Abstract:
A coil assembly is provided, comprising a coil former, a coil, and a connection block which is pivotally joined to the coil former. The coil is wound while the connection block is pivoted away, the winding wire ends are soldered to the terminal pins, and the connection block is pivoted close to the coil.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to a method for producing a coil assembly and to such a coil assembly, in particular for use in a relay, the coil assembly comprising an insulating coil former as a winding support, with a coil wound around the winding support, and a connection block on the flange of the coil for connecting the winding wire ends to terminal pins. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    EP 2 187 418 A2 discloses a relay including a relay core member having a magnetic core, a yoke, a coil, and an insulating coil former in form of two frames, the second frame defining a coil flange with a connection block which projects beyond the coil axis and in which two terminal pins for the winding wire ends are secured. With this configuration of the relay core member, an installation length is resulting, which is greater than the actual length of the coil former when considering the length of the coil axis from coil flange to coil flange. 
         [0003]    From DE 84 28 722 U1 a coil former is known, that has an excitation winding between peripheral end flanges, and a plastic bracket with a hinge-type joint integrally molded to one end flange can be latched at the other end flange after having been folded. With this configuration, the coil must not have a large length. The plastic bracket has fitting openings with terminal pins inserted therein, that can be soldered to the winding ends of the coil. Once the bracket has been folded, the terminal pins with their ends project beyond the periphery of the coil, without however compromising the length of the coil. 
         [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,438, U.S. Pat. No. 5,153 543, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,670,871 B1 disclose polarized relays comprising a coil assembly, with a rocking armature, and a base housing. The coil assembly comprises a magnetic core, a coil former, a wound coil, and a permanent magnet. The base housing is a plastic box which opens to the upper side, and which has stationary contact terminals and coil terminals on its end faces, and terminal pin on its lateral sides. The rocking armature is mounted on the permanent magnet above the coil assembly and the base housing and supports the movable contact terminals of the relay switches. Because of the lateral arrangement of the terminal pins, a narrow configuration of the relay is not possible. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    The invention is based on the object to provide a coil assembly with coil, insulating coil former, and connection block, which has length as measured in the direction of the coil axis, that does not significantly exceed the length of the coil, that means which is shorter than the relay core member of EP 2 187 418 A2. The coil may have a large length. Further it is intended to exploit the space at the coil assembly to an optimum. In particular, the coil assembly shall be suitable for a relay, whose terminal pins extend from the radially outer region of the coil. 
         [0006]    According to the invention, a method is proposed for producing a coil assembly which is suitable for being installed in a relay, and which comprises an insulating coil former as a winding support, a coil, and terminal pins for electrical connection to the coil. The insulating coil former which defines a coil axis is provided with a coil connection flange to which a connection block is pivotally attached. The connection block which accommodates the terminal pins partially embedded in an insulating block body is arranged in preparatory position in which it extends within the space outside the outer space of the coil required for winding. Then, a winding wire is wound around the coil former, and the winding wire ends are led out from the coil near the coil connection flange and connected to the associated terminal pins. Thereafter, the terminal pins are bent. As a next step, the connection block is bent with respect to the coil former about a deformation portion. This moreover leads to a strain relief for the winding wire. In this manner, a coil assembly can be obtained, in which the terminal pins virtually extend from within the coil winding space, and do not extent from a space in extension of the coil axis nor do they extend in planes laterally from the coil. So a coil assembly of a very short configuration when compared to the length of the coil is achieved. The coil assembly may be handled separately from a pole assembly in which an unmagnetized ferromagnetic body is to be magnetized to obtain a polarized relay. 
         [0007]    The coil assembly according to the invention may be implemented in different variations. Many configurations use an extension fixed to the coil connection flange and having a flexible deformable joining area to the connection block which is pivoted from its preparatory position to its final position. 
         [0008]    In a first embodiment, the extension is integrally connected to the connection block through a flexible deformable hinge portion. 
         [0009]    In other embodiments, a metallic bending zone is provided on a metallic member which may be one of the terminal pins or a separate bending arm. It is also possible to obtain a connection of the connection block to the extension secured to the coil connection flange via a torsion element. 
         [0010]    Exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    In the drawings: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  shows a coil former with a coil connection flange and an integrally connected connection block, in a preparatory position; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  shows the coil assembly with the connection block in the final position; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  shows a coil former with a coil connection flange and a connection block connected through a terminal pin, in the preparatory position; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  shows the coil assembly with the connection block of  FIG. 3  in the final position; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  shows a coil former with a coil connection flange and a connection block connected through a bending arm, in the preparatory position; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  shows the coil assembly of  FIG. 5  with the connection block bent close to the coil; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  shows a coil former with coil connection flange, which is connected with the connection block via a torsional joint; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  shows the coil assembly of  FIG. 7  with the connection block in the final position. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]      FIGS. 1 and 2  show a first embodiment of a coil assembly according to the invention. The main parts of the coil assembly are an insulating coil former  1 , a coil  2 , and a connection block  3  which can be pivoted from a preparatory position as seen in  FIG. 1  to a final position as seen in  FIG. 2 . The coil former  1  has a coil tube  10  with a longitudinal cavity  14  which define a coil axis  10   a,  and two flanges  11  and  12  at the ends of coil tube  10 . Flange  11  has peripheral edges, and the pivoting of connection block  3  is effected in extension of peripheral edge  11   a.  An extension  13  is secured to peripheral edge  11   b  of flange  11  and is integrally joined to connection block  3 . Connection block  3  comprises an insulating block body  30  and a flexible deformable hinge portion  31  on the extension of peripheral edge  11   a.  Coil former  1  with flange extension  13 , hinge portion  31 , and block body  30  are made of electrically insulating material which is suitable for overmolding metallic parts. Such metallic parts are the terminal pins  35 ,  36  which are partially embedded in body block  30  and protrude from block body  30  with their ends  35   a,    36   a.    
