Battery voltage monitor and disconnection circuit
First Claim
1. A circuit for monitoring a voltage associated with a battery connected across a load and ensuring that the voltage does not fall below a predetermined minimum comprising:
- a) a programmable reference voltage generator providing a reference voltage which can be varied to account for variations in the load;
b) a transfer function generator electrically connected to the programmable reference voltage generator which varies the reference voltage supplied by the programmable reference voltage generator with variations in current supplied by the battery;
c) a comparator electrically connected to the programmable voltage generator and the battery;
d) a relay electrically connected to the comparator such that the relay disconnects the battery from the load when the comparator determines that the reference voltage is greater than the voltage associated with the battery; and
e) a fault indicator which raises the voltage associated with the battery necessary to reconnect the load, thereby preventing chatter in the relay.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A battery saver circuit compares the battery terminal voltage to a programmable reference voltage and disconnects the battery from the load when the measured battery voltage falls below a predetermined minimum value. The reference voltage is programmable by a transfer function generator which varies the reference voltage in accordance with the current drawn by the load to account for the voltage drop in the line series wiring. A fault indicator is included to prevent chatter in the relay by raising the battery voltage necessary to reconnect the battery to the load. The fault indicator is reset when the battery is recharged.
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Citations
9 Claims
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1. A circuit for monitoring a voltage associated with a battery connected across a load and ensuring that the voltage does not fall below a predetermined minimum comprising:
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a) a programmable reference voltage generator providing a reference voltage which can be varied to account for variations in the load; b) a transfer function generator electrically connected to the programmable reference voltage generator which varies the reference voltage supplied by the programmable reference voltage generator with variations in current supplied by the battery; c) a comparator electrically connected to the programmable voltage generator and the battery; d) a relay electrically connected to the comparator such that the relay disconnects the battery from the load when the comparator determines that the reference voltage is greater than the voltage associated with the battery; and e) a fault indicator which raises the voltage associated with the battery necessary to reconnect the load, thereby preventing chatter in the relay. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A circuit for monitoring a voltage associated with a battery connected across a load and ensuring that the voltage does not fall below a predetermined minimum comprising:
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a) a zener diode for providing a reference voltage which can be varied to account for variations in a load; b) a voltage to current converter electrically connected to the battery and converting a current drawn by the load to a control voltage; c) an amplifier electrically connected between the voltage to current converter and the zener diode which varies the reference voltage supplied by the zener diode to compensate for variations in the current drawn by the load; d) a comparator having first and second inputs and an output, the first input electrically connected to the reference voltage provided by the zener diode and the second input electrically connected to the voltage associated with the battery; f) a relay electrically connected to the output of the comparator such that the relay disconnects the battery from the load when the comparator determines that the reference voltage is greater than the voltage associated with the battery; and g) a thyristor which latches "on" when the battery is disconnected from the load and raises the voltage associated with the battery necessary to reconnect the battery to the load. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
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Specification