Battery circuit fault protection in uninterruptable power sources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9608430-B2
Application number	US-201313860977-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2013
Priority date	Apr 11, 2013
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A power system which includes a battery (or string of batteries) as well as a preemptive fuse driver, PFD, system. The PFD protection system reliably protects circuits that could be damaged by long term fault currents. More specifically, the PFD protection system includes a sensor and a controller as well as a controlled switch. The controller includes a PFD control module which allows protection to be tuned specifically to the source and load characteristics.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery system comprising:
a power source;
a load coupled to the power source; and,
a preemptive Fuse Driver (PFD) protection circuit coupled in parallel between the power source and the load, the PFD protection system comprising a sensor, and a controller and a switch, the PFD protection circuit forcing high battery currents through the switch causing the switch of the PFD protection circuit to substantially instantly close; and wherein
the controller comprising a PFD control module, the PFD control module allows protection to be tuned specifically to source and load characteristics of the power source, tuning the protection comprises providing predictable interruption of moderate battery currents over time as well as forcing high battery currents through the switch, the moderate battery currents comprising currents up to 250% of a rating of the battery and the high battery currents comprising currents greater than 300% of the rating of the battery;
the PFD control module accumulates an energy accumulator value representing energy transferred to the load over time; and,
the PFD control module generates a command which causes the controller to close the switch when the energy accumulator value reaches a threshold.

2. The battery system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a circuit protection device, the circuit protection device being coupled in series between the power source and the load.

3. The battery system of claim 1 , wherein
the PFD control module tunes the protection in real time.

4. The battery system of claim 1 , wherein
the threshold corresponds to a maximum load energy value for the power source.

5. The battery system of claim 4 , wherein
the maximum load energy value for the power source corresponds to a value of a square of a maximum short term overload current drawn from the power source multiplied by a time value, the time value representing a time at maximum overload current.

6. The battery system of claim 1 , wherein
the PFD protection circuit further comprises another current sensor, the current sensor being coupled to a first terminal of the power source and the another current sensor being coupled to a second terminal of the power source.

7. A data processing system comprising:
a host computer;
a power system coupled to the host computer, the power system comprising
a power source; and,
a preemptive Fuse Driver (PFD) protection circuit coupled in parallel between the power source and the load, the PFD protection system comprising a sensor, and a controller and a switch, the PFD protection circuit forcing high battery currents through the switch causing the switch of the PFD protection circuit to substantially instantly close; and wherein
the controller further comprises a PFD control module, the PFD control module allows protection to be tuned specifically to source and load characteristics of the power source, tuning the protection comprises providing predictable interruption of moderate battery currents over time as well as forcing high battery currents through the switch, the moderate battery currents comprising currents up to 250% of a rating of the battery and the high battery currents comprising currents greater than 300% of the rating of the battery;
the PFD control module accumulates an energy accumulator value representing energy transferred to the load over time; and,
the PFD control module generates a command which causes the controller to close the switch when the energy reaches a threshold.

8. The data processing system of claim 7 , wherein the power system further comprises:
a circuit protection device, the circuit protection device being coupled in series between the power source and the load.

9. The data processing system of claim 7 , wherein the PFD control module tunes the protection in real time.

10. The data processing system of claim 7 , wherein the threshold corresponds to a maximum load energy value for the power source.

11. The data processing system of claim 10 , wherein
the maximum load energy value for the power source corresponds to a value of a square of a maximum short term overload current drawn from the power source multiplied by a time value, the time value representing a time at maximum overload current.

12. The data processing system of claim 7 , wherein
the PFD protection circuit further comprises another current sensor, the current sensor being coupled to a first terminal of the power source and the another current sensor being coupled to a second terminal of the power source.

13. A battery system comprising:
a power source;
a load coupled to the power source; and,
a preemptive Fuse Driver (PFD) protection circuit coupled in parallel between the power source and the load, the PFD protection system comprising a first sensor, a second sensor, a controller and a switch, the first sensor being coupled to a first terminal of the power source and the second current sensor being coupled to a second terminal of the power source, the PFD protection circuit forcing high battery currents through the switch causing the switch of the PFD protection circuit to substantially instantly close; and wherein
the controller comprises a PFD control module, the PFD control module allowing protection to be tuned specifically to source and load characteristics of the power source, tuning the protection comprises providing predictable interruption of moderate battery currents over time as well as forcing high battery currents through the switch, the moderate battery currents comprising currents up to 250% of a rating of the battery and the high battery currents comprising currents greater than 300% of the rating of the battery;
the PFD control module accumulates an energy accumulator value representing energy transferred to the load over time; and,
the PFD control module generates a command which causes the controller to close the switch when the energy accumulator value reaches a threshold.

14. The battery system of claim 13 , further comprising:
a circuit protection device, the circuit protection device being coupled in series between the power source and the load.

15. The battery system of claim 13 , wherein
the threshold corresponds to a maximum load energy value for the power source;
the maximum load energy value for the power source corresponds to a value of a square of a maximum short term overload current drawn from the power source multiplied by a time value, the time value representing a time at maximum overload current.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Duan Jiwu
• Elliott John C
• Fried Dennis W
• Groff Steven M
• Le Trung

Classifications

• H02H3/087 Primary

  for DC applications · CPC title

• H02H3/093

  with timing means {(in general H02H3/027; thermal delay H02H3/085; timing means for undervoltage protection H02H3/247)} · CPC title

• H02H7/18

  for batteries; for accumulators · CPC title

• H02H3/025

  Disconnection after limiting, e.g. when limiting is not sufficient or for facilitating disconnection · CPC title