Power generating device

• US 20040178773A1
• Filed: 02/26/2004
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Eguchi, Hiroyuki, Shimizu, Motohiro
• Application Number:
  US10/785,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20040178773A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/140
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/061 for DC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/062 for AC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0009 Devices or circuits for detecting current in a converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33584 Bidirectional converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

The output of a generator 1 is rectified in a rectifier circuit (a drive inverter) 2. The output of the rectifier circuit 2 is converted into AC power of a predetermined frequency in an electronic power inverter section 3. A two-way DC-DC converter 4 is connected between the output side of the rectifier circuit 2 and the output terminal of the battery 5. The battery 5 is charged by the output of the rectifier circuit 2. Electric power is also supplied from the battery 5 to the load through the two-way DC-DC converter 4 when an overloaded state is caused and the output of the generator 1 cannot meet the demand for the load in the state.

Claims

1. A power generating device comprising a generator, a rectifier circuit which rectifies the output of the generator, and an inverter which converts the output of the rectifier circuit into AC power of a predetermined frequency for output, wherein

a two-way DC-DC converter is provided between the output side of the rectifier circuit and the output terminal of a battery.

2. The power generating device according to claim 1, wherein a regulator is provided between the rectifier circuit and the inverter, and

the two-way DC-DC converter is connected between a node between the rectifier circuit and the regulator, and the output terminal of the battery.

3. The power generating device according to claim 2, wherein

the two-way DC-DC converter comprises:

a terminal for a low-voltage side;

a terminal for a high-voltage side;

a transformer including a winding wire for the low-voltage side and a winding wire for the high-voltage side;

a switching element for the low-voltage side inserted between the terminal for the low-voltage side and the winding wire for the low-voltage side;

a switching element for the high-voltage side inserted between the terminal for the high-voltage side and the winding wire for the high-voltage side;

a rectifying element for the low-voltage side connected in parallel with the switching element for the low-voltage side;

a rectifying element for the high-voltage side connected in parallel with the switching element for the high-voltage side, and a control circuit which controls the switching element for the low-voltage side and the switching element for the high-voltage side, and

two-way exchange of electric power between the output of the battery and that of the rectifier circuit by simultaneous driving of the switching element for the low-voltage side and the switching element for the high-voltage side.

4. The power generating device according to claim 3, wherein the device has a configuration in which, while monitoring the charged state of the battery, driving of the switching element for the higher voltage side is stopped when it is determined that the battery is in an overloaded state.

5. The power generating device according to claim 3, wherein the device has a configuration in which, while monitoring the output voltage of the rectifier circuit, driving of the switching element for the lower voltage side is started when it is determined that the output voltage is reduced to a value smaller than a predetermined value.