Redundant power supply system and method for detecting its abnormality

Abstract

This system provides a redundant power supply that can detect whether or not there is a leakage current during power transmission by the power supply unit. [Solution] In the redundant power supply system 1, the second circuit section 200 receives power supplied from the first circuit section 100 via the power supply circuit 150, the isolation switch 30 is connected in series with the power supply circuit, the electrical detection section 20 is electrically connected with the power supply circuit to detect electrical changes in the power supply circuit and outputs a voltage signal to the processing section 40 based on that, the first switch section 50 is connected in parallel with the first circuit section and the second circuit section, and when the isolation switch is turned off, the processing section controls the conduction state of the first switch section so that the voltage signal changes according to the conduction state of the first switch section, and if the processing section determines that the signal characteristics of the voltage signal do not match the characteristics of the isolation state, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in the isolation switch and that there is a leakage current situation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply system, its circuit, and an abnormality detection method, and particularly to a redundant power supply system and its abnormality detection method. Prior art

[0002] In the design of a power supply circuit, for the load connected to the power supply unit to operate normally, it is necessary for the power supply function and the power receiving function of the power supply unit to operate stably. A so-called power supply unit that operates stably means that there is no concern about electric leakage during power supply or power reception of the power supply unit.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 7, for example, in a redundant power architecture, a plurality of voltage powers are supplied from a plurality of power supply units PS1, PS2, and PS3 to a load LD. The power supply units PS1, PS2, and PS3 are connected in parallel with the load LD, and switches SW1, SW2, and SW3 (for example, MOSFETs) are provided between each of the power supply units PS1, PS2, and PS3 and the load LD, and each of the switches SW1 to SW3 is controlled by corresponding controllers C1 to C3. That is, the switch SW1 is controlled by the controller C1 to control whether the power supply unit PS1 conducts with the load LD, and the switch SW2 is controlled by the controller C2 to control whether the power supply unit PS2 conducts with the load LD, and so on.

[0004] When it is necessary to insert and remove any one of the power supply units, for example, the power supply unit PS1, in order to avoid a decrease in the potential received by the load LD, the remaining power supply units need to continue to supply power to the load LD and maintain the potential level. Thus, in order for the power supply units PS2 and PS3 to continue to supply power to the load LD, the controllers C2 and C3 need to control the switches SW2 and SW3 to continue to conduct. Furthermore, to prevent power from the power supply units PS2 and PS3, which are constantly supplying power, from flowing back into the power supply unit PS1 when it is plugged in or unplugged, and causing a short circuit in the power supply unit PS1, controller C1 needs to control the conduction of switch SW1 to stop, thereby interrupting the circuit between the power supply unit PS1 and the load LD. The above is a redundant power supply architecture equipped with an isolation switch (ORing MOS).

[0005] The problem is that conventional redundant power supply architectures cannot determine whether each MOSFET within the FDMS7650 chip CP is faulty or not. In other words, conventional redundant power supply architectures cannot determine whether switches SW1, SW2, and SW3 are all functioning correctly and being controlled by controllers C1, C2, and C3. For example, in the above example, if switch SW1 actually fails, meaning that controller C1 cannot actually control switch SW1 to stop conducting, the power supplied to the load LD by power supply units PS2 and PS3 will flow into power supply unit PS1 at the moment the power supply is stopped before power supply unit PS1 is plugged in or unplugged. In this case, power may be forced into the power supply unit PS1 when it is plugged in or unplugged, potentially damaging it, and the potential supplied to the load LD may drop sharply, potentially causing a power supply malfunction in the load LD. If a power supply abnormality occurs, the load LD's protection mechanism will activate, causing it to shut down directly, which is highly likely to disrupt the use of the terminal.

[0006] To prevent the aforementioned power leakage from flowing into the power supply unit PS1, an improved circuit mechanism is needed to ensure that the power supply unit operates normally without worrying about power leakage during power output or reception. [Overview of the project]

[0007] The present invention provides a redundant power supply system and a method for detecting abnormalities thereof, which can detect electrical changes in the power transmitted between two circuits to determine whether or not there is a leakage current during power transmission by the power supply unit.

[0008] The redundant power supply system of the present invention includes a first circuit unit, a second circuit unit electrically connected to the first circuit unit to form a power supply circuit and receiving power supplied from the first circuit unit through the power supply circuit, an isolation switch connected in series with the power supply circuit, an electrical detection unit electrically connected to the power supply circuit to detect electrical changes on the power supply circuit and output a voltage signal accordingly, a first switch unit connected in parallel with the first and second circuit units, and a processing unit electrically connected to the electrical detection unit and the first switch unit to determine whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the isolation switch. When the isolation switch is turned off, the processing unit controls the conduction state of the first switch unit so that the voltage signal changes according to the conduction state of the first switch unit, and the processing unit determines whether or not the signal characteristics of the voltage signal match the characteristics of the isolation state, and if they do not match, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in the isolation switch.

[0009] The present invention provides a method for detecting an abnormality in a redundant power supply system, which is performed by the processing unit of the redundant power supply system and includes the steps of: controlling the conduction state of a first switch unit so that the voltage signal received from the electrical detection unit changes according to the conduction state of the first switch unit; determining whether the signal characteristics of the voltage signal match the characteristics of the isolation state; and determining that an abnormality has occurred in the isolation switch if it is determined that the signal characteristics do not match the characteristics of the isolation state.

