Holdup Capacitor Charging Circuit for Storage Power Failure Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Computer systems and data storage resources are susceptible to power outages, leading to potential data corruption or loss due to incomplete write operations during power failures.
Innovation Solution
A holdup circuit is designed with a boost converter, semiconductor devices to control switches, and capacitors to provide auxiliary power during power outages. The circuit charges capacitors incrementally, ensuring that even if one capacitor fails, others can still be charged, maintaining backup power availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bank of holdup capacitors is used to store energy for power failure protection, then data corruption is prevented, but the complexity of the power supply system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The holdup capacitor bank is divided into multiple individual capacitors, each with its own switch. This segmentation allows the system to charge capacitors independently and prevents a single point of failure from compromising the entire bank, thereby maintaining reliability while managing complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The capacitors are charged incrementally before a power failure occurs, rather than waiting for failure to occur. The controller monitors charge levels and maintains capacitors in a charged state in advance, ensuring immediate availability of backup power when needed, which prevents data corruption without requiring complex real-time response systems.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple capacitors are charged simultaneously, then backup power capacity is maximized, but a single capacitor failure can prevent charging of the entire bank
Solution Approach 1:
Each capacitor in the holdup bank is equipped with its own dedicated switch, creating independent charging paths. This allows the system to charge multiple capacitors simultaneously while preventing a failure in one capacitor from affecting the charging status of others, thus maintaining both high backup power capacity and charging reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
If a capacitor fails, the controller detects the failure and stops charging only that specific capacitor while continuing to charge the remaining healthy capacitors. The failed capacitor is effectively discarded from the charging cycle but the system recovers by maintaining full charging operation on the remaining capacitors, preserving overall backup power capacity.
3Duration of action of moving object
If the holdup circuit charges capacitors during normal operation, then backup power is available faster, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The holdup capacitors are charged during normal operation in advance of any power failure, so that when a failure occurs, backup power is immediately available without delay. This preliminary charging action eliminates the time lag that would otherwise occur during a failure event, ensuring continuous operation and preventing data corruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system charges the capacitors to a sufficient level during normal operation, but not necessarily to maximum capacity at all times. The charging is adjusted to provide adequate backup power for the required duration without continuously over-charging, thus balancing the need for rapid backup availability with reasonable energy consumption during normal operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The holdup circuit effectively prevents data corruption and loss by ensuring that storage devices can complete critical operations during power failures, using the charged capacitors to provide sustained power.
Implementation Method 1
a boost converter, a semiconductor device configured to output a first signal and a second signal, a first capacitor coupled to the boost converter via a first switch, and a second capacitor coupled to the boost converter via a second switch
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of a storage device including a memory and a controller are provided. In certain aspects, the storage device may include a holdup circuit powered and controlled by the controller. In some examples, the holdup circuit may be configured to charge a first capacitor by closing a first switch coupled between the first capacitor and a boost converter during a first window of time. The holdup circuit may also be configured to charge a second capacitor by closing a second switch coupled between the second capacitor and the boost converter during a second window of time.