Power distribution system discovery

• US 10,050,670 B1
• Filed: 11/09/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hill, Peter J., Rehder, Matthew D., Lindsay, Joseph J., Eichelberg, John William, Rohrabaugh, Daniel J., Dickinson, Andrew Bruce, Scholl, Thomas Bradley, Pepper, Travis S., Czamara, Michael Phillip, Lotz, Richard M., Stancik, Paul A., Parra, Eduardo M., Mortimer, Samuel Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, An
• Application Number:
  US14/936,618
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/189 Power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/04 in which the distribution system is disconnected from the normal source and connected to a standby source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines

Abstract

A power distribution system includes two or more power components that distribute power to one or more electrical components. At least some of the power components send and receive signals over power transmission lines to upstream or downstream power components in the power distribution system. The signals include information about power components in the power distribution system.

Claims

1. A power distribution system, comprising:

two or more power components configured to distribute power to one or more electrical components;

two or more power transmission lines configured to transmit power from at least one of the power components to at least one other of the power components;

wherein each of at least two of the two or more power components comprise one or more signal devices configured to send and receive signals over at least one of the power transmission lines to one or more upstream power components in the power distribution system or one or more downstream power components in the power distribution system,

wherein the one or more signal devices are configured to include in the signals information about at least one of the power components in the power distribution system; and

one or more computing devices configured to perform one or more response actions based at least in part on a comparison between a stored baseline for the power distribution system and a current assessment of the power distribution system, wherein the current assessment is based at least in part on current information acquired from the signals corresponding to the at least one of the power components.

2. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the signal devices of the power components is configured to send and receive signals over at least one of the power transmission lines while power is being transmitted over the at least one power transmission line.

3. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the power components is configured to send, via a signal device of the at least one power component, a signal that includes self-identifying information to one or more other components over at least one of the power transmission lines.

4. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the power components is configured to send, via a signal device of the at least one power component, a signal that includes characteristics or conditions of the at least one power component to one or more other components over at least one of the power transmission lines.

5. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the power components is configured to send, via a signal device of the at least one power component, a signal that includes characteristics or conditions of power in the power distribution system to one or more other components over at least one of the power transmission lines.

6. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the power components comprising the one or more signal devices configured to send and receive signals is a power supply unit for at least one electrical system.

7. The power distribution system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the power components comprising the one or more signal devices configured to send and receive signals is a power distribution unit for at least one electrical system.

8. The power distribution system of claim 1, further comprising one or more computing devices coupled to at least one of the power components, wherein at least one of the one or more computing devices is configured to perform the current assessment of the power distribution system.

9. The power distribution system of claim 1, further comprising one or more computing devices coupled to at least one of the power components, wherein at least one of the one or more computing devices is configured to generate the baseline for the power distribution system based at least in part on signals exchanged among the power components over the power transmission lines.

10. A power distribution system, comprising:

one or more signal-transmitting power components, wherein at least one of the one or more signal-transmitting power components comprises one or more signal-transmitting devices configured to send a signal over one or more power transmission lines;

one or more signal-receiving power components upstream or downstream in the power distribution system from the least one of the one or more signal-transmitting power components, wherein at least one of the one or more signal-receiving components comprises one or more signal-receiving devices configured to receive the signal from the at least one of the one or more signal-transmitting power components over the one or more power transmission lines,

wherein the one or more signal-transmitting devices are configured to include in the signal information about at least one of the signal-transmitting power components or signal-receiving power components in the power distribution system; and

one or more computing devices configured to perform one or more response actions based at least in part on a comparison between a stored baseline for the power distribution system and a current assessment of the power distribution system, wherein the current assessment is based at least in part on current information acquired from the signals corresponding to the at least one of the signal-transmitting power components.

11. The power distribution system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the signal-transmitting devices is configured to send and receive signals over at least one of the one or more power transmission lines while power is being transmitted over the at least one power transmission line.

12. The power distribution system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the signal-transmitting power components supplies AC power, wherein the signal is transmitted over power transmission lines for the AC power.

13. The power distribution system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the signal-transmitting power components or signal-receiving power components comprises one or more signal devices configured to transmit and receive signals over at least one of the one or more power transmission lines.

14. The power distribution system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more signal-transmitting power components is configured to send, via a signal-transmitting device of the signal-transmitting power component, a signal that includes self-identifying information to at least one of the one or more signal-receiving power components, wherein the signal is sent over at least one of the one or more power transmission lines.

15. The power distribution system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more signal-transmitting power components is configured to send, via a signal-transmitting device of the signal-transmitting power component, a signal that includes characteristics or conditions of the at least one signal-transmitting power component to at least one of the one or more signal-receiving power components, wherein the signal is sent over at least one of the one or more power transmission lines.

16. The power distribution system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the signal-transmitting power components is configured to send, via a signal-transmitting device of the signal-transmitting power component, a signal that includes characteristics or conditions of the power distribution system to at least one of the signal-receiving power components, wherein the signal is sent over at least one of the one or more power transmission lines.

17. The power distribution system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more signal-transmitting power components is configured to send, via a signal-transmitting device of the signal-transmitting power component, signals including information about usage or availability of the at least one signal-transmitting power component to at least one of the one or more signal-receiving power components over the power transmission lines.

18. The power distribution system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the signal-transmitting power components or the signal-receiving power components is a power supply unit for one or more computing devices.

19. The power distribution system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the signal-transmitting power components is a neighbor of at least one of the signal-receiving power components.

20. The power distribution system of claim 10, wherein at least one of the signal-transmitting power components or the signal-receiving power components is a power distribution unit and at least one of the signal-transmitting power components or at least one of the signal-receiving power components is a power supply unit for one or more computing devices, wherein the power distribution unit is configured to deliver power to the power supply unit,

wherein the power distribution unit comprises one or more signal devices configured to send signals to, and receive signals from, the power supply unit over one or more power transmission lines between the power distribution unit and the power supply unit, and

wherein the power supply unit comprises one or more other signal devices configured to send signals to, and receive signals from, the power distribution unit over one or more power transmission lines between the power distribution unit and the power supply unit.