Power supply control method

Abstract

The present application provides a power supply control method for controlling N power supply modules connected in series in a power supply, wherein the i-th power supply module among the N power supply modules includes the i-th adjustable load unit. The power supply control method comprises the following steps. Provide an external voltage to the power supply. Adjust the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit according to the i-th partial voltage value measured by the i-th power supply module. When the i-th partial voltage value is less than the average voltage value, increase the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit. When the i-th partial voltage value is greater than the average voltage value, decrease the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit. Wherein N is a natural number, and i is a natural number not greater than N.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a control method for a power supply, and more particularly to a method for adjusting the impedance of a power supply module within the power supply. Background Art

[0002] Generally speaking, a power supply is provided with multiple power supply modules inside, and the power supply can operate in a power supply mode and a measurement mode. When the power supply operates in the power supply mode, the multiple power supply modules will jointly provide output voltage and output current to an external load device. Compared with the smaller output voltage and output current provided by a single power supply module, the multiple power supply modules can be combined to provide a larger output voltage and a larger output current. On the other hand, when the power supply operates in the measurement mode, the multiple power supply modules can also jointly measure the cross-voltage and cross-current of the external load device. For example, assuming that the load device to be measured by the power supply is a large-capacity battery, the cross-voltage of the load device is likely to exceed the range that can be measured by a single power supply module. Therefore, the power supply needs to operate the multiple power supply modules inside in the measurement mode, so that each power supply module can measure the cross-voltage of a portion of the load device separately.

[0003] However, taking the aforementioned measurement of a load device with a relatively large cross-voltage as an example, since the components within the multiple power modules are ultimately not ideal and cannot have identical electrical characteristics, the impedance of each power module as viewed from the load device will vary to a certain extent. Those skilled in the art will understand that the power module with the higher impedance will always measure the largest portion of the cross-voltage, resulting in the multiple power modules being subjected to uneven voltage loads. In practice, if some power modules are subjected to high voltage stress for a long time, they will be more susceptible to damage or degradation, which will also reduce the reliability of the entire power supply. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide a power supply control method that can adjust the impedance of multiple power supply modules so that the voltage carried by the multiple power supply modules can be more evenly distributed.

[0005] The present application proposes a power supply control method for controlling N power supply modules connected in series in a power supply, wherein the i-th power supply module among the N power supply modules includes the i-th adjustable load unit. The power supply control method comprises the following steps. Provide an external voltage to the power supply. Adjust the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit according to the i-th partial voltage value measured by the i-th power supply module. When the i-th partial voltage value is less than the average voltage value, increase the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit. When the i-th partial voltage value is greater than the average voltage value, decrease the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit. Wherein N is a natural number, and i is a natural number not greater than N.

[0006] In some embodiments, the power supply control method further includes the following steps. Accumulate the N partial voltage values ​​of the N power supply modules to obtain a total voltage value. Divide the total voltage value by N to obtain an average voltage value. In addition, the i-th adjustable load unit may include an active load, which may be a voltage load or a current load. When the current output by the active load decreases, the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit increases, and when the current output by the active load increases, the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit decreases. In addition, the sum of the internal impedance value of the i-th power supply module and the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit is the same as the sum of the internal impedance value of the j-th power supply module and the impedance value of the j-th adjustable load unit, where j is a natural number not greater than N.

[0007] The present application also proposes a power supply control method for controlling N power supply modules connected in series in a power supply, comprising the following steps. An i-th adjustable load unit is provided, and the i-th adjustable load unit is electrically connected to the i-th power supply module among the N power supply modules. The N power supply modules measure the external voltage across the power supply to obtain N partial voltage values, wherein the i-th power supply module measures the i-th partial voltage value. Based on the N partial voltage values, an average voltage value is calculated. It is determined whether the i-th partial voltage value is less than the average voltage value. When the i-th partial voltage value is less than the average voltage value, the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit is increased. When the i-th partial voltage value is not less than the average voltage value, the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit is decreased. Wherein N is a natural number, and i is a natural number not greater than N.

