Power supply systems

• US 5,583,419 A
• Filed: 05/03/1995
• Issued: 12/10/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Aviation UK (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Smiths Industries Public Limited Company
• Inventors: Haller, Jeremy P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty, Thomas M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ponomarenko, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US08/433,559
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 322/8, 322/18, 322/24, 322/33, 322/34, 307/31, 307/32, 307/34, 307/38, 307/57, 364/492, 364/494
• US Class Current: 322/8
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2221/00 Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/44 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/00 Circuit arrangements for emergency or stand-by power supply, e.g. for emergency lighting

Abstract

A power supply system for controlling supply of power to several inductive loads has a power monitor and a processor that determines when power consumed exceeds the capacity of the system. When overload is detected, hardware rapidly disconnects loads of low priority. A software register is loaded with software controlling staggered reconnection of the loads when power capacity becomes sufficient again. If capacity is sufficient, all the loads may be reconnected at the same time.

Claims

1. A power supply system comprising:

a power supply;

a plurality of loads;

a plurality of switches connecting each respective one of the loads to the power supply; and

a processor controlling the operation of the switches, the processor delaying closing of said switches when power is to be supplied to several of said loads such that there is a time delay between different ones of said loads being supplied with power, the time delay for each said load being variable such that the delay differs according to which combination of said loads is to be supplied with power, said processor including a software store, said processor supplying the contents of said software store to control reconnection of at least one of said loads when power consumed becomes less than power supply capacity, said processor also including a software command register containing software information for control of reconnection of load, an output drive unit, a multiplexer having two inputs, an off signal input, a connection between one of said inputs of said multiplexer and an output of said software command register, and a connection between the other of said inputs and said off signal input, said processor being operative to switch the multiplexer to supply the off signal to said output drive unit so as to turn off a load when the power consumption exceeds the capacity of the power supply and being operative to switch the software information to said output drive unit when load is to be reapplied.

2. A power supply system according to claim 1, wherein the system includes a power monitor for monitoring the power consumed by said loads, and a connection between said power monitor and said processor.