EP0657992A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Alternating current generator for motor vehicles
Assignee: Denso Corp
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Filing: 1994-12-06
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2014-12-06
Abstract
Abstract An alternating current generator for motor vehicles having an extremely small power loss and which can be simply cooled includes a power converter having at least either high side semiconductor power elements or low side semiconductor elements. The high side power elements connect an output terminal of the armature coil to a high potential terminal of the battery; the low side semiconductor power elements connect an output terminal of the armature coil to a low potential terminal of the battery. The power converter converts the alternating current generated voltage of the armature coil into a direct current voltage to supply electricity to the battery. An exciting current controller includes a switching transistor for controlling an exciting current to a field coil. Either or both all the semiconductor power elements in the power converter or the switching transistor in the exciting current controller is formed of SiC material, which is a compound of Si and C, having a resistivity smaller than that of pure Si.
Inventors
- 👤 Atsushi Umeda
- 👤 Masatoshi Togawa
- 👤 Junji Kawai
- 👤 Hirohide Sato
- 👤 Norihito Tokura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 22:09
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10D; H10D30/00; H10D30/60; H10D30/64; H10D30/66; H10D30/668; B; B60; B60L; B60L50/00; B60L50/10; H02; H02J; H02J7/00; H02J7/14; H02J7/1469; H02J7/1492; H02J7/16; H02J7/24; H02J7/2434; H02J7/70; H02P; H02P9/00; H02P9/14; H02P9/26; H02P9/30; H02P9/305; H02P9/38; H02P9/48; H02J2105/00; H02J2105/30; H02J2105/33; H02P2101/00; H02P2101/45; H10D62/00; H10D62/80; H10D62/83; H10D62/832; H10D62/8325; Y; Y02; Y02T; Y02T10/00; Y02T10/60; Y02T10/64; Y02T10/70; Y02T10/7072; Y02T10/80; Y02T10/92
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 23
Claim 1
Independent Claim
201 words
An engine-driven alternating current generator for a motor vehicle comprising: an armature coil wound around an iron core of said generator for generating an alternating current generated voltage, said armature coil having an output terminal; a battery for supplying power to an electrical system of said motor vehicle, said battery having a high potential terminal and a low potential terminal; a power converter having at least one of high side semiconductor power elements and low side semiconductor elements, said high side power elements connecting said output terminal to said high potential terminal, said low side semiconductor power elements connecting said output terminal of said armature coil to said low potential terminal, said power converter converting said alternating current generated voltage into a direct current voltage for supplying electricity to said battery; a field coil for generating a magnetic flux to said armature coil; an exciting current controller having a switching transistor for controlling an exciting current to said field coil; wherein at least one of all said semiconductor power elements in said power converter and the switching transistor is formed of SiC material which is a compound of Si and C and which has a resistivity smaller than that of Si.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
20 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said semiconductor power elements are MOS power transistors.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said semiconductor power elements are PN-junction diodes.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
88 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 2 wherein said generator includes a three-phase armature coil and said generator includes at least one of high side MOS power transistors and low side MOS power transistors, said high side MOS power transistors connecting each terminal of said three-phase armature coil in parallel to said high potential terminal, said low side MOS power transistors connecting each terminal of said three-phase armature coil in parallel to said low potential terminal, said MOS power transistors being formed of SiC.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
52 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 2 or 4, wherein said power converter includes both said high side MOS power transistors and low side MOS power transistors, and at least one of all said high side and all said low side MOS power transistors are formed of SiC.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
65 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 2 or 4, wherein said power converter includes said MOS power transistors either on said high side or on said low side, and wherein PN-junction diodes are provided on one of said high side and the low side where said MOS power transistors are not located, and the MOS power transistors are formed of SiC.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
102 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 2 or 4, wherein said MOS power transistors include an N⁺-type substrate acting as a source electrode, an N-type withstand voltage layer formed on said substrate, a P-type well region formed on a surface portion of said withstand voltage layer, an N⁺-type drain region formed on a surface of said P-type well region acting as a drain electrode, and a gate electrode disposed on a surface portion of said P-type well region via an insulating film, said gate electrode forming an N-channel that electrifies said drain region and said withstand voltage layer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
An alternating current generator according to claim 7, wherein said N⁺-type drain region and said P-type well region are electrically short-circuited.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
101 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 8, wherein said substrate acts as a common region of each phase of said high side MOS power transistors, each phase of said P-type well regions is individually formed on said substrate, said N⁺-type drain region is individually formed on said surface portion of each of said P-type well regions, and each gate electrode is individually arranged on a surface portion of each of said P-type well regions for forming a channel that allows each of said drain region and said withstand voltage layer to conduct electricity via an insulating layer.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 2 or 4, wherein said power converter is mounted on a common substrate with a voltage adjustment circuit for controlling the switching of said MOS power transistors.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
30 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 2 or 4, wherein said power converter acts as one of a full wave rectifier and a half wave rectifier.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 2 or 4, wherein a withstand voltage between said source and said drain of the MOS power transistors is set to 50 V or more.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 2 or 4, wherein a withstand voltage between said source and said drain of the MOS power transistors is set to 100 V or more.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 2 or 4, wherein the MOS power transistors and the switching transistor in said exciting current controller are formed of a single crystal SiC material.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 2 or 4, wherein said switching transistor in said exciting current controller comprises a MOS power transistor.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
38 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claims 2 or 4, wherein said switching transistor in said power controller is integrated on a common SiC chip with said high side or low side MOS power transistors.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
30 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 2 or 4, wherein the MOS power transistors in said power converter are disposed on a housing of said generator.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
28 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said switching transistor is disposed separate from a control circuit portion of said exciting current controller.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
30 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 18, wherein said switching transistor is disposed on the same radiating fin as the semiconductor elements in said power converter.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
28 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 18, wherein said semiconductor power elements and said switching transistor are disposed on the housing of said generator.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
31 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 18, wherein the control circuit portion is disposed outside of said generator to control said switching transistor disposed inside said generator.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
35 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 1, wherein said power converter and said exciting current controller are housed in the same case and are disposed in the housing of said generator.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
45 words
An alternating current generator for motor vehicles according to claim 1 or 4, wherein MOS transistors for feeding back exciting current are connected in parallel with said field coil and said MOS transistors are integrated on a common SiC material chip as the switching transistor.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
FR2512406A1
Cited
JPS58148640A
Cited
JPS6139837A
Cited
JPH04138030A
Cited
JPH04295236A
Cited
JPH05102497A
Cited
US5233215A
Cited
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