Power balancing device, operating method thereof and releveant rack-based power system

Abstract

A rack-mounted power supply system for supplying power to a server via a power bus includes a power supply chassis and a power regulator. The power supply chassis receives input power and provides output current to the power bus, enabling the power bus to transmit system current to power the server. The power supply chassis generates a current command signal based on the output current and transmits this signal to the power regulator via a signal line. When the rate of change of the current command signal exceeds a discharge critical current threshold, the power regulator provides a regulating current to the power bus, working with the power supply chassis to power the server. When the rate of change of the current command signal exceeds a charging critical current threshold, the power regulator receives the regulating current from the power bus.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a power regulating device, a related operating method, and a related rack-mounted power supply system, particularly a power regulating device, a related operating method, and a related rack-mounted power supply system capable of dynamically adjusting current according to load variations. Prior Technology

[0002] With the development of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, the power consumption of components such as graphics processing units (GPUs) and central processing units (CPUs) in servers is constantly increasing. To meet the increasing demands of high-performance computing, server power supply systems need to cope with higher power requirements, higher heat dissipation pressure, and more stable voltage control requirements, and require more intelligent power management systems to ensure stable operation.

[0003] Servers typically use power supplies to convert AC or DC input power into the DC power required by the server. Large server centers are also usually equipped with uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to cope with sudden power outages or voltage fluctuations, ensuring that data is not lost and that there is sufficient time for backup or shutdown.

[0004] Because the high-power-consuming components in servers often experience sudden increases or decreases in power consumption, existing power supplies, in order to cope with these rapid load changes, will draw current from the input power supply abruptly. This can cause ripples or voltage drops in the input power supply, creating unnecessary noise on the power grid. If multiple servers experience this phenomenon simultaneously, it may cause instability in the entire power grid, and even cause other devices to stop operating or be damaged. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, how to design a power regulation device, related operating methods, and related rack-mounted power supply system to solve the problems and technical bottlenecks of the existing technology is an important research topic for the inventors of this case.

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention provides a power regulation device coupled to a server and a power supply chassis via a power bus. The power regulation device includes a control circuit, a charging / discharging circuit, and an energy storage unit. The control circuit receives a bus voltage signal from the power bus, wherein the bus voltage signal is positively correlated with the current value of the output current generated by the power supply chassis. The charging / discharging circuit is coupled to the control circuit and receives a discharge enable signal or a charge enable signal generated by the control circuit. The energy storage unit is coupled to the charging / discharging circuit. When the control circuit determines that the rate of decrease of the bus voltage signal exceeds a discharge critical voltage threshold, the control circuit generates a discharge enable signal, causing the charging / discharging circuit to control the energy storage unit to provide a first regulating current to the power bus for power supply. When the control circuit determines that the rate of increase of the bus voltage signal exceeds a charging critical voltage threshold, the control circuit generates a charge enable signal, causing the charging / discharging circuit to receive a third regulating current from the power bus to charge the energy storage unit.

[0007] An embodiment of the rack-mounted power supply system of the present invention is used to supply power to a server via a power bus. The rack-mounted power supply system includes a power supply chassis and a power conditioning unit. The power supply chassis receives input power and converts the input power to provide output current to the power bus, such that the power bus transmits system current to power the server. The power conditioning unit is electrically connected to the power bus. The power conditioning unit receives a bus voltage signal from the power bus via a second signal line, wherein the bus voltage signal is positively correlated with the output current value. When the power conditioning unit determines that the rate of decrease of the bus voltage signal exceeds a discharge critical voltage threshold, the power conditioning unit provides a first regulated current to the power bus, which, together with the power supply chassis, supplies power to the server. When the power conditioning unit determines that the rate of increase of the bus voltage signal exceeds a charging critical voltage threshold, the power conditioning unit receives a third regulated current from the power bus.

[0008] An embodiment of the power regulation operation method of the present invention is used to control a power regulation device, which is coupled to a server and a power supply chassis via a power bus. The method includes: the power regulation device receiving a bus voltage signal from the power bus, wherein the bus voltage signal is positively correlated with the current value of the output current generated by the power supply chassis; when the power regulation device determines that the rate of decrease of the bus voltage signal exceeds a discharge critical voltage threshold, the power regulation device provides a first regulating current to the power bus for power supply; when the power regulation device determines that the rate of increase of the bus voltage signal exceeds a charging critical voltage threshold, the power regulation device receives a third regulating current from the power bus for charging.

[0009] In the aforementioned power conditioning device, related operating method, and related rack-mounted power supply system, the power conditioning device can determine the server's load status based on the current command signal obtained from the power supply chassis: during server load withdrawal, if the load change rate increases sharply, causing the bus voltage signal's rate of change to fall excessively and / or the current command signal's rate of change to rise excessively, the power conditioning device supplies power to the server; during server load withdrawal, if the load change rate decreases sharply, causing the bus voltage signal's rate of change to rise excessively and / or the current command signal's rate of change to fall excessively, the power supply chassis charges the power conditioning device, thereby maintaining the power supply stability of the power supply chassis and its upstream power grid.

[0010] To gain a deeper understanding of the techniques, means, and effects employed by this invention to achieve its intended purpose, please refer to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It is believed that the purpose, features, and characteristics of this invention can be understood in a thorough and specific manner from these drawings. However, the accompanying drawings are provided for reference and illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of this invention. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the frame of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the rack-mounted power supply system of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 3 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the rack-mounted power supply system of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 4 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the rack-mounted power supply system of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention in which the power supply chassis transmits a current command signal to the power regulating device.

