HIGH-FREQUENCY LIQUID METAL LATCHING RELAY HAVING PLANE CONTACT

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric relay using conductive liquid (140, 142, 144) for a switching mechanism.;SOLUTION: The electric relay is manufactured by a micro-fabrication technology. In the relay, two electric contacts (110, 112) are held apart from each other by a slight interval. Each of facing surfaces of the contacts supports droplets of the conductive liquid (140, 142) of liquid metal or the like. An actuator (114) is biased so as to narrow a gap between the electric contacts, whereby the droplets of the two liquid metals unite (144) each other to form an electric circuit. Next, the actuator (114) is unbiased to have the electric contacts return to their starting position. The droplets of the liquid metals maintain a united state by surface tension. The electric circuit enlarges the gap between the electric contacts by biasing the actuator and cuts off surface tension coupling between the droplets of the liquid metals to break itself. By forming a flexible non-contact electric connection with the use of mercury or other liquid metals with large surface tension, a relay with high current capacity is obtained as a result, which enables to prevent point corrosion or accumulation of oxides caused by local heating.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI