Relay circuit and vehicle including the same

Abstract

A relay circuit includes a contact relay and a voltage generating circuit. The contact relay includes an electrical contact and a coil. The coil drives the electrical contacts. The voltage generating circuit generates an application voltage to the coil. The electrical contact is closed when the application voltage exceeds the operating voltage of the contact relay and is opened when the application voltage falls below the return voltage of the contact relay that is lower than the operating voltage. The voltage generating circuit closes the electrical contact by generating an application voltage such that the application voltage exceeds the operating voltage, and then generates an application voltage such that the application voltage is held at a step-down voltage lower than the operating voltage and higher than the return voltage.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.