Twin path reed spring relay construction

An electrical reed spring relay construction in which a single pair of reed springs are controlled to complete simultaneously two distinct conducting paths. A pair of yoke members each comprising a pair of parallel legs connected at one end by a transverse base member are suspended by the other ends of the legs at opposite ends of an encapsulating envelope. Between the legs of each yoke member is arranged a reed spring member also suspended at one end of the envelope. The yoke assemblies are suspended at the envelope ends so that the other ends and base members overlap and are spaced apart to present the contact gaps. Upon the application of a magnetic field, the other end of the reed spring member of each yoke member is urged into contact with the base member of the other yoke member. Two distinct conducting paths are thus completed between opposite ends of the envelope: one via the reed spring member lying between the legs of one yoke member and a leg of the other yoke member and the other via the reed spring member lying between the legs of the latter yoke member and a leg of the former yoke member. In a second embodiment, the terminal elements of each conducting path emerge at the same end of the envelope. The transverse base member of each yoke is interrupted and the reed springs are operative to make connections between the yoke member legs which form the conducting paths.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to electromagnetically actuated electrical relays 
and more particularly to such relays having spring mounted contacts sealed 
in an enclosing envelope. 
Sealed contact relays are well-known in the electrical arts and have 
long-found extensive application in electrical systems for performing a 
wide range of switching functions. These relays typically take the form of 
a pair of reed springs of a magnetically responsive and electrically 
conductive material suspended at their ends by the envelope, of a 
non-conductive material, usually, glass, in which they are sealed. At 
their other ends the springs overlap and are spaced apart to present a 
contact gap. A winding encircling the envelope is energizable to generate 
a magnetic field for urging the overlapping ends of the reed springs each 
toward the other to make electrical contact and thereby to control the 
electrical circuit in which the relay is connected. Although sealed reed 
relays having more than two spring pairs for controlling multiple 
electrical circuits are known, the relay form most generally available and 
in widest use incorporates only one spring pair to control the electrical 
continuity of a single conducting path. Thus, where two or more circuits 
are to be simultaneously controlled, such as the tip and ring circuits of 
a telephone subscriber line, for example, separate relays are generally 
provided to control the individual circuits. Problems attending the 
fabrication of most known multiconducting path relays, such as contact gap 
control and the like, have heretofore occasioned the provision of 
individual relays for multiple circuit control as the most economically 
feasible. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and novel sealed 
reed spring relay for simultaneously controlling a plurality of conducting 
paths. 
Another object of this invention is a new and novel reed spring relay 
construction which lends itself to simplified fabrication techniques, 
offers versatility of operation, and achieves plural conducting paths 
without adding substantially to its power requirements. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The foregoing and other objects of this invention are realized in one 
illustrative relay emobidiment thereof comprising a pair of opposing 
contacting mechanisms each comprising an extended "U" shaped yoke between 
which a compliant reed contact spring is arranged. The reeds and yokes are 
conventionally of a magnetically responsive, electrically conductive 
material. Each contacting mechanism is suspended by the yoke legs and reed 
spring end at opposite ends of an enclosing envelope so that the bases of 
the "U"shaped yokes overlap well beyond their positions of coincidence in 
a spaced-apart relationship. The yoke leg and reed spring ends extend 
externally beyond the envelope ends to form the relay terminals. Upon the 
energization of a winding encircling the envelope, the magnetic field 
created causes the closure of the contact end of a reed spring of one 
contacting mechanism upon the base of the yoke of the opposing contacting 
mechanism. Two distinct conducting paths are thus completed: one through 
one reed spring and its opposing yoke, the other through the other yoke 
and its opposing reed spring. The yoke members are relatively noncompliant 
as compared with the flexible reed springs. As a result, only the opposing 
reed springs are operated by the applied magnetic field as in conventional 
reed spring relays while advantageously completing two conducting paths, 
the power requirements remaining substantially the same. 
In an alternate arrangement according to the principles of this invention, 
a dual conducting path reed spring relay is realized in which the external 
terminals for each path appear at the same end of the envelope. In this 
arrangement, the bases of each "U" shaped yoke member is interrupted at 
its contact area. The flexible reed springs then serve only to complete 
electrical connections between the two pairs of yoke halves, the springs 
themselves not forming parts of the conducting paths. 
