Power supply and method for supplying DC current to a load

Abstract

To realize a power supply and method for supplying direct current to a load. [Solution] Direct current (I DC The power supply (100) for supplying power to the ) has an input voltage (V AC An input voltage terminal (101) for receiving ) and a DC current (I DC A DC voltage terminal (102) for supplying the load, and an input voltage (V AC ) to the DC voltage (V) of the DC voltage terminal DC The power supply comprises an input voltage converter (103) configured to convert to ), and a capacitor (104) connected to the DC voltage terminal to accommodate the initial peak current needs of the load. To accommodate the continuous portion of the peak current needs of the load, the power supply comprises a supercapacitor (105) and the DC voltage (V) of the supercapacitor located between the supercapacitor and the DC voltage terminal. DC_S ) and the DC voltage (V) of the DC voltage terminal DC The system comprises a DC voltage converter (106) configured to perform voltage conversion between and ).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply for supplying direct current (DC) to a load such as a data processing system, for example, a graphics processing unit (GPU). Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for supplying direct current to a load such as a data processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] In many applications, peak power demand is significantly higher than average power demand, so the power demand of direct current (DC) loads can fluctuate considerably over time. For example, in a data center, the power demand of data processing systems, such as graphics processing units (GPUs), supplied by AC-DC or DC-DC converters, fluctuates strongly over time, making it difficult to meet high peak power demands and to respond quickly enough to changes in power demand. Inability to meet 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 decreases in power demand can lead to additional power losses and heat generation.

[0003] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20050184706 describes a hybrid capacitor module for meeting the peak power demands of an audio system amplifier. The hybrid capacitor module comprises an electronic foil capacitor having a relatively low equivalent series resistance (ESP) and a relatively short charge / discharge time. Furthermore, the hybrid capacitor module comprises multiple supercapacitors, each having a relatively high capacitance, connected in series with one another and in parallel with the electronic foil capacitor. For example, each supercapacitor may be a carbon capacitor cell or an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC). The parallel-connected electronic foil capacitors and supercapacitors supply electrical energy to the amplifier, producing the required output power during the amplifier's peak power demands, for example, when the audio system needs to transmit instantaneous bass peaks.

[0004] A unique drawback of a capacitor system connected to the output of a DC voltage source and thereby to the input of a DC load is that when the DC voltage U of a capacitor system with capacitance C is constant, the energy stored in the capacitor system is 1 / 2CU. 2 Since the DC voltage is constant, the DC voltage must change for the capacitor system to release or absorb energy. This limits the suitability of the aforementioned types of capacitor systems for applications where the DC voltage is kept substantially constant. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20050184706 [Overview of the Initiative]

[0006] Next, a simplified overview is presented to provide a basic understanding of several aspects of the various embodiments. The overview is not a comprehensive overview of the invention. The overview is not intended to identify key or significant elements of the invention, nor to define the scope of the invention. The following overview merely presents some concepts in a simplified form as a precursor to a more detailed description of exemplary and non-limiting embodiments.

[0007] According to the present invention, a new power supply is provided for supplying direct current "DC" to a data processing system, such as a graphics processing unit "GPU".

[0008] The power supply according to the present invention is An input voltage terminal for receiving the input voltage, A DC voltage terminal for supplying DC current to the power supply load, An input voltage converter located between the input voltage terminal and the DC voltage terminal, configured to convert the input voltage to the DC voltage of the DC voltage terminal, A first capacitor connected between the anode and cathode of a DC voltage terminal, comprising at least one of an electrolytic capacitor and a foil capacitor, The second capacitor is a supercapacitor, The system includes a DC-DC converter located between the second capacitor and the DC voltage terminal, configured to perform voltage conversion between the DC voltage of the second capacitor and the DC voltage of the DC voltage terminal.

[0009] Since the second capacitor is connected to the DC voltage terminal via a DC-DC converter, the second capacitor can be discharged to accommodate peak power conditions and charged during low-load conditions because the DC voltage at the DC voltage terminal does not need to fluctuate. This allows the energy storage capacity of the second capacitor, i.e., the supercapacitor, to be utilized efficiently. The first capacitor is used to accommodate the initial peak current needs of the load to compensate for any delays in the operation of the DC-DC converter and / or the discharge of the second capacitor.

[0010] For example, the input voltage described above may be a single-phase AC voltage, a multi-phase voltage such as a three-phase AC voltage, or a DC voltage. Accordingly, the input voltage converter described above may be an AC-DC converter for a single-phase AC voltage, an AC-DC converter for a multi-phase voltage such as a three-phase AC voltage, or a DC-DC converter.

