Method and power supply for providing direct current to load
By introducing a power system containing electrolytic capacitors and supercapacitors into the data processing system, and using a DC-DC converter and controller to regulate the charging and discharging of the capacitors, the problems of performance degradation and power waste caused by changes in the power demand of the data processing system are solved, and a rapid response to peak power and a stable voltage supply are achieved.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SKYLERTON TECHNOLOGIES LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-12
AI Technical Summary
The power requirements of data processing systems (such as graphics processing units, GPUs) vary significantly over time, resulting in a delay in peak power demand response, which affects system performance. Furthermore, the failure to respond to changes in power demand in a timely manner leads to power loss and heat generation.
A power supply system including a first capacitor and a second capacitor is adopted. The first capacitor consists of an electrolytic capacitor and a foil capacitor, and the second capacitor is a supercapacitor. It is connected to the load through a DC-DC converter. The supercapacitor discharges under peak power and charges under low load. The controller regulates the charging and discharging process of the capacitor to ensure the stability of the load voltage.
It effectively responds to the peak current demand of the load, reduces voltage fluctuations, improves system performance, reduces power loss and heat generation, and enables rapid adaptation to power demands.
Smart Images
Figure CN122026718A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to a power supply for feeding direct current (DC) to a load such as a data processing system (e.g., a graphics processing unit "GPU"). Furthermore, this invention relates to a method for providing DC power to a load (e.g., a data processing system). Background Technology
[0002] In many applications, the power demands of DC loads vary significantly over time, meaning peak power demands can be significantly higher than average power demands. For example, in data centers, the power demands of data processing systems (e.g., graphics processing units, GPUs) powered by AC-DC or DC-DC converters can fluctuate dramatically over time, making it challenging to meet high peak power demands and respond quickly enough to changes in power requirements. Failure to respond to peak power demands and delays in responding to sudden increases in power demand degrade the performance of data processing systems. Furthermore, delays in responding to sudden drops in power demand can lead to additional power losses and heat generation.
[0003] Publication US20050184706 describes a hybrid capacitor module for responding to the peak power demands of an audio system amplifier. The hybrid capacitor module includes an electronic foil capacitor with a relatively low equivalent series resistance (ESP) and a relatively short charge / discharge time. Furthermore, the hybrid capacitor module includes multiple supercapacitors, each with a relatively high capacitance, connected in series with each other and then connected in parallel to the electronic foil capacitor. Each supercapacitor can be, for example, a carbon capacitor cell or an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC). The parallel-connected electronic foil capacitor and supercapacitors provide electrical energy to the amplifier to produce the required output power during the amplifier's peak power demands, for example, when the audio system needs to deliver transient bass peaks.
[0004] An inherent inconvenience associated with a capacitor system connected to the output of a DC voltage source and thus to the input of a DC load is that the DC voltage needs to be changed so that the capacitor system can release or receive energy. This is because if the DC voltage U of a capacitor system with capacitance C is constant, the energy stored in the capacitor system is ½CU. 2 It is also constant. This limits the applicability of the above-mentioned type of capacitor system to applications where the DC voltage should remain substantially constant. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The following is a simplified overview to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of various embodiments. This overview is not a broad summary of the invention. It is neither intended to identify key or essential elements of the invention nor to describe the scope of the invention. The following overview presents some concepts in a simplified form only as a prelude to a more detailed description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments.
[0006] According to the present invention, a new power supply is provided for feeding direct current (DC) to a load such as a data processing system (e.g., a graphics processing unit "GPU").
[0007] The power source according to the present invention includes:
[0008] - Input voltage terminal, used to receive input voltage.
[0009] - DC voltage terminal, used to supply DC current to the load of the power supply.
[0010] - An input voltage converter, located between an input voltage terminal and a DC voltage terminal, and configured to convert the input voltage into an input voltage equal to the DC voltage at the DC voltage terminal.
[0011] - A first capacitor connected between the positive and negative terminals of a DC voltage terminal, the first capacitor comprising at least one of an electrolytic capacitor and a foil capacitor.
[0012] - As a second capacitor for supercapacitors, and
[0013] - A DC-DC converter that performs voltage conversion between a second capacitor and a DC voltage terminal and is configured to convert the DC voltage of the second capacitor and the DC voltage of the DC voltage terminal.
[0014] Since the second capacitor is connected to the DC voltage terminal via the DC-DC converter, it can discharge in response to peak power conditions and charge under low load conditions, so that the DC voltage at the DC voltage terminal does not need to change. Therefore, the energy storage capacity of the second capacitor (i.e., the supercapacitor) can be effectively utilized. The first capacitor is used to compensate for any delays in DC-DC converter operation and / or second capacitor discharge in response to the onset of peak load current demand.
[0015] The input voltage described above can be, for example, single-phase AC voltage, multi-phase (e.g., three-phase) AC voltage, or DC voltage. Therefore, the input voltage converter described above can be an AC-DC converter for single-phase AC voltage, an AC / DC converter for multi-phase (e.g., three-phase) AC voltage, or a DC-DC converter.
[0016] The first capacitor described above may include one or more electrolytic capacitor assemblies and / or one or more foil capacitor assemblies. In an exemplary embodiment where the first capacitor includes a plurality of capacitor assemblies, the capacitor assemblies may be connected in parallel, in series, or in some other way, such as a series connection of parallel-connected groups of capacitor assemblies or a parallel connection of series-connected groups of capacitor assemblies. Correspondingly, the second capacitor described above may include one or more supercapacitor assemblies. In an exemplary embodiment where the second capacitor includes a plurality of supercapacitor assemblies, the supercapacitor assemblies may be connected in parallel, in series, or in some other way, such as a series connection of parallel-connected groups of supercapacitor assemblies or a parallel connection of series-connected groups of supercapacitor assemblies.
[0017] According to the present invention, a novel method for supplying DC current to a load such as a data processing system (e.g., a graphics processing unit "GPU").
[0018] The method according to the present invention includes:
[0019] - Receives input voltage at the input voltage terminal.
[0020] - An input voltage converter is used to convert the input voltage into a DC voltage at a DC voltage terminal, which provides DC current to the load.
[0021] - A first capacitor connected between the positive and negative terminals of a DC voltage terminal is used to respond to the onset of a peak current demand from the load. The first capacitor includes at least one of an electrolytic capacitor and a foil capacitor.
[0022] - A DC-DC converter is used to respond to the peak current demand of a load in a continuous segment by supplying energy from a second capacitor, which acts as a supercapacitor, to a DC voltage terminal. The DC-DC converter performs voltage conversion between the DC voltage of the second capacitor and the DC voltage of the DC voltage terminal.
[0023] Exemplary and non-limiting embodiments are described in the appended dependent claims.
[0024] When read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the various exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of the construction and operation methods, as well as their additional purposes and advantages, will be best understood from the following description of specific exemplary and non-limiting embodiments.
[0025] The verbs “contain” and “include” are used in this document as open restrictions, neither excluding nor requiring the existence of unreferenced features.
[0026] Unless otherwise expressly stated, the features described in the dependent claims may be freely combined with each other.
[0027] Furthermore, it should be understood that the use of “a” or “one” (i.e., the singular form) throughout this document does not preclude the plural form. Attached Figure Description
[0028] The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments and their advantages will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0029] Figure 1 A power supply according to an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment is shown.
[0030] Figure 2 A power supply according to another exemplary and non-limiting embodiment is shown, and
[0031] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method for supplying DC current to a load, according to an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, is shown. Detailed Implementation
[0032] The specific examples provided in the description below should not be construed as limiting the scope and / or applicability of the invention. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the lists and sets of examples provided in the description below are not exhaustive.
