KR20150044335A - A power supply apparatus and method - Google Patents

Abstract

The disclosed power supply apparatus includes a plurality of power conversion modules connected in parallel with an AC power source, a control unit for controlling the plurality of power conversion modules to supply DC power to the load, and the control unit detects the capacity of the load, And selects one of a plurality of power-changing modules according to one capacity.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a power supply apparatus and method,

The present disclosure relates to power supplies and methods.

Generally, the power supply converts the AC input power to DC power, and supplies the necessary energy to electric devices such as servers, TVs, notebooks, and lights. The power supply may include a power factor correction (hereinafter referred to as PFC) for compensating the power factor of the input AC power. Power factor correction is a type of power-saving circuit that adjusts the voltage and current phase of the power supply in order to improve the power efficiency of the power supply. It is a circuit that regulates the power supplied to the transformer and the ballast, etc., .

The present disclosure seeks to provide a power supply and method.

A power supply according to one type includes: a plurality of power conversion modules connected in parallel with an ac power source; And a controller for controlling the plurality of power conversion modules to supply DC power to the load, wherein the controller detects the capacity of the load and selects one of the plurality of power-changing modules according to the sensed capacity do.

The plurality of power conversion modules may be different power conversion modules designed to correspond to the capacity of the load.

Wherein the control unit includes: a sensing unit that senses a magnitude of a current output from one of the plurality of power conversion modules; A comparing unit comparing a magnitude of the sensed current with an existing current value; And a control signal output unit outputting a drive control signal for driving the plurality of power conversion modules according to the comparison result.

Wherein each of the plurality of power conversion modules comprises: a PFC circuit for compensating a power factor of the AC power; And a converter circuit for outputting a constant voltage output from the PFC circuit at a predetermined voltage.

Wherein the first power conversion module of the plurality of power conversion modules includes a first PFC circuit and a first converter circuit and a second power conversion module of the plurality of power conversion modules comprises a first PFC circuit, A second PFC circuit, and a second converter circuit different from the first converter circuit.

Wherein the first power conversion module operates at a maximum efficiency when the capacity of the load is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference capacity and the second power conversion module operates at a maximum efficiency .

The load may be a 750 W load.

The first power conversion module of the plurality of power conversion modules operates at a maximum efficiency of 150 W or more and the second one of the plurality of power conversion modules can operate at a maximum efficiency of less than 150 W.

The first power conversion module may be implemented with a soft switching bridge PFC and a phase shift full bridge converter, and the second power conversion module may be implemented with a DCM / CRM boost PFC and a fly active clamp flyback converter.

The switches of the PFC and the active clamp flyback converter may be implemented as p-type GaN devices.

The load may be a 750 W server system.

And an EMI filter connected to an input terminal of the plurality of power conversion modules.

A plurality of power conversion modules connected in parallel with an alternating current power supply according to another type; And a controller for controlling the plurality of power conversion modules to supply DC power to the load, the method comprising: sensing a capacity of the load; And selecting one of the plurality of power-changing modules according to the sensed capacity.

The plurality of power conversion modules may be different power conversion modules designed to correspond to the capacity of the load.

Wherein the sensing step senses a magnitude of a current output from one of the plurality of power conversion modules, and the selecting further comprises: comparing a magnitude of the sensed current with a current value; And outputting a drive control signal for driving the plurality of power conversion modules according to the comparison result.

Wherein each of the plurality of power conversion modules comprises: a PFC circuit for compensating a power factor of the AC power; And a converter circuit for outputting a constant voltage output from the PFC circuit at a predetermined voltage.

Wherein the first power conversion module of the plurality of power conversion modules includes a first PFC circuit and a first converter circuit and a second power conversion module of the plurality of power conversion modules comprises a first PFC circuit, A second PFC circuit, and a second converter circuit different from the first converter circuit.

Wherein the first power conversion module operates at a maximum efficiency when the capacity of the load is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference capacity and the second power conversion module operates at a maximum efficiency .

Wherein the first power conversion module operates at a maximum efficiency when the capacity of the load is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference capacity and the second power conversion module operates at a maximum efficiency .

The load may be a 750 W server system.

The above-mentioned power supply device can design high-efficiency circuits according to the load capacity and then selectively connect them in parallel according to the load size, thereby achieving high efficiency in the entire load region.

1 is a schematic diagram of a power supply according to one embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a modification of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. Fig.
Fig. 3 is a modification of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. Fig.
4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the application of the 750W server system according to the embodiment shown in FIG.
5 is a flow chart illustrating a power supply method according to another embodiment.
6 is an exemplary diagram for comparing the performance of the power supply apparatus including the individual topology and the power supply apparatus according to the present embodiment.

The embodiments are capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the embodiments of the present invention are not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments but are to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention. In the following description of the embodiments of the present invention, a detailed description of related arts will be omitted if it is determined that the gist of the present invention may be blurred.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by terms. Terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring to the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a duplicate description thereof will be omitted.

The term topology used in this embodiment is used to refer to a methodology of how to implement a circuit or a system in design, and should be understood in the same sense as the power conversion module used in the claims.

1 is a schematic diagram of a power supply according to one embodiment. Here, the power supply unit converts AC input power, for example, 90 to 265 V ac, into DC power, and supplies energy required for electrical equipment such as a server, a TV, a notebook, and a lighting.

1, the power supply 100 includes power conversion modules 110 including a first topology 111 and a second topology 112, a controller 120, and an AC power source 130 . The power supply apparatus 100 converts the AC power supply 130 into a DC power supply and supplies the DC power to the load 140. For example, the AC power source 130 may be an AC power source having an input voltage range of 90 to 265 V, and the load 140 may be a 750 W class server system.

The power conversion modules 110 may be implemented with topologies designed to be optimized for the capacity of the load 140. [ In this embodiment, the power conversion modules 110 may be power conversion modules that can achieve optimal efficiency in a range of variation in the capacity of the load 140 (e.g., light load, heavy load, heavy load, etc.) .

The first topology 111 may be a circuit in which the load 140 provides optimum efficiency over a medium load range and the second topology 112 is a circuit in which the load 140 provides optimal efficiency at light loads .

The control unit 120 senses the capacity of the load 140 and selects one of the power conversion modules 110 corresponding to the capacity of the sensed load 140 to convert the AC power 130 into a DC power, (140).

For example, when the load 140 is light load capacity, the control unit 120 turns off the first topology 111 and operates the second topology 112. On the other hand, when the load 140 is a heavy load, the controller 120 turns off the second topology 112 and operates the first topology 111.

Fig. 2 is a modification of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1. Fig.

2, the capacity range of the load 240 is further subdivided into a first topology 211, a second topology 212, ... Nth Nth sub- Topology 213 as shown in FIG. The first to N topologies 211 to 213 may be implemented with different power conversion circuits (e.g., a combination of a power factor correction (PFC) and a converter) optimized for the capacity range of the load 240 . The configuration of the topology implemented by the PFC and the converter will be described later with reference to FIG.

For example, the first topology 211 is a power conversion module optimized at a% to 100% based on 100% of the capacity of the load 240, and the second topology 212 is the capacity of the load 240 Is an optimized power conversion module at b% to a%, and the Nth topology 213 may be a power conversion module in which the capacity of the load 240 is optimized at 0% to k%.

An EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) filter 250 suppresses noise generated when the AC power source 230 is input or high frequency switching noise generated in the power supply 200.

The capacitor 260 charges the voltage output from the topology of one of the first through N topologies 211-213. And supplies power to the load 240 through the voltage charged in the capacitor 260.

The control unit 220 senses the capacity of the load 240 by sensing the current input to the load and selects one of the first to Nth topologies 211 to 213 according to the sensed capacity of the load 240 do.

FIG. 3 is an example of using two topologies in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2; FIG.

Referring to FIG. 3, the controller 320 senses the capacity of the load 340 and selects one of the first topology 311 and the second topology 312. The controller 320 converts the AC power 330 into a DC power according to the topology selected by the controller 320 and supplies power to the load 340.

In this embodiment, by connecting topologies having optimum efficiencies according to the capacity of a load in parallel and selectively operating the topology according to the capacity of the load, a power supply device having high efficiency in a full load region can be realized .

4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating the application of the 750W server system according to the embodiment shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, the power supply 400 includes power conversion modules 410 including a first topology 411 and a second topology 412, And an EMI filter 450 for suppressing noise generated when the AC power source 430 is input and high frequency waves generated in the power supply 400. [ Here, in the case of a server system of 750W, when the load is 20% or more based on 20% of the load capacity, that is, in the case of a heavy capacity load of 150W to 750W, the AC power source 430 is connected to the DC power source through the first topology 411 And converts the AC power source 430 into a DC power source through the second topology 412 under a light load of less than 150 W, and supplies the DC power to the load.

The first topology 411 includes a first PFC circuit 411-1 and a first converter 411-2 and a second topology 412 includes a first PFC circuit 412-1 and a second converter 412-2). Here, the first topology 411 and the second topology 412 are implemented by different power conversion modules, and the first PFC circuit 411-1 and the second PFC circuit 412-1 are different PFC circuits And the first converter 411-2 and the second converter 412-2 may be implemented with different converter circuits.

The first PCF circuit 411-1 of the first topology 411 is implemented by a Bridgeless PFC circuit and the first converter 411-2 is implemented by a phase shift full bridge converter Can be implemented.

