EP1160813A1 - Management device for electric power supply - Google Patents

Abstract

The connection unit is a box (1) with input terminal (11) connected to a principal source of electric energy (SP), a terminal (12) connected to electronic devices in the vehicle through fuses (31-33), and another terminal (13) connected to an auxiliary source of electric energy (SA). A bistable switch (4) in contact with the terminals (11-13) of the box (1), allows selection of sources.

Description

The present invention relates, in general, a power supply management device double configuration, particularly intended for motor vehicles.

More specifically, the invention relates to a dual power supply management device configuration for a motor vehicle, comprising a housing with at least three terminals, the first of which is a main input terminal connected to a source main electrical, the second of which is a output connected to electronic equipment through protective elements such as fuses, and of which the third is an auxiliary input terminal connected to an auxiliary power source.

Devices of this type are known in the art used to manage the feeding of motor vehicles during storage in the fleet and transport before marketing.

Indeed, motor vehicles, after their manufacturing in assembly plant and before their are first stored in the fleet of the assembly plant for a variable period which depends the adequacy between vehicle manufacturing and their order and then are transported by different means of transport to their place of marketing, and are even possibly stored in intermediate parks, such as distribution for example.

However, motor vehicles have more and more electronic equipment, which, in the vehicle standby mode, i.e. with the ignition off, consume a few dozen milliamps.

So this situation creates the risk that the service life of the electric battery fitted to the vehicle may be affected by prolonged storage of vehicle before marketing.

To avoid discharging the battery during vehicle storage and transportation periods, it is therefore necessary to disconnect from the battery the energy-consuming electronic equipment.

However, it is also necessary for some moments of these periods, to be able to move the vehicle, for example to bring it on a boat or a train, this which implies that the vehicle, upon delivery of the contact, must become operational again, in particular for the engine start and equipment operation such as lighting, signaling, or wiping, without requiring any manipulation complex or time-wasting.

The solution commonly used to resolve this problem is to ensure the permanent supply of electronic equipment by means of a source electric auxiliary called "APC", and through a box of fuses likely to take two configurations different.

In a first configuration, which corresponds to vehicle storage in the park, a shunt is placed, inside the fuse box, in a first position in which it provides the electrical connection between the APC auxiliary source and the equipment electronic, through the fuses provided to protect this equipment and which are housed in this box.

In a second configuration, which corresponds to use of the vehicle, the shunt is placed, at inside the fuse box, in a second position in which it provides the electrical connection between the main source of the vehicle, i.e. the battery, and electronic equipment, through same protection fuses for this equipment.

In reality, the situation is a little more complex, insofar as the entire supply circuit which must be borrowed to connect the equipment APC auxiliary source is not sized to ensure the electrical supply of electronic components in all states of the vehicle, so it is necessary, in the first configuration, to use not a shunt but a fuse, called "park fuse", sized to melt in if too many are used simultaneously of electronic equipment, and in the second configuration, to use a shunt capable of withstanding current values greater than that for which the fuse should blow.

The operating process is then as follows.

At the end of the vehicle assembly line, the shunt intended for connecting electronic equipment to the battery is removed to prevent discharge of this last, and the park fuse is in place for allow the power supply of electronic equipment to from the auxiliary power source used on the Park.

Upon delivery of the vehicle to the point of sale, and before delivery to the customer, the park fuse is removed, and the shunt intended to connect permanently electronic equipment to the battery is put back in square.

The problem is that not only operations which consists of removing the shunt, putting the fuse, removing the fuse and replacing the shunt are relatively long, but these operations are also difficult in the extent to which the fuse box intended to receive selectively the shunt and the fuse is not very visible and difficult to access.

The patent document GB 2 300 770 describes a vehicle power supply system automobile including battery and loads protected by fuses and which, when operating normal at least, must be powered by the battery.

