System and method for distributing power from power distribution unit to electrical load

Abstract

Systems and methods for distributing power from a power distribution unit to electrical loads are disclosed. The method includes receiving power from a power source through a monitoring circuit, the monitoring circuit being electrically connected to an electrical load; connecting an electrical load to a power output port of the monitoring circuit; determining the impedance at the power output port; and determining a state of the electrical load in response to the impedance being effectively measured at the power output. And a short-circuit protection circuit that suppresses the monitoring circuit for a given amount of time in response to the electrical load being in an operating state, the short-circuit protection circuit configured to disconnect the electrical load from the power distribution unit and distribute current from the power distribution unit to the electrical load in response to detecting a fault.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to European Patent Application No. 23307232.1, filed on December 15, 2023, with the title "System and Method for Distributing Electric Power from an Electric Power Distribution Unit to an Electrical Load", the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical field

[0003] The present technology relates to systems and methods for power distribution. In particular, systems and methods for distributing electric power from an electric power distribution unit to an electrical load are disclosed. Background art

[0004] Data centers typically house dozens or hundreds of servers to achieve load sharing and redundancy. Such large - scale server networks consume a large amount of electric power, which makes power distribution a complex and error - prone task. In addition, the demand for high - performance devices has also led to a sharp increase in the amount of electric power distributed and consumed according to standard electronic devices. Therefore, the monitoring system must be able to manage a relatively high amount of electric power, which in turn increases the cost and implementation complexity of the monitoring system.

[0005] Therefore, a solution for a system capable of safely distributing electric power from a power source to an electrical load in a cost - effective manner is desired. Summary of the invention

[0006] Embodiments and examples of the present technology have been developed based on the developers' awareness of the deficiencies associated with the prior art.

[0007] In a first broad aspect of the present technology, a method for distributing electric power from an electric power distribution unit to an electrical load is provided. The method includes receiving electric power from a power source through a monitoring circuit, the monitoring circuit being electrically connected to the electrical load. The method further includes connecting the electrical load to the power output of the monitoring circuit, and determining the impedance at the power output through the monitoring circuit. The method further includes determining the state of the electrical load through the monitoring circuit in response to effectively measuring an impedance at the power output. The state of the electrical load is a fault state or an operating state. The method further includes, in response to the electrical load being in an operating state, suppressing the short - circuit protection circuit of the monitoring circuit within a given amount of time after the electrical load is connected to the power output, and distributing current from the electric power distribution unit to the electrical load. The short - circuit protection circuit disconnects the electrical load from the electric power distribution unit in response to detecting a fault.

[0008] In some non - limiting implementations, determining the impedance at the power output of the monitoring circuit includes using the impedance measurement component of the monitoring circuit to measure the impedance at the power output of the monitoring circuit. When the impedance measurement component of the monitoring circuit effectively measures the impedance, the monitoring circuit marks the presence of an electrical load.

[0009] In some non - limiting implementations, determining the state of the electrical load includes using the impedance measurement component of the monitoring circuit to measure the impedance at the power output of the monitoring circuit. The monitoring circuit marks the state of the electrical load as the operating state in response to the impedance being higher than the impedance threshold, and marks the state of the electrical load as the fault state in response to the impedance not being higher than the impedance threshold.

[0010] In some non - limiting implementations, the impedance measurement component is an ohmmeter.

[0011] In some non - limiting implementations, the time quantity is between 1 ms and 20 ms.

[0012] In some non - limiting implementations, distributing current from the power distribution unit to the electrical load includes guiding the current to the electrical load through the current monitoring device of the short - circuit protection circuit. The current monitoring device issues a fault signal in response to the current being higher than the current threshold. The short - circuit protection circuit disconnects the electrical load from the power distribution unit in response to the current monitoring device issuing a fault signal.

[0013] In some non - limiting implementations, suppressing the short - circuit protection circuit of the monitoring circuit includes suppressing the current monitoring device.

[0014] In some non - limiting implementations, the current monitoring device is an ammeter.

[0015] In some non - limiting implementations, the current monitoring device is a Hall - effect sensor.

[0016] In some non - limiting implementations, the method further includes actuating a transistor assembly to enable power to be distributed from the monitoring circuit to the electrical load.

[0017] In some non - limiting implementations, the electrical load is a server.

[0018] In a second major aspect of the present technology, a system for distributing electric power from a power distribution unit to an electrical load is provided. The system includes: a power input port for receiving electric power from a power source; a power output port selectively electrically connected to the power input port and configured to be connected to an electrical load; a first impedance measurement component configured to measure the impedance at the power output port when the electrical load is connected to the power output port; and a second impedance measurement component configured to determine the state of the electrical load, the state of the electrical load being a fault state or an operating state, in response to the first impedance measurement component effectively measuring the impedance at the power output port. The system further includes a short-circuit protection circuit electrically connected between the power input port and the power output port, and the short-circuit protection circuit is enabled once a given amount of time has elapsed after the electrical load is connected to the power output port and in response to the electrical load being in an operating state. The short-circuit protection circuit disconnects the electrical load from the power distribution unit in response to detecting a fault. The system further includes a transistor assembly that distributes current from the power distribution unit to the electrical load in response to the electrical load being in an operating state.

[0019] In some non-limiting implementations, the short-circuit protection circuit is further configured to disconnect the electrical load from the power distribution unit in response to the current delivered to the electrical load being higher than a power threshold.

[0020] In some non-limiting implementations, the first impedance measurement component and the second impedance measurement component are the same impedance measurement component.

[0021] In some non-limiting implementations, the impedance measurement component is an ohmmeter.

[0022] In some non-limiting implementations, the first impedance measurement component marks the presence of the electrical load when effectively measuring the impedance at the power output port.

[0023] In some non-limiting implementations, the second impedance measurement component marks the state of the electrical load as an operating state in response to the impedance being higher than an impedance threshold; and marks the state of the electrical load as a fault state in response to the impedance not being higher than the impedance threshold.

[0024] In some non-limiting implementations, the amount of time is between 1 ms and 20 ms.

[0025] In some non-limiting implementations, the short-circuit protection circuit includes a current monitoring component through which the current is conducted. The current monitoring component issues a fault signal in response to the current being higher than a current threshold. The short-circuit protection circuit disconnects the electrical load from the power distribution unit in response to the current monitoring component issuing a fault signal.

[0026] In some non - limiting implementations, the current monitoring component is an ammeter.

[0027] In some non - limiting implementations, the electrical load is a server.

[0028] In the context of this specification, inrush current refers to the instantaneous current surge that occurs when an electrical load is first turned on and initially receives power. This surge is typically higher than the steady - state or normal operating current that the device experiences once it is running. Inrush current can occur in various types of electrical equipment, such as motors, transformers, power supply units, and other devices with capacitive or inductive components.

[0029] In the context of this specification, a "server" is a computer program that runs on appropriate hardware and is capable of receiving requests (e.g., requests from client devices) via a network and executing those requests or causing those requests to be executed. The hardware can be a physical computer or a physical computer system, but neither is required for this technology. In this context, the use of the term "server" does not mean that every task (e.g., received instructions or requests) or any particular task is received, executed, or caused to be executed by the same server (i.e., the same software and / or hardware); rather, it means that any number of software elements or hardware devices can participate in receiving / sending, executing, or causing the execution of any task or request, or the consequences of any task or request; and all of this software and hardware can be one server or multiple servers, both of which are included in the expression "at least one server".

[0030] In the context of this specification, the expression "information" includes any nature or type of information that can be stored in a database. Thus, information includes, but is not limited to, audiovisual works (images, movies, recordings, presentations, etc.), data (location data, digital data, etc.), text (opinions, comments, questions, information, etc.), documents, spreadsheets, word lists, etc.

[0031] In the context of this specification, the expression "component" refers to software (suitable for a specific hardware environment) that is both necessary and sufficient for implementing the specific function mentioned.

[0032] In the context of this specification, the expression "computer - usable information storage medium" is intended to include any nature and type of medium, including RAM, ROM, disks (CD - ROM, DVD, floppy disk, hard disk drive, etc.), USB keys, solid - state drives, tape drives, etc.