         [0021]      FIG. 1  shows the coil former  1  with connection block  3  in the preparatory position before the winding is placed around coil former. As can be seen, coil tube  10  between flanges  11  and  12  is accessible without hindrance from the lateral side, which means that the connection block  3  is located outside the contour of coil connection flange  11  and outside the required space for winding the coil winding. In this position of the connection block  3  the coil former  1  receives the winding thereby forming the coil  2  ( FIG. 2 ) which has two winding wire ends, not shown, which are led out from the coil in the region of flange  11  and which are connected to terminal pins  35  and  36 , for example by soldering. Subsequently, the upwardly projecting ends  35   a  and  36   a  of terminal pins  35 ,  36  are bent over into a plane in parallel to the coil axis  10   a.  Then, the hinge portion  31  of connection block  3 , which together with its terminal pins  35  and  36  is located in a main plane transversely to the coil axis  10   a  ( FIG. 1 ) is bent about an axis approximately in the extension of peripheral edge  11   a , so that the block body  30  substantially extends in parallel to the coil axis  10   a,  as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
         [0022]    The novel coil assembly is distinguished by a short installation length. In the installation space, the terminal pins  35 ,  36  will be arranged immediately beneath the coil  2 , i.e. the width of flanges  11 ,  12  covers the terminal pins  35 ,  36 . Therefore, the coil assembly is ideally suited for being installed into small or narrow relays, and also into relays having a long coil former  1 . 
         [0023]      FIGS. 3 and 4  illustrate a further embodiment of the novel coil assembly. Similar parts are designated with the same reference numerals as in the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . The principal difference is the connection between flange extension  13  and block body  30 . In fact, a cranked terminal pin  35  is used for this purpose, which is deflected at its the upper end  35   a  and has an angled section  35   b  which is anchored in flange extension  13 . Additionally, terminal pin  35  has a bending zone  35   c  between sections  35   a  and  35   b , which is located approximately on the extension of peripheral edge  11   a.  Terminal pin  36  is also cranked, as seen from the projecting end  36   a.  Coil  2  is wound around coil former  1  in the manner described before, while connection block  30  is arranged in its preparatory position as seen in  FIG. 3 . Then, the winding wire ends  21  and  22  are soldered or otherwise connected to terminal pin ends  35   a  and  36   a.  Afterwards, terminal pin  35  is bent about its bending zone  35   c  so that connection block  3  assumes the final position illustrated in  FIG. 4  in which the main plane of the connector block  30  is in parallel to coil axis  10   a.    
         [0024]      FIGS. 5 and 6  show a third embodiment of the invention. Equivalent parts are designated with the same reference numerals. The characteristic feature of the third embodiment is a bending arm  37  which has a first leg  37   a  anchored in block body  30 , while the second leg  37   b  is anchored in flange extension  13 . Bending arm  37  may be an angled part similar to sections  35   a,    35   b,  and  35   c  of terminal pin  35 , which may additionally have a cranked fork end  35   a.  The winding is applied around coil former  1 , and wire ends  21 ,  22  are electrically conductively connected to the free ends  35   a  and  36   a  of terminal pins  35 ,  36 . As described above, connection block  3  is pivoted from its preparatory position illustrated in  FIG. 5  to the final position shown in  FIG. 6 , whereby the bending zone  37   c  of bending arm  37  is permanently deformed. 
         [0025]      FIGS. 7 and 8  show a fourth embodiment of the invention. 
         [0026]    The same reference numerals as before are used. Extension  13  on coil connection flange  11  has a downwardly extending projection  13   a  for accommodating a torsion leg  38   a  of an elbow-shaped joining member  38 . The angled leg of joining member  38  extends into and is anchored in block body  30 . In the preparatory position as seen in  FIG. 7 , the main plane of connection block  3  extends transversely to the coil axis  10   a,  and in this preparatory position the coil  2  is wound, whereupon the winding wire ends  21 ,  22  are soldered or otherwise conductively connected to their respective terminal pins  35 ,  36 . Thereafter, connection block  3  is pivoted from the position of  FIG. 7  into the position of  FIG. 8 , whereby the torsion leg  38   a  of the elbow-shaped joining member  38  is twisted and undergoes permanent deformation. 
         [0027]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments described above are intended as examples and that the invention is not limited thereto but may be varied in many ways without departing from the scope of the claims. Furthermore, the features also define individually significant components of the invention, irrespective of whether they are disclosed in the description, the claims, the figures, or otherwise, even if they are described together with other features.