JP2011047338A - Portable engine starter - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable engine starter starting the engine of a driving device with a battery run out even if electric power is not previously reserved. <P>SOLUTION: This portable engine starter includes: a pair of connection terminals connected to both the electrode terminals of the battery B incorporated in the driving device; a capacitor 13 arranged between the pair of connection terminals and charged with electric power supplied from the battery B; a current limiting section 14 arranged between one of the connection terminals and the one end of the capacitor 13 and limiting a rush current when charging the capacitor 13; and an electric power supply line 15 connected in parallel to the current limiting section 14 and supplying electric power discharged from the capacitor 13 when starting the engine. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable engine starter for starting an engine when a drive device such as an automobile cannot start the engine with its built-in battery, and an engine start method using the same.

  In a drive device such as an automobile that drives an engine as a power source, the engine is started by rotating a cell motor using electric power stored in a battery. However, in such a battery, when the amount of discharge exceeds the amount of charge, the voltage itself is often kept above a certain level when the battery becomes undercharged or the capacity decreases due to long-term use. May rise to a state where the current required for starting the engine cannot be supplied (so-called battery exhaustion). In such a case, there is a portable engine starting device for starting the engine by supplying power from the outside. Such a portable engine starter incorporates a power storage device such as a lead-acid battery, for example. By charging this power storage device in advance, the charged power is supplied to the engine when necessary. Can be started. Patent Document 1 discloses a portable engine starter using an electric double layer capacitor as a power storage device.

JP 2008-280880 A

  In the portable engine starting device of the conventional example, it is indispensable to charge the built-in power storage device in advance. That is, if the electric power stored in the power storage device runs out, the engine cannot be started. However, even if the portable engine starter is stored while the power storage device is charged, the charged state of the power storage device may deteriorate due to natural discharge.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of its purposes is a portable engine starter capable of starting an engine of a drive device without storing electric power in advance, and this It is to provide an engine start method using the engine.

  In order to solve the above problems, a portable engine starter according to the present invention is a portable engine starter for starting an engine built in a drive device, and is a bipolar terminal of a battery built in the drive device. A pair of connection terminals connectable to the battery, a capacitor disposed between the pair of connection terminals and charged by power supplied from the battery, one of the pair of connection terminals, and one of the capacitors And a current limiting unit that limits the inrush current when charging the capacitor, and is connected in parallel with the current limiting unit, and is discharged from the capacitor when starting the engine And a power supply line for supplying the power to the driving device.

  The portable engine starter may further include a switch unit that is disposed on the power supply line and that is switched on when power discharged from the capacitor is supplied to the driving device.

  In the portable engine starter, the current limiter may be a choke coil.

  The portable engine starting device may further include a switch that includes a plurality of the capacitors, and switches between a state in which the plurality of capacitors are connected in series and a state in which the capacitors are connected in parallel.

  An engine start method according to the present invention is an engine start method for starting an engine built in a drive device using a portable engine start device having a built-in capacitor, the battery being built in the drive device. A step of connecting a pair of connection terminals provided in the portable engine starter to the bipolar terminals, and a current limiting portion disposed between one of the pair of connection terminals and one end of the capacitor. Charging the capacitor with the power supplied from the battery while limiting the inrush current, and the power discharged from the capacitor via the power supply line connected in parallel with the current limiting unit. And supplying the drive device to start the engine.

  The portable engine starter according to the present invention can be stored in a state where the capacitor in the portable engine starter is always charged, or an external power source for charging the capacitor can be prepared separately due to the above-described features. Without this, it is possible to start the engine built in the drive device by effectively utilizing the remaining power of the battery mounted on the drive device that has run out of the battery.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the portable engine starter which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the circuit structure of the portable engine starter which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows an example of the time change of the voltage and electric current at the time of charging the portable engine starting device which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows an example of the time change of the voltage and electric current at the time of charging the portable engine starting apparatus which is not provided with the current limiting part. It is a figure which shows the circuit structure of the portable engine starter which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the circuit structure of the portable engine starter which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an appearance of a portable engine starter 1a according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The portable engine starter 1a can be carried by a user and is used to start an engine built in the drive unit. In the following description, it is assumed that the portable engine starting device 1a is used for starting an engine built in the automobile 2. However, the portable engine starter 1a according to the present embodiment may be used to start various drive devices that use the engine as a power source, such as a vehicle other than an automobile.

