IP Library Granted Patent US 6,960,903
Granted Patent B2
US 6,960,903 · App. 10/887,811 · Granted Nov 1, 2005

Trouble determining apparatus for DC boosting circuit

Assignees: Favess Co., Ltd.; Toyoda Koki Kabushiki Kaisha; Koyo Seiko Co., Ltd.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 6,960,903
App. No.
10/887,811
Granted
Nov 1, 2005
Kind
B2
Abstract

A trouble determining apparatus for a chopper type DC boosting circuit capable of determining whether or not a switching device is in trouble securely and quickly and when the switching circuit is in trouble, preventing other circuit from being in a trouble. Upon determining a short-circuit trouble of a transistor Q, a boosting circuit control unit 22 is turned OFF a power relay RL and then determines whether or not a voltage VP 1 of a connecting point P 1 rises over a first set voltage VS 1 by the time when a first predetermined time t 1 elapses since an ignition switch IG is turned ON with the transistor Q set to OFF. Upon determining an open trouble of the transistor Q, the boosting circuit control unit 22 determines whether or not the voltage VP 1 of the connecting point P 1 falls below a second set voltage by the time when a second predetermined time t 2 elapses since the transistor Q is turned ON with the power relay RL set to OFF and whether or not the voltage VP 1 falls from a state before the transistor Q is turned ON by more than a third set voltage.

Claims (22)

1. A trouble determining apparatus for a chopper type DC boosting circuit comprising:

an inductor through which a current supplied from a DC power supply flows;

a switching device for interrupting a current flowing to the inductor by opening or grounding the side opposite to said DC power supply of the inductor;

a rectifier for rectifying a discharge current generated by back electromotive force of said inductor;

a first capacitor for smoothing a current rectified by the rectifier; and

a control means for controlling the switching of said switching device so that a between-terminal voltage of the first capacitor turns to a target voltage, said trouble determining apparatus further comprising:

an interrupting means for interrupting the supply of current from said DC power supply to said inductor;

a current supplying means for supplying a DC current to the side of said DC power supply of said inductor;

a second capacitor for charging with a current supplied from the current supplying means; and

a short-circuit trouble determining means in which said interrupting means interrupts a current supplied from said DC power supply to said inductor and when said control means controls said switching device to turn OFF, determines whether or not said switching device is in the short-circuit trouble based on changes in voltage between terminals of said second capacitor determined by the charge characteristic of said second capacitor with a time passage.

2. A trouble determining apparatus for a chopper type DC boosting circuit comprising:

an inductor through which a current supplied from a DC power supply flows;

a switching device for interrupting a current flowing to the inductor by opening or grounding the side opposite to said DC power supply of the inductor;

a rectifier for rectifying a discharge current generated by back electromotive force of said inductor;

a first capacitor for smoothing a current rectified by the rectifier; and

a control means for controlling the switching of said switching device so that a between-terminal voltage of the first capacitor turns to a target voltage, said trouble determining apparatus further comprising:

an interrupting means for interrupting the supply of current from said DC power supply to said inductor;

a current supplying means for supplying a DC current to the side of said DC power supply of said inductor;

a second capacitor for charging with a current supplied from the current supplying means; and

a open trouble determining means in which said interrupting means interrupts a current supplied from said DC power supply to said inductor and when said control means controls said switching device to turn ON, determines whether or not said switching device is in the open trouble based on changes in voltage between terminals of said second capacitor determined by the discharge characteristic of said second capacitor with a time passage.

3. The trouble determining apparatus for DC boosting circuit according to claim 1 wherein by the time when a first predetermined time elapses since the supply of current from said current supply means starts, said short-circuit trouble determining means determines that said switching device is not in the short-circuit trouble when the between-terminal voltage of the second capacitor rises over a first set voltage.

4. The trouble determining apparatus for DC boosting circuit according to claim 2 wherein said open trouble determining means determines that said switching device is not in the open trouble if the between-terminal voltage of the second capacitor falls below a second set voltage by the time when a second predetermined time elapses since said control means controls said switching device to turn ON and the between-terminal voltage of the second capacitor falls from a state before the switching device is controlled to be ON by more than a third set voltage.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 11, 2007
From: FAVESS CO., LTD.
To: JTEKT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 019407/0944 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 22, 2004
From: YAMAMOTO, AKIRA
To: FAVESS CO., LTD.; TOYODA KOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA; KOYO SEIKO CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 015814/0288 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2003-282697 · Jul 30, 2003 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20050024032A1 · Feb 3, 2005