, Co, and Zn, respectively, in mass% units. The other components of Samples 30 to 32 and the amounts thereof are 0.2 in mass% for both Ni and Zn. In the chemical composition of the first layer and the second layer, the balance other than the components described in the table consists of Ag and unavoidable impurities.

  Note that, in Table 1, Samples 1 to 10 are sample groups in which the hardness of each layer was controlled by changing the amounts of Sn and In. Samples 11 to 18 are a sample group in which the amounts of Sn and In are changed and other components other than these are further added. Samples 19 to 27 are a group of samples in which the thickness of the first layer is changed.

In Samples 28 to 34, both the first layer and the second layer have the same chemical composition. In these, the hardness of the first layer was controlled as follows. First, samples 28 to 33 were prepared by increasing the cross-sectional area ratio of the first layer by 50% compared to that of the second layer, and annealing the material at 450 ° C. for 30 minutes in a vacuum during the rolling of the first layer material. After the internal oxidation, shot blasting was performed for 3 minutes at a projection pressure of 3 kgf / cm ² (294 kPa) on the surface of the first layer using # 120 alumina beads.

  Sample 34 was produced under the same conditions as the above samples except that the annealing temperature and time during the rolling were 750 ° C. and 5 hours, respectively. Although not shown in Table 1, in Samples 33 and 34, intermediate portions having a thickness of 190 μm and 230 μm were formed, respectively.

  In Sample 35, the amount of oxides of Sn and In in the first layer was smaller than that of the second layer, and the hardness of the first layer was lower than the hardness of the second layer. After the Ag alloy of the first layer and the second layer having the chemical composition described in (1) is melt-cast, hot-pressed and rolled, and then internally oxidized under the same conditions as above.

  Sample 36 was prepared by melting and casting the Ag alloy of the first layer and the second layer having the chemical composition shown in Table 1 and then, on a mating surface of the two layers, in a horizontal direction at a pitch of 1 mm and a width of 1 mm and a depth of 1 mm. The unevenness of 0.5 mm is formed, and the concave portion and the convex portion are hot-pressed in such a state that they are engaged with each other, then rolled, and then internally oxidized under the same conditions as described above.

  The thickness of the first layer of hardness of each sample prepared by the above method was confirmed by the above-described procedure. Table 1 shows the above results. Although not described in the table, the thickness of the intermediate portion of each of the samples other than Sample 33 and Sample 34 was less than 100 μm.

  Then, the composite contact chip was soldered to the movable contact and the conductor plate shown in FIG. 1 with silver to form contact surfaces 10a, 20a, and 30a. After that, it was fixed to two types of DC relays of rated AC 30A frame and 50A frame. Five such relays were prepared for each composite contact chip pair of each sample number. First, using all the assemblies of each sample, a rated current was supplied for 100 minutes, and the temperature at the time of the supply was measured to confirm the initial temperature characteristics.

  Next, under a 220V load condition, a breaking test was performed using a single assembly with a breaking current of 1.5kA for a 30A frame and a breaking current of 5kA for a 50A frame. confirmed.

  As for the temperature characteristics after the cutoff test, the rated current was continuously applied for 100 minutes, and the temperature at the time of the current supply was measured to confirm the temperature characteristics after the cutoff test. In the overload test, using the assembly whose initial temperature characteristics have been confirmed, switching is repeated 50 times at 5 second intervals with a current of 5 times the same rated current for both the 30 A frame and the 50 A frame, and The temperature characteristics after the overload test were confirmed by measuring the temperature during energization under the same conditions.

  The endurance test uses the assembly whose initial temperature characteristics have been confirmed, with the same rated current flowing through both the 30A frame and the 50A frame, and repeats opening and closing 6000 times at 5 second intervals, and then applying power under the same conditions as the initial confirmation above By measuring the temperature, the temperature characteristics after the durability test were confirmed.

  In the evaluation of these series of tests, the temperature characteristics were evaluated in five stages based on the results of the models of both the 30A and 50A frames, and the welding resistance was evaluated depending on whether or not welding was performed.

