Patent Publication Number: US-4320369-A

Title: Electrical relay device and method of making the same

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a unique electrical device and a method of making the same, which device and method have their most important, but not only, utility in the manufacture of plug-in relays commonly used in automobiles. 
     Plug-in relays have been made for many years in a manner which is not adaptable to completely automated mass projection techniques. As is common in the manufacture of all types of relays and other electromagnetic devices, unless the parts thereof are made to extremely close and therefore expensive tolerances, some manual adjustment or machining operation has generally been required to finally produce an electromagnetic device which meets the customer&#39;s specifications. The manufacture of relays for automobile applications requires the seemingly incompatible requirements of low unit cost with high reliability. With the relay design and manufacturing techniques heretofore utilized, a 75% acceptable yield on the completed relays coming off the assembly line was considered highly satisfactory. 
     There has been an obvious need to decrease the unit cost of such relays without sacrificing their reliability. The present invention has provided a unique design of and method of making a plug-in relay or the like which produce acceptable yields well in excess of 90%, and at a lower unit cost of manufacture than previous designs, because of the unique relay design involved which makes possible a unique fully automated assembly and adjustment procedure which does not require close tolerances of the parts. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with one of the features of the present invention, the relay or other electromagnetic device has a bobbin structure which carries a conductor winding forming a coil encircling a core-receiving aperture. Unlike the prior art bobbin structures which are associated with a non-adjustable magnetic field-directing structure, in accordance with one aspect of the invention the bobbin structure is designed to receive a core and heel piece unit which is initially adjustable in position on the bobbin structure. While the core and heel piece unit could be made from a single piece of magnetic material, it is preferably an adjustable assembly of a cylindrical core element made of a low carbon steel alloy or other suitable magnetic material, adjustably disposed with a press fit within an aperture in an end portion of a heel piece also made of magnetic material and completing the magnetic field-directing structure of the electromagnetic device involved. In the latter case, the cylindrical core is adjusted in position within the end portion of the heel piece prior to its placement upon the bobbin structure so that the outer end of the core is precisely located with respect to the adjacent end of the heel piece, using fully automated gauging techniques. The core and heel piece unit is then mounted upon the bobbin structure so that the core section thereof passes adjustably through said core-receiving aperture of the bobbin structure. The core and heel piece unit is adjusted in position on the bobbin structure so that the outer end of the core projects a desired precise degree from one end of this core-receiving aperture. A gauge block may be utilized for this purpose where, by fully automated means, the coil and heel piece unit is pushed against the gauge block against which the bobbin structure is braced. The finally adjusted position of the core and heel piece unit is fixed as by soldering or welding a portion thereof to a metal part of the base of the electromagnetic device. 
     With such a construction and method of assembly of a core and heel piece assembly upon a bobbin structure, identically perfectly operating relays or other electromagnetic devices can be mass-produced at very low cost, since an almost 100% acceptable yeild can be obtained in a fully automated assembly and adjustment procedure which does not require parts made to very close tolerances. 
     In accordance with another feature of the invention which both reduces the size and assembly cost of a plug-in relay or other plug-in electrical device, a unique support base construction is provided. Thus, instead of fabricating a support base therefor in a conventional way, where terminal blade members are staked or riveted in position on an insulating base or are incorporated in the insulating base during the molding thereof, the support base comprises a pair of insulating plates between which are clamped the terminal blade members. The bottom or outer insulating plate, sometimes referred to as a base plate, has spaced apertures into which the terminal blade members may be dropped from the inner or upper face thereof, so that the terminal blade members project outwardly or downwardly from the same. The inner or upper insulating plate, sometimes referred to as a clamp plate, confronts laterally extending intermediate portions of the terminal blade members which extend along the confronting inner faces of the insulating plates, where these portions are clamped securely in place by the insulating plates. The terminal blade members have upper end portions projecting through apertures in the clamp plate where some form contact terminal tabs for soldering the ends of conductors leading from the electrical device involved, such as terminals of a coil. By varying the configuration of the terminal blade members and the position of the apertures in the base plate, it can be seen that a variety of different terminal blade member patterns can be produced, as is generally required by different automobile manufactures, while enabling the standardization of the clamp plate, if desired, and relay design. This construction allows the full area of the base and clamp plates to route the terminals involved, unlike the prior art base construction where the terminals must extend around rivets, crimp tabs and the like. 
