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

• US 7,836,322 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bel Power Solutions Inc.
• Original Assignee: Power-One Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Chapuis, Alain, Guz, Mikhail
• Primary Examiner(s): Du; Thuan N
• Application Number:
  US11/930,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20080052551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 713/320, 713/340, 323/282
• US Class Current: 713/340
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C

Abstract

A power control system comprises at least one programmable voltage regulator, at least one non-programmable auxiliary voltage regulator, and a system controller operatively connected to the at least one programmable voltage regulator and to said at least one auxiliary voltage regulator via a common serial data bus. The at least one programmable voltage regulator is adapted to provide a corresponding output voltage having characteristics defined by received programming data and to provide monitoring data reflecting operational status of the at least one programmable voltage regulator. The at least one non-programmable auxiliary voltage regulator is adapted to provide a corresponding output voltage in response to an enable signal. The system controller is adapted to send the programming data and receive the monitoring data via the serial data bus. A data monitoring circuit is operatively coupled to the at least one auxiliary voltage regulator to receive analog measurements therefrom and communicate corresponding monitoring data to the system controller.

Claims

1. A power control system comprising:

at least one programmable voltage regulator adapted to provide a corresponding output voltage having characteristics defined by received programming data and to provide monitoring data reflecting operational status of the at least one programmable voltage regulator;

at least one non-programmable auxiliary voltage regulator adapted to provide a corresponding output voltage in response to an enable signal;

a system controller operatively connected to the at least one programmable voltage regulator and to said at least one auxiliary voltage regulator via a common serial data bus and adapted to send the programming data and receive the monitoring data via the serial data bus; and

a data monitoring circuit operatively coupled to the at least one auxiliary voltage regulator to receive analog measurements therefrom and communicate corresponding monitoring data to the system controller.

2. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the data monitoring circuit further comprises an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit adapted to convert the analog measurements to digital signals.

3. The power control system of claim 2, wherein the ADC circuit communicates the digital signals to the system controller via the common serial bus.

4. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the data monitoring circuit communicates the corresponding monitoring data to the system controller through a communication channel separate from the common serial bus.

5. 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 programmable voltage regulator and said at least one auxiliary voltage regulator.

6. The power control system of claim 5, further comprising a front-end regulator providing an intermediate voltage to said at least one programmable voltage regulator on an intermediate voltage bus.

7. The power control system of claim 6, wherein said front-end regulator is combined with said system controller in a single device.

8. The power control system of claim 6, wherein said at least one programmable voltage regulator further comprises a power conversion circuit adapted to transform said intermediate voltage to a desired output voltage.

9. 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 programmable voltage regulator.

10. The power control system of claim 9, 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.

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

12. The power control system of claim 11, wherein the system controller includes the unique address with the programming data sent via the serial data bus.

13. The power control system of claim 1, wherein said at least one auxiliary voltage regulator further comprises a linear regulator.

14. The power control system of claim 1, wherein said at least one auxiliary voltage regulator further comprises a low drop-out (LDO) linear regulator.

15. 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.

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

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

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