  The automobile 2 includes a cell motor M for starting the engine and a battery B that supplies electric power necessary for the operation of the cell motor M. When the driver performs an operation such as turning the ignition key to connect the cell motor M and the battery B, the cell motor M is rotated by the electric power supplied from the battery B, and the engine is started. However, due to the shortage of the electric power stored in the battery B, it may become impossible to supply the current necessary for driving the cell motor M (so-called battery rising). The portable engine starter 1a according to the present embodiment is connected to the battery B of the automobile 2 when the engine cannot be started by the battery B built in the automobile 2 as described above. Used to start the engine.

  What is characteristic in the present embodiment is that when the cell motor M is driven, the capacitor built in the portable engine starter 1a is first charged with the power remaining in the battery B, and then the capacitor is charged. The cell motor M can be driven using electric power. Details of the procedure for realizing such control will be described later. Thus, the battery B mounted in the automobile 2 can be stored without always storing the capacitor in the portable engine starting device 1a in a charged state or separately preparing an external power source for charging the capacitor. The engine can be started by effectively using the electric power of the engine.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the portable engine starter 1 a includes two connection clips, a positive clip 11 and a negative clip 12. These two connection clips function as a pair of connection terminals for connecting the portable engine starting device 1a to the positive and negative bipolar terminals of the battery B. That is, when the portable engine starting device 1a is used, the user connects the positive clip 11 to the positive terminal of the battery B and the negative clip 12 to the negative terminal of the battery B. The negative clip 12 may be connected to the vehicle ground.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the portable engine starter 1 a includes two mechanical switches, switches Sw <b> 1 and Sw <b> 2, and a voltage display unit D on the surface of the casing. The user of the portable engine starting device 1a operates the switches Sw1 and Sw2 while confirming the voltage value displayed on the voltage display unit D, thereby charging the capacitor built in the portable engine starting device 1a. Then, power is supplied to the cell motor M.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of the portable engine starter 1a. As shown in the figure, the portable engine starting device 1 a includes a capacitor 13, a current limiting unit 14, a power supply line 15, a voltmeter 16, and a reverse connection warning unit 17.

  In the present embodiment, the capacitor 13 is an electric double layer capacitor, and is disposed between the positive clip 11 and the negative clip 12 as shown in FIG. When the positive clip 11 and the negative clip 12 are connected to both ends of the battery B, the capacitor 13 is connected in parallel to the battery B and the cell motor M, respectively. Note that the rated voltage of the capacitor 13 is a voltage corresponding to the voltage of the battery B. When the portable engine starter 1a is intended for a normal automobile, the rated voltage of the capacitor 13 is about 12V. Therefore, the capacitor 13 may be a capacitor module formed by connecting a plurality of capacitor cells.

  The current limiting unit 14 is connected between one of the positive clip 11 and the negative clip 12 and one end of the capacitor 13. Here, it is assumed that the current limiting unit 14 is a choke coil and is connected between the positive clip 11 and the positive side of the capacitor 13. The current limiting unit 14 limits the inrush current that flows when the capacitor 13 is charged.

  Furthermore, a switch Sw1 is disposed between the current limiting unit 14 and the positive clip 11. The switch Sw1 is turned off when the portable engine starter 1a is not used or when the positive clip 11 and the negative clip 12 are attached / detached, and is turned on when charging / discharging of the capacitor 13 is started.

