Power array for high power pulse load

• US 8,305,052 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2008
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ELTA Systems Limited (Government of Israel)
• Original Assignee: ELTA Systems Limited (Government of Israel)
• Inventors: Batikoff, Enrique, Zelig, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, TRINH VO
• Application Number:
  US12/810,940
• Publication Number:
  US 20110006969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 323/222
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/102 being switching converters H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/07 using capacitors charged and discharged alternately by semiconductor devices with control electrode , e.g. charge pumps
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1584 with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel

Abstract

A controlled power supply comprising: a) an array of low voltage current sources; b) a plurality of switch power supplies coupled to each of the storage capacitors and respective ones of the pulse loads being coupled to each of the switch power supplies; c) each of the storage capacitors being configured for storing energy during an inactive portion of a load switching cycle of the respective switch power supply to which the corresponding storage capacitor is coupled when the pulse loads are inactive; d) a respective output capacitor in association with each of the switch power supplies for feeding voltage to the respective pulse loads during an active portion of the load switching cycle; and e) the respective storage capacitor being configured for supplying the stored energy via the respective to the respective switch power supply to which the storage capacitor is coupled to each of the pulse loads coupled to switch power supply during an active portion of the load switching cycle.

Claims

1. A method of supplying bursts of substantially constant voltage to a plurality of pulse loads, the method comprising:

providing an array of low voltage current sources, each for feeding constant DC (Direct Current) current at a nominal voltage to a respective storage capacitor, each of which is coupled to a plurality of switch power supplies;

coupling each of the switch power supplies to a respective output storage capacitor for feeding voltage to the pulse load;

storing energy in each of the storage capacitors during both active and inactive portions of a load switching cycle of the respective switch power supply, to which the corresponding storage capacitor is coupled, for feeding voltage to the respective pulse loads during an active portion of the load switching cycle; and

supplying the energy, stored in the respective storage capacitor to the respective switch power supply, to which the storage capacitor is coupled, and then to each of the pulse loads during the active portion of the load switching cycle, wherein the supplying of said energy comprises computing an average current that should be fed to the respective storage capacitor in order to ensure that sufficient energy will be stored in said respective storage capacitor to feed the pulse load without substantially completely draining said respective storage capacitor.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein supplying the energy stored in the respective storage capacitor to the respective switch power supply comprises:

supplying continuous energy to the respective storage capacitor at a substantially constant current equal in magnitude to the average current.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

feeding energy to the respective storage capacitor via a switching converter; and

varying a duty cycle of the switching converter to produce a desired average current.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

varying the duty cycle of the switching converter so as to maintain the current supplied by the switching converter at a level slightly above an average current required by the pulse load.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

setting an integration averaging interval of the switching converter to be an order of magnitude larger than a largest expected pulse load interval.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein a single pulse load is coupled to each of the switch power supplies.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least two of the pulse loads are coupled to each of the switch power supplies.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pulse loads are antenna elements of a phased array antenna.

9. A controlled power supply configured to supply bursts of substantially constant voltage from a respective storage capacitor to a plurality of pulse loads via a load switch, said power supply comprising:

an array of low voltage current sources, each for feeding constant DC (Direct Current) current at a nominal voltage to a respective storage capacitor;

a plurality of switch power supplies coupled to each of the storage capacitors and to respective pulse loads;

each of the storage capacitors being configured for storing energy during both active and inactive portions of a load switching cycle of the respective switch power supply, to which the corresponding storage capacitor is coupled, when the pulse loads are inactive;

a respective output storage capacitor in association with each of the switch power supplies for feeding voltage to the respective pulse loads during an active portion of the load switching cycle;

the respective storage capacitor being configured for supplying the stored energy to the respective switch power supply, to which the storage capacitor is coupled, and then to each of the pulse loads, during the active portion of the load switching cycle; and

an average current processing unit responsive to a predetermined current that is to be sourced by the pulse load during the active portion of the load switching cycle for computing an average current that should be fed to the respective storage capacitor to ensure that sufficient energy will be stored in said respective storage capacitor to feed the pulse load without substantially completely draining said respective storage capacitor.

10. The controlled power supply according to claim 9, wherein for each of the switch power supplies there is comprised:

a controller operatively coupled to the average current processing unit configured to supply continuous energy to the respective storage capacitor at a substantially constant current equal in magnitude to said average current and configured to generate switching signals for closing and opening said load switch at a rate and duty cycle that is commensurate with respective durations of the active portion and the inactive portion of the switching cycle.

11. The controlled power supply according to claim 10, further comprising in respect of each controller:

a switching converter controlled by a PWM switch for coupling to a voltage source and producing an output voltage; and

a storage capacitor for storing energy and for supplying the stored energy to the load during the active portion of the load switching cycle;

said controller being coupled to the switching converter for pulse width modulating the PWM switch.

12. The controlled power supply according to claim 9, wherein:

the average current processing unit comprises an integrator having a capacitor and a resistor selected so as to set an integration averaging interval of the integrator to be an order of magnitude larger than the largest expected pulse load interval of the switching converter.

13. The controlled power supply according to claim 9, wherein a single pulse load is coupled to each of the switch power supplies.

14. The controlled power supply according to claim 9, wherein at least two of the pulse loads are coupled to each of the switch power supplies.

15. The controlled power supply according to claim 9, wherein the pulse loads are antenna elements of a phased array antenna.

16. A phased array antenna system comprising:

a plurality of modules each containing a plurality of antenna elements adapted to scan over a predetermined field of view; and

a respective controlled power supply, according to claim 15, for supplying power to the antenna elements in each module.