Apparatus of controlling power generation of a generator

• US 7,358,705 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Issued: 04/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Maehara, Fuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Ponomarenko; Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US11/359,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20060197346A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 322/22, 322/25, 322/28, 322/29, 322/36, 322/45, 322/59, 322/99, 322/27
• US Class Current: 322/27
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/06 peculiar to engines driving electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/083 taking into account engine load variation, e.g. air-conditionning
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 9/102 for limiting effects of transients

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling power generation of a generator has a voltage detector and a power controller. The voltage detector detects a voltage of electric power generated in the generator. When receiving a first power control signal, the power controller controls the generator to maintain the detected voltage at a first target value. When receiving a second power control signal, the power controller controls the generator such that the power controller suppresses the power generation of the generator based on a difference between a value of the detected voltage and a second target value lower than the first target value so as to maintain the detected voltage at a predetermined value lower than the first target value. Therefore, even when the power generation is suppressed, pulsation of the generated electric power can be appropriately restrained.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a generator having an armature winding and an exciting winding rotated around each other to generate electric power in the armature winding in accordance with an exciting current flowing through the exciting winding, comprising:

a control signal receiving unit which receives a first power control signal and a second power control signal;

a voltage detector which detects a voltage of electric power generated in the generator; and

a power controller which receives controls the generator in response to the first power control signal received by the control signal receiving unit such that the generator generates the electric power so as to maintain the voltage detected by the voltage detector at a first target value, and controls the generator in response to the second power control signal received by the control signal receiving unit such that the power generation of the generator is suppressed based on a difference between a value of the detected voltage and a second target value lower than the first target value so as to maintain the detected voltage at a predetermined value lower than the first target value,

wherein the power controller has a exciting current controller which controls the exciting current flowing through the exciting coil at a first predetermined current value in response to the first power control signal to maintain the voltage detected by the voltage detector at the first target value and controls the exciting current at a second predetermined current value lower than the first predetermined current value in response to the second power control signal to maintain the detected voltage at the predetermined value.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power controller controls the generator in response to the second power control signal such that an amount of the electric power generated by the generator is lowered until the detected voltage becomes lower than the second target value and the lowered electric power is heightened according to the difference so as to maintain the detected voltage at the predetermined value.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exciting current controller controls a duty ratio of a current control signal such that the exciting current flows through the exciting winding according to the duty ratio of the current control signal.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an engine controller disposed outside the apparatus outputs the first or second power control signal to the power controller such that the engine controller instructs the generator to generate the electric power.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power controller outputs an accident informing signal indicating occurrence of a failure to an engine controller disposed outside the apparatus when continuation of the detected voltage maintained at the predetermined value exceeds a first predetermined period of time.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an engine controller disposed outside the apparatus intermittently detects an operation condition of a current consumer consuming the electric power generated in the generator, sets the second target value according to the detected operation condition, intermittently transmits the second target value to the power controller, and changes the second target value transmitted to the power controller when detecting a change of the operation condition of the current consumer.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an engine controller which receives information indicating a first operation condition of a current consumer consuming the electric power generated in the generator, sets the second target value in response to the information indicating the first operation condition, transmits the second target value to the power controller, receives information indicating a second operation condition of the current consumer, and transmits the information indicating the second operation condition of the current consumer to the power controller after the transmission of the second target value,

wherein the power controller changes the second target value to a third target value lower than the first target value according to the information indicating the second operation condition received from the engine controller and controls the generator such that the power generation of the generator is suppressed based on a difference between a value of the detected voltage and the third target value so as to maintain the detected voltage at a second predetermined value lower than the first target value.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power controller controls the generator such that the voltage detected by the voltage detector is maintained at a third target value higher than the second target value and lower than the first target value when continuation of the detected voltage maintained at the predetermined value exceeds a first predetermined period of time.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the power controller controls the generator such that the voltage detected by the voltage detector is maintained at the first target value when continuation of the detected voltage maintained at the third target value exceeds a second predetermined period of time.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power controller controls the generator such that the voltage detected by the voltage detector is maintained at the first target value when continuation of the detected voltage maintained at the predetermined value exceeds a first predetermined period of time.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric power generated in the generator is changed with an exciting current flowing through an exciting wire of the generator, and the power controller controls the electric power generated in the generator by adjusting the exciting current.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electric power generated in the generator is consumed in a current consumer, the current consumer is operable when a voltage equal to or higher than a lower limit voltage is applied to the current consumer, and the lower limit voltage is equal to or higher than the predetermined value.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value is lower than the second target value.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value is equal to the second target value.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an engine controller which judges whether the generator should generate the electric power in a non-suppression mode or in a suppression mode, generates the power control signal in response to a judgment that the generator should generate the electric power in the non-suppression mode, and generates the second power control signal in response to a judgment that the generator should generate the electric power in the suppression mode.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the engine controller is adapted to judge, according to the information indicating an operation condition of a current consumer consuming the electric power, whether the generator should generate the electric power in the non-suppression mode or in the suppression mode.

17. An apparatus for controlling power generation of a generator comprising:

an engine controller which generates a first power control signal and a first target value in response to information indicating a first operation condition of a current consumer consuming the electric power generated in the generator, generates a second power control signal and a second target value in response to the information indicating a second operation condition of the current consumer,

a voltage detector which detects a voltage of electric power generated in the generator; and

a power controller which controls the generator in response to the first power control signal received from the engine controller such that the generator generates the electric power so as to maintain the voltage detected by the voltage detector at the first target value, and controls the generator in response to the second control signal received from the engine controller such that the power generation of the generator is suppressed based on a difference between a value of the detected voltage and the second target value lower than the first target value so as to maintain the detected voltage at a first predetermined value lower than the first target value;

wherein the engine controller is adapted to receive information indicating a third operation condition of the current consumer, and transmits the information indicating the third operation condition of the current consumer to the power controller after the transmission of the second target value; and

wherein the power controller changes the second target value to a third target value lower than the first target value according to the information indicating the third operation condition received from the engine controller and controls the generator such that the power generation of the generator is suppressed based on a difference between a value of the detected voltage and the third target value so as to maintain the detected voltage at a second predetermined value lower than the first target value.

18. An apparatus for controlling a generator having an armature winding and an exciting winding rotated around each other to generate electric power in the armature winding in accordance with an exciting current flowing through the exciting winding, comprising:

a communicating unit which communicates with an engine controller disposed outside the apparatus to receive a first power control signal, a second power control signal and a suppression target value from the engine controller;

a voltage detector which detects a voltage of electric power generated in the generator; and

a power controller which controls the generator in response to the first power control signal received by the communicating unit such that the generator generates the electric power so as to maintain the voltage detected by the voltage detector at a non-suppression target value higher than the suppression target value, and controls the generator in response to the second power control signal received by the communicating unit such that the power generation of the generator is suppressed so as to maintain the detected voltage at the suppression target value,

wherein the power controller has an exciting current controller which controls the exciting current flowing through the exciting coil at a first predetermined current value in response to the first power control signal to maintain the voltage detected by the voltage detector at the first target value and controls the exciting current at a second predetermined current value lower than the first predetermined current value in response to the second power control signal to maintain the detected voltage at the predetermined value.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the engine controller is adapted to intermittently detect an operation condition of a current consumer consuming the electric power generated in the generator, to set the suppression target value according to the detected operation condition, to intermittently transmit the suppression target value to the power controller, and to change the suppression target value transmitted to the power controller when detecting a change of the operation condition of the current consumer.