Power supply for use with a slow-response power source

• US 10,033,210 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Peterson, Eric C., Harris, Shaun L., James, Sean M., Siegler, John J., Liu, Jie, Kansal, Aman
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parries, Dru
• Application Number:
  US14/169,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20150214771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,636 Days
• Field of Search: 307 20, 307 52, 307 66
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/021 in which a variable is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A power supply is described herein which provides power to a load, such as a load including one or more computing devices. The power supply uses a slow-response power source (such as a fuel-driven mechanism) to handle a slow-moving component of the demand level presented by the load, and uses a fast-response power source (such as a battery or a capacitor, etc.) to handle a fast-moving component of the demand level. By virtue of this approach, the power supply can manage the load level as it appears to the slow-response power source, allowing, in turn, the slow-response power source to service even fast-changing loads—a task which it could not otherwise perform due to its native limitations.

Claims

1. A power supply comprising:

a battery or an interface to a battery;

a charger configured to charge the battery;

a power regulating circuit configured to;

draw power from a fuel cell and the battery; and

power a load using the power drawn from the fuel cell and the battery; and

one or more physical processing mechanisms configured via control logic to;

determine a current load level measurement reflecting a current load level of the load;

based at least on the current load level measurement, determine a target charge capacity for the battery, the target charge capacity being a first relatively high charge capacity when the current load level measurement is relatively low and being a second relatively low charge capacity when the current load level measurement is relatively high;

control the charger to charge the battery to the first relatively high charge capacity when the current load level measurement is relatively low and the fuel cell is handling the load without use of the battery;

control the charger to charge the battery to the second relatively low charge capacity when the current load level measurement is relatively high and the fuel cell is handling the load without use of the battery; and

manage the current load level of the load as the current load level is experienced by the fuel cell by controlling the power regulating circuit to selectively draw the power to varying extents from the fuel cell and the battery.

2. The power supply of claim 1, comprising the battery.

3. The power supply of claim 1, wherein the battery comprises multiple batteries, and wherein the fuel cell comprises multiple fuel cells.

4. The power supply of claim 1, wherein the control logic configures the one or more physical processing mechanisms to:

when the fuel cell is handling the load without use of the battery and the current load level measurement increases rapidly, cause the power regulating circuit to begin powering the load with both the fuel cell and the battery.

5. The power supply of claim 1, the one or more physical processing mechanisms comprising a processing unit or a hardware logic component.

6. The power supply of claim 1, wherein the control logic configures the one or more physical processing mechanisms to:

when the fuel cell is handling the load without use of the battery, vary the target charge capacity inversely with the current load level measurement.

7. The power supply of claim 1, wherein the control logic configures the one or more physical processing mechanisms to:

for a first state in which the current load level measurement is not changing at a rate that is too great for the fuel cell to handle, cause the power regulating circuit to power the load using the fuel cell without the battery;

for a second state in which the current load level measurement is increasing at a rate that is too great for the fuel cell to handle without amelioration by the power supply, cause the power regulating circuit to use the battery to assist the fuel cell in powering the load; and

for a third state in which the current load level measurement is decreasing at a rate that is too great for the fuel cell to handle without amelioration by the power supply;

cause the charger to charge the battery to a level that is temporarily higher than the target charge capacity; and

/or

cause the power supply to divert at least some of the power to one or more power sinks.

8. The power supply of claim 7, wherein the one or more power sinks comprise a resistive load bank and the control logic configures the one or more physical processing mechanisms to:

in the third state, cause the power supply to divert the at least some of the power to the resistive load bank.

9. The power supply of claim 7, wherein the one or more power sinks comprise a process associated with the load and the control logic configures the one or more physical processing mechanisms to:

in the third state, initiate or modify the process to consume excess power provided by the power supply.

10. The power supply of claim 7, wherein the control logic configures the one or more physical processing mechanisms to:

in the third state, begin diverting power to said one or more power sinks after the battery reaches the target charge capacity, or when a rate of change of the current load level measurement falls within a prescribed zone.

11. The power supply of claim 10, wherein the control logic configures the one or more physical processing mechanisms to:

assess the rate of change in the current load level measurement by measuring a voltage level at an output of the fuel cell.

12. The power supply of claim 1, wherein the power supply performs all power management functions associated with delivery of power from the fuel cell to the load.

13. The power supply of claim 1,

wherein the power regulating circuit includes an isolation transformer and an output regulation mechanism,

wherein the isolation transformer includes an input that is coupled to the fuel cell, and an output that is coupled to the output regulation mechanism, and

wherein the output regulation mechanism includes an input that is coupled to both the output of the isolation transformer and the battery, and an output that is coupled to the load,

further comprising a bypass switch that enables the fuel cell to deliver power directly to the output regulation mechanism, bypassing the isolation transformer, when the fuel cell is operating within a prescribed bypass zone.

14. The power supply of claim 1, wherein the charger, the battery, and the power regulating circuit operate in parallel with a bus that directly couples the fuel cell to the load.

15. The power supply of claim 1,

wherein the one or more physical processing mechanisms implement a prediction module which is configured to generate prediction output information based at least on prediction input information, the prediction output information reflecting an anticipated change in the load level of the load, and

wherein the control logic configures the one or more physical processing mechanisms to control the load based at least on the prediction output information.

16. A method comprising:

receiving measurement information that indicates a current load level of a load;

in a first state where the current load level is changing at a rate that can be handled by a fuel cell;

determining a target charge capacity of a battery based at least on the current load level of the load, the target charge capacity being a first relatively high charge capacity when the current load level is relatively low and being a second relatively low charge capacity when the currently load level is relatively high;

charging or discharging the battery to the first relatively high charge capacity when the currently load level is relatively low and to the second relatively low charge capacity when the current load level is relatively high; and

primarily powering the load with the fuel cell; and

in a second state where the current load level is increasing too quickly for the fuel cell to handle alone, using the battery to assist the fuel cell in powering the load.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

in a third state where the current load level is decreasing too quickly for the fuel cell to handle without amelioration, charging the battery using the fuel cell.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

in the third state, diverting at least some of the power to one or more power sinks,

wherein said one or more power sinks include one or more of;

a resistive load bank; and

/or

a process associated with the load, the process being initiated or modified by the diverting so as to consume excess power.

19. A power supply comprising:

a charger configured to charge a battery;

a power regulating circuit configured to;

draw power from a fuel cell and the battery; and

power a load using the power drawn from the fuel cell and the battery; and

one or more physical processing mechanisms configured via control logic to;

in a first state where a current load level of the load is changing at a rate that can be handled by the fuel cell;

determine a target charge capacity of the battery based at least on the current load level of the load, the target charge capacity being a first relatively high charge capacity when the current load level is relatively low and being a second relatively low charge capacity when the current load level is relatively high;

control the charger to charge the battery to the first relatively high charge capacity when the currently load level is relatively low and to the second relatively low charge capacity when the current load level is relatively high; and

control the power regulating circuit to primarily power the load with the fuel cell; and

in a second state where the current load level is increasing too quickly for the fuel cell to handle without amelioration, control the power regulating circuit to use the battery to assist the fuel cell in powering the load.

20. The power supply of claim 19, wherein the one or more physical processing mechanisms are configured via the control logic to:

in a third state where the current load level is decreasing too quickly for the fuel cell to handle without amelioration, control the charger to charge the battery using power produced by the fuel cell.

21. The power supply of claim 19, wherein the one or more physical processing mechanisms are configured via the control logic to:

in a third state where the current load level is decreasing too quickly for the fuel cell to handle without amelioration, control the power regulating circuit to divert power to a power sink.