Power supply system and operating method thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to a power supply system and operating method thereof. The power supply system includes multiple power supply units and multiple battery cells. Each power supply unit is coupled to a common bus via a first switch. Each battery cell corresponds to a power supply unit, and each battery cell is coupled to the common bus via a second switch. Any power supply unit obtains power from other battery cells via the common bus by turning on its corresponding first switch and turning on the corresponding second switches of other battery cells.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply system and an operating method thereof, and in particular to a power supply system using a shared battery and an operating method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the development of the Internet in recent years, human life has become inseparable from network technology, and people are increasingly dependent on the information and services provided by the Internet, such as video conferencing, remote work, social networking, dating websites, and audio-visual platforms, which provide users with a variety of Internet services.

[0003] To provide these services, businesses need to set up cloud servers, edge servers, or use data centers to store data and user information. In the actual application of servers, in order to ensure that users can enjoy network services at any time and ensure data integrity, it is necessary to improve system reliability and consider issues such as the timeliness of troubleshooting. Therefore, the power supply architecture of the server usually uses redundant power supplies (redundant PSU) and supports hot plug (hot plug) functions. For example, a backup mode of N+1 power supply units (or power supply units, PSU) is adopted. Even if any PSU fails, the system can still continue to operate normally and the replacement of the faulty PSU will not cause system interruption, thereby improving stability and reliability.

[0004] On the other hand, to prevent front-end power system failure, backup solutions are often deployed at the front end, such as centralized uninterruptible power systems (UPS), backup battery units (BBUs), and backup generators. However, compared to centralized UPS and BBU bank backup, a distributed BBU architecture offers greater configuration flexibility, improves system power efficiency, and optimizes overall reliability.

[0005] like Figure 1 As shown, the existing distributed PSU and BBU architecture, or Figure 2For a PSU with a built-in BBU, each power supply is equipped with a corresponding BBU. When the power supply system is functioning normally, the AC power from the input is supplied to the system through the PSU to provide a DC voltage, which also charges the BBU. If the power supply system fails, the BBU will provide power to the PSU, allowing the PSU to continue providing a stable DC voltage to keep the system running uninterrupted. The BBU will also provide power until the power supply system returns to normal. In traditional architectures, since each PSU only corresponds to one BBU, the PSU can only provide a rated and limited discharge time and power within the inherent capacity and specifications of the local battery. This also means that the power supply frame needs to have a diverse and multifunctional power management strategy to achieve maximum utilization of the battery pack.

[0006] Therefore, the inventors of this case have been studying important issues regarding how to design a power supply system and its operating method. By sharing the power provided by multiple battery units in conjunction with a common bus, the power supply unit is no longer limited to the inherent capacity and specifications of the local battery, but can fully provide sufficient discharge time and energy, effectively improving the utilization rate of the battery pack, and enhancing configuration flexibility, improving the system's power efficiency, and optimizing overall stability and reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a power supply system to solve the problems of the prior art.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a power supply system comprising multiple power supply units and multiple battery cells. Each power supply unit is coupled to a common bus via a first switch. Each battery cell corresponds to a corresponding power supply unit, and each battery cell is coupled to the common bus via a second switch. Any power supply unit can obtain power from other battery cells via the common bus by turning on its corresponding first switch and turning on the corresponding second switches of other battery cells.

[0009] The proposed power supply system allows multiple battery units to share power provided by a common bus, so that the power supply unit is no longer limited to the inherent capacity and specifications of the local battery, but can fully provide sufficient discharge time and energy, effectively improving the utilization rate of the battery pack, and increasing configuration flexibility, improving the power efficiency of the system, and optimizing overall stability and reliability.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide an operating method for a power supply system using a shared battery to solve the problems of the prior art.

[0011] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an operating method for a power supply system. The power supply system, which shares a battery, includes multiple power supply units and multiple battery units, with each battery unit corresponding to a corresponding power supply unit. The operating method includes: determining whether any power supply unit needs to obtain power from another battery unit; if any power supply unit needs to obtain power from another battery unit, the power supply unit turns on a first switch connected to a shared bus; and the power supply unit notifies the other power supply units to turn on a second switch connected to the corresponding other battery unit and the shared bus, thereby obtaining power from the other battery unit.

