Modular power supply

• US 7,847,436 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Edwin Arthur Blackmond
• Original Assignee: Edwin Arthur Blackmond
• Inventors: Blackmond, Edwin Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman; Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Amrany; Adi
• Application Number:
  US12/250,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20090102288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 307/71
• US Class Current: 307/71
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/49 Combination of the output voltage waveforms of a plurality of converters

Abstract

A power supply including a plurality of power supply modules and method of operating such a power supply includes monitoring the state of individual power supply modules. The power supply modules are monitored to prevent the operation of the modules outside a predetermined range. One power supply described herein includes a greater number of power supply modules than necessary to produce a desired output waveform. This allows a subset of power supply modules to be chosen to produce the desired output based on the state of each of the power supply modules as determined by monitoring.

Claims

1. A method for operating a power supply having a plurality of power supply modules comprising the steps of:

monitoring the state of each of the plurality of power supply modules;

individually controlling the operation of each of the plurality of power supply modules based on said monitoring;

transmitting drive instructions to each of the plurality of power supply modules;

transmitting gate signals to a switching module of each of the plurality of power supply modules in response to the drive instructions, each of the switching modules, in response to particular gate signals, connecting a power source of a particular power supply module across a first terminal and a second terminal of a particular switching module, connecting the first terminal to the second terminal of the particular switching module shorting the terminals and allowing current to flow through the particular power supply module without affecting the power source of the particular power supply module, and disconnecting one of the terminals of the particular switching module thereby preventing current flow through the particular power supply module.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of activating a subset of the plurality of power supply modules to produce a desired output.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the subset of the plurality of power supply modules activated is based on the state of each of the plurality of power supply modules.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising the steps of:

deactivating said subset of the plurality of power supply modules based on the state of each of the plurality of power supply modules; and

activating a second subset of the plurality of power supply modules based on the state of each of the plurality of power supply modules.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of activating a subset of the plurality of power supply modules to charge the subset from an external power source connected to said power supply.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the subset of the plurality of power supply modules activated is based on the state of each of the plurality of power supply modules.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of activating a subset of the plurality of power supply modules further comprises balancing the subset of the plurality of power supply modules by setting the polarity of a first group of the subset of power supply modules opposite the polarity of a second group of the subset of power supply modules.

8. A power supply comprising:

a plurality of power supply modules each comprising;

a power source;

a switching module electrically connected to the power source and comprising;

a first terminal; and

a second terminal;

wherein the switching module is configured to, in response to particular gate signals, connect the power source across the terminals, connect the first terminal to the second terminal allowing current to flow through the power supply module without affecting the power source, and disconnect one of the terminals thereby preventing current flow through the power supply module;

a power source sensor module configured to sense the state of the power source;

a power supply microcontroller configured to monitor the state of each of the plurality of power supply modules based on information received from each of said power supply modules and control the operation of each of the plurality of power supply modules based on the states of the plurality of power supply modules.

9. The power supply of claim 8 wherein each of said plurality of power supply modules further comprises a power supply module microcontroller in communication with the switching module and the power source sensor module.

10. The power supply of claim 8 wherein said plurality of power supply modules are connected in series.

11. The power supply of claim 8 wherein said plurality of power supply modules are connected in parallel.

12. The power supply of claim 8 wherein said plurality of power supply modules are connected in series-parallel.

13. The power supply of claim 8 further comprising a load switch adapted to connect a load to the plurality of power supply modules.

14. The power supply of claim 8 further comprising a power source switch adapted to connect a power source to the plurality of power supply modules.

15. The power supply of claim 8 further comprising a second sensor module adapted to sense at least one parameter of at least one of a power source and a load.

16. The power supply of claim 8 wherein the power source of at least one of said power supply modules comprises at least one of a battery comprising at least one battery cell, a solar panel comprised of at least one solar cell, a capacitor, and a fuel cell.

17. A configurable power supply comprising:

a plurality of power supplies each comprising;

a plurality of power supply modules each comprising;

a power source;

a switching module electrically connected to the power source and comprising;

a first terminal; and

a second terminal;

wherein the switching module is configured to, in response to particular gate signals, connect the power source across the terminals, connect the first terminal to the second terminal allowing current to flow through the power supply module without affecting the power source, and disconnect one of the terminals thereby preventing current flow through the power supply module;

a power source sensor module configured to sense the state of the power source; and

a configurable power supply microcontroller configured to monitor the state of each of the plurality of power supplies based on information received from each of the plurality of power supplies and control the operation of each of the plurality of power supplies based on the state of each of the plurality of power supplies.

18. The configurable power supply of claim 17 wherein each of said plurality of power supply modules further comprises a power supply module microcontroller in communication with the switching module and the power source sensor module.

19. The configurable power supply of claim 17 wherein each of said plurality of power supplies further comprises a power supply microcontroller configured to monitor the state of each of the plurality of power supply modules based on information received from each of said power supply modules and control the operation of each of the plurality of power supply modules based on the states of the plurality of power supply modules.

20. The configurable power supply of claim 17 wherein each of said plurality of power supplies further comprises a load switch adapted to connect a load to each of said plurality of power supplies.

21. The configurable power supply of claim 17 wherein each of said plurality of power supplies further comprises a power source switch adapted to connect a power source to each of said plurality of power supplies.

22. The configurable power supply of claim 17 further comprising a second sensor module adapted to sense at least one parameter of at least one of a power source and a load.

23. The configurable power supply of claim 17 wherein the power source of at least one of said power supply modules comprises at least one of a battery comprising at least one battery cell, a solar panel comprised of at least one solar cell, a capacitor, and a fuel cell.

24. The configurable power supply of claim 17 wherein the plurality of power supplies are connected in series.

25. The configurable power supply of claim 17 wherein the plurality of power supplies are connected in parallel.

26. The configurable power supply of claim 17 wherein the plurality of power supplies are connected in series-parallel.