Uninterruptible power supply apparatus and methods using a display with variable backlighting

• US 20050017582A1
• Filed: 07/21/2003
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Eaton Electrical Incorporated (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Young, Brian R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,166,930 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/64
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0237 Switching ON and OFF the backlight within one frame
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/062 Adjustment of illumination source parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3413 Details of control of colour illumination sources

Abstract

A UPS includes a UPS circuit that selectively supplies power to a load from first and second power sources, and a display (e.g., an LCD) coupled to the UPS circuit and operative to provide display graphical and/or textual information pertaining thereto. The UPS apparatus further comprises a backlight circuit coupled to the UPS circuit and operative to provide different backlightings of the display responsive to respective states of the UPS circuit. For example, the backlight circuit may be operative to backlight the display with a first color responsive to the UPS circuit powering the load from a primary power source (e.g., a “normal” operating state), to backlight the display with a second color responsive to the UPS circuit powering the load from a backup power source (e.g., a “cautionary” operating state), and to backlight the display with a third color responsive to the UPS circuit detecting an impending failure of the backup power source (e.g. an alarm “state”).

Claims

1. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS), comprising:

a UPS circuit operative to selectively supply power to a load from first and second power sources;

a display operatively coupled to the UPS circuit and operative to display textual and/or graphical information pertaining thereto; and

a backlight circuit coupled to the UPS circuit and operative provide different backlightings of the display responsive to respective states of the UPS circuit.

2. A UPS according to claim 1, wherein the backlight circuit is operative to backlight the display with respective colors responsive to respective states of the UPS circuit.

3. A UPS according to claim 1, wherein the different backlightings comprise at least one of different backlighting intensities and backlighting patterns.

4. A UPS according to claim 1, wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD).

5. A UPS according to claim 1, further comprising a housing that houses the UPS circuit, the display, and the backlight circuit.

6. A UPS according to claim 1, wherein the backlight circuit is operative to provide a first backlighting of the display responsive to the UPS circuit powering the load from a primary power source and to provide a second backlighting of the display responsive to the UPS circuit powering the load from a backup power source.

7. A UPS according to claim 6, wherein the backlight circuit is further operative to provide a third backlighting of the display responsive to the UPS circuit detecting an impending failure of the backup power source.

8. A UPS according to claim 1, wherein the backlight circuit is operative to provide a first backlighting of the display responsive to a normal operating state of the UPS circuit, to provide a second backlighting of the display responsive to a cautionary state of the UPS circuit, and to provide a third backlighting of the display responsive to an alarm state of the UPS circuit.

9. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS), comprising:

a housing;

a UPS circuit, mounted in the housing, operative to selectively supply power to a load from first and second power sources;

an externally-visible LCD associated with the housing, operatively coupled to the UPS circuit and operative to display graphical and/or textual information pertaining thereto; and

a backlight circuit operatively coupled to the UPS circuit and operative to provide different backlightings of the LCD responsive to respective states of the UPS circuit.

10. A UPS according to claim 9, wherein the backlight circuit is operative to backlight the LCD with respective colors responsive to respective states of the UPS circuit.

11. A UPS according to claim 9, wherein the different backlightings comprise at least one of different backlighting intensities and different backlighting patterns.

12. A UPS according to claim 9, wherein the backlight circuit is operative to backlight the LCD with a first color responsive to the UPS circuit powering the load from a primary power source and to backlight the LCD with a second color responsive to the UPS circuit powering the load from a backup power source.

13. A UPS according to claim 12, wherein the backlight circuit is further operative to backlight the LCD with a third color responsive to the UPS circuit detecting an impending failure of the backup power source.

14. A UPS according to claim 9, wherein the backlight circuit is operative to backlight the LCD with a first color responsive to a normal operating state of the UPS circuit, to backlight the LCD with a second color responsive to a cautionary state of the UPS circuit, and to backlight the LCD with a third color responsive to an alarm state of the UPS circuit.

15. A method of monitoring a UPS, the method comprising:

providing different backlightings of a graphical and/or textual display responsive to respective states of the UPS.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the display comprises an LCD.

17. A method according to claim 15, wherein providing different backlightings of a graphical and/or textual display responsive to respective states of the UPS comprises backlighting the display with respective colors responsive to respective states of the UPS.

18. A method according to claim 15, wherein the different backlightings comprise at least one of different backlighting intensities and different backlighting patterns.

19. A method according to claim 15, wherein providing different backlightings of a graphical and/or textual display for the UPS responsive to respective states of the UPS comprises:

providing a first backlighting of the display responsive to the UPS powering a load from a primary power source; and

providing a second backlighting of the display responsive to the UPS powering the load from a backup power source.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein providing different backlightings of a graphical and/or textual display for the UPS responsive to respective states of the UPS further comprises providing a third backlighting of the display responsive to the UPS detecting an impending failure of the backup power source.

21. A method according to claim 15, wherein providing different backlightings of a display for the UPS responsive to respective states of the UPS further comprises:

providing a first backlighting of the display responsive to a normal operating state of the UPS;

providing a second backlighting of the display responsive to a cautionary state of the UPS; and

providing a third backlighting of the display responsive to an alarm state of the UPS.

22. A method according to claim 15, further comprising displaying respective textual and/or graphic information with respective ones of the different backlightings.