Uninterruptible power system and method of operation thereof

Abstract

An uninterruptible power system and its operating method. The uninterruptible power system includes a DC-AC conversion circuit, a plurality of switches, a plurality of sensing units, a plurality of output ports and a control unit. A first end of each switch is electrically coupled to an output end of the DC-AC conversion circuit. Each sensing unit is electrically coupled between one output port and a second end of one switch. The control unit is electrically coupled to control ends of the switches. The control unit is used to define members of at least one group from the output ports according to system settings, and to define which members are non-critical output ports from each group according to system settings. The control unit is also used to set at least one condition for all non-critical output ports in each group to stop power supply at the same time according to system settings, and to control the operation of the corresponding switches accordingly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of power supply, and in particular to an uninterruptible power supply system and its operating method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, uninterruptible power systems (UPS) with multiple output ports are available on the market. These UPS systems divide their output ports into multiple groups (or banks) for individual control. However, because these output port groups are defined during manufacturing, they lack flexibility in application. Summary of the Invention

[0003] One object of the present invention is to provide an uninterruptible power supply system that can define at least one group of members from multiple output ports according to system settings input by the user, thereby improving the flexibility of the uninterruptible power supply system in use.

[0004] Another object of the present invention is to provide an operating method corresponding to the above-described uninterruptible power supply system.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system, comprising a DC-AC conversion circuit, multiple switches, multiple sensing units, multiple output ports, and a control unit. Each switch has a first terminal, a second terminal, and a control terminal, and the first terminal of each switch is electrically coupled to the output terminal of the DC-AC conversion circuit. The input terminal of each sensing unit is electrically coupled to the second terminal of one of the switches and is used to sense at least one of voltage and current. Each output port is electrically coupled to the output terminal of one of the sensing units. The control unit is electrically coupled to the DC-AC conversion circuit, the control terminals of the switches, and the sensing units. This control unit is used to define at least one group of members from the output ports according to system settings, and to define which members in each group are non-critical output ports according to system settings. This control unit is also used to set at least one condition for all non-critical output ports in each group to simultaneously stop power supply according to system settings, and to control the operation of the corresponding switches accordingly.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention further provides a method for operating an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). The UPS includes a DC-AC conversion circuit, multiple switches, multiple sensing units, and multiple output ports. Each switch has a first terminal, a second terminal, and a control terminal, and the first terminal of each switch is electrically coupled to the output terminal of the DC-AC conversion circuit. The input terminal of each sensing unit is electrically coupled to the second terminal of one of the switches and is used to sense at least one of voltage and current. Each output port is electrically coupled to the output terminal of one of the sensing units. The operating method includes the following steps: defining at least one group of members from the output ports according to system settings; defining which members in each group are non-critical output ports according to system settings; and setting at least one condition according to system settings for all non-critical output ports in each group to simultaneously stop power supply, and controlling the operation of the corresponding switches accordingly.

[0007] To make the above objectives, technical features, and benefits after actual implementation clearer and easier to understand, the following text will provide a more detailed explanation with better implementation examples and corresponding diagrams. Attached Figure Description

[0008] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with their description, serve to explain the invention and do not constitute an undue limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0009] Figure 1 An uninterruptible power supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 This is an uninterruptible power supply system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 3 This is an uninterruptible power supply system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of an operation method for an uninterruptible power supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0013] To better understand the features, content, advantages, and effects of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. The drawings used are for illustrative purposes only and to assist in the description. They may not represent the actual proportions and precise configurations of the present invention after implementation. Therefore, the proportions and configurations of the accompanying drawings should not be used to interpret or limit the scope of the present invention in actual implementation.

[0014] The advantages, features, and technical methods of the present invention will be more readily understood by referring to the exemplary embodiments and accompanying drawings. The present invention may be implemented in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, the embodiments provided will make this disclosure more thorough, complete, and fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention will be defined only by the appended claims.

