Charging generator and voltage regulator therefor

• US 5,719,488 A
• Filed: 12/27/1996
• Issued: 02/17/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Car Engineering Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Car Engineering Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Maeda, Yuji, Mashino, Keiichi, Hikita, Sakae
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty, Thomas W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ponomarenko, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US08/774,019
• Time in Patent Office: 417 Days
• Field of Search: 322/28, 322/36, 322/99
• US Class Current: 322/28
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 2101/45 for motor vehicles, e.g. car alternators
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/107 for limiting effects of overloads
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/305 controlling voltage H02P9/302 takes precedence

Abstract

The object of the invention is to provide a charging generator 1 which can avoid occurrence of overvoltage due to failure of equipment, which comprises: an a.c. generator 10 having armature windings 10a, 10b, 10c and a field winding 10d for generating an a.c.; a rectifier 11 having a plurality of power zener diodes 11a-11f having an intrinsic breakdown voltage Vz for converting the a.c. output from the armature windings to a d.c.; a current inhibit means which receives the d.c. output from the rectifier via field winding 10d and inhibits a field current which flows through the field winding; a voltage detection means for detecting a voltage of the d.c. output from the rectifier; and a voltage regulator 13, which includes a protection control means for controlling the current inhibit means in accordance with a result of judgment which is larger between a detected value of the d.c. voltage and a predetermined protection cut-off voltage VB, for regulating the d.c. voltage in the vicinity of the protection cut-off voltage VB by inhibiting the field current, and wherein the relationship between breakdown voltage Vz and protection cut-off voltage is set Vz>VB.

Claims

1. A charging generator comprising:

an a.c. generator having armature windings and a field winding for generating an alternating current;

a rectifier for rectifying said alternating current output from said armature windings to produce a direct current in a rectifying circuit thereof including a plurality of rectifying elements each having an intrinsic characteristic of breakdown voltage Vz(V); and

a voltage regulator including current inhibit means connected to receive said direct current output from said rectifier via said field winding for inhibiting a field current which flows through said field winding;

voltage detection means for detecting a d.c. voltage of said direct current output from said rectifier; and

protective control means for controlling said current inhibit means in accordance with a judgment of which value is larger between a value of said detected voltage and a predetermined protection cut off voltage VB(V) thereby to inhibit said field current such that said d.c. voltage is regulated at or below said protection cut off voltage VB(V), wherein a relationship exists between said breakdown voltage Vz(V) and said protection cut off voltage VB(V) such that Vz>

VB.

2. A charging generator according to claim 1 wherein when a minimum value of a plurality of breakdown voltages Vz which are intrinsic to each of said plurality of rectifying elements is designated as a minimum breakdown voltage Vzmin (V), there holds a relationship that Vzmin>

VB.

3. A charging generator according to claim 1 wherein said voltage regulator further comprises temperature compensation means for compensating for a fluctuation of voltages due to ambient temperature changes of said protection cut off voltage VB (V) which is regulated by said voltage regulator such that said fluctuation of voltages is compensated substantially to equal a fluctuation of said intrinsic characteristics due to the ambient temperature changes of said breakdown voltages Vz (V) which are intrinsic to said rectifying elements.

5. A charging generator according to claim 1, further comprising a switching relay for switching an output from said charging generator between a low voltage load and a high voltage load, and a control means for controlling said switching relay.

4. A voltage regulator for use with a charging generator having armature windings and a field winding to generate an alternating current, comprising:

field current input means for inputting a field current which flows through said field winding, said field current being a d.c. current which has been converted in a rectifier having a plurality of rectifying elements each having an intrinsic characteristic of breakdown voltage Vz (V);

current inhibit means for inhibiting said field current input from said field current input means;

a voltage detection means for detecting a voltage of said d.c. output from said rectifier; and

a protective control means for controlling said current inhibit means on the basis of a judgment of which value is larger between a detected value of the voltage detected by said voltage detection means and a predetermined protection cut off voltage VB (V), thereby said field current is inhibited such that said d.c. voltage converted in said rectifier is regulated at or smaller than said protection cut off voltage VB (V), and wherein

said protection cut off voltage VB (V) is maintained relative to said breakdown voltage Vz(V) in a relationship such that Vz>

VB.