Power distribution system using multiple power modules, and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9490634-B2
Application number	US-201414552525-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2014
Priority date	Nov 22, 2013
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

An exemplary power distribution system includes multiple power modules and a controller. The multiple power modules are coupled in parallel to supply power to a load. The controller is configured to provide a total number of the power modules and unique numbers to each member of the power modules. At least a member of the multiple power modules is set up to independently determine its own ON status and OFF status based on the total number and the unique numbers when the power distribution system is in operation, wherein an ON threshold in association with a corresponding unique number is determined to decide its own ON status. A method for operating the power distribution and an energy distribution system are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power distribution system, comprising:
multiple power modules coupled in parallel to supply power to a load, each power module having a corresponding I share with an associated ON threshold and an associated OFF threshold respectively, wherein the I share comprises an average current related to the load;
a controller configured to provide a total number of the power modules and unique numbers to each member of the power modules;
wherein at least a member of the multiple power modules is set up to independently determine its own ON status and OFF status based on the total number and the unique numbers when the power distribution system is in operation, wherein an ON threshold in association with a corresponding unique number is determined to decide its own ON status;
wherein when I share is lower than its OFF threshold , the corresponding power module is switched to enter OFF status after its OFF delay is exceeded.

2. The power distribution system of claim 1 , wherein:
at least a member of the multiple power modules is set up to remain ON status; and
the other of the multiple power modules are set up to independently determine its own ON status and OFF status according to a comparison of the corresponding I share with the associated ON threshold and the associated OFF threshold respectively.

3. The power distribution system of claim 1 , wherein each power module comprises a sub controller, one of the sub controllers is used as the controller, and the controller is programmed to provide the total number and ON threshold to the at least a member of the multiple power modules.

4. The power distribution system of claim 1 , wherein the ON threshold lies within a 40%-65% load efficiency range of each power module.

5. The power distribution system of claim 1 , wherein each unique number is randomly assigned to each sub controller.

6. The power distribution system of claim 1 , where I share is lower than its ON threshold , the corresponding power module is switched to enter ON status after its ON delay exceeded.

7. An energy distribution system, comprising:
multiple energy modules coupled in parallel to supply power to a load; and
a controller configured to provide a total number of the multiple energy modules and unique numbers to each member of the multiple energy modules;
wherein at least a member of the multiple energy modules is set up to remain an ON status and each of the other energy modules is set up to independently determine its own ON status or OFF status based on the total number of the energy modules, the unique numbers, and an I share when the energy distribution system is in operation, wherein the I share comprises an average current related to the load; and
wherein a corresponding unique number is indicative of an ON threshold , an OFF threshold with each energy module, and a comparison of its ON threshold and OFF threshold with the I share is used to decide its own ON status and OFF status respectively.

8. The energy distribution system of claim 7 , wherein the corresponding
OFF threshold and ON threshold are spread apart by a hysteresis value.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Zhang Juan
• Fu Ming
• Johnson Mark Allen

Classifications

• H02J1/082

  DC supplies with two or more different DC voltage levels · CPC title

• H02J3/382

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02J3/381

  Dispersed generators · CPC title

• H02J1/10 Primary

  Parallel operation of DC sources · CPC title

• H02J3/46 Primary

  Controlling the sharing of generated power between the generators, sources or networks · CPC title