     As a further feature of the invention, the bobbin structure is secured to the base and clamp plates by anchoring pins made of thermoplastic material depending from the base portion of the electrical device involved. These plates are also made of a thermoplastic material. These anchoring pins extend transversely from laterally extending portions of the support frame for the electrical device which form ultrasonic tool-receiving surfaces. The pins preferably are tapered so as to be readily passable into apertures of bases which secure together the base and clamp plates. An ultrasonic tool is then momentarily applied to these ultrasonic tool-receiving surfaces to melt the pins and the material of the base and clamp plates immediately surrounding the apertures, so that the bases and the pins are welded together. 
     The above described and other features of the invention can be best understood by making reference to the specification to follow and the drawings which shows an exemplary and preferred form of the invention as applied to plug-in relays. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an exploded view which illustrates the various parts making up a basic plug-in relay, except for the housing which is not shown therein, the drawing including lines which show the relationship of the various parts after their assembly; 
     FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the plug-in relay unit formed by the parts shown in FIG. 1, but with the housing added thereto, such sectional view being that which would be seen along the section planes identified by reference numerals 2--2 in FIG. 3; 
     FIG. 3 is a view of the relay of FIG. 2 as would be seen looking down upon the same with the housing removed therefrom; 
     FIG. 4 is a view looking up toward the upper insulating or clamp plate of the base and terminal assembly portion of the relay shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, but with all of the other parts of the relay removed from the assembly; 
     FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of the clamp plate, with the associated parts thereof shown in dashed lines; 
     FIG. 6 is a view of the inner or bottom surface of the clamp plate shown in FIGS. 4 and 5; 
     FIG. 7 is an end elevational view of the bottom or base plate of the terminal assembly of the relay and shows the terminal blade members mounted thereon prior to the assembly of the clamp plate thereof; 
     FIG. 8 is a view of the base plate and terminal blade members of FIG. 7, as viewed when looking down upon the same; 
     FIG. 9 is a view of the bottom of the base plate shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, with the terminal blade members removed therefrom; 
     FIG. 10 is a view illustrating the manner in which the core section of the core and heel piece sub-assembly of the relay shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 is adjusted in position on the heel piece section of the sub-assembly and; 
     FIG. 11 illustrates the manner in which the core and heel piece sub-assembly is precisely positioned upon the bobbin structure portion of the relay of FIGS. 1 through 3. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY FORM OF THE INVENTION SHOWN IN DRAWINGS 
     Referring now more particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, which show the present invention applied to a plug-in relay, the relay includes what may be referred to as a terminal board assembly 1 upon which is mounted a relay forming unit 2 formed by a bobbin assembly including a bobbin structure 2A and a coil 4 wound thereon. The bobbin assembly has mounted thereon a core and heel piece sub-assembly 2B. A contact-carrying armature 5 is pivotally mounted on the end of the heel piece section of the core and heel piece sub-assembly 2B where it is urged by a spring 5&#39; into a given position best illustrated in FIG. 2. The relay-forming unit 2 is enclosed within a suitable housing 6 interlocked in any suitable way with the terminal board assembly 1. The novelty of the relay illustrated, as previously summarized, deals both with the unique construction of the support base for the plug-in relay which comprises a terminal board assembly 1 first to be described, and also with the construction and arrangement of the core and heel piece sub-assembly 2B upon the bobbin structure 2A. In the description of the relay now to be given, references to the orientation and relationship of the various parts will be explained on the assumption that the relay is orientated as shown in FIG. 2, with the terminal board assembly at the bottom of the relay. It should be understood, however, that the relay could have other orientations in which event what is described as a bottom or upper part or surface may in fact have some other orientation. 
     The terminal board assembly 1 comprises a bottom insulating piece 1A, to be referred to as a base plate, an upper insulating plate 1B, to be referred to as a clamp plate, and terminal blade members 1C which are clamped between the base plate 1A and clamp plate 1B in a manner to be described. These plates are preferably made of a thermoplastic material. The relay illustrated in a single pole double-throw relay which requires five electrical connections thereto. Accordingly, there are five terminal blade members 1C-1, 1C-2, 1C-3, 1C-4 and IC-5, as best shown in FIG. 1, which have terminal blade-forming portions 14 which project downwardly and transversely from the bottom surface of the base plate 1A through apertures 12-1, 12-2, 12-3, 12-4 and 12-5 therein. These terminal blade-forming portions 14 are adapted to extend within a suitable socket connector (not shown) having socket-forming terminals adapted to make good electrical contact with the terminal blade-forming portions 14 of the various terminal blade members. The terminal blade members 1C-3, 1C-4 and IC-5 have upper fingers 18 which project upwardly through the clamp plate 1B to form terminal tabs to which are physically and electrically connected conductors or conductor-forming members to be described. 