[0010] When the isolation switch is turned off, the processing unit of the present invention can control the conduction state of the first switch section, receive a voltage signal from the electrical detection unit, and determine whether the signal characteristics of the voltage signal match the characteristics of the isolation state, thereby observing the electrical changes in the power transmitted between the first circuit section and the second circuit section. If the signal characteristics do not match the characteristics of the isolation state, the system determines that an abnormality has occurred in the isolation switch, and as a result, the processing unit can determine that there is a power leakage between the first circuit section and the second circuit section, resulting in a power supply abnormality.

[0011] When applied to a redundant power architecture, the present invention can support testing in advance whether the circuit electronic components in the redundant power architecture are functioning correctly, in order to avoid power supply anomalies occurring when the redundant power circuit is actually used online. In other words, if the pre-test of the present invention discovers an abnormal power supply with leakage between the first and second circuit sections, the user of the present invention can maintain the circuit before online use, for example, by replacing the faulty circuit component. Thus, the present invention makes it possible to avoid a situation in which power flows back into the first circuit and damages the first circuit due to a malfunction in a circuit component when the first circuit is hot-swapped from the second circuit after the user has used the redundant power supply circuit online. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a circuit diagram of a redundant power supply system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a circuit diagram of a protection circuit for a redundant power supply system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This is a circuit diagram of a redundant power supply system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart of the method for detecting abnormalities in the redundant power supply system of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart of an anomaly detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This is another flowchart of the anomaly detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is a circuit diagram of a conventional redundant power supply architecture. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] This invention provides a redundant power supply system and a method for detecting abnormalities therein. As shown in Figure 1, the redundant power supply system 1 of the present invention includes an electrical detection unit 20, an isolation switch 30, a processing unit 40, a first switch unit 50, a first circuit unit 100, and a second circuit unit 200. Preferably, the redundant power supply system 1 further includes a capacitor 10.

[0014] The first circuit section 100 and the second circuit section 200 are electrically connected to form a power supply circuit 150, and the second circuit section 200 receives power supplied from the first circuit section 100 through the power supply circuit 150. The isolation switch 30 is connected in series with the power supply circuit 150, and the first switch unit 50 is connected in parallel with the first circuit unit 100 and the second circuit unit 200. The electrical detection unit 20 is electrically connected to the power supply circuit 150, detects electrical changes on the power supply circuit 150, and outputs a voltage signal to the processing unit 40 accordingly. The processing unit 40 is electrically connected to the electrical detection unit 20 and the first switch unit 50, and determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the isolation switch 30. When the isolation switch 30 is turned off, the processing unit 40 controls the conduction state of the first switch unit 50 so that the voltage signal changes according to the conduction state of the first switch unit 50. The processing unit 40 determines whether the signal characteristics of the voltage signal match the characteristics of the isolation state. If the processing unit 40 determines that the signal characteristics do not match the characteristics of the isolation state, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in the isolation switch.

[0015] In detail, the first circuit section 100 has a first connection port 101 and a second connection port 102, and the second circuit section 200 has a third connection port 201 and a fourth connection port 202. The first connection port 101 of the first circuit section 100 is electrically connected to the fourth connection port 202 of the second circuit section 200, and the third connection port 201 of the second circuit section 200 is electrically connected to the second connection port 102 of the first circuit section 100. The focus of the present invention is an electronic component provided between the first connection port 101 and the second connection port 102 of the first circuit section 100 and the third connection port 201 and the fourth connection port 202 of the second circuit section 200, that is, the capacitor 10, the electrical detection unit 20, the isolation switch 30, and the processing unit 40 provided in the power supply circuit 150.

[0016] The capacitor 10 has opposing first and second terminals 11 and 12. The first terminal 11 of the capacitor 10 is electrically connected to the first connection port 101 of the first circuit section 100 and the fourth connection port 202 of the second circuit section 200, and the second terminal 12 of the capacitor 10 is electrically connected to the third connection port 201 of the second circuit section 200 and the second connection port 102 of the first circuit section 100.

[0017] The electrical detection unit 20 is electrically connected between the first terminal 11 and the second terminal 12 of the capacitor 10, and the electrical detection unit 20 detects the potential difference between the first terminal 11 and the second terminal 12 and outputs a voltage signal to the processing unit 40.

[0018] The isolation switch 30 has a first connection terminal, a second connection terminal, and a first control terminal. The first connection terminal is electrically connected to the first connection port 101 of the first circuit section 100, and the second connection terminal is electrically connected to the fourth connection port 202 of the second circuit section 200.

[0019] The processing unit 40 is electrically connected to the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30 and the electrical detection unit 20, respectively. The processing unit 40 receives the voltage signal output by the electrical detection unit 20 and obtains the potential measured by the electrical detection unit 20 based on the received voltage signal.

[0020] In this embodiment, the processing unit 40 of the present invention measures the electrical characteristics between the first circuit section 100 and the second circuit section 200, and in order to maintain the normal operation of the electronic components provided between the first circuit section 100 and the second circuit section 200, generates a control signal to the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30 by test, thereby changing the conduction state between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal of the isolation switch 30, for example, by blocking the conduction of the isolation switch 30. Furthermore, the processing unit 40 determines whether the change in the conductivity state of the isolation switch 30 is reflected in the potential measured by the electrical detection unit 20, that is, whether it is reflected in the discharge state of the capacitor 10. Therefore, when the processing unit 40 generates a control signal to the first control terminal to change the conduction state between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal of the isolation switch 30, for example, when the isolation switch 30 is turned off, the processing unit 40 determines whether the signal characteristics of the voltage signal match the characteristics of the isolation state. In this embodiment, the characteristic of the isolation state is that the capacitor 10 discharges; therefore, the signal characteristics of the voltage signal must be such that the corresponding voltage changes due to the discharge of the capacitor 10. Therefore, in this embodiment, the processing unit 40 determines whether or not the voltage signal has changed.

