CA2098145A1 - Relay - Google Patents

Relay

Info

Publication number
CA2098145A1
CA2098145A1 CA002098145A CA2098145A CA2098145A1 CA 2098145 A1 CA2098145 A1 CA 2098145A1 CA 002098145 A CA002098145 A CA 002098145A CA 2098145 A CA2098145 A CA 2098145A CA 2098145 A1 CA2098145 A1 CA 2098145A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
relay
gas
dielectric strength
electronegative
plastic
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA002098145A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Werner Johler
Werner Kalin
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Nokia Solutions and Networks Schweiz AG
Original Assignee
Alcatel STR AG
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Alcatel STR AG filed Critical Alcatel STR AG
Publication of CA2098145A1 publication Critical patent/CA2098145A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01HELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H51/00Electromagnetic relays
    • H01H51/29Relays having armature, contacts, and operating coil within a sealed casing
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01HELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H50/00Details of electromagnetic relays
    • H01H50/02Bases; Casings; Covers
    • H01H50/023Details concerning sealing, e.g. sealing casing with resin
    • H01H2050/025Details concerning sealing, e.g. sealing casing with resin containing inert or dielectric gasses, e.g. SF6, for arc prevention or arc extinction
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01HELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H33/00High-tension or heavy-current switches with arc-extinguishing or arc-preventing means
    • H01H33/02Details
    • H01H33/04Means for extinguishing or preventing arc between current-carrying parts
    • H01H33/22Selection of fluids for arc-extinguishing
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01HELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H50/00Details of electromagnetic relays
    • H01H50/02Bases; Casings; Covers
    • H01H50/023Details concerning sealing, e.g. sealing casing with resin
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H01ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01HELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H50/00Details of electromagnetic relays
    • H01H50/02Bases; Casings; Covers
    • H01H50/026Details concerning isolation between driving and switching circuit

Abstract

Abstract Relay To increase the dielectric strength of a gas-filled enclosed relay as compared to that attainable with a relay of the same size whose interior is filled with dry air or an inert gas, the interior of the relay is filled under normal pressure with a filler gas which contains at least one electronegative gas.
The enclosure is made of plastic. The plastic en-capsulation is sealed and is matched with the filler gas in such a way as to sufficiently prevent the electronegative gas from diffusing away. As a re-sult, the dielectric strength will not fall below a specified value throughout the life of the relay.

Description

`:
2098~
. .~, Johler 1-1 EP

RelaY

The field of the present ;nvention lies within the art relating to enclosed switches, and the invent;on concerns gas-f;lled enclosed relays, particularly a plastic-encap-sulated reLay for mounting on printed-circuit boards.

Developments in relay construction are aimed, inter aLia, at increasing efficiency and, thus, either reducing the relay size or improving the electrical characteristics.
Known is the significant volume reduction for h;gh-vol-tage and extra-high-voltage enclosed switch gear, ~hich is realizable practically only by filling the enclosures with an electronegative gas, e.g., SF6. To further in-crease the dielectric strength, a pressure h;gher than the atmospheric pressure is generally used and any leakage losses are compensated for by refilling. The reduction of the lower operating temperature due to the increase in the evaporation temperature of the filler gas as a result of the increased pressure is not a major factor, because such switch gear is usua~Ly operated in rooms with a sufficientLy hi~h minimum temperature.

In alL prior art installations ~here the enclosures are filled ~;th an electronegative gas to increase the d;eLectric strength, e;ther any Leakage Losses of the ZPL/S-Ke/Lo Z6.05.93 . . . . . . . . ..

::.. - . : - :
: . . .
2~98145 enclosures are compensated for or hermetica(~y sealed, practically leakage-free meta~-glass enclosures are employed.

In the case of a plastic-encapsuLated relay, howeYer, which is to be producibLe at low cost, is to haYe a small Yolume, and is to be mounted on printed-c;rcu;t boards, for examp~e, this category of enclosure is not realizable; leakage compensat;on ;s just as unsu;tabLe.
For low-cost relays for printed-circuit boards, only a tight plast;c enclosure can be provided.

