Patent ID: 7330015
Filing Date: 2008-02-12
Classification: H02J,H02P

Abstract:
1. A power generation controller for regulating an output voltage of a vehicle generator or a battery voltage of a vehicle battery charged by said vehicle generator by controlling an excitation current flowing into an excitation winding of said vehicle generator, said power generation controller comprising: a switching element connected in series between an output terminal of said vehicle generator and said excitation winding; a voltage control circuit on/off controlling said switching element such that one of said output voltage of said vehicle generator and said battery voltage is kept at a target voltage; and a contact abnormality detector circuit detecting a voltage of said output terminal as said output voltage of said vehicle generator, and detecting abnormality in a contact state between said power generation controller and said output terminal on the basis of said detected output voltage of said vehicle generator, wherein said contact abnormality detector circuit is configured to detect said abnormality on the basis of a contact resistance between said output terminal of said vehicle generator and said power generation controller, and said contact abnormality detector circuit is configured to determine that said abnormality has occurred when a one-phase voltage of a stator winding of said vehicle generator has become higher than a sum of said detected output voltage of said vehicle generator after being full-wave rectified by a full-wave rectifier constituted by diodes included in said vehicle generator, and a forward voltage drop of said diodes.