Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Other

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Dider Perino

Jacques Lewiner

Fumihiro Kasano

Hiromi Nishimura

Naohiro Taniguchi

Jun Sakai

Tadashi Murakami

Koichi Aizawa

Hitoshi Yoshida

Hiroshi Hosaka

Hans Sauer

Sadayuki Sumi

Tsutomu Shimomura

Shigeaki Tomonari

Heinz Ritter

Masanao Kamakura

Hideki Fukuzono

Takao Morimoto

Naomasa Oka

Shigenari Takami

Kazuya Nohara

Wolf Steinbichler

Sepp Antonitsch

Mitsuo Ichiya

Yoshinobu Okada

Masayuki Shiomi

Takuro Nakamura

Katsumi Yoshitani

Takayoshi Awai

Takuro Ishida

Keiji Kakite

Shiro Maeda

Tatsuya Suzuki

Kazuhiko Hara

Yutaka Sato

Tsutoma Shimomura

A flexure transducer element used in an acceleration sensor for sensing an acceleration applied thereto and the method of making the same. The flexure transducer element comprises a frame, a sheet member, a weight, and a support member.

Acceleration sensor element and method of its manufacture

An acceleration sensor element constitutes a piezoresistance type acceleration sensor in which an acceleration sensor chip including a cantilever structure of mass and beam parts and a piezoresistor formed on the beam part is mounted on a main lead which is slanted for positioning the piezoresistor and the center of gravity of the mass part substantially on the same horizontal plane in a mounted state of the sensor. The element thereby improves the reliability and assures such property as other-axis sensitivity of the sensor at the time of shipment.

Acceleration sensor device

A matrix relay is formed with a plurality of latching relays arranged in a matrix and mounted on a base of an electrically insulative material. Each of the latching relays comprises an excitation coil, permanent magnet, a pair of first and second fixed contacts, and an armature carrying a pair of first and second movable springs each providing movable contacts. The armature is magnetically coupled to the excitation coil so as to be movable in response to energization of the coil by current of selective polarity between close and open positions of the fixed and movable contacts. A plurality of the armatures of the latching relays arranged in a row of the matrix are assembled into a single armature block to be mounted on the base as a single unit. The armature block comprises a single pair of first and second supporting members made of an electrically conductive material. All of the first movable springs and all of the second movable springs of the latching relays of the armature block are connected respectively to the first and second supporting members mechanically and electrically, so that two row paths for electrical signals common to the latching relays arranged in the row of the matrix are provided. This simplification of the structure and electric circuit of the matrix relay would be useful to small-size the matrix relay without complicated fabrication process.

Matrix relay

An electrostatic relay comprises at least one fixed base having a fixed electrode and an actuator frame having a movable electrode. The fixed base carries a pair of fixed contacts insulated from the fixed electrode. The movable electrode carries a movable contact insulated from the movable electrode. The movable electrode extends along the fixed electrode and is pivotally supported at its one longitudinal end relative to the fixed base so as to pivot between two contacting positions of closing and opening the movable contact to and from the fixed contacts. The movable contact is formed at the other longitudinal end of the movable electrode. A control voltage source is connected across the fixed electrode and the movable electrode to generate a potential difference therebetween for developing an electrostatic force by which the movable electrode is attracted toward said fixed electrode to move into one of the two contacting positions. The electrostatic relay is characterized in that the movable electrode is cooperative with the fixed electrode to define therebetween an elongate gap which is narrower toward the one longitudinal end about which the movable electrode pivot than at the other longitudinal end of the movable electrode at which the movable contact is carried.

Electrostatic relay

An electrostatic relay essentially comprises a fixed electrode with a fixed contact insulated therefrom, a movable electrode plate with a movable contact insulated therefrom, and a fixed pair of oppositely charged electrets. The movable electrode plate is pivotally supported at a pivot in a cantilever fashion or a seesaw fashion, and also to move about the pivot axis relative to the fixed electrode between two rest positions of closing and opening the contacts. A control voltage source is connected across the fixed electrode and the movable electrode plate to generate a potential difference therebetween. The electrets are disposed adjacent the movable electrode plate to generate electrostatic forces attracting and repelling the movable electrode plate, respectively, when the movable electrode plate is charged to a given polarity. That is, the attracting and repelling forces are cooperative to produce a torque for moving the movable electrode plate in one direction from one of the rest positions to the other. The electrostatic relay is useful for precisely and rapidly operating the relay.