Plastic-encapsulated relays for pr;nted-circuit boards are known, ;ncluding gas-f;lled relays, in which an ;nert gas is generally used to enhance contact re-liability. The inert gas is introduced through specific openings which are closable after the fiLling operation.
One example is the washable relay disc~osed in DE-A-3323922. This does not result in a signif;cant ;n-crease in d;electric strength, however.

On the one hand, more stringent-safety requirements placed on relays necessitate a higher dielectric strength, and on the other hand, smaller relay si~es are desired because of the higher component density in printed circuits. A worthwh;le goal for improuing performance capability is therefore to increase the dielectric strength ~;th unchanged dimensions or to maintain the dielectric strength despite significantly smal~er dimensions.

Lt is, therefore, the object of the present in~ention to :

i provide a relay which can be made at low cost and has a higher dielectric strength than can. be achieYed with a relay of identical construction whose interior is filled wi.th dry air or an inert gas. The relay i.s to be suitable for appli.cations as are contained in con-tact application categories 0, 1, 2 and 3 of ~EC
Standard 255-7,and as can be found mainly in telecommuni-cations.

Thi.s object i.s attained by the combi.nation of features :
according to c~aim 1.

Under atmospheric or slight-y increased pressure, the electronegati~e gas is able to increase the di.electric strength as compared with dry-air or inert-gas fillings to a sufficient extent. For f;llings under normal pressure, plastic enclosures and sealedplastic encap-sulations are sufficient to limit leakaqe losses. The matchinq of the types of plastics and aas used and of their sealing prevents any nonpermissible diffusion loss of the electronegative gas. A specified dielectric strength is thus maintained throughout the life of the relay. Compared with known relays, smaller relays with equally high dielectric strength or re~ays of the same size with higher dielectric strength can be manufactured.

Further advantageous features of the relay according to the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

Peculiarities of the invention will no~ be exp~ained in some more detail.

The advantages of electronegati.ve gases with respect to the dielectr;c strength of contacts are apparent , ,-:
: , . , :

- ` 2098145 in enclosed high-~oltage switch gear. HoweYer, the soph;sticated technology available there cannot readily be applied to other appl;cations, where iifferent bound-ary conditions frequently exist. Miniature relays for use on printed-circuit boards, for example, must be mass-producible and suitable for use at temperatures down to far below 0C. Viewed from this standpoint, a hermeticaLly sealed enclosure is prohibitively expensive.
Furthermore, high pressure as is usual in SF6-insulated switch gear results in nonpermissible condensation of the gas already at moderate temperatures.

This is where the invention sets in, aimina to increase the dielectric strength by adequate means, taking into account the boundary conditions. The advan-taqes of electrone~ative qases are utilized, but not to the full extent, i.e., not by use under greatly increased pressure, but under atmospheric pressure.
This provides only a partial increase of the dielectric strength, which, however, is sufficient for the resDective application provided that the qas can be effective through-out the intended life of the relay. Since normal pressure is used, a hermetically sealed encaDsulation can be disDensed with. An encLosure made of low-cost plastics uithout connection to the outside air is sufficient. According to the invention, it is also possible, of course, to use a slightly increased pressure of the gas filling up to approximately 1.5 bar. The permissible pressure is only determined by the fact that no special steps have to be taken for the encapsulation to be able to maintain the partial pressure of the electronegative gas throughout the life of the relay.

. -:

The known technique involuing the use of ;.nert gas serves mainly to ensure an uncontaminated starting atmosphere. Inert gas, such as n;trogen or argon, then d;ffuses through the plast;c at a similar rate as ~ater vapor or oxygen. For the outside a;r di.ffusing ;.nto the interior of the enclosure by way of compensa-tion, the plastic acts as a microf;lter, so that no contamination w;ll occur.