[0033] In the context of this specification, unless otherwise explicitly specified, an "indication" of an information element can be the information element itself or a pointer, reference, link, or other indirect mechanism that enables the recipient of the indication to locate the network, memory, database, or other computer-readable medium from which the information element can be retrieved. For example, an indication of a document can include the document itself (i.e., its content), or a unique document descriptor that identifies a data object stored on a storage device with respect to a particular object, or otherwise directs the recipient of the indication to a network location, memory address, database table, or other location where the data object can be accessed. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the level of precision required for such an indication depends on the prior understanding of the interpretation of the information exchanged between the sender and recipient of the indication. For example, if, prior to communication between the sender and recipient, it is understood between the two parties that an indication of an information element will take the form of a database key for an entry in a predetermined database specific table that contains the information element, then, even if the information element itself is not transmitted between the sender and recipient of the indication, sending the database key is all that is required to effectively convey the information element to the recipient.

[0034] In the context of this specification, words such as "first", "second", "third", etc. have been used as adjectives solely for the purpose of differentiating the nouns they modify from one another, and not for the purpose of describing any particular relationship between these nouns. Thus, for example, it should be understood that the use of the terms "first server" and "third server" is not intended to imply any particular order, type, chronological order, rank, or ranking between / among the servers (for example), and the use of them (by themselves) is not intended to imply that there must be any "second server" in any given situation. Moreover, as discussed elsewhere in this context, the reference to a "first" element and a "second" element does not preclude the two elements from being the same element in the same actual real world. Thus, for example, in some cases, the "first" server and the "second" server may be the same software and / or hardware, while in other cases, they may be different software and / or hardware.

[0035] Embodiments and examples of the present technology respectively have at least one of the above purposes and / or aspects, but not necessarily all purposes and / or aspects. It should be understood that some aspects of the present technology that are attempted to achieve the above purposes may not satisfy that purpose and / or may satisfy other purposes not specifically recited herein.

[0036] In some cases, examples that are believed to be beneficial modifications to the present technology may also be presented. This is done solely to aid understanding and is likewise not intended to limit the scope of the present technology or to delineate its boundaries. These modifications are not an exhaustive list, and those skilled in the art may make other modifications without departing from the scope of the present technology. Additionally, in cases where examples of modifications are not listed, it should not be construed that no modifications are possible and / or that the described is the only way to implement that element of the present technology.

[0037] Furthermore, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and implementations of the present technology, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to cover both structural and functional equivalents thereof, whether currently known or developed in the future. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will understand that any block diagrams herein represent a conceptual view of illustrative circuits embodying the principles of the present technology. Similarly, it will be understood that any flowcharts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudocode, etc. represent various processes that can be substantially represented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and thus executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such a computer or processor is explicitly shown.

[0038] The functions of the various elements shown in the figures, including any functional blocks labeled as "processor" or "processing unit", can be provided by using dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When the functions are provided by a processor, they can be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by multiple individual processors, some of which may be shared. In some examples of the present technology, the processor can be a general-purpose processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), or a processor dedicated to a specific purpose, such as a digital signal processor (DSP). Additionally, the explicit use of the term "processor" should not be construed to refer only to hardware capable of executing software, but it can implicitly include, but is not limited to, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), read-only memories (ROMs) for storing software, random access memories (RAMs), and non-volatile memories. Additionally, other conventional and / or custom hardware may also be included.

[0039] Software modules or simple modules implied to be software may be represented herein as any combination of flowchart elements or other elements indicating the performance of process steps and / or written descriptions. These modules can be executed by explicitly or implicitly stated hardware. Additionally, it should be understood that the modules can include, but are not limited to, for example, computer program logic, computer program instructions, software, stacks, firmware, hardware circuits, or combinations thereof that provide the required functions.

[0040] Additional and / or alternative features, aspects, and advantages of embodiments and examples of the present technology will become apparent from the following description, the drawings, and the appended claims. Description of the Drawings

[0041] For a better understanding of the present technology and other aspects and its additional features, reference will be made to the following description used in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

[0042] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a monitoring circuit for distributing electric power from a power distribution unit to an electrical load according to a non - limiting implementation of the present technology;

[0043] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a pipeline for distributing electric power from a power distribution unit to an electrical load according to a non - limiting implementation of the present technology;

[0044] Figure 3 is according to a non - limiting implementation of the present technology Figure 1 circuit diagram of the monitoring circuit;

[0045] Figure 4 shows a flowchart that shows the operations of a method for distributing electric power from a power distribution unit to an electrical load according to a non - limiting implementation of the present technology.

