Patent ID: 7391186
Filing Date: 2008-06-24
Classification: H02P

Abstract:
1. A vehicle alternator failure monitoring system for monitoring an operational failure of a vehicle alternator, the vehicle alternator failure monitoring system comprising: an external control device operative to perform processing depending on a power generation status of the vehicle alternator; and a vehicle alternator control device controlling a generated voltage of the vehicle alternator at a given level and operative to transmit a serial communication signal representing the power generation status of the vehicle alternator to the external control device over a serial communication; wherein the vehicle alternator control device comprises power generation status signal transmission means operative to transmit the serial communication signal in at least two transmission modes including a first power generation status signal transmission mode to transmit a first data representing a first content of the power generation status of the vehicle alternator and a failure flag indicative of the presence of or absence of the operational failure of the vehicle alternator and a second power generation status signal transmission mode to transmit a second data representing a second content of the power generation status of the vehicle alternator.