[0021] If the processing unit 40 determines that the voltage signal has not changed, it determines that a leakage current has occurred between the first circuit unit 100 and the second circuit unit 200, that is, that an abnormality has occurred in the isolation switch, and therefore the processing unit 40 generates a power supply abnormality signal to reflect this situation. Conversely, if the processing unit 40 determines that the voltage signal has changed, it determines that there is no leakage current between the first circuit unit 100 and the second circuit unit 200, that is, that there is no abnormality in the isolation switch, and therefore the processing unit 40 does not generate a power supply abnormality signal. In other words, when the processing unit 40 determines that the voltage signal has changed, it means that the capacitor 10 has discharged. Conversely, if the processing unit 40 determines that the voltage signal has not changed, it means that the capacitor 10 has not discharged, and the processing unit 40 can determine that there is a power supply abnormality due to leakage current between the first circuit unit 100 and the second circuit unit 200. Users of the present invention can determine whether or not a power supply abnormality involving leakage current exists between the first circuit unit 100 and the second circuit unit 200, based on the presence or absence of a power supply abnormality signal being generated. To highlight the effectiveness of detecting whether or not there is a leakage current between the first circuit section 100 and the second circuit section 200, you can refer to the first embodiment shown in Figure 1.

[0022] The first embodiment of the present invention applies the present invention to an Oring MOS architecture for redundant power supplies. The first circuit section 100 is a power supply circuit, such as a power supply unit, and the second circuit section 200 is a load that receives power, such as a machine room or electrical equipment that requires uninterrupted power supply. To ensure that the second circuit section 200 is powered without interruption and receives a stable voltage, the redundant power supply architecture is further provided with multiple power supply circuits. For example, the third circuit section 300 may be a power supply unit with the same specifications as the first circuit section 100. The third circuit section 300 has a fifth connection port 301 and a sixth connection port 302. The fifth connection port 301 of the third circuit section 300 is electrically connected to the fourth connection port 202 of the second circuit section 200, and the third connection port 201 of the second circuit section 200 is electrically connected to the sixth connection port 302 of the third circuit section 300.

[0023] Furthermore, the first circuit section 100 includes a first power supply circuit 110 and a first switch circuit 120, and the third circuit section 300 includes a third power supply circuit 310 and a third switch circuit 320.

[0024] The first power supply circuit 110 is electrically connected to the first connection port 101 and the second connection port 102, respectively, and the first switch circuit 120 is electrically connected to the first power supply circuit 110 and the processing unit 40. The third power supply circuit 310 is electrically connected to the fifth connection port 301 and the sixth connection port 302, respectively, and the third switch circuit 320 is electrically connected to the third power supply circuit 310 and the processing unit 40. The processing unit 40 controls the first switch circuit 120 to turn on the first power supply circuit 110, and controls the third switch circuit 320 to turn on the third power supply circuit 310. As a result, the first power supply circuit 110, which is turned on, supplies power to the second circuit unit 200 from the first connection port 101, and the third power supply circuit 310, which is turned on, supplies power to the second circuit unit 200 from the fifth connection port 301, outputting power of the same voltage.

[0025] In the first embodiment, the present invention further comprises a first resistor 60, and the first switch unit 50 has a third connection terminal, a fourth connection terminal, and a second control terminal. The third connection terminal, the fourth connection terminal, and the first resistor 60 are connected in series between the first terminal 11 and the second terminal 12 of the capacitor 10, and the processing unit 40 is electrically connected to the second control terminal of the first switch unit 50.

[0026] In this embodiment, both the isolation switch 30 and the first switch unit 50 are N-type metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (N-type MOSFETs; NMOS). The first connection terminal of the isolation switch 30 is the source, the second connection terminal is the drain, and the first control terminal is the gate. Furthermore, the third connection terminal of the first switch unit 50 is the source, the fourth connection terminal is the drain, and the second control terminal is the gate.

[0027] Preferably, the first circuit section 100 and the third circuit section 300 output a DC voltage from the first connection port 101 and the fifth connection port 301 of the third circuit section 300 to the fourth connection port 202 of the second circuit section 200, while the second connection port 102 of the first circuit section 100, the third connection port 201 of the second circuit section 200, and the sixth connection port 302 of the third circuit section 300 are grounded and at the same potential.

[0028] Before the processing unit 40 generates a control signal to the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30 to change the conduction state of the isolation switch 30, the processing unit 40 first controls the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30 to conduct between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal, controls the second control terminal of the first switch unit 50 to stop conduction between the third connection terminal and the fourth connection terminal, controls the first circuit unit 100 to supply power from the first connection port 101 to the fourth connection port 202 of the second circuit unit 200, and controls the third circuit unit 300 to supply power from the fifth connection port 301 to the fourth connection port 202 of the second circuit unit 200. Thus, before the processing unit 40 changes the conduction state of the isolation switch 30, the present invention embodies a state in which power is redundantly supplied to the load using multiple power supply units, for example, a state in which power is supplied to the second circuit unit 200 using the first circuit unit 100 and the third circuit unit 300. At the same time, since the first switch unit 50 is not turned on, the capacitor 10 can be charged more quickly than when the first switch unit 50 is turned on.