[0046] Figure 5 is a block diagram of a controller according to a non - limiting implementation of the present technology.

[0047] It should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified herein, the drawings are not drawn to scale. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0048] The example and conditional language cited herein are mainly for the purpose of assisting the reader in understanding the principles of the present technology, rather than limiting its scope to these specifically cited examples and conditions. It will be understood that those skilled in the art can design various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, still embody the principles of the present technology.

[0049] In addition, for the sake of understanding, the following description may describe relatively simplified implementations of the present technology. As those skilled in the art will understand, the various implementations of the present technology may be more complex.

[0050] With these basic principles in place, we will now consider some non - limiting examples to illustrate the various implementations of aspects of the present technology.

[0051] Figure 1Schematic diagram of a monitoring circuit 100 for distributing power from a power distribution unit (PDU) 10 to an electrical load 150. The PDU 10 can be a power source that provides one or more types of power at different voltages. For example, the PDU 10 can provide a first power of 12V, a second power of 5V, a third power of 3.3V, and a fourth power of 12V standby or "12V sb ". In this implementation, the monitoring circuit 100 further receives a standby power supply from the PDU 10 at the standby power input port 120 sb . The standby power supply is used to enable the local controller 110 and other components of the monitoring circuit 100 to operate before and during the distribution of power to the server 150. In this implementation, the standby power supply is 12V sb , but this is not restricted in this regard.

[0052] For example, the electrical load 150 can be an electronic device, such as a server 150 in a data center. This is not restricted in this regard. Therefore, once the teachings presented herein are understood, any system variant configured to be able to distribute power from a power source to an electrical load can be adjusted to implement embodiments of the present technology. In an alternative implementation of the present technology, the load can be any other type of electronic device.

[0053] The server 150 can be implemented as a traditional computer server. In an example of an embodiment of the present technology, the server 150 can be a Dell TM Windows Server TM server running the TM PowerEdge TM operating system. Needless to say, the server 150 can be implemented in any other suitable hardware, software, and / or firmware, or a combination thereof. The server 150 can be provided with air cooling equipment, water cooling equipment, or any other suitable cooling equipment for cooling the electronic components of the server 150.

[0054] In this implementation, the monitoring circuit 100 guides power from the power input port 120 of the monitoring circuit 100 to the server 150 and its electronic components, and the server 150 is electrically connected to the power output port 121 of the monitoring circuit 100. To this end, the monitoring circuit includes: a local controller 110; and a transistor assembly 122 electrically connected between the power input port 120 and the power output port 121. The transistor assembly 122 can be electrically connected to the local controller 110. In this implementation, the transistor assembly 122 includes a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) used as an electrical switching device. It should be noted that two or more power input ports 120 can receive the same power (such as 12V) from the PDU 10.

[0055] The monitoring circuit further includes a short - circuit protection circuit 116, which is used to disconnect the PDU 10 from the server 150 when an electrical fault occurs during the power distribution process. In this implementation, the short - circuit protection circuit 116 includes a current monitoring device 112 and a fuse assembly 114. The state of the fuse assembly 114 can be actively monitored by the local controller 110. The local controller 110 can disconnect the server 150 from the PDU 10 in response to the fuse being in a faulty state to prevent any additional damage to the server 150 and / or the PDU 10 and other equipment electrically connected thereto. Alternatively, the fuse assembly 114 can disconnect the server 150 from the PDU 10 in response to a fault signal issued by the current monitoring device 112. In these implementations, the current monitoring device 112 issues a fault signal in response to the power being higher than a predetermined current threshold. In the case of a short - circuit in another server electrically connected to the PDU 10, it may be important that the PDU 10 does not overload and can continue to supply power to other servers (i.e., avoid fault propagation).

[0056] In some implementations, the current monitoring device 112 is an ammeter. For example, the current monitoring device 112 can be a Hall - effect sensor.

