초록 ▼

A multi-battery charging system for reduced fuel consumption and emissions for an automotive vehicle. The system starts the vehicle with a start battery in a fuel savings manner, removing electrical torque from the alternator shaft, and allows a second (run) battery to provide all or some of the cur

A multi-battery charging system for reduced fuel consumption and emissions for an automotive vehicle. The system starts the vehicle with a start battery in a fuel savings manner, removing electrical torque from the alternator shaft, and allows a second (run) battery to provide all or some of the current required by the vehicle loads as a fuel savings measure. The system also utilizes an electrically heated catalytic converter (EHC) and a third (EHC or storage) battery to provide a 3 to 15 second preheat and/or a 20 second current, during vehicle start, to the EHC heater coil, e.g., of a small EHC located in series with a standard catalytic converter for emissions reduction to reduce emissions during start. The start battery is recharged after start and switched out of the system fully charged for future vehicle starts. The run battery is recharged when its charge level drops below a predetermined level with an on board battery charging device powered from a 115 volt or 220 volt ac power line source external to the vehicle. The system also increases the alternator field current to charge the run battery during vehicle deceleration to use vehicle momentum to torque the alternator shaft, thus saving fuel. The system controls the alternator field current with a voltage regulator. The voltage regulator senses the charge level of the three batteries and vehicle operating conditions and provides the proper current into the alternator rotor for maximum fuel savings. The voltage regulator may be a non microprocessor or a microprocessor controlled device.

대표청구항 ▼

A voltage regulator for controlling the output voltage of an alternator for a fuel consuming engine comprising: a pulse modulation circuit having a reference voltage source for providing an output current with a duty cycle selected for maintaining the alternator output voltage regulated at a selecte

A voltage regulator for controlling the output voltage of an alternator for a fuel consuming engine comprising: a pulse modulation circuit having a reference voltage source for providing an output current with a duty cycle selected for maintaining the alternator output voltage regulated at a selected output voltage; a circuit for changing the duty cycle of the pulse modulation circuit between a first duty cycle associated with the reference voltage source and a second duty cycle, the second duty cycle corresponding to an alternator output voltage lower than the selected regulated output voltage; and a switch having an on condition whereby the pulse modulation circuit output current is one of the first and second duty cycles, and an off condition whereby the pulse modulation output current is the other of the first and second duty cycles.