Voltage regulator

Claim 1

A VOLTAGE REGULATOR USEFUL IN CONTROLLING THE OPERATION OF ROTATING ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT INCLUDING AN ALTERNATOR HAVING AN OUTPUT WINDING AND CORRESPONDING OUTPUT TERMINALS, SAID REGULATOR COMPRISING A SENSING CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT TERMINALS OF THE ALTERNATOR AND INCLUDING VOLTAGE REDUCTION AND RECTIFYING MEANS FOR PROVIDING A SENSED VOLTAGE PROPORTIONAL TO THE VOLTAGE AT THE OUTPUT TERMINALS, A FIELD WINDING AND A FIRST SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE CONNECTED TO AT LEAST ONE PHASE OF THE ALTERNATOR WINDING, A FIRING AND REFERENCE VOLTAGE CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT TERMINALS OF SAID ALTERNATOR WINDING, SAID CIRCUIT INCLUDING A CONSTANT VOLTAGE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE EFFECTIVE IN ESTABLISHING A REFERENCE VOLTAGE, SELECTIVELY OPERABLE CONDUCTING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CONSTANT VOLTAGE SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE AND TO SAID SENSING CIRCUIT, SAID CONDUCTING MEANS BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE DIFFERENCE VOLTAGE RESULTING FROM THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE REFERENCE VOLTAGE AND THE SENSED VOLTAGE FURNISHED BY THE SENSING CIRCUIT, THE ARRANGEMENT BEING SUCH THAT WHEN THE DIFFERENCE VOLTAGE REACHES A PREDETERMINED VALUE, THE CONDUCTING MEANS IS CONVERTED TO A CONDUCTING STATE TO CHARGE A CAPACITOR ASSOCIATED THEREWITH, STABILIZING MEANS BETWEEN THE SENSING AND FIRING AND REFERENCE VOLTAGE CIRCUITS FOR IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF THE ALTERNATOR, SYNCHRONIZING MEANS IN THE FIRING AND VOLTAGE REFERENCE CIRCUIT INCLUDING A CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID CAPACITOR AND THE FIRST SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, SAID SYNCHRONIZING MEANS BEING EFFECTIVE IN PERMITTING THE FIRING CIRCUIT VOLTAGE TO DECREASE TO ZERO AT LEAST ONCE PER CYCLE AND PERMITTING THE CAPACITOR TO DISCHARGE AT LEAST ONE PER CYCLE, THEREBY OBTAINING SYNCHRONIZATION BETWEEN THE LINE VOLTAGE AND THE TIME THE CAPACITOR BEGINS TO CHARGE.