[0016] Figure 6 is a circuit block diagram of an embodiment of the power supply unit and power regulation device of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 7 is a waveform diagram of an embodiment of the charging and discharging control of the power regulating device of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 8A is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the frame of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 8B is a block diagram of another embodiment of the rack-mounted power supply system of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 8C is a circuit block diagram of another embodiment of the power supply unit and power regulation device of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 9 is a waveform diagram of an embodiment of the charging and discharging control of the power regulating device of Figure 8C.

[0022] Figure 10 is a waveform diagram of another embodiment of the charging and discharging control of the power regulating device of Figure 8C. Implementation

[0023] The technical content and detailed description of the present invention are explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the rack 1 of the present invention. The rack 1 (or cabinet) is a structure used to install servers, power supply equipment, network equipment, and storage equipment. It can be applied in data centers or enterprise server rooms for high-density and scalable deployment.

[0025] As shown in the embodiment of Figure 1, the rack 1 of the present invention is provided with a plurality of server units 1-1 to 1-N (N being a positive integer), a power shelf 20, and a power conditioning unit 30. These servers 1-1 to 1-N, the power shelf 20, and the power conditioning unit 30 are electrically connected to a power busbar 50 or other suitable power transmission conductor for power transmission. Furthermore, the power shelf 20 and the power conditioning unit 30 are connected via a physical first signal line 100, through which the power shelf 20 transmits load information to the power conditioning unit 30. The servers may include suitable circuit elements, such as CPUs, GPUs, memory, storage devices, etc., and can provide one or more functions such as computing, storage, training, and inference. The power shelf 20 includes one or more power supply units (PSUs), which can individually or jointly provide one or more functions such as power factor correction, AC-DC conversion, and DC-DC conversion.

[0026] In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, servers 1-1 to 1-N, power supply chassis 20, and power conditioning devices 30 can be implemented using rack units of the same or different sizes. In other embodiments, the configuration of servers, power supply chassis, and power conditioning devices can also vary depending on different design considerations. For example, some servers in the rack can have one or more built-in power supply units, power supply chassis can be omitted from the rack and power supply units can be placed separately in each server, multiple power supply chassis can be placed in the rack, or multiple power conditioning devices can be placed in the rack. In another embodiment that uses multiple racks to transmit power in parallel, the power supply chassis can be placed only in one or more racks, or the power conditioning devices can be placed only in one or more racks. For example, the power supply chassis can be installed only in the first rack, while the servers are installed in the second to M racks. The power supply chassis of the first rack supplies power to the second to M racks through a cross-rack power bus, while the power conditioning devices are installed in one or more of the first to M racks. Therefore, in embodiments where multiple racks are connected in parallel to transmit power, at least one power supply chassis and at least one power conditioning device should be included, and they can be respectively installed in the same or different racks.

[0027] Figure 2 shows some components of rack 1, which is a block diagram of rack-mounted power system 200. Rack-mounted power system 200 includes power bus 50, power chassis 20, and power conditioner 30 for supplying power to server 10. Server 10, power chassis 20, and power conditioner 30 are all connected to power bus 50. Power chassis 20 is coupled to AC input power to receive AC input voltage VAC, and converts AC input voltage VAC to provide output voltage VPSU and output current IPSU to power bus 50 to power server 10.

[0028] The power supply chassis 20 generates a current command signal I share corresponding to the provided output current I PSU, and transmits the current command signal I share to the power conditioning device 30 via the first signal line 100. In one embodiment, the current command signal I share is a signal positively correlated with the current value of the output current I PSU, enabling the power conditioning device 30 to estimate the load status of the server 10 based on the current command signal I share provided by the power supply chassis 20. For example, a larger signal value of the current command signal I share from the power supply chassis 20 indicates a higher load on the server 10, requiring more power; a smaller signal value indicates a lower load on the server 10, requiring less power. A larger rate of change in the signal value of the current command signal I share from the power supply chassis 20 indicates a rapid increase or decrease in the load of the server 10.

[0029] As shown in the embodiment of Figure 2, the power supply chassis 20 provides output current I PSU to the power bus 50, and the power bus 50 transmits system current I SYS to the server 10 to power the server 10.

[0030] The power regulator 30 provides a regulating current IPCS to the power bus 50, or receives a regulating current IPCS from the power bus 50. The power regulator 30 can estimate the load condition of the server 10 based on the current command signal Ishare. When the load of the server 10 increases rapidly (the load increase per unit time exceeds a rise threshold), the power regulator 30 provides a regulating current IPCS to the power bus 50, thus sharing power with the power supply chassis 20 to supply power to the server 10. For example, the system current ISYS transmitted to the server 10 is IPSU + IPCS. When the load of the server 10 decreases rapidly (the load decrease per unit time exceeds a fall threshold), the power regulator 30 can also receive a regulating current IPCS from the power bus 50 to absorb excess current on the power bus 50. For example, the regulating current IPCS received by the power regulator 30 is IPSU - ISYS. This allows the power supply chassis 20 to maintain the stability of the AC input voltage VAC and the overall power grid by providing or receiving regulating current IPCS when the load of server 10 increases or decreases in a short period of time.

[0031] In the embodiment of Figure 2, only one of each component is shown for ease of illustration, and the number of each component can be set to one or more depending on different needs. For example, the embodiment of Figure 3 shows another embodiment of some components of rack 1, which is a block diagram of rack power system 300. The server 10 in this embodiment may include multiple server units 1-1…1-N. In other embodiments, power conditioning devices 30 may also be multiple. Rack power system 300 includes a plurality of power supply chassis 20-1,…,20-M (M is a positive integer). The plurality of power supply chassis 20-1,…,20-M can be configured and controlled to supply power individually or simultaneously to provide output current I PSU to power bus 50 to power server 10. For example, system current I SYS is set as the sum of the current provided by one or more power supply chassis 20 and one or more power conditioning devices 30.

