Apparatus and method for variably controlling alternator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10340830-B2
Application number	US-201615232132-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2016
Priority date	Oct 27, 2015
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus for variably controlling an alternator is provided. The apparatus includes a controller that determines a state of an engine of a vehicle and calculates a target generation rate. An alternator generates electricity based on the target generation rate and produces generation power. The alternator also variably adjusts responsiveness to the generation based on the determination of the state of the engine and a battery is configured to be charged by the generation power.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for variably controlling an alternator, comprising:
a controller configured to determine a state of an engine of a vehicle and calculate a target generation rate;
an alternator configured to generate electricity based on the target generation rate and produce generation power, the alternator variably adjusting responsiveness to the generation based on the determination of the state of the engine; and
a battery configured to be charged by the generation power,
wherein the variable adjustment includes dividing the state of the engine of the vehicle into an idle region and a driving region and variably adjusting the responsiveness of the alternator according to whether the state of the engine is the idle region or the driving region, and
wherein the responsiveness of the alternator is set to a slowest mode in the idle region so as to control revolution per minute (RPM) oscillation, and the responsiveness of the alternator is set to a normal mode in the driving region so as to prevent momentary battery overvoltage.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein control of the generation power includes the slowest mode, a slower mode, a slow mode, and the normal mode.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein communication between the alternator and the controller is conducted by a local interconnect network (LIN) communication method.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein setting the variably adjustment is conducted based on a value of a parameter (PARA) bit on an alternator control message frame of the LIN communication method.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the value of the PARA bit is “0” in a normal operation mode and is “1” in an operation mode without battery.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein control of the generation power include a proportional integral (PI) control of integrating a difference between the generation power and a preset reference voltage and reducing residual deviation.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the alternator includes:
a generator configured to produce the generation power;
a regulator configured to operate the generator; and
a rectifier circuit configured to rectify the generation power and supply the rectified generation power to the battery.

8. A method for variably controlling an alternator, comprising:
calculating, by a controller, a target generation rate;
generating, by the alternator, electricity based on the target generation rate and producing generation power;
determining, by the controller, a state of an engine of a vehicle;
variably adjusting, by the alternator, responsiveness to the generation based on the determination of the state of the engine; and
charging, by the alternator, a battery with the generation power,
wherein the variable adjustment includes dividing the state of the engine of the vehicle into an idle region and a driving region and variably adjusting the responsiveness of the alternator according to whether the state of the engine is the idle region or the driving region, and
wherein the responsiveness of the alternator is set to a slowest mode in the idle region so as to control revolution per minute (RPM) oscillation, and the responsiveness of the alternator is set to a normal mode in the driving region so as to prevent momentary battery overvoltage.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein control of the generation power includes the slowest mode, a slower mode, a slow mode, and the normal mode.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein communication between the alternator and the controller is conducted by a local interconnect network (LIN) communication method.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein setting the variably adjusting is conducted based on a value of a parameter (PARA) bit on an alternator control message frame of the LIN communication method.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the value of the PARA bit is “0” in a normal operation mode and is “1” in an operation mode without battery.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein control of the generation power includes a proportional integral (PI) control of integrating a difference between the generation power and a preset reference voltage and reducing a residual deviation.

14. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the alternator includes:
a generator configured to produce the generation power;
a regulator configured to operate the generator; and
a rectifier circuit configured to rectify the generation power and supply the rectified generation power to the battery.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Doo-Hyun
• Kim Hyun
• Koo Bon-Chang

Classifications

• B60W10/30

  including control of auxiliary equipment, e.g. air-conditioning compressors or oil pumps · CPC title

• H02J7/24 Primary

  using discharge tubes or semiconductor devices · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H02P9/48 Primary

  Arrangements for obtaining a constant output value at varying speed of the generator, e.g. on vehicle (H02P9/04 - H02P9/46 take precedence) · CPC title

• H02J7/242

  Electricity · mapped topic