With the increase of the dielectric strength through the electronegati.ve gas ;n accordance w;.th the inven-tion, things are different. Electronegative gases, de-pendi.ng on the type, have a relative breakdown strength wh;.ch is up to five t;mes higher than that of air. Al-ready a gas w;th a relat;ve breakdown strength of 2.5 provides a sufficient increase of the dielectric strength in the sense of the invention. The electro-negat;ve gas must be preserved ;n the ;nter;or of the enclosure in a suff;c;ent concentration. To this end, plastics w;ll be selected whose structure nearly com-pletely holds back the molecules of the electronegative gas. As a rule, the molecules of the electroneeative gas are larger than those of air and of inert gases, which extends the range of suitable Plastics~ Due to the diffusion properties of all gases with respect to the plastics used, the composition of the gas filling changes after the manufacture of the relay, but the concentration of electronegative gas remains high enough to ensure a specified dielectric strength.

The use of a gas filling under normal pressure not only reduces the requirements placed on the enclosure but t '.
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' " ' ~ ' ', ~ " ' ' ' ', ' ' , ~' ' ' , , '' ': ' ,'", ' ' : ' 20981~

also extends the range of enclosure materials to choose from. As is well known, during the l;fe of qas-filled relays, changes in the filling result not only from ~eakages, but also from diffus;on losses through the enclosure. The relatively expensive and difficult-to-hand~e metal enclosures are very well suited to over-coming this problem. Plast;c encapsulations are much lower in cost. Without suitable matchina of the ~lastic and the electronegative gas, however, the Latter will diffuse away too rapidly, so that during the life of the relay, the dielectric strength will drop below the specified value. The plastics used for the encap-sulation must therefore be optimized with regard to the diffusion properties of the filler gas.

A proven, well investigated and, therefore, preferred electronegative gas is sulfur hexafluoride,SF6. It can be used in the form of technically pure SF6 as the sole filler gas. A mixture of gases can provide improvements, e.g., with respect to the therma~ characteristic. Pre-ferabLy, one of the gases of such a mixture is again SF6- . -The proposed measures in combination thus allo~ a re-lay with improved properties regarding die~ectric strength to be manufactured at low cost in a similar manner as heretofor. Thus, compared with the dieLectric strength attainable with a relay whose interior is fil~ed with dry air or an inert gas, either a higher die~ectric strength can be achieved with unchanged relay dimensions or smaller relay dimensions can be realized with unchanged dielectric strength.

,, " ' ' . ' ' " ~ ' ', ~ ' "', ' '''", ' ' . " " '.
. ", ..

Claims (4)

1. A relay with a plastic enclosure, with a gas filling containing at Least one electronegative gas, and with a sealed plastic encapsulation which largely prevents the electronegative gas from diffusing away, so that an increased dielectric strength is maintained under the action of the electronegative gas throughout the intended life of the relay.
2. A relay as claimed in claim 1, with a gas filling of technically pure SF6.
3. A relay as claimed in claim 1, with a gas filling which is a mixture of at Least two gases.
4. A relay as claimed in claim 3 wherein one of the at Least two gases is SF6.
CA002098145A 1992-06-11 1993-06-10 Relay Abandoned CA2098145A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CH01851/92-9 1992-06-11
CH1851/92A CH683727A5 (en) 1992-06-11 1992-06-11 Relay.

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2098145A1 true CA2098145A1 (en) 1993-12-12

Family

ID=4220092

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002098145A Abandoned CA2098145A1 (en) 1992-06-11 1993-06-10 Relay

Country Status (8)

Country Link
US (1) US5554963A (en)
EP (1) EP0574058B1 (en)
JP (1) JPH0652769A (en)
AT (1) ATE139367T1 (en)
CA (1) CA2098145A1 (en)
CH (1) CH683727A5 (en)
DE (1) DE59302884D1 (en)
ES (1) ES2090845T3 (en)

