OUTPUT CONTROL DEVICE OF ELECTRIC GENERATOR

• US 20130049708A1
• Filed: 08/21/2012
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Nakayama, Shinsaku, Nakada, Yasuhiro, Maedako, Minoru
• Granted Patent: US 9,209,731 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 322/34
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/68 based on the temperature of a drive component or a semiconductor component
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/107 for limiting effects of overloads

Abstract

A rising temperature of components of an electric generator is restrained without deteriorating the quality of electricity output and the user-friendliness of the electric generator. AVR (7) and a temperature detecting means (75) is provided in a generator housing. While the detected temperature is greater than the limitation starting temperature, the output voltage is decreased by decreasing the control target value (for the AVR (7)) in accordance with the temperature. A range between the power generation stopping temperature as an upper-limit temperature of a generator component and the limitation starting temperature set to be a lower than the power generation stopping temperature is defined as a voltage droop range. In the voltage droop range, the control target value is decreased in accordance with a target voltage base value preset in a relationship with the temperature so that the decrease degree becomes greater in proportion to a rising temperature.

Claims

1. An output control device of an electric generator, the output control device comprising:

an output controller that controls an output voltage of the electric generator; and

a temperature detector that detects a temperature in a housing that contains the electric generator;

wherein the output voltage is decreased in accordance with the temperature in a range in which the temperature detected by the temperature detector is greater than a predetermined limitation starting temperature,

wherein the output controller, in a range between a power generation stopping temperature that is an upper-limit temperature of a component included in the electric generator and the limitation starting temperature that is set at a value lower than the power generation stopping temperature is defined as a voltage droop range, and

wherein, in the voltage droop range, an output voltage of the electric generator is decreased in accordance with characteristics that have been preset in a relationship with the temperature so that a decrease degree becomes greater in proportion to a rise in the temperature detected by the temperature detector.

2. The output control device of the electric generator according to claim 1, wherein the output controller is an automatic voltage regulator that converges the output voltage of the electric generator with a control target value, and the output voltage is decreased by decreasing the control target value in accordance with the temperature in the range in which the temperature detected by the temperature detector is greater than the predetermined limitation starting temperature, and

wherein, in the voltage droop range, the control target value is decreased in accordance with a target voltage base value that has been preset in a relationship with the temperature so that a decrease degree becomes greater in proportion to a rise in the temperature detected by the temperature detector.

3. The output control device of the electric generator according to claim 2, wherein, if the temperature detected by the temperature detector is lower than a temperature detected last time, the control target value is set to be a value lower by a predetermined amount with respect to a target voltage base value preset in a relationship with the temperature.

4. The output control device of the electric generator according to claim 3, wherein, if the control target Value has not been updated for a predetermined time, the control target value is set to be a lower value with respect to the target voltage base value preset in a relationship with the temperature.

5. The output control device of the electric generator according to claim 2, wherein the automatic voltage regulator is arranged into a digital type automatic voltage regulator that includes a substrate on which a CPU and a semiconductor switching device for controlling a field current of the electric generator are mounted, and

wherein the temperature detector is a thermistor element that is mounted on the substrate (74).

6. The output control device of the electric generator according to claim 3, wherein the automatic voltage regulator is arranged into a digital type automatic voltage regulator that includes a substrate on which a CPU and a semiconductor switching device for controlling a field current of the electric generator are mounted, and

wherein the temperature detector is a thermistor element that is mounted on the substrate.

7. The output control device of the electric generator according to claim 4, wherein the automatic voltage regulator is arranged into a digital type automatic voltage regulator that includes a substrate on which a CPU and a semiconductor switching device for controlling a field current of the electric generator are mounted, and

wherein the temperature detector is a thermistor element that is mounted on the substrate.