Shindengen Electric Manufacturing Company Limited

Shindengen Electric Manufacturing

Makoto Tabuta

Tokihiko Iwakura

Motonobu Fujii

A battery charging apparatus that controls charging of a battery by an alternating-current generator, the battery charging apparatus has a first switch element connected to a first battery terminal to which a positive electrode side of the battery is connected in a normal connection of the battery at a first end thereof and to a first generator terminal to which a first output of the alternating-current generator is connected at a second end thereof, and a second switch element connected to the first battery terminal at a first end thereof and to a second generator terminal to which a second output of the alternating-current generator is connected at a second end thereof. In a case when a controlling circuit stops controlling the first switch element and the second switch element, and the first switch element and the second switch element are turned off, a detecting circuit, which detects a reverse connection condition of the battery, forcedly turns on at least one of the first switch element and the second switch element when the detecting circuit detects the reverse connection condition of the battery.

Battery charging apparatus and method of controlling battery charging apparatus

In a battery charger, the rectifier includes rectifying elements provided for respective three phases. The rectifier supplies, for the respective phases, currents for rectifying three-phase AC voltages so as to charge a battery. A voltage detector detects whether or not the battery is charged. Switching units are provided for the respective rectifying elements, and rectify the AC voltages to charge the battery in the off-state. Switch controllers output gate signals in accordance with a timing of zero-cross detection upon receiving a detection signal indicating that all the gate signals for turning on and off the respective switching units for the respective phases are supplied in the order of the phases. On the other hand, upon receiving a detection signal indicating that all the gate signals for the respective phases are not supplied in the order of the phases, the switch controllers output gate signals to the corresponding switching units in synchronization with the detection signal so as to enter the shorting state.

Battery charger

An example battery charging circuit includes a rectifier circuit for rectifying a three-phase AC voltage outputted from an electric power generator and generating a charge voltage for charging a battery. A voltage detection circuit detects that the voltage of the battery exceeds a predetermined voltage. A switching circuit, in an off-state, charges the battery through the rectifying circuit and, in an on-state, short-circuits the electric power generator through the rectifier circuit. A switch control circuit brings the switching circuit into the on-state, when it is detected by the voltage detection circuit that the voltage of the battery exceeds the predetermined voltage. A control circuit allows the switch control circuit to subsequently perform a control for bringing the switching circuit into the off-state.

Growing community of inventors

Hanno, Japan

Makoto Tabuta