[0011] The first capacitor described above may comprise one or more electrolytic capacitor components and / or one or more foil capacitor components. In the exemplary case where the first capacitor comprises many capacitor components, the capacitor components may be connected in parallel with each other, in series with each other, or in some other way, for example, to form a series connection of parallel-connected capacitor component groups or a parallel connection of series-connected capacitor component groups. Correspondingly, the second capacitor described above may comprise one or more supercapacitor components. In the exemplary case where the second capacitor comprises many supercapacitor components, the supercapacitor components may be connected in parallel with each other, in series with each other, or in some other way, for example, to form a series connection of parallel-connected supercapacitor component groups or a parallel connection of series-connected supercapacitor component groups.

[0012] The present invention also provides a novel method for supplying DC current to a data processing system, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU).

[0013] The method according to the present invention is The process of receiving the input voltage at the input voltage terminal, The input voltage converter performs the process of converting the input voltage into a DC voltage at a DC voltage terminal that supplies DC current to the load, A first capacitor connected between the anode and cathode of a DC voltage terminal, in a process corresponding to the initial peak current needs of a load, the first capacitor comprising at least one of an electrolytic capacitor and a foil capacitor; A DC-DC converter that performs voltage conversion between the DC voltage of a second capacitor and the DC voltage of a DC voltage terminal, supplying energy from the second capacitor, which is a supercapacitor, to the DC voltage terminal, in a process corresponding to the continuous portion of the peak current needs of a load.

[0014] Exemplary and non-limiting embodiments are described in the appended dependent claims.

[0015] Various exemplary and non-limiting embodiments regarding both the composition and the method of operation will be best understood from the following description of specific exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, together with the appended drawings, which, when read in conjunction, will provide additional objects and advantages.

[0016] The verbs "comprises" and "includes" are used in this document as an open limitation that does not require or exclude the presence of features not recited.

[0017] Features recited in the dependent claims can be freely combined with each other unless otherwise explicitly stated.

[0018] Furthermore, the use of "a", i.e., the singular, in this document is not to be construed as excluding the plural.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] Exemplary and non-limiting embodiments and their advantages are described in more detail below by reference to the accompanying drawings by way of example. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a power supply according to an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a power supply according to another exemplary and non-limiting embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method according to exemplary and non-limiting embodiments for supplying DC current to a load. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] The specific examples provided in the following description should not be construed as limiting the scope and / or applicability of the invention. The lists and groups of examples provided in the following description are not exhaustive unless otherwise specified.

[0021] Figure 1 illustrates a power supply 100 according to an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment. 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 The power supply 100 supplies a DC current I to a load 109, such as a data processing system, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU). DC It is equipped with a DC voltage terminal for supplying AC voltage V. The power supply 100 includes an input voltage converter 103 between the input voltage terminal 101 and the DC voltage terminal 102. In this exemplary case, the input voltage converter 103 is equipped with an AC voltage V AC DC voltage V of DC voltage terminal 102 DC This is an AC-DC converter configured to convert AC voltage V AC While the input voltage is a single-phase AC voltage, the input voltage converter can also be an AC-DC converter configured to convert a multi-phase, for example, three-phase AC voltage to a DC voltage. For example, the input voltage converter 103 may be an active AC-DC converter based on a diode rectifier, a diode rectifier with a power factor correction (PFC) circuit, or a controllable switch, such as an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), or some other suitable power electronics switch.

[0022] The power supply 100 includes a first capacitor 104 connected between the anode and the cathode of the 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. The power supply 100 includes a second capacitor 105, which is a supercapacitor and may include, for example, one or more carbon capacitor cells and / or one or more electric double layer capacitor "EDLC" cells. The 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 perform voltage conversion between the DC voltage V DC_S of the second capacitor 105 and the DC voltage V DC of the DC voltage terminal 102. Since the second capacitor 105 is connected to the DC voltage terminal 102 via the DC-DC converter 106, the second capacitor 105 is discharged to cope with the peak power situation and can be charged during the low load situation because the DC voltage V DC of the DC voltage terminal 102 does not need to vary. Thereby, the energy storage capacity of the second capacitor 105, i.e., the supercapacitor, can be utilized efficiently. The first capacitor 104 is used to compensate for any delay in the operation of the DC-DC converter 106 and / or the discharge of the second capacitor 105 and to cope with the initial peak current needs of the load 109.

