Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a control apparatus for an automotive alternator which includes a switch, a target voltage setter, a voltage regulator, and a disconnection detector. The switch is configured to be selectively turned on and off so as to intermittently excite the alternator. The target voltage setter works to set a target voltage. The voltage regulator works to regulate an output voltage of the alternator to the target voltage through controlling on/off operation the switch. The disconnection detector works to detect disconnection between the alternator and an on-board battery to be charged by the alternator. The disconnection detector is configured to detect the disconnection, when the target voltage is changed from a lower value to a higher value, based on a time required for the voltage regulator to bring the output voltage of the alternator from the lower value to the higher value.

Abstract: A signal detecting device detects, as analog voltage signals, a current flowing through an exciting coil of an electric power generator, a source voltage and a temperature of a regulator that change as a current is fed to the exciting coil by an FET. These analog voltage signals are subjected to A/D conversion by a single A/D converter circuit. The detected current is subjected to A/D conversion in a period during which the FET is ON, while the detected source voltage and the detected temperature are subjected to A/D conversion in a period during which the FET is OFF.

Abstract: A vehicle alternator failure monitoring system and related monitoring method are disclosed wherein an ECU executes operations depending on a power generation status of a vehicle alternator and a vehicle alternator control device has a serial communication transmitter circuit operative to transmit a serial communication signal, indicative of the power generation status of the vehicle alternator, to the ECU. The serial communication transmitter circuit has a first power generation status signal transmission mode in which a first power generation status signal, representing the power generation status, is transmitted together with a failure flag representing the presence of or absence of an operational failure, related to the vehicle alternator, and a second power generation status signal transmission mode in which a second power generation status signal, representing the power generation status, is transmitted together with additional data representing an operational state of the vehicle alternator.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: An electric power generation control apparatus is connected to an external controller composed of a vehicle interface circuit capable of generating and transferring a power switch-on signal to the electric power generation control apparatus. When receiving the power switch-on signal, the electric power generation control apparatus initiates its operation. The electric power generation control apparatus has a receiving terminal, a control signal receiving circuit, an electric power source circuit, and an electric power generation control circuit. The control signal receiving circuit receives the power switch-on signal through the receiving terminal regardless of the circuit type of the vehicle interface circuit. When the control signal receiving circuit receives the power switch-on signal, the electric power supply circuit initiates to supply the electric power to the electric power generation control circuit.

Abstract: The vehicle power-generation control unit has a first function enabled when a control signal received from outside designates a first mode to control an exciting current such that an output power of a vehicle generator is kept at a value specified by the control signal, a second function enabled when the control signal designates a second mode to control the exciting current such that a generation voltage of the vehicle generator is kept at a target voltage specified by the control signal, and a third function enabled when the control signal designates the first mode to monitor whether or not the generation voltage is in a predetermined voltage range and to disable the first function in order to control the exciting current such that the generation voltage is kept at a preset voltage upon detecting that the generation voltage is out of the predetermined voltage range.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for detecting a malfunction in an on-vehicle charging system provided with a generator driven by an engine and a battery connected with the generator via a charging line. The apparatus comprises a first control unit controlling a generated condition of the generator and including a first voltage detector detecting a voltage generated by the generator and a second control unit including a second voltage detector detecting a voltage across the battery. The apparatus further comprises a communication device communicating, in the form of digital signals, via a communication line between the first and second control units, information about both the generated voltage and the battery voltage and a malfunction determination unit determining whether or not a malfunction occurs in the charging system on the basis of the communicated information.

Abstract: An electric generation control apparatus for a vehicle alternator receives an electric generation control signal transferred from an ECU placed apart from the control apparatus through a data transfer line. The control apparatus has a voltage comparator, a communication state judgment circuit, a serial data communication receiver, a PWM communication receiver, and an electric generation control circuit. The voltage comparator acts as a receiver of receiving the electric generation control signal transferred through the data transfer line. The communication state judgment circuit judges whether the received signal is a PWM signal or a serial data signal. The serial data communication receiver and the PWM communication receiver demodulate an electric generation control parameter from the received control signal based on the judgment result. The electric generation control circuit controls the operation of the vehicle alternator based on the electric generation control parameter demodulated.

Abstract: The power generation controller, which is for regulating an output voltage of a vehicle generator or a battery voltage of a vehicle battery charged by the vehicle generator by controlling an excitation current flowing into an excitation winding of the vehicle generator, includes a switching element connected in series between an output terminal of the vehicle generator and the excitation winding, a voltage control circuit on/off controlling the switching element such that one of the output voltage of the vehicle generator and the battery voltage is kept at a target voltage, and a contact abnormality detector circuit detecting a voltage of the output terminal as the output voltage of the vehicle generator, and detecting abnormality in a contact state between the power generation controller and the output terminal on the basis of the detected output voltage of the vehicle generator.

Abstract: The power generation controller includes a control command receiving section receiving a control command transmitted from an external control unit for controlling an internal combustion engine, a control command holding section holding the control command received by the control command receiving section, and an excitation current control section controlling an excitation current of a generator driven by the internal combustion engine on the basis of the control command held by the control command holding section. The excitation current control section is configured to control the excitation current on the basis of a control command transmitted from the external control unit when the internal combustion engine is in a stopped sate.

