Uninterruptible power supply with power factor correction

• US 5,610,451 A
• Filed: 11/30/1995
• Issued: 03/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Magnum Power Solutions Limited
• Original Assignee: Magnum Power PLC
• Inventors: Symonds, Neil S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shoop, Jr., William M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paladini, Albert W.
• Application Number:
  US08/565,726
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• Field of Search: 307/66, 307/64, 307/65, 307/87, 307/86, 307/85, 363/34, 363/37, 364/492, 323/259, 323/344
• US Class Current: 307/66
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/062 for AC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/4258 using a single converter stage both for correction of AC input power factor and generation of a regulated and galvanically isolated DC output voltage H02M1/4241 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33561 having more than one ouput with independent control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

An energy efficient uninterruptible regulated power supply includes a full wave rectifier that is responsive to AC main power generating an unregulated DC voltage signal, a power factor correcting boost converter coupled to receive and selectively increase the unregulated voltage signal to generate a boosted voltage signal, a battery and a single ended forward converter having a primary winding coupled to receive pulse width modulated energy from the boosted voltage signal and a secondary winding couple bidirectionally to the battery with pulse width modulated control. A first controller pulse width modulates the boosted voltage and battery signals coupled to the primary and secondary windings, respectively, to regulate the output voltage while a second controller operates independently of the first controller pulse width modulate the boost converter to regulate the voltage of a transformer secondary signal that is coupled to the battery.

Claims

1. An electrical power supply comprising:

a rectifying circuit coupled to receive AC power and generate a DC voltage signal in response thereto;

a boost converter coupled to receive the DC voltage signal and a first voltage feedback signal and generate a boost voltage signal in response thereto that is controlled to maintain the first voltage feedback signal at a selected magnitude;

a converter circuit coupled to receive the boost voltage signal as a primary input signal, generate a secondary signal in response to the primary input signal, generate the first voltage feedback signal to represent the voltage of the secondary signal and generate at least one regulated output voltage signal as an output;

an output voltage controller coupled to receive the at least one regulated voltage signal and to control the converter circuit to maintain the at least one regulated output voltage signal at a predetermined voltage; and

an auxiliary energy source coupled to supply electrical energy to the converter circuit when the rectifying circuit fails to receive AC power.

2. An electrical power supply according to claim 1, wherein the converter circuit includes a transformer having a primary winding coupled to the boost converter and the output voltage controller and a secondary winding generating the secondary signal, further comprising an auxiliary power switch selectively coupling the auxiliary energy source and the secondary winding through a bidirectionally conductive path, and wherein the boost converter includes a pulse width modulation boost controller controlling the boost voltage in response to a voltage at the auxiliary power supply.

3. An electrical power supply according to claim 2, further comprising an auxiliary current feedback circuit coupled to detect a charging current at the auxiliary power supply and provide a charging current signal indicative thereof, and wherein the boost converter includes a current limiting circuit coupled to receive the charging current signal and reduce the boost voltage when the charging current signal exceeds a selected magnitude.

4. An electrical power supply according to claim 1, wherein the converter circuit includes a power transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, the primary winding being coupled to receive the boost voltage signal and the secondary winding being coupled to control generation of the regulated output voltage signal, further comprising a primary power switch coupled in series with the primary winding and the boost voltage signal and an auxiliary power switch coupled in series with the secondary winding and the auxiliary power source and wherein the output voltage controller includes an output pulse width modulation controller coupled to receive the regulated voltage signal and generate an output pulse width modulation control signal, the output pulse width modulation control signal being coupled to simultaneously control the primary power switch and the auxiliary power switch to maintain the regulated output voltage signal at the predetermined voltage.

5. An electrical power supply according to claim 4, further comprising an auxiliary current feedback circuit coupled to sense current flowing between the secondary winding and the auxiliary power supply and generate a current sense discharge current signal in response thereto, and wherein the output voltage controller includes a primary current sense circuit coupled to sense current through the primary winding and generate a primary current signal indicative thereof and a summing circuit coupled to receive the current sense charge current signal and the primary current sense signal and generate an output current feedback signal representing the primary winding current signal less the current sense charge signal, and wherein the output pulse width modulation controller is coupled to receive the output current feedback signal and reduce an active portion of the duty cycle of the pulse width modulation control signal when the output current feedback signal exceeds a selected magnitude.

6. An electrical power supply according to claim 5, further comprising a voltage feedback circuit coupled to detect a voltage at the auxiliary power supply and generate an auxiliary voltage feedback signal in response thereto and wherein the boost converter includes a boost pulse width modulation controller coupled to receive the auxiliary voltage feedback signal and provide pulse width modulation control over the magnitude of the boost voltage signal in response to the auxiliary voltage feedback signal.

7. An electrical power supply according to claim 5, wherein the auxiliary power supply is a 12 volt battery and the boost voltage is controlled to provide a battery float voltage of substantially 13.6 volts at the auxiliary power supply.