[0032] Figure 4 illustrates another embodiment of a rack-mounted power supply system. This embodiment's rack-mounted power supply system 400 includes one or more power supply enclosures 20-1, ..., 20-M (M being a positive integer), which receive a DC voltage VDC as an input signal from an AC-DC converter 111. When the mains power supply is an AC signal, the AC-DC converter 111 is coupled between the AC input power supply (such as the mains power supply) and the power supply enclosures 20-1, ..., 20-M. The AC-DC converter 111 receives the AC input voltage VAC and converts it into a DC voltage VDC. That is, the input power supply of the rack-mounted power supply system can be either an AC input power supply or a DC input power supply, both capable of maintaining the stability of the input power supply and the overall power grid.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 5 for an embodiment of the present invention, which is a schematic diagram of the power supply chassis 20 transmitting the current command signal I share to the power regulator 30. As mentioned above, the power supply chassis 20 and the power regulator 30 are connected via a first signal line 100, thereby transmitting the current command signal I share to the power regulator 30 via the first signal line 100. The power supply chassis 20 shown in Figure 5 may include a plurality of replaceable power supply units 2-1, ..., 2-P (P is a positive integer) that support cold / hot swapping. For example, the power supply chassis 20 may include a plurality of power supply units conforming to suitable specifications such as the Open Computing Platform Open Rack Standard Version 3 (OCP ORv3). In another embodiment, some or all of the power supply units of the power supply chassis 20 are configured to be non-replaceable.

[0034] Figure 6 shows a circuit block diagram of an embodiment of a power supply unit and power conditioning device, including a power supply chassis 20 and a power conditioning device 30. Figure 6 illustrates only one power supply chassis 20, but one or more power supply chassis 20s configured with one or more power conditioning devices 30 can operate in the same or similar manner. In this embodiment, the power supply chassis 20 includes a power conversion circuit 210 and a load signal generation circuit 220. The power conversion circuit 210 is coupled to an AC input power supply to perform suitable functions such as AC-DC conversion or DC-DC conversion, generating a corresponding output voltage VPSU and output current IPSU. The load signal generation circuit 220 is coupled to the output terminal of the power conversion circuit 210 and generates a corresponding current command signal Ishare based on the output current IPSU.

[0035] In this embodiment, the load signal generation circuit 220 includes a resistor 21 and a gain element 22. The resistor 21 is connected in series in the output path of the power conversion circuit 210, and the voltage across the resistor 21 is equal to R 21 * I PSU, where R 21 is the resistance value of the resistor 21. The gain element 22 is coupled across the resistor 21 and generates a current command signal I share based on the voltage across the resistor 21 and a suitable multiplier. This multiplier can be greater than or less than 0, and its absolute value can be set to be greater than 1 or less than 1, to provide a current command signal I share in an appropriate signal format to the power conditioning device 30. In other embodiments, other suitable circuit elements or detection mechanisms can also be used to generate the current command signal I share, for example, using an inductor to sense the output current I PSU to generate the current command signal I share accordingly.

[0036] The power conditioning device 30 can determine the load status of the server 10 based on the current command signal I share obtained from the power supply chassis 20, and perform corresponding discharge and charging operations. To react instantly (quickly) to changes in the load current of the server 10 while also mitigating interference during fluctuations, the power conditioning device 30 can employ a suitable low-pass filter or other appropriate algorithms to reduce noise in the current command signal I share. For example, the power conditioning device 30 in Figure 6 includes a noise filtering circuit 31 that calculates a moving average for the current command signal I share, thus making the power conditioning device 30's estimation of the server 10's load status more accurate. The power conditioning device 30 in Figure 6 includes a noise filtering circuit 31, a control circuit 33, a charging / discharging circuit 35, and an energy storage unit 39. The aforementioned circuit elements, such as the noise filtering circuit 31, the control circuit 33, and the charging / discharging circuit 35, can be implemented as separate circuit elements, integrated into one or more circuit elements, or implemented using software, firmware, and hardware.

[0037] The noise filtering circuit 31 calculates the current command signal I share output by the power supply chassis 20 using a moving average or other suitable algorithm, and then provides it to the control circuit 33 to determine whether to enable the charging / discharging circuit 35. If the control circuit 33 determines that a charging operation of the energy storage unit 39 is required, the control circuit 33 will output a charging enable signal CHG_EN to enable the charging / discharging circuit 35, so that the energy storage unit 39 can receive electrical energy from the power bus 50 for charging. If the control circuit 33 determines that a discharging operation of the energy storage unit 39 is required, the control circuit 33 will output a discharging enable signal DCH_EN to enable the charging / discharging circuit 35, so as to control the energy storage unit 39 to provide electrical energy to the power bus 50.

