Vehicle-use power generation control apparatus

• US 7,602,152 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2007
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Oshima, Kenji, Maruyama, Toshinori, Okamoto, Nobuhito
• Primary Examiner(s): Ponomarenko; Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cuevas; Pedro J
• Application Number:
  US11/703,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20080074087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 322/33
• US Class Current: 322/33
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 29/60 Controlling or determining the temperature of the motor or of the drive H02P29/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/48 Arrangements for obtaining a constant output value at varying speed of the generator, e.g. on vehicle H02P9/04 - H02P9/46 take precedence

Abstract

The vehicle-use power generation control apparatus for controlling an operation of a vehicle generator includes a temperature detecting circuit detecting a temperature of a predetermined place reflecting a temperature of the vehicle generator, and a power control circuit having a function of restricting, when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting circuit exceeds a predetermined reference temperature, a power generation amount of the vehicle generator at a predetermined change rate.

Claims

1. A vehicle-use power generation control apparatus for controlling an operation of a vehicle generator comprising:

a temperature detecting circuit detecting a temperature of a predetermined place reflecting a temperature of said vehicle generator;

a power control circuit that restricts a power generation amount of said vehicle generator such that said power generation amount gradually changes below a predetermined value at a change rate depending on said detected temperature, when said detected temperature exceeds a predetermined reference temperature; and

a switching element driven by said power control circuit to on/off control passage of an excitation current to an excitation winding of said vehicle generator so that an output voltage of said vehicle generator is regulated at a target voltage, said power control circuit being configured to variably adjust an upper limit of an on-time duty ratio of said switching element to vary said power generation amount irrespective of said output voltage.

2. The vehicle-use power generation control apparatus according claim 1, wherein said power control circuit is configured to restrict said power generation amount of said vehicle generator at a rate depending on a difference between said detected temperature and said predetermined reference temperature.

3. The vehicle-use power generation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said power control circuit stops restricting said power generation amount, and increases said power generation amount at a predetermined change rate when said detected temperature falls below said predetermined reference temperature.

4. The vehicle-use power generation control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said power control circuit increases said power generation amount at a rate depending on a difference between said detected temperature and said predetermined reference temperature when said detected temperature falls below said predetermined reference temperature.

5. The vehicle-use power generation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said power control circuit restricts said power generation amount at a rate proportional to a difference between said detected temperature and said predetermined reference temperature.

6. The vehicle-use power generation control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said power control circuit sets said change rate to a smaller value as said detected temperature becomes higher.

7. A vehicle-use power generation control apparatus for controlling an operation of a vehicle generator comprising:

a temperature detecting circuit detecting a temperature of a predetermined place reflecting a temperature of said vehicle generator;

a power control circuit that restricts a power generation amount of said vehicle generator such that said power generation amount gradually changes below a predetermined value at a change rate depending on said detected temperature, when said detected temperature exceeds a predetermined reference temperature; and

a switching element driven by said power control circuit to on/off control passage of an excitation current to an excitation winding of said vehicle generator so that an output voltage of said vehicle generator is regulated at a target voltage, said power control circuit being configured to variably adjust at least one of a value of said target voltage and an upper limit of said excitation current to vary said power generation amount irrespective of said output voltage.

8. The vehicle-use power generation control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said power control circuit is configured to restrict said power generation amount of said vehicle generator at a rate depending on a difference between said detected temperature and said predetermined reference temperature.

9. The vehicle-use power generation control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said power control circuit stops restricting said power generation amount, and increases said power generation amount at a predetermined change rate when said detected temperature falls below said predetermined reference temperature.

10. The vehicle-use power generation control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said power control circuit increases said power generation amount at a rate depending on a difference between said detected temperature and said predetermined reference temperature when said detected temperature falls below said predetermined reference temperature.

11. The vehicle-use power generation control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said power control circuit restricts said power generation amount at a rate proportional to a difference between said detected temperature and said predetermined reference temperature.

12. The vehicle-use power generation control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said power control circuit sets said change rate to a smaller value as said detected temperature becomes higher.