Alternating current generator for a car

• US 4,581,572 A
• Filed: 01/27/1984
• Issued: 04/08/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Mitsuyoshi, Yokota, Yoshiyuki, Iwaki, Akio, Matsumoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Hickey, R. J.
• Application Number:
  US06/576,388
• Time in Patent Office: 802 Days
• Field of Search: 322/28, 322/59, 322/60, 322/86-88, 320/61, 320/56, 320/64, 320/67, 320/68
• US Class Current: 322/86
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/24 using discharge tubes or semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers

Abstract

Excitation of a field coil 2 is carried out by a separated power source 9 placed independent of a battery 8 to increase the output of a generator. A solar battery 10, a piezoelectric element 13 or a thermoelectric converting element 19 is used as the separately exciting means so that the output of the generator is increased for an exciting current effected by the separately exciting means.

Claims

1. An alternating current system for a car, comprising:

a field coil;

an armature coil having a three-phase connection to generate an alternating current output;

a rectifying device for rectifying the alternating current output;

a battery to be charged with the output of said rectifying device;

a voltage controlling device for turning on and off the field current passing to said field coil; and

a power source separate from said battery and separate from said rectifying device for supplying said field current;

wherein said field current is supplied separately from said rectified output, so as to produce an increased rectified output.

2. An alternating current system according to claim 1, wherein said power source is constituted by a solar battery.

3. An alternating current system for a car according to claim 1, wherein said power source is constituted by a piezoelectric element converting the vibration of an engine into electrical energy.

4. An alternating current system for a car according to claim 1, wherein said power source is constituted by a piezoelectric element for converting the vibration of an engine into electrical energy and a surge absorbing element and a capacitor which are respectively connected in parallel to said piezoelectric element.

5. An alternating current system for a car according to claim 4, wherein said piezoelectric element is formed by Rochelle salt and said surge absorbing element is a varistor.

6. An alternating current system for a car according to claim 1, wherein said power source is formed by a power source performing heat-electricity conversion of waste heat discharged from an engine.

7. An alternating current system for a car according to claim 6, wherein said power source performing heat-electricity conversion of the waste heat discharged from the engine is a thermocouple of iron-Constantan.

8. An alternating current system for a car according to claim 6, wherein said power source performing heat-electricity conversion of the waste heat discharged from the engine is formed by a thermoelectric semiconductor.

9. An alternating current system for a car, comprising:

a field coil;

an armature coil having a three-phase connection to generate an alternating current output;

a rectifying device for rectifying the alternating current output;

a battery to be charged with the output of said rectifying device;

a voltage controlling device for turning on and off the field current passing to said field coil;

a power source separate from said battery for supplying said field current; and

a switch connected between said power source and said battery for comparing the voltage from said power source to a threshold value and supplying said field current from said battery when said voltage is below the threshold value and supplying said field current from said power source when said voltage is above said threshold value;

wherein said field current is supplied separately from said rectified output when the voltage from said power source is sufficiently large, so as to produce an increased rectified output.