[0038] In another embodiment, for the processing of the current command signal I share, the power regulating device 30 may also exclude the noise filtering circuit 31, and directly use the current command signal I share output by the power supply chassis 20 to determine the charging and discharging of the power regulating device 30.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a waveform diagram of a charging and discharging control embodiment of the power regulating device of the present invention. Before time t1, the power supply of the power supply chassis 20 can instantly follow the load change rate of the server 10. Therefore, the power supply chassis 20 only provides the output current I PSU to the power bus 50 to supply power to the server 10. At this time, since the power regulating device 30 does not provide or receive the regulating current I PCS, the system current I SYS supplying power to the server 10 is equal to the output current I PSU. After time t1, as the load on server 10 begins to increase rapidly, and at time t2, the control circuit 33 of the power regulator 30 determines that the rate of change of the current command signal I share (dI share / dt) exceeds the discharge critical current threshold I th_DCH. Therefore, the control circuit 33 outputs the discharge enable signal DCH_EN to enable the charging and discharging circuit 35, so that the energy storage unit 39 provides power to the power bus 50, enabling the power regulator 30 to perform a discharge operation, providing the regulating current I PCS to server 10, in order to fill the current difference between the system current I SYS and the output current I PSU (i.e., I SYS-I PSU), so as to provide sufficient power to server 10, and allow the power supply chassis 20 enough time to gradually increase the output current I PSU without causing too much impact on the power grid.

[0040] After time t1, since the rate of increase of the current command signal I share exceeds the discharge critical current threshold I th_DCH, the control circuit 33 can rapidly increase the load variation of the server 10 detected per unit time. Therefore, at any point in time t1 after the judgment, the discharge enable signal DCH_EN can be switched to a high level to provide a regulating current I PCS to the server 10. The line segments in the embodiment of Figure 7 are simplified for illustrative purposes; the current command signal I share can be a non-linearly varying signal. In this embodiment, although the load of server 10 has increased rapidly after time t1, the time when the current command signal I share changes is later than the time when the system current I SYS begins to increase the load rapidly. Furthermore, if the power conditioning device 30 uses the noise filtering circuit 31 to process the current command signal I share, it will add additional signal processing time. Therefore, the control circuit 33 only confirms at time t2 that the rate of change of the current command signal I share has exceeded the discharge critical current threshold I th_DCH, and causes the power conditioning device 30 to start the discharge operation, providing the regulating current I PCS to server 10.

[0041] At time t2', the load on server 10 remains at a substantially constant level or changes at a slower rate. At this point, power supply chassis 20 has gradually increased the output current IPSU to a level closer to the system current ISYS required by server 10. Therefore, power regulator 30 can begin to reduce the regulation current IPCS. At time t3, the power supply from power supply chassis 20 is able to keep pace with the load change rate of server 10, so power supply chassis 20 provides output current IPSU to power bus 50 to power server 10, and power regulator 30 stops providing regulation current IPCS.

[0042] During the period from time t3 to time t4, since the load change of server 10 is relatively mild, the power supply chassis 20 provides output current I PSU to power bus 50 to power server 10. Power regulator 30 does not provide or receive regulation current I PCS. The system current I SYS that powers server 10 is approximately equal to the output current I PSU.

[0043] After time t4, the load on server 10 decreases rapidly. At time t5, the control circuit 33 of power regulator 30 initiates a charging operation based on the rate of change of the current command signal I share exceeding the charging critical current threshold I th_CHG. Power regulator 30 receives a regulating current I PCS to compensate for the difference between the output current I PSU and the system current I SYS (i.e., I PSU - I SYS), and to allow the power supply chassis 20 sufficient time to reduce the output current I PSU without significantly impacting the power grid. At this time, the charging enable signal CHG_EN output by control circuit 33 transitions to a high level, enabling the charging and discharging circuit 35. The energy storage unit 39 of power regulator 30 is then charged via the power supply from power supply chassis 20.

[0044] After time t5, since the rate of decrease of the current command signal I share (dI share / dt) exceeds the charging critical current threshold I th_CHG, the control circuit 33 can quickly reduce the load change of the server 10 detected per unit time. Therefore, at any point in time t5 after the judgment, the charging enable signal CHG_EN can be switched to a high level to receive the regulating current I PCS to charge the energy storage unit 39. The line segments in the embodiment of Figure 7 are simplified for illustrative purposes; the current command signal I share can be a non-linearly changing signal. In this embodiment, although the load of server 10 has decreased rapidly after time t4, the time when the current command signal I share changes is later than the time when the system current I SYS begins to decrease rapidly. Furthermore, if the power regulating device 30 uses the noise filtering circuit 31 to process the current command signal I share, it will add additional signal processing time. Therefore, the control circuit 33 only confirms at time t5 that the rate of change of the current command signal I share has exceeded the charging critical current threshold I th_CHG, and causes the power regulating device 30 to start charging operation to receive the regulating current I PCS to charge the energy storage unit 39.

[0045] At time t5', the load on server 10 remains at a substantially constant level or changes at a slower rate. At this point, power supply chassis 20 has increased the gradually decreasing output current IPSU to a level closer to the system current ISYS required by server 10. Therefore, power regulator 30 can begin to reduce the regulating current IPCS for charging energy storage unit 39. At time t6, the power supply from power supply chassis 20 is able to keep pace with the load change rate of server 10. Therefore, power supply chassis 20 provides output current IPSU to power bus 50 to power server 10, and power regulator 30 stops receiving regulating current IPCS. After time t6, because the load change on server 10 is more gradual, power supply chassis 20 provides output current IPSU to power bus 50 to power server 10. Power regulator 30 neither provides nor receives regulating current IPCS, and the system current ISYS supplying server 10 is equal to the output current IPSU.

