Vehicle generator controller

Claim 1

A vehicle generator controller for regulating a voltage output from a generator for charging a battery mounted on a vehicle in accordance with a battery voltage, comprising: a voltage detection circuit for outputting a voltage detection signal by comparing the battery voltage with a reference voltage; a gradual increase control circuit for outputting a gradual increase control signal in response to the voltage detection signal; and a switching element for intermittently controlling the field current of the generator in response to the gradual increase control signal; wherein said gradual increase control circuit includes: a smoothing circuit for smoothing the voltage detection signal; a triangle generator for creating a triangle voltage; and a comparator for outputting a gradual increase control signal by comparing the signal output from said smoothing circuit with the triangle voltage; wherein said smoothing circuit includes a time constant circuit for setting a charging time constant and a discharging time constant to the voltage detection signal; wherein the charging time constant and the discharging time constant are set such that said comparator gradually increases the field current by intermittently operating said switching element when the battery voltage drops; the conducting ratio of said switching element is gradually increased in response to the gradual increase control signal when the battery voltage drops as well as instantly decreased regardless of the gradual increase control signal when the battery voltage increases; and both the charging time constant and the discharging time constant of said smoothing circuit are set to one second or longer to permit the gradual increase control signal to gradually decrease when the battery voltage increases as well as to gradually increase from a level in the midway of the gradual decrease when the battery voltage drops in the midway of the decrease as well as to permit the conducting ratio of said switching element to gradually increase from the conducting ratio which is in response to the gradual increase control signal in the midway of the gradual decrease when the battery voltage drops.