Electrical transmission or interconnection systems – Plural supply circuits or sources – Substitute or emergency source
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-08
2002-08-06
Fleming, Fritz (Department: 2836)
Electrical transmission or interconnection systems
Plural supply circuits or sources
Substitute or emergency source
C307S13200T
Reexamination Certificate
active
06429547
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a time switch for controlling a load at a predetermined time.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 15
illustrates an example of this kind of time switch as related art. This time switch includes a main casing
11
having a front opened end, a printed circuit board
32
′ disposed in the main casing
11
, and an inner cover plate
12
covering the front opened end of the main casing
11
.
The printed circuit board
32
′ is equipped with a clock function block
21
, a terminal block
22
for connecting a load and a load controlling relay
23
. The clock function block
21
includes a liquid display for displaying a current time and/or a set time, and so-called rubber switches as push buttons made of an elastic material which utilizes restoring force of elastic material. The circuit board
32
′ is fitted in and fixed to the main casing
11
by screws
13
. The main casing
11
is coved by an outer cover (not shown). The inner cover plate
12
is disposed at the front opened end so as to cover the printed circuit board
32
′ and fixed to the main casing
11
by tightening screws
14
. In this state, the liquid display and the rubber switches of the clock function block
21
are exposed through the opening
12
a
formed in the inner cover plate
12
.
As shown in
FIG. 16
, the clock function block
21
is electrically connected to the printed circuit board
32
′ via a connection terminal
9
provided on the circuit board
32
′.
FIG. 17
illustrates a perspective exploded view of the clock function block
21
. The clock function block
21
includes an inner casing
21
a,
a main block
21
b
fitted in the inner casing
21
a
from the upper side thereof, a power source board block
21
c
fitted in the inner casing
21
a
from the rear side thereof. A front and rear covers
21
e
and
21
d
are fitted onto the inner casing
21
a
from the upper and rear sides thereof, respectively, to hold the main block
21
b
and the power source board block
21
c
in the inner casing
21
a.
In the meantime, the time switch is operated by electric power supplied from a commercial power source, and is required to maintain the clock function and the time-schedule setting function even if a power failure is occurred. Thus, in order to maintain these functions in case of a power failure, a battery as a back-up power source is mounted to the power source board block
21
c.
In detail, as shown in
FIG. 18
, the battery B is attached to a battery fixing board
36
′ held by a holding plate
21
f.
The holding plate
21
f
has a pair of hooking arms
21
g
for connecting the power source board block
21
c
to the inner casing
21
a.
The battery B is soldered to the battery fixing board
36
′ having electrical parts, some of which are connected to the terminals
44
d
provided to the power source board block
21
c.
As mentioned above, the time switch is provided with a battery B as a back-up power source. In many cases, a nickel-cadmium battery or a lithium battery is used as the back-up power source, and is required to be replaced with a new one when the battery is dead. In the aforementioned structure, in order to replace the battery with a new one, it is required to disassemble many parts, and then to detach the battery soldered to the fixing board
36
′ therefrom. This requires troublesome works.
Furthermore, in a case where the time switch is to be disposed, the nickel-cadmium battery or the lithium battery mounted therein should be taken out for a separate disposition in order to avoid polluting the environment. However, since troublesome and time-consuming jobs are required to remove the battery, in many cases, the time switch had been disposed without removing the battery.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a time switch equipped with a battery as a back-up power source which is securely mounted and can easily be removed when the battery is replaced with a new one and/or when the time switch is scraped.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a time switch includes a circuit board equipped with a time switch circuit operated by a commercial power source, a battery board to which a back-up battery for supplying a back-up power to the circuit board in case of an interruption of a power supply from the commercial power source is mounted, and a casing in which the circuit board and the battery board are mounted, wherein the battery board is a member separated from the circuit board.
With this time switch, since the battery board is a member separated from the circuit board, a replacement or disposal of the back-up battery can be easily be performed by detaching the battery board from the circuit board.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a time switch includes a circuit board equipped with a time switch circuit operated by a commercial power source, a battery board to which a back-up battery for supplying a back-up power to the circuit board in case of an interruption of a power supply from the commercial power source is mounted, and a casing in which the circuit board and the battery board are mounted, wherein the battery board is connected to the circuit board by way of an easy-to-break portion having a relatively weak mechanical strength.
With this embodiment, since the battery board is connected to the circuit board by way of an easy-to-break portion, the manufacturing thereof can be easily performed. Furthermore, since the battery board can easily be detached from the circuit board by breaking the easy-to-break portion, a disposal of the back-up battery can easily be performed.
The easy-to-break portion may be a groove formed along a boundary between the battery board and the circuit board such as a groove having a V-shaped cross-sectional shape.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the preferred embodiments, which may be modified in any manner without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5178067 (1993-01-01), Collier
patent: 5329082 (1994-07-01), Saarem
patent: 5373478 (1994-12-01), Komatsu et al.
patent: 5586907 (1996-12-01), Frantz et al.
patent: 5683164 (1997-11-01), Chien
patent: 5922489 (1999-07-01), Adachi
Matsuda Masanori
Muroi Hiroaki
Yanagida Kazuo
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Fleming Fritz
Matsushita Electric & Works Ltd.
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