[0008] In some embodiments, the step of calculating the average voltage value based on N partial voltage values ​​includes the following steps: Accumulating the N partial voltage values ​​of the N power supply modules to obtain a total voltage value. Dividing the total voltage value by N to obtain the average voltage value. In addition, the i-th adjustable load unit may include an active load, and when the current output by the active load decreases, the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit increases, and when the current output by the active load increases, the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit decreases. In addition, the sum of the internal impedance value of the i-th power supply module and the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit is the same as the sum of the internal impedance value of the j-th power supply module and the impedance value of the j-th adjustable load unit, where j is a natural number not greater than N.

[0009] In summary, the power supply control method provided herein can automatically detect the voltage distribution of each power supply module. When multiple power supply modules have different voltage distributions, the impedances of the modules can be dynamically adjusted to ensure that the modules experience similar voltage stresses, thereby improving the reliability of the power supply.

[0010] The details of other functions and embodiments of the present application are described below with reference to the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0012] Figure 1 is a circuit diagram of a power supply and a load device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0013] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a power supply control method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 3 FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a power supply control method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Explanation of symbols

[0016] 1 power supply

[0017] 10, 12, 14 power supply modules 10a, 12a, 14a positive terminals

[0018] 100, 120, 140 adjustable load cells

[0019] 10b, 12b, 14b negative terminals 16a, 16b output terminals

[0020] DUT load device S20 ~ S26 step flow

[0021] S30~S35 step process DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The positional relationships described in the following embodiments include up, down, left, and right. Unless otherwise specified, they are based on the directions of the components shown in the drawings.

[0023] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 FIG is a circuit diagram of a power supply and a load device according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the power supply control method of the present application can be applied to a power supply 1, which can include a power supply module 10, a power supply module 12, and a power supply module 14, and the power supply 1 can be electrically connected to a load device DUT via an output terminal 16a and an output terminal 16b. In practice, the power supply module 10, the power supply module 12, and the power supply module 14 can include an adjustable load unit 100, an adjustable load unit 120, and an adjustable load unit 140, respectively. For easy identification, Figure 1 The adjustable load unit is drawn from the power supply module, but this embodiment does not limit the location of the adjustable load unit in the power supply module. Figure 1 In the illustrated example, the positive terminal 10a of the power supply module 10 can be connected to the output terminal 16a, and the negative terminal 14b of the power supply module 14 can be connected to the output terminal 16b. Furthermore, the power supply modules 10, 12, and 14 can be connected in series. For example, the negative terminal 10b of the power supply module 10 can be connected to the positive terminal 12a of the power supply module 12, and the negative terminal 12b of the power supply module 12 can be connected to the positive terminal 14a of the power supply module 14. It is worth noting that while this embodiment demonstrates that a power supply 1 can include three power supply modules, this is not limiting. The power supply control method of the present application can be applied to power supplies including more than one power supply module.

[0024] In one example, the load device DUT is a large-capacity battery, and the power supply 1 can be a unidirectional or bidirectional test device. For example, the power supply modules 10, 12, and 14 in the power supply 1 can not only be used to charge the load device DUT, but also to measure the discharge characteristics of the load device DUT. For example, assuming that the load device DUT provides an external voltage V between the output terminal 16a and the output terminal 16b DUTAt this time, the power supply module 10, the power supply module 12 and the power supply module 14 will each measure a partial voltage value, such as the partial voltage value V 10 , divided voltage value V 12 And the divided voltage value V 14 Since the power supply module 10, the power supply module 12 and the power supply module 14 are connected in series, a person with ordinary knowledge in the art should understand that the voltage value V 10 The size of is related to the impedance value seen from the positive terminal 10a and the negative terminal 10b of the power supply module 10 (or the output impedance value of the power supply module 10), and the voltage value V 12 The size of is related to the impedance value seen from the positive terminal 12a and the negative terminal 12b of the power supply module 12 (or the output impedance value of the power supply module 12), and the voltage value V 14 The size of is related to the impedance value seen from the positive terminal 14a and the negative terminal 14b of the power supply module 14 (or the output impedance value of the power supply module 14).