[0057] The monitoring circuit 100 further includes an impedance measurement component 118, which is configured to measure the impedance at the power output port 121 when the server 150 is connected to the power output port 121.

[0058] In this implementation, the local controller 110 can also determine the state of the server 150 based on the signal measured by the impedance measurement component 118 and in response to the impedance measurement component 118 effectively measuring the impedance at the power output port 121. The state of the server 150 can be a faulty state or an operating state. The transistor assembly 122 can be actuated according to the signals measured by the current monitoring device 112 and the impedance measurement component 118 to effectively distribute power to the server 150.

[0059] Generally speaking, the monitoring circuit 100 first uses the impedance measurement component 118 to determine the presence of the server 150 at the power output port 121. The monitoring circuit 100 also uses the impedance measurement component 118 to determine the state of the server 150. In an alternative implementation, different impedance measurement components can be used to perform these two actions. If the server 150 is present and in an operating state, i.e., no short circuit occurs therein, then any sudden change in power at the power output port 121 when the server 150 initially receives power can be regarded as an inrush current or a negligible change, rather than a short circuit occurrence. As will be described in more detail below, the short-circuit protection circuit 122 is inhibited for a predetermined amount of time so that no inrush current will be detected and thus the server 150 will not be accidentally disconnected from the PDU 10.

[0060] Once the predetermined amount of time has elapsed, the short-circuit protection circuit 122 will be further re-enabled so that after any possible inrush current, the server 150 will still be protected from short circuits. This enables the use of cheaper transistors in power distribution. For example, some standard technologies rely on transistors that allow a current of 80A to be transmitted at a steady-state current of 8A due to possible inrush currents. This technology enables the use of transistors that allow a current of up to 10A to 15A to be transmitted at the same steady-state current, thereby reducing the size and cost of electronic components. It should also be noted that since the size of the transistors is reduced relative to other standard technologies, the cooling of the components is enhanced and improved, which improves the robustness of the electronic assembly.

[0061] Figure 2 It is a flowchart of an illustrative conduit 200 that distributes power from a power distribution unit to an electrical load. At block 202, the transistor assembly 122 is disabled so that power cannot be distributed to the server 150.

[0062] At block 204, the impedance measurement component 118 determines the presence of the server 150 at the power output port 121. For example, the impedance measurement component 118 can include an ohmmeter and mark the server 150 as present in response to the ohmmeter detecting a resistance value (even a null value). In response to the presence of the server 150 at the power output port 121, at block 206 the impedance measurement component 118 also determines the state of the server 150. More specifically, the local controller 110 determines whether a short circuit has occurred at the server 150 based on the signal measured by the impedance measurement component 118. At block 208, in response to the measured resistance value being null or close to zero, the server 150 is marked as in a fault state, otherwise it is marked as in an operating state (e.g., in response to the resistance being higher than a predetermined threshold).

[0063] At block 210, once it has been detected that the server 150 is in an operating state, the short-circuit protection circuit 116 is inhibited or "disabled". In some implementations, at block 210, the fuse assembly 114 is inhibited. In some other implementations described below: In this implementation, the local controller 110 can actively inhibit the fuse assembly 114 in response to a signal provided by the current monitoring device 112, and inhibit the current monitoring device 112 at block 210.

[0064] At block 212, a timer is started such that the short-circuit protection circuit 116 is inhibited until a predetermined amount of time has elapsed after the server 150 has been detected at the power output port 121. This can prevent the short-circuit protection circuit from detecting or "identifying" any inrush current that occurs as a short circuit. Once the predetermined amount of time has elapsed, at block 214 the short-circuit (OC) protection circuit 116 is further enabled, and at block 216 the transistor assembly 122 is actuated to enable power to be distributed to the server 150 at block 216.

[0065] At block 218, in the case where a short circuit is detected and / or the server 150 is detected to be disconnected from the power output port 121 based on a signal provided by the impedance measurement component 118, the fuse assembly 114 is actuated to prevent power from being directed to the server 150.

