POWER SUPPLY CONTROL DEVICE AND INSTRUMENT DEVICE

• US 20150165909A1
• Filed: 07/09/2013
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nippon Seiki Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nippon Seiki Company Limited
• Inventors: Saito, Ryuji
• Granted Patent: US 9,457,744 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/50 Control arrangements; Data network features
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/52 Control of displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/60 Instruments characterised by their location or relative disposition in or on vehicles arrangements of lighting devices on dashboards B60Q3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/80 Arrangements for controlling instruments
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/81 for controlling displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/02 electric constitutive elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/40 characterised by the details of the power supply or the coupling to vehicle components
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/404 triggering from stand-by mode to operation mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/408 using a data bus

Abstract

Provided are a power supply control device, which is configured such that a current supplying capacity required by a power supply means can be reduced even when power is supplied to a prescribed external device, and an instrument device equipped with the power supply control device. The power supply control device is equipped with: a first power supply means (1000) for supplying power to a pointer instrument (30); a first control unit (100) that operates with power from the first power supply means (1000) and controls driving of the pointer instrument (30) and supply of power from the first power supply means (1000) to the pointer instrument (30); and a second control unit (200) for controlling supply of power from the first power supply means (1000) to an external memory (500). Upon receiving a prescribed command, the first control unit (100) causes the first power supply means (1000) to stop supplying power to the pointer instrument (30), and the second control unit (200) causes the first power supply means (1000) to start supplying power to the external memory (500) in response to the stoppage.

Claims

1. A power supply control device comprising:

a power supply means configured to supply power to a pointer instrument that notifies a predetermined measurement amount by a comparison between a rotating pointer and an indicator indicated by the pointer;

a first control unit operated by the power supplied from the power supply means and configured to control driving of the pointer instrument and supply of power from the power supply means to the pointer instrument; and

a second control unit capable of being electrically connected to a prescribed external device and configured to control supply of power from the power supply means to the external device,

wherein the external device is operated by the power supplied from the power supply means,

upon receiving a prescribed input command, the first control unit causes the power supply means to stop supplying power to the pointer instrument and, in response to the stoppage, the second control unit causes the power supply means to start supplying power to the external device that is electrically connected to the second control unit.

2. The power supply control device according to claim 1, wherein the second control unit is operated by the power supplied from a second power supply means different from a first power supply means that is the power supply means, controls a display operation of a display means to display a prescribed image and controls supply of power from the first power supply means to the external device.

3. The power supply control device according to claim 2, further comprising a non-volatile memory connected to the second control unit and configured to store data required when the second control unit controls the display operation of the display means,

wherein the second control unit is capable of rewriting the data stored in the non-volatile memory,

the external device is an external memory where data to be rewritten of the data is stored, and

upon receiving a rewriting request of the data, the first control unit causes the first power supply means to stop supplying power to the pointer instrument and, in response to the stoppage, the second control unit causes the first power supply means to start supplying power to the external device that is electrically connected to the second control unit, reads out the data to be rewritten of the external memory and rewrites the data stored in the non-volatile memory with the data to be rewritten read out from the external memory.

4. The power supply control device according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising:

a first switch unit operated under the control of the first control unit and configured to switch whether or not to supply power from the first power supply means to the pointer instrument; and

a second switch unit operated under the control of the second control unit and configured to switch whether or not to supply power from the first power supply means to the external device,

wherein, upon receiving the prescribed input command, the first control unit causes the first switch unit to stop supply of power from the first power supply means to the pointer instrument and, in response to the stoppage, the second control unit causes the second switch unit to start supply of power from the first power supply means to the external device that is electrically connected to the second control unit.

5. An instrument device comprising:

the power supply control device according to any one of claims 2 to 4;

the pointer instrument; and

the display means.