  Further, a power supply line 15 is connected in parallel to the current limiting unit 14 in order to bypass the current limiting unit 14 and supply power from the capacitor 13 to the cell motor M. The switch Sw2 is disposed on the power supply line 15 and is used for switching between charging and discharging of the capacitor 13. That is, when charging the capacitor 13, the user turns off the switch Sw 2 to charge the capacitor 13 via the current limiting unit 14, and when starting the engine of the automobile 2, the user When the switch Sw2 is turned on, power is discharged from the capacitor 13 via the power supply line 15. A method for controlling the portable engine starter 1a by switching the switch will be described in detail later.

  The voltmeter 16 and the reverse connection warning unit 17 are both disposed between the positive clip 11 and the negative clip 12 so as to be connected in parallel with the capacitor 13. The voltmeter 16 measures the voltage between the positive clip 11 and the negative clip 12. The measurement result by the voltmeter 16 is displayed on the voltage display unit D.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the reverse connection warning unit 17 includes a diode 17a and a buzzer 17b connected in series. The diode 17a is connected so that the direction from the negative clip 12 to the positive clip 11 is the forward direction. Suppose that the user accidentally connects the positive clip 11 to the negative terminal of the battery B and the negative clip 12 to the positive terminal of the battery B. In this case, current flows from the negative clip 12 to the positive clip 11 via the diode 17a, and the buzzer 17b sounds. As a result, the user can notice that the connection is incorrect. It should be noted that the portable engine starting device 1a can be replaced with a reverse connection warning unit 17 using such a buzzer 17b or in addition to this by lighting a lamp during normal connection and / or reverse connection. Means for notifying the user may be provided.

  Next, the operation principle when the portable engine starter 1a according to the present embodiment starts the engine using the electric power remaining in the battery B will be described.

  A secondary battery such as a lead storage battery generally used as the battery B in the automobile 2 has a property of maintaining a voltage of a certain level or more, and even if the stored power is reduced by discharge, the voltage does not drop so much. . However, if the stored electric power decreases, the internal resistance increases and the output current decreases, so that the current necessary for operating the cell motor M cannot flow. That is, it is considered that the voltage itself is often maintained at a certain level or higher (about 12 V for a normal automobile) even when the battery B is running out.

  On the other hand, the capacitor 13 has a smaller storage capacity than the battery B, but the output current that can flow per unit time is large. Therefore, even if the battery B cannot output the current necessary for the operation of the cell motor M, if a certain amount of power remains in the battery B, the capacitor 13 is transferred to the capacitor 13 so that the capacitor 13 A current for operating M can be output. In particular, by operating the cell motor M in a state where the battery B and the capacitor 13 are connected in parallel, a relatively large current can be passed from the battery B and the capacitor 13 to the cell motor M over a certain period of time. Further, in the automobile 2, once the engine is started, the battery B is charged by collecting the driving energy and generating power. Therefore, if a large current can flow from the capacitor 13 for the time required for the operation of the cell motor M, the engine can be started and the battery B can be recharged.

  Thus, according to the portable engine starter 1a according to the present embodiment, the capacitor 13 is charged in advance by using the power remaining in the battery B that has run out of the battery, so that the capacitor 13 is not charged in advance. In both cases, the engine can be started. That is, when not in use, the portable engine starter 1a can be stored with the capacitor 13 completely discharged. In this embodiment, the switch Sw1 and the switch Sw2 are not relays or the like that are operated by electric control so that an operation such as charging can be performed even when no electric power is accumulated in the portable engine starting device 1a. Adopting mechanical switch. However, when a mechanical switch is used, an inrush current may occur when the switch Sw1 is turned on to start charging, and spark or spark noise may occur. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the generation of the inrush current is suppressed by providing the current limiting unit 14.

  FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are diagrams for explaining the effect of the current limiting unit 14, and both are graphs showing temporal changes in current and voltage when the capacitor is charged. FIG. 3A shows an experimental result of the portable engine starting device 1a according to the present embodiment in which a choke coil is used as the current limiting unit 14, and FIG. 3B shows an experimental result when the current limiting unit 14 is not provided as a comparative example. Is shown. In each figure, the horizontal axis indicates time, the vertical axis indicates voltage value and current value, the solid line of the graph indicates time change of current, and the broken line indicates time change of voltage. As is clear from these figures, in the present embodiment, changes in voltage and current at the start of charging are gradual, but in the absence of the current limiting unit 14, large voltage and current changes occur instantaneously. confirmed. Moreover, in the experimental result of FIG. 3B, it was also confirmed that a spark is generated at the start of charging.

  Thus, the portable engine starter 1a according to the present embodiment prevents the inrush current from being generated during charging by the current limiting unit 14. However, it is desirable to pass a current through the cell motor M without being limited by the current limiting unit 14 during discharging. Therefore, in the portable engine starting device 1a, the power supply line 15 for bypassing the current limiting unit 14 and flowing the current is connected in parallel to the current limiting unit 14, and the power supply line 15 is used or not used. In order to switch between the two, a switch Sw2 is arranged. By turning on the switch Sw <b> 2, current can be passed from the capacitor 13 to the cell motor M without going through the current limiting unit 14. That is, in the present embodiment, the power supply line 15 including the switch Sw2 is connected in parallel to the current limiting unit 14, so that the positive side clip 11 and the negative side clip 12 are connected to the battery B without being reconnected. 13 charging and discharging can be switched.

  Hereinafter, a procedure for using the portable engine starter 1a when starting the engine using the electric power remaining in the battery B will be described.

  First, the user sets the positive clip 11 to the positive terminal of the battery B and the negative clip 12 to the negative terminal of the battery B or the grounding part of the vehicle with both the switches Sw1 and Sw2 turned off. Connect each one. At this stage, since the voltmeter 16 is connected in parallel with the battery B, the voltage display unit D displays the voltage of the battery B. The user confirms this display, and if the voltage is almost an appropriate value, the reason why the engine cannot be started is that the current that can be output from the battery B is low, and the portable engine starter 1a is used. To know that the engine can be started. Alternatively, if the voltage is a value slightly lower than normal, it is possible to know that there is a possibility that the engine can be started using the portable engine starting device 1a depending on the remaining power amount of the battery B.

  Thereafter, the user turns on the switch Sw1. As a result, a current flows from the battery B to the capacitor 13 via the positive clip 11 and the current limiting unit 14, and the capacitor 13 is charged by the power remaining in the battery B. At this time, the occurrence of an inrush current is suppressed by the current flowing through the current limiting unit 14. In this state, the voltage measured by the voltmeter 16 mainly changes depending on the charged state of the capacitor 13. That is, as the capacitor 13 is charged, the voltage value displayed on the voltage display unit D approaches the voltage value of the battery B that was initially displayed.

  When the voltage value displayed on the voltage display portion D becomes sufficiently high, the user turns on the switch Sw2 that has been turned off. As a result, it is possible to allow a current to flow from the capacitor 13 to the outside of the portable engine starter 1a without being limited by the current limiting unit 14. When the user turns the ignition key in this state, the switch Sw3 provided between the cell motor M and the battery B is turned on, the current from the capacitor 13 flows to the cell motor M, and the engine is started.

  In the above description, the capacitor 13 is charged with the electric power stored in the battery B of the automobile 2 that has run out of the battery. However, of course, the capacitor 13 is charged with the electric power supplied from another power supply source. It is also possible to charge. Thus, for example, when there is no remaining power for charging the capacitor 13 in the battery B of the automobile 2, the portable engine starting device 1a is connected to the battery of another automobile and the capacitor 13 is charged. The engine of the automobile 2 can also be started. The procedure for using the portable engine starter 1a in this case will be described below.

  First, the user connects the positive-side clip 11 to the positive terminal of the fully charged battery and the negative-side clip to the negative terminal of the battery B or the grounding part of the vehicle with both the switches Sw1 and Sw2 turned off. 12 are connected to each other. Thereafter, similarly to the above-described example, only the switch Sw1 is turned on to charge the capacitor 13. When charging is completed, the user once turns off the switch Sw1, removes the positive clip 11 and the negative clip 12 from the battery used for charging, and connects the battery B of the automobile 2 that has run out of battery. Thereafter, both the switches Sw1 and Sw2 are switched on, and the ignition key is turned to start the engine.