[0066] Figure 3 is an electrical diagram of the monitoring circuit 100 according to a non-limiting implementation of the present technology. As previously described, the impedance measurement component 118 is connected to the server 150 to measure its impedance. More specifically, the monitoring circuit 100 includes a first switching device 404 and a second switching device 406 that are used to selectively connect the impedance measurement component 118 to the server 150 and are controlled by the local controller 110. In use, the first switching device 404 and the second switching device 406 can be switched to a closed configuration to connect the impedance measurement component 118 to the server 115 and enable the impedance measurement component 118 to measure its impedance.

[0067] The local controller 110 determines the presence of the server 150 at the power output port 121 based on the signal measured by the impedance measurement component 118. In this implementation, the presence is evaluated in response to the impedance measurement component 118 effectively measuring an impedance. Once the presence is determined, the local controller 110 also determines the state of the server 115. In this implementation, when the measured impedance is higher than a predetermined threshold (e.g., 0.01 ohm), the server 150 is identified as being in an operating state; when the measured impedance is not higher than a predetermined threshold (e.g., 0.01 ohm), the server 150 is identified as being in a fault state.

[0068] Once the server 150 is identified as being in an operating state, the local controller 110 actuates the switching device 402 to be in a closed configuration so that power can be distributed to the server 150. It should be noted that at this stage, power has not yet been distributed to the server 150, but a relatively small amount of charge may cycle from the PDU 10 to the server 150. The local controller 110 can also actuate the switching device 404 and the switching device 406 to be in an open configuration to disconnect the impedance measurement component 118 from the server 150.

[0069] In this implementation, the voltage at the shunt resistor 420 is amplified by the first operational amplifier 412 and further compared with the reference voltage "Vref" by the second operational amplifier 414. For example, Vref can be equal to 1.23V. In some other implementations, a thermistor can be used instead of the shunt resistor 420. A current imaging voltage shunt or a similar device with an unrestricted bandwidth (e.g., 10 MHz) can also be used to replace the shunt resistor 420.

[0070] In response to the amplified voltage of the shunt resistor 420 being higher than the reference voltage, the local controller 110 will start a timer for a predetermined amount of time during which the current monitoring device 112 will be inhibited. The timer is Figure 3 intuitively described as an inhibition module 416 executed by the local controller 110 in response to the amplified voltage of the shunt resistor 420 being higher than the reference voltage Vref. Therefore, the current monitoring device 112 cannot issue a fault signal without having passed the predetermined amount of time.

[0071] In an alternative implementation, the fuse assembly 114 is inhibited (i.e., cannot cause the disconnection of the server 150 from the PDU 10), rather than the current monitoring device 112 being inhibited.

[0072] Once the predetermined amount of time has elapsed, the local controller 110 can switch the switching device 406 to be in a closed configuration to bypass the shunt resistor 420 and re-enable the current monitoring device 112. Therefore, once the predetermined amount of time has elapsed, the current monitoring device 112 will detect any current change above a predetermined current threshold.

[0073] Figure 4It is a flowchart of a method 500 for distributing power from a power distribution unit to an electrical load according to some examples of the present technology. In one or more aspects, the method 500 or one or more of its steps may be executed by a processor or a computer system, which is executed by the local controller 110 in this example. The method 500 or one or more of its steps may be embodied as computer-executable instructions that are stored in a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transitory mass storage device), loaded into the memory, and executed by the CPU. Some steps or partial steps in the flowchart may be omitted or the order may be changed.

[0074] The method 500 begins at operation 510 by receiving power from a PDU (such as PDU 10) through a monitoring circuit, and the monitoring circuit is electrically connected to the electrical load. The monitoring circuit may be the monitoring circuit 100, and the electrical load may be the server 150.

[0075] The method 500 continues at operation 520 by connecting the electrical load to the power output of the monitoring circuit.

[0076] The method 500 continues at operation 530 by determining the impedance at the power output. In some implementations, the impedance is determined by measuring the impedance at the power output of the monitoring circuit using the impedance measurement component of the monitoring circuit. The monitoring circuit is configured to mark the presence of the electrical load when the impedance measurement component effectively measures the impedance.