[0015] Figure 1 This is an uninterruptible power supply system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to... Figure 1 This uninterruptible power supply (UPS) 100 is an online UPS. The UPS 100 includes a filter unit 102, a switch unit 104, a power factor correction circuit (PFC circuit) 106, a DC-AC conversion circuit 108, a filter unit 110, a charging circuit 112, a DC-DC conversion circuit 114, a battery 116, a bypass path 118, a control unit 120, an input interface 122, a communication interface 124, a temperature sensing unit 126, a sensing unit 128, switches 140_1 to 140_N, sensing units 150_1 to 150_N, and output ports 160_1 to 160_N, where N is a positive integer.

[0016] like Figure 1 As shown, the input terminals of both the switching unit 104 and the charging circuit 112 are electrically coupled to the AC power supply (AC mains) through the filter unit 102, and the switching unit 104 is also electrically coupled to the input terminal of the filter unit 110 and the output terminal of the DC-AC conversion circuit 108 through the bypass path 118. In this example, the switching unit 104 is composed of at least one switch. The input terminal of the power factor correction circuit 106 is electrically coupled to the switching unit 104, and the output terminal of the power factor correction circuit 106 is electrically coupled to the input terminal of the DC-AC conversion circuit 108. The output terminal of the charging circuit 112 is electrically coupled to the battery 116. The input terminal of the DC-DC conversion circuit 114 is electrically coupled to the battery 116, and the output terminal of the DC-DC conversion circuit 114 is electrically coupled to the input terminal of the DC-AC conversion circuit 108. Switches 140_1 to 140_N each have a first terminal, a second terminal, and a control terminal, and the first terminal of these switches is electrically coupled to the output terminal of the filter unit 110. The input terminal of each of the sensing units 150_1 to 150_N is electrically coupled to the second terminal of one of the switches and is used to sense at least one of voltage and current. Each output port is electrically coupled to the output terminal of one of the sensing units 150_1 to 150_N and each output port is used to supply power to at least one load (not shown).

[0017] Furthermore, both the temperature sensing unit 126 and the sensing unit 128 are electrically coupled to the battery 116. In this example, the temperature sensing unit 126 is used to sense at least one of the temperature of the battery 116, the internal temperature of the uninterruptible power supply 100, and the external ambient temperature of the uninterruptible power supply 100. The sensing unit 128 is used to sense the remaining charge of the battery 116. The control unit 120 is electrically coupled to the switching unit 104, the power factor correction circuit 106, the DC-AC conversion circuit 108, the charging circuit 112, and the DC-DC conversion circuit 114, and is used to provide control signals C1 to C5 to control their operation respectively. For example, the control unit 120 can use the control signal C1 to control the operation of the switching unit 104 so that the switching unit 104 electrically couples the output of the filter unit 102 to the bypass path 118, or electrically couples the output of the filter unit 102 to the input of the power factor correction circuit 106. The control unit 120 is also electrically coupled to the control terminal of each of the switches 140_1 to 140_N, and is used to provide control signals D1 to DN to control the operation of these switches respectively. For example, the control unit 120 can use the control signal D1 to control switch 104_1 to be in an on state or an off state.

[0018] The control unit 120 is also electrically coupled to sensing units 150_1 to 150_N to control their operation and receive sensing data S1 to SN acquired by sensing units 150_1 to 150_N respectively. Thus, the control unit 120 can calculate the power consumption of the corresponding load based on the sensing data S1 to SN. The control unit 120 is also electrically coupled to temperature sensing unit 126 and sensing unit 128 to control their operation and receive sensing data T and sensing data Q acquired by temperature sensing unit 126 and sensing unit 128 respectively. Furthermore, the control unit 120 is also electrically coupled to the input interface 122, communication interface 124, and the input terminal of filtering unit 102. In this example, the control unit 120 also receives signal A from the input terminal of filtering unit 102 and determines whether the AC power supply (i.e., mains power) is faulty. In addition, in this example, the control unit 120 also receives system settings input by the user through the input interface 122 (described later). This input interface 122 can be implemented using a touch panel or multiple physical buttons, but this is not intended to limit the invention.

