Patent ID: 8330429

Claim:
A discharge mechanism comprising: a battery; a vehicular drive motor that is connected in parallel with the battery; a control circuit that is connected in parallel between the battery and the drive motor and includes a converter circuit and an inverter circuit having a smoothing capacitor; a first terminal and a second terminal that are provided at both ends of the smoothing capacitor respectively; and a short-circuiting clasp that is disposed apart from the first terminal and the second terminal by a predetermined clearance to short-circuit the first terminal and the second terminal to each other, wherein the short-circuiting clasp is disposed as so to move in such a direction as to approach the first terminal and the second terminal through application of an external force to the short-circuiting clasp, and to discharge electric charges accumulated on the smoothing capacitor through abutment of the short-circuiting clasp on the first terminal and the second terminal, the control circuit has connected thereto an input cable that is located on the opposite side of the short-circuiting clasp from the first terminal and the second terminal, and the input cable is pressed toward the short-circuiting clasp side to thereby abut on the short-circuiting clasp and apply the external force thereto.