Concept for providing a regulated, limited generator excitation current to a generator

• US 7,602,153 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2006
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria Ag (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies Austria Ag (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Steiner, Manfred
• Primary Examiner(s): Ponomarenko; Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohandesi; Iraj A
• Application Number:
  US11/564,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20080116858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 322/23, 322/37, 322/47, 322/59
• US Class Current: 322/59
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/24 using discharge tubes or semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 2101/45 for motor vehicles, e.g. car alternators
• 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

A device for providing a regulated, limited generator excitation current to a generator to acquire a regulated output voltage of the generator, the device including a combiner for weighted combining a first system deviation on the basis of a setpoint voltage and of the regulated output voltage, and a second system deviation on the basis of a predefined current value and of the regulated generator excitation current so as to acquire a combination signal based on the combination of the first system deviation and the second system deviation, a provider for providing a actuating variable on the basis of the combination signal and a regulation specification, and a provider for providing the regulated, limited generator excitation current to the generator on the basis of the actuating variable, so that the regulated output voltage may be provided by the generator.

Claims

1. A device for providing a regulated, limited generator excitation current to a generator to acquire a regulated output voltage of the generator, the device comprising:

a combiner for weighted voltage and of the regulated output voltage, and a second system deviation on the basis of a predefined current value and of the regulated generator excitation current so as to acquire a combination signal based on the combination of the first system deviation and the second system deviation;

a provider for providing a actuating variable on the basis of the combination signal and a regulation specification; and

a provider for providing the regulated, limited generator excitation current to the generator on the basis of the actuating variable, so that the regulated output voltage may be provided by the generator.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the predefined current value is a maximum current value for the generator excitation current.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the combiner for weighted combining uses a weighting factor to acquire a weighted influence of the first system deviation and the second system deviation, respectively, on the combination signal.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the weighting factor is proportional to the second system deviation and is inversely proportional to the first system deviation.

5. The device according to claim 3, wherein the weighting factor includes lower and upper limitation values, with the lower limitation value, the combination signal depending only on the second system deviation, and with the upper limitation value, the combination signal depending only on the first system deviation, or vice versa.

6. The device according to claim 3, wherein the combiner for weighted combining forms the combination signal from the first system deviation multiplied by a square portion of the weighting factor, and from the second system deviation multiplied by a linear portion of the weighting factor.

7. The device according to claim 1, the provider for providing the actuating variable comprising a PI controller.

8. The device according to claim 1, it being possible to set, by means of the actuating variable, a duty cycle of a pulse width modulation for a regulating transistor control signal.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the provider provides the regulated current within a range from 10 mulliampere to 20 ampere.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the regulated output voltage of the generator is within a range from 5 volt to 60 volt.

11. A device for providing a regulated, limited generator excitation current to a generator to acquire a regulated output voltage of the generator, comprising:

a combiner comprising a first input for a first system deviation based on a setpoint voltage and the regulated output voltage, a second input for a second system deviation based on a predefined current value and the regulated generator current, and an output for a combination signal based on the weighted combination of the first system deviation and the second system deviation;

a regulator comprising an input for the combination signal and an output for a actuating variable on the basis of the combination signal and a regulation specification; and

an actuator comprising an input for the actuating variable, and an output for the regulated limited generator excitation current, so that the regulated voltage may be provided by the generator.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the predefined current value is a maximum current value for the generator excitation current.

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein the combiner uses a weighting factor to acquire a weighted influence of the first system deviation and of the second system deviation, respectively, on the combination signal, the weighting factor being proportional to the second system deviation, and being inversely proportional to the first system deviation.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the combiner forms the combination signal from the first system deviation multiplied by a square portion of the weighting factor, and from the second system deviation multiplied by a linear portion of the weighting factor.

15. The device according to claim 11, the regulator comprising a PI controller.

16. The device according to claim 11, it being possible to set, by means of the actuating variable, a duty cycle of a pulse width modulation for a regulating transistor control signal.