FR2809878A1 - POWER SUPPLY MANAGEMENT DEVICE - 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, to a device for

  dual configuration power supply management, especially for

motor vehicles.

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

auxiliary.

  Devices of this type are known in the prior art and used to manage the supply of motor vehicles during their storage in the fleet and

  transport before marketing.

  Indeed, motor vehicles, after their manufacture in an assembly plant and before being marketed, are first stored on the fleet of the assembly plant for a variable period which depends on the adequacy between the manufacture of the vehicles and their order, then are transported by different means of transport to their place of sale, and are even possibly stored in intermediate parks, such as shopping centers.

distribution for example.

  However, motor vehicles include more and more electronic equipment, which, in the standby mode of the vehicle, that is to say with the ignition off, consume a few tens of milliamps. This situation therefore creates the risk that the service life of the electric battery fitted to the vehicle may be affected by prolonged storage of the

  vehicle before marketing.

  To avoid discharging the battery during storage and transport of the vehicle, it is therefore necessary to disconnect the batteries

  energy-consuming electronic equipment.

  However, it is also necessary, at certain times during these periods, to be able to move the vehicle, for example to bring it on a boat or a train, which implies that the vehicle, when contact is restored, must become operational again , in particular for starting the engine and operating safety equipment such as lighting, signaling, or wiping, without requiring any manipulation

  complex or time-wasting.

  The solution commonly used to solve this problem consists in ensuring the permanent supply of electronic equipment by means of an auxiliary electrical source called "APC", and through a fuse box capable of taking two different configurations. In a first configuration, which corresponds to the storage of the vehicle on 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 electronic equipment, through the fuses which are provided to protect this equipment and which are housed in

this box.

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

  same protection fuses for this equipment.

  In reality, the situation is a little more complex, insofar as the entire supply circuit which must be used to connect the electronic equipment to the APC auxiliary source is not dimensioned to ensure the electrical supply of the components electronic 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 blow in the event of simultaneous use of a too many 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 to connect the electronic equipment to the battery is removed to prevent the battery from discharging, and the park fuse is put in place to allow the electronic equipment to be supplied from the auxiliary electric source used on the park. When the vehicle is delivered to the point of sale, and before it is delivered to the customer, the park fuse is removed, and the shunt intended to permanently connect the electronic equipment to the battery is replaced. The problem is that not only are the operations of removing the shunt, putting the fuse, removing the fuse and putting the shunt back relatively long, but these operations are moreover difficult since the fuse box intended to receive selectively the shunt and the fuse is not very visible and

difficult to access.

  The invention, which is situated in this context, mainly aims to propose a device making it possible to facilitate the operations necessary for disconnecting the battery under the conditions described. To this end, the device of the invention, moreover conforms to the generic definition given in 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 a movable electrical contact also carried by the body and selectively connecting the second pin to the first or the third, the three connection pins being selectively brought into electrical contact and in mechanical connection with the three terminals

the housing.

  Preferably, the movable electrical contact connects the second pin to the third through a fuse housed in the body of the bistable switch, the fuse

  thus being integrated into the switch.

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

the housing.

  If the protective elements of the electronic equipment are housed in the box, the box can constitute a fuse box, and the switch can then be designed to adapt to existing fuse boxes without modification of the latter. connection are advantageously parallel to each other, the second connection pin being separated from the first and third pins by respective first and second distances, different from each other, so as to ensure a polarization during the establishment of the

bistable switch.

  Finally, to further increase the ease of implementation of the device, the bistable switch preferably comprises a push-button suitable for controlling the movable electrical contact and disposed on the body of the

  switch, opposite the connection pins.

  Other features and benefits of

  the invention will become clear from the description which

  is made below, for guidance and in no way limitative, with reference to the accompanying 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 - Figure 4 is a side view of the switch

bistable illustrated in figure 3.

  As indicated above, the invention relates to an electrical power management device capable of adopting two configurations and intended to 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 a main input terminal connected to the main electrical source SP constituted by the battery, while the second terminal 12 is an output terminal connected to electronic equipment such as 21, 22, and 23, through fuses or protective elements 31, 32, and 33, the third terminal 13 being an auxiliary input terminal connected to the auxiliary electrical source SA

  that constitutes the park power source called "APC".

  According to the invention, this device further comprises a bistable switch 4, which permanently equips the housing and which facilitates the passage of a configuration

to the other.

  This switch 4 essentially comprises a body, three connection pins 41, 42, and 43, and a

movable electrical contact 45.

  The three connection pins 41, 42, and 43 are carried by the body 40, and are arranged so that they can be brought into electrical contact and in mechanical connection with the respective three terminals 11, 12, and 13

of housing 1.

  The movable electrical contact 45, also carried by the body 40, allows the second pin 42 to be connected at will to the first pin 41 or to the third

pin 43.

  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, 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 the 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 box 1 is preferably constituted by the fuse box of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, the fuses or protective elements 31, 32, and 33 therefore being housed

in this housing 1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the connection pins 41, 42, and 43 are advantageously parallel to each other, the second connection pin 42 being separated from the other two pins 41 and 43 by distances D21 and D23 different from each other. other to prevent the park fuse 35 from being accidentally connected between the first and second

terminals 11 and 12.

  The bistable switch 40 also includes a pusher 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 an operator.

Claims (6)

  1. A dual configuration electrical power management device for a motor vehicle, comprising a housing (1) provided with at least three terminals (11, 12, 13), the first of which (11) is a main input terminal connected 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 the third (13) of which 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 e and in mechanical connection with the three terminals   respective (11, 12, 13) of the housing (1).   2. An electrical power management device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mobile 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).   3. Power supply management device   according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that, in order to be brought into electrical contact and in mechanical connection with the three respective 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.   4. 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.   5. Power supply management device   according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the connection pins (41, 42, 43) are mutually parallel, and in that the second connection pin (42) is separated from the first (41) and third (43) pins by first and second respective distances (D21, D23), different from each other. 6. Power supply management device   according to any one of the preceding claims,   characterized in that the bistable switch (40) comprises a pusher (450) suitable for controlling the movable electrical contact (45) and disposed, on the body (40) of the switch (4), opposite the connection pins ( 41, 42, 43).