[0033] Figure 1 A power supply 100 according to an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment is shown. The power supply 100 includes an input voltage terminal 101 for receiving an input voltage. In this exemplary case, the input voltage is a single-phase AC voltage V. AC Power supply 100 includes a DC voltage terminal for supplying DC current I to a load 109 such as, for example, a data processing system (e.g., a graphics processing unit "GPU"). DC The power supply 100 includes an input voltage converter 103 between an input voltage terminal 101 and a DC voltage terminal 102. In this exemplary case, the input voltage converter 103 is an AC-DC converter configured to convert AC voltage V... AC Converted to DC voltage V at DC voltage terminal 102 DC In this exemplary case, the AC voltage V AC It is a single-phase AC voltage, but the input voltage converter may also be, for example, an AC-DC converter configured to convert multi-phase (e.g., three-phase) AC voltage to DC voltage. The input voltage converter 103 may be, for example, a diode rectifier, a diode rectifier equipped with a power factor correction (PFC) circuit, or an active AC-DC converter based on a controllable switch, such as an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), or some other suitable power electronic switch.
[0034] Power supply 100 includes a first capacitor 104 connected between the positive and negative terminals of a DC voltage terminal 102. The first capacitor includes an electrolytic capacitor and / or a foil capacitor. In this exemplary case, the first capacitor 104 includes an electrolytic capacitor. Power supply 100 includes a second capacitor 105, which serves as a supercapacitor, and may include, for example, one or more carbon capacitor units and / or one or more electric double-layer capacitor "EDLC" units. Power supply 100 includes a DC-DC converter 106 between the second capacitor 105 and the DC voltage terminal 102. The DC-DC converter 106 is configured to operate on the DC voltage V of the second capacitor 105. DC_S and the DC voltage V of DC voltage terminal 102 DC Voltage conversion is performed between them. Since the second capacitor 105 is connected to the DC voltage terminal 102 via the DC-DC converter 106, the second capacitor 105 can discharge in response to peak power conditions and charge under low load conditions, such that the DC voltage V at the DC voltage terminal 102 is... DC No changes are required. Therefore, the energy storage capacity of the second capacitor 105 (i.e., the supercapacitor) can be effectively utilized. The first capacitor 104 is used to respond to the start of peak current demand from the load 109 to compensate for any delays in the operation of the DC-DC converter 106 and / or the discharge of the second capacitor 105.
[0035] The DC-DC converter 106 can be, for example, Figure 1 The illustrated bidirectional buck-boost converter is shown. However, the DC-DC converter 106 could also be some other type of bidirectional converter. In some embodiments, the DC-DC converter 106 may provide current blocking between the second capacitor 105 and the DC voltage terminal 102. In an exemplary case with current blocking, the second capacitor may include capacitive components connected to each other, thus having a midpoint connected to ground. Therefore, the maximum voltage of the second capacitor may be twice the maximum voltage relative to ground.
[0036] Figure 1 The power supply 100 shown includes a controller 107 configured to respond to a DC current I DC The current is below the first predetermined current limit (i.e., there is a low load), and the DC voltage V of the second capacitor 105 is... DC_S Below the predetermined upper limit V DC_Smax The case where (i.e., DC voltage V) DC-S (Not yet reached its maximum allowable value), to control the DC-DC converter 106 to charge the second capacitor 105. The controller 107 is configured to respond to DC I DCThe current exceeds the second predetermined current limit (i.e., a high load is present), and the DC voltage V of the second capacitor 105... DC_S The controller 107 controls the DC-DC converter 106 to discharge the second capacitor 105 when the voltage exceeds a predetermined lower limit (i.e., at least to the level required for reliable operation of the DC-DC converter 106). Furthermore, the controller 107 can be configured to respond to the DC voltage V at the DC voltage terminal 102. DC Below the first limit value V DC_lim1 In this case, the DC-DC converter 106 is controlled to discharge the second capacitor 105, and in response to the DC voltage V DC Exceeding the first limit value V DC_lim1 The second limit value V DC-lim2 In this case, the second capacitor 105 is charged. However, it should be noted that embodiments of the present invention are not limited to any particular manner of controlling the DC-DC converter 106.