[0029] When the capacitor 10 is fully charged, this embodiment reaches a state where it is possible to observe whether or not the capacitor 10 successfully discharges. At this time, the processing unit 40 can generate a control signal to the first control terminal to change the conduction state of the isolation switch 30.

[0030] When the processing unit 40 generates a control signal to the first control terminal to change the conduction state of the isolation switch 30, the processing unit 40 controls the first circuit unit 100 to stop power output from the first connection port 101, controls the third circuit unit to continue outputting power from the fifth connection port 301, controls the first control terminal to stop conduction between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal, and controls the second control terminal to enable conduction between the third connection terminal and the fourth connection terminal. Thus, the present invention allows for the continuous and uninterrupted supply of power to the second circuit section 200 via the third circuit section 300, while simultaneously enabling the hot-swappable replacement of the first circuit section 100.

[0031] To prevent the power output by the third circuit section 300 from flowing back into the first circuit section 100, which has stopped outputting power, thereby damaging the first circuit section 100 or causing instability or a decrease in the power received by the second circuit section 200, the present invention controls the first control terminal to stop the conduction between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal, and quickly shuts off the circuit between the first connection port 101 and the fifth connection port 301.

[0032] In order to ensure that the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30 operates normally and that conductivity between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal is reliably stopped, the present invention monitors whether or not the capacitor 10 is discharging through the electrical detection unit 20.

[0033] If the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30 operates normally and can reliably stop the conduction between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal, the first circuit section 100 also stops supplying power, so the capacitor 10 stops being charged and begins to discharge, and the potential of the power stored in the capacitor 10 undergoes exponential decay. In this way, the processing unit 40 determines that the voltage signal measured by the electrical detection unit 20 has changed, and further determines that the capacitor 10 has discharged. As a result, it can be inferred that the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30 is operating normally and that the conductivity between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal has been reliably stopped.

[0034] If the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30 malfunctions and it is not possible to stop the conduction between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal, the power output from the third circuit section 300 will continue to be supplied to the capacitor 10, preventing the capacitor 10 from discharging. In this way, the processing unit 40 determines that the voltage signal measured by the electrical detection unit 20 has not changed, and further determines that the capacitor 10 has not discharged. As a result, it can be inferred that the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30 is operating abnormally and cannot stop the conduction between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal, meaning that there is a leakage current in the isolation switch 30. At this stage, the user of the present invention can replace the abnormal isolation switch 30 during the test phase, thereby ensuring that when the isolation switch 30 is officially used in the future, no abnormal situation occurs and the isolation switch 30 does not leak electricity.

[0035] As can be seen from the above example, the present invention can support testing in advance whether the circuit electronic components in the redundant power supply architecture are functioning correctly in order to avoid power supply anomalies occurring when the redundant power supply circuit is actually used online. In other words, if the pre-test of the present invention discovers an abnormal power supply with leakage between the first circuit section 100 and the second circuit section 200, the user of the present invention can maintain the circuit before using it online, for example, by replacing the faulty circuit component. Thus, the present invention makes it possible to avoid a situation in which, when the first circuit unit 100 is removed from the second circuit unit 200 in a hot swap after the user has used the redundant power supply circuit online, power supplied by the third circuit unit 300 flows back into the first circuit unit 100 due to a malfunction of a circuit component, thereby damaging the first circuit unit 100.

[0036] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, in the first embodiment of the present invention, a protection circuit 2 for a redundant power supply system is provided between the first circuit section 100 and the second circuit section 200. The protection circuit 2 includes the electrical detection unit 20, isolation switch 30, processing unit 40, first switch unit 50, and power supply circuit 150 described above.

[0037] Preferably, the protection circuit 2 has a first protection circuit port 21, a second protection circuit port 22, a third protection circuit port 23, and a fourth protection circuit port 24.

[0038] The first protection circuit port 21 is electrically connected to the first connection port 101 of the first circuit unit 100. The second protection circuit port 22 is electrically connected to the fourth connection port 202 of the second circuit section 200 and the fifth connection port 301 of the third circuit section 300. The third protection circuit port 23 is electrically connected to the third connection port 201 of the second circuit section 200 and the sixth connection port 302 of the third circuit section 300. The fourth protection circuit port 24 is electrically connected to the second connection port 102 of the first circuit unit 100.

[0039] In addition, the processing unit 40 includes a processor 41, an Oring controller 42, and a discharge controller 43.

[0040] The processor 41 is a microcontroller unit (MCU) and is connected to the Oring controller 42 and the discharge controller 43 using double-sideband (DSB) signal transmission.

[0041] In some embodiments, the Oring controller 42 may have, for example, multiple ports. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the ORing controller 42 may have an OFF port, an IN port, a GATE port, and an OUT port. The OFF port is electrically connected to the processor 41 to communicate with the processor 41, the IN port is electrically connected to the first connection terminal of the isolation switch 30, the GATE port is electrically connected to the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30, and the OUT port is electrically connected to the second connection terminal of the isolation switch 30. In this way, the Oring controller 42 can detect the voltage difference between the IN port and the OUT port and adjust the potential supplied to the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30 via the GATE port according to the command issued by the processor 41.

