Electricity: single generator systems – Automatic control of generator or driving means – Voltage of generator or circuit supplied
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-24
2003-04-29
Ponomarenko, Nicholas (Department: 2834)
Electricity: single generator systems
Automatic control of generator or driving means
Voltage of generator or circuit supplied
C322S090000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06555992
ABSTRACT:
This application is based on Application No. 2001-13071, filed in Japan on Jan. 22, 2001, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automotive electric power supply assembly and particularly to an automotive electric power supply assembly capable of supplying electricity to electrical loads requiring a plurality of different voltages.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an automotive vehicle is provided with an electric power supply assembly having an automotive alternator which is driven by an engine, charges a battery, and supplies electricity directly to an electrical load, etc. Conventionally, the electric power supply assembly has one voltage.
However, in recent years, rapid-defrosting electric heaters for windows and rapid heaters for automotive vehicle interiors have been installed for vehicle comfort, and catalyst heaters have been installed as exhaust-gas cleaning measures. As a result, because electrical loads have increased, the amount of electrical power consumed has increased, and conditions can no longer be handled by conventional electric power supply assemblies having one voltage, raising demand for electric power supply assemblies having a plurality of voltages.
In answer to demands for such electric power supply assemblies, automotive electric power supply assemblies capable of outputting two voltages have been proposed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. HEI 7-39199.
FIG. 11
is a circuit diagram of a first conventional automotive electric power supply assembly such as that disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. HEI 7-39199, for example.
In
FIG. 11
, an automotive alternator
1
includes: a Y-connected three-phase alternating-current winding
2
; a first rectifier
3
connected to the three-phase alternating-current winding
2
for full-wave rectification of an alternating-current output therefrom; a second rectifier
4
connected in parallel to the first rectifier
3
for full-wave rectification of the alternating-current output from the three-phase alternating-current winding
2
; a field winding
7
for applying a magnetic field to the three-phase alternating-current winding
2
; and a voltage regulator
8
for adjusting voltages output from the first and second rectifiers
3
and
4
by switching a magnetizing current for the field winding
7
.
A first output terminal
5
of the first rectifier
3
is connected to a positive electrode of a low-voltage battery
10
through a changeover switch
14
, and a negative electrode of the low-voltage battery
10
is grounded. A low-voltage electrical load
11
is connected in parallel to the low-voltage battery
10
. A second output terminal
6
of the second rectifier
4
is connected to a positive electrode of a high-voltage battery
12
, and a negative electrode of the high-voltage battery
12
is connected to the positive electrode of the low-voltage battery
10
. A high-voltage electrical load
13
is connected in parallel to the series circuit of the low-voltage and high-voltage batteries
10
and
12
.
The voltage regulator
8
includes: a first terminal
8
a
connected to a first end of the field winding
7
; a second terminal
8
b
connected to an ignition switch
16
for activating the voltage regulator
8
together with the automotive vehicle by being closed when the vehicle is started; a third terminal
8
c
connected to a second end of the field winding
7
and connected to the first output terminal
5
through the changeover switch
14
; a fourth terminal
8
d
connected to the second output terminal
6
; and a fifth terminal
8
e
connected to a common terminal E.
The voltage regulator
8
is constituted by components
81
to
91
. More specifically, a collector of a power transistor
81
is connected to the first terminal
8
a
, an emitter of the power transistor
81
is connected to the fifth terminal
8
e
, and a base of the power transistor
81
is connected to the second terminal
8
b
through a base resistor
82
, the power transistor
81
switching a field current. A collector of a control transistor
83
is connected to the base of the power transistor
81
, and an emitter of the control transistor
83
is connected to the fifth terminal
8
e
, the control transistor
83
controlling an on-off state of the power transistor
81
. An anode of a Zener diode
84
is connected to a base of the control transistor
83
, the Zener diode
84
activating the control transistor
83
by conducting at or above a predetermined voltage. First and second voltage-dividing resistors
85
and
86
are connected in series between the third terminal
8
c
and the fifth terminal
8
e
, the first and second voltage-dividing resistors
85
and
86
dividing and detecting a voltage from the low-voltage battery
10
. Third and fourth voltage-dividing resistors
87
and
88
are connected in series between the fourth terminal
8
d
and the fifth terminal
8
e
, the third and fourth voltage-dividing resistors
87
and
88
dividing and detecting voltages from the low-voltage and high-voltage batteries
10
and
12
. Moreover, the first and second voltage-dividing resistors
85
and
86
are preset such that a voltage at the third terminal
8
c
(the first output terminal
5
) becomes a first adjusting value, and the third and fourth voltage-dividing resistors
87
and
88
are preset such that a voltage at the fourth terminal
8
d
(the second output terminal
6
) becomes a second adjusting value that is higher than the first adjusting value. Furthermore, a first reverse-current protection diode
89
is connected between a voltage division point between the first and second voltage-dividing resistors
85
and
86
and a cathode of the Zener diode
84
, a second reverse-current protection diode
90
is connected between a voltage division point between the third and fourth voltage-dividing resistors
87
and
88
and the cathode of the Zener diode
84
, and a suppression diode
91
is connected between the first terminal
8
a
and the third terminal
8
c
, in other words, in parallel to the field winding
7
.
Next, the operation of the first conventional automotive electric power supply assembly constructed in this manner will be explained.
First, when the ignition switch
16
is closed to start the vehicle with the changeover switch
14
closed and the first output terminal
5
and the low-voltage battery
10
connected, a base current flows from the low-voltage battery
10
through the base resistor
82
to the power transistor
81
, turning the power transistor
81
on. Thus, an electric current flows from the low-voltage battery
10
through the field winding
7
and the power transistor
81
. Then, a rotor (not shown) of the automotive alternator
1
is driven by the engine of the vehicle, and a low voltage suitable for charging the low-voltage battery
10
is output from the first output terminal
5
. At this time, the generated electric potential at the second output terminal
6
is the same as at the first output terminal
5
, but because a high electric potential from the high-voltage battery
12
is applied to the second output terminal
6
, the output current is zero and electric power is not output from the second output terminal
6
.
Now, the voltage regulator
8
compares a detected voltage from the first and second voltage-dividing resistors
85
and
86
(the voltage at the third terminal
8
c
) and the first adjusting value by means of the Zener diode
84
. When the detected voltage is higher than the first adjusting value, that is, when the voltage at the voltage division point between the first and second voltage-dividing resistors
85
and
86
is higher than the Zener voltage of the Zener diode
84
, the magnetizing current supplied to the field winding
7
is reduced by turning the Zener diode
84
on, turning the control transistor
83
on, and turning the power transistor
81
off. When the detected voltage is lower than the first adjusting value, the magnetizing c
Adachi Katsumi
Asao Yoshihito
Mitsubishi Denki & Kabushiki Kaisha
Ponomarenko Nicholas
Sughrue & Mion, PLLC
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