[0077] The method 500 continues at operation 540 by determining the state of the electrical load in response to effectively measuring the impedance at the power output. The state of the electrical load may be a fault state or an operating state. In this implementation, the state of the electrical load is determined by measuring the impedance at the power output of the monitoring circuit using the impedance measurement component of the monitoring circuit. In response to the impedance being higher than the impedance threshold, the monitoring circuit marks the state of the electrical load as the operating state, and in response to the impedance not being higher than the impedance threshold, the monitoring circuit marks the state of the electrical load as the fault state. For example, the impedance measurement component may be an ohmmeter.

[0078] The method 500 continues at operation 550 by suppressing the short-circuit protection circuit of the monitoring circuit within a given amount of time after connecting the electrical load to the power output in response to the electrical load being in the operating state. The short-circuit protection circuit may be implemented as the short-circuit protection circuit 112. For example, the amount of time may be between 1 ms and 20 ms, but is not limited. In use, the short-circuit protection circuit is configured to disconnect the electrical load from the power distribution unit in response to detecting a fault.

[0079] In some implementations, suppressing the short-circuit protection circuit of the monitoring circuit includes suppressing the current monitoring device of the short-circuit protection circuit. In use, when the current monitoring device is not suppressed, it responds to a current higher than the current threshold and issues a fault signal. The short-circuit protection circuit is configured to disconnect the electrical load from the power distribution unit in response to the fault signal issued by the current monitoring device. For example, the current monitoring device can be an ammeter.

[0080] Method 500 continues at operation 560 to distribute current from the power distribution unit to the electrical load. In this implementation, distributing current from the power distribution unit to the electrical load includes directing the current to the electrical load through the current monitoring device of the short-circuit protection circuit.

[0081] Although the above implementations are described and illustrated with reference to specific steps performed in a specific order, it is understood that these steps can be combined, subdivided, or reordered without departing from the teachings of the present technology. At least some steps can be performed in parallel or in series. Thus, the order and grouping of the steps are not limitations of the present technology.

[0082] As an example, Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram of a local controller 110 of a monitoring circuit 100 according to an example of the present technology. The local controller 110 includes a processor or multiple cooperating processors (represented as processor 810 for simplicity), a memory device or multiple memory devices (represented as memory device 830 for simplicity), and an input / output interface 820 that allows the local controller 110 to communicate with other components of the monitoring circuit 100 and / or other components that communicate with the monitoring circuit 100, such as transistor assembly 122, short-circuit protection circuit 116, and impedance measurement component 118. The processor 810 is operably connected to the memory device 830 and the input / output interface 820. The memory device 830 includes a storage device for storing parameters 834. The memory device 830 can include a non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing code instructions 832 that can be executed by the processor 810 to allow the local controller 110 to perform various tasks assigned to the local controller 110 herein.

[0083] The local controller 110 executes the code instructions 832 stored in the memory device 830 to implement the various functions described above that may exist in a specific example. As shown, Figure 5 illustrates a non-limiting example in which the local controller 110 coordinates the operation of the monitoring circuit 100. This specific example is not meant to limit the present disclosure, but is provided for illustrative purposes only. It should be noted that in this implementation, the local controller 110 can be directly implemented on the server 150.

[0084] It should be understood that the operations and functions of the described monitoring circuit 100, its components, and associated processes can be implemented by any one or more of hardware-based elements, software-based elements, and firmware-based elements. Such alternative operations do not limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

[0085] It should be clearly understood that not all of the technical effects mentioned herein necessarily exist in each and every example of the present technology.