It is thus one feature of this invention, that a single pair of opposing 
reed springs serves to complete two distinct electrical conducting paths 
within a single relay envelope. 
The operating mechanisms of a relay construction according to this 
invention advantageously lend themselves to mass production techniques 
such as by stamping large numbers from a single blank of suitable material 
in one operation. The central reed spring members are rendered compliant 
by selectively reducing their thickness and assembly of the relay is 
facilitated by retaining the contacting mechanisms attached to the blank 
carrier until after encapsulation of the relay elements after which the 
carrier is severed to create the relay external terminals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
One illustrative relay construction according to the principles of this 
invention is depicted in FIG. 1 and comprises a pair of identical 
contacting mechanisms 10 and 11 formed of a suitable electrically 
conductive, magnetically responsive material. Each of the mechanisms 10 
and 11 comprises, as indicated with reference to mechanism 10, a 
substantially "U" shaped yoke member 12 having a base 13 connecting a pair 
of parallel legs 14 and 15. Lying between the legs 14 and 15 and 
substantially parallel therewith, is a first reed spring member 16, one 
end of which is disposed adjacent but not touching, the inner surface of 
base 13. 
Contacting mechanism 11 similarly comprises a second substantially "U" 
shaped yoke member 17 having a base 18 (only partially visible in FIG. 1) 
connecting a pair of parallel legs 19 and 20. Lying between legs 19 and 20 
and substantially parallel therewith, is a second reed spring member 21, 
one end of which is disposed adjacent but not touching, the inner surface 
of base 18. The ends of the yoke legs and the other ends of the reed 
springs extend through and are supported by, opposite ends of an 
encapsulating envelope 22 which may be formed of any suitable insulating 
material such as glass. At each end of envelope 22, external terminals are 
formed by the other ends of reed springs 16 and 21 and one leg of each of 
the yoke mechanisms 10 and 11. Thus, reed spring 16 is extended to present 
a terminal 23 and leg 15 is extended to present a terminal 24. Similarly, 
reed spring 21 is extended to present a terminal 25 and leg 19 is extended 
to present a terminal 26. Conventionally, the usually substantially 
circularly cross-sectioned envelope 22 is encircled by a cylindrical 
winding assembly 27. 
As mentioned hereinbefore, the yoke mechanisms 10 and 11 may be stamped 
from a blank sheet to form the reed springs and yokes and such a stamping 
operation is contemplated as having been employed to realize the relay 
elements shown in FIG. 1 and other figures of the drawing. The particular 
terminal ends are accordingly formed as shown only as a result of a 
convenient blank lay-out of the contacting mechanisms. Yoke members 12 and 
17 are relatively rigid as compared with the compliance of reed spring 
members 16 and 21, flexibility of the latter members being achieved during 
their fabrication by flattening, and thereby reducing the thickness of, 
their lengths from their supported ends. This is more clearly shown in the 
cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, to which figure reference may now be had 
for a description of an illustrative operation of the relay assembly of 
FIG. 1. 
As depicted in FIG. 2, the contacting mechanisms 10 and 11 are supported at 
their envelope ends in a manner so as to dispose their opposite ends in an 
overlapping and spaced-apart relationship. The extent of the overlap is 
sufficient to extend the reed spring ends substantially to the inner sides 
of bases 13 and 18. When the winding of assembly 27 is energized, the 
magnetic field generated conventionally closes through the reed springs 16 
and 21 and yokes 12 and 17 to create opposite poles at the overlapping 
ends of these elements. As a result, the end of reed spring 16 closes on 
base 18 of yoke 17 and reed spring 21 closes on base 13 of yoke 12. The 
operated positions of reed spring members 16 and 21 are shown in dashed 
outline in the figure. Two distinct conducting paths are thus created 
within the relay assembly which may be traced as follows (FIG. 1): a first 
path from terminal 23, reed spring 16, base 18, and leg 19 of yoke 17, to 
terminal 26, and a second, from terminal 25, reed spring 21, base 13 and 
leg 15 of yoke 12, to terminal 24. Upon de-energization of the winding of 
assembly 27, the reed springs are conventionally restored to break the 
conducting paths for nonlatching operation. It will be appreciated that a 
latching relay may be realized within the scope of this invention by 
adding the specification that the contacting mechanisms be formed of a 
magnetic material also exhibiting substantially rectangular hysteresis 
characteristics. 