[0012] By operating the proposed power supply system, multiple battery units can share the power provided by a common bus, so that the power supply unit is no longer limited to the inherent capacity and specifications of the local battery, but can fully provide sufficient discharge time and energy, effectively improving the utilization rate of the battery pack, and increasing configuration flexibility, improving the power efficiency of the system, and optimizing overall stability and reliability.

[0013] In order to further understand the techniques, means and effects adopted by the present invention to achieve the intended objectives, please refer to the following detailed description of the present invention and the accompanying drawings. It is believed that the objectives, features and characteristics of the present invention can be understood in depth and in detail. However, the accompanying drawings are provided for reference and illustration only and are not intended to limit the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 :An architectural diagram of the existing distributed power supply unit (PSU) and battery backup unit (BBU).

[0015] Figure 2 : This is the architecture diagram of the existing PSU with built-in BBU.

[0016] Figure 3 : is a block diagram of the first embodiment of the power management system of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 4 : is a block diagram of the second embodiment of the power management system of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 5 : is a block diagram of the third embodiment of the power management system of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 6 : A schematic diagram of a single power supply unit and a corresponding battery unit in the power supply system of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 7A : A schematic diagram of the first operating mode of the power supply system of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 7B : A schematic diagram of the second operating mode of the power supply system of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 7C : A schematic diagram of the third operating mode of the power supply system of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 7D : A schematic diagram of the fourth operating mode of the power supply system of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 7E : A schematic diagram of the fifth operating mode of the power supply system of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7F : A schematic diagram of the sixth operating mode of the power supply system of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 7G : A schematic diagram of the seventh operating mode of the power supply system of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 8 : is a flow chart of the operating method of the power supply system of the present invention.

[0028] The description of the accompanying drawings is as follows:

[0029] PSU1~PSU N : Power supply unit

[0030] BBU1~BBU N :Battery cell

[0031] 11: Charging circuit

[0032] 12: Discharge circuit

[0033] 13: Control circuit

[0034] 131: Control unit

[0035] 132: Switch unit

[0036] 21: Battery control unit

[0037] P B : Shared bus

[0038] S B : Signal bus

[0039] C B :Communication bus

[0040] SW REQ1 ~SW REQN :First switch

[0041] SW SUP1 ~SWSUPN : Second switch

[0042] S REQ1 ~S REQN : First control signal

[0043] S SUP1 ~S SUPN : Second control signal

[0044] P C1 ~P CN : Charging path

[0045] P D1 ~P DN : Discharge path

[0046] Q1: Switch

[0047] R1: first resistor

[0048] R2: Second resistor

[0049] S REQI / O : Bus level signal

[0050] S REQCMD : Request command signal

[0051] S11~S13: Steps DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] The technical content and detailed description of the present invention are described as follows with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] The present invention proposes a power supply framework with shared batteries. This framework can improve the flexibility and utilization of battery pack applications through sharing or exchanging. It can solve the problem of a single PSU's discharge time being limited by the capacity of its own battery, and can even support the corresponding PSU to provide greater output power.

[0054] See Figure 3 , which is a block diagram of the first embodiment of the power management system of the present invention. A unique feature of the power framework of the present invention is its ability to treat batteries as either local batteries or shared batteries, where shared batteries can be physical or virtually implemented through a software layer defined on the local batteries. Although batteries can be distributed and physically connected to power supplies in various locations, the configuration and operating system of this power framework enable battery packs to work together as a single group of batteries.

[0055] The power management goal is to provide a way to easily connect to a local battery and improve the flexibility and battery utilization of shared batteries. Figure 4Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a second embodiment of the power management system of the present invention. Power management can be achieved through an external coordination unit, communicating via a communication interface or hardware I / O signals. This unit collects information about the current output current or power of each BBU for unified management, determining whether each BBU has the capacity to supply power to the shared battery pack.

