System and method for controlling electric load and battery charge in a vehicle
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring vehicle electrical load and controlling battery charge comprising:
- a generator electrically coupled with a vehicle electrical system;
a battery electrically coupled with the vehicle electrical system via a battery disconnect switch; and
a control circuit in communication with the battery disconnect switch, wherein the control circuit is configured to control the battery disconnect switch to disconnect the battery from the vehicle electrical system when a voltage output of the generator is below a desired threshold, and wherein the control circuit is configured to control the battery disconnect switch to reconnect the battery to the vehicle electrical system when a voltage of the battery is above a desired battery voltage threshold, and wherein the control circuit is configured to regulate a battery charging voltage with excess generator capacity while the battery is disconnected from the vehicle electrical system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A load and battery charge device in a vehicle electrical system controllably disconnects a battery or other stored energy source from the electrical system when the battery state causes the system voltage to operate below a desired threshold. The device filters generator ripple voltage during batteryless operation to maintain an acceptable ripple voltage. The load and battery control device operates to recharge the battery that is disconnected from the vehicle electrical system at a controlled voltage independent of the vehicle electrical system voltage. The load and battery control device controls the rate of battery recharge so as to avoid overburdening the vehicle electrical system and then reconnects the battery to the vehicle electrical system once the battery voltage has reached a minimum threshold.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring vehicle electrical load and controlling battery charge comprising:
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a generator electrically coupled with a vehicle electrical system;
a battery electrically coupled with the vehicle electrical system via a battery disconnect switch; and
a control circuit in communication with the battery disconnect switch, wherein the control circuit is configured to control the battery disconnect switch to disconnect the battery from the vehicle electrical system when a voltage output of the generator is below a desired threshold, and wherein the control circuit is configured to control the battery disconnect switch to reconnect the battery to the vehicle electrical system when a voltage of the battery is above a desired battery voltage threshold, and wherein the control circuit is configured to regulate a battery charging voltage with excess generator capacity while the battery is disconnected from the vehicle electrical system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A control circuit for controlling a rate of recharge of a battery in a vehicle electrical system, wherein the vehicle electrical system is powered by an alternator during vehicle operation, the control circuit comprising:
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a battery disconnect switch disposed between the battery and the vehicle electrical system operable to electrically disconnect the battery from the vehicle electrical system;
a battery charging circuit in electrical communication with the battery and the alternator;
a processor in communication with the battery disconnect switch and the battery charging circuit; and
programming code operable on the processor to disconnect the battery from the vehicle electrical system with the battery disconnect switch in response to an alternator voltage output below a threshold value, and to control a recharge rate for the battery with the battery charging circuit while the battery is disconnected from the vehicle electrical system. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for controlling electric load and battery charge in a vehicle electrical system, the method comprising:
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(a) disconnecting a rechargeable source of stored energy from the vehicle electrical system if a voltage at the vehicle electrical system falls below a first threshold;
(b) controllably charging the rechargeable source of stored energy with energy from a generator in the vehicle electrical system such that an operating voltage of the vehicle electrical system remains above an operating voltage threshold; and
(c) reconnecting the rechargeable source of stored energy to the vehicle electrical system when a voltage at the rechargeable source of stored energy is above a desired voltage threshold, wherein the vehicle electrical system operates with energy from the generator while the rechargeable source of stored energy is disconnected and being recharged. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A control circuit for controlling a rate of recharge of a battery in a vehicle electrical system and maintaining separate load and trickle charge voltage levels, wherein the vehicle electrical system is powered by a generator during vehicle operation, the control circuit comprising:
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a battery disconnect switch disposed between the battery and the vehicle electrical system operable to electrically disconnect the battery from the vehicle electrical system and to reconnect the battery to the vehicle electrical system;
a battery charging circuit in electrical communication with the battery and the generator;
a processor in communication with the battery disconnect switch and the battery charging circuit; and
programming code operable on the processor to disconnect the battery from the vehicle electrical system with the battery disconnect switch in response to a generator voltage output below a threshold value, to control a recharge rate for the battery with the battery charging circuit while the battery is disconnected from the vehicle electrical system, and to reconnect the battery to the vehicle electrical system in when the generator voltage output is above the threshold value. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28)
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Specification