This document, which also mentions the risk of discharge of the battery which causes consumption of all electrical charges during the periods extended periods of non-use of the vehicle, offers divide electrical charges into two classes, according to whether or not these charges are controlled by a switch, that is to say depending on whether or not they are, likely to consume current outside periods when they are specifically activated at the request of the driver of the vehicle.

To avoid the risk of battery discharge, the electrical circuit proposed by document GB 2 300 770 provides two possible feeding paths for each electrical charge, one of the channels directly connecting this charge to the battery, and the other path connecting this battery charging only through the ignition circuit switch.

The fuse associated with each load can therefore be connected to the battery by the first channel or by the second channel, the fuses of the loads controlled by independent switches, such as headlights or the horn, which can safely be connected to the battery through the first channel.

Under these conditions, it is possible to so that loads for permanent consumption, such the electric clock, are not connected to the battery, by connecting their fuse to the second lane, only during the vehicle's usage time if the latter is rarely used, but are permanently connected to the battery, by connecting their fuse on the first track, if the vehicle is used at a frequency such as risk of discharge of the battery does not exist.

So not only GB 2 300 770 does not mention the problem of food at all electric vehicle from two sources electrical components, including the battery and from an auxiliary source but he doesn't care further, nor does it solve the problem posed by the connection and disconnection of fuses more or less fragile inside a connection box more or less accessible.

The patent document DE 36 04 014 describes as to him a switch - reverser usable in a motor vehicle, and the base of which is designed to ability to adapt to different types of mechanical components actuation.

The electrical functioning of the device as well described is however completely standard, the document DE 36 04 014 not raising any specific problem whatsoever device could solve in power electric.

In this context, the object of the present invention is to propose a device to resolve the problem that arises when using a auxiliary power supply for vehicles in extended parking, and that both handling difficulties and the need to manage two different electrical connection elements, namely a shunt and a fuse.

To this end, the device of the invention, by elsewhere conforms to the generic definition given by it the preamble above, is essentially characterized in that it further comprises a bistable switch comprising a body, three connection pins carried by the body, and also a mobile electrical contact carried by the body and selectively connecting the second pin to the first or the third, the three pins of connection being selectively brought into contact electrical and in mechanical connection with the three terminals respective of the case, and in that the contact electric mobile connects the second pin to the third through a fuse housed in the switch body bistable.

Preferably, the connection pins, to be put in electrical contact and in mechanical connection with the three respective terminals of the housing, are designed to be able to be simultaneously inserted in the terminals respective of the case.

If the protective elements of the equipment electronics are housed in the case, the latter can constitute a fuse box, and the switch can then be designed to fit on the boxes of existing fuses without modification of the latter.

In addition, the connection pins are advantageously parallel to each other, the second spindle connection being separated from the first and third pins by first and second distances respective, different from each other, so that ensure a polarization during the installation of the bistable switch.

Finally, to further increase the ease of implementation work of the device, the bistable switch includes preferably a clean pushbutton to control the contact electric mobile and placed on the body of the switch, opposite the connection pins.

• La figure 1 est un schéma électrique du dispositif de l'invention, représenté dans la configuration de parc;
• La figure 2 est un schéma électrique du dispositif de l'invention, représenté dans la configuration d'utilisation du véhicule;
• La figure 3 est une vue schématique de face et en transparence du commutateur bistable utilisé dans un dispositif conforme à l'invention; et
• La figure 4 est une vue de profil du commutateur bistable illustré à la figure 3.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge clearly from the description which is given below, for guidance and in no way limiting, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

• Figure 1 is an electrical diagram of the device of the invention, shown in the fleet configuration;
• Figure 2 is an electrical diagram of the device of the invention, shown in the configuration of use of the vehicle;
• Figure 3 is a schematic front view in transparency of the bistable switch used in a device according to the invention; and
• FIG. 4 is a side view of the bistable switch illustrated in FIG. 3.

As indicated above, the invention relates to a power management device likely to adopt two configurations and intended for equip a motor vehicle, this device comprising, in known manner, a housing 1 provided with at least three terminals 11, 12, and 13.