Families Citing this family (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR100371039B1 (en) * 1994-04-05 2003-05-12 코닌클리케 필립스 일렉트로닉스 엔.브이. lnterlaced-to-sequential scan conversion
JP4550169B2 (en) * 1996-02-27 2010-09-22 キロバック コーポレイション Improved sealed relay
JP3001437B2 (en) * 1996-11-18 2000-01-24 東北日本電気株式会社 Electrical contact and its activation suppression method
US6040539A (en) * 1998-01-08 2000-03-21 Hiegel; Todd N. Protective cover for a computer mouse
US7321281B2 (en) * 2005-05-17 2008-01-22 Gigavac Llc Hermetically sealed relay having low permeability plastic housing
WO2008033349A2 (en) * 2006-09-11 2008-03-20 Gigavac, Inc. Sealed contactor
US7852178B2 (en) * 2006-11-28 2010-12-14 Tyco Electronics Corporation Hermetically sealed electromechanical relay
US9524840B2 (en) 2015-01-21 2016-12-20 Thomas & Betters International LLC High-temperature, high-pressure vacuum relay
US10343545B2 (en) * 2016-01-15 2019-07-09 Trumpet Holdings, Inc. Systems and methods for separating batteries

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US3129304A (en) * 1960-09-23 1964-04-14 Cutler Hammer Inc Reversible contact molded frame relay
US3411118A (en) * 1966-07-28 1968-11-12 High Vacuum Electronics Inc Vacuum relay with improved armature mounting and movable contact
US3662194A (en) * 1970-07-08 1972-05-09 Juichi Moriki High-voltage piezoelectric transformer housed with diodes
DE2226627A1 (en) * 1972-05-31 1973-12-13 Siemens Ag SHIELD GAS CONTACT
DE2259056A1 (en) * 1972-11-30 1974-06-06 Siemens Ag METAL ENCLOSED, COMPRESSED GAS INSULATED HIGH VOLTAGE SWITCHGEAR
DD125526A3 (en) * 1975-09-19 1977-04-27
US4039984A (en) * 1976-03-11 1977-08-02 Torr Laboratories, Inc. Pressurized relay assembly
US4168480A (en) * 1978-02-13 1979-09-18 Torr Laboratories, Inc. Relay assembly
IT1093742B (en) * 1978-03-30 1985-07-26 Maggi Ernesto EXTINGUISHING CHAMBER OF A MAGNETIC BLOW TYPE ELECTRIC ARC
JPS5539154A (en) * 1978-09-12 1980-03-18 Matsushita Electric Works Ltd Method of fabricating gassfilled electric switch
NL7809766A (en) * 1978-09-27 1980-03-31 Philips Nv HEART DEFIBRILLATOR.
US4259652A (en) * 1979-04-30 1981-03-31 Eltra Corporation Reversing relay for permanent magnet DC motor
US4353048A (en) * 1981-09-25 1982-10-05 Delucia Victor E Gas-filled envelope enclosed high voltage relay
US4427863A (en) * 1982-03-22 1984-01-24 Izumi Denki Corporation Small-sized relay and method for fabricating the same
DE3308791C2 (en) * 1983-03-12 1986-08-21 Standard Elektrik Lorenz Ag, 7000 Stuttgart Method of manufacturing a sealed electromagnetic relay
DE3323922A1 (en) * 1983-07-02 1985-01-03 Standard Elektrik Lorenz Ag, 7000 Stuttgart WASH-TIGHT ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY
US4617542A (en) * 1983-10-17 1986-10-14 Imcs Corporation High voltage switching device
DE3417299A1 (en) * 1984-02-14 1985-10-10 BBC Aktiengesellschaft Brown, Boveri & Cie., Baden, Aargau Metal-encapsulated, gas-insulated switching installation
FR2562321B1 (en) * 1984-03-28 1986-08-01 Telemecanique Electrique ELECTRICAL SWITCHING APPARATUS COMPRISING A GAS-TIGHT CONTACTS PROTECTION COVER
US4506244A (en) * 1984-06-07 1985-03-19 Kilovac Corporation High voltage relay
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GB8929126D0 (en) * 1989-12-22 1990-02-28 Eev Ltd Relay arrangements

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ES2090845T3 (en) 1996-10-16
JPH0652769A (en) 1994-02-25
US5554963A (en) 1996-09-10
EP0574058A2 (en) 1993-12-15
DE59302884D1 (en) 1996-07-18
ATE139367T1 (en) 1996-06-15
EP0574058A3 (en) 1994-01-05
EP0574058B1 (en) 1996-06-12
CH683727A5 (en) 1994-04-29

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
EEER Examination request
FZDE Discontinued