Data Center Uninterruptible Power Distribution Architecture
First Claim
1. A power distribution system for a data center, the system comprising:
- a modular base configured to be supported in one of a plurality of positions on a rack mounting structure, the base comprising;
a DC load comprising at least one digital processor operative to process data received over a network;
a DC bus configured to deliver operating power to the DC load, the power being received from a power source connected across the DC bus; and
an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) supported by the base, the UPS comprising;
a battery circuit configured to operatively connect a battery across the DC bus during a fault condition in which an AC input voltage signal from an AC generator falls outside of a normal operating range;
an AC-to-DC rectification stage comprising an AC-to-DC conversion circuit configured to convert the AC input voltage signal to a single DC output voltage signal across the DC bus when the AC input voltage signal is within the normal operating range, wherein the AC-to-DC conversion circuit is configured to regulate the DC output voltage signal to a voltage level above and substantially near a maximum nominal charge voltage of the battery; and
a controller configured to selectively activate the AC-to-DC conversion circuit to resume supplying operating power to the DC load in response to a signal that indicates that the AC input voltage signal has returned to the normal operating range.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus and associated method and computer program products involve a highly efficient uninterruptible power distribution architecture to support modular processing units. As an illustrative example, a modular processing unit includes an corresponding uninterruptible power system in which only one AC-to-DC rectification occurs between the utility AC grid and the processing circuit (e.g., microprocessor) loads. In an illustrative data center facility, a power distribution architecture includes a modular array of rack-mountable processing units, each of which has processing circuitry to handle network-related processing tasks. Associated with each modular processing unit is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to supply operating power to the network processing circuitry. Each UPS includes a battery selectively connectable across a DC bus, and a AC-to-DC rectifier that converts an AC input voltage to a single output voltage on the DC bus. The regulated DC bus voltage may be close to the battery'"'"'s fully charged voltage.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A power distribution system for a data center, the system comprising:
a modular base configured to be supported in one of a plurality of positions on a rack mounting structure, the base comprising;
a DC load comprising at least one digital processor operative to process data received over a network;
a DC bus configured to deliver operating power to the DC load, the power being received from a power source connected across the DC bus; and
an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) supported by the base, the UPS comprising;
a battery circuit configured to operatively connect a battery across the DC bus during a fault condition in which an AC input voltage signal from an AC generator falls outside of a normal operating range;
an AC-to-DC rectification stage comprising an AC-to-DC conversion circuit configured to convert the AC input voltage signal to a single DC output voltage signal across the DC bus when the AC input voltage signal is within the normal operating range, wherein the AC-to-DC conversion circuit is configured to regulate the DC output voltage signal to a voltage level above and substantially near a maximum nominal charge voltage of the battery; and
a controller configured to selectively activate the AC-to-DC conversion circuit to resume supplying operating power to the DC load in response to a signal that indicates that the AC input voltage signal has returned to the normal operating range. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
Specification