[0019] After receiving the above system settings, the control unit 120 defines at least one group of members from output ports 160_1 to 160_N according to the system settings, and defines which members in each group are non-critical output ports according to the system settings. Taking eight output ports as an example, suppose the system settings received by the control unit 120 are used to establish two groups, Group 1 and Group 2. In this system setting, Group 1 consists of output ports 160_1, 160_3, 160_4, 160_5, and 160_6, and Group 2 consists of output ports 160_2, 160_7, and 160_8. Among them, output ports 160_1 to 160_4 are non-critical output ports. Then, the control unit 120 will define output ports 160_1, 160_3, 160_4, 160_5, and 160_6 as members of Group 1, and define output ports 160_2, 160_7, and 160_8 as members of Group 2, according to this system setting. Furthermore, based on this system setting, the control unit 120 will define output ports 160_1, 160_3, and 160_4 in group 1 as non-critical output ports, and output port 160_2 in group 2 as a non-critical output port. As for the other output ports in group 1 and group 2, the control unit 120 will automatically define them as critical output ports.

[0020] Next, the control unit 120 will set at least one condition based on the received system settings, requiring all non-critical output ports in each group to simultaneously stop power supply, and control the operation of the corresponding switches accordingly. The parameters considered for these conditions include at least one of the following: load power consumption, mains power failure, remaining battery charge of battery 116, battery temperature, internal temperature of uninterruptible power supply system 100, external ambient temperature of uninterruptible power supply system 100, and user-set counting time.

[0021] Suppose that the system settings received by control unit 120 are three conditions set for each of group 1 and group 2, as follows:

[0022] Group 1 (Load>M Watt||L2B||BatCap<40%)

[0023] Group 2 (Load>M Watt||L2B||BatCap<60%)

[0024] Where Load represents the total power consumption of all loads in the corresponding group, L2B represents a mains power failure, BatCap represents the remaining charge of battery 116, and M is a positive number (i.e., a real number greater than 0). For group 1, when the total power consumption of all loads in group 1 exceeds M watts, or when the mains power fails, or when the remaining charge of battery 116 is less than 40%, control unit 120 will control switches 140_1, 140_3, and 140_4 to close, thereby simultaneously stopping power supply to all non-critical output ports (i.e., output ports 160_1, 160_3, and 160_4) in group 1. Similarly, for group 2, when the total power consumption of all loads in group 2 exceeds M watts, or when the mains power fails, or when the remaining charge of battery 116 is less than 60%, control unit 120 will control switch 140_2 to close, thereby simultaneously stopping power supply to all non-critical output ports (i.e., output port 160_2) in group 2.

[0025] It must be noted that the system settings described above are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that the content of the above system settings can be modified according to actual needs. For example, the system settings may establish only one group, or establish three or more groups. As another example, the system settings may define all members in at least one group as non-critical output ports, or define all members in at least one group as critical output ports. Furthermore, as can be seen from the three conditions corresponding to group 1 and the three conditions corresponding to group 2, the parameters considered by these conditions include the power consumption of the load, whether the mains power is faulty, and the remaining power of battery 116; however, this is also not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will understand that the number of the above conditions and the parameters considered can be modified according to actual needs. For example, the system settings may set a single condition for one group, and the parameter considered by this condition may be, for example, a counting time set by the user. Therefore, when the counting time reaches the user-set counting time (e.g., four hours), the control unit 120 will control the operation of the corresponding switches of all non-critical output ports in this group, thereby causing all non-critical output ports in this group to stop supplying power at the same time.