A switching system for selectively distributing a laser beam from a laser source to one of a plurality of welding stations for laser welding thereat. The system includes a first optical fiber directing the laser beam therethrough, and a pair of second optical fibers leading to the welding stations, respectively. A switching device connects the first optical fiber selectively to one of the second optical fibers so as to pass the laser beam to the corresponding welding station for enabling the laser welding thereat. The switching device comprises a housing having a longitudinal axis and holding input ends of the second optical fibers in parallel relation with the longitudinal axis, a carrier supporting an output end of the first optical fiber and linearly movable together therewith within the housing in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis such that the output end of the first optical fiber comes into and out of closely end-to-end facing relation to the input ends of the second optical fibers. An electromagnetic relay is included to have an armature which is movable between two positions and operatively connected to move the carrier for aligning the output end of the first optical fiber to the input end of a selected one of the second optical fibers for passing the laser beam to the selected one of the second optical fibers. The output and input ends of the optical fibers are each provided on with a heat-radiating sleeve for dissipation of heat.

Optical fiber switching system for laser welding

A relay driving circuit for a latch-in type magnetic relay having an excitation coil, generating a set current and a reset current of opposite polarity for the coil. A capacitor is provided between the input terminals of the circuit in series with the coil. A set switch is connected in series with the coil and the capacitor, and a reset switch is connected across the series combination. An input voltage level detector is provided to make the set switch conductive, thereby applying the input voltage to the excitation coil and the capacitor to provide the set current. As the input voltage decreases below the trigger level, the detector makes the reset switch conductive to allow the capacitor to discharge current in the opposite direction through the excitation coil. The circuit includes a disable switch responsive to the capacitor being charged to a voltage level sufficient to provide the reset current, the disable switch setting the set switch to a non-conductive state to thereby prevent the capacitor voltage from being reversely applied.

Relay driving circuit for a latch-in relay

An I/O relay interface module for mounting a plurality of relays which are adapted to be connected to individual external I/O devices to be controlled or monitored by a central controller. The I/O module comprises a plurality of relay sockets for detachably receiving the relays, respectively, and a terminal section including wire terminals internally connected to the relays through the sockets for connection between the relays and the external devices. An I/O connector is provided on the I/O module for connection with the central controller to receive therefrom control signals for energizing the relays for control of the associated devices or transmit to the central controller monitor signals from the relays as indicative of the operation of the associated devices. Also included in the I/O module is an expansion I/O connector for connection with one or more additional I/O relays provided in association with additional I/O devices such that the additional I/O devices can be also controlled or be monitored by the center controller through the I/O relay interface module. Thus, the I/O interface module can be expanded to control or monitor one or more additional I/O devices through the respective relays.

I/O relay interface module

An improved magnetic actuator mechanism suitable for dot printing mechanisms for use in a wire matrix dot printer. The present magnetic actuator mechanism comprises an armature movable between a reset position and an actuated position, a permanent magnet for attracting the armature toward the reset position, and an electromagnet which, when energized, generates in the armature a magnetic flux opposite to and larger than the magnetic flux generated therein by the permanent magnet. The armature is thus moved to the actuated position by the turn of the magnetization direction in the armature when the electromagnet is energized. Therefore, in the present invention, the armature can have the magnetic fluxes in the opposite directions by the action of the permanent magnet and electromagnet combination so as to provide the armature of smaller cross sectional area or thickness with a higher magnetic force without causing the magnetic saturation thereof, which allows the use of an armature of less thickness or weight to assure high speed operation in response to a driving signal.

Magnetic actuator mechanism

Growing community of inventors

Sakai, Japan

Fumihiro Kasano