[0042] Similarly, the discharge controller 43 is electrically connected to the second control terminal of the first switch unit 50 and the processor 41, and adjusts the potential supplied to the second control terminal of the first switch unit 50 according to commands issued by the processor 41.

[0043] Preferably, in this embodiment, all electronic components between the first protection circuit port 21, the second protection circuit port 22, the third protection circuit port 23, and the fourth protection circuit port 24 of the protection circuit 2 are provided on a hardware structure, for example, on a printed circuit board (PCB) so that it can be easily carried by the user. Users of the present invention can carry the protection circuit 2 between the power supply side and the power receiving side, for example, between the first circuit section 100 and the second circuit section 200, and can quickly and conveniently electrically connect the protection circuit 2 between the first circuit section 100 and the second circuit section 200. The circuit between the first circuit section 100 and the second circuit section 200 can be quickly changed and upgraded to a protection circuit 2 equipped with an electronic component detection function, as part of the power supply circuit between the first circuit section 100 and the second circuit section 200.

[0044] As shown in Figure 3, the present invention can be applied in various ways. In the second embodiment shown in Figure 3, the protection circuit 2 of the redundant power supply system 1 is further provided with a first switch unit 50 and a second resistor 70, in addition to the capacitor 10, electrical detection unit 20, isolation switch 30, and processing unit 40.

[0045] In this embodiment, both the isolation switch 30 and the first switch unit 50 are N-type MOSFETs (NMOS). The first circuit section 100 is a power supply unit, and the second circuit section 200 is a power supply circuit. During use, the second circuit unit 200 first charges the first circuit unit 100 as a power supply unit, and after the first circuit unit 100 is fully charged, it discharges to the second circuit unit 200. Therefore, the first circuit unit 100, which is charged by receiving power from the second connection port 102 using power output from the third connection port 201, should not normally output power to the second circuit unit 200 at the same time. Only when the first circuit unit 100 is fully charged does the first circuit unit 100 output power from the first connection port 101 to the fourth connection port 202 of the second circuit unit 200. In a circuit in which a first circuit section 100 and a second circuit section 200 sequentially exchange power, the present invention can be applied to detect whether or not an abnormal leakage current is occurring in the first circuit section 100.

[0046] In this embodiment, the processing unit 40 includes a processor 41 and a charge controller 44. The processor 41 is electrically connected to the first circuit unit 100, the second circuit unit 200, the electrical detection unit 20, and the charge controller 44, respectively. The processor 41 is an MCU that can control the operation of the first circuit unit 100 and the second circuit unit 200, respectively, and controls the timing at which the first circuit unit 100 outputs power to the second circuit unit 200 and the timing at which the second circuit unit 200 outputs power to the first circuit unit 100. The processor 41 further receives a voltage signal output from the electrical detection unit 20 and detects the potential difference between the first terminal 11 and the second terminal 12 of the capacitor 10.

[0047] Specifically, the first circuit section 100 includes a first power supply circuit 110 and a first switch circuit 120, and the second circuit section 200 includes a second power supply circuit 210 and a second switch circuit 220.

[0048] The first power supply circuit 110 is electrically connected to the first connection port 101 and the second connection port 102, respectively, and the first switch circuit 120 is electrically connected to the first power supply circuit 110 and the processing unit 40. The second power supply circuit 210 is electrically connected to the third connection port 201 and the fourth connection port 202, respectively, and the second switch circuit 220 is electrically connected to the second power supply circuit 210 and the processing unit 40.

[0049] The charge controller 44 is electrically connected to the processor 41, the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30, and the second control terminal of the first switch unit 50, respectively. The charge controller 44 receives a command output from the processor 41, modulates an appropriate potential according to this command, and outputs it to the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30 and the second control terminal of the first switch unit 50, respectively, and controls whether or not to conduct to the first control terminal and the second control terminal according to the command issued by the processor 41.

[0050] In this embodiment, the second connection terminal of the isolation switch 30 and the fourth connection terminal of the first switch unit 50 are electrically connected to the second protection circuit port 22, and are electrically connected to the fourth connection port 202 of the second circuit unit 200 via the second protection circuit port 22. Furthermore, the second resistor 70 is provided between the first connection terminal of the isolation switch 30 and the third connection terminal of the first switch unit 50. The first connection terminal of the isolation switch 30 is electrically connected to the first protection circuit port 21, the electrical detection unit 20, and the first terminal 11 of the capacitor 10 via the second resistor 70, and is electrically connected to the third connection terminal of the first switch unit 50 via the second resistor 70.

[0051] In this way, the present invention allows the processor 41 to control the second switch circuit 220 to turn on the second power supply circuit 210, and the turned-on second power supply circuit 210 can output power from the third connection port 201 to the second connection port 102 of the first circuit unit 100. Furthermore, the processor 41 controls the first switch circuit 120 to prevent the first power supply circuit 110 from being turned on, so that the first power supply circuit 110, which is not turned on, does not output power to the fourth connection port 202 of the second circuit unit 200 via the first connection port 101. At this time, by observing whether or not the capacitor 10 is charged, it is determined whether or not there is a leakage current between the first connection port 101 and the second connection port 102 of the first circuit section 100.

