Fault detection and diagnostic system for automotive battery charging systems

Claim 2

An in situ self-diagnostic automotive alternator-battery charging system comprising: a battery; voltage regulator means sensing battery voltage and generating an excitation signal in response thereto; alternator means coupled to said battery and said voltage regulator means, driven by a vehicle engine, providing a rectified electrical signal for charging said battery in response to said excitation signal; a plurality of electronic circuit status detectors, each of said plurality maintaining a first logic state when a corresponding electrical signal characteristic is within a predetermined range and a second logic state when said electrical signal characteristic is outside said predetermined range, selected ones of said plurality being coupled to said battery, voltage regulator means and said alternator means with at least one of said electronic circuit status detectors including resettable timing means establishing time intervals for the detection of repetitive occurrences of pulse signals; and logic means coupled to said plurality of circuit status detectors and responsive to the logic output states of said circuit status detectors, identifying predetermined sequences of logic states thereby to identify the occurrence of faults in said charging system.

Claim 3

The battery charging system of claim 1 wherein one of said electronic circuit status detectors includes means to detect the operation of said alternator and to produce logic signals corresponding to the operative and inoperative status of said alternator.

Claim 4

The battery charging system of claim 2 wherein said detector having means to detect the operation of said alternator further includes means to monitor phase signals from said alternator, the continued detection of which results in production of said alternator a logic signal indicative of alternator operation.

Claim 5

The battery charging system of claim 3 wherein said logic means further includes power supply means, responsive to logic signals from said status detector for detection of the operation of said alternator, for supplying power to operate said voltage regulator means only when said alternator means operation has been detected.

Claim 6

The battery charging system of claim 4 wherein said logic means further includes combinatorial logic circuits to identify the occurrence of predetermined sequences of said logic states.

Claim 7

The battery charging system of claim 5 wherein said logic means further includes sequence timing means, establishing a minimum time interval during which a predetermined sequence of logic states must be maintained, to confirm the identification of a fault.

Claim 8

The battery charging system of claim 6 wherein said logic means further includes display means, responsive to the termination of said minimum time interval of said sequence timing means, for warning the operator of the detection of a fault and providing additional signals indicative of the location of the detected fault in said battery charging system.

Claim 9

The battery charging system of claim 7 wherein said logic means further includes reset means operative after disruption of a confirmed sequence of logic states to reset said sequence timing means to re-establish the minimum time interval.

Claim 10

The battery charging system of claim 8 wherein said plurality of circuit status detectors and said logic means are made integral with the circuitry for said voltage regulator means.

Claim 11

An in situ self-diagnostic automotive alternator-battery charging system comprising: a battery; voltage regulator means sensing battery voltage and in response to an actuating signal, generating an excitation signal in response to the sensed battery voltage; alternator means coupled to said voltage regulator means and selectively coupled to said battery, driven by a vehicle engine, providing a rectified electrical signal for charging said battery in response to said excitation signal; an ignition switch for establishing coupling of said battery to said alternator means; a plurality of electronic circuit status detectors powered by said automotive charging system, each of said plurality being coupled to said battery or alternator means by isolating transistors preventing the flow of electrical current through said detectors when said ignition switch is open, each of said plurality of detectors maintaining a first logic state when a corresponding electrical signal characteristic is within a predetermined range and a second logic state when said electrical signal characteristic is outside said predetermined range, selected ones of said plurality being coupled to said battery, voltage regulator means and said alternator means; one of said plurality of said electronic circuit status detectors being coupled to said alternator and including means to detect the operation of said alternator and producing logic signals corresponding to the operative and inoperative status of said alternator; logic means coupled to said plurality of circuit status detectors and including power supply means, responsive to logic signals from said status detector for detection of the operation of said alternator, for supplying said actuating signal to said voltage regulator means when said alternator means operation has been detected, said logic means being responsive to the logic output states of said circuit status detectors, identifying predetermined sequences of logic states thereby to identify the occurrence of faults in said charging system.

Claim 12

An in situ self-diagnostic automotive alternator-battery charging system comprising: a battery; voltage regulator means sensing battery voltage and in response to an actuating signal, generating an excitation signal in response to the sensed battery voltage; alternator means coupled to said voltage regulator means and selectively coupled to said battery, driven by a vehicle engine, providing a rectified electrical signal for charging said battery in response to said excitation signal; an ignition switch for establishing coupling of said battery to said alternator means; a plurality of electronic circuit status detectors powered by said automotive charging system, each of said plurality being coupled to said battery or alternator means by isolating transistors preventing the flow of electrical current through said detectors when said ignition switch is open, each of said plurality of detectors maintaining a first logic state when a corresponding electrical signal characteristic is within a predetermined range and a second logic state when said electrical signal characteristic is outside said predetermined range, selected ones of said plurality being coupled to said battery, voltage regulator means and said alternator means; one of said plurality of said electronic circuit status detectors being coupled to said alternator and including means to detect the operation of said alternator and producing logic signals corresponding to the operative and inoperative status of said alternator; logic means coupled to said plurality of circuit status detectors and including power supply means, responsive to logic signals from said status detector for detection of the operation of said alternator, for supplying said actuating signal to said voltage regulator means when said alternator means operation has been detected, said logic means being responsive to the logic output states of said circuit status detectors, identifying predetermined sequences of logic states thereby to identify the occurrence of faults in said charging system.

Claim 13

The battery charging system of claim 10 wherein at least one of said electronic circuit status detectors includes resettable timing means establishing time intervals for the detection of repetitive occurrences of pulse signals.

Claim 14

The battery charging system of claim 11 wherein said logic means further includes combinatorial logic circuits to identify the occurrence of predetermined sequences of said logic states.