[0046] Therefore, when the rate of increase of the current command signal I share exceeds the discharge critical current threshold I th_DCH, the power regulator 30 provides the server 10 with a suitable value of regulating current I PCS; when the rate of decrease of the current command signal I share exceeds the charging critical current threshold I th_CHG, the power regulator 30 receives a suitable value of regulating current I PCS from the power bus 50 to charge and store energy in the energy storage unit 39, thereby maintaining the power supply stability of the power supply chassis 20. Thus, during the server 10's load withdrawal operation, if the load change rate of the server 10 does not increase or decrease rapidly, the power regulator 30 can be idle, and the power supply chassis 20 can provide the output current I PSU as the system current I SYS required by the server 10. In another embodiment, if the load change rate of the server 10 does not increase or decrease rapidly, the power regulator 30 can also use an appropriate value of regulating current I PCS to charge or discharge the energy storage unit 39 to a suitable level.

[0047] In the above embodiments, the waveform of the regulating current IPCS provided or received by the power regulating device 30 is only one possible implementation. In other embodiments, the regulating current IPCS can also be set to the required current value based on parameters such as the charging and discharging rate of the energy storage unit 39 and the energy storage capacity of the energy storage unit 39. In one embodiment, the energy storage unit 39 may not be able to quickly and completely compensate for the difference in current value between the required system current ISYS and the output current IPSU (i.e., ISYS-IPSU), or completely receive the excess current value between the output current IPSU and the required system current ISYS (i.e., IPSU-ISYS), but the power supply and charging operation provided by the power regulating device 30 can still maintain the power supply stability of the power supply chassis 20 and its upstream power grid.

[0048] In another embodiment, the power regulating device 30 can also be configured to perform charging or discharging operations at appropriate times based on the stored capacity of the energy storage unit 39. For example, during the time period t3-t4 in Figure 7, if the stored capacity of the energy storage unit 39 is too low, the control circuit 33 can also charge the energy storage unit 39 by receiving a portion of the current from the output current I PSU without affecting the supply system current I SYS. In another embodiment, the control circuit 33 can also determine the value of the regulating current I PCS provided or received based on the stored capacity of the energy storage unit 39, so that the stored capacity of the energy storage unit 39 can provide power supply and charging operations for a long time, thereby maintaining the power supply stability of the power supply chassis 20 and its upstream power grid.

[0049] Figure 8A is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the rack of the present invention. Figure 8B is a block diagram of another embodiment of the rack-mounted power supply system of the present invention. The multiple servers 1-1 to 1-N, the power supply chassis 20, and the power conditioning device 30' installed in the rack 1' of the embodiment of Figure 8A have the same or similar connection relationships and operation modes as the rack 1 of Figure 1. In the embodiment of Figure 8A, the rack 1' further includes a second signal line 110. The power conditioning device 30' obtains the bus voltage signal Vbus on the power bus 50 through the second signal line 110 to obtain voltage information on the power bus 50. In one embodiment, the bus voltage signal Vbus is a signal positively correlated with the voltage value on the power bus 50. The power conditioning device 30' obtains the voltage information on the power bus 50 through the bus voltage signal Vbus, and can then evaluate the load status of the server. One end of the second signal line 110 is connected to the power conditioner 30', and the other end is connected to a suitable location on the power bus 50. For example, the connection to the power bus 50 can be close to the location where the power conditioner 30' is located to obtain near-end voltage, close to the location of some servers with large power consumption fluctuation rates, or far away from the location where the power conditioner 30' is located to obtain far-end voltage (such as other racks).

[0050] Figure 8C is a circuit block diagram of another embodiment of the power supply unit and power regulating device of the present invention. The connection relationship and operation mode of most components in the embodiment of Figure 8C are the same as or similar to those in the embodiment of Figure 6. In this embodiment, the power regulating device 30' can obtain the bus voltage signal Vbus on the power bus 50 through the second signal line 110 to obtain the voltage information on the power bus 50. The bus voltage signal Vbus is received by the control circuit 33, so that the control circuit 33 determines whether to enable the operation of the charging and discharging circuit 35 based on the bus voltage signal Vbus. If the control circuit 33 determines that the energy storage unit 39 needs to be charged, the control circuit 33 will output the charging enable signal CHG_EN to enable the charging and discharging circuit 35, so that the energy storage unit 39 can receive the power supplied from the power bus 50 for charging. If the control circuit 33 determines that the energy storage unit 39 needs to be discharged, the control circuit 33 will output a discharge enable signal DCH_EN to enable the charging and discharging circuit 35, so as to control the energy storage unit 39 to provide power to the power bus 50.

[0051] In another embodiment of the present invention, the operation of the charging / discharging circuit 35 can be determined solely based on the bus voltage signal Vbus (without using the current command signal I share). Accordingly, the content related to the current command signal I share in FIG8C can be omitted. That is, components and circuits related to the first signal line 100, the noise filtering circuit 31, etc., can be omitted, and only the content related to the bus voltage signal Vbus is retained.

[0052] Please refer to Figure 9, which is a waveform diagram of another embodiment of the charging and discharging control of the power conditioning device in Figure 8C. In this embodiment, only the bus voltage signal Vbus is used, and the current command signal Ishare is not used as the basis for judgment. Before time t1, the power supply of the power supply chassis 20 can follow the load change rate of the server 10 in real time. Therefore, the power supply chassis 20 only provides the output current I PSU to the power bus 50 to supply power to the server 10. At this time, since the power conditioning device 30' does not provide or receive the conditioning current I PCS, the system current ISYS supplying power to the server 10 is equal to the output current I PSU. After time t1, as the load on server 10 begins to increase rapidly, and at time t1', the control circuit 33 of power regulator 30' determines that the rate of change of bus voltage signal Vbus (dVbus / dt) exceeds the discharge critical voltage threshold Vth_DCH. Therefore, the control circuit 33 outputs the discharge enable signal DCH_EN to enable the charge / discharge circuit 35, so that the energy storage unit 39 provides power to the power bus 50, enabling power regulator 30' to perform a discharge operation, providing a regulating current IPCS to server 10, in order to fill the current difference between system current ISYS and output current IPSU (i.e., ISYS-IPSU), so as to provide server 10 with sufficient power and allow power supply chassis 20 enough time to gradually increase output current IPSU without causing too much impact on the power grid.

