Multi-phase power supplies for light fixtures

• US 10,064,254 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2017
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Hui
• Primary Examiner(s): A, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US15/611,166
• Time in Patent Office: 453 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/14 Arrangements for reducing ripples from dc input or output
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1584 with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/165 following a pre-assigned programmed sequence; Logic control [LC]

Abstract

An electrical system can include a power supply coupled to an electrical load, where the power supply includes an AC/DC converter and a number of DC/DC converters, where the AC/DC converter provides raw DC power to the DC/DC converters, where the DC/DC converters receive the raw DC power and generate final DC power for the electrical load. The electrical system can also include a controller coupled to the power supply, where the controller selectively enables and disables the DC/DC converters.

Claims

1. An electrical system, comprising:

a power supply coupled to an electrical load, wherein the power supply comprises an AC/DC converter and a plurality of DC/DC converters, wherein the AC/DC converter provides raw DC power to the plurality of DC/DC converters, wherein the plurality of DC/DC converters receive the raw DC power and generate final DC power for the electrical load; and

a controller coupled to the power supply, wherein the controller selectively enables and disables the plurality of DC/DC converters over time to regulate flyback current of the power supply.

2. The electrical system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one switch having an open position and a closed position, wherein the at least one switch is disposed in series with the plurality of DC/DC converters of the power supply, wherein the controller toggles the switch between the closed position and the open position, wherein a DC/DC converter of the plurality of DC/DC converters receives the raw DC power from the AC/DC converter when the at least one switch is in the closed position, and wherein the DC/DC converter of the plurality of DC/DC converters fails to receive the raw DC power from the AC/DC converter when the at least one switch is in the open position.

3. The electrical system of claim 2, wherein at least one switch is used to substantially evenly distribute the final DC power among the electrical load, where the at least one switch is configured based on availability of each of the plurality of DC/DC converters.

4. The electrical system of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust an output of the plurality of DC/DC converters so that an amount of the final DC power delivered to the electrical load is substantially constant regardless of how the at least one switch is configured over time.

5. The electrical system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of DC/DC converters receives the raw DC power from the AC/DC converter at any point in time.

6. The electrical system of claim 5, wherein the electrical load continually receives the final DC power from the plurality of DC/DC converters.

7. The electrical system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of DC/DC converters are modules in the power supply.

8. The electrical system of claim 1, wherein the electrical load comprises a light load.

9. The electrical system of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a hardware processor and a plurality of instructions stored in memory, wherein the plurality of instructions are executed on the hardware processor.

10. The electrical system of claim 1, wherein the controller identifies a failed DC/DC converter among the plurality of DC/DC converters, wherein the controller electrically isolates the failed DC/DC converter.

11. The electrical system of claim 1, wherein the controller minimizes an amplitude of a ripple current generated by the plurality of DC/DC converters.

12. A power supply for an electrical load, wherein the power supply comprises:

an AC/DC converter that receives AC power from a power source and converts the AC power to raw DC power;

at least one switch coupled to the AC/DC converter, wherein the at least one switch is operated by a controller, and wherein the at least one switch has a plurality of configurations; and

a plurality of DC/DC converters coupled in series with the at least one switch and in series with the electrical load,

wherein the AC/DC converter provides the raw DC power to a first DC/DC converter of the plurality of DC/DC converters at a first time when the at least one switch is in a first configuration of the plurality of configurations, wherein the first DC/DC converter uses the raw DC power to deliver first final DC power to the electrical load,

wherein the AC/DC converter provides the raw DC power to a second DC/DC converter of the plurality of DC/DC converters at a second time when the at least one switch is in a second configuration of the plurality of configurations, wherein the second DC/DC converter uses the raw DC power to deliver second final DC power to the electrical load.

13. The power supply of claim 12, wherein the first configuration of the at least one switch disables at least one other DC/DC converter of the plurality of DC/DC converters when the first DC/DC converter receives the raw DC power.

14. The power supply of claim 12, wherein a difference between the second time period and the first time period represents a phase shift.

15. The power supply of claim 14, wherein the difference is less than 0.01 milliseconds.

16. The power supply of claim 12, wherein the first DC/DC converter comprises a first filter capacitor having a capacitance.

17. The power supply of claim 16, wherein the second DC/DC converter comprises a second filter capacitor having the capacitance.

18. A method for providing DC power to an electrical load, wherein the method comprises:

receiving, by an AC/DC converter, AC power from a power source;

operating, by a controller at a first time, at least one switch to a first configuration, wherein the at least one switch is coupled to and positioned in series between the AC/DC converter and a plurality of DC/DC converters, wherein the first configuration of the at least one switch delivers raw DC power from the AC/DC converter to a first subset of DC/DC converters among the plurality of DC/DC converters at the first time period, wherein the first subset of DC/DC converters deliver first final DC power to the electrical load; and

operating, by the controller at a second time, the at least one switch to a second configuration, wherein the second configuration of the at least one switch delivers raw DC power from the AC/DC converter to a second subset of DC/DC converters among the plurality of DC/DC converters at the first time period, wherein the second subset of DC/DC converters deliver second final DC power to the electrical load.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

evaluating the plurality of DC/DC converters prior to the first time;

determining, prior to the first time, that a failed DC/DC converter among the first subset of DC/DC converters has failed;

operating, by the controller at the first time, at least one switch to a third configuration, wherein the third configuration of the at least one switch delivers raw DC power from the AC/DC converter to a revised first subset of DC/DC converters, wherein the revised first subset of DC/DC converters excludes the failed DC/DC converter, wherein the revised first subset of DC/DC converters deliver first final DC power to the electrical load.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

adjusting an output of each DC/DC converter of the revised first subset of DC/DC converters to compensate for the failed DC/DC converter.