JPH04265638A - Battery discharge preventive device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To get the effect equivalent to removing the connection of a battery terminal with easy and safe operation so as to prevent the discharge of a battery. CONSTITUTION:In the power supply line from a battery 1 to electric apparatus 9, where the current application is intermitted by a switch 5, or electric apparatus 6, which is always supplied with a current, a switch means 10 for discharge prevention is interposed in the vicinity of the terminal of the battery 1. In particular, it is interposed on the way of connection from the terminal 1b on the negative pole to a chassis arm. It can also be provided with an opening/ closing means, which opens or closes the switch means for discharge prevention from the operation room.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for preventing discharge of a battery used as a power source for electrical equipment whose energization is interrupted or interrupted by a switch or which is constantly energized.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Such a battery discharge prevention device can be applied to, for example, a battery mounted on an automobile. Conventionally, it has been said that when a car is left unused for a long period of time or during winter, disconnecting the battery terminals can suppress battery discharge and prevent what is called a dead battery. This is due to the following reasons.

[0003] In winter or at low temperatures in cold regions, it becomes difficult to start the engine due to the difficulty of fuel vaporization, the increase in rotational resistance due to the increase in clay in the lubricating oil, and the decrease in battery output. For this reason, the electric power required to start the engine increases significantly, making it more likely that the battery will run out.

Even when the ignition switch (hereinafter referred to as the key switch) is turned off, there is current leakage from devices that are directly connected to the battery without going through the key switch. In addition, minute currents associated with deterioration of the insulation of switches or deterioration of the insulation between the wire harness and the vehicle body are also considered. As automobiles age, these minute currents increase and have a greater effect on batteries than the voltage drop caused by self-discharge.

[0005] Therefore, by disconnecting the battery terminals as described above, the loop through which the discharge current flows is cut off from the root, and the discharge can be suppressed.

[0006] Incidentally, there are cases in which devices such as digital clocks and peripheral circuits of microcomputers associated with the electronicization of automobiles in recent years are installed, which always consume a small amount of power even when the key switch is turned off. In these cases, if you disconnect the battery terminal, there will be inconveniences such as the clock stopping or the auto-sensing function not working, but even so, if you need to prevent the battery from dying, you should disconnect the terminal. is possible.

[0007]

However, disconnecting the battery terminals is not an easy task for general users. Also, even if you know that disconnecting the terminals is effective in preventing the battery from dying,
For reasons such as getting your hands dirty or risking an electric shock,
Many users avoid this task.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to make it possible to obtain the same effect as disconnecting the battery terminals with easy and safe operation. There is a particular thing.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The battery discharge prevention device of the present invention is a battery discharge prevention device used as a power source for an electrical device whose energization is interrupted or interrupted by a switch or an electrical device whose current is constantly energized. A first characteristic configuration is that a discharge prevention switch means is interposed near the terminal of the battery in the power supply line from the battery to the electric device.

[0010] In a second characteristic configuration, in the first characteristic configuration, the battery is mounted on an automobile, and the discharge prevention switch means connects the negative terminal of the battery to the vehicle body ground. The problem lies in the fact that it is inserted in the middle of the connection. A third characteristic configuration is that, in the second characteristic configuration, opening/closing operation means for opening and closing the discharge prevention switch means from the driver's cab is provided.

[0011] A fourth characteristic configuration is that in the first to third characteristic configurations, a secondary battery is provided for supplying a backup voltage to the electrical equipment when the discharge prevention switch means is open; A switching element is provided that closes the charging circuit from the battery to the secondary battery when the discharge prevention switch means is closed, and opens the charging circuit when the discharge prevention switch means is open. It is in.

0012

According to the first feature, the discharge prevention switch means is normally closed and opened especially when it is desired to prevent the battery from discharging. Regardless of whether the terminal connection of the battery in which the discharge prevention switch means is interposed is on the positive side or the negative side, when the discharge prevention switch means is opened, the discharge circuit of the battery is cut off from the base. It should be noted that a switch with good insulation performance is used for the discharge prevention switch means.

In the case of an automobile, the negative terminal of the battery is generally grounded to a metal part of the vehicle body, and the negative terminal of the power input of each electrical device is also grounded to the metal part of the vehicle body. In this case, as in the second characteristic configuration, if a discharge prevention switch means is interposed between the negative terminal of the battery and the vehicle body ground, by opening the discharge prevention switch means, It is possible to cut off the battery discharge circuit all at once from the root. Incidentally, the positive terminal of the battery is branch-connected to switches and electrical equipment, and is interposed with a fusible electric wire that melts when a large current flows.

According to the third feature, the discharge prevention switch means can be opened and closed from the driver's cab by the opening/closing operation means. Here, the opening/closing operation means may be mechanical or electrical. Further, the operation may be performed independently or in conjunction with the ignition switch.

