Ford Motor Company Limited

David W Sirois

Robert Joseph Mohan

Roy David Schultz

An automotive power control system which delivers a regulated voltage to a load circuit during normal operation and which delivers maximum power when the demand exceeds the alternator's ability to supply adequate current to the load. A duty-cycle- controlled DC-to-DC voltage converter reduces the alternator voltage to a level appropriate for charging the system battery and supplying low voltage loads. When the rotational speed of the alternator is adequate to generate sufficient load current, the voltage converter operates under the control of a first feedback circuit which compares the converter's output load voltage with a reference potential to generate an error signal which regulates the output voltage to a desired level. When the output voltage falls below that desired level, a speed signal indicative of the speed at which the alternator is rotating is used to generate a control signal which is applied to the switching converter to vary the alternator output voltage and maximize the power obtained from the alternator at the sensed rotational speed.

Growing community of inventors

Wixom, MI, United States of America

David W Sirois