JP2014048913A - Power unit used for electronic computer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power unit that is reliable and easily attached/detached at low production cost.SOLUTION: A power converter that converts direct current power to a plurality of voltages required for an electronic computer includes a rectangular parallelepiped shape multipolar connector part for connecting with a main substrate of an electronic computer, and a power-receiving connector in a major axis direction of the rectangular solid. The power converter includes a current detection element. The current detection element, the power-receiving connector, and the rectangular solid are arranged linearly in this order in the major axis direction of the rectangular solid. The power converter outputs the measured value of the current detection element.

Description

The present invention relates to the shape of a power supply device used in an electronic computer.

As a power supply device used in an electronic computer, a product that completes electrical connection and mechanical connection at the same time by simply inserting a connector is very well known because of its excellent usability. For example, in a general AC adapter, a transformer, a rectifier, and a plug are integrated, so that an electrical connection and a mechanical connection can be made at the same time by simply plugging into a power outlet. They serve to hold the device and serve to make an electrical connection through a mating part that is structurally associated with the device, particularly with a fitting device adapted to support the device There is a special feature.

Patent Document 1 discloses a serial adapter that handles power supply to a communication function module equipped with a more complicated integrated circuit based on the above-mentioned concept and improves convenience by combining mechanical connection and electrical connection. ing.

By the way, in recent years, electronic circuits have become more sophisticated, and the demand for power supplies has become more complex and sophisticated. It is required to devise a detailed structure in order to facilitate handling and detachment of such advanced power supply modules. As a typical form, as disclosed in Patent Document 2, there is a power module integrated with a connector that can be attached and detached simultaneously with the connector by fixing the power module connector to the heat sink part in advance. Can be mentioned.

Even in a desktop computer, the demand for a power source is an increasingly complex and sophisticated field.
Even in the case of a common personal computer sold at a low price in recent years, the number of conductors required for power transmission is increasing because the internal semiconductor circuit requires a plurality of voltage power supplies at the same time. In addition, the power source required by the latest high-performance semiconductors is high power and low voltage, so the current is large and it is difficult to transmit power over long distances even within the same device. For this reason, it is common to generate a DC intermediate voltage, for example, 12V from a commercial power source, and step it down to a necessary low voltage, for example, 3V or 1V, near the portion where the semiconductor is mounted. I came.

Non-patent document 1
Then, a connector for receiving power is prepared on a board on which a semiconductor that consumes power is mounted, and a voltage conversion circuit integrated with the connector is inserted therein to complete mechanical connection and electrical connection at the same time. Many of the personal computers disclosed at that time used such a product.
A power supply configuration that generates low-voltage power in the vicinity of the load in this way is called a general name POL (Point Of Load) power supply.

By the way, the desktop personal computer uses a power receiving connector called ATX specification that supplies 5V, 3.3V, and -12V in addition to 12V, as disclosed on page 33 of Non-Patent Document 2.

Regarding a connector to be attached to a power receiving connector called the ATX standard, a voltage conversion circuit firmly integrated with the connector, particularly a rigid structure that is mechanically completely fixed is commercially available. A typical example is disclosed in Patent Document 3. According to this, a power supply circuit with little electromagnetic radiation noise can be configured.

Non-Patent Document 3 discloses a commercial product of another shape of a voltage conversion circuit that is firmly integrated with a connector.

Although not a power source, Patent Document 4 discloses a structure in which a circuit composed of electronic components such as resistors is built in a connector.

The inventor has applied for Patent Document 5.

Products such as Non-Patent Document 4 are manufactured and sold.

63-108173

JP2010-003972

US Patent 7539023

JP 2003-123919 A

JP2011-237980A

"VRM9.0 DC-DC Converter Design Guidelines", [online], IntelCorporation, 2001-07-18, Retrieved from theInternet: <URL: http: //developer.intel.com/design/pentium4/guides/249205.htm >.