[0056] See Figure 5 As shown in FIG, it is a block diagram of the third embodiment of the power management system of the present invention. Alternatively, power management can also be completed independently by each PSU, with the PSU monitoring the output current and power of the local battery, and using this to determine whether the local battery can provide power to the shared battery pack. In this application of power management, the shared battery management will provide power sharing for capable BBUs. This is no longer limited to a one-to-one supply relationship between the local battery and the PSU, but is provided by the shared battery to the PSU in need. In this way, the present invention has three major technical features:

[0057] Feature 1: Within the rated power, the local battery provides power until the local battery alarm sounds, at which point the shared battery takes over the power supply, extending the backup time.

[0058] Feature 2: When the power is greater than the rated power, in addition to the rated power provided by the local battery, the excess power is supplemented by the shared battery to meet the higher power output.

[0059] Feature 3: When the local battery's relative state of charge (RSOC) is low, it can be swapped with another battery pack for rotation. The newly assigned battery pack will provide the PSU's power needs, achieving intelligent adjustment and maximizing battery utilization.

[0060] By means of the above-mentioned adjustment and control, all BBUs can achieve the most effective and maximized energy utilization during the discharge process. Therefore, this is an effective solution for providing high-performance power supply frame design at the lowest cost. Figure 6 、 Figures 7A to 7G Provide detailed explanation.

[0061] See Figure 6 , which is a schematic diagram of a single power supply unit and a corresponding battery unit in the power supply system of the present invention. The single power supply unit PSU includes a charging circuit 11, a discharging circuit 12 and a control circuit 13. The power supply unit PSU is connected to the power supply unit through a first switch SW REQ Coupled to the common bus P B The battery unit BBU is connected to the battery pack through the second switch SW. SUP Coupled to the common bus PB The charging circuit 11 is used to charge the corresponding battery unit BBU by the power supply unit PSU. The discharging circuit 12 is used to discharge the corresponding power supply unit PSU by the battery unit BBU.

[0062] The control circuit 13 includes a control unit 131 and a switch unit 132. The control unit 131 provides a first control signal S REQ Control the first switch SW REQ The control unit 131 provides a second control signal S SUP Control the second switch SW SUP The switch unit 132 is coupled to the control unit 131 and the signal bus S B The control unit 131 can receive the bus level signal (request I / O) S from other power supply units via the switch unit 132. REQI / O Know the signal bus S B Furthermore, when the power supply unit PSU cannot obtain sufficient power from the corresponding battery unit and needs to request power supply support from other battery units, the control unit 131 provides a request command signal (request command) S REQCMD Control switch unit 132.

[0063] For example, when the power supply unit PSU can obtain sufficient power from the corresponding battery unit and does not need to request power support from other battery units, the control unit 131 provides a request command signal S with a low voltage. REQCMD , so that the switch Q1 is in the off state, therefore, the signal bus S B The power supply voltage VDD is divided by the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 to generate a high potential voltage (e.g., 5 volts, but this is not intended to limit the present invention). In other embodiments, it is also feasible to use only the first resistor R1 (without the second resistor R2) to obtain a high potential voltage. On the contrary, when the power supply unit PSU cannot obtain sufficient power from the corresponding battery unit and needs to request power support from other battery units, the control unit 131 provides a high potential voltage request command signal S REQCMD , so that the switch Q1 is in the on state, therefore, the signal bus S B Since the switch Q1 is turned on, the voltage is pulled down to a low potential close to the ground voltage (for example, 0V, but the present invention is not limited thereto).

[0064] It is worth mentioning that the switch unit 132 for realizing bus level detection and request command signal provision is not limited to the above circuits. Any circuit that can realize bus level detection and request command signal provision can be used as the switch unit 132. REQCMD The voltage level is not limited to the above example, and the switch Q1 can also be controlled at an opposite voltage level in accordance with the form of the switch Q1.

[0065] Furthermore, the power supply system further includes a battery control unit 21, wherein the battery control unit 21 can be disposed on the back panel, but this is not intended to limit the present invention. B , for example but not limited to an integrated communication bus (I2C bus) communicating with the control unit 131 and the battery unit BBU to perform RSOC detection and control of the battery unit BBU, which will be described in detail later.

[0066] Therefore, the power supply system of the shared battery provided by the present invention can be used in conjunction with Figure 7A As shown, it includes multiple power supply units PSU1~PSU N With multiple corresponding power supply units PSU1~PSU N Battery units BBU1 to BBU N Each power supply unit PSU1~PSU N Through the first switch SW REQ1 ~SW REQN Coupled to the common bus P B Each battery unit BBU1~BBU N Through the second switch SW SUP1 ~SW SUPN Coupled to the common bus P B When any power supply unit PSU1~PSU N Unable to connect to the corresponding battery unit BBU1~BBU N When sufficient power is obtained, the power supply units PSU1 to PSU N Turn on the first switch SW REQ1 ~SW REQN , and notify other power supply units PSU1~PSU N Turn on the corresponding other battery units BBU1~BBU N Shared bus P B The second switch SW between SUP1 ~SW SUPN , so that the power supply unit PSU1 ~ PSU N Through the common bus P B From other battery units BBU1 to BBU NObtain electrical energy. This enables electrical energy coordination and sharing to achieve the most efficient and maximized power application.

[0067] The following describes in detail the different operating modes (or operating scenarios) of the shared battery power supply system provided by the present invention.

[0068] See Figure 7A FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the first operation mode of the power supply system of the present invention. In the first operation mode, the power supply units PSU1 to PSU N For normal operation, in addition to providing the power required by the system, the corresponding battery units BBU1 to BBU N Charge. Figure 7A As shown, the power supply units PSU1 to PSU N Through their respective charging paths P C1 ~P CN The battery units BBU1 to BBU N In this operation mode, since each power supply unit PSU1~PSU N There is no need to request power supply support from other battery units, so the respective control units 131 provide a request command signal S with a low potential voltage. REQCMD , making the signal bus S B = is a high potential voltage (see above for detailed description, which will not be repeated here). At this time, all the first switches SW REQ1 ~SW REQN With the second switch SW SUP1 ~SW SUPN All are in the off state.

[0069] See Figure 7B FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the second operation mode of the power supply system of the present invention. In the second operation mode, when the power supply units PSU1 to PSU N At least one of the battery units BBU1 to BBU N When providing backup, if the rated power is within the power supply unit, the power supply unit PSU1 to PSU N Corresponding battery units BBU1 to BBU N Provides power, the remaining battery units BBU1 to BBU N Then it will continue to maintain the charging state and wait for the command of communication or hardware signal. For example, when the first power supply unit PSU1 needs the battery unit to provide backup, if the first battery unit BBU1 can provide enough power, the first battery unit BBU1 will give priority to providing backup power to the first power supply unit PSU1.N The corresponding battery units BBU1~BBU can be known N Whether it can provide enough power. Figure 7B As shown, the first battery unit BBU1 discharges through the path P D1 Discharge the first power supply unit PSU1. The remaining power supply units PSU2 to PSU N Then through their respective charging paths P C2 ~P CN Continue to control the corresponding battery units BBU2 to BBU N In this operation mode, since the first power supply unit PSU1 can obtain sufficient power from the first battery unit BBU1 without requesting power support from other battery units, the respective control units 131 provide a request command signal S with a low potential voltage. REQCMD , making the signal bus S B is a high potential voltage. At this time, all first switches SW REQ1 ~SW REQN With the second switch SW SUP1 ~SW SUPN All are in the off state.

[0070] See Figure 7C As shown, it is a schematic diagram of the third operating mode of the power supply system of the present invention. The main difference between the third operating mode and the second operating mode is that the first power supply unit PSU1 needs battery units to provide backup, but the first battery unit BBU1 cannot provide enough power. At this time, the first power supply unit PSU1 needs to request other battery units BBU2~BBU N Support backup. For example, the first power supply unit PSU1 needs to provide 3.5 kilowatts (kW) of power, however, the first battery unit BBU1 can only provide 3 kilowatts of power to the first power supply unit PSU1. Therefore, the first power supply unit PSU1 needs to pass through other BBU2~BBU N Provides 0.5 kilowatts of power support.

[0071] At this time, the first power supply unit PSU1 provides a high potential voltage request command signal S through its own control unit 131. REQCMD , making the signal bus S B is a low potential voltage. Moreover, the control unit 131 controls the first control signal S REQ1 Control the first switch SW REQ1 Furthermore, due to the signal bus S B For low voltage, other power supply units PSU2~PSU NThrough the bus level signal S received by each REQI / O Know the signal bus S B The voltage is low, and since it is determined that no support request has been made, it is known that other power supply units have made support requests. N Further determine the corresponding battery unit BBU2~BBU N The power (battery capacity) status, if there is enough power, the power supply unit PSU2 ~ PSU N Then the corresponding battery units BBU2~BBU N Stop charging, and through the second control signal S SUP2 ~S SUPN Control the second switch SW SUP2 ~SW SUPN The battery units BBU2 to BBU N Coupled to the common bus P B , and provides power to the common bus P B For the first power supply unit PSU1. Therefore, in this case, the first power supply unit PSU1 not only has the first battery unit BBU1 to discharge and supply power to it, but also has other battery units BBU2~BBU N Provided to the common bus P B of electricity for its use.

[0072] In one embodiment, it is assumed that the other battery units BBU2 to BBU N Both have the ability (sufficient power) to support the first power supply unit PSU1 as a backup, and by turning on the second switch SW SUP2 ~SW SUPN Coupled to the common bus P B , the battery units BBU2 to BBU N The one with the highest voltage will give priority to providing power to the common bus P B For example, if the second battery unit BBU2 has the highest voltage, the second battery unit BBU2 will provide power to the common bus P first. B However, if the second battery unit BBU2 provides power to the common bus P B When the voltage of the third battery unit BBU3 drops during the process and becomes lower than the voltage of the third battery unit BBU3, the third battery unit BBU3 replaces the second battery unit BBU2 to provide power to the common bus P B If the voltages of the two are the same, the two battery units BBU2 and BBU3 will jointly provide power to the common bus P. B .

[0073] In another embodiment, it is assumed that the second battery unit BBU2 is unable to provide backup, and the other battery units BBU3 to BBU N When the first power supply unit PSU1 is able to provide backup, the second switch SW corresponding to the second battery unit BBU2 is turned on. SUP2 The second power supply unit PSU2 is in the off state, so that the second battery unit BBU2 is continuously charged, while the other battery units BBU3 to BBU N The support and backup methods provided are as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0074] See Figure 7D FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the fourth operation mode of the power supply system of the present invention. The main difference between the fourth operation mode and the third operation mode is that: when the first power supply unit PSU1 needs backup support, the other battery units BBU2 to BBU that are capable of supporting the first power supply unit PSU1 are required to provide backup support. N Through the respective second switches SW SUP2 ~SW SUPN Coupled to the common bus P B In the case of the second power supply unit PSU2 also needing backup support and the second battery unit BBU2 can provide enough power to the second power supply unit PSU2, the second power supply unit PSU2 through the second control signal S SUP2 Control the second switch SW SUP2 Shut down, making the battery unit BBU2 and the common bus P B The second battery unit BBU2 is disconnected and discharged through the discharge path P D2 Discharge the second power supply unit PSU2. Other battery units BBU3 to BBU N Still continue to couple to the common bus P B , provide power or standby to provide power to the common bus P B In this operation mode, since the first power supply unit PSU1 cannot obtain sufficient power from the first battery unit BBU1 and needs to request power support from other battery units (however, the second power supply unit PSU2 can obtain sufficient power from the second battery unit BBU2 and does not need to request power support from other battery units), the first power supply unit PSU1 provides a high-voltage request command signal S through its own control unit 131. REQCMD (The other power supply units PSU2~PSU N , including the second power supply unit PSU2 provides a low potential voltage request command signal S REQCMD ), so that the signal bus S B It is a low potential voltage.

[0075] See Figure 7E , which is a schematic diagram of the fifth operating mode of the power supply system of the present invention. The main difference between the fifth operating mode and the fourth operating mode is that the second power supply unit PSU2 needs battery units to provide backup, but the second battery unit BBU2 cannot provide sufficient power. At this time, the second power supply unit PSU2 needs to request other battery units BBU3~BBU N Support backup. For example, the second power supply unit PSU2 needs to provide 3.5 kilowatts (kW) of power, however, the second battery unit BBU2 can only provide 2.5 kilowatts of power to the second power supply unit PSU2. Therefore, in addition to the first power supply unit PSU1, it needs to pass through other BBU3~BBU N In addition to providing 0.5 kW of power support, the second power supply unit PSU2 also needs to pass through other BBU3~BBU N Provides 1.0 kW of power support.

[0076] At this time, the second power supply unit PSU2 provides a high potential voltage request command signal S through its own control unit 131. REQCMD , and the control unit 131 uses the first control signal S REQ2 Control the first switch SW REQ2 Furthermore, due to the signal bus S B For low potential voltage, other power supply units PSU3~PSU N Through the bus level signal S received by each REQI / O Know the signal bus S B The voltage is low, and since it is determined that no support request has been made, it is known that other power supply units have made support requests. N Further determine the corresponding battery unit BBU3~BBU N The power (battery capacity) state, if there is enough power, then control the corresponding battery unit BBU3 ~ BBU N Continuously provide power to the common bus P B For the first power supply unit PSU1 and the second power supply unit PSU2. Therefore, in this case, the first power supply unit PSU1 has the first battery unit BBU1 to discharge and supply power to it, and the second power supply unit PSU2 has the second battery unit BBU2 to discharge and supply power to it, as well as other battery units BBU3~BBU N Provided to the common bus P B of electricity for its use.

[0077] See Figure 7F and Figure 7G As shown in FIG, they are schematic diagrams of the sixth and seventh operating modes of the power supply system of the present invention. In this operating mode, the detection and control of RSOC will be described in more detail. Figure 7F As shown, the battery control unit 21 is connected via the communication bus C B Connect to all power supply units PSU1~PSU N (control unit 131) and all battery units BBU1 to BBU N The battery control unit 21 can obtain the battery units BBU1 to BBU by detecting the battery units BBU1 to BBU N RSOC status.

[0078] like Figure 7F As shown, when the first power supply unit PSU1 does not need the battery unit to provide backup, but the RSOC of the first battery unit BBU1 is abnormal or insufficient (hereinafter referred to as insufficient for illustration), for example but not limited to less than 20% (i.e., the critical state value). Since the battery control unit 21 knows that the RSOC of the first battery unit BBU1 is insufficient, it sends a signal to the battery control unit 21 via the communication bus C B Notify the first power supply unit PSU1 to turn on the first switch SW REQ1 , and since the RSOC of the second battery unit BBU2 is sufficient, the communication bus C B Notify the second power supply unit PSU2 to turn on the second switch SW SUP2 At this time, the backup power path of PSU1 is not only connected to its own first battery unit BBU1, but also through the common bus P B The battery control unit 21 monitors the battery and establishes a power supply path between the second battery unit BBU2 and the first power supply unit PSU1 with sufficient RSOC. At this point, the first power supply unit PSU1 is operating normally and does not require battery backup, so the second power supply unit PSU2 continues to charge the second battery unit BBU2.

[0079] like Figure 7GAs shown, when the first power supply unit PSU1 requires battery backup, the battery control unit 21 has already established a power supply path between the second battery unit BBU2 and the first power supply unit PSU1. Therefore, the second battery unit BBU2 directly supplies power to the first power supply unit PSU1. At this time, the second power supply unit PSU2 stops charging the second battery unit BBU2. Furthermore, because the RSOC of the first battery unit BBU1 is insufficient and cannot participate in powering the first power supply unit PSU1, the first power supply unit PSU1 still continues to charge the first battery unit BBU1.

[0080] Incidentally, although the above description uses the second battery unit BBU2 as an example to support power supply, in actual application, multiple battery units BBU2 to BBU N Replace the first battery unit BBU1 to supply power to the first power supply unit PSU1. Specifically, the battery units BBU2 to BBU with sufficient RSOC N can be coupled to a common bus P B Provide power sharing for the first power supply unit PSU1, while the battery units BBU2~BBU with insufficient RSOC N They will not participate in power supply support.

