Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Title of the Invention
Automatic Power Interrupting System for Vehicular Control Circuit
Back~round of the Invention
(1 ) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automatic power interrupting
system for a vehicular control circuit.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
A power supply system for the vehicular control circuit according to the
prior art may be left as it is with the key switch being ON.
In case the engine stalls (or stops), the key switch could be left ON.
In other words, there is known an emergency engine stop system. In
this system, fuel injections by fuel injection valves are interrupted in response
to either an emergency stop signal which is automatically issued or an
emergency signal coming from a kill switch to be operated by the driver (which
switch is either attached to the vicinlty of the grip of the handle of an
motorcycle so that it may be operated by the driver or turned off when the
driver leaves the body of a snowmobile because the driver and the
snowmobile body are bound with a rope or the like. If the kill switch is turned
off, the key switch could be left ON.
This raises in the prior art a problem that the battery is caused to die
by leaving the key switch ON.
Summary of the Invention.
In view of the above-speCified problem of the prior art, therefore, an
object of the present invention is to provide an automatic power interrupting
system for a vehicular control circuit, which can interrupt the power supply to
the control circuit even in case the engine stalls or is stopped and left as it is
stalling by the use of the kill switch.
According to a feature of the present invention, there is provided an
automatic power interrupting system for a vehicular control circuit, which
comprises: a relay switch having a normally open contact connecting between
a power source and the supply terminal of a control circuit and a relay coil
connected with said power source,-~ normally open control switch connected
between said power source and said supply terminal and with the signal input
terminal of said control circuit QQd adapted to be turned on only when an
external force is applied thereto; reVolution detecting means for detecting the
revolutions of an engine; and switching means for turning on said relay switch,
when the power is supplied to said control circuit, and off said relay switch
after a predetermined time period bymeasuring the time period a~ler the stop
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of the engine revolutions on the basis of a detection signal outputted from saidrevolution detecting means.
According to another feature of the present invention, there is
provided an automatic power interrupting system for a vehicular control circuit,which comprises: a kill switch connected together with an ignition circuit with a
power source; a relay switch having a normally open contact connected
between said power source and the supply terminal of said control circuit and
a relay coil connected between said power source and the signal output
terminal of said control circuit; a starter switch connected toçiether with a
starter between said power source and said supply terminal and with the
signal input terminal of said contrcl circuit; revolution detecting means for
detecting the revolutions of the engine, and switching means for tuming on
said relay switch, when the power Is supplied to said control circuit, and off
said relay switch after a predetermined time perlod by measuring the time
period after the stop of the engine revolutions on the basis of a detection
signal outputted from said revolution detecting means.
According to the first feature of the present invention, an engine
running signal is fed to the signal input terminal, when the control switch is
pushed and turned on, so that the power is supplied to the control unit. Then,
the relay switch is turned on by the action of the switching means. From now
on, the power of the control unit is continuously held even if the control switch
is released from the push. The engine is then started to revolve. In case the
engine stalls, the relay switch is then turned off by the action of the switching
means after lapse of a predetermined time period from the stalling of the
engine. As a result, the power to the control unit is interrupted.
Thus, even if the engine stalls or is left as stalling by using the kill
switch, the power to the control unit is turned off after the predetermined timeperiod so that the restartability of the engine can be improved without any
death of the battery.
According to the second feature of the present invention, the engine
running signal is fed to the sisna! input terminal, if the kill switch is turned on to
turn on the starter switch, so that the power is fed to the control unit. Then, the
relay switch is turned on by the acU~n of the switching means.
From now on, the power to the control unit is continuously held even if
the starter is turned off. After this, the engine restarts its revolutions.
The engine is stopped by turning off the kill switch. When the engine
is stopped for a predetermined time period after the kill switch is turned off, the
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relay switch is turned off by the action of the switching means. As a result, the
power to the control unit is internupted.
In case, therefore, the engine stalls or is stopped by using the
aforementioned kill switch, the power to the control unit is interrupted after
lapse of the predetermined time period from the engine stalling, thus
eliminating the problem that the battery would otherwise die.
Brief Description of the Drawin~s
Fig. 1 is a circuit diagram showing one embodiment of the automatic
power interrupting system for a vehicular control circuit according to the firstfeature of the present invention.
Figs. 2A to 2E are time charts for explaining the operations of the
same embodiment.
Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram showing another embodiment according to
another feature of the present invention; and
Figs. 4A to 4E are time charts for explaining the operations of the
same embodiment.
Description of the Preferred Embodiments
The present invention will be described in the following in connection
with the embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The embodiment of the first feature of the present invention is shown
in Figs. 1 and 2.
In Fig. 1, there Is connected between a power source 1 and the supply
terminal B of a control circuit in a control unit 2 a normally open contact 3a of a
self-shut relay switch 3. This self-shut relay switch 3 has its relay coil 3b
connected between the power source 1 and a signal output terminal OUT of
the control circuit.
A push-on switch 4 acting as the control switch is connected between
the power source 1 and the supply terminal B and with a signal input terminal
IN of the control circuit. This push-on switch 4 is a normally open switch whichis turned on only when an external force such as a pushing force is applied
thereto.
Incidentally, reference numeral ~ designates a diode, and numeral 6
designates a resistor.