[0053] After time t1', since the rate of change of the bus voltage signal Vbus exceeds the discharge critical voltage threshold Vth_DCH, the control circuit 33 can rapidly increase the load variation detected by the server 10 per unit time. Therefore, at any time point t1' after determining that the rate of change of the bus voltage signal Vbus exceeds the discharge critical voltage threshold Vth_DCH, the discharge enable signal DCH_EN is switched to a high level to provide a regulating current IPCS to the server 10. The line segments in the embodiment of Figure 9 are simplified for illustrative purposes; the bus voltage signal Vbus can be a non-linearly varying signal.

[0054] At time t2', the load on server 10 remains at a substantially constant level or changes at a slower rate. At this point, power supply chassis 20 has gradually increased the output current IPSU to a level closer to the system current ISYS required by server 10. Therefore, power regulator 30' can begin to reduce the regulation current IPCS. At time t3, the power supply from power supply chassis 20 is able to keep pace with the load change rate of server 10, so power supply chassis 20 provides the output current IPSU to power bus 50 to power server 10, and power regulator 30' stops providing the regulation current IPCS.

[0055] During the period from time t3 to time t4, since the load change of server 10 is relatively mild, the power supply chassis 20 provides output current I PSU to power bus 50 to power server 10. Power regulator 30' does not provide or receive regulation current I PCS. The system current I SYS that powers server 10 is approximately equal to the output current I PSU.

[0056] After time t4, the load on server 10 decreases rapidly. At time t4', the control circuit 33 of power regulator 30' initiates a charging operation based on the fact that the rate of change of the bus voltage signal Vbus exceeds the charging critical voltage threshold Vth_CHG. Power regulator 30' receives a regulating current IPCS to compensate for the difference between the output current IPSU and the system current ISYS (i.e., IPSU-ISYS), and to allow the power supply chassis 20 sufficient time to reduce the output current IPSU without significantly impacting the power grid. At this time, the charging enable signal CHG_EN output by control circuit 33 transitions to a high level, enabling the charging and discharging circuit 35. The energy storage unit 39 of power regulator 30' is then charged via the power supply from power supply chassis 20.

[0057] After time t4', since the rate of change of the bus voltage signal Vbus (dVbus / dt) exceeds the charging critical voltage threshold Vth_CHG, the control circuit 33 can quickly reduce the load variation of the server 10 detected per unit time. Therefore, at any time point t4' after determining that the rate of change of the bus voltage signal Vbus (dVbus / dt) exceeds the charging critical voltage threshold Vth_CHG, the charging enable signal CHG_EN is switched to a high level to receive the regulating current IPCS to charge the energy storage unit 39. The lines in the embodiment of Figure 9 are simplified for illustrative purposes; the bus voltage signal Vbus can be a non-linearly varying signal.

[0058] At time t5', the load on server 10 remains at a substantially constant level or changes at a slower rate. At this point, power supply chassis 20 has increased the gradually decreasing output current IPSU to a level closer to the system current ISYS required by server 10. Therefore, power regulator 30' can begin to reduce the regulating current IPCS for charging energy storage unit 39. At time t6, the power supply from power supply chassis 20 is able to keep pace with the load changes of server 10, so power supply chassis 20 provides output current IPSU to power bus 50 to power server 10, and power regulator 30' stops receiving regulating current IPCS. After time t6, because the load changes of server 10 are more gradual, power supply chassis 20 provides output current IPSU to power bus 50 to power server 10, and power regulator 30' neither provides nor receives regulating current IPCS. The system current ISYS supplying server 10 is equal to the output current IPSU.

[0059] Therefore, when the rate of decrease of the bus voltage signal Vbus exceeds the discharge critical voltage threshold Vth_DCH, the power regulator 30' provides a suitable value of regulating current IPCS to the server 10; when the rate of increase of the bus voltage signal Vbus exceeds the charging critical voltage threshold Vth_CHG, the power regulator 30' receives a suitable value of regulating current IPCS from the power bus 50 to charge and store energy in the energy storage unit 39, thereby maintaining the power supply stability of the power supply chassis 20. Thus, during the load withdrawal operation of the server 10, if the load change rate of the server 10 does not increase or decrease rapidly, the power regulator 30' can be idle, and the power supply chassis 20 can provide an output current IPSU as the system current ISYS required by the server 10. In another embodiment, if the load change rate of the server 10 does not increase or decrease rapidly, the power regulator 30' can also use an appropriate value of regulating current IPCS to charge or discharge the energy storage unit 39 to a suitable level.

