The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 16, 1996
Filed:
Nov. 15, 1994
Jef W Good, Beloit, WI (US);
David J Mrowiec, Rockford, IL (US);
Sundstrand Corporation, Rockford, IL (US);
Abstract
A shorted rectififing diode protection system for a synchronous generator having a stationary exciter field which induces a voltage in a rotating exciter armature when energized by an exciter drive current, the voltage being rectified by a plurality of rotating rectifiers and applied to a rotating field winding to induce an output voltage in a plurality of main stator output phase windings, the output voltage being controlled by a voltage regulator having peak excitation current protection means, comprises a circuit for detecting actuation of the excitation current protection and generating a field protection monitor signal, a circuit for discriminating a shorted exciter field and generating a protection lock-out signal, and a logic circuit responsive to the field protection monitor signal and the protection lock-out signal for generating a shorted rectifying diode protection signal. Upon generation of the protection signal, the system disables the voltage regulator to preclude collateral damage to the generator. The method of detecting a shorted exciter field rectifying diode comprises the steps of a) monitoring the peak current supplied to the exciter field from the voltage regulator, b) generating a field protection monitor signal when the peak current exceeds a given threshold, c) generating a protection lock-out signal if the exciter field is discriminated as shorted, d) de-energizing the generator in response to the field protection monitor signal, and e) inhibiting the step of de-energizing the generator in response to the protection lock-out signal.