UPS SYSTEM WITH NETWORK MONITORING AND ATTACHED BATTERY PACK INFORMATION SENSING FUNCTIONS

• US 20160172901A1
• Filed: 12/16/2014
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyberpower Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cyberpower Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: HSIEH, Hung-Ming, CHIEN, Hung-Chun, PENG, Yung-Hao
• Granted Patent: US 10,097,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/061 for DC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A UPS system with network monitoring and attached battery pack information sensing functions includes a UPS apparatus including a UPS body and a UPS monitoring module, and attached battery packs coupled to the UPS body. Each attached battery pack includes a battery pack body, and a battery pack monitoring module that includes a control unit, a sensor module for detecting the status information of the battery pack body, a memory, and a network interface for communication with the UPS monitoring module through a local area network to transmit the status information of the battery pack body. When the battery pack monitoring module transmits the status information to the UPS monitoring module, the manager can link a web browser of an external equipment to a battery pack status page provided by a built-in web server of the UPS monitoring module to get the status information of every attached battery pack.

Claims

1. A UPS system with network monitoring and attached battery pack information sensing functions, comprising a UPS apparatus and at least one attached battery pack connected to said UPS apparatus, wherein said UPS apparatus comprises a UPS body and a UPS monitoring module having built therein a web server;

each said attached battery pack comprises a battery pack body and a battery pack monitoring module, said battery pack monitoring module comprising a control unit, a sensor module electrically coupled to said control unit for sensing the status information of the respective said battery pack body, a memory electrically coupled to said control unit for storing predetermined data, and a network interface for communication with said UPS monitoring module through a local area network for transmitting the status information of the respective said battery pack body status to said UPS monitoring module for enabling a manager of the UPS system using a web browser of an external equipment to link to the web server to obtain the status information of each said attached battery pack through a local area network.

2. The UPS system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said UPS body of said UPS apparatus comprises a first microcontroller, a first communication interface, an AC-to-DC charger, a DC-to-AC inverter and a changeover switch respectively electrically coupled to said first microcontroller, a DC input/output interface electrically coupled to said AC-to-DC charger and said DC-to-AC inverter for DC input and output, an AC input interface electrically coupled to said AC-to-DC charger and said changeover switch, and an AC output interface electrically coupled to said changeover switch, said changeover switch being electrically coupled to said DC-to-AC inverter.

3. The UPS system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said UPS monitoring module of said UPS apparatus comprises a built-in web server, a second microcontroller, a second communication interface electrically coupled with said second microcontroller and said first communication interface of said UPS body, a memory electrically connected to said second microcontroller for storing data, and a network interface electrically connected to said second microcontroller for network communication.

4. The UPS system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said first communication interface of said UPS body and said second communication interface of said UPS monitoring module are USARTs (Universal Synchronous Asynchronous Receiver Transmitters).

5. The UPS system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said web server allows the manager of the UPS system to set an event notification of said UPS apparatus so that when said UPS monitoring module receives the status information from the battery pack monitoring module of one said attached battery pack and the status information is verified by said second microcontroller to be in conformity with a set condition of a pre-stored data in said memory, said UPS monitoring module immediately provides a network packet of status information of warning message through the network interface thereof to said external equipment of said manager.

6. The UPS system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said battery pack body of each said attached battery pack comprises at least one battery module, a DC input/output interface electrically coupled to said at least one battery module and electrically connected to said UPS body of said UPS apparatus through a DC bus for enabling said UPS body to transmit a DC power supply to charge said at least one battery module.

7. The UPS system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said sensor module of said battery pack monitoring module of each said attached battery pack comprises a current sensing circuit and a voltage sensing circuit for detecting the voltage of said battery pack body and the internal voltage and electrical current of the respective said battery module.

8. The UPS system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said sensor module of said battery pack monitoring module of each said attached battery pack comprises an environmental sensing circuit for detecting the internal and surrounding temperature, moisture, air pressure, airflow and contact closure of the associating said battery pack body.

9. The UPS system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said built-in web server of said UPS monitoring module of said UPS apparatus provides a newly added page for enabling the manager using the web browser of said external equipment to input an IP address or MAC address of a new attached battery pack to add a new battery pack for management, allowing said UPS monitoring module of said UPS apparatus to transmit a request network packet to the battery pack monitoring module of the newly attached battery pack for handshaking;

after said battery pack monitoring module accepts the added management and sends back a reply packet, said battery pack monitoring module timely transmits a network packet of status information to said UPS monitoring module, enabling the manager using the web browser of the external equipment to display or update the status information of the attached battery pack

10. The UPS system as claimed in claim 9, wherein said request network packet provided by said UPS monitoring module of said UPS apparatus contains an authentication data;

said reply network packet provided by said battery pack monitoring module of each said attached battery pack contains said authentication data and a reply content;

said authentication data is the combination of an account and a password, or a hash value;

said replay content is to accept or not to accept to be added into management.