Charging control unit of electric power generation control device for motor vehicle

• US 8,258,742 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2009
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Funakoshi, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ARUN C
• Application Number:
  US12/361,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20090241652A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,314 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/1446 in response to parameters of a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles

Abstract

The control device, which is driven by an engine mounted on the vehicle, generates electric power and determines a power generation voltage for supplying the electric power to an electrical load and an electricity storage unit, comprising an electricity storage amount detection unit for detecting an amount of electricity stored in the electricity storage unit, by integrating an input/output current to/from the electricity storage unit a voltage lowering unit for lowering the power generation voltage when a predetermined electricity storage amount is detected by the electricity storage amount detection unit, a time measuring unit for measuring time elapsed after termination of charging/discharging of the electricity storage unit, and a lowering prohibition unit for prohibiting the power generation voltage from being lowered by the voltage lowering unit if the time elapsed after termination of the charging/discharging is longer than or equal to a predetermined time.

Claims

1. An electric power generation control device, having electric power generation means driven by an internal combustion engine mounted on a motor vehicle, for generating electric power and determining a power generation voltage for supplying the electric power to an electrical load and electricity storage means of the vehicle, comprising:

electricity storage amount detection means for detecting an amount of electricity stored in the electricity storage means, by integrating an input or output current to or from the electricity storage means;

voltage lowering means for lowering the power generation voltage when a predetermined electricity storage amount is detected by the electricity storage amount detection means;

time measuring means for measuring time elapsed after termination of charging and discharging of the electricity storage means; and

lowering prohibition means for prohibiting the power generation voltage, generated by the power generation means, from being lowered by the voltage lowering means if the time elapsed after termination of the charging and discharging, measured by the time measuring means, is longer than or equal to a predetermined time.

2. The electric power generation control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

initialization means for initializing a stored value indicative of the electricity storage amount of the electricity storage means in accordance with the input or output current and voltage of the electricity storage means when lowering of the power generation voltage is prohibited by the lowering prohibition means.

3. The electric power generation control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

volatilization detection means for detecting loss of the stored value indicative of the electricity storage amount,

wherein, when loss of the stored value indicative of the electricity storage amount is detected by the volatilization detection means, the lowering prohibition means prohibits the power generation voltage from being lowered by the voltage lowering means.

4. The electric power generation control device according to claim 2, further comprising:

volatilization detection means for detecting loss of the stored value indicative of the electricity storage amount,

wherein, when loss of the stored value indicative of the electricity storage amount is detected by the volatilization detection means, the lowering prohibition means prohibits the power generation voltage from being lowered by the voltage lowering means.

5. The electric power generation control device according to claim 1, wherein the elapsed time measured by the time measuring means is a soak time.