UNIVERSAL INPUT POWER SUPPLY UTILIZING PARALLEL POWER MODULES
First Claim
1. A power supply for supplying a DC output current for use in a plasma arc system, said power supply comprising:
- a plurality of power modules connected in parallel, each said power module providing a DC output from an AC input, each said power module comprising a rectifier, a converter, an inverter and a power module controller, said power module controller configured to control at least one of said rectifier, said converter or said inverter to regulate the DC output of said power module;
a master controller coupled to each of said power module controllers, said master controller configured to regulate the DC output current of said power supply by controlling said power module controllers.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A universal power supply for use in a plasma arc system is disclosed. The power supply can include a plurality of power modules for providing a DC output from an AC input. Each of the power modules can include a rectifier, a converter, an inverter, an isolation transformer and an output rectifier. The power modules can include a power module controller configured to control at least one of the rectifier, the converter, or the inverter such that a DC output can be obtained from a wide variety of AC inputs. The power modules can be connected in parallel to provide a wide range of DC output currents for the power supply. The universal power supply can include a master controller coupled to each of the individual power module controllers to regulate the DC output current of the power supply by controlling the individual power module controllers.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A power supply for supplying a DC output current for use in a plasma arc system, said power supply comprising:
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a plurality of power modules connected in parallel, each said power module providing a DC output from an AC input, each said power module comprising a rectifier, a converter, an inverter and a power module controller, said power module controller configured to control at least one of said rectifier, said converter or said inverter to regulate the DC output of said power module; a master controller coupled to each of said power module controllers, said master controller configured to regulate the DC output current of said power supply by controlling said power module controllers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for providing a DC output current for use in a plasma arc system, comprising:
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providing an AC input to a plurality of power modules connected in parallel, rectifying the AC input in each power module with a rectifier to provide a first DC signal, converting the first DC signal to a second DC signal in each power module with a converter, converting the second DC signal to an AC signal at each power module with an inverter; rectifying the AC signal at each power module with an output rectifier to provide a DC output; and providing a control signal to a power module controller from a master power controller; controlling at least one of the rectifier, the converter, or the inverter to control the DC output of one of the plurality of power modules based on the control signal. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A universal power supply for use in a plasma arc system, comprising:
a plurality of power modules connected in parallel to provide a DC output current, each said power module configured to provide a DC output from an AC input, each said power module comprising; a rectifier configured to receive the AC input and provide a first DC signal; a converter coupled to said rectifier, said converter configured to receive the first DC signal and provide a second DC signal; an inverter coupled to said converter, said inverter configured to receive the second DC signal and provide a first AC signal; an isolation transformer coupled to said inverter, said isolation transfer configured to receive the first AC signal and provide a second AC signal; an output rectifier coupled to said isolation transformer, said output rectifier configured to receive the second AC signal and provide the DC output; and a control system comprising a plurality of power module controllers and a master controller, each said power module controller configured to control the DC output of one of said plurality of power modules by controlling at least one of said rectifier, said converter, or said inverter of said power module, wherein said master controller is configured to control the DC output current of said universal power supply by providing a control signal to at least one of said plurality of power module controllers. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
Specification