[0037] Controller 107 includes driver circuitry configured to drive controllable power electronic switches, such as IGBTs or MOSFETs, of the DC-DC converter 106. Figure 1 In this configuration, the output signals of the driver circuit are represented as S1, S2, S3, and S4. Furthermore, the controller 107 includes a processing system for operating the aforementioned driver circuit according to the control of the DC-DC converter 106. The processing system may include one or more analog circuits, one or more digital processing circuits, or a combination thereof. Each digital processing circuit may be a programmable processor circuit equipped with appropriate software, a dedicated hardware processor such as, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a configurable hardware processor such as, for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Additionally, the processing system may include one or more memory circuits, each of which may be, for example, a random access memory (RAM) circuit and / or a non-volatile memory circuit, such as, for example, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) circuit.
[0038] Figure 2 A power supply 200 according to an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment is shown. The power supply 200 is otherwise related to... Figure 1 The power supply shown is similar to 100, but the input voltage terminal 201 receives a DC voltage V. DC_inAs the input voltage, the input voltage converter 203 is a DC-DC converter, and the first capacitor 204 comprises an electrolytic capacitor 204a and a foil capacitor 204b connected in parallel. The foil capacitor 204b has a very low equivalent series resistance (ESP) and a short charge / discharge time. Therefore, the foil capacitor 204b is able to respond to very sudden changes in the initial phase of the power demand of the load 109. The advantage of the electrolytic capacitor 204a is that it has a higher capacitance than the foil capacitor, which has a substantially equal physical size. Depending on the response speed of the DC-DC converter 106, the first capacitor may, in some cases, be simply a foil capacitor. The input voltage converter 203 may be, for example, a buck-boost converter, a flyback converter, or some other suitable type of DC-DC converter.
[0039] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method according to an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment is shown, which is used to provide DC current to a load such as a data processing system (e.g., a graphics processing unit "GPU"). The method includes the following actions:
[0040] - Action 301: Receive input voltage at the input voltage terminal.
[0041] - Action 302: The input voltage is converted into a DC voltage at a DC voltage terminal using an input voltage converter, the DC voltage terminal providing DC current to the load.
[0042] - Action 303: Responding to the onset of a peak current demand of the load by utilizing a first capacitor connected between the positive and negative terminals of the DC voltage terminal, the first capacitor comprising at least one of an electrolytic capacitor and a foil capacitor, and
[0043] - Action 304: Utilizing a DC-DC converter to respond to the peak current demand of the load during a continuous segment by supplying energy from a second capacitor, which acts as a supercapacitor, to a DC voltage terminal, the DC-DC converter performs voltage conversion between the DC voltage of the second capacitor and the DC voltage of the DC voltage terminal.
[0044] The method according to exemplary and non-limiting embodiments includes controlling a DC-DC converter to charge a second capacitor in response to a DC current below a first predetermined current limit and a DC voltage of a second capacitor below a predetermined upper limit, and discharging the second capacitor to provide energy from the second capacitor to a DC voltage terminal in response to a DC current above a second predetermined current limit and a DC voltage of the second capacitor above a predetermined lower limit.
[0045] In the method according to the exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the second capacitor includes one or more carbon capacitor cells.
[0046] In the method according to the exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the second capacitor includes one or more electric double-layer capacitor "EDLC" cells.
[0047] In the method according to the exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the DC voltage converter is a bidirectional buck-boost converter.
[0048] In the method according to the exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the first capacitor includes a parallel connection of an electrolytic capacitor and a foil capacitor.
[0049] In the method according to the exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the input voltage is a single-phase or multi-phase AC voltage, and the input voltage converter is an AC-DC converter.
[0050] In another exemplary and non-limiting embodiment of the method, the input voltage is a DC voltage, and the input voltage converter is a DC-DC converter.
[0051] The specific examples provided in the foregoing description should not be construed as limiting the applicability and / or interpretation of the invention. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the list and set of examples provided in the foregoing description are not exhaustive.