There are further provided revolution detecting means 7 for detecting
the revolutions of the engine, and switching means which is made operative to
turn on the self-shut relay switch 3, when the power to the control unit is ON,
and off the relay switch 3 after a predetermined time period by measuring the
time perlod after the stop of the engine revolutions on the basis of a detection
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signal outputted from the revolution detecting means 7. The switching means
is composed of a transistor 8 or the like which is operated by an instruction
coming from the control unit 7. The transistor 8 has its collector terminal
connected with the relay coil 3b of the self-shut relay switch 3 and its control(base) terminal connected with the aforementioned signal output terminal
OUT.
Next, the operations of the automatic power interrupting system thus
constructed will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.
First of all, when the push-on switch 4 is pushed and turned on (as
indicated at A in Fig. 2B), the engine nunning signal at a High level is fed to the
signal input terminal IN (as indicated at B in Fig. 2C) so that the power is
supplied to the control unit 2 (as indicated at C in Fig. 2D). Then the signal at
the High level is fed from the signal output terminal OUT to the control terminal
of the transistor 8. As a result, the transistor 8 is rendered conductive so that
the power is supplied to the relay coil 3b of the self-shut relay switch 3 to turn
on the self-shut relay switch 3 (as indicated at D in Fig. 2E). From now on, thepower to the control unit 2 is continuously held even if the push-on switch 4 isreleased from the push. Then, the engine starts it revolutions (as indicated at
E in Fig. 2A). If the push-on switch 4 is pushed and turned on again, the
signal at the High level is fed to the signal input terminal IN. Then, a signal at
a Low level is fed from the signal output terminal OUT to the control terminal
of the transistor 8. As a result, the transistor 8 is rendered inconductive to
interrupt the power to the relay coil 3b of the self-shut relay switch 3 so thatthis relay switch 3 is turned off (as indicated at F in Fig. 2E).
Thus, the power to the control unit 2 is interrupted. After this, the
engine stops its revolutions.
In this case, another off-switch may be provided to turn off the self-shut
relay switch 3 when the push-on switch 4 is turned on. Alternatively, the
power may be held a certain time for the restart although the englne
revolutions are stopped by the push-on switch 4. Moreover, the control unit 2
may turn off the power by itself after lapse of a certain time after the engine
has been stopped by a kill switch (for cutting the ignitions) and left as it is. Next, in case the engine stalls or is stopped by using the
aforementioned kill switch (as indicated at G in Fig. 2A), the signal at the Lowlevel is fed from the si~nal output terminal OUT to the control terminal of the
transistor 8 after lapse of a predetermined time period from the engine stop.
Then, the transistor 8 is rendered inconductive to interrupt the power to the
relay ~oil 3b of the self-shut relay switch 3 thereby to turn off the self-shut relay
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switch 3 (as indicated at H in Fig. 2A). As a result, the power to the control unit
2 is interrupted.
Thus, the power to the control unit 2 is turned off after the
predetermined time period even if the engine stalls or is left as stalling by
using the kill switch. Thus, the restartability of the engine can be improved
without the death of the battery.
Next, the embodiment of the second feature of the present invention
will be described in the following with reference to Figs. 3 and 4.
According to this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, there are added a
starter switch 9, which is connected between the power source 1 and the
supply terminal B and with the signal input terminal IN of the control circuit,
and a starter 10. Moreover, the power source 1 is connected with not only a
CDI unit 11 acting as the ignition circuit but also a kill switch 12.
The remaining structure is similar to that of the first feature of the
present invention shown in Fig. 1.
The operations of this embodiment will be described in the following.
If the kill switch 12 is turned on to turn on the starter switch 9, the. engine
running signal at the High level is fed to the signal input terminal so that thepower source 1 is supplied to the control unit 2. Since the signal at the High
level is then fed from the signal output terminal OUT to the control terminal ofthe transistor 8, this transistor 8 is rendered conductive to supply the power
source 1 to the relay coil 3b of the self-shut relay switch 3 to turn on this relay
switch 3.
From now on, the power to the control unit 2 is continuously held even
if the starter switch 9 is turned off. After this, the engine starts its revolutions.
The engine is stopped by turning off the kill switch 12. After lapse of a
predetermined time per!od from the engine stop, the signal at the Low level is
fed from the signal output terminal OUT to the control terminal of the transistor
8. Then, this transistor 8 is rendered inconductive to interrupt the power to the
relay coil 3b of the self-shut relay switch 3 so that this relay switch 3 is turned
off. As a result, the power to the control unit 2 is interrupted.
In case the engine stalls or is stopped by using the aforementioned kill
switch 12, the power to the control unit 2 is interrupted after lapse of the
predetermined time period from the engine stop. Thus, it is possible to
eliminate the problem that the battery will die.
I"cld~"~ally, there exists another system (of self-shut type) for holding
the power to the control unit by itself after the OFF of the engine key for a
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restart independently of the engine stalling. If this system is held for a long
self-shut time, a weak battery would easily die.
If the voltage of the battery power source measured drops to a certain
or lower level (e.g., 10 V~, the battery is protected by releasing the held power
to the control unit.
In this case, this operation is indicated at the time of the restart so that
the driver or the like may be informed of the fact.
According to the automatic power interrupting system for a vehicular
control circuit, as has been described hereinbefore, the power to the control
circuit can be interrupted even in case the engine stalls or is left as it is
stopped by using the kill switch or the like. Thus, the problem of the death of
the battery can be eliminated to improve the restartability with remarkable
effects in the practice.