Abstract: A vehicle generating system includes a generator for a vehicle, a voltage regulator that supplies field current to the field coil at a variable duty ratio, a field current sensor that detects field current amount, a signal transmitting circuit that transmits a signal representing the detected field current amount and the duty ratio and an electronically controlling unit that receives the signal representing the detected field current amount and the duty ratio and controls the engine according to one of the detected field current amount and the duty ratio.

Abstract: A generation control system for a vehicle includes an ac generator, a field current control unit that controls the duty ratio of field current of the ac generator, a field current detector, a load current detector, a generator rotation speed detector, a driving-torque-increase calculator that calculates a predicted increase in driving torque of the ac generator from increase in the current supplied to an electric load. The driving-torque-increase calculator includes first output current calculator that calculates present output current of the ac generator from the generator's rotation speed and the field current and second output current calculator that calculates predicted output current of the ac generator from the first output current and the increase in the current supplied to the electric load. A predicted increase in driving torque of the ac generator is calculated from a difference between the present driving torque and a driving torque that corresponds to the predicted output current.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed that drives an inductive load according to a control signal from an external controller transmits temperature data to it for indicating a condition of the inductive load through a line driver. The external controller regenerates the control signal according to the temperature data. According to the control signal, the apparatus operates a pair of power supply circuits to complementarily supply power to the load. Thermal conditions of the power supply circuits and the line driver are monitored for detecting an overheat condition. The transmission of temperature data to the external controller is enabled as long as no overheat condition is detected in both of the power supply circuits and line driver. If an overheat condition is detected in at least one of the power supply circuits and line driver, heat protection is performed and the overheat condition is communicated to the external controller.

Abstract: The vehicle power-generation control unit includes a voltage detecting circuit detecting a generation voltage of a vehicle generator driven by a vehicle engine, a switching device allowing an exciting current to flow into an exciting winding of the vehicle generator when the switching device is in an on state, an average duty ratio detecting circuit detecting a temporal average duty ratio of the switching device on the basis of the generation voltage, an enhanced duty-cycle signal generating circuit generating an enhanced duty-cycle signal having a duty ratio equal to the temporal average duty ratio added with a supplementary duty ratio determined depending on at least one of vehicle state information and vehicle generator state information, and a driver circuit driving the switching device with the duty ratio of the enhanced duty-cycle signal when the generation voltage detected by the voltage detecting circuit is lower than a predetermined target voltage.

Abstract: The vehicle power-generation control unit has a first function enabled when a control signal received from outside designates a first mode to control an exciting current such that an output power of a vehicle generator is kept at a value specified by the control signal, a second function enabled when the control signal designates a second mode to control the exciting current such that a generation voltage of the vehicle generator is kept at a target voltage specified by the control signal, and a third function enabled when the control signal designates the first mode to monitor whether or not the generation voltage is in a predetermined voltage range and to disable the first function in order to control the exciting current such that the generation voltage is kept at a preset voltage upon detecting that the generation voltage is out of the predetermined voltage range.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicle generator includes a switch, a regulator, a fault condition detector, and a PWM signal generator. The switch is selectively turned on and off so as to intermittently excite the generator. The regulator controls on/off operation of the switch so as to bring an output of the generator into agreement with a target value. The fault condition detector detects a fault condition of the generator. The PWM signal generator generates and outputs a PWM signal that has a duty determined as a function of a duty of the on/off operation of the switch and a frequency determined based on if the fault condition of the generator is detected by the fault condition detector. Consequently, the control apparatus can inform an external control apparatus of the duty of the on/off operation of the switch and the fault condition of the generator with the single PWM signal.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicle electric generator judges the currently available generating capacity of the generator and establishes a regenerative current mode of operation, utilizing an induced current of the field winding, only when the generating capacity is estimated to be below a predetermined level. The control apparatus also controls the conduction factor of a power transistor to adjust the average voltage applied to the field winding such as to prevent fluctuations in output current and generator torque that would otherwise occur at each changeover to/from the regenerative current mode.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicle electric generator judges the currently available generating capacity of the generator and establishes a regenerative current mode of operation, utilizing an induced current of the field winding, only when the generating capacity is estimated to be below a predetermined level. The control apparatus also controls the conduction factor of a power transistor to adjust the average voltage applied to the field winding such as to prevent fluctuations in output current and generator torque that would otherwise occur at each changeover to/from the regenerative current mode.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for detecting a malfunction in an on-vehicle charging system provided with a generator driven by an engine and a battery connected with the generator via a charging line. The apparatus comprises a first control unit controlling a generated condition of the generator and including a first voltage detector detecting a voltage generated by the generator and a second control unit including a second voltage detector detecting a voltage across the battery. The apparatus further comprises a communication device communicating, in the form of digital signals, via a communication line between the first and second control units, information about both the generated voltage and the battery voltage and a malfunction determination unit determining whether or not a malfunction occurs in the charging system on the basis of the communicated information.

Abstract: A vehicle generating system includes a generator for a vehicle, a voltage regulator that supplies field current to the field coil at a variable duty ratio, a field current sensor that detects field current amount, a signal transmitting circuit that transmits a signal representing the detected field current amount and the duty ratio and an electronically controlling unit that receives the signal representing the detected field current amount and the duty ratio and controls the engine according to one of the detected field current amount and the duty ratio.