While the discharge prevention switch means is open, the power supply from the battery to the electrical equipment is completely cut off, but according to the fourth characteristic configuration, the secondary battery provided for backup However, during this time, backup power supply current is supplied to electrical equipment that requires backup, such as a digital clock. This secondary battery is charged from the battery via the switching element when the discharge prevention switch means is closed. When the discharge prevention switch means opens, the switching element also opens to prevent backflow from the secondary battery to the power line that is not backed up.

[0016]

According to the first characteristic configuration, the discharge circuit can be cut off from the base by an easy and safe operation such as opening the discharge prevention switch means, in the same way as when the battery terminal is disconnected. Now you can. According to the second feature, it is possible to easily install the discharge prevention switch means interposed near the battery terminals in order to cut off the battery discharge circuits all at once from the base. This is because the connection wire from the negative electrode side to the vehicle body ground is a single short conducting wire, and there are no branches. According to the third characteristic configuration, each time the discharge prevention switch means is opened or closed, the opening and closing operations can be easily performed from the driver's cab without the need to open the engine compartment, which is very convenient. According to the fourth characteristic configuration, backup power supply current is supplied to electrical equipment that requires backup, such as a digital clock, even while the discharge prevention switch means is open, so it is possible to avoid problems such as clocks stopping. It became so.

[0017]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained based on the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a positive terminal 1a of a battery 1 mounted on an automobile is connected to a starter 2, an alternator 3,
It is connected to a regulator 4, an ignition switch (hereinafter referred to as a key switch) 5, and other electrical equipment 6. The connection wires other than the starter 2 include a fusible conductor that will melt when a large current flows through the positive terminal 1 of the battery 1.
It is interposed near a.

A starter 2 and an ignition 8 are connected to the ST terminal and IG terminal of the key switch 5, respectively. The ST terminal is connected to the battery 1 when the key switch is turned to the start position, and the IG terminal is connected to the battery 1 when the key switch is turned to the start position and the on position. In the on position, the accessory terminal ACC is also connected to the battery 1, and power can be supplied to electrical equipment 9 such as various lamps, radios, relays, etc.

The negative terminal 1b of the battery 1 is grounded to a metal part of the vehicle body near the location where the battery is mounted. However, the connection line must be equipped with toggle switch 1, which will be described later.
0 is inserted. This toggle switch 10 is normally turned on. The negative electrode sides of the alternator 3 and regulator 4 described above are also grounded to the vehicle body, forming a circuit that charges the battery 1 while the engine is rotating.

[0020] Starter 2 and electrical equipment 6 as loads,
The negative terminal of the power input terminal 9 is also connected to the vehicle body ground, forming a discharge circuit for the battery 1. However, although some of the electrical devices 9 have individual switches (not shown), they are not energized unless at least the key switch 5 is turned on.

[0021] The electric appliances 9 also include those having individual switches (not shown), such as digital watches, etc.
Some devices do not have a separate switch and constantly consume power from the battery 1 even when the key switch 5 is turned off. In addition, with the recent trend toward electronics in automobiles, there are also microcomputer peripheral circuits, such as electronic door locks, that consume a small amount of power to constantly sense the key. Note that in FIG. 1, fuses and the like are omitted, and actual electrical connections are simplified.

In addition to the power consumption by some of the electric devices 9 as described above, the following factors can be considered to cause the battery 1 to discharge when the key switch 5 is off. One of them is the reverse leakage current of the battery 1 charging circuit caused by the alternator 3 and regulator 4. Possible causes of this include reverse leakage current of the rectifier built into the alternator 3, insulation deterioration, and the like.

In addition, there is deterioration in the insulation of the key switch 5, starter 2, electrical equipment 6, etc., and deterioration of the insulation between the wire harness for connecting these to the positive terminal 1a of the battery 1 and the vehicle body. It is thought that such insulation deterioration progresses as the automobile ages. There is also self-discharge of the battery 1, but it will not be discussed here.

Due to the above factors, the key switch 5
In order to prevent discharge of the battery 1 when the battery 1 is off, a toggle switch 10 as a discharge prevention switch means is interposed between the negative terminal 1b of the battery 1 and the vehicle body ground. This allows the discharge circuit of the battery 1 to be shut off all at once when the vehicle is left unattended for a long period of time, or when the engine is difficult to start in winter. Conventionally, in such cases, the battery terminals were disconnected, but the present invention is designed to provide the same effect easily and safely.