[0026] Furthermore, although the control unit 120 receives system settings input by the user through the input interface 122 in the above description, this is not intended to limit the invention. For example, suppose the control unit 120 is further used to execute a web server program to provide a web-based user interface for users to input system settings, then the control unit 120 can receive the system settings input by the user through the communication interface 124. Of course, the web-based user interface includes a Web interface, an SNMP (simple network management protocol interface), or a Telnet interface. In addition, the communication interface 124 can be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface, and the invention is not limited to this.

[0027] It is worth mentioning that, in this example, the filter unit 102, filter unit 110, DC-DC converter circuit 114, input interface 122, communication interface 124, temperature sensing unit 126, and sensing unit 128 can all be selected based on actual needs. Furthermore, the designer can also decide whether to electrically couple the control unit 120 to the input terminal of the filter unit 102 based on actual needs.

[0028] Similarly, the functions performed by the aforementioned uninterruptible power supply system 100 can also be applied to uninterruptible power supply systems with different architectures, respectively. Figure 2 and Figure 3 Let me explain. Figure 2 This is an uninterruptible power supply system according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 In the middle, its markings and Figure 1 Those with the same markings are considered to be the same component. And, for example... Figure 2 As shown, this uninterruptible power supply 200 is an offline uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Compared to Figure 1 The uninterruptible power supply system 100 shown is... Figure 2 Since the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) 200 shown does not employ a power factor correction circuit, the control unit 220 of the UPS 200 does not need to provide the control signal C2. In this example, the control unit 220 defines at least one group of members from output ports 160_1 to 160_N based on the system settings input by the user, and defines which members in each group are non-critical output ports based on this system setting. Furthermore, the control unit 220 also sets at least one condition based on this system setting for all non-critical output ports in each group to simultaneously stop power supply, and controls the operation of the corresponding switches accordingly.

[0029] Figure 3This is an uninterruptible power supply system according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 In the middle, its markings and Figure 2 Those with the same markings are considered to be the same component. And, for example... Figure 3 As shown, this uninterruptible power supply system 300 is a line-interactive UPS. Compared to Figure 2 The uninterruptible power supply system 200 shown, due to Figure 3 The uninterruptible power supply system 300 shown additionally employs an automatic voltage regulation circuit (AVR circuit) 130. Therefore, the control unit 320 of the uninterruptible power supply system 300 needs to provide an additional control signal C6 to control the operation of the automatic voltage regulation circuit 130. In this example, the control unit 320 is used to define at least one group of members from output ports 160_1 to 160_N according to the system settings input by the user, and to define which members in each group are non-critical output ports according to this system setting. In addition, the control unit 320 is also used to set at least one condition for all non-critical output ports in each group to simultaneously stop power supply according to this system setting, and to control the operation of the corresponding switches accordingly.

[0030] Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can summarize some basic operating steps of the uninterruptible power supply system of the present invention. Figure 4 Let me explain. Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation method of an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The UPS includes a DC-AC conversion circuit, multiple switches, multiple sensing units, and multiple output ports. Each switch has a first terminal, a second terminal, and a control terminal, and the first terminal of each switch is electrically coupled to the output terminal of the DC-AC conversion circuit. The input terminal of each sensing unit is electrically coupled to the second terminal of one of the switches and is used to sense at least one of voltage and current. Each output port is electrically coupled to the output terminal of one of the sensing units. Please refer to... Figure 4 First, the control unit in the uninterruptible power supply system determines whether it has received system settings input by the user (as shown in step S402). If the determination is no, the control unit returns to step S402; otherwise, if the determination is yes, the control unit defines at least one group of members from the output port according to the received system settings (as shown in step S404).

[0031] After executing step S404, the control unit defines which members in each group are non-critical output ports according to the system settings (as shown in step S406). Then, the control unit also sets at least one condition for all non-critical output ports in each group to simultaneously stop power supply according to the system settings, and controls the operation of the corresponding switches accordingly (as shown in step S408).

[0032] Of course, in step S408, the parameters considered in the conditions include at least one of the following: the power consumption of the load, whether the mains power is unavailable, the remaining power of the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) battery, the temperature of the UPS battery, the internal temperature of the UPS, the external ambient temperature of the UPS, and the set counting time.

