Uninterruptible power supply

• US 7,259,477 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2003
• Issued: 08/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: American Power Conversion Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: American Power Conversion Corporation (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Klikic, Damir, Melanson, Mark R., Samstad, Jeffrey B., Kotlyar, Edward, Beg, Mirza A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sircus; Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rutland-Wallis; Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/641,746
• Publication Number:
  US 20050036248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 307 64- 66, 307/14
• US Class Current: 307/65
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/062 for AC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/10 Arrangements incorporating converting means for enabling loads to be operated at will from different kinds of power supplies, e.g. from ac or dc

Abstract

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system includes an AC power input configured to receive AC power from a single-phase AC power source or a multi-phase AC power source, a DC power source, an output circuit including a power output, a controllable switch configured to selectively couple at least one of the AC power input and the DC power source to the output circuit, and a processor coupled and configured to affect operation of the output circuit depending upon which of single-phase and multi-phase operation of the UPS is indicated.

Claims

1. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system comprising:

an AC power input configured to receive AC power from a single-phase AC power source or a multi-phase AC power source;

a DC power source;

an output circuit including a power output;

a controllable switch configured to selectively couple at least one of the AC power input and the DC power source to the output circuit;

a processor coupled and configured to receive an input signal that indicates a single-phase AC mode or a multi-phase AC mode and provide an output signal that affects operation of the UPS depending upon which of the single-phase AC mode and the multi-phase AC mode is indicated; and

a phase imbalance monitor coupled to the processor and to at least two AC input lines of the AC power input for receiving at least two corresponding voltage signals from the multi-phase AC power source, the imbalance monitor configured to provide an imbalance indication of imbalance of the at least two corresponding voltage signals,

wherein the processor is configured to determine from the imbalance indication whether multi-phase operation of the UPS is applicable.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a user-selectable switch, coupled to the processor, that indicates which of the single-phase mode and the multi-phase mode is applicable.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the phase imbalance monitor is configured to aggregate the at least two corresponding voltage signals and compare the aggregated signal to a reference.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a user-selectable switch, coupled to the processor, that indicates which of the single-phase mode and the multi-phase mode is applicable, and wherein if the user-selectable switch indicates the multi-phase mode and the phase imbalance monitor indicates that the multi-phase mode of the UPS is inapplicable, the processor causes the controllable switch to couple the DC power source to the output circuit.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising a single-phase voltage monitor coupled to one AC input line of the AC power input for receiving a corresponding input voltage signal and configured to provide indicia of at least one of a voltage and a frequency of the input voltage signal.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the processor is configured to cause the controllable switch to connect the DC power source to the output circuit if at least one of the voltage of the input voltage signal has an unacceptable voltage value and the frequency of the input voltage signal has an unacceptable frequency value.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a single phase voltage monitor coupled to the processor.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the user selectable switch couples and decouples a voltage to the processor depending upon which of the single-phase mode and the multi-phase mode is applicable.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the phase imbalance monitor generates a voltage signal based on a comparison of the aggregated signal and the reference, and wherein the processor generates a failure indication when the voltage signal is greater than a first value.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor maintains the failure indication until the voltage signal decreases to a second value that is less than the first value by a predetermined amount.

18. The system of claim 1, further comprising a power factor correction circuit, wherein the output signal affects an operation of the power factor correction circuit.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a reference select circuit configured to provide at least one reference signal employed by the power factor correction circuit.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the output signal affects an operation of the reference select circuit.

11. A method of supplying power to an electrical load with a UPS, the method comprising acts of:

configuring an AC input of an uninterruptible power supply to receive AC power from either of a single-phase AC power source or a multi-phase AC power source;

coupling, in a first mode of operation, the AC input to output circuitry of the uninterruptible power supply;

coupling, in a second mode of operation, a DC input to the output circuitry;

providing a first signal indicative of whether the UPS should operate in a single-phase AC mode or a multi-phase AC mode;

generating a second signal, in response to the first signal, to adjust an operation of the UPS depending upon whether the single-phase operation or the multi-phase operation is indicated;

detecting a first voltage signal from a first phase of the AC input;

detecting a second voltage signal from a second phase of the AC input;

determining an imbalance between the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal;

generating an imbalance indication; and

determining, from the imbalance indication, whether the multiphase mode of the uninterruptible power supply is applicable.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the uninterruptible power supply includes a processor and a user-selectable switch, and wherein the method further comprises acts of coupling the user-selectable switch to the processor, and selecting one of the single-phase operation and the multi-phase operation with the user-selectable switch.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising acts of generating an aggregated signal by aggregating the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal, and comparing the aggregated signal to a reference.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the uninterruptible power supply includes a user-selectable switch coupled to a processor and wherein the method further comprises acts of:

