Vehicle control system capable of controlling electric-power generation state of vehicle alternator

• US 7,705,556 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2009
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Abe, Kunihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Muralidar; Richard V
• Application Number:
  US12/320,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20090189570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/123, 322/88, 290/16, 290/19, 290/50
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0232 for measuring vehicle parameters and indicating critical, abnormal or dangerous conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0029 with safety or protection devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007192 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/14 for charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A vehicle control system has a battery, a vehicle alternator for charging the battery, a vehicle-alternator control device capable of controlling the vehicle alternator, and a battery current detection device. The battery current detection device has a battery current detecting means capable of detecting a charging/discharging current of the battery, a battery voltage detection means capable of detecting a voltage of the battery, a battery temperature detection means capable of detecting a temperature of the battery, a microcomputer, and a communication controller. The communication controller performs digital data communication to transfer digital control signals between the vehicle alternator and the battery current detection device. The vehicle alternator has a display unit to display the occurrence of abnormal information of those detection means transferred from the battery current detection device, the occurrence of a battery failure, and a disconnecting of a charging wire of the battery by using different display patterns.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system comprising:

a battery;

a vehicle alternator capable of charging the battery; and

a battery current detection device comprising;

a battery current detecting means that detects a charging current and a discharging current of the battery;

a battery voltage detection means that detects a terminal voltage of the battery;

a battery temperature detection means that detects a temperature of the battery;

a control means that controls the operation of the vehicle alternator based on detection results transferred from the battery current detecting means, the battery voltage detection means, and the battery temperature detection means; and

a communication means that performs a digital data transmission between the vehicle alternator and the battery current detection device; and

an abnormal state judgment means that judges whether or not an abnormal state of each of the battery current detecting means, the battery voltage detection means, and the battery temperature detection means has occurred, and transfers abnormal state information for informing the occurrence of abnormal state of each of the battery current detecting means, the battery voltage detection means, and the battery temperature detection means to the vehicle alternator through the communication means.

2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle alternator comprises a display unit and an abnormal information means that informs the occurrence of abnormal state of each detection means, and the vehicle alternator informs the occurrence of abnormal state of each detection means to a vehicle driver through the display unit when receiving the abnormal state information transferred from the battery current detection device.

3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the abnormal state judgment means detects a battery failure and a disconnecting of a charging wire of the battery electrically connected to the vehicle alternator, in addition to detecting the occurrence of abnormal state of each of the battery current detecting means, the battery voltage detection means, and the battery temperature detection means, and

the abnormal state judgment means adds, into the abnormal state information to be transferred to the vehicle alternator, the detection results regarding the battery failure and disconnecting of the charging wire of the battery, in addition to the information of the occurrence of the abnormal state of each of the battery current detecting means, the battery voltage detection means, and the battery temperature detection means.

4. The vehicle control system according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle alternator instructs the display unit to display the abnormal state information transferred from the battery current detection device using different display patterns which depend on the type of the abnormal state.

5. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the abnormal state judgment means judges the occurrence of abnormal state in each detection means when a predetermined condition is continued for a predetermined period of time, which satisfies that the detection result of each of the battery current detecting means, the battery voltage detection means, and the battery temperature detection means is more than a first predetermined value or less than a second predetermined value, where the first predetermined value is more than the second predetermined value, and the first and second predetermined values are set in advance for each of the battery current detecting means, the battery voltage detection means, and the battery temperature detection means.

6. The vehicle control system according to claim 3, wherein the abnormal state judgment means judges the occurrence of making a short circuit in the battery when a predetermined condition is continued for a predetermined period of time, which satisfies that the voltage value detected by the battery voltage detection means is less than a third predetermined value and the current value detected by the battery current detection means is more than a fourth predetermined value.

7. The vehicle control system according to claim 3, wherein the abnormal state judgment means judges the occurrence of making a battery open circuit failure in the battery when the current value detected by the battery current detection means is zero ampere and a normal state of the battery is continued for a predetermined period of time.

8. The vehicle control system according to claim 3, wherein the abnormal state judgment means judges the occurrence of disconnecting the charging wire of the battery when a predetermined condition is continued for a predetermined period of time, which satisfies that a difference between the voltage value detected by the battery voltage detection means and the electric-power generation voltage value of the vehicle alternator is more than a fifth predetermined value.

9. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle alternator performs a self-control electric-power generation without the control by the control means when the abnormal state judgment means judges the occurrence of abnormal state.

10. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the control means is comprised of a microcomputer, the battery current detecting means is comprised of a shunt resistance, an amplifier, and an analogue to digital converter, the battery voltage detection means is comprised of a pair of resistances, an amplifier, and an analogue to digital converter, and the battery temperature detection means is comprised of a temperature sensor and an analogue to digital converter, and the output of each analogue to digital converter is connected to the microcomputer.