US 9,543,874 B2Granted

Dual alternator system

AssigneeFca US LLC

InventorsMohannad Hakeem, Rebecca R Franke, Van Lee

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A dual alternator system includes a main alternator controlled by an electronic voltage regulator, a secondary alternator system having a secondary alternator controlled by a LIN controlled alternator voltage regulator and an electronic control unit (“ECU”) coupled to the LIN controller alternator voltage regulator by a LIN bus that that determines whether the secondary alternator should be off or operated to generate current. The ECU when it determines that the secondary alternator should be off sends a voltage setpoint signal to the LIN controlled alternator voltage regulator having a low value that is well below nominal system voltage. The ECU when it determines that the secondary alternator should be operated to provide current sends a voltage setpoint to the LIN controlled alternator voltage regulator having a high value that is well above a nominal system voltage and a MECL setpoint value.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A dual alternator system, comprising:

a main alternator controlled by an electronic voltage regulator and a secondary alternator system having a secondary alternator controlled by a local interconnect network (LIN) controlled alternator voltage regulator;
an electronic control unit (“ECU”) coupled to the LIN controlled alternator voltage regulator by a LIN bus;
the ECU determining that the secondary alternator should be off when a duty cycle of a pulse width modulated drive signal generated by the electronic voltage regulator to drive the main alternator is not above a low threshold and determining that the secondary alternator should be operated to generate current when the duty cycle of the pulse width modulated drive signal generated by the electronic voltage regulator to drive the main alternator is above the low threshold;
the ECU, when it determines that the secondary alternator should be off, sends a voltage setpoint signal to the LIN controlled alternator voltage regulator having a low value that is well below nominal system voltage;
and
the ECU, when it determines that the secondary alternator should be operated to provide current, sends a voltage setpoint to the LIN controlled alternator voltage regulator having a high value that is well above a nominal system voltage and a maximum excitation current limit (MECL) setpoint value.

3 more elements

In a dual alternator system having a main alternator controlled by an electronic voltage regulator, a secondary alternator controlled by a local interconnect network (LIN) controlled alternator voltage regulator and an ECU coupled to the LIN controlled alternator voltage regulator by a LIN bus, a method of controlling the LIN controlled alternator voltage regulator, comprising:

determining that the secondary alternator should be off when a duty cycle of a pulse width modulated drive signal generated by the electronic voltage regulator to drive the main alternator is not above a low threshold and determining that the secondary alternator should be operated to generate current when the duty cycle of the pulse width modulated drive signal generated by the electronic voltage regulator to drive the main alternator is above the low threshold;
upon determining that the secondary alternator should be off, having the ECU send a voltage setpoint signal to the LIN controlled alternator voltage regulator having a low value that is well below nominal system voltage;
and
upon determining that the secondary alternator should be operated to provide current, having the ECU send a voltage setpoint to the LIN controlled alternator voltage regulator having a high value that is well above a nominal system voltage and a MECL setpoint value.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/552,696Filed 25 Nov 2014 · us provisional application
Priority: 6 Dec 2013
Published: US 2015/0162861 A111 Jun 2015
Granted: 10 Jan 2017
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

H02P 9/48
Arrangements for controlling electric generators for the purpose of obtaining a desired output: arrangements for obtaining a constant output value…
H02J 7/1423
For charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle: with multiple batteries
H02J 7/143
For charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle: with multiple generators
H02J 7/1446
For charging batteries from dynamo-electric generators driven at varying speed, e.g. on vehicle: in response to parameters of a vehicle