METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING AND MONITORING AN ARRAY OF POINT-OF-LOAD REGULATORS

• US 20070240000A1
• Filed: 04/04/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bel Power Solutions Inc.
• Original Assignee: Power-One Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Chapuis, Alain, Guz, Mikhail
• Granted Patent: US 7,737,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/189 Power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3253 Power saving in bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/08 Three-wire systems; Systems having more than three wires
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/082 Plural DC voltage, e.g. DC supply voltage with at least two different DC voltage levels
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/102 being switching converters H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/008 Plural converter units for generating at two or more independent and non-parallel outputs, e.g. systems with plural point of load switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge

Abstract

A power control system comprises a plurality of POL regulators, at least one serial data bus operatively connecting the plurality of POL regulators, and a system controller connected to the serial data bus and adapted to send and receive digital data to and from the plurality of POL regulators. The serial data bus further comprises a first data bus carrying programming and control information between the system controller and the plurality of POL regulators. The serial data bus may also include a second data bus carrying fault management information between the system controller and the plurality of POL regulators. The power control may also include a front-end regulator providing an intermediate voltage to the plurality of POL regulators on an intermediate voltage bus.

Claims

1. A power delivery management system, the system comprising:

a plurality of digital power management devices, wherein each of the plurality of power management devices provides a plurality of functions, wherein each of the plurality of digital power management devices is operable to provide power to one or more loads; and

a control and communication bus, wherein each one of the plurality of digital power management devices is coupled to the control and communication bus;

wherein each respective one of the plurality of digital power management devices includes a controller operable to control the functions of the respective digital power management device; and

wherein the plurality of digital power management devices are operable to communicate with each other over the control and communication bus to exchange information to coordinate their functions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of digital power management devices is also adapted to coordinate and/or control the functions of one or more other ones of the plurality of digital power management devices.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the other ones of the plurality of digital power management devices are adapted to provide status information over the control and communication bus to the at least one of the plurality of digital power management devices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of functions comprise one or more power delivery functions;

wherein each respective one of the plurality of digital power management devices includes a controller operable to control the one or more power delivery functions of the respective digital power management device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of digital power management devices each comprise the same functions.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of digital power management devices comprises a voltage converter unit.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the voltage converter unit comprises a DC (direct current) to DC voltage converter.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the control and communication bus is a digital bus.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the control and communication bus comprises one or more digital communication paths, wherein each one of the one or more digital communication paths comprises one or more dedicated signals.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each individual one of the plurality of digital power management devices is operable to be programmed and/or configured across the control and communication bus.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein two or more of the plurality of digital power management devices are operable to be grouped together in a current sharing configuration.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each one of the plurality of digital power management devices is operable to provide feedback data to all other ones of the plurality of digital power management devices.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the feedback data comprises real-time data.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the functions of the plurality of digital power management devices comprise at least one of:

phase displacement;

current sharing; and

voltage programming and voltage tracking.

15. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one master control device coupled to the control and communication bus, wherein the at least one master control device is operable to centrally control the plurality of digital power management devices to implement advanced features.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the advanced features comprise reconfiguring and/or reprogramming one or more of the plurality of digital power management devices.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the control and communication bus is a serial bus.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the master control device is adapted to control the plurality of digital power management devices over the control and communication bus.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the control and communication bus is a serial digital control and communication bus.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said communicating with the plurality of digital power management devices comprises each one of the plurality of digital power management devices providing feedback data to the master control device.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the master control device comprises a controller operable to execute functions corresponding to each of the plurality of digital power management devices to control the plurality of digital power management devices.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of digital power management devices provide status information over the control and communication bus to the master control device.