[0060] Please refer to Figure 10, which is a waveform diagram of another embodiment of the charging and discharging control of the power regulating device in Figure 8C. In this embodiment, the power regulating device 30' uses the bus voltage signal Vbus and the current command signal Ishare to determine whether the load is increasing or decreasing rapidly. At time t1', since the rate of decrease of the bus voltage signal Vbus exceeds the discharge critical voltage threshold Vth_DCH, the control circuit 33 determines that the load change of the server 10 is increasing rapidly based on the rate of decrease of the bus voltage signal Vbus. Therefore, at time t1', the power regulating device 30' provides a first regulating current IPCS1 to partially compensate for the difference between ISYS and IPSU. That is, IPCS1 = k1 * (ISYS - IPSU), where k1 is a positive number less than 1. When time t2 arrives, since the rate of increase of the current command signal Ishare has exceeded the discharge critical current threshold Ith_DCH, it further ensures that the load change is increasing rapidly. Therefore, the power regulating device 30' provides a second regulating current IPCS2 for discharge operation, where IPCS2 = k2 * (ISYS - IPSU). For example, setting k2 to 1 provides a regulating current equal to the difference between ISYS and IPSU to the server 10, where k2 > k1, making the second regulating current IPCS2 greater than the first regulating current IPCS1. Since the bus voltage signal Vbus responds quickly to load conditions but may be prone to misjudgments (e.g., only a short-term load change), the first regulating current IPCS1 is provided first during the time period t1'-t2. If the load continues to increase subsequently, some of the current difference can be compensated in advance; if a misjudgment occurs, it will not have a significant impact on the system. Only after the current command signal Ishare has been judged more accurately is a larger second regulating current IPCS2 provided for power supply.

[0061] Similarly, at time t4', since the rate of increase of the bus voltage signal Vbus exceeds the charging critical voltage threshold Vth_CHG, the control circuit 33 determines that the load fluctuation of the server 10 is rapidly decreasing based on the rate of increase of the bus voltage signal Vbus. Therefore, at time t4', the power regulating device 30' receives a third regulating current IPCS3 to charge the energy storage unit 39, in order to partially compensate for the difference between IPSU and ISYS. That is, IPCS3 = k3 * (IPU - ISYS), where k3 is a positive number less than 1. By time t5, since the rate of decrease of the current command signal Ishare has exceeded the charging critical current threshold Ith_CHG, it further ensures that the load fluctuation is rapidly decreasing. Therefore, the power regulating device 30' receives a fourth regulating current IPCS4, where IPCS4 = k4 * (IPS - ISYS). For example, setting k4 to 1 and receiving the regulating current equal to the difference between IPSS and ISYS to charge the energy storage unit 39 results in k4 > k3, making the fourth regulating current IPCS4 greater than the third regulating current IPCS3. Since the Vbus responds quickly to load conditions but may be prone to misjudgments (e.g., only a brief change in load), the third regulating current IPCS3 is received first during the time period t4'-t5. If the load continues to increase, the current difference value can be received earlier; if a misjudgment occurs, it will not have a significant impact on the system. Only after the current command signal Ishare is judged more accurately will the larger fourth regulating current IPCS4 be received.

[0062] In the above embodiments, whether based solely on the current command signal Ishare, solely on the bus voltage signal Vbus, or jointly on both the current command signal Ishare and the bus voltage signal Vbus, the control circuit of the power regulator can determine the magnitude of the current value to be provided or received based on appropriate conditions. For example, the values ​​of k1 to k4 can be determined based on one or more parameters such as the energy storage capacity of the energy storage unit, the ripple specification on the AC input voltage VAC, and historical statistics. In one embodiment, in response to a maximum ripple of 10% on the AC input voltage VAC caused by a rapid change in server load, the control circuit of the power regulator can provide or receive a regulating current IPCS in an appropriate proportion (which can be set to be greater than 1 or less than 1, respectively) of the difference between the system current ISYS and the output current IPSU, so that the ripple specification on the AC input voltage VAC meets the required specifications.

[0063] In the above embodiments, the rising and falling rates of the current command signal I share, the rising and falling rates of the bus voltage signal V bus, the discharge critical current threshold I th_DCH, the charging critical current threshold I th_CHG, the discharge critical voltage threshold V th_DCH, and the charging critical voltage threshold V th_CHG can be represented in an appropriate format to determine whether the load variation rate of the server 10 exceeds the threshold and requires the power regulating device 30, 30' to provide or receive the regulating current I PCS. For example, the rising rate of the current command signal I share, the discharge critical current threshold I th_DCH, and the charging critical current threshold I th_CHG are all compared in absolute value to determine the load variation rate of the server 10. In another embodiment, both the rate of decrease of the current command signal Ishare and the charging critical current threshold Ith_CHG are negative. When the rate of decrease of the current command signal Ishare (e.g., -5V / ms) is less than the value of the charging critical current threshold Ith_CHG (e.g., -3V / ms), the control circuit determines that the rate of decrease of the current command signal Ishare exceeds the charging critical current threshold Ith_CHG. Similarly, this also applies to the operation of the bus voltage signal Vbus.

[0064] In summary, the present invention has the following features and advantages: the power regulating devices 30 and 30' can determine the load withdrawal status of the server 10 based on at least one of the current command signal I share obtained from the power supply chassis 20 and the bus voltage signal V bus obtained from the power bus 50: during the load withdrawal process of the server 10, when the load change rate suddenly increases, causing the rate of change of the current command signal I share to exceed the discharge critical current threshold I th_DCH, and / or the rate of change of the bus voltage signal V bus to exceed the discharge critical voltage threshold V th_DCH, the power regulating devices 30 and 30' supply power to the server 10; during the load withdrawal process of the server 10, when the load change rate suddenly decreases, causing the rate of change of the current command signal I share to exceed the charging critical current threshold I th_CHG, and / or the rate of change of the bus voltage signal V bus to exceed the charging critical voltage threshold V th_DCH. During the th_CHG period, the power supply chassis 20 charges the power regulators 30, 30', thereby maintaining the power supply stability of the power supply chassis 20 and its upstream power grid. Therefore, this invention uses at least one of the bus voltage signal Vbus and the current command signal I share to determine whether the power regulators 30, 30' are performing charging or discharging operations. Using the bus voltage signal Vbus allows for immediate, fast, and delay-free judgment of the load condition, while using the current command signal I share allows for judgment of the load condition's stability. Therefore, using both the bus voltage signal Vbus and the current command signal I share simultaneously combines the advantages of both.

