Patent ID: 7078881
Filing Date: 2006-07-18
Classification: H02P

Abstract:
1. An AC generator apparatus for a vehicle equipped with a battery, comprising a rotor having a plurality of field poles, an excitation winding for magnetizing said field poles, a stator having a multi-phase armature winding coupled to rotating magnetic fields produced by said rotor for producing a multi-phase AC voltage, a rectifier apparatus having a plurality of rectifier elements each having a first terminal connected to said multi-phase armature winding and a second terminal connected to a terminal of said battery, with said rectifier apparatus converting said multi-phase AC voltage to a DC voltage, and a generator control apparatus for controlling a current flow in said excitation winding to thereby control said multi-phase AC voltage; wherein said generator control apparatus comprises: comparator means for comparing respective voltages appearing on said first and second terminals of one of said rectifier elements; and control changeover means for performing changeover of at least one controlled parameter in accordance with comparison results obtained by said comparator means.