[0025] In one example, the circuit structures of the power supply modules 10, 12, and 14 can be of the same design. In theory, the output impedance values ​​of the power supply modules 10, 12, and 14 should be the same. When the power supply modules 10, 12, and 14 are connected in series and there is no other loss, the divided voltage value V 10 , divided voltage value V 12 And the divided voltage value V 14 Theoretically, they are the same and are both one-third of the external voltage V DUT However, in reality, due to the non-ideal characteristics of different components, when the adjustable load unit 100, the adjustable load unit 120, and the adjustable load unit 140 are not adjusted, the output impedance values ​​of the power supply module 10, the power supply module 12, and the power supply module 14 are likely to have slight differences. A person with ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field should understand that this also means that the divided voltage value V 10 , divided voltage value V 12 And the divided voltage value V 14 In fact, there is a problem of uneven distribution.

[0026] For the convenience of explanation, this embodiment demonstrates a hypothetical operating scenario, for example, the external voltage V provided by the load device DUT DUT is 300V. In the absence of other losses, assuming that the voltage value V 10 is 105V, the voltage value V measured by the power supply module 12 is 12 is 115V, the voltage value V measured by the power supply module 14 is 14is 80V. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, since power supply modules 10, 12, and 14 are connected in series, a higher measured partial voltage value indicates a higher output impedance value (a larger load-bearing voltage). Therefore, power supply 1 can determine that power supply module 12 has the highest output impedance value, while power supply module 14 has the lowest output impedance value. To adjust the output impedance value of each power supply module, power supply 1 can sum the partial voltage values ​​measured by power supply modules 10, 12, and 14 to obtain a total voltage value of 300V. Furthermore, since power supply 1 knows there are three power supply modules, it can convert this to an average voltage value of 100V.

[0027] Then, due to the voltage value V measured by the power supply module 10 10 is 105V, which is greater than the average voltage value of 100V. The power supply 1 can slightly reduce the impedance value of the adjustable load unit 100, that is, reduce the impedance value seen by the positive terminal 10a and the negative terminal 10b of the power supply module 10. Similarly, since the divided voltage value V 12 is 115V, which is greater than the average voltage of 100V. The power supply 1 will also reduce the impedance of the adjustable load unit 120, that is, reduce the impedance seen by the positive terminal 12a and the negative terminal 12b of the power supply module 12. On the other hand, since the voltage V 14 The voltage is 80V, which is lower than the average voltage of 100V. Therefore, the power supply 1 increases the impedance of the adjustable load unit 140, that is, increases the impedance seen by the positive terminal 14a and the negative terminal 14b of the power supply module 14. This embodiment does not limit how the impedance of each adjustable load unit is adjusted, nor does it limit the range of impedance adjustment. For example, the adjustable load unit 100 may include an active load (not shown) connected across the positive terminal 10a and the negative terminal 10b. When the current output by the active load decreases, since the voltage between the positive terminal 10a and the negative terminal 10b remains unchanged, it can be inferred that the impedance of the adjustable load unit 100 between the positive terminal 10a and the negative terminal 10b increases. Conversely, when the current output by the active load increases, since the voltage between the positive terminal 10a and the negative terminal 10b remains unchanged, it can also be inferred that the impedance of the adjustable load unit 100 between the positive terminal 10a and the negative terminal 10b decreases.

[0028] In one example, the strategy for adjusting the impedance value of each adjustable load unit is, for example, because the divided voltage value V 10 The difference between the voltage value and the average voltage value is only 5V, so the adjustment range of the impedance value of the adjustable load unit 100 can be small. 12 , divided voltage value V 14Compared with the average voltage value, the difference is larger, so the power supply 1 has a larger adjustment range for the impedance value of the adjustable load unit 120 and the adjustable load unit 140. Following the above operation scenario, after the power supply 1 has adjusted the impedance value of all adjustable load units, the power supply module 10, the power supply module 12 and the power supply module 14 will measure the partial voltage value again. For example, the partial voltage value V 10 It is 99V, the voltage value is V 12 It is 105V, the voltage value is V 14 It is 96V. Compared to the previous measurement, the measured partial voltage values ​​of the power supply module 10, the power supply module 12, and the power supply module 14 are all closer to the average voltage value of 100V, indicating that the previous adjustment of the impedance value of the adjustable load unit had a positive effect. In other words, the output impedance values ​​of the power supply module 10, the power supply module 12, and the power supply module 14 will become increasingly similar. In practice, the power supply 1 does not need to actually measure the output impedance values ​​of the power supply module 10, the power supply module 12, and the power supply module 14. The power supply 1 can only determine whether to increase or decrease the impedance value of the adjustable load unit and gradually reduce the adjustment range of the impedance value, which effectively reduces the problem of excessive voltage stress concentration.

[0029] It is known to those with ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field that after the power supply 1 has adjusted the adjustable load unit of each power supply module once or multiple times, the output impedance values ​​of the power supply module 10, the power supply module 12, and the power supply module 14 will be roughly the same. In other words, the sum of the internal impedance value of the power supply module 10 and the impedance value of the adjustable load unit 100 (the impedance value seen by the positive terminal 10a and the negative terminal 10b of the power supply module 10) will theoretically be the same as the sum of the internal impedance value of the power supply module 12 and the impedance value of the adjustable load unit 120 (the impedance value seen by the positive terminal 12a and the negative terminal 12b of the power supply module 12). Of course, it will also be the same as the sum of the internal impedance value of the power supply module 14 and the impedance value of the adjustable load unit 140 (the impedance value seen by the positive terminal 14a and the negative terminal 14b of the power supply module 14). In an example, when the divided voltage value V 10 , divided voltage value V 12 And the divided voltage value V 14 When the voltages are equal to the average voltage value, it indicates that the output impedances of the power supply modules 10 , 12 and 14 are the same, and the power supply 1 can stop adjusting the adjustable load units in each power supply module.

[0030] In order to illustrate the power supply control method of the present application, it can be viewed together with the above-mentioned power supply 1. Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 2FIG2 is a flow chart of the steps of the power supply control method according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, in step S20, the load device DUT provides an external voltage V between the output terminal 16a and the output terminal 16b of the power supply 1. DUT In step S22, the power supply 1 can adjust the impedance value of the corresponding adjustable load unit according to the divided voltage value measured by the power supply module. For example, the power supply 1 can adjust the impedance value of the corresponding adjustable load unit based on the divided voltage value V 10 Adjust the impedance value of the adjustable load unit 100, that is, adjust the impedance value seen by the positive terminal 10a and the negative terminal 10b of the power supply module 10. In step S24, when the divided voltage value V 10 When the divided voltage value V is less than the average voltage value, the power supply 1 can increase the impedance value of the adjustable load unit 100. On the contrary, in step S26, when the divided voltage value V 10 When the voltage is greater than the average voltage, the power supply 1 can reduce the impedance of the adjustable load unit 100. The other steps of the power supply control method of this embodiment have been fully described in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0031] Alternatively, this application also proposes another slightly different power supply control method, which can also be used together with the above-mentioned power supply 1. Figure 1 and Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the steps of a power supply control method according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, in step S30, an adjustable load unit 100 is provided. The adjustable load unit 100 is electrically connected to the first power supply module (power supply module 10) among the three power supply modules 10, 12, and 14. In step S31, the power supply modules 10, 12, and 14 measure the external voltage V across the power supply 1. DUT , to obtain the respective partial voltage values, for example, the power supply module 100 will measure the partial voltage value V 10 In step S32, the power supply 1 can be configured to generate a voltage according to the divided voltage value V 10 , divided voltage value V 12 And the divided voltage value V 14 Calculate the average voltage value. In step S33, the power supply 1 determines the divided voltage value V 10 , divided voltage value V 12 And the divided voltage value V 14 In step S34, when the divided voltage value V 10 When the divided voltage value V is less than the average voltage value, the power supply 1 can increase the impedance value of the adjustable load unit 100. On the contrary, in step S35, when the divided voltage value V 10 When the voltage is not less than the average voltage value, the power supply 1 can lower the impedance value of the adjustable load unit 100 .

