Active power distribution unit phase rotation for power redundancy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12314094-B2
Application number	US-202318477915-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2023
Priority date	Sep 29, 2023
Publication date	May 27, 2025
Grant date	May 27, 2025

Abstract

A computer-implemented apparatus and related method control a dynamic phase rotation unit of a power distribution unit (PDU). The method comprises using a processor of a system controller for identifying a PDU group of two or more redundant PDUs, receiving input parameters from an input port of each of the PDUs in the PDU group, and comparing the input parameters from of the PDU group. The method further comprises conditioned upon a determination of the following both being true: 1) the input parameters are within a predefined threshold of similarity; and 2) no uninterruptable power supply (UPS) is present, then, responsive to the determination sending, via a network, a phase rotation command to a phase rotation controller to change the phase rotation switches on at least one of the PDUs in the PDU group. Otherwise, responsive to the determination, not sending the phase rotation command.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for controlling a dynamic phase rotation unit of a power distribution unit (PDU), the method comprising:
using a processor of a system controller:
identifying a PDU group of two or more redundant PDUs;
receiving input parameters from an input port of the PDUs in the PDU group;
comparing the input parameters from the PDU group; and
conditioned upon a determination of the following both being true:
the input parameters are within ±2%; and
no uninterruptable power supply (UPS) is present;
then, responsive to the determination:
sending, via a network, a phase rotation command to a phase rotation controller to change phase rotation switches on at least one of the PDUs in the PDU group;
otherwise, responsive to the determination:
not sending the phase rotation command.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying comprises:
analyzing a system configuration file containing information about a system configuration.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying comprises:
extracting and comparing a current draw on output ports of the PDUs within the PDU group.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the comparing of the current draw on the output ports determines similarity of the current draw to other PDUs among the PDU group when the current draw on the output ports is within a threshold value of the current draw on a same input phase of another of the PDUs within the PDU group.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the comparing of the input parameters includes comparing one or more of voltage amplitude, frequency, phase type, and voltage type.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the comparing the input parameters includes determining that input signals of all of the PDUs in the PDU group are within a predefined threshold value of each other.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: detecting a presence or an absence of the UPS on at least one input signal of the PDU group.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the UPS is detected by an action selected from a group consisting of determining a drop in voltage according to a predefined voltage drop threshold, determining a drop in power efficiency according to a predefined power efficiency threshold, checking a system configuration file that indicates the presence of the UPS, and receiving a communication from the UPS indicating the presence.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the phase rotation command is directed to a wye configuration for the phase rotation switches.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the phase rotation switches consist of six phase rotation switches.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the phase rotation command is directed to a delta configuration for the phase rotation switches.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the phase rotation switches consist of six phase rotation switches.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the phase rotation switches consist of twelve phase rotation switches.

14. A system controller apparatus for controlling a dynamic phase rotation unit of a power distribution unit (PDU), the system controller comprising:
a memory; and
a processor that executes instructions stored in the memory and is configured to:
identify a PDU group of two or more redundant PDUs;
receive input parameters from an input port of the PDUs in the PDU group;
compare the input parameters from the PDU group; and
conditioned upon a determination of the following both being true:
the input parameters are within ±2%; and
no uninterruptable power supply (UPS) is present;
then, responsive to the determination:
send, via a network, a phase rotation command to a phase rotation controller to change phase rotation switches on at least one of the PDUs in the PDU group;
otherwise, responsive to the determination:
not send the phase rotation command.

15. The system controller apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
extract and compare a current draw on output ports of each the PDUs within the PDU group; and
for the compare of the current draw on the output ports, determine a similarity of the current draw to other of the PDUs among the PDU group when the current draw on the output ports is within a threshold value of the current draw on a same input phase of another of the PDUs within the PDU group.

16. The system controller apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
detect a presence or an absence of the UPS on at least one input signal of the PDU group, wherein the UPS is detected by an action selected from a group consisting of determining a drop in voltage according to a predefined voltage drop threshold, determining a drop in power efficiency according to a predefined power efficiency threshold, checking a system configuration file that indicates a presence of the UPS, and receiving a communication from the UPS indicating the presence.

17. A power distribution unit (PDU) system, comprising:
a system controller apparatus for controlling a dynamic phase rotation unit of a power distribution unit (PDU), the system controller apparatus comprising:
a memory; and
a processor that executes instructions stored in the memory and is configured to:
identify a PDU group of two or more redundant PDUs;
receive input parameters from an input port of the PDUs in the PDU group;
compare the input parameters from the PDU group; and
conditioned upon a determination of the following both being true:
the input parameters are within ±2%; and
no uninterruptable power supply (UPS) is present;
then, responsive to the determination:
send, via a network, a phase rotation command to a phase rotation controller to change phase rotation switches on at least one of the PDUs in the PDU group;
otherwise, responsive to the determination:
not send the phase rotation command;
the PDU, wherein the PDU comprises a phase rotation controller located on the PDU, and the phase rotation controller comprises:
a memory and a processor that executes instructions stored in the memory and is configured to:
receive the phase rotation command; and
responsive to receipt of the phase rotation command, rotation of phases of the PDU.

18. The PDU system of claim 17 , wherein the rotation of the phases of the PDU comprises changing a configuration of six phase rotation switches for a wye configuration.

19. The PDU system of claim 17 , wherein the rotation of the phases of the PDU comprises changing a configuration of six phase rotation switches for a delta configuration.

20. The PDU system of claim 17 , wherein the rotation of the phases of the PDU comprises changing a configuration of twelve phase rotation switches for a delta configuration.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Jenkins Luke L
• Werner John S
• Tsfasman Arkadiy O
• Torok John

Classifications

• H02J13/12

  Monitoring network conditions, e.g. electrical magnitudes or operational status · CPC title

• G06F1/305 Primary

  in the event of power-supply fluctuations · CPC title

• G06F2200/261

  PC controlled powerstrip · CPC title

• H02J9/061

  for DC powered loads · 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