Engine-driven power generator

• US 7,612,460 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sakurai, Ryuji, Kamimura, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Ponomarenko; Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cuevas; Pedro J
• Application Number:
  US11/806,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20070278801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 290/40.C, 290/1.R, 123/357
• US Class Current: 290/40.00C
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/06 peculiar to engines driving electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/08 recovering energy derived from swinging, rolling, pitching or like movements, e.g. from the vibrations of a machine
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/04 Control effected upon non-electric prime mover and dependent upon electric output value of the generator

Abstract

The present invention provides an engine-driven synchronous power generator that selects the operation state with respect to the load of the power generator by controlling the revolution. The electronic governor 4 includes a target revolution determining unit 10 including a storage 101 for providing a constant target engine revolution irrespective of the load current, and a map 102 for providing the target engine revolution corresponding to the load. The target revolution corresponding to the revolution of no-load operation and loaded operation is set in the map 102. The storage 101 or the map 102 is selected by operating a switch 9. A governor motor 14 is controlled so that the actual engine revolution calculated in an engine revolution calculator 7 converges to the target revolution. An automotive voltage regulator (AVR) 15 for controlling the output voltage of the power generator 1 constant irrespective of the load is provided.

Claims

1. An engine-driven power generator configured by an engine and a synchronous power generator driven by the engine;

the engine-driven power generator comprising;

an electronic governor for controlling the revolution of the engine to a target value, the electronic governor including operation modes of a normal operation mode of maintaining the engine revolution substantially constant irrespective of the fluctuation in the load of the power generator, and an economic operation mode of increasing or decreasing the engine revolution within a predetermined allowable range according to the fluctuation in the load of the power generator; and

switching means for selecting one of either the normal operation mode or the economic operation mode.

2. The engine-driven power generator according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor for detecting load current of the power generator; and

target value determining means for determining the target value of the engine revolution according to the load current between an upper limit value and a lower limit value set within the predetermined allowable revolution range when the economic operation mode is selected.

3. The engine-driven power generator according to claim 2, wherein one of a plurality of target revolution range is selected in the economic operation mode.

4. The engine-driven power generator according to any one of claim 1, further comprising an automatic voltage regulator for controlling the output voltage substantially constant irrespective of the fluctuation in the load of the power generator.

5. The engine-driven power generator according to any one of claim 2, further comprising an automatic voltage regulator for controlling the output voltage substantially constant irrespective of the fluctuation in the load of the power generator.

6. The engine-driven power generator according to any one of claim 3, further comprising an automatic voltage regulator for controlling the output voltage substantially constant irrespective of the fluctuation in the load of the power generator.