POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20160011650A1
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lite-On Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lite-On Technology Corporation
• Inventors: YANG, ZIH-MIN, HUANG, TING-HSI
• Granted Patent: US 9,846,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/06 by measuring current and voltage G01R21/08 - G01R21/133 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/42 AC power supplies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004

Abstract

The instant disclosure provides a power supply system and control method thereof. The power supply system comprises at least two power supplies electrically coupled in parallel. The control unit of the power supply generates a wake-up signal or a sleep signal according to the loading status. A second communication port of each power supply is coupled to a first communication port of the next stage power supply to establish cascading communications architecture. The first communication port receives a wake-up signal from the second communication port of the previous stage power supply and outputs a sleep signal to the second communication port of the previous stage power supply. The second communication port receives the sleep signal from the first communication port of the next stage power supply and outputs the wake-up signal to the first communication port of the next stage power supply.

Claims

1. A power supply system, comprising:

at least two power supplies, the power supplies electrically connected to a load share bus, electrically coupled in parallel to output electrical power to a load, each power supply dynamically operating in either an active mode or a sleep mode according to the loading status, one of the power supplies being a determining-stage power supply of the power supplies operating in the active mode, each power supply comprising;

a control unit, electrically coupled to the load share bus, generating a wake-up signal or a sleep signal according to a load share signal from the load share bus, the load share signal indicating the loading status of the power supply system, wherein when the operation of the power supply changes from the sleep mode to the active mode, the control unit controls the power supply to operate from the sleep mode to the active mode according to the wake-up signal from a previous stage power supply, wherein when the operation of the power supply changes from the active mode to the sleep mode, the control unit generates the sleep signal;

a first communication port, coupled to the control unit; and

a second communication port, coupled to the control unit;

wherein the first communication port of each power supply is coupled to the second communication port of the previous stage power supply, the second communication port of each power supply is coupled to the first communication port of the next stage power supply to establish a cascading communication architecture;

wherein the first communication port is for receiving the wake-up signal from the second communication port of the previous stage power supply and outputting the sleep signal to the second communication port of the previous stage power supply, the second communication port is for receiving the sleep signal from the first communication port of the next stage power supply and outputting the wake-up signal to the first communication port of the next stage power supply.

2. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein when the load share signal is greater than a threshold, the control unit of the determining-stage power supply operating in the active mode outputs the wake-up signal through the second communication port to the first communication port of the next stage power supply, in order to control the operation of the next stage power to change from the sleep mode to the active mode.

3. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein when the load share signal is less than a threshold, the control unit of the determining-stage power supply operating in the active mode outputs the sleep signal through the first communication port to the second communication port of the previous stage power supply, and controls the operation of the corresponding power supply to change from the active mode to the sleep mode.

4. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the load share signal is a voltage, the voltage is proportional to the loading of the power supply system.

5. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the power supplies enter the active mode in sequence according to increasing of the loading, the power supplies enter the sleep mode in reverse order according to decreasing of the loading.

6. The power supply system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a backplane circuit, coupled to the first communication port and the second communication port of each power supply, wherein when a middle stage power supply is shutdown, the backplane circuit couples the second communication port of the previous stage power supply to the first communication port of the next stage power supply.

7. The power supply system according to claim 6, wherein the backplane circuit comprises at least one switch, for electrically conducting the signal of the first communication port of the corresponding power supply with the signal of the second communication port of the corresponding power supply.

8. The power supply system according to claim 2, wherein the threshold is a voltage value, the threshold voltage represents a predetermined percentage of full loading of the power supply system.

9. The power supply system according to claim 2, wherein the threshold is a voltage value, the voltage value represents 70% to 80% of full loading of the power supply system.

10. The power supply system according to claim 3, wherein the threshold is a voltage value, the voltage value represents 30% to 40% of full loading of the power supply system.

11. A control method of a power supply system, adapted for the power supply system comprising at least two power supplies, the power supplies electrically connected to a load share bus, electrically coupled in parallel to output electrical power to a load, each power supply dynamically operating in either an active mode or a sleep mode according to the loading status, one of the power supplies being a determining-stage power supply of the power supplies operating in the active mode, each power supply comprising a first communication port and a second communication port, the first communication port of each power supply coupled to the second communication port of the previous stage power supply, the second communication port of each power supply coupled to the first communication port of the next stage power supply to establish a cascading communication architecture, the control method comprising:

assigning the power supplies to provide electrical power to the load according to a load share signal of the load share bus;

controlling the determining-stage power supply of the power supplies operating in the active mode to output a wake-up signal through the second communication port to the first communication port of the next stage power supply for controlling the operation of the next power supply from the sleep mode to the active mode when the load share signal is greater than a first threshold; and

controlling the determining-stage power supply of the power supplies operating in the active mode to operate in the sleep mode and output a sleep signal through the first communication port to the second communication port of the previous stage power supply when the load share signal is less than a second threshold.

12. The control method of the power supply system according to claim 11, wherein the load share signal is a voltage, the voltage is proportional to the loading of the power supply system.

13. The control method of the power supply system according to claim 11, further comprising:

utilizing a backplane circuit to couple the first communication port and the second communication port of each power supply, and coupling the second communication port of the previous stage power to the first communication port of the next stage power supply when a middle stage power supply is shutdown.

14. The control method of the power supply system according to claim 13, wherein the backplane comprises at least one switch, the control method further comprises:

turning on the switch, for electrically conducting the signal of the first communication port of the corresponding power supply with the signal of the second communication port of the corresponding power supply.

15. The control method of the power supply system according to claim 11, wherein the step of assigning the power supplies to provide electrical power to the load according to the load share signal of the load share bus further comprises:

controlling at least a portion of the power supplies establishing the cascading communication architecture to operate in the active mode, wherein the determining-stage power supply power supply of the power supplies operating in the active mode is used to inform its sleep mode to the previous stage power supply or wake-up the next stage power supply.

16. The control method of the power supply system according to claim 11, wherein the first threshold and the second threshold are voltage values, wherein the first threshold is substantially the same as the second threshold.

17. The control method of the power supply system according to claim 11, wherein the first threshold and the second threshold are voltage values, the first threshold is different from the second threshold.

18. The control method of the power supply system according to claim 17, wherein the first threshold represents 70% to 80% of full loading of the power supply system.

19. The control method of the power supply system according to claim 17, wherein the second threshold represents 30% to 40% of full loading of the power supply system.

20. The control method of the power supply system according to claim 11, wherein the logic state of the first communication port and the second communication port of the determining-stage power supply power supply of the power supplies operating in the active mode are different.