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

• US 8,086,874 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• 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): BUTLER, DENNIS
• Application Number:
  US11/760,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20070234095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,663 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 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 voltage regulator adapted to provide an output voltage to a corresponding load;

at least one linear regulator;

at least one auxiliary controller operatively connected to said at least one linear regulator via at least one communication path; and

a system controller operatively connected to said at least one voltage regulator and to said at least one auxiliary controller via a common serial data bus and adapted to send first programming data for said at least one voltage regulator to said at least one voltage regulator via the serial data bus and second programming data for said at least one linear regulator to said at least one auxiliary controller via the serial data bus, the serial data bus being separate and distinct from the at least one communication path;

wherein said at least one auxiliary controller is configured to receive said second programming data from the system controller via said serial data bus and providing corresponding commands to the at least one linear regulator.

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 voltage regulator and said at least one auxiliary controller.

3. The power control system of claim 1, further comprising a front-end regulator providing an intermediate voltage to said at least one voltage 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 first and second programming data from a user to the at least one voltage regulator and the at least one auxiliary controller.

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 first and second programming data.

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

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

10. The power control system of claim 1, further comprises at least one of a switching device, a motor control device, a temperature control device, a visual indicator device, and a peripheral device in communication with said at least one auxiliary controller.

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

12. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the at least one auxiliary controller further comprises at least one register adapted to store the second programming data.

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

14. The power control system of claim 1, wherein the at least one auxiliary controller is further adapted to receive monitoring data from the at least one linear regulator via the at least one communication path, the at least one auxiliary controller communicating the monitoring data to the system controller via the serial data bus.

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

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

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

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

generating by a system controller programming parameters for at least one voltage regulator and at least one low drop-out (LDO) linear regulator;

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

using a first portion of said programming parameters to generate by said at least one auxiliary controller at least one command;

transmitting said at least one command over at least one communication path operatively connected to said at least one LDO linear regulator; and

operating said at least one voltage regulator in accordance with a second portion of the programming data and said at least one LDO linear regulator in accordance with the at least one command.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said generating step further comprises receiving the programming parameters from a user.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising generating the programming parameters using a graphical user interface.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising storing the programming data in at least one memory contained in said at least one voltage regulator and said at least one auxiliary controller.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising storing the programming data in a memory contained in a system controller operatively coupled to said at least one voltage regulator and said at least one auxiliary controller.

23. The method of claim 18, 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.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising assigning a unique address to the at least one auxiliary controller.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising including the unique address with the programming data to identify the at least one auxiliary controller.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising generating monitoring data regarding operating status of the at least one voltage regulator and the at least one LDO linear regulator, and transmitting the monitoring data for the at least one linear regulator over the at least one communication path, and the monitoring data for the at least one voltage regulator and the at least one LDO linear regulator serially over the common data bus.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising monitoring the monitoring data using a graphical user interface.