[0086] Modifications and improvements to the above-described implementations of the present technology will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The above description is intended to be exemplary, not restrictive. Therefore, the scope of the present technology is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method (500) for distributing power from a power distribution unit (10) to an electrical load (150), the method comprising: receiving power from a power distribution unit (10) via a monitoring circuit (100), the monitoring circuit being electrically connected to the electrical load (150); Connecting the electrical load (150) to the power output port (121) of the monitoring circuit (100); Determining the impedance at the power output port (121) by means of the monitoring circuit (100); In response to effectively measuring impedance at the power outlet (121), determining the state of the electrical load (150) by the monitoring circuit (100), the state of the electrical load (150) being a fault state or an operating state; and In response to the electrical load (150) being in an operating state: inhibiting a short circuit protection circuit (116) of the monitoring circuit (100) within a given amount of time after the electrical load (150) is connected to the power outlet (121), the short circuit protection circuit being configured to: disconnect the electrical load (150) from the power distribution unit in response to detecting a fault; as well as Current is distributed from the power distribution unit to the electrical load (150).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Determining the impedance at the power output port (121) of the monitoring circuit (100) comprises: An electrical impedance measuring component (118) of the monitoring circuit (100) is used to measure impedance at the power outlet (121) of the monitoring circuit (100), and the monitoring circuit (100) is configured to mark the presence of the electrical load (150) when the electrical impedance measuring component (118) effectively measures impedance.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: Determining the state of the electrical load (150) includes: The electrical impedance measuring component (118) of the monitoring circuit (100) is used to measure the impedance at the power output port (121) of the monitoring circuit (100), and the monitoring circuit (100) is configured to: in response to the impedance being higher than an impedance threshold, mark the state of the electrical load (150) as an operating state; in response to the impedance being not higher than the impedance threshold, mark the state of the electrical load (150) as a fault state.

4. The method (500) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The electrical impedance measuring component (118) is an ohmmeter.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The time amount is between 1ms and 20ms.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: Distributing the current from the power distribution unit to the electrical load (150) comprises: A current is directed to the electrical load (150) through a current monitoring device (112) of the short-circuit protection circuit (116), the current monitoring device (112) being configured to issue a fault signal in response to the current being higher than a current threshold, and the short-circuit protection circuit (116) being configured to disconnect the electrical load (150) from the power distribution unit in response to the current monitoring device (112) issuing the fault signal.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: Suppressing the short circuit protection circuit (116) of the monitoring circuit (100) includes suppressing the current monitoring device (112).

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, further comprising: A transistor assembly is actuated to enable power to be distributed from the monitoring circuit (100) to the electrical load (150).

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions, which, when executed by a system, cause the system to perform the method (500) according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A system (100) for distributing electric power from a power distribution unit (10) to an electrical load (150), the system comprising: a power input terminal, the power input terminal being used to receive power from a power source; A power outlet (121), the power outlet being selectively electrically connected to the power input terminal, the power outlet (121) being configured to be connected to the electrical load (150); a first electrical impedance measuring component (118) configured to measure the impedance at the power outlet (121) when the electrical load (150) is connected to the power outlet (121); a second electrical impedance measuring component (118), the second electrical impedance measuring component being configured to determine a state of the electrical load (150) in response to the first electrical impedance measuring component (118) effectively measuring the impedance at the power outlet (121), the state of the electrical load (150) being a fault state or an operating state; a short circuit protection circuit (116) electrically connected between the power input port and the power output port (121), the short circuit protection circuit (116) being enabled once a given amount of time has passed after the electrical load (150) is connected to the power output port (121) and in response to the electrical load (150) being in an operating state, the short circuit protection circuit (116) being configured to disconnect the electrical load (150) from the power distribution unit in response to detecting a fault; as well as A transistor assembly is configured to distribute current from the power distribution unit to the electrical load (150) in response to the electrical load (150) being in an operating state.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein: The short circuit protection circuit (116) is also configured to disconnect the electrical load (150) from the power distribution unit in response to the current delivered to the electrical load (150) being above a power threshold.

12. The system according to any one of claims 10 to 11, wherein: The first electrical impedance measurement component (118) is configured to flag the presence of the electrical load (150) when impedance at the power outlet (121) is effectively measured.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein: The second electrical impedance measurement component (118) is configured to: mark the state of the electrical load (150) as an operating state in response to the impedance being higher than an impedance threshold; and mark the state of the electrical load (150) as a fault state in response to the impedance not being higher than the impedance threshold.

14. A system according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein: The time amount is between 1ms and 20ms.

15. A system according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein: The short circuit protection circuit (116) comprises: A current monitoring component is provided through which current is directed, the current monitoring component being configured to issue a fault signal in response to the current being higher than a current threshold, the short circuit protection circuit (116) being configured to disconnect the electrical load (150) from the power distribution unit in response to the current monitoring component issuing the fault signal.

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