Patent ID: 8749331

Claim:
An electromagnetic contactor, comprising: a contact device having a contact housing case, a pair of fixed contacts and a movable contact contacting to and separating from the pair of fixed contacts, the contact housing case housing the pair of fixed contacts and the movable contact, and an insulating cylinder in a bottomed tubular shape disposed in an inner peripheral surface of the contact housing case to enclose the pair of fixed contacts and the movable contact, the insulating cylinder including a pair of arc extinguishing permanent magnets for extinguishing an arc generated between the pair of fixed contacts and the movable contact, a pair of magnet housing portions where the pair of arc extinguishing permanent magnets is inserted, each projecting inwardly to face a side surface portion of the movable contact, for protecting the pair of arc extinguishing permanent magnets from the arc formed on an inner peripheral surface of the insulating cylinder, and two arc extinguishing spaces respectively arranged adjacent to outer side portions of each of the pair of magnet housing portions and facing the side surface portion of the movable contact, wherein the insulating cylinder comprises an insulating base member in a rectangular shape viewed from a plan view, a front plate portion and a rear plate portion, each extending along a long side of the insulating base member, a pair of side plate portions extending along short sides of the insulating base member, and a pair of connection members connecting side edges of the pair of side plate portions and the front and rear plate portions along the outer side portions of the pair of the magnet housing portions, and the pair of magnet housing portions respectively projects inwardly from the front plate portion and the rear plate portion to face the side surface portion of the movable contact.