Apparatus of controlling power generation of a generator

• US 20060197346A1
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Maehara, Fuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,358,705 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 290/40.00B
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/06 peculiar to engines driving electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/083 taking into account engine load variation, e.g. air-conditionning
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/102 for limiting effects of transients

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling power generation of a generator has a voltage detector and a power controller. The voltage detector detects a voltage of electric power generated in the generator. When receiving a first power control signal, the power controller controls the generator to maintain the detected voltage at a first target value. When receiving a second power control signal, the power controller controls the generator such that the power controller suppresses the power generation of the generator based on a difference between a value of the detected voltage and a second target value lower than the first target value so as to maintain the detected voltage at a predetermined value lower than the first target value. Therefore, even when the power generation is suppressed, pulsation of the generated electric power can be appropriately restrained.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling power generation of a generator comprising:

a voltage detector which detects a voltage of electric power generated in the generator; and

a power controller which receives either a first power control signal or a second power control signal, controls the generator in response to the first power control signal such that the generator generates the electric power so as to maintain the voltage detected by the voltage detector at a first target value, and controls the generator in response to the second power control signal such that the power generation of the generator is suppress based on a difference between a value of the detected voltage and a second target value lower than the first target value so as to maintain the detected voltage at a predetermined value lower than the first target value.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power controller controls the generator in response to the second power control signal such that an amount of the electric power generated by the generator is lowered until the detected voltage becomes lower than the second target value and the lowered electric power is heightened according to the difference so as to maintain the detected voltage at the predetermined value.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the generator has an armature winding and an exciting winding rotated around each other in response to a driving torque to generate the electric power in the armature winding in dependence on an exciting current flowing through the exciting winding, and the power controller has an exciting current controller which controls the exciting current at a first predetermined current value in response to the first power control signal and controls the exciting current at a second predetermined current value lower than the first predetermined current value in response to the second power control signal.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the exciting current controller controls a duty ratio of a current control signal such that the exciting current flows through the exciting winding according to the duty ratio of the current control signal.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an engine controller disposed outside the apparatus outputs the first or second power control signal to the power controller such that the engine controller instructs the generator to generate the electric power.

6. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the power controller outputs an accident informing signal indicating occurrence of a failure to an engine controller disposed outside the apparatus when continuation of the detected voltage maintained at the predetermined value exceeds a first predetermined period of time.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an engine controller disposed outside the apparatus intermittently detects an operation condition of a current consumer consuming the electric power generated in the generator, sets the second target value according to the detected operation condition, intermittently transmits the second target value to the power controller, and changes a value of the second target value transmitted to the power controller when detecting a change of the operation condition of the current consumer.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an engine controller disposed outside the apparatus intermittently detects an operation condition of a current consumer consuming the electric power generated in the generator, sets the second target value according to a first operation condition detected by the engine controller, transmits the second target value to the power controller and transmits a second operation condition of the current consumer detected after the detection of the first operation condition to the power controller, and the power controller changes the second target value to a third target value lower than the first target value according to the second operation condition and controls the generator such that the power generation of the generator is suppressed based on a difference between a value of the detected voltage and the third target value so as to maintain the detected voltage at a second predetermined value lower than the first target value.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power controller controls the generator such that the voltage detected by the voltage detector is maintained at a third target value higher than the second target value and lower than the first target value when continuation of the detected voltage maintained at the predetermined value exceeds a first predetermined period of time.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the power controller controls the generator such that the voltage detected by the voltage detector is maintained at the first target value when continuation of the detected voltage maintained at the third target value exceeds a second predetermined period of time.

11. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the power controller controls the generator such that the voltage detected by the voltage detector is maintained at the first target value when continuation of the detected voltage maintained at the predetermined value exceeds a first predetermined period of time.

12. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the electric power generated in the generator is changed with an exciting current flowing through an exciting wire of the generator, and the power controller controls the electric power generated in the generator by adjusting the exciting current.

13. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the electric power generated in the generator is consumed in a current consumer, the current consumer is operable when a voltage equal to or higher than a lower limit voltage is applied to the current consumer, and the lower limit voltage is equal to or higher than the predetermined value.

14. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value is lower than the second target value.

15. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value is equal to the second target value.