Power control device for vehicle

• US 7,259,470 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2004
• Issued: 08/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuoka, Syougo
• Primary Examiner(s): Schuberg; Darren
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cuevas; Pedro J.
• Application Number:
  US10/963,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20050087991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 290/40.C
• US Class Current: 290/40.00C
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 2101/45 for motor vehicles, e.g. car alternators
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/032 Preventing damage to the motor, e.g. setting individual current limits for different drive conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/305 controlling voltage H02P9/302 takes precedence

Abstract

In a power control device for a vehicle, a monitoring control device 2 disposed separately from a power converter 1 judges normality/abnormality of the power converter 1, and sets an abnormality-occurrence electric generation switching signal 4 to ON/OFF, whereby a first electric generation control function corresponding to an output of power element driving signal generating means is forcedly stopped, and also a second electric generation control function based on a diode rectifying mode of a power element is started.

Claims

1. A vehicle power control device for controlling driving power and electric generation power of a motor generator mounted in a vehicle by using a power converter containing a power element and a power element driving signal generating means for generating a signal to drive the power element, comprising:

a monitoring control device for monitoring the status of the power converter and outputting an abnormality-occurrence electric generation switching signal when abnormality occurs under the control of the electric generation power of the motor generator,

wherein a first electric generation control function is executed corresponding to the output of the power element driving signal generating means under a state where there is no output of the abnormality-occurrence electric generation switching signal, and the output of the power element driving signal generating means is stopped when there is an output of the abnormality-occurrence electric generation switching signal, thereby executing a second electric generation control function based on a diode rectifying mode of the power element.

2. The vehicle power control device according to claim 1, further comprising electric generation voltage limiting means for limiting an electric generation voltage to a fixed voltage, based on the second electric generation control function.

3. The vehicle power control device according to claim 1, wherein when a wire breaking trouble occurs in a transmission line of the abnormality-occurrence electric generation switching signal, the first electric generation control function is forcedly stopped, and the second electric generation control function is started.

4. The vehicle power control device according to claim 1, further comprising a field coil current limiting means for limiting a field coil current of the motor generator when the second electric generation control function is executed, by using a detection signal of a field coil current detecting means for detecting the field coil current of the motor generator.

5. The vehicle power control device according to claim 1, further comprising temperature limiting means for limiting a field coil current of the motor generator when the second electric generation control function is executed, by using a detection signal of a power unit temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the power element or the surrounding temperature thereof.

6. The vehicle power control device according to claim 1, further comprising an alarm signal outputting means for outputting an alarm signal when abnormality occurs in the power converter during execution of the second electric generation control function.