In the illustrative relay assembly of FIG. 1, it may be noted that the ends 
of two conducting paths as traced in the foregoing emerge from opposite 
ends of the envelope 22. In a second illustrative relay embodiment 
according to the principles of this invention, the two terminals of each 
conducting path emerge from the same end of the enclosing envelope. This 
relay assembly as shown in FIG. 3 also comprises a pair of contacting 
mechanisms 30 and 31. Mechanism 30 comprises a yoke member 32 having a 
pair of substantially parallel legs 33 and 34 between which is disposed a 
reed spring member 35. The base of yoke member 32 is interrupted to 
present a gap 36 between a pair of inwardly extending fingers 37 and 38. 
Mechanism 31 similarly comprises a a yoke member 39 having a pair of 
substantially parallel legs 40 and 41 between which is disposed a second 
reed spring member 42. The base of yoke member 39 is also interrupted to 
present a gap between a pair of inwardly extending fingers not visible in 
FIG. 3. Each of the legs of the yoke leg pairs 32-39 and 40-41 is 
individually extended beyond the ends of the envelope to present at the 
ends, respectively, terminals 43 and 44 and terminals 45 and 46. Reed 
spring members 35 and 42 are merely supported at the envelope ends and, as 
will appear hereinafter, do not provide for external electrical 
connections. Reed spring members 35 and 42 are also flattened to achieve 
flexibility as compared to the relatively rigid yoke leg members as in the 
embodiment of FIG. 1. Each of the remaining elements of the relay 
embodiment of FIG. 3 is identical to its counterpart in the relay assembly 
of FIG. 1. 
The operating ends of the contacting mechanisms of the relay embodiment of 
FIG. 3 also overlap and are spaced-apart to present contact gaps. In this 
embodiment, however, as the winding is energized and a magnetic field is 
applied to the contacting mechanisms, the reed spring member of one 
contacting mechanism completes an electrical connection between the yoke 
fingers of the other mechanism. Thus, as reed spring member 35 is 
operated, a connection is completed between the fingers (not visible in 
the drawing) extending inwardly from the yoke legs 40 and 41. Similarly, 
as reed spring member 42 is operated, a connection is completed between 
the fingers 37 and 38 extending inwardly from yoke legs 33 and 34. Two 
distinct conducting paths are thus again completed by a single pair of 
reed spring members, which paths may be traced as follows: a first path 
from terminal 43 to terminal 44 at the same end of the enclosing envelope 
via yoke leg 33, its finger 37, the end of reed spring member 42, finger 
38, and yoke leg 34; a second path from terminal 45 to terminal 46 at the 
same but opposite end of the enclosing envelope via yoke leg 40, its 
finger, the end of reed spring member 35, the finger of yoke leg 41, and 
the latter leg. 
Advantageously, structural variations may be incorporated in a relay 
assembly construction within the scope of this invention to facilitate 
assembly and to ensure proper positioning and alignment of its parts. 
Thus, in FIG. 4 is shown in length-wise cross-section a pair of contacting 
mechanisms 50 and 51 of a relay arrangement according to the embodiment of 
FIG. 1 formed of a sheet blank of reduced thickness thereby obviating the 
flattening step to achieve the desired compliance of the reed spring 
members 52 and 53. Rigidity of the yoke members is then achieved by 
oppositely flaring the yoke legs as depicted in the cross-sectional view 
of FIG. 5 as the oppositely flared legs 54-55 and 56-57. In another 
assembly arrangement within the scope of this invention, contacting 
mechanisms 60 and 61 are mounted within a pair of insulating spacers 62 
and 63 also shown in the sectional views of FIGS. 6 and 7. The relative 
positions of the yoke members are thus positively ensured and the 
insertion of the subassembly as a unit within a protective envelope is 
facilitated. Further, although not shown in the drawing, the thickness of 
the sheet blank from which the mechanisms may be formed may also be 
reduced without regard for yoke rigidity since the yoke members are 
secured from movement by the spacers 62 and 63. 
What have been described are considered to be only specific illustrative 
relay assemblies according to the principles of this invention and it is 
to be understood that various and numerous other arrangements may be 
devised by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and 
scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims.