Uninterruptible power system

• US 6,847,130 B1
• Filed: 09/19/2002
• Issued: 01/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metropolitan Industries, Inc. (Emecole Metro, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Metropolitan Industries, Inc. (Emecole Metro, LLC)
• Inventors: Belehradek, Anton, Kochan, John R. Jr., Potter, Richard W.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MATTHEW VAN
• Application Number:
  US10/247,265
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 307 18- 22, 307/29, 307/31, 307/38, 307/39, 307/46, 307 64- 66, 307/85, 307/86
• US Class Current: 307/66
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/068 Battery powered
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/35 with light sensitive cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/062 for AC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/70 Hybrid systems, e.g. uninterruptible or back-up power supplies integrating renewable energies

Abstract

An uninterruptible power supply system senses quality of available three phase input power and determines if load requirements can be met therefrom. If not, it drives an inverter to generate acceptable quality three phase AC to supply to the load. In this mode, the energy is obtained from a battery array. A solar panel can be used as a primary or a secondary source of input energy.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

control circuitry including multi-phase input power sensing circuitry;

software executed by the control circuitry to evaluate the quality of sensed multi-phase input power, and, responsive to predetermined deficiencies therein, to output control signals to at least one battery driven output circuit module to provide non-utility multi-phase output power to drive at least one output device, and in the presence of satisfactory multi-phase input power to couple that input power to the at least one output device; and

including additional software for receiving from a displace source, via a network, one of a first battery charging current profile, or, a second, different battery current charging profile.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein available input power is supplied to charge a battery array coupled to the at least one output circuit module, to the extent possible, and wherein in response to a partial loss of input power the control circuitry supplies output control signals to the module to power the load with the expected form of electrical energy.

3. A system as in claim 1 which includes battery array monitoring circuitry coupled to the control circuitry.

4. A system as in claim 1 which includes an input port for receipt of remotely supplied parametric information.

5. A system as in claim 1 which includes software for receipt of system specifying parameters from an external source.

6. A system as in claim 1 which includes software for establishing expected load output current parameters.

7. A system as in claim 1 which includes software to display a system set-up screen enabling a user to specify system parameters.

8. A system comprising:

first and second loads;

a multi-phase AC input port;

control circuitry coupled to the input port for evaluating available multi-phase energy at the input port and for determining if the available energy is suitable for energizing at least one of the loads, including executable instructions for coupling available multi-phase input energy to the load if suitable, and for generating multi-phase AC-type output signals to energize the load in the absence of suitable available energy at the input port; and

a battery array and charging circuitry coupled to the array for charging the array in response to a prestored charging current profile which includes software for receipt of an externally supplied different charging current profile.

13. A system as in claim 8 which includes a solar cell array coupled to the charging circuitry wherein the solar cell array, responsive to incident radiant energy, generates electrical energy for charging the battery array, at least in part.

14. A system as in claim 8 which includes instructions for receipt of load defining parameters from an external processor.

15. A system as in claim 8 comprising:

battery voltage step-up circuitry coupled between the battery array and a source of the AC-type output signals.

16. A system as in claim 15 wherein the source of the AC-type output signals comprises at least one inverter.

17. A system as in claim 16 wherein the source includes three AC-type output lines and the source generates three phase output power.

9. A system comprising:

first and second loads,

a multi-phase AC input port;

control circuitry coupled to the input port for evaluating available multi-phase energy at the input port and for determining if the available energy is suitable for energizing at least one of the loads, including executable instructions for coupling available multi-phase input energy to the load if suitable, and for generating multi-phase AC-type output signals to energize the load in the absence of suitable available energy at the input port and which includes software for evaluating current requirements of the loads and for varying an output signal frequency parameter to minimize load starting current requirements.

10. A system comprising:

first and second loads;

a multi-phase AC input port;

control circuitry coupled to the input port for evaluating available multi-phase energy at the input port and for determining if the available energy is suitable for energizing at least one of the loads, including executable instructions for coupling available multi-phase input energy to the load if suitable, and for generating multi-phase AC-type output signals to energize the load in the absence of suitable available energy at the input port which in response to unsuitable available external energy, executes instructions to charge a battery array to the extent possible with the available external energy, if any, and to energize at least one of the loads with AC-type multi-phase energy from the array.

11. A system comprising:

first and second loads;

a multi-phase AC input port;

control circuitry coupled to the input port for evaluating available multi-phase energy at the input port and for determining if the available energy is suitable for energizing at least one of the loads, including executable instructions for coupling available multi-phase input energy to the load if suitable, and for generating multi-phase AC-type output signals to energize the load in the absence of suitable available energy at the input port and which includes circuitry for varying an output signal frequency parameter to minimize starting current requirements of the at least one load.

12. A system as in claim 11 wherein the loads comprise first and second pump motors, and wherein the control circuits energize the motors in response to fluid level indicating signals.

18. A system for driving first or second loads comprising:

an input power port;

an uninterruptible power supply;

first and second output ports;

switching circuitry coupled between the input port, the uninterruptible power supply and the output ports;

control circuitry coupled at least to the uninterruptible power supply and the switching circuitry and including circuitry to simultaneously couple input power to one output port and power from the uninterruptible supply to the other port in response to a predetermined condition.

19. A system as in claim 18 where the predetermined condition comprises a need to activate first and second motors, coupled to respective output ports, substantially simultaneously.

20. A system as in claim 18 which includes circuitry to vary an output frequency from the uninterruptible power supply in response to another predetermined condition.

21. A system as in claim 20 where the another predetermined condition comprises a motor starting condition.

22. A system as in claim 18 which includes a data input port coupled to the control circuitry for receipt of at least parameters from a displaced source via at least one of a modem or a computer network.

23. A system as in claim 22 where received parameters include a multi-valued battery charging profile.

24. A system as in claim 18 which includes battery storage and a solar cell array for at least in part, charging the battery storage.