Polyphase alternator and dual voltage battery charging system for multiple voltage loads

Claim 2

A dual voltage battery power supply system for vehicular devices having multiple load means of said different voltages, comprising a battery means having first and second high voltage terminal means and having an intermediate terminal means defining first and second low voltage supplies with each of said high voltage terminal means, a polyphase alternator having a polyphase winding including output terminal means, a full wave rectifier means connecting said battery means to said output terminal means and to said high voltage output terminal means to supply full wave rectified power to said high voltage terminal means, and means connecting said intermediate terminal means to said polyphase winding for connecting the battery means to the opposite sides of said intermediate terminal means into separate charging circuits with said polyphase winding and said full wave rectifier means.

Claim 3

The power supply system of claim 1 including first and second load units of the same voltage rating, said first and second load units being constructed and arranged with the same load levels, said first load unit connected between said intermediate terminal means and said first high voltage terminal means, and said second load unit connected between said intermediate terminal means and said second high voltage terminal means.

Claim 4

The power supply system of claim 2 including an auxiliary load means selectively connected in circuit with said first and second load units, and control means to monitor the voltage level of said first and second low voltage supplies and operable to selectively connect said load means circuit with one of said first and second load units in response to a selected voltage difference for re-establishing equal voltages in said low voltage supplies.

Claim 5

The power supply system of claim 3 wherein said auxiliary load means includes a resistor means connected to said intermediate terminal means, and switch means coupled to said control means to selectively connect the resistor means to said first or second high voltage terminal means.

Claim 6

The power supply system of claim 3 wherein said auxiliary load means includes separate first and second loads, each including a resistor means in series with a solid state switch, said first load being connected in parallel with said first low voltage supply and said second load being connected in parallel with said second low voltage supply.

Claim 7

The power supply system of claim 1 wherein said polyphase winding is wye-connected having a common center connection connected to said intermediate terminal means.

Claim 8

The power supply system of claim 6 wherein one of said high voltage terminal means is connected as a common ground whereby said one low voltage supply is a floating voltage and the other low voltage supply is grounded.

Claim 9

The battery power supply system of claim 1 wherein said battery means is having a low antimony-­lead or non-antimony lead battery grid means and having a significant change in voltage with change in current.

Claim 10

The battery power supply system of claim 1 wherein said full wave rectifier means includes solid state gated unidirectional conductors, and means to monitor the state of said battery means and connected to gated unidirectional conductors to establish said separate charging circuits for maintaining a minimum charge on each of said first and second low voltage supplies.

Claim 11

A battery power supply system for a mobile vehicle for supplying a first load means at a selected voltage and a second load means at one half said selected voltage, comprising a battery means having a series of cells connected between first and second full voltage terminal means to establish said selected voltage and a center terminal means connected to the central connections of said series of cells to define said half voltage at said center terminal means, a polyphase alternator connected to establish individual battery charging circuits across said full voltage terminal means and across each of the center terminal means and the first and second full voltage terminal means, said second load means being formed into first and second load units of similar load resistance, said first load unit connected between the center terminal means and said first full voltage terminal means, said second load unit connected between the center terminal means and said second full voltage terminal means, and load means selectively connected to said first and second load units to balance the first and second load units.

Claim 12

A battery power supply system for a mobile vehicle for supplying a first load means at a selected voltage and a second load means at one half said selected voltage, comprising a battery means having a series of cells connected between first and second full voltage terminal means to establish said selected voltage and a center terminal means connected to the central connections of said series of cells to define said half voltage at said center terminal means, a polyphase alternator connected to establish individual battery charging circuits across said full voltage terminal means and across each of the center terminal means and the first and second full voltage terminal means, said second load means being formed into first and second load units of similar load resistance, said first load unit connected between the center terminal means and said first full voltage terminal means, said second load unit connected between the center terminal means and said second full voltage terminal means, and load means selectively connected to said first and second load units to balance the first and second load units.