detecting a position of the user-selectable switch; and

coupling the DC input to the output circuitry when the position of the user-selectable switch is detected in a position corresponding to a selection of the multi-phase mode and the imbalance indication indicates that the multi-phase mode of the UPS is inapplicable.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the uninterruptible power supply further comprises a single-phase voltage monitor, the method further comprising acts of:

receiving, with the single-phase voltage monitor, a voltage signal from a line of the AC input; and

indicating, with the single-phase voltage monitor, at least one of a voltage and a frequency of the voltage signal.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising acts of coupling the DC power source to the output circuit if either the voltage or the frequency is unacceptable.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the processor is adapted to generate the second signal.

21. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system comprising:

an AC power input configured to receive AC power from a single-phase AC power source or a multi-phase AC power source;

a DC power source;

an output circuit including a power output;

a controllable switch configured to selectively couple at least one of the AC power input and the DC power source to the output circuit;

a processor coupled and configured to affect operation of the output circuit depending upon which of single-phase and multi-phase operation of the UPS is indicated; and

a phase imbalance monitor coupled to the processor and to at least two AC input lines of the AC power input for receiving at least two corresponding voltage signals from the multi-phase AC power source, the imbalance monitor configured to provide an imbalance indication of imbalance of the at least two corresponding voltage signals,

wherein the processor is configured to determine from the imbalance indication whether multi-phase operation of the UPS is applicable.

22. The system of claim 21 further comprising a user-selectable switch, coupled to the processor, that indicates which of single-phase and multi-phase operation of the UPS is applicable.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the phase imbalance monitor is configured to aggregate the at least two corresponding voltage signals and compare the aggregated signal to a reference.

24. The system of claim 21 further comprising a user-selectable switch, coupled to the processor, that indicates which of single-phase and multi-phase operation of the UPS is applicable, and wherein if the user-selectable switch indicates multi-phase operation and the phase imbalance monitor indicates that multi-phase operation of the UPS is inapplicable, the processor causes the controllable switch to couple the DC power source to the output circuit.

25. The system of claim 21 further comprising a single-phase voltage monitor coupled to one AC input line of the AC power input for receiving a corresponding input voltage signal and configured to provide indicia of at least one of a voltage and a frequency of the input voltage signal.

26. The system of claim 25 wherein the processor is configured to cause the controllable switch to connect the DC power source to the output circuit if at least one of the voltage of the input voltage signal has an unacceptable voltage value and the frequency of the input voltage signal has an unacceptable frequency value.

27. The system of claim 21, further comprising a power factor correction circuit, wherein the output signal affects an operation of the power factor correction circuit.

28. A method of supplying power to an electrical load, the method comprising acts of:

configuring an AC input of an uninterruptible power supply to receive AC power from either of a single-phase AC power source or a multi-phase AC power source;

coupling, in a first mode of operation, the AC input to output circuitry of the uninterruptible power supply;

coupling, in a second mode of operation, a DC input to the output circuitry;

adjusting an operation of the output circuitry in response to an indication of whether a single-phase operation or a multi-phase operation is selected;

detecting a first voltage signal from a first phase of the AC input;

detecting a second voltage signal from a second phase of the AC input;

determining an imbalance between the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal;

generating an imbalance indication; and

determining, from the imbalance indication, whether the multiphase mode of the uninterruptible power supply is applicable.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the uninterruptible power supply includes a processor and a user-selectable switch, and wherein the method further comprises acts of coupling the user-selectable switch to the processor, and selecting one of the single-phase operation and the multi-phase operation with the user-selectable switch.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising acts of generating a first signal by aggregating the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal, and comparing the first signal to a reference.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the uninterruptible power supply includes a user-selectable switch coupled to a processor and wherein the method further comprises acts of:

detecting a position of the user-selectable switch; and

coupling the DC input to the output circuitry when the position of the user-selectable switch is detected in a position corresponding to a selection of a multi-phase operation and the imbalance indication indicates that multi-phase operation of the UPS is inapplicable.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the uninterruptible power supply further comprises a single-phase voltage monitor, the method further comprising acts of:

receiving, with the single-phase voltage monitor, a voltage signal from a line of the AC input; and

indicating, with the single-phase voltage monitor, at least one of a voltage and a frequency of the voltage signal.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising acts of coupling the DC power source to the output circuit if either the voltage or the frequency is unacceptable.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the processor is adapted to generate the second signal.