Method and apparatus for voltage regulation depending on battery charge

A method of regulating a voltage produced by a generator with a voltage regulator according to a charge state of a battery, said generator being connected to the battery and consuming devices, said voltage being required for charging the battery and for supply of the consuming devices, said voltage regulator having voltage sensitive components and said regulating of said voltage being performing by said voltage regulator, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing the voltage regulator with controller means containing a memory, said memory being able to store battery and power supply reference data, battery voltage and rotation speed of the generator and also containing a time measuring device;
• b) setting a first time interval (t1) with the controller means;
• c) maintaining a regulated voltage produced by the generator at a normal value (U.sub.R) during the first time interval (t1);
• d) setting a second time interval (t2) immediately following the first time interval (t1) with the controller means;
• e) decreasing the regulated voltage (U.sub.R) during the second time interval (t2) and measuring a battery voltage (U.sub.B) of the battery to follow a resulting drop in the battery voltage;
• f) after performing step e), determining the charge state of the battery from the battery voltage (U.sub.B) measured in step e) with the controller means according to the stored battery- and power supply-reference data;
• g) when the charge state of the battery is determined to be unsatisfactory in step f), determining an additional time interval (t4) with the controller means and an amount of increase of the regulated voltage (U.sub.R) sufficient to obtain a satisfactory charge state of the battery during the additional time interval (t4) without damaging the voltage sensitive components of the voltage regulator;
• and
• h) after performing step g), increasing the regulated voltage above the normal value (U.sub.R) by the amount determined in step g) for the additional time interval (t4) determined in step g) and turning on no voltage-critical consuming device during the additional time interval (t4).