POWER MANAGER

• US 20170207700A1
• Filed: 04/04/2017
• Published: 07/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Revision Military Soldier Power, LLC
• Original Assignee: Protonex Technology Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Long, David N., Dziengeleski, Seth M., Apollonio, Benjamin, Kazmierczak, James D., Grennan, Michael J., Lac, My H.
• Granted Patent: US 10,361,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2513 Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/102 being switching converters H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/156 with automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators

Abstract

An improved power manager includes a power bus (410) and multiple device ports (1-5), with at least one device port configured as a universal port (3 and 4) to be selectively connected to the power bus over an input power channel that includes an input power converter (510) or over a output or universal power channel (412, 416) that includes an output power converter (440, 442). The universal power channel (412) allows the input port (4) to be selected as an output power channel instead of an input power channel (i.e. operated as a universal port) for outputting power to device port (4) over power converter (440). The improved power manager (500) includes operating modes for altering an operating voltage of the power bus (505), to minimize overall power conversion losses due to DC to DC power conversions used to connect non-bus voltage compatible power devices to the power bus.

Claims

1. A power manager comprising:

a power bus operating at with a first substantially constant DC bus voltage operating point;

an electronic controller including a memory module;

a plurality device ports operably connectable to the power bus wherein at least a portion of the plurality of device ports is interfaced with an external power device;

an input power converter having an input side and an output side disposed along an input power converting channel between the power bus and an input device port wherein the input power converter input side connects to the input device port and the input power converter output side connects to the power bus;

an output power converter having an input side and an output side disposed along an input power converting channel between the power bus and an output device port wherein the output power converter output side connects to the output device port and the output power converter input side connects to the power bus; and

a bus sensor module in communication with the electronic controller configured to sense the DC bus voltage,

wherein the power manager is operable to select one or more external power devices to connect to the power bus over one of the input power converter and the output power converter and to calculate a total power conversion loss associated with power converting the selected external power devices based on the first substantially constant DC bus voltage operating point.

2-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A power manager comprising:

a power bus;

an electronic controller including a memory module;

a plurality device ports operably connected to the power bus;

an input power converter connected to the power bus;

an output power converter connected to the power bus; and

a bus sensor module in communication with the electronic controller configured to sense a DC bus voltage of the power bus,

wherein the power manager is operable to select an external power device to connect to the power bus over one of the device ports and to calculate a total power conversion loss associated with power converting the external power device.