  According to the portable engine starter 1a according to the present embodiment described above, even when the capacitor 13 is not charged, the capacitor 13 is charged by receiving power supply from the battery B built in the automobile 2. Then, the engine of the automobile 2 can be started by discharging the charged electric power. Furthermore, even if both the positive side clip 11 and the negative side clip 12 remain connected to the battery B, the capacitor 13 can be charged and discharged while preventing an inrush current during charging.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a portable engine starter 1b according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, regarding the portable engine starter 1b according to the present embodiment, the description of the same configurations and functions as those of the portable engine starter 1a according to the first embodiment will be omitted, and the following differences from the first embodiment. I will explain only. In addition, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same components as those in the first embodiment.

  The portable engine starter 1b according to the present embodiment can be applied to both an automobile incorporating a battery having a voltage of 12V and an automobile incorporating a battery having a voltage of 24V. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of the portable engine starter 1b. As shown in the figure, the portable engine starter 1b includes a positive side clip 11, a negative side clip 12, switches Sw1 and Sw2, a current limiting unit 14, a power supply line 15, a voltage, as in the first embodiment. A total 16 and a reverse connection warning unit 17 are included. On the other hand, unlike the first embodiment, the portable engine starter 1b includes two capacitors 13a and 13b instead of the capacitor 13. These capacitors are assumed to be capacitor modules each having a rated voltage of 12V. That is, when the capacitors 13a and 13b are connected in series with each other, the overall rated voltage is 24V.

  In addition, a switch Sw4 that switches between a state in which the capacitors 13a and 13b are connected in series and a state in which the capacitors 13a and 13b are connected in parallel is disposed between the capacitors 13a and 13b. The switch Sw4 is a three-circuit, two-contact switch, and can be switched between a first state and a second state by a user operation. In the first state, the switch Sw4 connects the negative electrode of the capacitor 13a and the positive electrode of the capacitor 13b as shown in FIG. Thereby, the capacitor 13a and the capacitor 13b are connected in series with each other, and the rated voltage of the entire two capacitors becomes 24V. On the other hand, when the switch Sw4 is switched to the second state, the negative electrode of the capacitor 13a and the positive electrode of the capacitor 13b are disconnected, and the positive electrodes and negative electrodes of the capacitors 13a and 13b are connected to each other. That is, the capacitor 13a and the capacitor 13b are connected in parallel to each other, and the rated voltage of the two capacitors as a whole is 12V.

  When the portable engine starting device 1b is used to start the engine of the automobile 2 incorporating the battery B having a voltage of 12V, the positive side clip is switched in the same manner as in the first embodiment after the switch Sw4 is switched to the second state. 11 and the negative side clip 12 are connected to the battery B, and the switch Sw <b> 1 is turned on to charge the capacitors 13 a and 13 b by supplying power from the battery B. Thereafter, by turning on the switch Sw2, the cell motor M is operated using the electric power charged in the capacitors 13a and 13b, and the engine is started. On the other hand, when starting the engine of the automobile 2 incorporating the battery B having a voltage of 24 V, the switch Sw4 is first switched to the first state, and thereafter, the operation may be performed in the same procedure as described above.

  Furthermore, according to the portable engine starting device 1b according to the present embodiment, the capacitors 13a and 13b are charged by the power supply from the automobile having a built-in battery having a voltage of 12V, and then the automobile 2 having the battery B having a voltage of 24V is built. Alternatively, the engine can be started, or conversely, the capacitors 13a and 13b can be charged by a battery having a voltage of 24V, and the engine of the automobile 2 including the battery B having a voltage of 12V can be started.