[0065] The above description is merely a detailed explanation and illustration of preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the features of the present invention are not limited thereto and are not intended to limit the present invention. The scope of the present invention should be determined by the following claims. All embodiments that conform to the spirit of the claims and similar variations thereof should be included in the scope of the present invention. Any variations or modifications that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the field of the present invention can be covered by the following claims.

[0066] 1, 1': rack 10: Server 1-1~1-N: Server 20: Power Supply Chassis 20-1,…,20-M: Power supply chassis 2-1,…,2-P: Power supply unit 30, 30': Power regulating device 50: Power Bus 100: First Signal Line 110: Second signal line 200: Rack-mounted power system 300: Rack-mounted power system 400: Rack-mounted power system 210: Power conversion circuit 220: Load signal generation circuit 21: Resistance 22: Gain Components 31: Noise filtering circuit 33: Control Circuit 35: Charging and discharging circuit 39: Energy Storage Unit 111: AC-DC converter V AC: AC input voltage V DC: DC voltage V PSU: Output voltage I PSU: Output Current ISYS: System current I PCS: Adjusting Current I PCS1: First regulating current I PCS2: Second regulating current I PCS3: Third Regulated Current I PCS4: Fourth Regulating Current I share: Current command signal V bus: Bus voltage signal Ith_DCH: Discharge critical current threshold I_th_CHG: Charging critical current threshold Vth_DCH: Discharge critical voltage threshold Vth_CHG: Charging critical voltage threshold DCH_EN: Discharge enable signal CHG_EN: Charging Enable Signal R 21: Resistance value

Claims

1. A power conditioning device for coupling to a server and a power supply chassis via a power bus, comprising: A control circuit receives a current command signal from the power supply chassis, wherein the current command signal is positively correlated with the current value of an output current generated by the power supply chassis; a charging / discharging circuit is coupled to the control circuit and receives a discharge enable signal or a charge enable signal generated by the control circuit; and an energy storage unit is coupled to the charging / discharging circuit; wherein when the control circuit determines that a rate of increase of the current command signal exceeds a discharge critical current threshold, the control circuit generates the discharge enable signal, causing the charging / discharging circuit to control the energy storage unit to provide a regulating current to the power bus for power supply; wherein when the control circuit determines that a rate of decrease of the current command signal exceeds a charging critical current threshold, the control circuit generates the charge enable signal, causing the charging / discharging circuit to receive the regulating current from the power bus to charge the energy storage unit.

2. The power regulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the charging and discharging circuit controls the energy storage unit to provide the regulating current to the power bus, the magnitude of a system current supplying power to the server is equal to the magnitude of the output current plus the magnitude of the regulating current; when the charging and discharging circuit receives the regulating current from the power bus to charge the energy storage unit, the magnitude of the regulating current is equal to the magnitude of the output current minus the magnitude of the system current.

3. The power regulating device as described in claim 1 further includes: A noise filtering circuit is used to receive the current command signal and perform low-pass filtering on the current command signal; The control circuit determines whether the rate of increase of the current command signal exceeds the discharge critical current threshold and whether the rate of decrease of the current command signal exceeds the charging critical current threshold based on the current command signal after low-pass filtering.

4. A rack-mounted power supply system for supplying power to a server via a power bus; comprising: A power supply chassis for receiving an input power supply and converting the input power supply to provide an output current to the power bus, so that the power bus transmits a system current to power the server; and a power regulator for electrically connecting to the power bus; wherein the power supply chassis generates a current command signal in response to the output current and transmits the current command signal to the power regulator via a signal line; wherein when the rate of change of the current command signal exceeds a discharge critical current threshold, the power regulator provides a regulating current to the power bus, which, together with the power supply chassis, powers the server; wherein when the rate of change of the current command signal exceeds a charging critical current threshold, the power regulator receives the regulating current from the power bus.

5. The rack-mounted power system as claimed in claim 4, wherein when the power regulator provides the regulating current to the power bus, the magnitude of the system current is equal to the magnitude of the output current plus the magnitude of the regulating current; and when the power regulator receives the regulating current from the power bus, the magnitude of the regulating current is equal to the magnitude of the output current minus the magnitude of the system current.

6. A power regulation operation method for controlling a regulating current of a power regulation device, the power regulation device being coupled to a server and a power supply chassis via a power bus, the method comprising: The power regulator receives a current command signal from the power supply chassis, wherein the current command signal is positively correlated with the current value of an output current generated by the power supply chassis; when the power regulator determines that a rising rate of change of the current command signal exceeds a discharge critical current threshold, the power regulator controls an energy storage unit of the power regulator to provide the regulating current to the power bus for power supply; when the power regulator determines that a falling rate of change of the current command signal exceeds a charging critical current threshold, the power regulator receives the regulating current from the power bus to charge the energy storage unit.

7. The power regulation operation method as described in claim 6, wherein when the power regulation device is used to control the energy storage unit to provide the regulating current to the power bus, the magnitude of a system current supplying power to the server is equal to the magnitude of the output current plus the magnitude of the regulating current; and when the power regulation device is used to receive the regulating current from the power bus to charge the energy storage unit, the magnitude of the regulating current is equal to the magnitude of the output current minus the magnitude of the system current.

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