MOTOR VEHICLE BATTERY DISCONNECT CIRCUIT HAVING ELECTRONIC DISCONNECTS
First Claim
1. An engine-powered land vehicle comprising:
- an engine and a drivetrain through which the engine propels the vehicle on land;
a battery bank comprising one or more D.C. storage batteries;
an electric starter motor that draws current from the battery bank to crank the engine at starting; and
electric load circuits that are fed from the battery bank through a disconnect switch module,wherein the disconnect switch module comprises one or more pairs of high-current, high-side solid state switch devices, the devices of each pair each comprising a solid-state switch comprising a source terminal and a drain terminal providing a conduction path through the switch, the source terminal of one device of each pair being connected to the load circuits, the source terminal of the other device of each pair being connected to the battery bank, and the drain terminals of the devices of each pair being connected in common.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic disconnect switch module (12) in a motor vehicle has one or more pairs of high-current, high-side solid state switch devices (30A, 30B, 32A, and 32B). The source terminal of one device of each pair is connected to vehicle load circuits (27), the source terminal of the other device of each pair is connected to the vehicle battery bank (16), and the drain terminals of the devices of each pair are connected in common. The module also has a microcontroller (34) that interfaces the switch devices with the vehicle electrical system. Four feature groups are provided: Vehicle Electrical System Protection, Battery Charge Control, Battery Disconnect, and Battery Monitoring.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. An engine-powered land vehicle comprising:
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an engine and a drivetrain through which the engine propels the vehicle on land; a battery bank comprising one or more D.C. storage batteries; an electric starter motor that draws current from the battery bank to crank the engine at starting; and electric load circuits that are fed from the battery bank through a disconnect switch module, wherein the disconnect switch module comprises one or more pairs of high-current, high-side solid state switch devices, the devices of each pair each comprising a solid-state switch comprising a source terminal and a drain terminal providing a conduction path through the switch, the source terminal of one device of each pair being connected to the load circuits, the source terminal of the other device of each pair being connected to the battery bank, and the drain terminals of the devices of each pair being connected in common. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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- 11. A disconnect switch module for disconnecting a battery bank from an electrical load upon occurrence of certain conditions, the module comprising one or more pairs of high-current, high-side solid state switch devices, the devices of each pair each comprising a solid-state switch comprising a source terminal and a drain terminal providing a conduction path through the switch, the source terminal of one device of each pair being connected to the load circuits, the source terminal of the other device of each pair being connected to the battery bank, and the drain terminals of the devices of each pair being connected in common.
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21. A method for protecting a battery bank having one or more D.C. storage batteries in an electrical system of an engine-powered land vehicle against loss of charge that renders the battery bank incapable of operating an electric starter motor that draws current from the battery bank to crank the engine at starting, the electrical system having electric load circuits that are fed from the battery bank through a disconnect switch module that comprises controlled conduction solid-state switch devices through which current can bi-directionally flow between the battery bank and the electric load circuits, the method comprising:
processing data relevant to operation of the solid-state switch devices and developing from that processed data control data for controlling the solid-state switches to either a) limit charge current to the battery bank to a defined charge current limit without regulating battery bank voltage, b) regulate battery bank voltage to a first defined limit of regulation when charge current is within a defined range immediately below the defined charge current limit, or c) regulate battery bank voltage to a second defined limit of regulation that is less than the first defined limit of regulation when charge current is less than the defined range. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
Specification