The bridgeless PFC uses two diodes D5 and D6, two inductors L3 and L4, and a capacitor C1 in a semi-bridge circuit composed of D1 to D4, Q1 and Q2 and L1 and L2, . In the bridgeless PFC in this embodiment, conduction loss is reduced by using two diodes instead of using four bridge diodes as a rectifying circuit, and the voltage of the switch at the time of turning off the switches Q1 and Q2 is limited The switch losses can be reduced by adding circuits D5, D6, L3, L4, and C1, which can be used.

In this embodiment, the first topology 411 can be implemented to have an optimum efficiency in medium to large capacity loads of 150W to 750W. The first topology 411 connects the bridgeless PFC and the phase shift full bridge converter to supply DC power to the load.

The second PFC circuit 412-1 and the second converter 412-2 of the second topology 412 and the second PCF circuit 412-1 is implemented by the inductor L8, the switch Q1, / RTI > may be a DCM / CRM PFC implemented as a D11. The second topology 412 may further include bridge rectification circuits D7 to D10 and a DC capacitor C3 for rectifying the AC power supply 430 at the input terminal of the second PFC circuit 412-1. The second converter 412-2 may be a soft switching flyback converter implemented with a capacitor C5, switches Q2 and Q3, a transformer and a diode D12. The second topology 412 may be a PFC converter with optimal efficiency at light loads less than 150W.

The controller 420 senses the capacity of the load and selects the first topology 411 or the second topology 412 according to the sensed load capacity. That is, the first topology 411 is selected in the case of 150W or more, and the second topology 412 is selected in the case of less than 150W.

The control unit 420 senses the current flowing through the input terminal of the load. It is possible to sense a current flowing to the load through a current sensor (not shown).

The comparator 422 compares the sensed current Iload_sen with the reference current Iref. Here, the reference current Iref may be a 20% capacity of the load, that is, a current value corresponding to 150 W. When the sensed current Iload_sen is equal to or greater than the reference current Iref, the determination unit 421 determines that the load is a heavy load of 150 W or more. If the sensed current Iload_sen is smaller than the reference current Iref, It is judged to be light duty.

The determination unit 421 outputs a control signal for operating the first topology 411 to the first topology control signal output unit 423 and determines the operation of the second topology 412 To the second topology control signal output section 424. The second topology control signal output section 424 outputs the control signal to the second topology control signal output section 424. [

The first topology control signal output section 423 outputs a gate drive control signal for driving the gates of the first to eighth switches Q1 to Q8 of the first topology 411 according to the control signal of the determination section 421 do.

The second topology control signal output section 424 outputs a gate drive control signal for driving the gates of the first to third switches Q1 to Q3 of the second topology 412 in response to the control signal of the determination section 421 do.

The switches described with reference to FIG. 4 may be p-type GaN switch elements. The GaN switch device has a low parasitic capacitance value due to the lateral structure and thus has a faster switching speed than silicon (Si). With these two characteristics, the GaN position element can increase the efficiency of the power supply.

In the present embodiment, the two topologies are implemented. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. It is needless to say that the present invention can be implemented with two or more topologies according to the capacity of the load. It should be understood that the PFC circuit and the converter of the first topology and the second topology can be implemented by any circuit capable of operating at the optimum efficiency in accordance with the capacity of the load.

In this embodiment, the circuits having the optimum efficiency are designed according to the capacity of the load, and the circuits are connected in parallel and selectively operated according to the size of the load, thereby achieving high efficiency in the full load region.

5 is a flow chart illustrating a power supply method according to another embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5, in step 500, the current flowing from the output terminal of the power supply to the load is sensed.

In step 502, the sensed current and the reference current are compared. Here, the reference current may be a critical current value having an optimum efficiency depending on the capacity of the load. Referring to FIG. 6, the first topology, the second topology, and the power efficiency for selectively using the first topology and the second topology in parallel are shown according to the capacity (%) of the load.

As shown, the first topology is less efficient at less than 20%, but more efficient at more than 20%. On the other hand, the efficiency of the second topology is less than 20%, but less than 20%. Therefore, it is possible to determine the current value corresponding to the load capacity of 20% as the reference current based on the load capacity of 20%.

In step 504, if the sensed current is equal to or greater than the reference current, then in step 506, the operation of the first topology is controlled.

In step 504, if the sensed current is less than the reference current, then in step 508, the operation of the second topology is controlled.

The specific acts described above are, by way of example, not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. For brevity of description, descriptions of conventional electronic configurations, control systems, software, and other functional aspects of such systems may be omitted. Also, the connections or connecting members of the lines between the components shown in the figures are illustrative of functional connections and / or physical or circuit connections, which may be replaced or additionally provided by a variety of functional connections, physical Connection, or circuit connections. Also, unless explicitly mentioned, such as " essential ", " importantly ", etc., it may not be a necessary component for application of the present invention.

