Remy International, Inc.

Reny International, Inc.

Jim Phillips

Jack Douglas Harmon

Mingshe Zhou

A method for protecting voltage regulator driver circuitry during a short circuit condition of an alternator field coil includes passively detecting a drop in field coil voltage during an on-portion of a duty cycle of the field coil voltage, wherein the passive detection of the drop in field coil voltage signifies an interrupt event. Responsive to the interrupt event, a logical state of a driver enable control signal is changed so as to deactivate driver circuitry associated with a switching device used to pass field current through the field coil, wherein the driver circuitry, when deactivated, prevents the switching device from passing current regardless of the state of a pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal applied to the driver circuitry.

Method and system for protecting voltage regulator driver circuitry during field coil short circuit condition

A method for communicating voltage regulator switching information to a vehicle computer includes generating a first output signal from a voltage regulator, the first output signal configured to regulate a field current of a generating device associated therewith. A second output signal is generated from the voltage regulator, the second output signal communicated to the vehicle computer, the second output signal further indicative of the state of the first output signal. The second output signal represents an average value of the first output signal, having transient values included within the first output signal filtered therefrom.

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Mustang, OK, United States of America

Jim Phillips