Patent ID: 7623331

Claim:
A method for implementing voltage regulation for an electrical generator device, the method comprising: comparing an output voltage of the electrical generator device to a desired set point voltage thereof; generating an output control signal configured to regulate a field current of the generating device, the output control signal comprising a pulse with modulation signal configured to control the duty cycle of a switching device selectively activating and deactivating the field current; wherein the output control signal is generated in accordance with a linear mode of operation during an undervoltage condition with respect to the desired set point voltage, and wherein the output control signal is automatically set to a predetermined value in a non-linear mode of operation during an overvoltage condition; linearly incrementing the value of a duty cycle step variable during the undervoltage condition, so long as the value of the duty cycle step variable is not already at a predetermined maximum value thereof; linearly decrementing the value of a duty cycle step variable during the overvoltage condition, so long as the value of the duty cycle step variable is not already at a predetermined minimum value thereof; setting the output control signal to correspond to the present value of the duty cycle step variable during the linear mode of operation; and setting the output control signal to correspond to the predetermined minimum value of the duty cycle step variable during the non-linear mode of operation, regardless of the present value of the duty cycle step variable.