Electric power generation control system

Abstract

An electric power generation control system has an electric power generation amount determining section for determining an electric power generation request amount of a vehicle alternator by monitoring vehicle conditions, an electric power generation amount increase judgment section for judging presence/absence of an electric power generation amount increase request to the vehicle alternator based on change of the electric power generation request amount in passage of time, an idle state judgment section for judging whether or not a vehicle engine falls in idle operation state, and an electric power generation amount suppressing control section for suppressing an electric power generation amount of the vehicle alternator. In the idle operation state of the vehicle engine and the presence of the electric power generation amount increase request, the electric power generation amount suppressing control section halts the control of suppressing the electric power generation of the vehicle alternator.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred, non-limiting embodiment of the present invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an entire configuration of a vehicular electric power generation system composed of a vehicular electric power generator (or a vehicle alternator) and an electric power generation control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a concrete configuration of a normal control section in the electric power generation control system of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the basic operation of the vehicular electric power generation system composed of the electric power generation control system according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the judgment operation by a judgment section capable of judging an increase amount of the electric power generation;

FIG. 5 is a view showing a change of the electric power generation amount under the presence of the request to increase the electric power generation amount;

FIG. 6 is a view showing an electric power generation system composed of a vehicle alternator, an electric power generation control device, and an engine ECU according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a view showing a frame format of a transmission data to be transferred from the engine ECU to the electric power generation control device;

FIG. 8 is a view showing an electric power generation system composed of a vehicle alternator, an electric power generation control device, and an engine ECU according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a view showing an electric power generation system composed of a vehicle alternator, an electric power generation control device, and an engine ECU according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the judgment operation of a judgment section for judging an increase amount of the electric power generation based on an exciting current indication value as a parameter.

Claims

1. An electric power generation control system comprising: electric power generation amount determining means configured to determine an electric power generation request amount of a vehicle alternator while monitoring vehicle conditions;electric power generation increase amount judgment means configured to judge presence and absence of an electric power generation amount increase request for the vehicle alternator based on a change of the electric power generation request amount over the passage of time;idle state judgment means configured to judge whether or not a vehicle engine falls in idle operation state; andelectric power generation amount suppressing control means configured to control suppression of the electric power generation amount of the vehicle alternator,wherein the electric power generation amount suppressing control means halts the execution of the electric power generation amount suppressing control when the judgment result of the idle state judgment means indicates that the vehicle engine falls in the idle operation state, and the judgment result of the electric power generation increase amount judgment means indicates the presence of the electric power generation increase amount request.

2. The electric power generation control system according to claim 1, wherein the electric power generation amount suppressing control means halts the control of suppressing the electric power generation amount when the judgment result of the idle state judgment means indicates that the vehicle engine does not fall in the idle operation state.

3. The electric power generation control system according to claim 1, wherein the electric power generation amount suppressing control means performs the control of suppressing the electric power generation amount when the judgment result of the idle state judgment means indicates that the vehicle engine falls in the idle operation state, and the judgment result of the electric power generation increase amount judgment means indicates the absence of the electric power generation increase amount request.

4. The electric power generation control system according to claim 1 further comprising; an external control device placed apart from the vehicle alternator; andan electric power generation control device placed near the vehicle alternator,wherein the external control device comprises the idle state judgment means and the electric power generation increase amount judgment means, andthe electric power generation control device comprises the electric power generation amount suppressing control means, andthe external control device transfers the judgment result obtained by the electric power generation increase amount judgment means to the electric power generation control device through a communication line.

5. The electric power generation control system according to claim 1 further comprising; an external control device placed apart from the vehicle alternator; andan electric power generation control device placed near the vehicle alternator,wherein the external control device comprises the idle state judgment means, andthe electric power generation control device comprises the electric power generation increase amount judgment means and the electric power generation amount suppressing control means, andthe external control device transfers the judgment result obtained by the idle state judgment means to the electric power generation control device through a communication line.

6. The electric power generation control system according to claim 1 further comprising; an external control device placed apart from the vehicle alternator; andan electric power generation control device placed near the vehicle alternator,wherein the electric power generation control device comprises the idle state judgment means, the electric power generation increase amount judgment means, and the electric power generation amount suppressing control means.

7. The electric power generation control system according to claim 4, wherein the electric power generation control device comprises normal control means configured to control the electric power generation state of the vehicle alternator based on the electric power generation request amount for the vehicle alternator transferred from the external control device, and the electric power generation request amount includes at least one parameter of an adjustment voltage indication value, an exciting current indication value, and a F duty ratio instruction value for use in control of a duty ratio of a drive signal for a switching element which drives an exciting current of the vehicle alternator.

8. The electric power generation control system according to claim 5, wherein the electric power generation control device comprises normal control means configured to control the electric power generation state of the vehicle alternator based on the electric power generation request amount for the vehicle alternator transferred from the external control device, and the electric power generation request amount includes at least one parameter of an adjustment voltage indication value, an exciting current indication value, and a F duty ratio instruction value for use in control of a duty ratio of a drive signal for a switching element which drives an exciting current of the vehicle alternator.

9. The electric power generation control system according to claim 6, wherein the electric power generation control device comprises normal control means configured to control the electric power generation state of the vehicle alternator based on the electric power generation request amount for the vehicle alternator transferred from the external control device, and the electric power generation request amount includes at least one parameter of an adjustment voltage indication value, an exciting current indication value, and a F duty ratio instruction value for use in control of a duty ratio of a drive signal for a switching element which drives an exciting current of the vehicle alternator.

10. The electric power generation control system according to claim 7, wherein the normal control means performs at least one of following control operations: controlling the output voltage of the vehicle alternator based on the adjustment voltage indication value; andcontrolling the exciting current of the vehicle alternator based on the exciting current indication value.

11. The electric power generation control system according to claim 10, wherein the normal control means performs a load response control of gradually increasing a duty ratio of the drive signal based on the F duty ratio indication value when the amount of the electric loads is increased while performing at least one of the output voltage control and the exciting current control of the vehicle alternator.

12. The electric power generation control system according to claim 4, wherein the electric power generation amount suppressing control means performs at least one of the following controls: suppressing the output voltage of the vehicle alternator;suppressing the exciting current of the vehicle alternator; andsuppressing the duty ratio of the drive signal of the switching element for driving the exciting current of the vehicle alternator.

13. The electric power generation control system according to claim 5, wherein the electric power generation amount suppressing control means performs at least one of the following controls: suppressing the output voltage of the vehicle alternator;suppressing the exciting current of the vehicle alternator; andsuppressing the duty ratio of the drive signal of the switching element for driving the exciting current of the vehicle alternator.

14. The electric power generation control system according to claim 6, wherein the electric power generation amount suppressing control means performs at least one of the following controls: suppressing the output voltage of the vehicle alternator;suppressing the exciting current of the vehicle alternator; andsuppressing the duty ratio of the drive signal of the switching element for driving the exciting current of the vehicle alternator.

15. The electric power generation control system according to claim 12, wherein the electric power generation amount suppressing control means gives priority execution to the control of suppressing the exciting current of the vehicle alternator.