Automatic protective circuit system for emergency lights

• US 4,571,531 A
• Filed: 04/11/1984
• Issued: 02/18/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ming-Hsin Lin, Wen-Kuei Liao
• Original Assignee: Ming-Hsin Lin
• Inventors: Lin, Ming-Hsin
• Primary Examiner(s): Hickey, R. J.
• Application Number:
  US06/598,988
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• Field of Search: 307/66, 320/13, 320/14, 320/9, 320/2-5, 362/183
• US Class Current: 320/134
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/065 for lighting purposes

Abstract

An automatic protective circuit system for emergency lights includes in combination: a power supply circuit for being coupled with the external power source; a charging circuit connected to the power supply circuit; an upper-limit charging control circuit matched with a lower-limit charging control circuit respectively coupled with the charging circuit and the storage battery; a lower-limit discharging control circuit matched with a pair of double-pole switches and a push-button switch connected to the storage battery and the lights; and a discharge actuating circuit coupled between the power supply circuit and the lower-limit discharging control circuit; thereby, the storage battery of the emergency lights can be effectively protected from being overcharged and overdischarged for extending the life span of the emergency lights.

Claims

1. An automatic protective circuit system for emergency lights of the type having a casing body, a left light and a right light separately provided on the top of the casing body, and a storage battery installed therein comprising:

a power supply means for being connected to the external power source;

a charging means connected to said power supply means for effecting charging operations;

an upper-limit charging control means coupled with said charging means for automatically stopping the charging operation thereof;

a lower-limit charging control means coupled with said charging means for automatically starting the charging operation thereof;

a lower-limit discharging control means for maintaining a selected power level in the storage battery, a normally-closed contact and a normally-open contact connecting said means with the battery and connecting said means with the lights;

a discharge actuating means for causing said battery to discharge on failure of said power supply means, said means being connected between said power supply means and said lower-limit discharging control means;

whereby, the storage battery of the emergency light can be effectively protected from being overcharged and overdischarged.

2. An automatic protective circuit system according to claim 1 wherein said power supply means comprises:

a transformer having a primary winding and a pair of secondary windings;

a first bridge rectifier having its inputs connected to a secondary winding and its outputs connected to the positive terminal of the storage battery through said charging means;

a second bridge rectifier having its inputs connected to another secondary winding and its outputs connected to said discharge actuating means;

a first relay means for energizing said lights on failure of said power supply means, a contact operated by said relay means and disposed between said power supply means and lights, said relay being coupled between said second bridge rectifier and said discharge actuating means;

and a power indicator connected to said second bridge rectifier for indicating the on and off of the external power source.

3. An automatic protective circuit system according to claim 2 wherein said charging means comprises:

a transistor having its base and collector coupled with the positive output terminal of said first bridge rectifier, and its emitter connected to the positive terminal of the storage battery;

a charger indicator including an LED and a resistor, the anode of the LED being connected to the emitter circuit of said transistor through the resistor and the cathode grounded thereat; and

a diode having its anode connected to the emitter of said transistor and the positive terminal of the storage battery so that charging operation will be automatically effected therewith.

4. An automatic protective circuit system according to claim 3 wherein said upper-limit charging control means comprises in combination:

a first silicon controlled rectifier (SCR1), a first parallel R-C circuit, a first zener diode, a first variable resistor, and a plurality of resistors, wherein the anode of said SCR1 is connected to the base of said transistor of said charging means, the cathode coupled with the negative of the storage battery and the gate connected to the positive terminal of the storage battery through the circuit of the parallel R-C, the first zener diode, the first variable resistor, and the normally-open contact of the first relay means so as to effect automatic stop of charging operation upon reaching a predetermined upper-limit level of the storage battery.

5. An automatic protective circuit system according to claim 3 wherein said lower-limit charging control means comprises in combination:

a first polarity capacitor, a second SCR2, a second parallel R-C circuit, a second zener diode, a second variable resistor and a plurality of resistors, in which combination the positive terminal of the first polarity capacitor is connected to the collector of the transistor of the charging means while the nagative is coupled with the anode of the second SCR2 whose cathode is grounded and the gate connected to the positive terminal of the storage battery through a circuit formed by the second parallel R-C, the second zener diode, the second variable resistor, and the normally-open contact of the first relay means so that charging operation will be automatically effected upon reaching at a predetermined lower-limit level of the storage battery.

6. An automatic protective circuit system according to claim 5 wherein said lower-limit discharging control means comprises in combination:

a pair of double-pole switches having a plurality of input contacts and output contacts, a push-button switch, a second transistor, a second relay circuit, a third zener diode, a resistor and a reversely biased diode, wherein the collector of the second transistor is connected to the output contacts of the double-pole switches and the push-button switch through the reversely biased diode and the second relay circuit, the emitter is grounded thereat, and the base coupled with the input contacts of the double-pole switches and the push-button switch; and

the anode of the third zener diode is connected to the base of the second transistor through the resistor while the cathode coupled with the input contacts of the double-pole switches and the push-button switch;

thereby, discharging operation will be automatically effected upon reaching at a predetermined lower-limit level of the storage battery.

7. An automatic protective circuit system according to claim 5 wherein said discharge actuating means comprises in combination:

a second polarity capacitor having its negative terminal grounded thereat; and

a pair of resistors connected in series with one end connected to the positive terminal of the second bridge rectifier and the other end to the base of the second transistor, and the positive terminal of the second polarity capacitor being tapped at the center of the series-connected resistors;

whereby, automatic discharging operation will be effected upon the failure of the external power source.