[0033] In summary, since the uninterruptible power supply system of the present invention can define at least one group of members from multiple output ports according to the system settings input by the user, the uninterruptible power supply system of the present invention has greater flexibility in use than conventional uninterruptible power supply systems.

[0034] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the technical ideas and features of the present invention, and are intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of this creation and implement it accordingly. They should not be construed as limiting the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent changes or modifications made in accordance with the spirit disclosed in the present invention should still be covered within the patent scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An uninterruptible power supply system, characterized in that, The uninterruptible power supply system includes: DC-AC converter circuit; Multiple switches, each switch having a first terminal, a second terminal and a control terminal, and the first terminal of each switch being electrically coupled to the output terminal of the DC-AC conversion circuit; Multiple sensing units, each sensing unit having its input terminal electrically coupled to one of the second terminals, and used to sense at least one of voltage and current; Multiple output ports, each electrically coupled to the output of one of the sensing units; and The control unit is electrically coupled to the DC-AC conversion circuit, the control terminal, and the sensing unit. The control unit is configured to define members of at least two groups from the output ports according to system settings, and to define which members in each group are non-critical output ports according to the system settings. The control unit is also configured to set at least one condition for all non-critical output ports in each group to simultaneously stop power supply according to the system settings, and to control the operation of the corresponding switches accordingly. Among them, at least two groups have different conditions for simultaneously stopping power to all non-critical output ports.

2. The uninterruptible power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that... The parameters considered in the conditions include at least one of the following: the power consumption of the load, whether the mains power is unavailable, the remaining battery power of the uninterruptible power supply system, the battery temperature of the uninterruptible power supply system, the internal temperature of the uninterruptible power supply system, the external ambient temperature of the uninterruptible power supply system, and the set counting time.

3. The uninterruptible power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that... It further includes an input interface, and the control unit is electrically coupled to the input interface to receive the system settings through the input interface.

4. The uninterruptible power supply system according to claim 3, characterized in that... The input interface includes a touch panel.

5. The uninterruptible power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that... It further includes a communication interface, and the control unit is electrically coupled to the communication interface to receive system settings through the communication interface.

6. The uninterruptible power supply system according to claim 5, characterized in that... The control unit is further configured to execute a web server program to provide a web user interface for users to input system settings.

7. The uninterruptible power supply system according to claim 6, characterized in that... The network user interface may be a web interface, an SNMP interface, or a Telnet interface.

8. The uninterruptible power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that... The uninterruptible power supply system can be an online uninterruptible power supply system, an offline uninterruptible power supply system, or an online interactive uninterruptible power supply system.

9. A method of operating an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), the UPS comprising a DC-AC conversion circuit, a plurality of switches, a plurality of sensing units, and a plurality of output ports, each switch having a first terminal, a second terminal, and a control terminal, wherein the first terminal is electrically coupled to the output terminal of the DC-AC conversion circuit, the input terminal of each sensing unit is electrically coupled to one of the second terminals and is used to sense at least one of voltage and current, and each output port is electrically coupled to the output terminal of one of the sensing units, characterized in that... The operation method includes the following steps: Based on system settings, define members of at least two groups from the output port; Based on the system settings, define which members in each group are non-critical output ports; and Based on the system settings, at least one condition is set for all non-critical output ports in each group to simultaneously stop power supply, and the operation of the corresponding switches is controlled accordingly. Among them, at least two groups have different conditions for simultaneously stopping power to all non-critical output ports.

10. The operation method of the uninterruptible power supply system according to claim 9, characterized in that... The parameters considered in the conditions include at least one of the following: the power consumption of the load, whether the mains power is unavailable, the remaining battery power of the uninterruptible power supply system, the battery temperature of the uninterruptible power supply system, the internal temperature of the uninterruptible power supply system, the external ambient temperature of the uninterruptible power supply system, and the set counting time.

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