"PowerSupply Design Guide for Desktop Platform Form Factors Revision 1.2,", [online], Intel Corporation, 2007, Retrieved from theInternet: <URL: http: //www.formfactors.org/developer%5Cspecs%5CPSU_DG_rev_1_1.pdf>

"PW-200-M, PW-200-V Series 12V, 200 Watts ATX Power Supply Quick InstallationGuide", [online], mini-box.com, 2009-06-08, Retrieved from theInternet: <URL: http: / /resources.mini-box.com/online/PWR-PW-200-M/PWR-PW-200-M-manual.pdf>

"Product Introduction", [online], GK New Technology Tsukuba, 2012-08-20, Retrieved from theInternet: <URL: http: //8086.co.jp/u-PUNIT100_spec.htm>

As mentioned in Patent Document 5, a power converter that combines electrical and mechanical connections with a main board of an electronic computer, particularly a connector defined in the ATX specification, is mechanically and formally reliable. While design is required, it has the problem of ensuring electrical functionality and reliability.

For example, in the product disclosed in Non-Patent Document 3, a board having a total length of 61 mm is supported only by a connector attached to the end thereof. In addition, since the power receiving connector or the like exists on the opposite side, the force applied to the power receiving side electric wire due to being caught during work is amplified by the insulator having a total length of 61 mm and transmitted to the connector portion. Large substrates are advantageous for heat dissipation and noise suppression, so they can maintain electrical functionality and reliability, but they have mechanical and shape problems.

In addition, the same group as in Non-Patent Document 3 is reliable as a solid integrated structure that is not deformed by a normal force by welding a highly rigid metallic joint portion with solder similarly in Patent Document 3. However, on the other hand, since the contact is firmly fixed to the inflexible board, due to stress caused by mounting misalignment during soldering, thermal expansion, moisture absorption of the board, There is a possibility of impairing electrical reliability. Moreover, compared with the product of nonpatent literature 3, a shape is small and it is disadvantageous for heat dissipation.

For this reason, there is a problem that the current capacity must be suppressed in order to ensure long-term reliability.

In addition, the ATX power supply connector has 20 to 24 pins lined up so as to be strongly pinched by springs from both sides, so it requires a lot of force to pull out or insert, and when removing it, It is necessary to pull it out while pushing the lever of the stopper with your finger. If the wires are connected as in a general ATX standard power supply, hold the lever with your thumb and grab a thick bundle of 20 to 24 wires with the remaining fingers and swing it out in the longitudinal direction of the connector. It could be pulled out easily. However, the POL power supply does not exist because such a bundle of thick wires is no longer necessary, and the board itself is small, so that using a highly reliable contact for large current with strong spring force makes it difficult to pull out. was there.

On the other hand, existing POL power supply products generally have an overcurrent protection function built into the power conversion circuit for terminals that transform and output the power received from the DC power supply. Generally, a terminal that outputs the signal as it is does not use anything as an overcurrent protection element, or uses a fuse.

As a background, it is important to reduce the size of this type of power conversion device in order to ensure external and dynamic stability and reliability, and the heat dissipation design is often strict due to the small size. Can be mentioned. Although a fuse in principle generates heat due to internal resistance, any heat source affects the reliability of the entire circuit.

In general, when the heat generation of the fuse is not preferable, it is avoided by replacing the current detection function of the protection circuit with an electronic current detection element. For example, a combination of a shunt resistor and a high precision amplifier or a magnetic field detection element may be used.

However, many of the power conversion devices are composed of a high-power PWM switching circuit. For this reason, interference from the switching circuit is unavoidable, and there is a background that a fuse is used instead of a configuration in which a minute voltage of a shunt resistor is detected by a high-precision amplifier.

For this reason, there has been a demand for a protection method that replaces the fuse that cannot avoid heat generation in principle.

Also, in terms of more flexible operation of the protection circuit and output of the operation state, it has been a challenge to adopt a current detection function that is more sophisticated than the fuse.