Claim 15

The battery charging system of claim 12 wherein said logic means further includes sequence timing means, establishing a minimum time interval during which a predetermined sequence of logic states must be maintained, to confirm the identification of a fault.

Claim 16

The battery charging system of claim 13 wherein said logic means further includes display means, responsive to the termination of said minimum time interval of said sequence timing means, for warning the operator of the detection of a fault and providing additional signals indicative of the location of the detected fault in said battery charging system.

Claim 17

The battery charging system of claim 14 wherein said logic means further includes reset means operative after disruption of a confirmed sequence of logic states to reset said sequence timing means to re-establish the minimum time interval.

Claim 18

The battery charging system of claim 15 wherein said alternator means further includes an indicator lamp connected to said ignition switch and said logic power supply means, the illumination of said indicator lamp causing the establishment of initial excitation current for said alternator means through said power supply means.

Claim 19

The battery charging system of claim 16 wherein said display means further includes means to cause illumination of said indicator lamp to warn the operator of the detection of a fault in the system.

Claim 20

The battery charging system of claim 17 wherein one of said electronic circuit status detectors detects a voltage exceeding a predetermined maximum range and said high voltage detector further includes protection means for interrupting the excitation signal supplied by said voltage regulator means to said alternator means when said voltage exceeding a maximum range is detected.

Claim 21

The battery charging system of claim 18 wherein said high voltage detector further includes latching means to disable said automobile system by continued interruption of said excitation signal until said ignition switch is opened.

Claim 22

The battery charging system of claim 19 wherein said plurality of circuit status detectors and said logic means are made integral with the circuitry for said voltage regulator means.

Claim 23

An in situ fault diagnostic apparatus for attachment to and permanent integration with an automotive alternator, voltage regulator, and battery system comprising: a plurality of electronic circuit status detectors each of said plurality maintaining a first logic state when a corresponding electrical signal characteristic is within a predetermined range and a second logic state when said electrical signal characteristic is outside said predetermined range, selected ones of said plurality being coupled to said battery, voltage regulator means and said alternator means with at least one of said electronic circuit status detectors including resettable timing means establishing time intervals for the detection of repetitive occurrences of pulse signals; and logic means coupled to said plurality of circuit status detectors and responsive to the logic output states of said circuit status detectors, identifying the occurrence of predetermined sequences of said logic states, thereby to identify the occurrence of faults in the charging system.

Claim 24

An in situ fault diagnostic apparatus for attachment to and permanent integration with an automotive alternator, voltage regulator, and battery system comprising: a plurality of electronic circuit status detectors each of said plurality maintaining a first logic state when a corresponding electrical signal characteristic is within a predetermined range and a second logic state when said electrical signal characteristic is outside said predetermined range, selected ones of said plurality being coupled to said battery, voltage regulator means and said alternator means with at least one of said electronic circuit status detectors including resettable timing means establishing time intervals for the detection of repetitive occurrences of pulse signals; and logic means coupled to said plurality of circuit status detectors and responsive to the logic output states of said circuit status detectors, identifying the occurrence of predetermined sequences of said logic states, thereby to identify the occurrence of faults in the charging system.

Claim 25

The fault diagnostic apparatus of claim 21 wherein one of said electronic circuit status detectors includes means to detect the operation of said alternator and to produce logic signals corresponding to the operative and inoperative status of said alternator.

Claim 26

The fault diagnostic apparatus of claim 22 wherein said detector having means to detect operation of said alternator further includes means to monitor phase signals from said alternator, the continued detection of which results in the production of a logic signal indicative of alternator operation.

Claim 27

The fault diagnostic apparatus of claim 23 wherein said logic means further includes power supply means, responsive to logic signals from said status detector for detection of the operation of said alternator, for supplying power to operate said voltage regulator means only when said alternator means operation has been detected.

Claim 28

The fault diagnostic apparatus of claim 24 wherein said logic means further includes combinatorial logic circuits to identify the occurrence of predetermined sequences of logic states.

Claim 29

The fault diagnostic apparatus of claim 25 wherein said logic means further includes sequence timing means, establishing a minimum time interval during which a predetermined sequence of logic states must be maintained, to confirm the identification of a fault.

Claim 30

The fault diagnostic apparatus of claim 26 wherein said logic means further includes display means, responsive to the termination of said minimum time interval of said sequence timing means, for warning the operator of the detection of a fault and providing additional signals indicative of the location of the detected fault in said automotive system.

Claim 31

The fault diagnostic apparatus of claim 27 wherein said logic means further includes reset means operative after disruption of a confirmed sequence of logic states to reset said sequence timing means to re-establish the minimum time interval.

Claim 32

The fault diagnostic apparatus of claim 28 wherein said plurality of circuit status detectors and said logic means are made integral with the circuitry for said voltage regulator means.

Claim 35

The method of claim 30 wherein the step of establishing normal operating ranges further includes the step of selecting one of said plurality of electronic circuit status detectors for detecting the operation of said alternator.

Claim 36

The method of claim 31 wherein the step of detecting includes the steps of testing for the continued reoccurrence of phase signals from said alternator and generating a signal indicative of the operation of said alternator upon said reoccurrence.

Claim 37

The method of claim 32 wherein after the step of generating a signal is included the step of supplying power to establish operation of said voltage regulator.

Claim 38

The method of claim 33 wherein the step of monitoring said logic states includes the step of comparing the duration of a logic state sequence with a predetermined time interval to confirm the detection of a fault.

Claim 39

The method of claim 34 wherein the step of monitoring said logic states further includes the steps of classifying said logic state sequences as to location of the detected fault and displaying an indication of said classification.

Claim 40

The method of claim 35 wherein after the step of displaying is included the step of terminating the display of an indication of said classification upon disruption of the duration of said logic state sequence.