Abstract: An auxiliary power supply system includes an internal combustion engine driving an alternator the output of which is rectified and supplied to DC bus lines across which a storage battery is connected. The DC bus lines may supply a consuming device such as an uninterruptible power supply or telecommunications system. The voltage across the bus lines is sensed and when the voltage drops below a selected value, indicating that the consuming devices is drawing power from the battery beyond a desired limit, the engine is turned on for a period of time to warm it up, during which the power from the generator is not supplied to the DC bus lines. Thereafter, the generator supplies power to the DC bus lines to supply the consuming device and partially recharge the battery until the consuming device is no longer drawing power, after which the engine is shut off.

Abstract: A back-up uninterruptible power system has a power supply path from input terminals connected to AC power system lines to normally supply power to a load. Upon the occurrence of a line fault, a static switch in the power supply path interrupts the connection between the AC power lines and the load and an inverter is turned on to provide power derived from an auxiliary battery through a transformer to the power supply path to supply AC power to the load. By using the static switch, switching from line connection to backup power can be done quickly, within a half cycle, so that substantially no interruption of the output waveform is observed. The inverter can be operated to provide a commutation pulse to the SCRs in the static switch to commutate an SCR which might otherwise continue conducting after the triggering signals to the gates are cut off and before the inverter supplies the AC power to the load.

Abstract: AC line monitoring is provided for uninterruptible power supplies to detect AC power system line faults by comparing the presently received cycle of the AC power line signal with a reference waveform. The reference waveform is formed of a composite of waveforms from prior cycles which adapts over time to the shape of the AC power line waveform, so that waveforms other than pure sinusoids can be accepted without triggering false fault conditions. The composite reference waveform may be formed of essentially all samples from prior cycles with exponentially decaying weighting. An excessive deviation of the current waveform from the reference waveform results in a fault being detected which causes switching of the uninterrupible power supply to provide backup power.

Abstract: An auxiliary power supply system includes an internal combustion engine driving an alternator the output of which is rectified and supplied to DC bus lines across which a storage battery is connected. The DC bus lines may supply a consuming device such as an uninterruptible power supply or telecommunications system. The voltage across the bus lines is sensed and when the voltage drops below a selected value, indicating that the consuming devices is drawing power from the battery beyond a desired limit, the engine is turned on for a period of time to warm it up, during which the power from the generator is not supplied to the DC bus lines. Thereafter, the generator supplies power to the DC bus lines to supply the consuming device and partially recharge the battery until the consuming device is no longer drawing power, after which the engine is shut off.

Abstract: The inverter of an uninterruptible power system is tested by turning on switches in the inverter at a selected test phase in each half-cycle of the AC input waveform so that the inverter provides a voltage which opposes the AC input voltage waveform during part of each half-cycle of the waveform. The resulting current drawn from the inverter battery, if any, is measured and its peak may be found. The peak battery current during each half-cycle is compared to maximum allowable peak currents to determine if an inverter failure has occurred. If the peak currents are lower than a maximum acceptable value, the test is repeated on a subsequent AC input waveform at a decreased test phase (a shorter time delay from the zero crossing of each half-cycle of the waveform) until the peak current in the first half-cycle is at a selected value, at which time the peak in the second half-cycle is checked to determine if it is within an acceptable range. If not, an inverter test failure is indicated.

Abstract: A front panel unit for allowing user communication with electronic equipment includes an injection molded plastic front panel which has integrally formed keys which include are each connected by a spring strip to the body of the front panel. These keypads are depressed by a user and engage microswitches on a PC board which is mounted to the back of the plastic front panel. Openings are provided in the front panel to allow the user to observe visual indicators also mounted on the PC board, such as display lights and alpha numeric display devices. The mounting of the PC board to the front panel is readily accomplished utilizing platforms and retainers which are integrally molded into the front panel to which the PC board is engaged with a snapfit.

Abstract: A power supply for vacuum fluorescent displays has a source of a relatively high frequency signal which is provided to a power driver amplifier which is also supplied with a desired supply voltage. The output of the driver amplifier is a square-wave signal varying between approximately zero and the supply voltage; this signal is provided to the filament of the vacuum fluorescent display such that the filament is heated and is self-biased at a DC level which is substantially one-half the supply voltage level. Self-biasing a capacitor between the filament and ground, which also allows the RMS level of the voltage across the filament to be controlled by controlling the frequency of the output signal from the driver amplifier. The voltage may be regulated by comparing the RMS voltage across the filament with a reference and using the difference to control the frequency of oscillation of the source.

Abstract: Two or more gated type power switches, particularly mosfets, are disclosed in a protection circuit which protects the other power switches should one of them short to its respective gate. The circuit includes elements for sensing the occurrence of the failure, for carrying or diverting excess current from the gates, and increasing the impedance of the gates to minimize any damage. The circuit prevents the failure of one mosfet in a drain to gate short mode from destroying or damaging the other parallel mosfets. The invention results in easier analysis and repair of any damage should a breakdown occur, and for the first time makes practical the use of many mosfets in parallel for power switching applications.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for use with a battery powered inverter for powering a load through a ferroresonant transformer. The current flow through the inverter-ferroresorant transformer is sensed and is utilized to modulate the inverter's pulse width at a point, after a peak voltage but before saturation begins, when the slope of the inverter-ferroresonant transformer current with respect to time is at or near zero. A maximum current limiting feature can be provided in the method and apparatus of the present invention.