Priority Power OR Circuit With MOSFET Switching Hierarchy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power supply management systems for multiple power sources are often inefficient and costly, particularly in battery-operated devices and Power over Ethernet (PoE) applications, where efficiency is critical to meet power budget and temperature requirements, and frequent switching between power sources can lead to stress and failure.
Innovation Solution
The use of a power supply OR circuit with a hierarchy of power sources, employing a Schottky diode and a PMOSFET to ensure only a single dominant power supply actively sources the load, utilizing a master-slave configuration to prevent metastability and using multiple PMOSFETs for improved efficiency with analog control circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If multiple power supplies are managed using existing methods, then power supply availability is maintained, but efficiency deteriorates and power loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the power supply management into hierarchical levels (e.g., battery, PoE, mains power) with clear priority assignments. Each power supply is managed independently through dedicated control circuits that monitor and switch between sources based on predefined priorities, eliminating the inefficiency of unified management while maintaining reliability through structured redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary control circuits and priority-based switching mechanisms that mediate between multiple power supplies and the load. These intermediaries intelligently select and switch between power sources based on priority levels and availability, preventing direct conflicts between power supplies while optimizing efficiency by selecting the most appropriate source at any given time.
2Use of energy by moving object
If power supply switching is implemented to optimize efficiency, then energy consumption is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing priority hierarchies and selection criteria for power supplies before operation begins. Control circuits are pre-configured with knowledge of power source priorities and characteristics, enabling automatic and efficient switching without requiring complex real-time decision algorithms, thus reducing energy consumption while keeping system complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by dynamically adjusting operational parameters (such as enabling/disabling specific power paths, modifying voltage regulation settings) based on which power supply is active. This allows the system to optimize energy efficiency for each power source configuration without requiring complete system redesign, balancing efficiency gains with acceptable complexity levels.
3Reliability
If multiple power supplies operate simultaneously, then power availability is improved, but power supply conflicts and metastability occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments power supply operation into mutually exclusive priority levels, ensuring that only one power supply from each hierarchical level operates simultaneously. This segmentation prevents direct conflicts between power sources by establishing clear operational boundaries, maintaining power availability through hierarchical redundancy while ensuring stability by avoiding simultaneous active operation of conflicting power supplies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary control mechanisms that act as mediators between multiple power supplies and the load. These intermediaries enforce priority-based access rules, allowing simultaneous power supply availability in the sense that multiple sources can be connected to the system, but ensuring stability by controlling which source actually powers the load at any given time, preventing metastability and conflicts.
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
This solution enhances efficiency, reduces costs, and prevents power supply failures by ensuring only one power source drives the load, thereby saving power and extending the operating time of battery-powered devices while allowing for smaller, more cost-effective product designs.
Implementation Method 1
uses a low loss body diode of a PMOSFET to replace a conventional Schottky diode in a power supply OR circuit
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus comprises multiple power supply switches each including a respective power Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) to receive a respective one of multiple power voltages ranked incrementally from a lowest priority to a highest priority, and multiple control modules each coupled to, and configured to control, a respective one of the power MOSFETs, each control module to receive all of the power voltages having higher priorities than the power voltage received at the respective power MOSFET controlled by that control module, each control module to control the respective power MOSFET so as to turn off the respective power MOSFET if any of the higher priority power voltages are present, or permit the respective power MOSFET to turn on responsive to the respective power voltage if all of the higher priority power voltages are absent.