Digital power receiver system

• US 9,419,436 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2015
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VoltServer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VoltServer, Inc.
• Inventors: Eaves, Stephen Spencer, Lowe, Harry Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Huang, David S
• Application Number:
  US14/886,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20160111877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 302 Days
• Field of Search: 375/295, 375/316, 700/293, 700/298, 307/35, 307/125
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/12 for adjusting voltage in ac networks by changing a characteristic of the network load
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge

Abstract

Digital power is regulated by transmitting digital power via a transmission line pair to at least one receiver circuit in a digital power receiving system. The digital power is converted into analog power in the receiver circuit. The analog power is transmitted to at least one power conditioning circuit, and output power is transmitted from the power conditioning circuit. At least one voltage in the digital power receiver system is monitored; and, in response to that monitoring, the output power from the power conditioning circuit is regulated to improve at least one of safety, efficiency, resiliency, control, and routing of power.

Claims

1. A digital power receiver system supplied by a digital power distribution system, comprising;

one or more individual receiver circuits that are each connected to an individual transmission line pair originating from a digital power transmission source and where the one or more individual receiver circuits are configured to convert digital power on the transmission line pair to analog power;

one or more receiver output bus segments that electrically connect groups of the one or more individual receiver circuits in parallel;

one or more power conditioning circuits configured to connect to the one or more individual receiver circuits or to the one or more receiver output bus segments;

one or more power conditioning circuit output bus segments that electrically connect output terminals of the one or more power conditioning circuits to provide a combined power output; and

a control circuit that is operable to monitor at least one voltage within the digital power receiver system and to act to regulate output power of at least one power conditioning circuit to improve at least one of safety, efficiency, resiliency, control and routing of power.

2. The digital power receiver system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to send or receive information over the transmission line pairs by superimposing a communication signal onto the transmission line pairs.

3. The digital power receiver system of claim 2, wherein an external device is configured to provide a signal that causes the control circuit to superimpose the communication signal onto the transmission line pair.

4. The digital power receiver system of claim 2, wherein the control circuit is configured to acquire at least one receiver voltage within the digital power receiver system and to communicate the receiver voltage over the transmission line pair so that the transmission source can adjust its average transmission voltage to regulate the receiver voltage to a predetermined value.

5. The digital power receiver system of claim 2, wherein the control circuit is configured to acquire at least one receiver current within the digital power receiver system and to communicate the receiver current over the transmission line pair so that the transmission source can adjust its average transmission voltage to regulate an output current from the digital power receiver system to a predetermined value.

6. The digital power receiver system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to monitor an internal voltage of at least one of the one or more receiver circuits and to limit the power output of one or more power conditioning circuits until the internal voltage reaches a predetermined value, to ensure that a predetermined minimum amount of power is available from the transmission line pairs supplying the one or more receiver circuits, before allowing the one or more receiver circuits to operate at increased power.

7. The digital power receiver system of claim 1, wherein the one or more power conditioning circuits are configured to limit the electrical current flow to prevent an overcurrent condition in the one of more receiver circuits.

8. The digital power receiver system of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to regulate the output power level on the one or more power conditioning circuits based on a predetermined operational scheme.

9. A method for regulating digital power, comprising:

transmitting digital power via a transmission line pair to at least one receiver circuit in a digital power receiving system;

converting the digital power into analog power in the receiver circuit;

transmitting the analog power to at least one power conditioning circuit;

transmitting output power from the power conditioning circuit;

monitoring at least one voltage in the digital power receiver system; and

in response to that monitoring, regulating the output power from the power conditioning circuit to improve at least one of safety, efficiency, resiliency, control, and routing of power.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a plurality of safety, efficiency, resiliency, control, and routing of power are improved by the regulation of power.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising using a receiver control circuit to send or receive information over the transmission line pair by superimposing a communication signal onto the transmission line pair.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising using a signal from an external device to cause the receiver control circuit to superimpose the communication signal onto the transmission line pair.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

acquiring at least one receiver voltage within the digital power receiving system;

communicating the receiver voltage over the transmission line pair to a transmission source that generates the digital power; and

adjusting an average transmission voltage of the digital power generated by the transmission source in response to the receiver voltage to regulate the receiver voltage to a predetermined value.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

acquiring at least one receiver current within the digital power receiving system;

communicating the receiver current over the transmission line pair to a transmission source that generates the digital power; and

adjusting an average transmission voltage of the digital power generated by the transmission source in response to the receiver current to regulate the output current from the digital power receiver system to a predetermined value.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

monitoring an internal voltage of the at least one receiver circuit;

limiting the output power from the power conditioning circuit;

until the internal voltage reaches a predetermined value that ensures that a predetermined minimum amount of power is available from the transmission line pair; and

when the internal voltage reaches the predetermined value, operating the at least one receiver circuit at increased power.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the power conditioning circuit limits electrical current flow to prevent an overcurrent condition in the receiver circuit.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the power conditioning circuit regulates the output power from the power conditioning circuit based on a predetermined operational scheme.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the regulation of the output power from the power conditioning circuit prevents a receiver channel from overloading due to power draw from at least one load device attached to the power conditioning circuit.