[0032] In summary, the power supply control method provided herein can automatically detect the voltage distribution of each power supply module. When multiple power supply modules have different voltage distributions, the impedances of the modules can be dynamically adjusted to ensure that the modules experience similar voltage stresses, thereby improving the reliability of the power supply.

[0033] The embodiments and / or implementation methods described above are only used to illustrate the preferred embodiments and / or implementation methods for realizing the technology of the present application, and do not impose any form of limitation on the implementation methods of the technology of the present application. Any person skilled in the art may make slight changes or modifications to other equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the technical means disclosed in the content of the present application, but they should still be regarded as technologies or embodiments that are essentially the same as those of the present application.

Claims

1. A power supply control method for controlling N power supply modules connected in series in a power supply, wherein an i-th power supply module among the N power supply modules includes an i-th adjustable load unit, characterized in that: The power supply control method includes: Providing an external voltage to the load side of the power supply; adjusting the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit according to an i-th partial voltage value of the external voltage measured by the i-th power supply module; When the i-th divided voltage value is less than an average voltage value, increasing the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit; as well as When the i-th divided voltage value is greater than the average voltage value, lowering the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit; Where N is a natural number, and i is a natural number not greater than N.

2. The power supply control method according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes: Accumulating the N partial voltage values ​​of the N power supply modules to obtain a total voltage value; and The total voltage value is divided by N to obtain the average voltage value.

3. The power supply control method according to claim 1, wherein: The sum of the internal impedance value of the i-th power supply module and the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit is the same as the sum of the internal impedance value of a j-th power supply module and the impedance value of a j-th adjustable load unit, where j is a natural number not greater than N.

4. The power supply control method according to claim 1, wherein: The i-th adjustable load unit includes an active load. When the current output by the active load decreases, the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit increases. When the current output by the active load increases, the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit decreases.

5. A power supply control method for controlling N power supply modules connected in series in a power supply, characterized in that: Include: Providing an i-th adjustable load unit, wherein the i-th adjustable load unit is electrically connected to an i-th power supply module among the N power supply modules; The N power supply modules measure an external voltage across the load side of the power supply to obtain N partial voltage values, wherein the i-th power supply module measures an i-th partial voltage value; Calculating an average voltage value based on the N partial voltage values; Determine whether the i-th partial voltage value is less than the average voltage value; When the i-th divided voltage value is less than the average voltage value, increasing the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit; When the i-th divided voltage value is greater than the average voltage value, lowering the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit; as well as When the i-th divided voltage value is equal to the average voltage value, the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit is not adjusted; Where N is a natural number, and i is a natural number not greater than N.

6. The power supply control method according to claim 5, wherein in the step of calculating the average voltage value based on the N divided voltage values, Include: Accumulating the N partial voltage values ​​of the N power supply modules to obtain a total voltage value; and The total voltage value is divided by N to obtain the average voltage value.

7. The power supply control method according to claim 5, wherein: The sum of the internal impedance value of the i-th power supply module and the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit is the same as the sum of the internal impedance value of a j-th power supply module and the impedance value of a j-th adjustable load unit, where j is a natural number not greater than N.

8. The power supply control method according to claim 5, wherein: The i-th adjustable load unit includes an active load. When the current output by the active load decreases, the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit increases. When the current output by the active load increases, the impedance value of the i-th adjustable load unit decreases.

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