  Specifically, in the former case, the switch Sw4 is first switched to the second state, and then the portable engine starter 1b is connected to a battery having a voltage of 12V, and the switch Sw1 is turned on. As a result, both capacitors 13a and 13b connected in parallel are charged until the voltage reaches 12V. Thereafter, the switch Sw1 is turned off, the positive clip 11 and the negative clip 12 are removed from the battery of voltage 12V, and the switch Sw4 is switched to the first state. As a result, the capacitors 13a and 13b are connected in series, and power can be supplied at a voltage of 24V as a whole. In this state, the positive clip 11 and the negative clip 12 are connected to the 24V battery B, and the switches Sw1 and Sw2 are turned on, so that the cell motor M can be driven by the electric power accumulated in the capacitors 13a and 13b. . Even when charging the capacitors 13a and 13b with a battery having a voltage of 24V and starting the engine of the automobile 2 incorporating the battery B having a voltage of 12V, the state of the switch Sw4 during charging and discharging is reversed. If the portable engine starter 1b is operated in the same procedure, the engine of the automobile 2 can be started.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a portable engine starter 1c according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In addition, also about this embodiment, description of the structure and function similar to the portable engine starter 1a which concerns on 1st Embodiment is abbreviate | omitted, and only a different part from 1st Embodiment is demonstrated. In addition, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same components as those in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of the portable engine starter 1c according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the portable engine starter 1c includes a positive clip 11, a negative clip 12, a capacitor 13, a current limiter 14, a power supply line 15, and a voltmeter 16 as in the first embodiment. , And a reverse connection warning unit 17. On the other hand, unlike the first embodiment, the portable engine starting device 1c includes a switch Sw5 having two circuits and three contacts instead of the switches Sw1 and Sw2. One of the two circuits included in the switch Sw5 functions as a switch unit connected in parallel with the current limiting unit 14 in the power supply line 15.

  The switch Sw5 is switched to a connection state of any one of the first state, the second state, and the third state by a user operation. In the first state, the positive electrode of the capacitor 13 is disconnected from the positive clip 11 in both the path passing through the current limiting unit 14 and the path passing through the power supply line 15. That is, this first state corresponds to a state in which both the switches Sw1 and Sw2 are turned off in the first embodiment. In the second state, the capacitor 13 is connected to the positive clip 11 via the current limiting unit 14. That is, the second state corresponds to a state in which the switch Sw1 is turned on and the switch Sw2 is turned off in the first embodiment. In the third state, the capacitor 13 is further connected to the positive clip 11 via the power supply line 15. That is, the third state corresponds to a state in which both the switch Sw1 and the switch Sw2 are turned on in the first embodiment.

  When using this portable engine starter 1c, the user first switches the switch Sw5 to the first state to connect the positive clip 11 and the negative clip 12 to the battery B. Then, by switching the switch Sw5 to the second state, the capacitor 13 is charged while limiting the inrush current. After the charging of the capacitor 13 is completed, power can be supplied to the cell motor M without being limited by the current limiting unit 14 by switching the switch Sw5 to the third state.

  According to the present embodiment, charge / discharge control similar to that of the first embodiment can be performed while reducing the number of parts compared to the first embodiment. Further, the switch Sw5 may be switched to the first state when the positive clip 11 and the negative clip 12 are attached / detached, to the second state when the capacitor 13 is charged, and to the third state when the engine is started. Compared with the case where the switches Sw1 and Sw2 are operated in combination, the user's operation can be simplified.

[Modification]
Each embodiment described above is an illustration, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the configuration of the second embodiment and the configuration of the third embodiment may be combined. In other words, the switches Sw1 and Sw2 in the first embodiment may be replaced with the switch Sw5, and the capacitor 13 in the first embodiment may be replaced with the capacitor 13a, the capacitor 13b, and the switch Sw4.

  In the above description, the current limiting unit 14 is a choke coil. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various types of circuits that can reduce the inrush current at the start of charging of the capacitor may be adopted as the current limiting unit 14. Good. Similarly, the voltmeter 16 and the reverse connection warning unit 17 may be replaced with another configuration that exhibits an equivalent function.