As described above, “Mechanical strength to hold the device” vs. “flexibility necessary to ensure the reliability of connector contacts” and “responding to impact force”, “miniaturization of the board” vs. “ There is a need for a shape that satisfies many contradictory issues such as “ease of extraction” and “thermal reliability” at the same time within electrical constraints, and the present invention solves these issues in a balanced manner. With the goal.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the inventor found out the causes of contradictory problems in the first place, the number of parts of the voltage conversion circuit, the output capacity, the method of mounting the board, the packaging of the electronic parts, the mechanical operation at the time of detachment work and use As a result of a thorough examination of the conditions from manufacturing cost to reliability, we found that it was an excellent product with high reliability and ease of use in a specific combination.

In the power supply device according to the present invention, as a first means, the power received from the DC power source is converted into a plurality of voltages required for the computer, and the power is supplied to the main board of the computer. The power conversion device includes a rectangular parallelepiped multipolar connector for connection to a main board of an electronic computer, and a power receiving connector in the long axis direction of the rectangular parallelepiped.

The rectangular parallelepiped multipolar connector portion and the rectangular parallelepiped power receiving connector are preferably both mounted on the same circuit board, but are not limited thereto.

The size of the circuit board is preferably about 5 to 15 cm in the long axis direction and about 1 to 4 cm in width, but is not limited thereto.

The voltage to be received is 12V, 24V, 48V, and the converted voltage is 3.3V, 5V, 12V, -12V, etc. where the energization is started by the control signal in addition to 5V that is always energized. It is preferable to generate 5V or the like that is supplied only during the period during which the power is supplied.

As a second means, in addition to the first means, a current detection element is provided, and the current detection element, the power receiving connector, and the rectangular parallelepiped multipolar connector are arranged in a straight line in the major axis direction of the rectangular parallelepiped multipolar connector. You may arrange as follows.

A known element can be used as the current detection element, but a typical one is a shunt resistor or a Hall element.

The shunt resistor may be a known one, for example, an SMD resistor mounted on the surface of the circuit board or a conductor resistance of the circuit board, which is mounted on the power receiving connector side of the circuit board or the opposite side of the power receiving connector. Although it can be used, it is not limited to this.

In addition, a high-precision amplifier for amplifying the detection voltage is preferably disposed in contact with the current detection element, but the present invention is not limited to this.
Further, according to the detected current value, a protection function for alarming the possibility of overloading or blocking the current before being damaged by the overcurrent may be arranged.

As a third means, in addition to the first or second means, a mechanism for outputting the measured value of the current detection element may be provided.

As an output mechanism, the magnitude of the current and the operating state of the protection circuit may be visually recognized by a light emitting element such as an LED, but may be output as an electrical signal. In particular, a control circuit for recording the maximum value, minimum value, and average value of current, and a communication function that outputs a numerical value in response to a request from an external device are suitable. Not.

In addition to these, the cooling device of the electronic computer may be controlled using the electric signal output.

The power receiving connector is a connector for receiving power from a DC power source. When there is a load other than the main board that receives power supply directly from the rectangular parallelepiped multipolar connector portion in the electronic computer, it is convenient to attach and detach the power transmission connector in the power receiving connector. For example, it is obvious that a power transmission line for supplying power to the auxiliary storage device may be connected using a part of the power receiving connector.

Further, it is obvious that a power transmission connector for supplying power to a peripheral device such as an auxiliary storage device may be provided next to the power reception connector, and the power reception connector and the power transmission connector may be interchanged.

A pair of sockets and receptacles may be sandwiched between the rectangular parallelepiped multipolar connector and the main board of the electronic computer.

In particular, ATX specification connectors are originally designed for wire-to-board use, so do not connect directly from the power converter board to the main board of the computer, but from a rectangular parallelepiped multipolar connector on the power converter board. When connected to the main board via a socket / wire / socket, all contacts become wire-to-board, so high reliability as designed for wire-to-board can be expected.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a power supply apparatus with high reliability, easy to attach and detach, and low production cost.