     The terminal blade members 1C-1 and 1C-2 are stationary contact-carrying members having upwardly extending fingers 18&#39; and 18&#34;, finger 18&#39;, as illustrated, forming a coplanar extension of the terminal blade-forming portions 14 of the terminal blade members 1C-1 and finger 18&#34; being parallel to but offset from the associated terminal blade-forming portion 14. The contact-carrying fingers 18&#39; and 18&#34; of the terminal blade members 1C-1 and 1C-2 project upwardly and transversely through apertures 24-1 and 24-2 of the clamp plate 1B and carry stationary contact-forming elements 19&#39; and 19&#34; which are in spaced confronting relationship to one another above the clamp plate 1B, as shown best in FIG. 2. The armature 5, which is made of a suitable magnetic material, carries a metal contact plate 5a which extends between the fingers 18&#39; and 18&#34; of the terminal blade members 1C-1 and 1C-2 and includes contact elements 5a&#39; and 5a&#34; on the opposite sides thereof. When the relay is de-energized, the contact element 5a&#39; makes contact with the stationary contact element 19&#39; of the terminal blade member 1C-1, and when the relay is energized the contact element 5a&#39; leaves the contact element 19&#39; and the contact element 5a&#34; makes contact with the stationary contact element 19&#34; of the terminal blade member 1C-2. In a manner to be described, the terminal blade member 1C-3 makes electrical connection with the armature 5 and establishes a point of electrical connection of the contact elements 5a&#39; and 5a&#34; of the armature 5 with a circuit external to the relay. The terminal blade members 1C-4 and 1C-5 make electrical connection with the ends 4&#39; and 4&#34; of coil 4 mounted on the bobbin structure 2B. 
     All of the terminal blade members 1C have laterally extending intermediate portions which extend along the upper or inner face 10&#39; of the base plate 1A to form portions which are engaged by the confronting surfaces of the base plate 1A and clamp plate 1B. The laterally extending intermediate portions of the terminal blade members 1C-1, 1C-3, 1C-4 and 1C-5 are formed by tabs 16 extending laterally from the upper ends of the terminal blade-forming portions 14 thereof on the opposite sides of the base portions of the associated upper fingers 18, as best shown in FIG. 1. The laterally extending intermediate portion of the terminal member 1C-2 is a bridging wall portion 16&#34; which interconnects the upper offset finger 18&#34; and the associated terminal blade-forming portion 14 of the terminal blade member 1C-2. 
     In the form of the invention shown in the drawings, the laterally extending portions 16 and 16&#34; of the terminal blade members 1C extend along the flat upper surface 10&#39; of the base plate 1A. Consequently, to enable a desired face-to-face contact of the inner surfaces of the base and clamp plates 1A and 1B either the inner surface of the base plate or clamp plate 1B should be provided with recesses 26-1, 26-2 . . . 26-5 shown on the bottom surface of clamp plate 1B for respectively receiving the laterally extending portions 16 and 16&#34; of the terminal blade members 1C-1, 1C-2 . . . 1C-5. 
     The particular orientation and position of these apertures and the intermediate laterally extending and terminal blade-forming portions of the various terminal blade members can vary widely, depending upon the specifications for a particular plug-in relay, while the upper fingers 18, 18&#39; and 18&#34; thereof could remain in the identical positions shown, so that the clamp plate and relay assembly elements could be standardized. (To standardize the clamp plate, the recesses 26-1, 26-2 . . . 26-3 should be on the inner surface of the base plate 1A, rather than on the clamp plate as illustrated.) 
     Projecting upwardly from the upper surface of the plate 1A are pin-receiving bosses 22 having pin-receiving holes 23 extending through the base plate 1A. These bosses are adapted to fit when softened within correspondingly shaped apertures 28 formed in the clamp plate 1B. An upwardly extending positioning boss 22&#39; also projects upwardly from the upper surface of the base plate 1A which boss fits when softened within a corresponding aperture 28&#39; in the clamp plate. 