The first 11 of these terminals is an input terminal main connected to the main power source SP that constitutes the battery, while the second terminal 12 is an output terminal connected to equipment electronics such as 21, 22, and 23, through fuses or protective elements 31, 32, and 33, the third terminal 13 being an input terminal auxiliary connected to SA auxiliary electrical source that constitutes the park power source called "APC".

According to a first aspect of the invention, this device further comprises a bistable switch 4, which equips the case permanently and which facilitates the transition from one configuration to another.

This switch 4 essentially comprises a body 40, three connection pins 41, 42, and 43, and one movable electrical contact 45.

The three connection pins 41, 42, and 43 are carried by the body 40, and are arranged so as to ability to be contacted electrically and in connection mechanical with the three respective terminals 11, 12, and 13 case 1.

Mobile electrical contact 45, also worn by the body 40, allows to connect at will the second pin 42 at the first pin 41 or at the third pin 43.

According to a second aspect of the invention, allowing to simplify the general structure of the device, the movable electrical contact 45 connects the second pin 42 to the third 43 through a fuse 35, which is housed in the body 40 of the bistable switch 4, and which fulfills the function of a park fuse.

The mechanical connection and the electrical contact of pins and terminals are preferably obtained by a plugging system known per se, that is to say that the connection pins 41, 42, and 43 are simultaneously inserted in the respective terminals 11, 12, and 13 of the housing to be brought into electrical contact and mechanical connection with these three respective terminals.

The housing 1 is preferably constituted by the vehicle interior fuse box, fuses or protective elements 31, 32, and 33 therefore being housed in this case 1.

As shown in Figure 3, the pins of connection 41, 42, and 43 are advantageously parallel between them, the second connection pin 42 being separated from the other two pins 41 and 43 by distances D21 and D23 different from each other for prevent the park fuse 35 from being blown accidentally connected between the first and second terminals 11 and 12.

The bistable switch 40 also includes a push-button 450, which is used to control the electrical contact mobile 45, and which is arranged, on the body 40 of the switch 4, opposite the connection pins 41, 42, and 43 so as to be easily accessible for a operator.

Claims (5)

Dual configuration electrical power management device for a motor vehicle, comprising a box (1) provided with at least three terminals (11, 12, 13), the first of which (11) is a main input terminal connected to a main electrical source (SP), the second of which (12) is an output terminal connected to electronic equipment (21, 22, 23) through protective elements (31, 32, 33) such as fuses, and of which the third (13) is an auxiliary input terminal connected to an auxiliary electrical source (SA), characterized in that it further comprises a bistable switch (4) comprising a body (40), three connection pins (41 , 42, 43) carried by the body (40), and a movable electrical contact (45) also carried by the body (40) and selectively connecting the second pin (42) to the first (41) or to the third (43 ), the three connection pins (41, 42, 43) being selectively brought into electrical contact and in mechanical connection with the three respective terminals (11, 12, 13) of the housing (1), and in that the movable electrical contact (45) connects the second pin (42) to the third (43) through a fuse (35) housed in the body (40) of the bistable switch (4). Power supply management device according to claim 1, characterized in that , to be brought into electrical contact and in mechanical connection with the respective three terminals (11, 12, 13) of the housing, the connection pins (41, 42 , 43) are simultaneously inserted in the respective terminals (11, 12, 13) of the housing. Power supply management device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protective elements (31, 32, 33) are housed in the housing (1), which constitutes a fuse box. Power supply management device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connection pins (41, 42, 43) are parallel to each other, and in that the second connection pin (42) is separate first (41) and third (43) pins by respective first and second distances (D21, D23), different from each other. Power supply management device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bistable switch (40) comprises a push-button (450) suitable for controlling the mobile electrical contact (45) and arranged on the body (40 ) of the switch (4), opposite the connection pins (41, 42, 43).

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