Energy-Based Battery Backup Unit Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery tests for backup power units (BBUs) in data centers are limited by requiring a constant rate of discharge, which can damage the BBU and cannot be performed with a variable load, making it difficult to accurately determine BBU health and reliability during power surges and outages.
Innovation Solution
A BBU testing system that discharges the BBU to a predetermined energy threshold instead of voltage, allowing testing with a variable load and avoiding complete depletion, enabling continuous power provision to computer servers during testing and providing a binary or gradient-scale assessment of BBU functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional battery test discharges BBU to predetermined voltage under constant current, then discharge time can be measured to determine BBU health, but the BBU is damaged by full discharge and cannot be tested with variable load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the discharge termination parameter from voltage-based to energy-based. Instead of discharging to a predetermined voltage level, the system discharges to a predetermined energy threshold (e.g., 100 Joules). This parameter change allows the BBU to be tested without complete depletion, preventing damage while maintaining measurement accuracy for determining BBU health and reliability.
2Measurement precision
If conventional battery test uses constant rate of discharge, then discharge time measurement is possible, but the test cannot be performed with variable load and is limited to isolated BBU
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a static constant current discharge method to a dynamic energy-based discharge method. By monitoring power consumption over time and calculating energy discharge (integral of power over time), the system can accommodate variable loads while still measuring discharge characteristics. This dynamic approach allows the BBU to remain connected to variable loads during testing, significantly improving adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors power consumption during discharge and uses this feedback to calculate cumulative energy discharge. By integrating power measurements over time, the system determines when the predetermined energy threshold is reached, enabling accurate discharge measurement even with variable load conditions.
3Measurement precision
If BBU is fully discharged for conventional testing, then complete energy capacity is measured, but the BBU cannot continue providing power to computer servers during testing
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of fully discharging the BBU to measure complete energy capacity, the patent uses a predetermined energy threshold (partial action) that is sufficient to assess BBU health without depleting the battery. This partial discharge approach maintains enough charge in the BBU to continue providing backup power to computer servers, ensuring uninterrupted operation while still obtaining meaningful test results.
Data Source
AI summary
Several embodiments perform battery backup unit (BBU) degradation testing. For example, a BBU testing system can be coupled to or part of a BBU. The BBU testing system can discharge the BBU by engaging a variable load to the BBU. The BBU testing system can monitor a discharge energy consumption over time as the BBU discharges until the discharge energy consumption reaches a specified amount of energy. The BBU testing system can determine a discharge time for the discharge energy consumption to reach the specified amount of energy. The BBU testing system can then compute a degradation state of the BBU based on the discharge time.