[0052] Specifically, if the first circuit unit 100 is controlled by the processor 41 and does not output power from the first connection port 101, a properly functioning first circuit unit 100 will not leak power received from the second connection port 102 from the first connection port 101. Conversely, the malfunctioning first circuit unit 100 will leak power received from the second connection port 102 through the first connection port 101.

[0053] When the first circuit unit 100 is operating normally, the capacitor 10 is charged, and the voltage signal measured by the electrical detection unit 20 reflects the change and increase in the potential of the capacitor 10 due to continuous charging. Therefore, the processor 41 can determine that the voltage signal has changed and can infer that the first circuit unit 100 is operating normally and that there is no leakage current between the first connection port 101 and the second connection port 102.

[0054] Conversely, if the first circuit section 100 operates abnormally, the capacitor 10 will not be charged because it will be short-circuited between the first connection port 101 and the second connection port 102. Therefore, the voltage signal measured by the electrical detection unit 20 will reflect the potential that does not change due to the short circuit between the first connection port 101 and the second connection port 102. In this way, the processor 41 determines that the voltage signal has not changed, and therefore estimates that the first circuit unit 100 is operating abnormally and that a short circuit is causing a power leak between the first connection port 101 and the second connection port 102, and generates a power supply abnormality signal.

[0055] To summarize the above, as shown in Figure 4, in every embodiment, the present invention executes an abnormality detection method for the redundant power supply system by the processing unit 40, particularly the processor 41 within the processing unit 40, and through the abnormality detection method, it is possible to detect whether or not there is a leakage current between the first circuit unit 100 and the second circuit unit 200. The anomaly detection method of the present invention includes the following steps.

[0056] In step S1, the voltage signal received from the electrical detection unit 20 is controlled to change according to the conduction state of the first switch unit 50, thereby controlling the conduction state of the first switch unit 50.

[0057] Step S2: Determine whether the signal characteristics of the voltage signal match the characteristics of the isolation state.

[0058] In step S3, if the signal characteristics match those of the isolation state, it is determined that there is no abnormality in the isolation switch.

[0059] In step S4, if the signal characteristics do not match the characteristics of the isolation state, it is determined that a malfunction has occurred in the isolation switch.

[0060] As shown in Figure 5, in one embodiment, when the processing unit 40 controls the conduction state of the first switch unit 50, the processing unit 40 generates a control signal and outputs it to the first control terminal of the isolation switch 30, thereby changing the conduction state of the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal of the isolation switch 30 and turning off the isolation switch 30. Furthermore, when the processing unit 40 determines whether the signal characteristics of the voltage signal match the characteristics of the isolation state, it also determines whether the voltage signal has changed. If the processing unit 40 determines that the voltage signal has not changed, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in the isolation switch and generates a power supply abnormality signal. Conversely, if the processing unit 40 determines that the voltage signal has changed, it determines that there is no abnormality in the isolation switch and does not generate a power supply abnormality signal.

[0061] Regarding the determination method according to this embodiment, the processing unit 40 can be summarized as performing the following steps when executing the abnormality detection method of the present invention.

[0062] In step S10, a control signal is generated and output to the first control terminal of the isolation switch to change the conduction state of the isolation switch, and further control the conduction state of the first switch section.

[0063] In step S20, the system receives a voltage signal from the electrical detection unit 20, determines whether the voltage signal has changed, and if it determines that the voltage signal has not changed, generates power supply abnormality information.

[0064] In an embodiment in which the processor 41 in the processing unit 40 can control the operation of the first circuit unit 100, when the processor 41 executes step S10, the processor 41 further outputs a first circuit control signal to the first circuit unit 100 to control the first circuit unit 100 and stop the power output from the first connection port 101. This makes it possible to detect changes in the potential difference between the first terminal 11 and the second terminal 12 of the capacitor 10.

[0065] As shown in Figure 6, in one embodiment, the abnormality detection method of the present invention further includes the following steps before step S10.

[0066] Step S9: Determine whether the current time length is greater than or equal to the measured time length.

[0067] Step S10 is executed only if it is determined that the current time length is equal to or greater than the measured time length. If it is determined that the current time length is not equal to or greater than the measured time length, step S10 is not executed yet.

[0068] In other words, the processor 41 in the processing unit 40 has a timing function, and uses this timing function to periodically detect whether the circuit between the first circuit unit 100 and the second circuit unit 200 is functioning correctly. If sufficient time has not elapsed, that is, if the current time duration is not equal to or greater than the measured time duration, detection is not necessary. If a relatively long period of time has elapsed, that is, if the current time length exceeds the measured time length, the detection in step S10 must be initiated.

[0069] Furthermore, step S20 includes the following substep.

[0070] In step S21, the voltage signal for the first time is received from the electrical detection unit at the first time, and the first potential is obtained based on the voltage signal for the first time.

[0071] In step S22, the voltage signal for the second time is received from the electrical detection unit at the second time, and the second potential is obtained based on the voltage signal for the second time. A predetermined interval of measurement time is set between the first time point and the second time point.

[0072] Step S23: Calculate the potential difference between the second potential and the first potential.

[0073] Step S24: Determine whether the potential difference is greater than or equal to the difference threshold.

[0074] In step S25, if it is determined that the potential difference is greater than or equal to the difference threshold, it is determined that the voltage signal has changed, and power supply normal information and measurement completion record information are generated.

[0075] In step S26, if it is determined that the potential difference is less than the difference threshold, it is determined that the voltage signal has not changed, and power supply abnormality information and measurement completion record information are generated.

