Rectifier circuit management system, such as for use in cell site power systems

• US 8,412,272 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2010
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Fischer, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Sobutka, Philip
• Application Number:
  US12/726,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20110021186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/561
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/246 specially adapted for base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/04 for varying one co-ordinate of the orientation
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/06 over a restricted angle
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/00 Power management, e.g. TPC [Transmission Power Control], power saving or power classes gain control in transmitters or power amplifiers H03G3/3042
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0206 in access points, e.g. base stations access point devices per se H04W88/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/143 Downlink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/44 in connection with interruption of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/00 Local resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, methods, and manufactures for conserving power in a communications system such as a communications service cell site or cell site. The methods include adjusting the RF coverage of the cell site antenna, selective control of the RF output transmit power, selective control of the communications bit rate, transfer of communications to other cell sites, adjustment of indicators such that mobile devices transfer communications to other cell sites, and reallocation of logical slots between radios in the cell site. In some examples, the cell site employs a power controller. The power controller may utilize a switching circuit to produce two different voltages from a single battery string during a commercial power failure with improved conversion efficiencies. In another example, a power controller may manage multiple rectifiers so that the rectifiers operate more efficiently, such as with approximately equal runtime and with regular testing.

Claims

1. A method for managing rectifier circuitry that supplies power to radio and telecommunications circuitry at a cell site, wherein the rectifier circuitry includes multiple rectifiers, the method comprising:

monitoring a current drawn by the radio and telecommunications circuitry at the cell site, wherein

one or more rectifiers in the rectifier circuitry are online, and wherein the online rectifiers rectify an input power source and provide current to the radio and telecommunications circuitry at the cell site; and

one or more rectifiers in the rectifier circuitry are offline, and wherein the offline rectifiers do not provide current to the radio and telecommunications circuitry at the cell site;

determining whether the drawn current or a rectifier rotation policy necessitates changing which rectifiers in the rectifier circuitry are online, wherein the determination further comprises

determining whether the drawn current or the rectifier rotation policy necessitates bringing one or more rectifiers online; and

determining whether the drawn current or the rectifier rotation policy necessitates taking one or more outgoing rectifiers offline;

when the drawn current or the rotation policy necessitates bringing one or more rectifiers online, then;

selecting, in accordance with the rectifier rotation policy, one or more rectifiers to bring online;

bringing the selected rectifiers online so that they rectify the input power source and provide current to the radio and telecommunications circuitry at the cell site;

determining currents provided by each of the online rectifiers; and

comparing the currents of the online rectifiers to test the online rectifiers for failures; and

,

when the drawn current or the rotation policy necessitates taking one or more rectifiers offline, then;

identifying, in accordance with the rectifier rotation policy, one or more outgoing rectifiers to take offline; and

taking the identified rectifiers offline so that they do not provide current to the radio and telecommunications circuitry at the cell site.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the drawn current or the rectifier rotation policy necessitates changing which rectifiers in the rectifier circuitry are online further comprises determining whether the rectifier rotation policy mandates a scheduled rectifier rotation that approximately balances runtimes of the multiple rectifiers and enables testing of all of the multiple rectifiers.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the rectifier rotation policy prescribes a first on/first off round-robin rectifier rotation among the multiple rectifiers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the drawn current or the rectifier rotation policy necessitates bringing one or more incoming rectifiers online further comprises determining whether the drawn current has increased continuously during a time window, and

wherein determining whether the drawn current or the rectifier rotation policy necessitates taking one or more outgoing rectifiers offline further comprises determining whether the drawn current has decreased continuously during the time window.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the currents of the online rectifiers to test the online rectifiers for failures further comprises determining if the currents of the online rectifiers are approximately equally balanced, and wherein when online rectifiers are tested for failures, the identified rectifiers are taken offline after completion of the testing.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring a temperature of a battery circuit that is coupled to the rectifier circuitry;

determining whether the temperature of the battery circuit necessitates bringing one or more rectifiers online; and

,

determining whether the temperature of the battery circuit necessitates taking one or more rectifiers offline.

7. A power controller system for managing a rectifier and switch circuit, wherein the rectifier and switch circuit includes multiple rectifiers, and wherein the power controller system provides power to telecommunications circuitry at a base station, the system comprising:

multiple rectifiers configured to provide power to telecommunications circuitry at the base station;

multiple switches, wherein each of the multiple rectifiers is coupled to one of the multiple switcher; and

,

at least one processor, wherein the processor is configured to

receive sense signals representing a condition of each of the multiple rectifiers;

select, in accordance with a rotation policy or the sense signals, one or more incoming rectifiers to bring online;

select, in accordance with the applicable rotation policy or the sense signals, one or more outgoing rectifiers to take offline; and

,

provide control signals to the multiple switches to control which of the multiple rectifiers are online and which of the multiple rectifiers are offline, wherein online rectifiers provide power to the power to telecommunications circuitry at the base station, and wherein offline rectifiers do not provide power to the power to telecommunications circuitry.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the rotation policy prescribes a first on/first off round-robin rectifier rotation.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to test the multiple rectifiers for failures by determining if online rectifiers are providing approximately equally balanced output currents.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to select one or more incoming rectifiers to bring online by determining whether a sustained drawn current has increased during a time window.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the processor is further configured to select one or more outgoing rectifiers to take offline by determining whether a sustained drawn current has decreased during a time window.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the sense signal represents a temperature of a battery circuit coupled to the rectifier and switch circuit, and wherein the processor is further configured to select one or more incoming rectifiers to bring online by determining whether the temperature of the battery circuit has dropped below a threshold temperature.

13. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to control a doubling switching circuit and a battery circuit that has a native voltage, wherein the doubling switching circuit is configured to produce an output signal having a voltage that is approximately double the native voltage of the battery circuit.

14. The system of claim 7, wherein the policy is a time-based policy.

15. A power controller system for managing multiple rectifiers that provide power to telecommunications circuitry at a base station, the system comprising:

means for receiving sense signals representing a condition of each of the multiple rectifiers;

means for selecting, in accordance with a rotation policy or the received sense signals, one or more incoming rectifiers to bring online or one or more outgoing rectifiers to take offline; and

,

means for switching the multiple rectifiers online and offline,

wherein online rectifiers provide power to the power to telecommunications circuitry at the base station,

wherein offline rectifiers do not provide power to the power to telecommunications circuitry, and

wherein only when the telecommunications circuitry at the base station requires full power are all of the multiple rectifiers online, but otherwise a number of rectifiers are online to operate the online rectifiers at an efficiency above 85%.