  The five-point evaluation of the temperature characteristics is as follows: 5 when the temperature rise during energization is 50 ° C or less; 4 when the temperature is over 50 ° C and 60 ° C or less; 3 when the temperature is over 60 ° C and 70 ° C or less; Was set to 1. These evaluations are shown in Table 2 corresponding to the sample numbers in Table 1. In Table 2, * is added to the sample number of the comparative example.

The following can be understood from the above results.
(1) For both the first and second layers, Sn is controlled within the range of 1 to 9% by mass, In is controlled within the range of 1 to 9% by mass, the micro Vickers hardness of the first layer is 190 or more, and the micro Vickers of the second layer is controlled. A relay using a contact having a hardness of 130 or less and a thickness of the first layer controlled within a range of 10 to 360 μm is within a range that is sufficiently practicable in the above comprehensive evaluation. On the other hand, a relay using a contact outside the above range has not reached a practical level in comprehensive evaluation.

(2) The same can be said when a small amount of components such as Sb and Ni are contained in addition to Sn and In.
(3) The hardness levels of the contact tips of Sample 1, Sample 10, Sample 18, Sample 31, Sample 32, Sample 35, and Sample 36, which are comparative examples, are outside the above range. However, in all cases, except for some characteristics, performance of a practical level could not be obtained comprehensively.

  A simulated relay having a contact pair was prepared using the sample 24 of Table 1 in the second embodiment, and the capacitor was charged by boosting the voltage with a transformer, and the thyristor was used to discharge the capacitance of the capacitor and open the relay contact. FIG. 21 shows the state of the voltage and the current when the contacts are opened while the adjustment is performed and the large current flows in a short time. At this time, even if a large current of 2600 A flowed, the contacts did not weld, and the voltage between the contacts increased rapidly and could be reliably shut off.

  In the graph of FIG. 21, it is determined that the cutoff is completed when the cutoff voltage reaches 200 V, and the power supply is stopped. Therefore, when the power supply is stopped, the voltage becomes zero. I have. From this, it is presumed that a relay using the above specific material as a contact material is excellent in welding resistance and can be cut off at high speed.

  On the other hand, when a contact pair is formed using the sample 27, when a large current of 1500 A flows as shown in FIG. 22, the contacts are instantaneously welded, the capacitor spontaneously discharges, and the It can be seen that the voltage behavior occurs only for 1 ms and fluctuates only by about 10 V.

  The relay of the present invention is expected to be used as a relay for turning on / off a high-voltage circuit in a high-voltage (about 300 V) vehicle such as a hybrid vehicle or a fuel cell vehicle, which has recently attracted attention due to environmental issues. In general, the space in an automobile is greatly restricted, but the relay of the present invention is compact, so that limited space can be effectively used.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is 1st Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: It is a schematic block diagram which shows the basic structure of this invention relay. FIG. 2A is a schematic view showing a relay using a compression spring according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 2A shows a state at the time of energization, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a relay according to a third embodiment of the present invention, showing a state at the time of energization. FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a relay according to a third embodiment of the present invention, showing a state at the time of interruption. It is a 4th embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic structure figure of a relay using a magnet. FIG. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram of a relay using a magnet and a compression spring, showing a state at the time of interruption according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. It is a 6th embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic structure figure of a relay using three conductor plates. It is a 7th embodiment of the present invention and is a schematic diagram of a relay provided with a pair of movable contacts and one movable contact which contacts and separates them. FIG. 16 is a schematic view of a relay having an eighth embodiment of the present invention and including two fixed contacts using a compression spring and one movable contact that comes into contact with and separates them. It is a ninth embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic diagram of a relay which made each of the movable contact which opposes two each. It is a 10th embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic diagram of a relay which has two fixed contacts and two movable contacts which opposed using a compression spring. It is an eleventh embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic configuration diagram of a relay using a conductor plate having a conductor portion and an insulation portion and a magnet. It is a twelfth embodiment of the present invention and is a schematic configuration diagram of a relay using a conductor plate having a conductor portion and an insulating portion, wherein (A) shows a conduction state and (B) shows a interruption state. 14 is a graph showing a solenoid current when a timing is adjusted by a timer in a relay according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 24 is a drive circuit diagram of a relay that adjusts timing using a CR circuit in a relay according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention. 15 is a graph showing a solenoid current when a timing is adjusted by a CR circuit according to a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention. It is a 15th embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic plan view at the time of using a taper surface in a relay concerning a 12th embodiment. It is a front view of the relay of FIG. It is a 16th embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic diagram showing the contact composition of the relay which constituted the one side movable contact using two conductors using the conductor board which has a conductor part and an insulating part. It is a 17th embodiment of the present invention, and is a schematic diagram showing the contact composition of the relay which constituted the movable contact on both sides using two conductors using the conductor board which has a conductor part and an insulating part. 13 is a graph showing the behavior of voltage and current when the relay configuration using the contact material of sample 24 is cut off in Example 3. 14 is a graph showing the behavior of voltage and current when the relay configuration using the contact material of Sample 27 is cut off in Example 3.

