Power Supply Overvoltage Protection and EMI Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial process control systems require flexible and cost-effective power supply solutions with overvoltage protection and reduced electromagnetic interference (EMI/RFI emissions, while maintaining fault tolerance and operational continuity.
Innovation Solution
A power supply system with a primary voltage converter, low dropout regulators, and overvoltage protection components, including a series fuse and avalanche diode, along with a microprocessor for monitoring and a field programmable gate array generating complementary square waves to minimize EMI/RFI, and a transformer with clamping diodes and damping resistors for noise suppression.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If individual channel isolation supplies are excited independently at unique frequencies or phases, then EMI/RFI emissions are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power supply system is divided into multiple independent channel isolation supplies, each operating at unique frequencies or phases. This segmentation allows each converter to be controlled independently, reducing peak EMI/RFI emissions through frequency diversity while maintaining modular complexity management.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operating frequency or phase parameter for each power supply converter individually. By varying these parameters across different channels, the system reduces electromagnetic interference through frequency spreading while the parameterized control approach keeps complexity manageable through systematic variation rather than arbitrary design.
2Reliability
If Triple Modular Redundancy is implemented for fault tolerance, then system reliability is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the level of redundancy based on actual fault conditions and system state. Rather than statically implementing full TMR for all functions, the system activates redundancy only when needed, optimizing the balance between reliability and cost by making fault tolerance dynamic rather than permanent.
Solution Approach 2:
The redundancy level parameter is changed based on system requirements and fault conditions. The system can operate at different redundancy levels (full TMR, partial TMR, or no redundancy) depending on the criticality of specific functions and detected fault conditions, allowing cost-effective fault tolerance by adjusting the redundancy parameter rather than maintaining constant high redundancy.
3Reliability
If hot-standby modules are used for fault tolerance, then operational continuity is maintained, but disruption occurs during changeover
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-warming up standby modules and pre-establishing synchronization before failover is needed. Standby modules are kept in a partially active state with pre-loaded parameters and pre-established communication channels, so that when failover occurs, the transition is minimal and disruption is reduced because the standby is already prepared in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuity of useful action by keeping standby modules in a partially active state that preserves essential functions. Rather than completely shutting down standby modules to save power, they maintain minimal operational capability and synchronization, ensuring that useful actions continue in the background and can be immediately activated without full reinitialization, thus reducing changeover disruption.
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 solution provides reliable overvoltage protection, reduces EMI/RFI emissions, and ensures continuous operation by minimizing disruptions and costs, while allowing for flexible fault tolerance configurations.
Implementation Method 1
overvoltage protection components preventing said second voltage rising above a predetermined maximum... A second low dropout regulator is connected to receive said second voltage and to generate a fourth voltage
Implementation Method 2
a transformer with clamping diodes and damping resistors for noise suppression
Implementation Method 3
a transformer with clamping diodes and damping resistors for noise suppression
Implementation Method 4
a transformer with clamping diodes and damping resistors for noise suppression
Data Source
AI summary
A power supply that is capable of supplying power to an input/output channel for an Industrial Process Control System. The power supply includes a primary voltage converter having a first voltage input and a second voltage output, and overvoltage protection components that prevent the second voltage from rising above a predetermined maximum. The power supply includes a first low dropout regulator that is connected to receive the second voltage and to generate a third voltage, a second low dropout regulator that is connected to receive the second voltage and to generate a fourth voltage, and a third low dropout regulator that is connected to receive the fourth voltage and to generate a fifth voltage. The power supply provides an over-voltage fault tolerant self-testable architecture, allows for compact low cost individual channel isolation and fault tolerant EMI/RFI filtration.