Method and system to prevent voltage sagging in a redundant power supply configuration

• US 10,003,187 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2017
• Issued: 06/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tang, Weizhong, Baek, Sung Kee, Zimmerman, Craig
• Primary Examiner(s): Kitov, Zeev V
• Application Number:
  US15/439,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20170163027A1
• Time in Patent Office: 482 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/16 Error detection or correction of the data by redundancy in hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2015 Redundant power supplies power supply failure G06F1/30
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/1213 for DC-DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/0822 in field-effect transistor switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/08 with current supply sources at the substations generating ringing current H04M19/04

Abstract

Aspects of the subject technology relate to a system and method for preventing voltage sagging using an Oring-FET in a redundant power supply configuration. Each redundant power supply includes an Oring-FET and a voltage comparator. The voltage comparator receives and compares an input voltage and an output voltage of the Oring-FET during power up. In the event input voltage is less than the output voltage, the Oring-FET is deemed to be operating properly and provides output to a communicatively coupled system bus in response to the input voltage reaching a predetermined voltage threshold level. In the event the input voltage is approximately equal to the output voltage, the voltage comparator assists in preventing inrush current from flowing from the communicatively coupled system bus and prevents voltage sagging on the communicatively coupled system bus when another redundant power supply configuration is providing power to the communicatively coupled system bus.

Claims

1. A method for preventing voltage sagging in a redundant power supply system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a voltage comparator, an input voltage of an Oring-FET and an output voltage of the Oring-FET with the Oring-FET being in a redundant power supply configuration;

comparing the input voltage and the output voltage to determine whether the Oring-FET is faulty during power up;

in the event the input voltage is less than the output voltage during power up, providing, via the Oring-FET, output to a communicatively coupled system bus; and

driving a Vgate of a communicatively coupled overcurrent Oring-FET low or high based on the comparison of the input voltage and the output voltage.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in the event the input voltage is approximately equal to the output voltage during power up, preventing inrush current from flowing from the communicatively coupled system bus by driving low the Vgate.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein preventing inrush current from flowing from the communicatively coupled system bus further comprises:

causing an overcurrent resistor to be in series with a capacitor communicatively coupled to a redundant power supply in response to the Vgate being low; and

preventing power from the redundant power supply from flowing to the system bus in response to the overcurrent resistor being in series with the capacitor.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

preventing a voltage sag on the system bus in response to the overcurrent resistor being in series with the capacitor.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein in the event the overcurrent Oring-FET is in an off state, maintaining the overcurrent Oring-FET being off in response to the Vgate being low.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein in the event the overcurrent Oring-FET is in an on state, turning off the overcurrent Oring-FET in response to the Vgate being low.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing output to the communicatively coupled system bus further comprises:

causing the overcurrent Oring-FET to be in series with a capacitor coupled with a redundant power supply in response to the Vgate being high; and

providing power from the redundant power supply to the system bus in response to the overcurrent Oring-FET being in series with the capacitor and the input voltage reaching a predetermined voltage threshold level.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein in the event the overcurrent Oring-FET is in an off state:

turning on the overcurrent Oring-FET in response to the Vgate being high.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein in the event the overcurrent Oring-FET is in an on state:

maintaining the overcurrent Oring-FET being on in response to the Vgate being high.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the input voltage further comprises:

passing the input voltage through a first voltage divider, and receiving the output voltage further comprises passing the output voltage through a second voltage divider and wherein comparing the input voltage and output voltage further comprises comparing the voltage from the first voltage divider and comparing the voltage from the second voltage divider.

11. A system comprising:

a voltage comparator configured to;

receive an input voltage of an Oring-FET and output voltage of the Oring-FET with the Oring-FET being in the redundant power supply configuration;

compare the input voltage and the output voltage to determine whether the Oring-FET is faulty during power up; and

an overcurrent Oring-FET with a Vgate of the overcurrent Oring-FET communicatively coupled to the voltage comparator with the overcurrent Oring-FET configured to;

cause the Oring-FET to provide output to a communicatively coupled system bus in the event the input voltage is less than the output voltage during power up.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the overcurrent Oring-FET is further configured to:

prevent inrush current from flowing from the communicatively coupled system bus in the event the input voltage is approximately equal to the output voltage during power when another redundant power supply is providing power to the communicatively coupled system bus.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a capacitor in series with an output of the overcurrent Oring-FET and communicatively coupled to a redundant power supply; and

an overcurrent resistor in parallel with the overcurrent Oring-FET and in series with the capacitor,

wherein in the event a Vgate of the overcurrent Oring-FET is high, the overcurrent Oring-FET causes the overcurrent resistor to be shorted and causes the capacitor to allow power from the power supply to be supplied to a system bus communicatively coupled to the output of the Oring-FET in response to the input voltage reaching a predetermined voltage threshold level.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein in the event the overcurrent Oring-FET is in an off state, turning on the overcurrent Oring-FET in response to the Vgate being high.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein in the event the overcurrent Oring-FET is in an on state, maintaining the overcurrent Oring-FET being on in response to the Vgate being high.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a first voltage divider communicatively coupled to the input of the Oring-FET and providing a divided input voltage to an input of the Oring-FET, and

a second voltage divider communicatively coupled to the output of the Oring-FET and providing a divided output voltage to an input of the Oring-FET

wherein the Oring-FET compares divided input voltage and the divided output voltage.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a capacitor in series with an output of the overcurrent Oring-FET and communicatively coupled to a redundant power supply; and

an overcurrent resistor in parallel with the overcurrent Oring-FET and in series with the capacitor,

wherein in the event a Vgate of the overcurrent Oring-FET is low, the overcurrent resistor prevents power from the power supply from flowing to the system bus.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the overcurrent resistor further assist in preventing a voltage sag on the system bus in response to the Vgate of the overcurrent Oring-FET being low.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein in the event the overcurrent Oring-FET is in an off state, the overcurrent Oring-FET maintains being off in response to the Vgate being low.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein in the event the overcurrent Oring-FET is in an on state, the overcurrent Oring-FET is turned off in response to the Vgate being low.