[0081] Furthermore, if only one battery unit is used as power supply support, the one with the highest RSOC can be selected. For example, if the RSOC of the second battery unit BBU2 is 80%, and the RSOC of the other battery units BBU3 to BBU N If the power supply capacity is between 30% and 70% (all greater than 20% of the supported power supply), the second battery unit BBU2 can be selected to replace the first battery unit BBU1 to supply power to the first power supply unit PSU1.

[0082] Furthermore, in addition to the aforementioned considerations, the number of discharges can also be used as an evaluation. For example, assuming that the RSOC of the second battery unit BBU2 is 80%, and the RSOC of the third battery unit BBU3 is 75% (the second highest RSOC), since the number of discharges of the third battery unit BBU3 is less than that of the second battery unit BBU2, the third battery unit BBU3 can replace the first battery unit BBU1 to supply power to the first power supply unit PSU1. The number of discharges can be known by the battery control unit 21. Similarly, the present invention does not use a single battery unit as power supply support, but can select multiple battery units to participate in power supply support by comprehensively evaluating RSOC and discharge times. In this way, by selecting battery units with higher RSOC and / or battery units with lower discharge times as power supply support, the battery life and fault tolerance can be extended, and the reliability and stability of the power supply system can be improved.

[0083] Incidentally, the strategy of selecting a battery cell with a higher RSOC and / or a battery cell with a lower discharge cycle as a power supply support also applies to the above-mentioned Figures 7A to 7E Due to the nature and spirit of the technology and Figure 7F 、 Figure 7G They are similar or even the same, so I will not elaborate on them.

[0084] See Figure 8 The power supply system with a shared battery comprises a plurality of power supply units PSU1 to PSU2. N Corresponding to multiple power supply units PSU1~PSU N Battery units BBU1 to BBU N Each power supply unit PSU1~PSU N Through the first switch SW REQ1 ~SW REQN Coupled to the common bus P B Each battery unit BBU1~BBU N Through the second switch SW SUP1 ~SW SUPN Coupled to the common bus P B The operation method comprises the following steps.

[0085] First, determine whether any power supply unit PSU1~PSU N Is it necessary to connect other battery units BBU1 to BBU N Obtaining electrical energy (S11). If any power supply unit PSU1 to PSU N Can be from the corresponding battery unit BBU1 ~ BBU N Get enough power, indicating that each power supply unit PSU1~PSU N There is no need to request power supply support from other battery units. In this case, the power supply units PSU1 to PSU N For normal operation, in addition to providing the power required by the system, the corresponding battery units BBU1 to BBU N Charge.

[0086] If the result of step (S11) is “yes”, that is, at least one power supply unit PSU1 to PSU N Need to be connected to other battery units BBU1~BBU N To obtain electrical energy, it is necessary to obtain electrical energy from other battery units BBU1 to BBU N The power supply unit PSU1 to PSU that obtains power N Then the corresponding first switch SW is turned onREQ1 ~SW REQN (S12) to request other battery units BBU1 to BBU N Support and backup.

[0087] Then, the power supply units PSU1 to PSU N Notify other power supply units PSU1~PSU N Turn on the corresponding other battery units BBU1~BBU N Shared bus P B The second switch SW between SUP1 ~SW SUPN , from other battery units BBU1 to BBU N Obtaining power (S13). For example, if the first power supply unit PSU1 needs a battery unit to provide backup, but the first battery unit BBU1 cannot provide enough power. At this time, the first power supply unit PSU1 needs to request other battery units BBU2~BBU N Support backup. In this way, other battery units BBU2~BBU N Provides power to the common bus P B The first power supply unit PSU1 is used to enable the first power supply unit PSU1 to provide sufficient power to the load or back-end powered device it supplies power to.

[0088] In summary, the present invention has the following features and advantages: by sharing the power provided by multiple battery units (BBUs) in conjunction with a common bus, the PSU is no longer limited to the inherent capacity and specifications of the local battery, but can fully provide sufficient discharge time and energy, effectively improving the utilization rate of the battery pack, and increasing configuration flexibility, improving the power efficiency of the system, and optimizing overall stability and reliability.

[0089] The foregoing is merely a detailed description and illustration of preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the features of the present invention are not limited thereto. The present invention is not limited thereto and is not intended to limit the present invention. The full scope of the present invention shall be subject to the following claims. All embodiments that conform to the spirit of the claims of the present invention and similar variations thereof shall be included in the scope of the present invention. Any changes or modifications that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention are included in the patent scope of the following case.

