Patent ID: 8089169

Claim:
A power control system of a vehicle, comprising: a battery; an alternator that generates electric power and charges the battery with the electric power; a battery condition detecting device that detects conditions of the battery; and a communication line through which the alternator and the battery condition detecting device communicate with each other, wherein the battery condition detecting device comprises: a battery current detecting unit that detects a first electric current supplied from the alternator to the battery and a second electric current discharged from the battery; a battery voltage detecting unit that detects a voltage of the battery at a terminal of the battery; a battery temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature of the battery; a communicating unit that receives a power generation condition signal containing a power generation condition of the alternator from the alternator through the communication line; a malfunction judging unit that judges, from the electric currents detected by the battery current detecting unit, the battery voltage detected by the battery voltage detecting unit, the battery temperature detected by the battery temperature detecting unit and the power generation condition signal received by the communicating unit, whether or not a malfunction has occurred in one of the alternator, the battery and the detecting units or the occurrence of a malfunction is predicted; and a notifying unit that notifies the occurrence of the malfunction or the prediction of the malfunction occurrence in response to the judgment of the malfunction judging unit that a malfunction has occurred in one of the alternator, the battery and the detecting units or the occurrence of the malfunction is predicted, wherein the communicating unit is adapted to receive the power generation condition signal containing failure information, which indicates a content of a failure occurring in the alternator, as the power generation condition of the alternator, and wherein the communicating unit is adapted to receive the power generation condition signal further containing a voltage of the electric power, a power generation ratio in the alternator, a rotational speed in the alternator and an exciting current flowing through the alternator as power generation conditions of the alternator.