Explanation of reference numerals

10,11,12,20,21,22 (both ends) movable contact
15,25 Intermediate movable contact
23,24 Fixed contacts
17,27 steps
30,31,32,33 Conductor plate
34,36 conductor
35,37 insulation
40 Compression spring
50 permanent magnet
8 Holding hole
91,92 blocks
60 Conductor plate support mechanism
61 Tapered surface
62 Block
63 Frame
70 Swing arm
71 rollers
72 Connection terminal
73 Rotary axis
74 Tension spring
100 arc

Claims (14)

At least one of which is a movable contact, a contact pair having contacts that open and close with each other,
A direct current relay which is interposed between these contacts so as to come into contact with the two contacts when energized to conduct the current, and to interrupt each contact and a conductor plate arranged at an interval.   2. The DC relay according to claim 1, wherein the conductor plate is sandwiched between one contact and the conductor plate and between the other contact and the conductor plate with an insulating elastic material interposed therebetween. Form a holding hole in the contact surface of each contact with the conductor plate,
3. The DC relay according to claim 2, wherein an insulating elastic material that can expand and contract in the contact opening and closing direction is inserted into the holding holes, and the conductor plate is sandwiched by the insulating elastic material.   2. The DC relay according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of conductor plates are interposed between the contacts.   2. The DC relay according to claim 1, further comprising: a magnet for distorting an arc generated between each of the contact points and the conductor plate by a magnetic field when interrupted.   The conductor plate includes a conductor portion and an insulating portion provided on the outer periphery of the conductor portion, contacts the contacts with the conductor portion in a state where the contacts are closed, and a magnet in a state where the contacts are open. The direct current relay according to claim 5, wherein the arc is distorted toward the insulating portion.   In the conductor plate, a conductor portion and an insulating portion are arranged in parallel, and the conductor portion is interposed between the contacts when the contacts are closed, and the insulating portion is interposed between the contacts when the contacts are open. The DC relay according to claim 1, further comprising a driving source for the conductive plate.   After outputting the drive signal for opening both contacts, after a lapse of a certain time, outputting a drive signal for inserting the insulating part between the two contacts, outputting a drive signal for pulling out the insulating part from between the two contacts, and then driving the two contacts close to each other 8. The DC relay according to claim 7, further comprising timer means for controlling a drive timing of the contact and the conductor plate so as to output a signal.   After opening the two contacts, the conductor is pulled out from between both contacts, the insulating part is inserted between both contacts, the insulating part is pulled out from between both opened contacts, and the conductor is inserted between both contacts. The direct current relay according to claim 7, further comprising a CR circuit that controls a drive timing of the contact and the conductor plate so that the contact is close to the contact. A tapered surface interlocked with the reciprocating drive of the conductor plate,
The direct current relay according to claim 7, further comprising an opening / closing mechanism that opens and closes between the two movable contacts by contacting the tapered surface.   The DC relay according to claim 10, wherein the contact is configured to be opened and closed without using a driving source.   12. The DC relay according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of contact pairs, wherein the contact pairs are arranged in series.   12. The DC relay according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of contact pairs, wherein the contact pairs are arranged in parallel.   The contact surface of the contact and the contact surface of the conductor plate with the contact are made of an Ag alloy having a chemical composition containing 1 to 9% by mass of Sn and 1 to 9% by mass of In. With two layers, the micro Vickers hardness of the first layer is 190 or more, the micro Vickers hardness of the second layer is 130 or less, and the thickness of the first layer is in the range of 10 to 360 μm. The DC relay according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein:

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