Smart power supply

• US 7,429,806 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2005
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Baker, George E., Horrocks, Michael, Bainbridge, Gregg M., Claassen, Franciscus Gerardus Joahannes, Schuster, Larry
• Primary Examiner(s): Deberadinis; Robert L.
• Application Number:
  US11/263,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20070096562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: 307/52
• US Class Current: 307/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/08 Three-wire systems; Systems having more than three wires
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0019 the disturbance parameters being load current fluctuations
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/009 having two or more independently controlled outputs for DC-DC converter with intermediate AC H02M3/33561
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators

Abstract

A power supply includes an input component that receives power from a source and an automatic load sense (ALS) component associated with the power supply that monitors and regulates at least two or more of current and power output from the power supply. An output component that provides power from the ALS component to one or more variable load components.

Claims

1. A power supply, comprising:

an input component that receives power from a source;

an automatic load sense (ALS) component associated with the power supply that monitors and regulates at least two or more of current and power output from the power supply and further includes a current monitor that determines the amount of current provided by at least one of an output line and total current output by the power supply;

a first rectifier/filter that converts and filters the received AC power into a DC signal;

a switch that receives the DC signal from the first rectifier/filter and converts it to an AC signal by switching the signal on and off at a predetermined frequency;

a transformer that receives the AC signal from the switch and converts the voltage level of the AC signal to a predetermined output level;

a second rectifier/filter that converts and filters the AC signal received from the transformer to a DC signal and outputs this signal to the ALS component; and

an output component that provides power from the ALS component to one or more variable load components.

2. The system according to claim 1, the automatic load sense component further including:

a power monitor that determines the amount of power provided by at least one of an output line and total power output by the power supply.

3. The system according to claim 1, the automatic load sense component further including:

a regulation component that controls the amount of current and/or power output by the power supply to stay below one or more predetermined thresholds based at least in part upon information from at least one of the current monitor and the power monitor.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the regulation can power down at least one output line, and/or power down the entire power supply, and output a signal to the notification component.

5. The system according to claim 1, the automatic load sense component further including:

a notification element that provides a message based at least in part upon information received from at least one of the current monitor, the power monitor and the regulation component.

6. The system according to claim 1, further including:

a controller circuit that monitors the voltage level of the DC signal sent to the ALS component and determines the frequency of the switch based at least in part upon this voltage level.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the current and the power level of each of the at least two signals is summed via the ALS component and compared to a predetermined value.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ALS component employs at least one formula to determine the maximum allowable current output from the power supply.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the ALS component employs at least one formula to determine the maximum allowable power output from the power supply.

10. The system according to claim 1, further including:

at least one variable load component that utilizes power from the power supply.

11. A method for regulating the output of a power supply, comprising:

measuring the current on at least one voltage line output from the power supply;

comparing the current measured from each voltage line to a predetermined reference value, where the predetermined reference value is based at least in part on the capabilities of the power supply; and

shutting down at least one of the highest voltage line until the current is below a predetermined threshold.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

summing the current of each of the at least one voltage line;

comparing the summed current to a predetermined threshold; and

shutting down at least one predetermined output if the summed current exceeds the predetermined threshold.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

notifying a user that the summed current exceeds the predetermined threshold.

14. A system incorporating a housing, comprising:

an electronic load that controls at least one variable load component associated with the system;

a power supply operatively coupled to the electronic load that provides power to at least one variable component, where the power supply is at least one of an ATX/NLX, SFX, WTX, or other form factor designed to reside within the housing;

an automatic load sense (ALS) component that monitors at least one of the current and the power provided on at least one voltage line by the power supply and monitors at least one of the total current and the total power output by the power supply;

a regulation component that compares at least one of power and current to a predetermined threshold and powers down at least one voltage line if at least one of the at least one of power and current exceed a predetermined threshold.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the ALS component shuts off power to at least one voltage output line of the power supply, and/or shuts off power to the entire power supply and provides a notification to a recipient if at least one of the total current and the total power exceeds a predetermined threshold.

16. The system according to claim 14, further including:

a controller circuit that monitors the voltage level of the DC signal sent to the ALS component and determines the frequency of the switch based at least in part upon this voltage level.

17. The system according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the current and the power level of each of the at least two signals is summed via the ALS component and compared to a predetermined value.