This invention relates generally to electromagnetic relays and more specifically to flat electromagnetic relays which have a very small width when vertically oriented and or a very small height when horizontally oriented.
Flat electromaqnetic relays are already known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,010,433 granted to Hiromi Nishimura et al Mar. 1, 1977; U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,493 granted to Michael Van Der Wielen Jun. 21, 1977; U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,745 to Takashi Tanaka Jun. 9, 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,037 granted to Takashi Inagawa et al Sep. 15, 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,537 granted to Josef Weiser et al May 14, 1985 and from U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,909 granted to Michael Dittmann Aug. 4, 1987.
A flat electromagnetic relay is also already known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,123 granted to Christopher Alan Brandon Aug. 6, 1991. This patent which is incorporated herein by reference discloses a flat electromagnetic relay comprising a lead assembly having six stamped insert molded circuit leads, an armature frame pivotally supporting a balanced beam armature which carries two contact bars, a coil assembly and an electromagnetic frame having two diagonally arranged pole wings which are on opposite sides and ends of the armature. The armature is biased into a first operative position where the contact bar at one shunts two circuit leads. When the coil is energized, the armature is pivoted into a second operative position where the contact bar at the other end shunts two other circuit leads.
While this flat electromagnetic relay has many advantages it has a disadvantage in that the armature assembly is complicated, expensive to manufacture and does not lend itself to miniaturization very well.