Power supply overcurrent event recovery method and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11522356-B1
Application number	US-202117511214-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Oct 26, 2021
Priority date	Oct 26, 2021
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

A power supply comprises voltage regulation circuitry, a load-share controller, and overcurrent protection circuitry. The voltage regulation circuitry is configured to output a regulated voltage. The load-share controller is configured to control the voltage regulation circuitry to adjust the regulated voltage responsive to a load-share voltage signal (LSV) that indicates an amount of load current being delivered to a load. The overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to selectively couple the regulated voltage to the load. When the load current exceeds a threshold current, the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to decouple the regulated voltage from the load. While the regulated voltage is decoupled from the load, and when the LSV signal indicates that load current is being delivered to the load by a different power supply, the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to recouple the regulated voltage to the load.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power supply comprising:
voltage regulation circuitry configured to output a regulated voltage;
a load-share controller configured to control the voltage regulation circuitry to adjust the regulated voltage responsive to a load-share voltage signal (LSV) that indicates an amount of load current being delivered to a load; and
overcurrent protection circuitry configured to selectively couple the regulated voltage to the load, wherein when the load current exceeds a threshold current, the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to decouple the regulated voltage from the load, wherein when the regulated voltage is decoupled from the load and the LSV signal indicates that load current is being delivered to the load by a different power supply, the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to recouple the regulated voltage to the load.

2. The power supply according to claim 1 , wherein when the regulated voltage is decoupled from the load, and the LSV signal indicates that no load current is being delivered to the load, the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to recouple the regulated voltage to the load after a predetermined amount of time.

3. The power supply according to claim 1 , wherein the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to maintain the regulated voltage in a decoupled state after a predetermined number of attempts to recouple the regulated voltage to the load have occurred during a predetermined amount of time, and to recouple the regulated voltage to the load after the predetermined amount of time.

4. The power supply according to claim 1 , wherein the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to wait for at least a predetermined amount of time before decoupling the regulated voltage from the load.

5. The power supply according to claim 1 , wherein the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to compare the LSV signal to a predetermined value associated with the threshold current to determine whether the load current exceeds the threshold current.

6. The power supply according to claim 1 , wherein the load-share controller is configured to sense a current associated with the regulated voltage that is being delivered by the voltage regulation circuitry to the overcurrent protection circuitry and to output an LSV signal that is proportional to the sensed current.

7. The power supply according to claim 1 , wherein voltage regulation circuitry comprises switching voltage regulator circuitry.

8. A computing system comprising:
one or more processors;
one or more memories for storing instructions code that is executable by the one or more processors for controlling the computing system to perform one or more operations; and
a plurality of power supplies configured to be electrically coupled in parallel to one another to supply power to a load that comprises at least one of the one or more processors, wherein each power supply comprises:
voltage regulation circuitry configured to output a regulated voltage;
a load-share controller configured to control the voltage regulation circuitry to adjust the regulated voltage responsive to a load-share voltage signal (LSV) that indicates an amount of load current being delivered to the load; and
overcurrent protection circuitry configured to selectively couple the regulated voltage to the load, wherein when the load current exceeds a threshold current, the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to decouple the regulated voltage from the load, wherein when the regulated voltage is decoupled from the load and the LSV signal indicates that load current is being delivered to the load by a different power supply, the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to recouple the regulated voltage to the load.

9. The computing system according to claim 8 , wherein when the regulated voltage is decoupled from the load, and the LSV signal indicates that no load current is being delivered to the load, the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to recouple the regulated voltage to the load after a predetermined amount of time.

10. The computing system according to claim 8 , wherein the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to maintain the regulated voltage in a decoupled state after a predetermined number of attempts to couple the regulated voltage to the load have occurred during a predetermined amount of time, and to recouple the regulated voltage to the load after the predetermined amount of time.

11. The computing system according to claim 8 , wherein the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to wait for at least a predetermined amount of time before decoupling the regulated voltage from the load.

12. The computing system according to claim 8 , wherein the overcurrent protection circuitry is configured to compare the LSV signal to a predetermined value associated with the threshold current to determine whether the load current exceeds the threshold current.

13. The computing system according to claim 8 , wherein the load-share controller is configured to sense a current associated with the regulated voltage that is being delivered by the voltage regulation circuitry to the overcurrent protection circuitry and to output an LSV signal that is proportional to the sensed current.

14. The computing system according to claim 8 , wherein voltage regulation circuitry comprises switching voltage regulator circuitry.

15. A method for operating a power supply, the method comprising:
providing, by voltage regulation circuitry of the power supply, a regulated voltage;
controlling, by a load-share controller of the power supply, the voltage regulation circuitry to adjust the regulated voltage responsive to a load-share voltage signal (LSV) that indicates an amount of load current being delivered to a load;
when the load current exceeds a threshold current, decoupling, by overcurrent protection circuitry of the power supply, the regulated voltage from the load; and
when the regulated voltage is decoupled from the load, and the LSV signal indicates that load current is being delivered to the load by a different power supply, recoupling, by the overcurrent protection circuitry, the regulated voltage to the load.

16. The method according to claim 15 , wherein when the regulated voltage is decoupled from the load, and the LSV signal indicates that no load current is being delivered to the load, the method further comprises recoupling, by the overcurrent protection circuitry, the regulated voltage to the load after a predetermined amount of time.

17. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising maintaining, by the overcurrent protection circuitry, the regulated voltage in a decoupled state after a predetermined number of attempts to couple the regulated voltage to the load have occurred during a predetermined amount of time, and to recouple the regulated voltage to the load after the predetermined amount of time.

18. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising waiting, by the overcurrent protection, for at least a predetermined amount of time before decoupling the regulated voltage from the load.

19. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising comparing, by the overcurrent protection circuitry, the LSV signal to a predetermined value associated with the threshold current to determine whether the load current exceeds the threshold current.

20. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising:
sensing, by the load-share controller, a current associated with the re

Assignees

• Appleton Grp Llc

Inventors

• Atienza Joel Jeremiah Guevarra
• De Robles John Rommel Baduel
• Nepomuceno Mark Chester Bernardino

Classifications

• H02H3/087 Primary

  for DC applications · CPC title

• H02H3/066

  Reconnection being a consequence of eliminating the fault which caused disconnection · CPC title

• H02H7/1213 Primary

  for DC-DC converters · CPC title

• H02H3/06

  with automatic reconnection · CPC title

• H02H3/033

  with several disconnections in a preferential order, {e.g. following priority of the users, load repartition}(H02H3/06 takes precedence) · CPC title