[0076] In step S27, the timing for executing the next step S10 is determined based on the measurement completion record information.

[0077] In other words, the processor 41 within the processing unit 40 has a timing function, which is used to create a time interval between the time when the voltage signal for the first time is acquired from the electrical detection unit 20 and the time when the voltage signal for the second time is acquired. This time interval can be set in advance to the aforementioned preset measurement time interval. This is because the charging or discharging of capacitor 10 usually changes exponentially, and by giving it the time required for the change, the change in potential difference can be observed more accurately. In order to clearly determine whether or not there is a change in charging or discharging of capacitor 10, the difference threshold is defined as a potential difference smaller than the difference threshold being noise and not needing to be considered as a change in charging or discharging of capacitor 10.

[0078] When the present invention is applied to a redundant power supply system architecture, each of the multiple power supply units may be provided with the protection circuit 2 of the present invention. For example, the first circuit section 100 is electrically connected to the second circuit section 200 via the aforementioned protection circuit 2, but the third circuit section 300 may be electrically connected to the second circuit section via a corresponding protection circuit 2. When each power supply unit is electrically connected to the second circuit section 200 via a corresponding protection circuit 2, the abnormality detection method of the present invention can test each protection circuit 2 in sequence and repeatedly test each protection circuit 2. Each time one of the protection circuits 2 completes its test, regardless of the test result, the present invention can determine the test timing of the next protection circuit 2 to be tested by performing step S27.

[0079] In one embodiment, the test timing of each protection circuit 2 is determined by a fixed-time method. For example, the system time can be used to start executing step S10 when a specific time is reached.

[0080] In another embodiment, the test timing of each protection circuit 2 is determined by a timing method. For example, the execution time of the next step S10 is measured starting from when step S27 is executed.

[0081] In another embodiment, the test timing of each protection circuit 2 is determined based on whether or not measurement completion record information has been generated. For example, when a protection circuit 2 completes measurement, generates measurement completion record information, and feeds this measurement completion record information back to the processor 41, the processor 41 determines that it has received the measurement completion record information fed back from the protection circuit 2 and begins executing step S10 for the other protection circuits 2. Thus, the present invention allows for the comprehensive and sequential repeated testing of each protection circuit 2 corresponding to each power supply unit in the redundant power supply system by timing, enabling maintenance and testing of all Oring MOS components throughout the entire system, and testing whether all power supply units are leaking current and operating abnormally. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0082] 1. Redundant power supply system 2 Protection circuit 10 Capacitors 11 1st terminal 12 2nd terminal 20 Electrical detection unit 21. First protection circuit port 22 Second protection circuit port 23. Third protection circuit port 24. Fourth protection circuit port 30 Isolation Switches 40 Processing Unit 41 processors 42 Oring controllers 43. Discharge Controller 44 Charge Controller 50. First Switch Unit 60 1st resistor 70 2nd resistor 100 1st circuit section 101 First connection port 102 Second connection port 110 1st power supply circuit 120 First Switch Circuit 150 Power circuit 200 2nd circuit section 201 Third Connection Port 202 Fourth Connection Port 210 2nd power supply circuit 220 Second Switch Circuit 300 3rd circuit section 301 Fifth connection port 302 Connection port 6 310 Third power supply circuit 320 Third Switch Circuit C1, C2, C3 Controllers CP chip LD load PS1, PS2, PS3 Power Supply Unit SW1, SW2, SW3 switches Steps S1-S4, S9, S10, S20-S27

Claims

1. First circuit section and A second circuit unit is electrically connected to the first circuit unit to form a power supply circuit and receives power supplied from the first circuit unit through the power supply circuit, An isolation switch connected in series with the aforementioned power supply circuit, An electrical detection unit is electrically connected to the power supply circuit, detects electrical changes on the power supply circuit, and outputs a voltage signal accordingly. A first switch unit connected in parallel with the first circuit unit and the second circuit unit, The electrical detection unit and the first switch unit are electrically connected to a processing unit for determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the isolation switch, When the isolation switch is turned off, the processing unit controls the conduction state of the first switch so that the voltage signal changes according to the conduction state of the first switch. The processing unit determines whether the signal characteristics of the voltage signal match the characteristics of the isolation state, and if they do not match, it determines that an abnormality has occurred in the isolation switch. Redundant power supply system.

2. The first circuit section has a first connection port and a second connection port, the second circuit section has a third connection port and a fourth connection port, the first connection port is electrically connected to the fourth connection port, and the third connection port is electrically connected to the second connection port to form the power supply circuit. The aforementioned redundant power supply system is A capacitor provided in the power supply circuit and having opposing first and second terminals, wherein the first terminal is electrically connected to the first connection port and the fourth connection port, and the second terminal is electrically connected to the third connection port and the second connection port, further comprising: The electrical detection unit is electrically connected between the first terminal and the second terminal of the capacitor, detects the potential difference between the first terminal and the second terminal of the capacitor, and outputs the voltage signal. The isolation switch has a first connection terminal electrically connected to the first connection port of the first circuit section, a second connection terminal electrically connected to the fourth connection port of the second circuit section, and a first control terminal. The processing unit is electrically connected to the first control terminal of the isolation switch and the electrical detection unit, and receives the voltage signal output from the electrical detection unit. The processing unit generates a control signal to the first control terminal and, when changing the conduction state of the isolation switch, determines whether or not the voltage signal has changed. If the processing unit determines that the voltage signal has not changed, it generates a power supply abnormality signal. The redundant power supply system according to claim 1.