Claim 13

The battery power supply system of claim 10 wherein said battery means has a significant change in voltage with current.

Claim 14

The battery power supply system of claim 10 wherein said alternator is a three phase wye-­connected alternator having a common winding connection directly connected to said center terminal means of said battery means.

Claim 15

The battery power supply system of claim 12 wherein one of said full voltage terminal means is connected as a system ground.

Claim 16

A multiple direct current supply system for a vehicle having first direct current loads requiring a first direct current voltage and second direct current loads requiring a second direct current voltage and third direct current loads requiring a third direct current voltage, comprising a three phase alternator having a three phase output winding connected in a wye-connection winding with a common center terminal means, a battery unit having first and second output terminal means having an output voltage equal to said first direct current voltage and having a third output terminal means defining said second direct current voltage with said first output terminal means and said third direct current voltage with second terminal means, a rectifier means connected to the output terminations of said three phase winding for establishing a direct current voltage on the order of said first direct current voltage at first and second power terminal means, and circuit means connecting said power terminal means to said first and second output terminal means and connecting said common terminal means to said third output terminal means.

Claim 17

A multiple direct current supply system for a vehicle having first direct current loads requiring a first direct current voltage and second direct current loads requiring a second direct current voltage and third direct current loads requiring a third direct current voltage, comprising a three phase alternator having a three phase output winding connected in a wye-connection winding with a common center terminal means, a battery unit having first and second output terminal means having an output voltage equal to said first direct current voltage and having a third output terminal means defining said second direct current voltage with said first output terminal means and said third direct current voltage with second terminal means, a rectifier means connected to the output terminations of said three phase winding for establishing a direct current voltage on the order of said first direct current voltage at first and second power terminal means, and circuit means connecting said power terminal means to said first and second output terminal means and connecting said common terminal means to said third output terminal means.

Claim 18

The direct current supply system of claim 14 including load control means selectively connected between said third output terminal means and said first and second output terminal means to control total loads coupled to said second and third direct current voltages.

Claim 19

A direct current power supply for vehicle having a plurality of 12 volt load units and at least one 24 volt load unit, comprising a three phase alternator having a field winding and a wye-connected three phase winding with a common termination and three winding terminations, said alternator being constructed to limit the current output with speed above a selected level and having an output voltage controlled by said field and the speed of the alternator, said alternator being wound to minimize the voltage generated at said common termination, a full wave diode rectifier unit having three parallel rectifying branches connected in parallel between a positive output lead and a negative output lead, each of said branches having at least two series connected diodes and having a branch center tap connected to one of said winding terminations, a first 12 volt battery means, a second 12 volt battery means, connected in series with said first 12 volt battery means and having first and second 24 volt output terminals at the opposite ends thereof to define a 24 volt battery means and having a central common connection, 24 volt terminal means connected to the series connected first and second 12 volt battery means and adapted to supply power a to 24 volt load, 12 volt terminal means connected to the common connection of said first and 12 volt battery means, a first 12 volt control load means connected between said first 24 volt terminal means and said 12 volt terminal means, a second 12 volt control load means connected between said 12 volt terminal means and said second 24 volt terminal means, each of said control load means including a control input means for controlling the level of the same control load means, a voltage comparator means connected to said 24 volt terminal means and said 12 volt terminal means to compare the voltages appearing across said control load means and operable to vary the level of said control load means to establish and maintain essentially equal voltages between said third terminal means and each of said first and second terminal means and thereby across said control load means.

