Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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The preC~ent inven~ion ~elates to a contact s~ring.
Contact springs are included as an essential part in
many different electromec~lanic components as relays and
switches for telephonic purposes. Much calculation and
construction work has therefore in the course of the time been
put in on the design of contact springs.
The present invention provides such contact springs
which are generally planar, usually stamped out from plate
material, and whieh are ineluded in apparatus for mounting on
a base plate sueh as a eireuit eard.
Aecording to a first aspeet of the inventon there is ~-
provided a method of making contact springs by cutting them
out of a substantially flat plate with the minimum consumption
of material, said springs being adapted to be mounted on a
base eard by means of a first portion of said springs, said
springs also having a seeond portion adapted to extend
substantially parallel to said base eard and be held spaeed
therefrom, wherein said plate is eut sueh that a series of
first parallel lines define a pluralil:y of eontiguous said
~;~ 20 ~second portions, and a series of seeond parallel lines,
extending at an oblique angle to said first series of parallel ~ -
nes define a plurality of eontiguous said first portions -~
for eaeh of said respeetive seeond portions, eaeh said ;
respèetive first and seeond portions being removed to define -~ -
: a said eontaet spring. ~
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eeording to a seeond aspeet of the invention, there ~ -
lS provided a eontaet spring eut from a substantially flat plate
and eomprising a first portion adapted to be mounted on a base
eard and~a seeond portion extending through the ~7all of a
30 : hou~slng with sald first portion being outside said housing,
said first and seeond portions lying at an oblique angle to :
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each other whereby ~7hen said first portion is mounted on said
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}.)ase card, said second portion el~tend.s substanti.ally
parallel theret:o and in spaced relationship therewith.
In one embodiment of the present invention said
oblique angle is about 45.
The present invention will be further illustrated by
way of the accompanying drawings in which:-
Figure 1 is a section through part of an apparatusfastened to a card and compri.sing a conventional contact spring,
Figure 2 is a plan view of a piece of a plate from
which contact springs are to be made, .
Figure 3 i.s a side elevation of three contact springs
stamped out from the plate of Figure 2,
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Figure 4 is a side elevation of a contact spring
according to an embodiment of the present invention put into a
card and
Figure 5 illustrates in side elevation and in plan,
contact springs according to two embodiments of the present
invention.
Referring to Fig. 1 a contact spring 1 is provided in
one end thereof with a contact element 2 in which a groove 3 is
disposed in order to obtain a contact function with twin effect.
The component or apparatus in which the spring 1 is included is
a limiting wall 6. The spring 1 is fastened to or near the wall
6. One part 4 of the spring 1 which is outside the limiting wall ~- -
6 has an outer fastening part directed generally at 90 to the '
direction of the main spring 1 which fastening part extends
through a hole in a card 5 and constitutes soldering tab for ;~
connection with the electric conductors of the circuit card 5.
When producing contact springs it is desirable to
stamp them out from a plate with smallest possible material con-
sumption. In many cases it is practicalr as is shown in Figure
2, to start from a plate 7 with a previously applied contact
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material 8 at one side thereo~ and a previously tin-plated area
9~at the other side thereof which further increases the desire
for saving material.
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~ Figure 3 illustrates a shape for the contact springs
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;~ which~meet the desire for saving material. Figure 3 shows more
in detail three contact springs stamped out from the plate 7 so
-that substantially no material loss arises. Each contact spring
consists of a contact part, an lnner fastening part defi~ing a
second portion for fastenin~ in an apparatus and an outer fasten-
ing part defining a first~portion to be fastened at its free endto a card and disposed at an angle of about 45Q tu the inner
fastening part and the contact part. The first portion thereby
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holds the second portion parallel to the card 5 and in spaced
relationship therewith. The springs are stamped out from the
plate material without any space there
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between thus only extremely small pieces 10 of expensive contact
material are lost in production.
Figure 4 shows a contact spring which has the outer
end 12 of the outer fastening part formed as a sold~ring tab
which forms an angle of about 45 with the main part of the
outer fasteing part and is located in a hole of the card 5. The - -
distance 11 between the card (base plate) 5 and the contact
spring shows that there is space for the wall of the apparatus
in spite of the fact that ~hen stamping out, the springs lie
edge to edge in the plate. No increase of the division between
the springs is thus necessary when stamping out in order to
obtain suitable solderingtab 12. The angle 13 is in the mentioned -
~example about 45 but can have any other suitable value for
different constructions. Likewise the form of the soldering tab -
12 may be modified.
Under certain circumstances it may be suitable to
strengthen any part of the contact spring for example at the
fastening place in the apparatus. Figure 5 shows above an example
of a contact spring joined by ~wo materials at the outer
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and inner fastening part, and only at the inner fastening part
respectively, as will be seen from the intermediate and the
lowest part figure of the contact spring seen from abo~e
respectively~ In many cases it can be advantageous to have the
contact spring formed in one piece.
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