8. An electrical power supply according to claim 5, further comprising an auxiliary current sense feedback circuit coupled to detect a charging current at the auxiliary power supply and provide a charging current signal indicative thereof, and wherein the boost converter includes a current limiting circuit coupled to receive the charging current signal and reduce the boost voltage when the charging current signal exceeds a selected magnitude.

9. An electrical power supply according to claim 4, further comprising a current sense transformer having a primary winding coupled in series between the secondary winding of the power transformer and the auxiliary power source and a secondary winding having a first terminal coupled to provide the charging current signal as current feedback signal to the boost converter and a second terminal coupled to provide a current feedback signal to the output voltage controller.

10. An electrical power supply according to claim 9, further comprising first and second current feedback switches couple respectively to the first and second terminals of the secondary winding of the current sense transformer the first and second current feedback switches, the primary power switch and the auxiliary power switch all being synchronously controlled by the output controller.

11. An electrical power supply comprising:

an electrical power transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding;

a boost converter coupled to receive power from a main power supply and a secondary voltage signal that is representative of a voltage at the secondary winding of the power transformer and generate a boost voltage signal controlled to provide a selected peak voltage at the secondary winding of the transformer;

a voltage feedback circuit coupled to the secondary winding to the power transformer and generating the secondary voltage signal;

an output filter coupled to filter a power signal received from the secondary transformer winding to generate a regulated output voltage signal having a regulated voltage;

a primary power switch coupled in series with the primary winding; and

an output voltage controller coupled to generate an output pulse width modulation control signal, the output pulse width modulation control signal being coupled to control the primary power switch to control a flow of current from the boost voltage signal through the transformer primary winding with an active duty cycle portion selected to maintain the output signal at the regulated voltage.

12. An electrical power supply according to claim 11, an auxiliary power source and an auxiliary power switch coupling the auxiliary power source to the secondary with no current blocking component between the auxiliary power source and the secondary winding other than the auxiliary power switch, the auxiliary power switch being coupled to switch synchronously with the primary power switch at all times that the power supply is in operation.

13. An electrical power supply according to claim 12, further comprising:

means for sensing current flow between the auxiliary power supply and the secondary winding and generating a first feedback signal indicating a charging current and a second feedback signal indicating a discharging current;

the boost converter including means responsive to the first feedback signal for reducing the boost voltage signal when the first feedback signal exceeds a first threshold magnitude; and

the output voltage controller including means responsive to the second feedback signal for reducing the regulated output voltage signal when the second feedback signal exceeds a second threshold magnitude.

14. An electrical power supply providing a continuous, seamless transition between operation in response to a main power source and operation in response to an auxiliary power supply having an output voltage, the power supply comprising:

at a rectifier coupled to generate a DC voltage signal in response to the main power supply;

at a power transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding;

a primary power switch coupled in series with the primary winding and the DC voltage signal;

an auxiliary power switch coupled for series connection between the secondary winding and the auxiliary power supply to form a bidirectionally conductive path between the auxiliary power supply and the secondary winding when the switch is closed an the auxiliary power supply is installed;

a filter coupled to generate an output voltage signal in response to the secondary winding; and

an output voltage controller coupled to receive an indication of the output voltage signal and generate an output pulse width modulation control signal having an active duty cycle portion that is controlled to maintain the output voltage signal at a selected magnitude, the output pulse width modulation control signal being coupled to control both the auxiliary power switch and the primary power switch.

15. An electrical power supply according to claim 14, further comprising a boost converter coupled between the DC voltage signal and the primary winding, the boost converter receiving and auxiliary voltage feedback signal that is indicative of a voltage at the auxiliary power supply and boosting the DC voltage signal to form a boost voltage signal that is controlled to maintain the voltage at the auxiliary power supply at a predetermined magnitude.

16. A process of generating regulated DC voltage signal comprising:

generating an intermediate electrical signal having a voltage controlled to match a voltage of an auxiliary electrical power source;

coupling an auxiliary power source to the intermediate electrical signal;

filtering the intermediate electrical signal to generate an output signal; and

pulse width modulating the intermediate electrical signal to regulate the voltage of the output signal.

17. A process of generating a regulated DC voltage signal according to claim 16, further comprising reducing the voltage of the intermediate electrical signal when current flow between the intermediate electrical signal and the auxiliary power source exceeds a selected magnitude.

18. A process of generating a regulated DC voltage signal according to claim 16, further comprising reducing the voltage of the output signal when current flow between the intermediate electrical signal and the auxiliary power source exceeds a selected magnitude.

19. A process of generating a regulated DC voltage signal comprising:

rectifying an AC power signal to generate a DC voltage signal;

boosting the DC voltage signal to a voltage that is controlled to provide an intermediate voltage signal at a selected magnitude;

coupling an auxiliary power source to the intermediate voltage signal through a conductive path that permits a bidirectional flow of current between the auxiliary power source and the intermediate voltage signal; and

pulse width modulating the intermediate voltage signal with an active cycle portion that is controlled to maintain the output signal at a predetermined voltage.

20. A process of generating a regulated DC voltage signal according to claim 19, further comprising synchronously switching current from the boosted DC voltage signal and the auxiliary power source to pulse width modulate the intermediate voltage signal.