     In the assembly of the support base and terminal assembly 1, the various terminal blade members 1C-1, 1C-2 . . . 1C-5 are respectively dropped into the associated apertures 12-1, 12-2 . . . 12-5 in the base plate 1A from the top thereof. The clamp plate 1B is then placed over the base plate so that the upper fingers 18, 18&#39; and 18&#34; extend through the corresponding apertures 24-1, 24-2 . . . 24-5 in the clamp plate 1B. Instead of utilizing metal rivets or the like for securing together the base and clamp plates 1A and 1B, the confronting surfaces of the base and clamp plates 1A and 1B made of thermoplastic material are welded together as by applying an ultrasonic tool to the entire upper face of the clamp plate 1B which also softens the bosses 22 and 22&#39; initially somewhat wider than the apertures 28 and 28&#39; in the clamp plate. The bosses 22 and 22&#39; enter the apertures 28 and 28&#39; under pressure of the ultrasonic tool and become welded to the defining walls thereof. Tapered anchoring or securing pins 30 on the bottom of the frame 32 of the bobbin structure 24 are then extended into the boss holes 23 which still remain. The pins 30 are preferably made of a thermoplastic material molded as an integral part of the bobbin structure frame 32. The pins are tapered and project downwardly from four laterally extending legs 32c at the four corners of the frame 32, the legs 32c having exposed upper surfaces adapted to receive four nose portions of an ultrasonic tool (not shown). The pins 30 taper in a downward direction, so that the bottom ends thereof initially fit readily through the boss holes 23 of the base plate 1A but finally make a snug fit therein. The ultrasonic tool is then brought down upon the upper surface of the legs 32c of the bobbin structure frame 32 to cause the pins 30 and the defining walls of the boss holes 23 to soften and flow together simultaneously to weld the pins 30 to the bosses 22. 
     The bobbin structure frame 32 has a cylindrical center portion 32c extending between end walls 32b--32b thereof. The cylindrical center portion 32c defines a core-receiving aperture 34 through which extends a cylindrical core 40 of the core and heel piece sub-assembly 2B. The core 40 extends from the end wall portion 42a of the heel piece section 42 of the sub-assembly 2B which, like the core 40, is made of a suitable magnetic material. The core and heel piece sub-assembly 2B is initially mounted for adjustment upon the bobbin structure 2A so that the degree to which the end of the core projects from the core-receiving aperture 34 is progressively variable. As illustrated, the core 40 is press-fitted within an aperture 42a&#39; formed in the heel piece end wall 42a and, in such case, prior to the mounting of the subassembly 2B upon the bottom structure, the core 40 is adjusted in position in the heel piece end wall aperture 42a&#39; so that its end face 40a is spaced a desired distance from the end face 42b&#39; of the opposite end of a longitudinally extending heel piece portion 42b. When the sub-assembly 2B is subsequently mounted upon the bobbin structure 32, the longitudinally extending heel piece portion 42b extends along the upper side of the bobbin structure 32 as viewed in the drawings. 
     Mounted on the outside of the cylindrical center portion 32c of the frame 32 is the coil 4 formed of windings of conductive wire. The ends 4&#39; and 4&#34; of this coil are shown respectively wound around pairs of anchoring projections 37--37 positioned on opposite sides of the bobbin structure frame 32. These coil ends are soldered to the adjacent terminal blade member fingers 18--18 on the terminal blade members 1C-4 and 1C-5 which are located on opposite sides of the bobbin structure frame. 
     The armature 5 is pivotally mounted against the end face 42b&#39; on the end of the longitudinally extending portion 42b of the heel piece 42 remote from the end wall portion 42a thereof. The latter end of the heel piece portion 42b has a cut-out portion 47 into which fits a complimentary portion 46 of the armature 5 so that the armature 5 can be pivotally mounted therein. The aforementioned spring 5&#39;, which extends between an anchoring tab 48 on the heel piece end wall 42a and an anchoring tab 49 on the armature 4, initially urges the armature 5 into a position where the movable contact element 5a&#39; carried thereby contacts stationary contact element 19&#39; on the finger 18&#39; of the terminal blade member 1C-1. As previously indicated, when current above a given value flows through the coil 4, a magnetic force is developed which will attract the magnetic material out of which the armature 5 is made so that the movable contact element 5a&#34; thereof first engages the stationary contact element 19&#34; of the terminal blade member 1C-2 and then deflects the same as it contacts the end face 40a of the core. Proper contact pressure between contact elements 5a&#34; and 19&#34; are assured by the precise positioning of the core end face 40a with the location of stationary contact element 19&#34;. 
