Short protection device for alternator

• US 7,924,536 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2008
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mobiletron Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mobiletron Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chen, Chien-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman; Jared J
• Assistant Examiner(s): CLARK, CHRISTOPHER JAY
• Application Number:
  US12/137,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20090168275A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 361/18, 361/20, 361/23, 361/93.1, 322/11, 322/27, 322/68
• US Class Current: 361/20
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/065 against excitation faults

Abstract

A short circuit protection device for the protection of an alternator in which turning on/off a trigger switch causes conduction/cutoff of the field current of the field coil of the alternator is disclosed. The protection device enables the field current to pass through a sensor so that when the field current is abnormally high and the voltage drop across the sensor rises, the potential of an input end of a boost circuit electrically connected to the sensor correspondingly arises and an output end of the boost circuit electrically connected to a shutoff device drives the shutoff device to turn off the trigger switch, and the boost circuit further keeps the shutoff device in on-state to hold the trigger switch off till the short circuit condition is eliminated and the protection circuit system is reset.

Claims

1. A short circuit protection device installed in an alternator to control the field current produced by a field coil of said alternator, the short circuit protection device comprising:

a trigger switch electrically connected to said field coil and operated in such a manner that turning on/off said trigger switch corresponds to pass/cut-off said field current;

a sensor having a current input node and a current output node respectively and electrically connected to said trigger switch and grounding potential, said sensor passing said field current when said trigger switch is turned on;

a boost circuit comprising an input end and an output end, said input end being electrically connected to the current input node of said sensor;

when the potential at said input end rises, the potential at said output end rises;

when the potential at said input end drops, the potential at said output end remains unchanged; and

a shutoff device comprising an upper conduction end, a lower conduction end, and a control end, which are respectively and electrically connected to said trigger switch, grounding potential, and the output end of said boost circuit, when the potential at said control end reaches a predetermined critical potential, said upper conduction end is conducted with said lower conduction end so as to turn off said trigger switch.

2. The short circuit protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said trigger switch is selected from one of the group of bipolar junction typed transistor, metal-oxide-semiconductor typed transistor, and the integrated type of both.

3. The short circuit protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the potential difference between the potential at said trigger switch and grounding potential after turning on said trigger switch is the voltage drop across said sensor by the field current from said field coil.

4. The short circuit protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said boost circuit comprises at least one boost resistor electrically connected to said input end and in series to said sensor, said at least one boost resistor having a DC resistance value greater than said sensor.

5. The short circuit protection device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said boost circuit comprises two said boost resistors respectively and electrically connected to said trigger switch and in series connection with each other.

6. The short circuit protection device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said boost circuit further comprises a diode, said diode having the positive pole thereof electrically connected to said at least one boost resistor.

7. The short circuit protection device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said boost circuit further comprises a capacitor electrically connected to the negative pole of said diode.

8. The short circuit protection device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the output end of said boost circuit is electrically connected in series to the negative pole of said diode through a resistor.

9. The short circuit protection device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said shutoff device is a transistor;

said critical potential that conducts said shutoff device is the threshold voltage of said transistor;

said upper conduction end and said lower conduction end are the current input node and current output node of said transistor after turning on said transistor.

10. The short circuit protection device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said shutoff device is a silicon-controlled rectifier, and said control end is the gate of said silicon-controlled rectifier.