According to the above configuration, the force applied to the power receiving connector is received in the long axis direction of the rectangular parallelepiped multipolar connector, and thus is reduced by the lever principle.

As described above, according to the present invention, since there is no concern about electrical reliability due to stress applied to the electrical contact, it is not necessary to suppress the current capacity.

Further, as is apparent from the substrate shape of the power converter, the rectangular parallelepiped multipolar connector can be easily pulled out while shaking in the longitudinal direction, and maintenance work is easy.

In addition, according to the configuration of the present invention, since interference from the switching circuit can be avoided, the current detection element can be easily used.

By using the current detection element, it is possible to realize lower heat generation or flexible circuit protection than the fuse.
Further, by providing an output function, convenience such as operation monitoring and cooling system control is improved.

“Mechanical strength to hold the device” vs. “flexibility necessary to ensure the reliability of connector contacts” and “responding to impact force”, “miniaturization of the board” vs. “easy to pull out” There is a demand for a shape that satisfies many contradictory problems such as “thermal reliability” at the same time within electrical constraints, and the present invention can solve these problems in a balanced manner.

It is explanatory drawing which showed the implementation method of a power supply device. (Mode for carrying out the invention) It is explanatory drawing which showed the implementation method of a power supply device. (Mode for carrying out the invention)

The best mode for carrying out the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (side view). Electric power is supplied to the power receiving connector 103. Although this voltage is not limited, DC 12V and 48V are common. For example, when 120W of power is received at 12V, the current becomes 10A. The power receiving connector is connected to a DC power source by an electric wire (not shown), and if it is 10 A, one or two pairs of UL1007 standard AWGs 18 are sufficient. On the other hand, for example, when it is necessary to receive 200 W, a thin electric wire can be used by reducing the current value by receiving power at 48V. If it is 20 W, a pair of AWGs 24 is sufficient. This electric wire is connected to the power conversion board 104 by a power receiving connector. The change in which the power receiving connector 103 is soldered does not impair the effects of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, it is important that the connector 103 is arranged in the direction of the long axis 101 of a rectangular parallelepiped multipolar connector 105 for connection to a main board of an electronic computer. Such a configuration is preferable because the stress received by the power conversion board 104 and the multipolar connector 105 is reduced when the power receiving connector 103 is pulled for some reason.

The electronic component 107 is a coil, a capacitor, a diode, a MOS transistor, an integrated circuit, a resistor, or the like.
Large-capacity coils and capacitors are still used as lead parts, which are shaped to be inserted into holes and soldered, but in recent years surface mounting that is fixed on the surface with flow or reflow soldering Parts have appeared and can be used particularly preferably.

The received power is controlled by the electronic component 107 on the substrate 104, and some is a voltage as it is, some is stepped down or converted into a negative voltage and sent to the connector 104. The power sent to the connector 104 is typically 12V, 5V, 3.3V, -12V, and may include other control signals.

As a method of stepping down by the electronic component 107, a switching regulator based on PWM control is generally used, but is not limited thereto.

A switching regulator by PWM control usually includes a coil and a MOS transistor, and sometimes becomes a noise voltage source of 10 V or more.

The current detection element 102 is an element that detects a current flowing through the power receiving connector 103 or the multipolar connector 105. Typically, the shunt resistor is connected to the terminal of the power receiving connector 103, but is not limited thereto, and a Hall element or the like can be connected to another terminal.

Of the electronic components 107, it is important that the coil is disposed on the multipolar connector 105 and the power receiving connector 103 side and the current detection element 102 is disposed on the opposite side of the power receiving connector 103.

As an example of the shunt resistor, a surface mount resistor of 1 mΩ to 1Ω is generally used, and the lowest possible value is used as long as accuracy is allowed in relation to power loss. For example, in the case of 5 mΩ, the voltage is 5 mV per 1 A, so a design that is more careful than 10 mΩ is required.

By placing a high-precision amplifier next to the shunt resistor and amplifying it by a factor of 100, for example, a detection voltage of 5 V per 10 A can be obtained. By using this, an overcurrent protection circuit is activated. It can shut off more accurately and faster than a fuse.

