DC bus architecture for datacenters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10609836-B2
Application number	US-201815976374-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2018
Priority date	May 10, 2018
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

A bus architecture for supplying power to a datacenter. A first DC bus includes a first DC bus conductor, a first power source and a first diode having a cathode connected to the first DC bus conductor. The first DC bus includes a first converter connected to the first power source and to an anode of the first diode. Power output by the first power source via the first converter is supplied at a first voltage level. The first DC bus includes a first plurality of loads and a first plurality of DC/DC converters connecting the first plurality of loads to the first DC bus conductor, respectively. The first DC bus includes a second diode having a cathode connected to the first DC bus conductors. A first uninterruptable power supply is connected to an anode of the second diode and operates at a second voltage level.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A bus architecture for supplying power to loads m a datacenter, comprising:
first and second direct current (DC) buses individually comprising:
a DC bus conductor;
a power source;
a first diode having a cathode connected to the DC bus conductor;
a voltage converter connected to the power source and to an anode of the first diode, wherein power output by the power source via the converter is supplied to the DC bus conductor at a first voltage level;
a load configured to consume power from the DC bus conductor;

a DC/DC converter connecting the load to the DC bus conductor, the DC/DC converter being configured to convert power from the first voltage level to a second voltage level less than the first voltage level;
a second diode having an anode connected to the DC bus conductor and a cathode connected to the DC/DC converter;
an electrical switch between the first and second DC buses; and

a controller operatively coupled to the first and second DC buses and the electrical switch, wherein the controller is configured to:
monitor a power consumption of the load on the DC bus conductor of the first DC bus;
determining whether the monitored power consumption exceeds a capacity of the power source on the first DC bus and whether the power source on the second DC bus has excess capacity; and
in response to determining that the monitored power consumption exceeds a capacity of the power source on the first DC bus and the power source on the second DC bus has excess capacity, actuate the electrical switch to adjust an impedance weight in the bus architecture to bias power from the power source of the second DC bus to the load on the DC bus conductor of the first DC bus.

2. The bus architecture of claim 1 wherein the DC bus conductor of the first or second DC bus is connected in a ring configuration.

3. The bus architecture of claim 1 wherein the load of the first DC bus comprises a server rack including a switch and a plurality of servers.

4. The bus architecture of claim 1 wherein the bus architecture further comprising:
a third DC bus comprising another DC bus conductor operatively coupled to the first or second DC bus via another electrical switch.

5. The bus architecture of claim 4 , further comprising a bridging bus conductor connecting the DC bus conductor of the first DC bus to the DC bus conductor of the second DC bus.

6. The bus architecture of claim 5 wherein the DC bus conductor of the first DC bus is connected in a ring configuration and the DC bus conductor of the second DC bus is also connected in a ring configuration.

7. The bus architecture of claim 4 , further comprising:
a connecting component selected from a group consisting of a switch, a circuit breaker, a diode and anti-parallel diodes; and
a bridging bus conductor connecting the connecting component between the DC bus conductor of the first DC bus and the DC bus conductor of the second DC bus.

8. The bus architecture of claim 1 wherein the power source is a first power source, and wherein the bus architecture further comprises a second power source operating at the first voltage level connected to the DC bus conductor without AC synchronization.

9. The bus architecture of claim 8 wherein the load is a first load, and wherein the bus architecture further comprises a second load connected to the DC bus conductor of the first DC bus to provide additional load capacity to the first DC bus.

10. The bus architecture of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of diodes connecting a plurality of additional loads to the DC bus conductor of the first or second DC bus.

11. An electrical system for supplying power to multiple servers in a datacenter, the electrical system comprising:
first and second direct current (DC) buses individually having:
a bus conductor configured to carry a DC current at a first voltage level;
a power source configured to provide electrical power to the multiple servers via the bus conductor;
a voltage converter configured to receive the electrical power from the power source at a supply voltage and convert the received electrical power from the supply voltage to the first voltage level;
a first diode having a cathode connected to the bus conductor and an anode connected to an output of the voltage converter;
a DC/DC converter connecting the multiple servers to the bus conductor, the DC/DC converter being configured to convert the electrical power from the first voltage level to a second voltage level less than the first voltage level; and
a second diode having a cathode connected to the bus conductor and an anode connected to an output of the DC/DC converter;

an electrical switch between the first and second DC buses; and
a controller operatively coupled to the first and second DC buses and the electrical switch, wherein the controller is configured to:
monitor a power consumption of the load on the DC bus conductor of the first DC bus;
determining whether the monitored power consumption exceeds a capacity of the power source on the first DC bus and whether the power source on the second DC bus has excess capacity; and
in response to determining that the monitored power consumption exceeds a capacity of the power source on the first DC bus and the power source on the second DC bus has excess capacity, actuate the electrical switch to adjust an impedance weight in the bus architecture to bias power from the power source of the second DC bus to the load on the DC bus conductor of the first DC bus.

12. The electrical system of claim 11 , wherein the bus conductor of the first or second DC bus is connected in a ring configuration.

13. The electrical system of claim 11 , further comprising a switch between the second diode and the DC/DC converter of the first or second DC bus.

14. The electrical system of claim 11 , further comprising:
a battery on the first DC bus; and
a third diode having a cathode connected to the bus conductor of the first DC bus and an anode connected to the battery.

15. The electrical system of claim 11 , further comprising:
a battery on the first DC bus;
a third diode having a cathode connected to the bus conductor of the first DC bus and an anode connected to the battery;
a charger configured to charge the battery; and
a fourth diode having a cathode connected to the charger and an anode connected to the bus conductor of the first DC bus.

16. The electrical system of claim 11 wherein the power source is located within ten meters of the multiple servers of the first DC bus.

17. The electrical system of claim 11 wherein:
the power source is a first power source;
the multiple servers are a first load; and
the first power source and the first load forms a first pair of power source and load; and
the electrical system further includes multiple additional pairs of power source and load arranged along the bus conductor in a contiguous a fashion without any intervening power source or load between the first power source and the first load.

18. The electrical system of claim 11 wherein the power source is a first power source, and wherein the electrical system further comprises a second power source operating at the first voltage level connected to the bus conductor without AC synchronization.

19. The electrical system of claim 11 wherein the multiple servers are a first load, and wherein the bus architecture further comprises a second load connecting to the bus conductor to provide additional load capacity.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Belady Christian L
• Janous Brian
• Gauthier David Thomas
• James Sean M
• Morales Osvaldo P

Classifications

• H02J9/061

  for DC powered loads · CPC title

• H02J1/102

  being switching converters (H02J1/108, H02J1/12 take precedence) · CPC title

• H02J1/108 Primary

  having arrangements for blocking reverse current flow, e.g. using diodes (H02J1/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F1/30

  Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations (for resetting only G06F1/24) · CPC title

• G06F1/263

  Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC (G06F1/30 takes precedence) · CPC title