Sealed contact device

A sealed contact device, comprising:

• an electromagnet block including a hollow cylindrical coil bobbin made of an insulating material and wound with an exciting coil, a movable iron core arranged inside the coil bobbin to axially move within the coil bobbin upon energization and de-energization of the exciting coil, a yoke arranged to form a magnetic circuit and including a first yoke plate having an insertion hole and facing one axial end of the coil bobbin, a second yoke plate facing the other axial end of the coil bobbin and a third yoke plate interconnecting the first yoke plate and the second yoke plate, and a return spring arranged inside the coil bobbin to bias the movable iron core toward the second yoke plate;
• a contact block including a sealing container made of an insulating material and air-tightly jointed to the first yoke plate, fixed contact points arranged within the sealing container, a movable contact member arranged within the sealing container and including a substantially rectangular body portion, first and second protrusions formed in longitudinal sides of the body portion and movable contact points for making movement toward and away from the fixed contact points, a pressure contact spring interposed between the movable contact member and the first yoke plate to bias the movable contact member toward the fixed contact points, and a shaft movably extending through the first yoke plate, the shaft being connected to the movable contact member at one end and to the movable iron core at the other end to move the movable contact member toward the fixed contact points in accordance with the movement of the movable iron core;
• and
• a case made of an insulating material and arranged to accommodate an inner block including the electromagnet block and the contact block combined together,
• wherein the first and second protrusions of the movable contact member are formed in non-point symmetry with respect to a connection portion of the movable contact member and the shaft so that, when the movable contact member is rotated, only one of the first and second protrusions makes contact with the sealing container.