Claim 20

A direct current power supply for vehicle having a plurality of 12 volt load units and at least one 24 volt load unit, comprising a three phase alternator having a field winding and a wye-connected three phase winding with a common termination and three winding terminations, said alternator being constructed to limit the current output with speed above a selected level and having an output voltage controlled by said field and the speed of the alternator, said alternator being wound to minimize the voltage generated at said common termination, a full wave diode rectifier unit having three parallel rectifying branches connected in parallel between a positive output lead and a negative output lead, each of said branches having at least two series connected diodes and having a branch center tap connected to one of said winding terminations, a first 12 volt battery means, a second 12 volt battery means, connected in series with said first 12 volt battery means and having first and second 24 volt output terminals at the opposite ends thereof to define a 24 volt battery means and having a central common connection, 24 volt terminal means connected to the series connected first and second 12 volt battery means and adapted to supply power a to 24 volt load, 12 volt terminal means connected to the common connection of said first and 12 volt battery means, a first 12 volt control load means connected between said first 24 volt terminal means and said 12 volt terminal means, a second 12 volt control load means connected between said 12 volt terminal means and said second 24 volt terminal means, each of said control load means including a control input means for controlling the level of the same control load means, a voltage comparator means connected to said 24 volt terminal means and said 12 volt terminal means to compare the voltages appearing across said control load means and operable to vary the level of said control load means to establish and maintain essentially equal voltages between said third terminal means and each of said first and second terminal means and thereby across said control load means.

Claim 21

The direct current power supply of claim 16 wherein each of said control load means includes a resistive load and a variable conductive means having a control input means connected to said comparator means to vary the conductive of said load means.

Claim 22

The power supply of claim 17 wherein one of said first and second 24 volt output terminal means is connected to a common ground for said electrical system.

Claim 23

The power supply of claim 17 wherein said central common connection is connected to ground.

Claim 24

A battery power supply system for a vehicle for supplying first load means at a selected voltage and second load means at one half said selected voltage, comprising a battery means having a series of cells connected between first and second full voltage terminal means to establish said selected voltage and a center terminal means connected to the central connections of said series of cells to define two battery segments having said half voltage between said center terminal means and each of said full voltage terminal means, a alternator connected to establish individual battery charging circuits across said full voltage terminal means and across each of the center terminal means and the first and second full voltage terminal means, said second load means being formed into first and second load units of similar load resistance, said first load unit connected between the center terminal means and said first full voltage terminal means, said second load unit connected between the center terminal means and said second full voltage terminal means, and means responsive to a selected difference in the voltage of said two battery segments to connect said alternator to charge the battery segments having the lowest charge to equalize the charge of the two battery segments.

Claim 25

A battery power supply system for a vehicle for supplying first load means at a selected voltage and second load means at one half said selected voltage, comprising a battery means having a series of cells connected between first and second full voltage terminal means to establish said selected voltage and a center terminal means connected to the central connections of said series of cells to define two battery segments having said half voltage between said center terminal means and each of said full voltage terminal means, a alternator connected to establish individual battery charging circuits across said full voltage terminal means and across each of the center terminal means and the first and second full voltage terminal means, said second load means being formed into first and second load units of similar load resistance, said first load unit connected between the center terminal means and said first full voltage terminal means, said second load unit connected between the center terminal means and said second full voltage terminal means, and means responsive to a selected difference in the voltage of said two battery segments to connect said alternator to charge the battery segments having the lowest charge to equalize the charge of the two battery segments.

Claim 26

The battery power supply system of claim 20 wherein said battery means is a lead-acid battery wherein the grids include antimony in an amount not substantially greater than 2 percent, or do not include antimony in any significant amount or concentration.

Claim 27

The battery power supply system of claim 21 wherein said alternator is a three phase wye-­connected alternator having a common winding connection directly connected to said center terminal means of said battery means.

Claim 28

The battery power supply system of claim 22 wherein a full wave rectifier means has an input means connected to the output of said alternator and an output means connected across first and second full voltage terminal means, said rectifier means having a first group of controlled rectifier means connected to conduct the alternate half cycles of the output of said alternators, the controlled rectifier means of each group being connected to each other, and a logic control means connected to said means responsive to a selected difference in the voltage of the battery segments to separately charge each battery segment to maintain each battery segment at a selected minimum voltage.

Claim 29

The battery power supply system of claim 20 wherein said charge control means includes a switch means connected between said alternator and said center terminal means and operable to selectively connect said terminal means to said alternator to charge one of said two battery segments.