The toggle switch 10 serving as the discharge prevention switch means is one that requires a certain amount of operating force so that it will not be easily turned off by vibration or the like. It is even better if you use a lock type toggle switch. Although it is better to fix the toggle switch 10 to the vehicle body, the conductor wire used to connect the negative terminal 1b of the battery 1 to the vehicle body ground is generally a relatively thick and hard bare wire. Simply connecting the terminal of the toggle switch 10 in the middle is enough to secure the structure. In this case, there is no need to provide any particular insulation for safety reasons.

As the discharge prevention switch means, other types of switches such as a waveform switch may be used instead of the toggle switch 10. However, since a large current flows when the engine is started, it is necessary to use one with a large current capacity and a small on-resistance. The same goes for the need to be resistant to vibration. Furthermore, in order to fully achieve the object of the present invention, it is also necessary that the insulation resistance between the contacts when turned off is large.

In the above embodiment, in order to open and close the discharge prevention switch means, it is necessary to open the engine compartment in which the battery 1 is placed. A means may be provided. As a mechanical means, for example, a discharge prevention switch means fixed to the vehicle body is biased to the on side by a spring or the like, and an operating lever for operating the discharge prevention switch means to the off side is provided in the driver's cab. A release wire may be used to connect the means and the operating lever.

In order to electrically open and close the discharge prevention switch means from the driver's cab, for example, a circuit as shown in FIG. 2 using a relay 11 with an A contact as the discharge prevention switch means can be considered. Reference numeral 12 denotes a momentary type switch provided in the operator's cab so as to be turned on temporarily when energizing the relay 11. When the key switch 5 is turned on while the switch 12 is on, the relay 11 is energized and the contacts are closed. Then, when the key switch 5 is turned off, the relay 11 opens and the discharge circuit of the battery 1 is cut off all at once.

In the above embodiment, when the discharge prevention switch means is interposed in the power supply line from the battery to the electrical equipment, the line from the negative terminal 1b of the battery to the vehicle body ground is connected to facilitate the connection. I was intervened on the way, but
It may be interposed in the middle of the connection on the positive terminal 1a side. In this case, of course, it is necessary to interpose it in the bulk line before branching to all electrical equipment, including connections to the starter 2, alternator 3, etc.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, a secondary battery 13 may be provided for backing up electrical equipment such as the digital clock and microcomputer peripheral circuits described above. In the circuit shown in the figure, while the discharge prevention switch means is closed, a predetermined voltage (12V) is applied between the battery positive electrode and the ground, so the switching element 14 is conductive and the voltage is approximately 10V. The secondary battery 13 is charged from the battery through the charging resistor 15.

When the discharge prevention switch means is closed, the connection between the battery positive electrode and the ground becomes open, so the switching element 14 is cut off, and the power supply line connected to the battery positive electrode is connected from the secondary battery 13 to the power line that is not backed up. prevent backflow. A backup current is then supplied to a digital clock, microcomputer peripheral circuits, etc. through the diode 16.

The battery discharge prevention device of the present invention is applicable not only to batteries of automobiles (including motorcycles) but also to other devices. For example, it can be applied to a generator equipped with a starter and a battery. When such a generator is used as a backup for an indoor commercial power supply during a power outage, it is convenient to configure the generator so that the battery discharge circuit is normally turned off and turned on automatically when a power outage is detected.

[0033] Note that although reference numerals are written in the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the structure of the accompanying drawings by such entry.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

[Fig. 1] Electrical connection diagram around the battery discharge prevention device according to the embodiment of the present invention

[Fig. 2] Circuit diagram of a battery discharge prevention device according to another embodiment

[Figure 3] Circuit diagram of backup power supply

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Battery 1b Negative terminal 5 Switch 6,9　Electrical equipment 10 Switch means for preventing discharge

Claims (4)

[Claims] [Claim 1] An electrical device (9) whose energization is interrupted by a switch (5) or an electrical device (6) which is constantly energized.
A discharge prevention device for a battery (1) as a power source for a battery (1), the battery (1) to the electrical equipment (9), (6).
A battery discharge prevention device, wherein a discharge prevention switch means (10) is interposed near a terminal of the battery (1) in a power supply line to the battery. 2. The battery (1) is mounted on an automobile, and the discharge prevention switch means (1)
2. The battery discharge prevention device according to claim 1, wherein said terminal 0) is interposed between the negative terminal (1b) of said battery (1) and the vehicle body ground. 3. The battery discharge prevention device according to claim 2, further comprising an opening/closing operation means for opening and closing said discharge prevention switch means from a driver's cab. 4. A secondary battery (13) is provided that supplies backup voltage to the electrical equipment (9, 6) when the discharge prevention switch means is open, and when the discharge prevention switch means is closed. When the battery (1
) to the secondary battery (13), and further comprising a switching element (14) that closes the charging circuit from the discharge prevention switch means to the secondary battery (13) and opens the charging circuit when the discharge prevention switch means is open. Battery discharge prevention device.