Microcontroller controlled power supply

• US 20060098369A1
• Filed: 11/08/2004
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: RRC power solutions GmbH
• Original Assignee: RRC power solutions GmbH
• Inventors: Hackett, Gareth J., Wambsganss, Peter M.
• Application Number:
  US10/984,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20060098369A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/100
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/06 Two-wire systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0025 Arrangements for modifying reference values, feedback values or error values in the control loop of a converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/157 with digital control

Abstract

A power supply is provided with a microcontroller configured to adjust an output signal from the power supply. A connector that is electronically coupled to the microcontroller includes programming elements, such as resistors or a memory device, that are indicative of a desired output power level. The microcontroller senses one or more characteristics of the programming elements and adjusts the level of power output from the power supply accordingly. The microcontroller may also be configured to monitor connections to the power supply to determine if there are any faults, such as short circuits or bad connections that may damage the power supply or the electronic device powered by the power supply.

Claims

1. A power supply coupled to a power source and configured to deliver power to an electronic devices the power supply comprising:

a power module configured to transform an electrical signal received from the power source, thereby generating an output signal;

a microcontroller electronically coupled to the power module;

a connector electronically coupled to the microcontroller and configured to engagingly mate with the electronic device; and

a programming element disposed in the connector, wherein the microcontroller is configured to determine a characteristic of the programming element and adjust one or more aspects of the electrical signal based at least partly upon the determined characteristic.

2. The power supply of claim 1, wherein the programming element comprises a resistive component.

3. The power supply of claim 1, wherein the programming element comprises an inductive component.

4. The power supply of claim 1, wherein the programming element comprises a digital data storage component.

5. The power supply of claim 4, wherein the digital data storage component comprises an EPROM.

6. The power supply of claim 1, wherein the microcontroller is configured to adjust at least one of a voltage level and a current level of the electrical signal.

7. The power supply of claim 1, further comprising one or more fault sensors configured to detect faults in the power supply, the one or more fault sensors being electronically coupled to the microcontroller and the microcontroller being configured to disable the power module in response to determining that one of the fault sensors has detected a fault.

8. The power supply of claim 7, wherein faults include short circuits in one or more electrical cables connected to the power supply.

9. A method of controlling an output signal from a power supply, the method comprising:

setting one or more programming elements in accordance with one or more characteristics of a desired output signal;

sensing one or more characteristics of the programming elements;

determining the one or more characteristics of the desired output signal based on the sensed one or more characteristic of the programming elements; and

configuring the power supply to provide the desired output signal to an electronic device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more characteristics of the programming elements comprises at least one of:

a resistance level, an impedance level, and inductance level, and a state of one or more memory addresses.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the programming elements comprise a memory device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the memory device is selected from the group comprising:

SRAM, DRAM, Masked ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash, and NVRAM memory components.

13. A microcontroller disposed in a power supply, the microcontroller comprising:

an input configured to receive one or more characteristics of a programming element;

a memory storing an algorithm configured to determine one or more characteristics of an output signal based upon the one or more received characteristics; and

an output coupled to a power module, wherein the output programs the power module to provide the output signal in accordance with the determined one or more characteristics.

14. The microcontroller of claim 13, wherein the programming element is disposed in a connector configured to engage a power delivery receptacle of an electronic device.

15. The microcontroller of claim 13, wherein the determined one or more characteristics include a power level and a current level.

16. A system for controlling an output signal from a power supply, the system comprising:

means for setting one or more programming elements in accordance with one or more characteristics of a desired output signal;

means for sensing one or more characteristics of the programming elements;

means for determining the one or more characteristics of the desired output signal based on the sensed one or more characteristic of the programming elements; and

means for configuring the power supply to provide the desired output signal to an electronic device.

17. A power control module for selectively controlling an output of a power supply, the power control module comprising:

one or more sensors configured to sense a status of one or more electrical connections to the power supply; and

a microcontroller electronically coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to receive data signals from the one or more sensors, wherein the microcontroller determines whether the power supply should be deactivated and, in response to determining that the power supply should be deactivated, the microcontroller transmits a signal to a power module of the power supply thereby disabling an output of the power supply.

18. A method of controlling the transmission of power from a power supply to an electronic device, the method comprising:

coupling a power supply to the electronic device;

coupling the power supply to a power source;

receiving data from one or more sensors including status information of one or more electrical connections coupled to the power supply;

determining whether the data received from each of the one or more sensors is within a respective tolerance range; and

in response to determining that the data received from each of the one or more sensors is within their respective tolerance range, transmitting an output power signal to the electronic device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising disabling transmission of an output power signal to the electronic device in response to determining that the data received from one or more of the sensors is not within their respective tolerance range.