The use of the terms " above " and similar indication words in the specification of the present invention (particularly in the claims) may refer to both singular and plural. In addition, in the present invention, when a range is described, it includes the invention to which the individual values belonging to the above range are applied (unless there is contradiction thereto), and each individual value constituting the above range is described in the detailed description of the invention The same. Finally, the steps may be performed in any suitable order, unless explicitly stated or contrary to the description of the steps constituting the method according to the invention. The present invention is not necessarily limited to the order of description of the above steps. The use of all examples or exemplary language (e.g., etc.) in this invention is for the purpose of describing the present invention only in detail and is not to be limited by the scope of the claims, It is not. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, and alterations may be made depending on design criteria and factors within the scope of the appended claims or equivalents thereof.

100: Power supply
110: power conversion module
111: First topology
112: second topology
120:
130: AC power source
140: Load

Claims (20)

A plurality of power conversion modules connected in parallel with the ac power source;
And a controller for controlling the plurality of power conversion modules to supply DC power to the load,
Wherein,
And to select one of the plurality of power-changing modules according to the sensed capacity. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of power conversion modules comprise:
The power conversion module being a different power conversion module designed to correspond to the capacity of the load. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
A sensing unit for sensing a magnitude of a current output from one of the plurality of power conversion modules;
A comparing unit comparing a magnitude of the sensed current with an existing current value; And
And a control signal output section for outputting a drive control signal for driving the plurality of power conversion modules according to the comparison result. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein each of the plurality of power conversion modules comprises:
A PFC circuit for compensating a power factor of the AC power source; And
And a converter circuit for outputting a constant voltage output from the PFC circuit at a predetermined voltage. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the first power conversion module of the plurality of power conversion modules comprises:
A first PFC circuit and a first converter circuit,
Wherein the second power conversion module of the plurality of power conversion modules comprises:
A second PFC circuit different from the first PFC circuit; and a second converter circuit different from the first converter circuit. 6. The method of claim 5,
The first power conversion module includes:
Operates at maximum efficiency when the capacity of the load is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference capacity,
Wherein the second power conversion module comprises:
And operates at maximum efficiency when the capacity of the load is smaller than the predetermined existing capacity. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the load is a 750W load. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the first power conversion module of the plurality of power conversion modules operates at a maximum efficiency of 150 W or more,
Wherein the second one of the plurality of power conversion modules operates at a maximum efficiency of less than 150W. 9. The method of claim 8,
The first power conversion module includes:
Soft switching PFC and phase shift full bridge converter,
Wherein the second power conversion module comprises:
Power supply implemented with DCM / CRM boost PFC and active clamp flyback converter. 10. The method of claim 9,
The switches of each PFC and the active clamp flyback converter
A power supply implemented with a p-type GaN device. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein said load is a 750 W server system. The method according to claim 1,
And an EMI filter connected to an input of the plurality of power conversion modules. A plurality of power conversion modules connected in parallel with the ac power source; And a controller for controlling the plurality of power conversion modules to supply DC power to a load, the power supply method comprising:
Sensing a capacity of the load; And
And selecting one of the plurality of power-changing modules according to the sensed capacity. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the plurality of power conversion modules comprise:
Wherein the power conversion module is a different power conversion module designed to correspond to the capacity of the load. 14. The method of claim 13,
In the sensing step,
Detecting a magnitude of a current output from the power conversion module of one of the plurality of power conversion modules,
In the selecting step,
Comparing a magnitude of the sensed current with an existing current value; And
And outputting a drive control signal for driving the plurality of power conversion modules according to the comparison result. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein each of the plurality of power conversion modules comprises:
A PFC circuit for compensating a power factor of the AC power source; And a converter circuit for outputting a constant voltage output from the PFC circuit at a predetermined voltage. 17. The method of claim 16,
Wherein the first power conversion module of the plurality of power conversion modules comprises:
A first PFC circuit and a first converter circuit,
Wherein the second power conversion module of the plurality of power conversion modules comprises:
A second PFC circuit different from the first PFC circuit; and a second converter circuit different from the first converter circuit. 14. The method of claim 13,
The first power conversion module includes:
Operates at maximum efficiency when the capacity of the load is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference capacity,
Wherein the second power conversion module comprises:
And operates at maximum efficiency when the capacity of the load is smaller than the predetermined existing capacity. 14. The method of claim 13,
The first power conversion module includes:
Operates at maximum efficiency when the capacity of the load is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference capacity,
Wherein the second power conversion module comprises:
And operates at maximum efficiency when the capacity of the load is smaller than the predetermined existing capacity. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the load is a 750 W server system.

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