Denso Corporation

Tadashi Uematsu

Tadatoshi Asada

Toshinori Maruyama

Wakako Kanazawa

Fuyuki Maehara

Takeshi Sada

Toshiyo Teramoto

The present invention provides, as one aspect, an apparatus for controlling electric power generation for vehicles, which controls energization of an excitation winding of a generator driven by an internal-combustion engine controlled by a controller to control output voltage of the generator. The apparatus includes a restraining unit that restrains electric power generation of the generator in response to a given signal, and a releasing unit the releases the restraint by the restraining unit when generated voltage of the generator is equal to or less than a first predetermined value. The apparatus further includes a detecting unit that detects starting of the internal-combustion engine, a measuring unit that measures elapsed time from the detection of the starting by the detecting unit, and a prohibiting unit that prohibits the release of the restraint by the releasing unit until a predetermined time is measured by the measuring unit.

Method and apparatus for controlling electric power generation for vehicles

A vehicle power generation control apparatus has a power supply circuit, a rotation detecting circuit, an exciting current detecting circuit, a torque detecting/maximum exciting current determining circuit, and an exciting current control circuit. The rotation detecting circuit detects a rotation speed of a generator (or vehicle alternator) and the exciting current detecting circuit detects an exciting current flowing through an exciting winding of the generator. The torque detecting/maximum exciting current determining circuit calculates a power generation torque of the generator based on the output voltage, the exciting current, the rotation speed, and calculates an inertia torque of the generator based on a change rate of the rotation speed. The exciting current control circuit suppresses the exciting current flowing through the exciting winding so that a change rate of a total sum of the generation torque and the inertia torque does not exceed a predetermined value, for example, during the idling condition.

Power generation control apparatus for vehicle

A generation control apparatus for vehicles is provided, in which a drastic change in the drive torque of a generator, which occurs with the cancellation of gradual excitation immediately after starting an internal combustion engine, can be suppressed to prevent stoppage of the internal combustion engine. The generation control apparatus includes an engine-start detection circuit, a gradual excitation circuit, a comparator for gradual-excitation cancellation, and a masking circuit for gradual-excitation cancellation. After detecting an engine start by the engine-start detection circuit, an instruction for gradual-excitation cancellation is released during an initial gradual excitation performed by a gradual excitation circuit, based on an output from the masking circuit for gradual-excitation cancellation. The drastic change in the drive torque occurring with the cancellation of the gradual excitation immediately after the engine start, can thus be suppressed, thereby preventing the engine stop.

Method and apparatus for controlling power generation using gradually exciting technique

In a vehicle generator control which detects an abnormal operating condition of a generator of a vehicle, and includes a transistor which drives a charging lamp to emit a warning indication when such a condition is detected, with the value of a quantity indicative of the flow of current through the charging lamp drive transistor being compared with a reference value, and with the transistor being set in a non-conducting state if the reference value is exceeded, a succession of respectively decreasing reference values is periodically generated. A timing of an initial flow of current through the charging lamp is controlled to be synchronized with the start of such a succession, so that the peak value of an initial surge current which flows through the charging lamp drive transistor is compared with the highest reference value. Complete protection can thereby be established for the charging lamp drive transistor against a flow of short-circuit current which would exceed any of the reference values.

Control apparatus for electrical generator of vehicle

In a power control system for a vehicle battery charging ac generator that has a switching element for turning on or off field current, the switching element is turned on at a first duty cycle less than a sum of a predetermined value and a value inversely proportional to rotation speed of the ac generator if the rotation speed is higher than a predetermined speed and at a second duty cycle more than 100% if the rotation speed is not higher than the predetermined speed.

Power control system for vehicle ac generator

A control device for a vehicle alternator having a field coil, and an auxiliary permanent magnet. The control device includes voltage regulator, a generation-condition detecting circuit having a frequency sensor and a comparator for comparing a frequency of the output voltage with a reference value and a power source circuit for supplying electric power to the generation-condition detecting circuit when the output voltage becomes equal to or higher than a voltage that is generated without the field current. The generation-condition detecting circuit allows the voltage regulator to supply the field coil with controlled electric current only when the frequency of the output voltage is higher than the reference value.

Control device for vehicle generator

A generator control device disposed in a generator has a signal terminal to be connected to an outside control unit. The control device is composed of a voltage regulating circuit, a first circuit for controlling the regulating circuit according to a potential change of the signal terminal and a second circuit for changing potential level of the signal terminal according to a generator condition. The generator condition signal is transmitted through a signal wire to the outside control unit, and a switch-on signal of the ignition switch is sent to the control device through the signal wire from the outside control unit.

Generator control device having signal terminal connected to outside

An inductive load driving apparatus for controlling current supplied from a battery to an inductor such as a generator field coil is composed of a first N-channel MOSFET switching element connected between a high-side terminal of the inductor and a high-side terminal of the battery, a second N-channel MOSFET switching element connected in parallel with the inductive load and a protection circuit having a back-flow current detecting element turning off the second N-channel MOSFET switching element when the inductor does not generate back-flow current. The second N-channel MOSFET switching element is turned on when the first N-channel MOSFET switching element is turned off and turned off when the first switching element is turned on. The first and second N-channel MOSFET switching elements are disposed integrally with each other on a semiconductor chip.

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Kariya, Japan

Tadashi Uematsu