     Refer now to FIG. 10 which shows an exemplary test fixture arrangement which permits the automatic positioning of the core 40 within the aperture 42a&#39; on the end wall 42a of the heel piece 42. The fixture includes a base block 44 having an outer surface 45 against which the end of the core 40 is to be braced. The core 40 is shown extending through an opening 46a in a plate 46 urged by a spring 48 away from the surface 45. The spring-loaded plate 46 has a recess or nest 46b into which fits the end wall 42a of the heel piece 42. The heel piece 42 is placed within the net 46b so that its aperture 42a&#39; fits over the end of the core 40 and the longitudinally extending portion 42b of the heel piece projects through an opening 46b&#39; in the spring loaded plate and the end face 42b&#39; thereof abuts the end wall of a socket of a plunger 52. The plunger 52 is connected to one end of a lever 50 pivoted intermediate its ends and whose opposite end is connected to a plunger 54 initially spaced from a reference transducer 56. When the end of the plunger 54 strikes the transducer 56, a control operation is carried out to be described. 
     A plunger 58 is provided having depending therefrom a spring loaded pin 58a which initially engages the outer end of the core 40 and is retracted within the plunger 58 as the plunger moves downwardly against the end wall 42a of the heel piece 42. As the plunger 58 is brought downwardly toward the heel piece end wall 42a, it presses the heel piece downwardly over the core 40 and causes the heel piece end wall 42a to move along the stationary core 40. This movement of the heel piece 42 will cause the spring loaded plate 46 to move toward the surface 45 of the base block 44 until the plunger 54, which moves upwardly as the plunger 52 moves downwardly, strikes the transducer 56. The resulting signal generated by the transducer 56 will terminate the downward movement of the plunger 58 which then returns to its initial position. The assembly procedure just described will position the end of the core 40 a fixed distance from the outer face 42b&#39; of the longitudinally extending portion 42b of the heel piece 42. The adjusted assembly of the core 40 and the heel piece 42 is then extracted from the fixture shown in any suitable way, as by operation of a suitable ejecting means (not shown). 
     Refer now to FIG. 11 which illustrates the manner in which the core and heel piece sub-assembly 2B is automatically positioned on the bobbin structure 2A in accordance with a preferred adjustment procedure. When the core and heel piece sub-assembly 2B is initially mounted on the bobbin structure 2A as shown in FIG. 11, the terminal board assembly 1 with the bobbin structure thereon is pushed by a spring loaded plunger 60 toward a reference surface 63a of a gauge block 63, so that the stationary contact element 19&#34; on terminal block member 1C-2 engages this surface. At the same time, a spring-loaded plunger 65 presses against the inner end of the core 40 projecting a short distance from the end wall 42a of the heel piece 42, so that the core and heel piece sub-assembly 2B is pushed toward the gauge block 63 where the end face 40a of the core 40 engages a gauge block reference surface 63b spaced a given reference distance from the gauge block surface 63a. This procedure is carried out before the armature 5 is mounted upon the end of the heel piece 42. 
     When the core and heel piece assembly 2B have been so positioned and before the same is withdrawn from the gauge block 63, an anchoring tab 66 projecting from the bottom end of the heel piece end wall 42a is soldered, welded or otherwise anchored to the terminal tab-forming finger 18 of the terminal blade member 1C-3. Since the heel piece 42 is made of a conductive material, the connection of the heel piece 42 to the terminal tab-forming finger 18 of the terminal blade member 1C-3 acts as a conductive path which is connected to the movable contact-carrying plate 5a of the armature 5 by a cable 67 whose opposite ends are respectively soldered to the heel piece portion 42b and the movable contact-carrying plate 5a of the armature 5. 
     It should be apparent that the most preferred form of the invention provides a plug-in relay having a number of unique advantages over the prior art about which I am aware, one of which is that it can be readily assembled from relatively inexpensive parts and by fully automated means into a satisfactory operating relay by fully automated adjusting means in the manner described. Also, the unique design of the support base and terminal assembly described not only lends itself to a very efficient and fully automated assembly operation as described, but the design enables the support base to be of minimum size since the means which anchor the electromagnetic device involved upon the support base is coextensive with the securing means for the base and clamp plates 1A and 1B which retain the terminal blade members in place without the use of staking or riveting means previously utilized to anchor terminal members in place on a support base. 
     It should be understood that where the claims refer to a core and heel piece unit, such expression is intended to cover such a unit where the core and heel piece is formed as a single non-adjustable integral body made of magnetic material, or where the unit comprises separate core and heel pieces and the core piece is adjustably mounted upon the heel piece, as described. Also, while the core and heel piece unit adjustability feature of the invention has its most important application to relays where contact pressure and armature spacing requirements are critical specifications, the present invention is also useful, although to a much lesser degree, in solenoids. Additionally, the terminal board assembly construction of the invention has application to any plug-in electrical device. 
     It should be understood that numerous modifications may be made in the most preferred form of the invention described without deviating from the broader aspects of the invention.