Method and system for controlling an array of point-of-load regulators and auxiliary devices

• US 7,266,709 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2006
• Issued: 09/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bel Power Solutions Inc.
• Original Assignee: Power-One Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Chapuis, Alain, Guz, Mikhail
• Primary Examiner(s): BUTLER, DENNIS
• Application Number:
  US11/354,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20060174145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 713300-310, 713330-340
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/189 Power distribution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3253 Power saving in bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/08 Three-wire systems; Systems having more than three wires
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/082 Plural DC voltage, e.g. DC supply voltage with at least two different DC voltage levels
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/102 being switching converters H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/16 The load or loads being an Information and Communication Technology [ICT] facility
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/008 Plural converter units for generating at two or more independent and non-parallel outputs, e.g. systems with plural point of load switching regulators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/60 Planning or developing urban green infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A power control system comprises at least one POL regulator, at least one auxiliary device, a serial data bus operatively connecting the POL regulator and the auxiliary device, and a system controller adapted to exchange digital data with the POL regulator and auxiliary device via the serial data bus. The auxiliary device may include a power regulation device, a switching device, a motor control device, a temperature control device, and/or a peripheral device. At least one auxiliary device controller may be operatively coupled between the auxiliary device and the serial data bus. The auxiliary device controller may be integrated with the system controller, or may be external to the system controller. The auxiliary device controller may further comprise at least one register adapted to store the programming data, with the programming data including at least one of turn-on delay, turn-off delay, polarity of input/output signals, fault configuration, and group membership. The auxiliary device controller may be further adapted to receive monitoring data from the auxiliary device, with the auxiliary device controller communicating the monitoring data to the system controller via the serial data bus.

Claims

1. A power control system comprising:

at least one point-of-load (POL) regulator adapted to provide an output voltage to a corresponding load;

at least one auxiliary device having different functionality than the at least one POL regulator; and

a system controller operative connected to said at least one POL regulator and to said at least one auxiliary device via a common serial data bus and adapted to send programming data for said at least one POL regulator and said at least one auxiliary device via the serial data bus.

2. The power control system of claim 1, further comprising a second serial data bus carrying fault management information between said system controller and said at least one POL regulator and said at least one auxiliary device.

3. The power control system of claim 1, further comprising a front-end regulator providing an intermediate voltage to said at least one POL regulator on an intermediate voltage bus.

4. The power control system of claim 3, wherein said front-end regulator is combined with said system controller in a single device.

5. The power control system of claim 1, wherein said system controller further comprises a user interface adapted to communicate said programming data from a user to the at least one POL regulator and at least one auxiliary device.

6. The power control system of claim 5, further comprising a graphical user interface operatively coupled to the user interface, the graphical user interface adapted to enable user generation of said programming data.

7. The power control system of claim 1, wherein said at least one POL regulator each further comprises a power conversion circuit adapted to transform an intermediate voltage to a desired output voltage.

8. The power control system of claim 1, wherein said at least one auxiliary device each further comprises a unique address.

9. The power control system of claim 8, wherein the system controller includes the unique address with the programming data sent via the serial data bus.

10. The power control system of claim 1, wherein said at least one auxiliary device comprises at least one of a power regulation device, a switching device, a motor control device, a temperature control device, a visual indicator device, and a peripheral device.

11. The power control system of claim 10, wherein said at least one auxiliary device further comprises a linear regulator.

12. The power control system of claim 11, wherein said at least one auxiliary device further comprises a low drop-out (LDO) linear regulator.

13. The power control system of claim 1, further comprising at least one auxiliary device controller interposed between the at least one auxiliary device and said system controller, the auxiliary device controller receiving said programming data from the system controller and providing corresponding commands to the at least one auxiliary device.

14. The power control system of claim 13, wherein the at least one auxiliary device controller is integrated with the system controller.

15. The power control system of claim 13, wherein the at least one auxiliary device controller is external to the system controller.

16. The power control system of claim 13, wherein the at least one auxiliary device controller further comprises at least one register adapted to store the programming data.

17. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the programming data includes at least one of turn-on delay, turn-off delay, polarity of input/output signals, fault configuration, and group membership.

18. The power control system of claim 13, wherein the at least one auxiliary device controller is further adapted to receive monitoring data from the at least one auxiliary device, the at least one auxiliary device controller communicating the monitoring data to the system controller via the serial data bus.

19. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the serial data bus further comprises an I²C bus.

20. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the serial data bus further comprises a two-wire bus.

21. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the serial data bus further comprises a single wire bus.

22. A method of operating a power control system, comprising:

generating programming parameters for at least one point of load (POL) regulator and at least one auxiliary device having different functionality than the at least one POL regulator; and

;

transmitting programming data based on said programming parameters serially over a common data bus operatively connected to said at least one POL regulator and said at least one auxiliary device; and

operating said at least one POL regulator and said at least one auxiliary device in accordance with the programming data.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said generating step further comprises receiving the programming parameters from a user.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising generating the programming parameters using a graphical user interface.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising storing the programming data in a memory contained in said at least one POL regulator and said at least one auxiliary device.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising storing the programming data in a memory contained in a system controller operatively coupled to said at least one POL regulator and said at least one auxiliary device.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the programming data includes at least one of turn-on delay, turn-off delay, polarity of input/output signals, fault configuration, and group membership.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising assigning a unique address to the at least one auxiliary device.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising including the unique address with the programming data to identify the at least one auxiliary device.

30. The method of claim 22, further comprising generating monitoring data regarding operating status of the at least one POL regulator and the at least one auxiliary device, and transmitting the monitoring data serially over the common data bus.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising monitoring the monitoring data using a graphical user interface.