Patent ID: 7812469

Claim:
A battery current detection apparatus incorporated in a control system of a vehicle, said vehicle control system comprising an electric generator control apparatus for regulating an electric generator driven by an engine of said vehicle, said electric generator control apparatus being adapted to determine a value of a generation factor of said electric generator and control said electric generator to operate at said generation factor, and being coupled for communication with said battery current detection apparatus, and an electronic control apparatus coupled for communication with said battery current detection apparatus and adapted to regulate an idling speed of an internal combustion engine of said vehicle in accordance with a specified generation factor; wherein said battery current detection apparatus comprises: a current sensing device adapted to detect a value of charging current or discharge current of said battery; generation factor acquisition circuitry adapted to acquire said value of generation factor determined by said electric generator control apparatus; generation factor modification circuitry adapted to judge when said detected value of current is a discharge current having a magnitude which exceeds a predetermined threshold value; and specified generation factor transmitting circuitry for transmitting said acquired value of generation factor to said electronic control apparatus, as said specified generation factor, when said magnitude of discharge current does not exceed said threshold value, and for transmitting to said electronic control apparatus a value that is greater than said acquired value of generation factor, as said specified generation factor, when said magnitude of discharge current exceeds said threshold value.