According to the arrangement of the present invention in which the current detection element 102 is arranged on the opposite side of the multipolar connector 105, a sufficiently accurate operation can be obtained even when the operating point is 12A with a shunt resistance of 5 mΩ.

If the shunt resistance is 5 mΩ, the heat generation is 0.7 W per 12 A, and both the power loss and the heat generation are halved compared to 1.4 W of the surface mount type fuse rated 12 A with an internal resistance of about 10 mΩ. Since the internal resistance of the fuse that can actually be blown in a short time at 12A instead of the rated 12A is higher, the difference is substantially several times.

The width of the substrate 104 is not particularly limited, but was about 8 cm in the first prototype and 4 cm in the later prototype substrate. This was redesigned as 3 cm. Although it has not been easy to reduce to 3 cm on the premise that components are mounted only on one side, there is a possibility that it can be reduced to about 1 cm in the future due to technological advances.

Known materials and structures can be used for the substrate 104. Common substrates include those in which copper foil exists only on one side, double-sided substrates on the front and back surfaces, and those in which a plurality of inner layers exist, and are not particularly limited, but are made of a material called FR4. A double-sided substrate is particularly suitable.

A grounding copper foil pattern may be formed on the back surface of the substrate 104, that is, the surface on the multipolar connector side. Electrical characteristics such as radiation noise are improved. In addition, when a finger is put on at the time of removal, the surface of the substrate may be damaged by a nail or a ring, but such a case is less likely to be adversely affected.

The connector 105 may have a retaining claw. Since this type of connector used in the ATX standard has a stopper, the configuration of the present invention is particularly effective from the viewpoint of ease of removal.

For example, if the surface of the middle finger is pushed near the base of the middle finger and the surface on which the electronic component 107 is not mounted is pushed up while pushing the retaining fingernail on the side of the index finger, the force and the palm of the electronic component 107 can be easily removed. You can avoid touching.

When it is necessary to transmit power through other than the connector 105, a part of the connector 103 may be used, but another adjacent power transmission connector may be arranged separately. By such a method, for example, 5V or 12V can be supplied as power supply to an auxiliary storage device, an image processing device, and other arithmetic processing devices.

The positions of the added power transmission connector and the power reception connector 103 may be interchanged.

Also, any number of outputs 106 may be provided. A typical example of the output 106 is a red LED that blinks when the current detection element detects an overcurrent. However, the output 106 can be notified to an external display device as a connector that outputs an electrical signal.

When the output 106 is a connector that outputs an electrical signal, the position is best on the side opposite to the power receiving connector 103 on the long axis direction 101 of the multipolar connector, but is not limited thereto.

A digital arithmetic circuit may be provided between the current detection element and the output. As a result of trial manufacture, for example, even if the set value of overcurrent protection is not reached, it has been found that a function of blinking an LED in a specific pattern when a large current continues to be detected for a certain period of time has proved useful.

Furthermore, when the output 106 is directly connected to a standard connection terminal of an electronic computer as an industry standard general-purpose serial bus, it is possible to add a function of reading the maximum current value, average current value, and voltage value every few seconds. did it.

A power supply device that can be easily removed can be provided at low cost.

101 Auxiliary line 102 indicating long axis direction of multipolar connector Current detection element 103 Power receiving connector 104 Substrate 105 Multipolar connector 106 Output 107 Electronic component

Claims (3)

A power converter for receiving power from a DC power source and supplying it to a main board of an electronic computer, having a rectangular parallelepiped multipolar connector portion for connection to the main board, and having a power receiving connector in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular parallelepiped It is characterized by that.
The power conversion device according to claim 1, wherein the power conversion device includes a current detection element and is arranged in the order of a multipolar connector, a power receiving connector, and a current detection element in a major axis direction of the multipolar connector.
The power conversion device according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanism that outputs a measurement value of the current detection element.

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