  In the above description, the voltage value itself measured by the voltmeter 16 is displayed on the voltage display unit D. However, instead of or in addition to this, it is possible to relate to the embodiment of the present invention. The portable engine starter may include means for notifying the user of the charge state of the built-in capacitor. Specifically, for example, the portable engine starter performs state display indicating whether or not charging of the capacitor is completed. That is, when the voltage of the capacitor measured by the voltmeter 16 exceeds a predetermined threshold, the user is notified that the charging of the capacitor is completed by, for example, lighting a green LED. Good. Further, when the voltmeter 16 is an analog voltmeter and the voltage display unit D displays the voltage by the position of the needle moving on the scale, the scale position indicating the predetermined threshold or the scale range equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold. An identification color for displaying the charging completion state may be provided.

  Furthermore, the portable engine starter according to the embodiment of the present invention may be provided with means for notifying the user of the charged state of the capacitor step by step. As a specific example, when the voltage of the capacitor exceeds the first threshold, the portable engine starter uses that the charge state of the capacitor has reached a certain stage, for example, by turning on a yellow LED. The person in charge. Thereafter, when charging continues and the voltage of the capacitor exceeds the second threshold value, the user is notified that charging of the capacitor is completely completed, for example, by turning on a green LED. Further, when the voltmeter 16 is an analog voltmeter, the charging state is notified to the user by arranging, for example, yellow and green identification colors in each of the scale ranges exceeding the respective thresholds in the voltage display unit D. May be. Unlike a battery that maintains a certain voltage or more, the voltage of the capacitor fluctuates depending on the stored electric power. For example, when starting an automobile engine with a built-in battery with a voltage of 12 V, the capacitor cannot be charged completely. In some cases, the engine can be started even when the voltage is lower than 12V. Therefore, by notifying the user of the charging state of the capacitor step by step, the portable engine starting device first notifies the state that there is a possibility of starting the engine, and then the charging is completed and surely performed. It is possible to notify the state in which the engine can be started. In this way, even when the battery does not have enough power to fully charge the capacitor, the user can try to start the engine according to this notification.

  1a, 1b, 1c Portable engine starter, 2 automobile, 11 positive side clip, 12 negative side clip, 13 capacitor, 14 current limiting unit, 15 power supply line, 16 voltmeter, 17 reverse connection warning unit, B battery, M Cell motor, Sw1 to Sw5 switch.

Claims (5)

A portable engine starter for starting an engine built in a drive device,
A pair of connection terminals connectable to the bipolar terminals of the battery built in the drive device;
A capacitor disposed between the pair of connection terminals and charged by electric power supplied from the battery;
A current limiting part that is disposed between one of the pair of connection terminals and one end of the capacitor and limits an inrush current when charging the capacitor;
A power supply line connected in parallel with the current limiter and supplying power discharged from the capacitor to the drive device when starting the engine;
A portable engine starter comprising: The portable engine starter according to claim 1, wherein
A portable engine starter, further comprising a switch unit that is disposed on the power supply line and that is switched on when power discharged from the capacitor is supplied to the drive unit. The portable engine starter according to claim 1 or 2,
The portable engine starting device, wherein the current limiting unit is a choke coil. In the portable engine starting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A plurality of the capacitors;
The portable engine starter further comprising a switch for switching between a state in which the plurality of capacitors are connected in series and a state in which the plurality of capacitors are connected in parallel. An engine starting method for starting an engine built in a drive device using a portable engine starting device incorporating a capacitor,
Connecting a pair of connection terminals included in the portable engine starter to the bipolar terminals of the battery built in the drive unit;
Charging the capacitor with power supplied from the battery while limiting an inrush current by a current limiting unit disposed between one of the pair of connection terminals and one end of the capacitor;
Supplying power discharged from the capacitor to the driving device via a power supply line connected in parallel with the current limiting unit and starting the engine;
An engine starting method comprising:

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