[0023] For example, the DC-DC converter 106 may be a bidirectional buck-boost converter, as illustrated in Figure 1. However, the DC-DC converter 106 can also be several other types of bidirectional converters. In some embodiments, the DC-DC converter 106 can provide galvanic separation between the second capacitor 105 and the DC voltage terminal 102. In an exemplary case having galvanic separation, the second capacitor may comprise capacitive components connected to each other such that their midpoints are connected to ground. Thus, the maximum voltage of the second capacitor may be twice the maximum voltage to ground.

[0024] The power supply 100 described in Figure 1 has a DC current I DC The DC voltage of the second capacitor 105 is below a predetermined first current limit, i.e., a low load condition, and the DC voltage of the second capacitor 105 is V DC_S The predetermined upper limit V DC_Smax It is less than the DC voltage V DC_S The controller 107 is configured to control the DC-DC converter 106 to charge the second capacitor 105 in cases where the current has not yet reached the maximum allowable value. The controller 107 controls the DC current I DC When the current exceeds the predetermined second current limit, i.e., a high load condition, and the DC voltage of the second capacitor 105 V DC_S The controller 107 is configured to control the DC-DC converter 106 in order to discharge the second capacitor 105 in response to situations where the DC voltage V at the DC voltage terminal 102 exceeds a predetermined lower limit, i.e., at a level required for reliable operation of the DC-DC converter 106. DC is the first limit value V DC_lim1 In order to discharge the second capacitor 105 depending on the situation where the DC voltage V is less than the specified value, DC is the first limit value V DC_lim1 A larger second limit value V DC_lim2The DC-DC converter 106 may be configured to control the charging of the second capacitor 105 in response to conditions exceeding the limit. However, it should be noted that embodiments of the present invention are not limited to any particular method of controlling the DC-DC converter 106.

[0025] The controller 107 includes a driver circuit configured to drive a controllable power electronics switch, such as an IGBT or MOSFET, of the DC-DC converter 106. In Figure 1, 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 driver circuit by controlling 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 having appropriate software, such as a dedicated hardware processor such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a configurable hardware processor such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). Furthermore, the processing system may include one or more memory circuits, each of which may be a non-volatile memory circuit, such as a random-access memory (RAM) circuit and / or a programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) circuit that can be electrically erased.

[0026] Figure 2 illustrates a power supply 200 according to an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment. The power supply 200 is otherwise similar to the power supply 100 described in Figure 1, except that the input voltage terminal 201 has a DC voltage V as its input voltage. DC_inThe input voltage converter 203 is a DC-DC converter, and the first capacitor 204 comprises a parallel connection of an electrolytic capacitor 204a and a foil capacitor 204b. The foil capacitor 204b has a very low equivalent series resistance (ESP) and a short charge / discharge time. This allows the foil capacitor 204b to respond to the initial stages of very sudden changes in 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 substantially uniform physical size. Depending on the response speed of the DC-DC converter 106, in some cases the first capacitor may simply be a foil capacitor. For example, the input voltage converter 203 may be a buck-boost converter, a flyback converter, or some other suitable type of DC-DC converter.

[0027] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment of a method for supplying DC current to a data processing system, such as a graphics processing unit (GPU). The method comprises the following operations: Operation 301 receives the input voltage at the input voltage terminal. Operation 302 is an input voltage converter that converts the input voltage into a DC voltage at a DC voltage terminal that supplies DC current to the load. Operation 303 is a first capacitor connected between the anode and cathode of the DC voltage terminals to initially address the peak current needs of the load, and the first capacitor comprises at least one of an electrolytic capacitor and a foil capacitor. Operation 304 is a DC-DC converter that performs voltage conversion between the DC voltage of the second capacitor and the DC voltage terminal, thereby addressing the continuous portion of the load's peak current needs by supplying energy from the second capacitor, which is a supercapacitor, to the DC voltage terminal.

[0028] Methods according to exemplary and non-limiting embodiments include controlling a DC-DC converter to charge a second capacitor in response to a situation where the DC current is less than a predetermined first current limit and the DC voltage of the second capacitor is less than a predetermined upper limit, and to discharge a second capacitor to supply energy from the second capacitor to a DC voltage terminal in response to a situation where the DC current exceeds a predetermined second current limit and the DC voltage of the second capacitor exceeds a predetermined lower limit.

[0029] In the methods according to exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the second capacitor comprises one or more carbon capacitor cells.

[0030] In the methods according to exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the second capacitor comprises one or more electric double-layer capacitor "EDLC" cells.

[0031] In the methods according to exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the DC voltage converter is a bidirectional buck-boost converter.

[0032] In the methods according to exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the first capacitor comprises a parallel connection of an electrolytic capacitor and a foil capacitor.

[0033] In the methods according to 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.

[0034] In methods according to other exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the input voltage is a DC voltage, and the input voltage converter is a DC-DC converter.

[0035] The specific examples provided in the foregoing statement should not be construed as limiting the applicability and / or interpretation of the invention. The list and group of examples provided in the foregoing statement are not exhaustive unless otherwise specifically stated.

Claims

1. Input voltage (V) AC , V DC_in Input voltage terminals (101, 201) for receiving ) and Direct current (I DC ) DC voltage terminal (102) for supplying power to the load of the power supply, It is located between the input voltage terminal and the DC voltage terminal, and the input voltage (V AC , V DC_in ) the DC voltage (V) of the DC voltage terminal DC An input voltage converter (103, 203) configured to convert to ), A first capacitor (104, 204) connected between the anode and cathode of the DC voltage terminal, wherein the first capacitor comprises at least one of an electrolytic capacitor and a foil capacitor, A power supply (100, 200) equipped with, The power supply is located between a second capacitor (105), which is a supercapacitor, and the DC voltage (V) of the second capacitor. DC_S ) and the DC voltage (V) of the DC voltage terminal DC A power supply comprising a DC voltage converter (106) configured to perform voltage conversion between and ).

2. The power supply charges the second capacitor in response to a situation where the direct current (I DC ) is less than a predetermined first current limit and a situation where the direct current voltage (V DC_S ) of the second capacitor is less than a predetermined upper limit, and discharges the second capacitor in response to a situation where the direct current (I DC ) exceeds a predetermined second current limit and a situation where the direct current voltage (V DC_S ) of the second capacitor exceeds a predetermined lower limit, and includes a controller (107) configured to control the DC voltage converter. The power supply according to claim 1.

3. The power supply according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second capacitor (105) comprises one or more carbon capacitor cells.

4. The power supply according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second capacitor (105) comprises one or more electric double-layer capacitor cells.

5. The power supply according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the DC voltage converter (106) is a bidirectional step-up / step-down converter.

6. The power supply according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first capacitor (204) comprises a parallel connection of an electrolytic capacitor (204a) and a foil capacitor (204b).

7. The power supply according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the input voltage converter (103) is an AC voltage-DC voltage converter.

8. The power supply according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the input voltage converter (203) is a DC voltage converter.

9. A method for supplying direct current to a load, Input voltage (V) at input voltage terminal (101) AC , V DC_in The process of receiving (301) The input voltage converter (103) controls the input voltage (V AC , V DC_in ) the DC current (I DC DC voltage (V) of DC voltage terminal (102) for supplying the load DC The process of converting to (302), A method comprising: a first capacitor (104, 204) connected between the anode and cathode of the DC voltage terminal, a step (303) corresponding to the initial peak current needs of the load, wherein the first capacitor comprises at least one of an electrolytic capacitor and a foil capacitor, The above method involves the DC voltage (V) of the second capacitor. DC_S ) and the DC voltage (V) of the DC voltage terminal DC A method comprising a DC voltage converter (106) that performs voltage conversion between and ), wherein energy is supplied from the second capacitor (105), which is a supercapacitor, to the DC voltage terminal, thereby corresponding to the continuous portion of the peak current needs of the load (304).

10. The above method involves the DC current (I DC The situation in which the DC voltage (V) of the second capacitor is less than the predetermined first current limit and DC_S In order to charge the second capacitor in a situation where the DC current (I DC ) is in a situation where it exceeds a predetermined second current limit and the DC voltage (V) of the second capacitor DC_S The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of controlling the DC voltage converter to discharge the second capacitor in order to supply the energy from the second capacitor to the DC voltage terminal in response to a situation in which the energy exceeds a predetermined lower limit.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the second capacitor comprises one or more carbon capacitor cells.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the second capacitor comprises one or more electric double-layer capacitor cells.

13. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the DC voltage converter (106) is a bidirectional step-up / step-down converter.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the first capacitor (204) comprises a parallel connection of an electrolytic capacitor (204a) and a foil capacitor (204b).

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