Claims
1. A power supply (100, 200), comprising: An input voltage terminal (101, 201) for receiving an input voltage (V AC , DC_in ), a direct current voltage terminal (102) for providing a direct current (I DC ) to a load of the power supply an input voltage converter (103, 203) between the input voltage terminal and the direct voltage terminal and configured to convert the input voltage (V AC , V DC_in ) to a direct voltage (V DC ) of the direct voltage terminal, and a first capacitor (104, 204) connected between a positive pole and a negative pole of the DC voltage terminal, the first capacitor comprising at least one of an electrolytic capacitor and a foil capacitor, characterized in that the power supply comprises a second capacitor (105) and a DC voltage converter (106), the second capacitor (105) is a super capacitor, The direct current voltage converter (106) is between the second capacitor and the direct current voltage terminal and is configured to perform a voltage conversion between a direct current voltage (V DC_S ) of the second capacitor and the direct current voltage (V DC ) of the direct current voltage terminal.
2. The power supply according to claim 1, wherein the power supply comprises a controller (107) configured to: in response to the direct current (I DC ) being below a first predetermined current limit and the direct voltage (V DC_S ) of the second capacitor being below a predetermined upper limit, controlling the direct voltage converter to charge the second capacitor, and in response to the direct current (I DC ) being higher than a second predetermined current limit and the direct voltage (V DC_S ) of the second capacitor being higher than a predetermined lower limit, controlling the direct voltage converter to discharge the second capacitor.
3. The power supply according to claim 1, wherein the second capacitor (105) comprises one or more carbon capacitor cells.
4. The power supply according to claim 2, wherein the second capacitor (105) comprises one or more carbon capacitor cells.
5. The power supply according to claim 1, wherein the second capacitor (105) comprises one or more double layer capacitor cells.
6. The power supply according to claim 2, wherein the second capacitor (105) comprises one or more double layer capacitor cells.
7. The power supply according to claim 3, wherein the second capacitor (105) comprises one or more double layer capacitor cells.
8. The power supply according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the DC voltage converter (106) is a bidirectional buck-boost converter.
9. The power supply according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first capacitor (204) comprises a parallel connection of the electrolytic capacitor (204a) and the foil capacitor (204b).
10. The power supply according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the input voltage converter (103) is an AC voltage-DC voltage converter.
11. The power supply according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the input voltage converter (203) is a DC voltage converter.
12. A method for providing DC power to a load, the method comprising: An input voltage (V AC , V DC_in ) is received (301) at an input voltage terminal (101). The input voltage (V AC , V DC_in ) is converted (302) into a direct voltage (V DC ) of a direct voltage terminal (102) by means of an input voltage converter (103), which direct voltage terminal (102) provides the direct current (I DC ) to the load, and responding (303) to a start of a peak current demand of the load with a first capacitor (104, 204) connected between a positive pole and a negative pole of the DC voltage terminal, the first capacitor comprising at least one of an electrolytic capacitor and a foil capacitor, characterized in that the method comprises: With a DC voltage converter (106) that performs voltage conversion between a DC voltage (V DC_S ) of a second capacitor (105) that is a super capacitor and the DC voltage (V DC ) of the DC voltage terminal, a continuous section of the peak current demand of the load is responded to (304) by providing energy from the second capacitor (105) to the DC voltage terminal.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein, the method comprises: in response to the direct current (I DC ) being below a first predetermined current limit and the direct voltage (V DC_S ) of the second capacitor being below a predetermined upper limit, controlling the direct voltage converter to charge the second capacitor, and in response to the direct current (I DC ) being higher than a second predetermined current limit and the direct voltage (V DC_S ) of the second capacitor being higher than a predetermined lower limit, controlling the direct voltage converter to discharge the second capacitor to provide energy from the second capacitor to the direct voltage terminal.
14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the second capacitor comprises one or more carbon capacitor cells.
15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the second capacitor comprises one or more carbon capacitor cells.
16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the second capacitor comprises one or more double layer capacitor cells.
17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the DC voltage converter (106) is a bidirectional buck-boost converter.
18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein The first capacitor (204) includes a parallel connection of the electrolytic capacitor (204a) and the foil capacitor (204b). The first capacitor (204) includes a parallel connection of the electrolytic capacitor (204a) and the foil capacitor (204b).