Claims

1. A power supply system comprising: a plurality of power supply units, each of the power supply units being coupled to a common bus via a first switch; and a plurality of battery units, each corresponding to each power supply unit, and each coupled to the common bus via a second switch; in, Any of the power supply units turns on the corresponding first switch and turns on the second switches corresponding to other battery units to obtain power from other battery units through the common bus. Wherein, each of the power supply units includes: a switch unit; and a control unit coupled to the switch unit and providing a first control signal to control the first switch, a second control signal to control the second switch, and a request command signal to control the switch unit; The control unit of any one of the power supply units receives a bus level signal from a signal bus coupled to the switch unit to determine whether the other power supply unit has made a support request.

2. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the power supply units and the corresponding battery units have a discharge path.

3. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the power supply units and the corresponding battery units have a charging path.

4. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein: When any of the power supply units needs to obtain electrical energy from the battery unit corresponding to the other power supply unit, the power supply unit provides a request command signal of a first potential voltage to control the switch unit, so that the potential voltage of the bus level signal is a second potential voltage opposite to the first potential voltage, and provides the first control signal to turn on the first switch.

5. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein: When the potential of the request command signal of any one of the power supply units is maintained and the potential of the bus level signal changes, the corresponding second switch is turned on.

6. The power supply system according to claim 1, wherein: The switch unit contains: a switch coupling the control unit and the signal bus; and A first resistor is coupled to the signal bus and a power voltage.

7. The power supply system according to claim 1, further comprising: A battery control unit is coupled to the power supply unit and the battery units via a communication bus to obtain a relative charge state and / or a discharge count of any of the battery units.

8. The power supply system according to claim 7, wherein: The relative state of charge of any one of the other batteries is greater than or equal to a critical state value and / or the number of discharges of any one of the other batteries is the least.

9. A method for operating a power supply system, the power supply system comprising a plurality of power supply units and a plurality of battery units, wherein each battery unit corresponds to each power supply unit; the method comprising: Determining whether any of the power supply units needs to obtain power from other battery units; If any of the power supply units needs to obtain power from other battery units, the power supply unit turns on a first switch between the power supply unit and a common bus; and The power supply unit notifies other power supply units to turn on a second switch between the corresponding other battery unit and the common bus. in, Each power supply unit includes: a switch unit; and a control unit coupled to the switch unit and providing a first control signal to control the first switch, a second control signal to control the second switch, and a request command signal to control the switch unit; The control unit of any one of the power supply units receives a bus level signal from a signal bus coupled to the switch unit to determine whether the other power supply unit has made a support request.

10. The operating method of the power supply system according to claim 9, wherein: Each of the power supply units and the corresponding battery units have a discharge path, and the battery units discharge the power supply units through the discharge path.

11. The operating method of the power supply system according to claim 9, wherein: Each of the power supply units and the corresponding battery units have a charging path, and the power supply unit charges the battery units through the charging path.

12. The operating method of the power supply system according to claim 9, wherein: When any of the power supply units needs to obtain power from the battery unit corresponding to the other power supply unit, the control unit corresponding to the power supply unit provides the request command signal to control the switch unit, so that the potential of the bus level signal changes, and provides the first control signal to turn on the first switch.

13. The operating method of the power supply system according to claim 9, wherein: When the potential of the request command signal of any one of the power supply units does not change, but the potential of the bus level signal changes, the corresponding second switch is turned on.

14. The operating method of the power supply system according to claim 9, wherein: The switch unit contains: a switch coupling the control unit and the signal bus; and A first resistor is coupled to the signal bus and a power voltage.

15. The operating method of the power supply system according to claim 9, wherein: The power supply system comprises: A battery control unit is coupled to the power supply unit and the battery units via a communication bus to obtain a relative charge state and / or a discharge count of any of the battery units.

16. The operating method of the power supply system according to claim 15, wherein: The relative state of charge of any one of the other batteries is greater than or equal to a critical state value, and / or the number of discharges of any one of the other batteries is the least.

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