3. The first circuit unit is a power supply unit, and the processing unit is electrically connected to the first circuit unit. When the processing unit generates the control signal to the first control terminal and changes the conduction state of the isolation switch, it simultaneously controls the first circuit section to stop the power output from the first connection port. The redundant power supply system according to claim 2.

4. A third circuit section having a fifth connection port electrically connected to the fourth connection port, and a sixth connection port electrically connected to the third connection port, The present invention further includes a first resistor electrically connected between the first and second terminals of the capacitor, The third circuit section is a power supply circuit, the second circuit section is a load, the isolation switch is an N-type metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOS), the first connection terminal of the isolation switch is the source, the second connection terminal is the drain, and the first control terminal is the gate. The redundant power supply system according to claim 3.

5. The first switch unit has a third connection terminal, a fourth connection terminal, and a second control terminal, and the third and fourth connection terminals and the first resistor are connected in series between the first and second terminals of the capacitor, and the processing unit is electrically connected to the second control terminal. Before the processing unit generates a control signal to the first control terminal to change the conduction state of the isolation switch, the processing unit first controls the first control terminal to make the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal conduct, and then controls the second control terminal to stop the conduction between the third connection terminal and the fourth connection terminal. When the processing unit generates the control signal to the first control terminal and changes the conduction state of the isolation switch, it controls the first control terminal to stop the conduction between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal, and at the same time controls the second control terminal to enable conduction between the third connection terminal and the fourth connection terminal. The redundant power supply system according to claim 4.

6. The present invention further includes a second resistor electrically connected between the first terminal of the capacitor and the first connection terminal of the isolation switch, The second circuit section is a power supply circuit, the isolation switch is an N-type metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOS), the first connection terminal of the isolation switch is the source, the second connection terminal is the drain, and the first control terminal is the gate. The redundant power supply system according to claim 3.

7. The first switch unit has a third connection terminal, a fourth connection terminal, and a second control terminal, the processing unit is electrically connected to the second control terminal, the third connection terminal is electrically connected to the first terminal of the capacitor, and the fourth connection terminal is electrically connected to the fourth connection port of the second circuit unit. The processing unit generates a control signal to the first control terminal to change the conduction state of the isolation switch, and controls the first control terminal to make the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal conduct, and at the same time controls the second control terminal to stop the conduction between the third connection terminal and the fourth connection terminal. The redundant power supply system according to claim 6.

8. Executed by the processing unit of the redundant power supply system described in claim 1, The steps include controlling the conduction state of the first switch so that the voltage signal received from the electrical detection unit changes according to the conduction state of the first switch, The steps include determining whether the signal characteristics of the voltage signal match the characteristics of the isolation state, If it is determined that the signal characteristics do not match the characteristics of the isolation state, the step is to determine that an abnormality has occurred in the isolation switch. A method for detecting anomalies in redundant power supply systems, including the one mentioned above.

9. When the processing unit controls the conductivity state of the first switch unit, it generates a control signal and outputs it to the first control terminal of the isolation switch, thereby changing the conductivity state between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal of the isolation switch, and turning off the isolation switch. When the processing unit determines whether the signal characteristics of the voltage signal match the characteristics of the isolation state, it determines whether the voltage signal has changed. If it is determined that the voltage signal has not changed, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the isolation switch and a power supply abnormality signal is generated. The abnormality detection method according to claim 8.

10. When the control signal is output to the first control terminal of the isolation switch to change the conduction state of the isolation switch, a first circuit control signal is simultaneously output to the first circuit unit to control the first circuit unit and stop the power output from the first connection port of the first circuit unit. The abnormality detection method according to claim 9.

11. The step of receiving the voltage signal from the electrical detection unit and determining whether or not the voltage signal has changed is: A substep of receiving a voltage signal at a first time from the electrical detection unit at a first time and acquiring a first potential according to the voltage signal at the first time, A substep is performed in which a voltage signal for the second time is received from the electrical detection unit at the second time, a second potential is obtained according to the voltage signal for the second time, and a preset measurement time interval is set between the first time and the second time. A substep for calculating the potential difference between the second potential and the first potential, A substep to determine whether the aforementioned potential difference is greater than or equal to a difference threshold, If it is determined that the potential difference is greater than or equal to the difference threshold, a substep is performed in which it is determined that the voltage signal has changed, If it is determined that the potential difference is less than the difference threshold, the substep includes determining that the voltage signal has not changed. The abnormality detection method according to claim 9.

12. Before outputting the control signal to the first control terminal of the isolation switch to change the conduction state of the isolation switch, A step to determine whether the current time length is greater than or equal to the measured time length, The step of outputting the control signal to the first control terminal of the isolation switch only when it is determined that the current time length is equal to or greater than the measured time length, If it is determined that the current time length is not equal to or greater than the measured time length, the step of outputting the control signal to the first control terminal of the isolation switch is not performed. The abnormality detection method according to claim 9, further comprising:

13. If it is determined that the voltage signal has changed, the steps include generating normal power supply information, Regardless of whether or not the voltage signal changes, the measurement completion record information is generated, and based on the measurement completion record information, the timing for generating the control signal for the next time and outputting it to the first control terminal of the isolation switch is determined. The abnormality detection method according to claim 9, further comprising:

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