Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for a high efficiency redundant power system. First and second power supplies are connected in parallel to power a load. Each power supply includes a primary stage and a regulator stage. Each primary stage regulates voltage on an internal bus that is input for each regulator stage. Each regulator stage regulates a regulated bus connected to the load. A power meter detects power provided to the load and determines if the provided power is below a predefined power threshold. A regulator control module shuts down the regulator stage of the first power supply after the provided power falls below the predefined power threshold so the second power supply powers the load and the primary stage of the first power supply remains operational. A recovery module starts up the regulator stage of the first power supply after failure of the second power supply.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for a low cost self-healing power supply. The invention includes a power supply that regulates a direct current (“DC”) regulated bus to maintain a regulated bus voltage under varying load conditions. The power supply includes at least one pulse-width modulated stage, wherein each pulse-width modulated stage includes at least two switches connected in parallel. Each switch includes a fuse connected in series with the switch that disconnects the switch in response to an over current condition sufficient to open the fuse. The power supply also includes a pulse-width modulator for each stage of the power supply that regulates a bus voltage controlled by the stage by sensing the controlled bus voltage and adjusting a switching duty cycle to regulate the controlled bus voltage to a target value. The pulse-width modulator for a stage provides a substantially identical switching duty cycle to each switch of the stage.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for a power supply that is efficient in both high and low power conditions. An integrated power supply regulates current on a regulated bus to maintain a regulated bus voltage under varying load conditions. The integrated power supply includes a first power supply rated to provide full load power to the load and second power supply rated to provide power at levels below a minimum power threshold. The second power supply includes switching elements that have lower switching losses than switching elements of the first power supply. A sensing module measures power. A switching module starts up the second power supply and shuts down the first power supply if the measured power falls below the minimum power threshold, and starts up the first power supply and shuts down the second power supply if the measured power rises above the minimum power threshold.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for a low cost fault-tolerant power supply. The invention includes a power supply that regulates a bus voltage under varying load conditions. The power supply includes at least one pulse-width modulated stage, where each pulse-width modulated stage includes at least two DC-to-DC converters connected and operating in parallel. Each converter includes a switch and a fuse connected in series where the fuse disconnects the switch in response to an over current condition sufficient to open the fuse. The power supply also includes a pulse-width modulator for each stage of the power supply that regulates a bus voltage controlled by the stage by sensing the controlled bus voltage and adjusting a switching duty cycle to regulate the controlled bus voltage to a target value. The pulse-width modulator for a stage provides a substantially identical switching duty cycle to each switch of the stage.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for redundant power supplies. A regulator module receives a first power waveform from a first power supply module and a second power waveform from a second power supply module and provides power to a low voltage, regulated output bus. The power waveforms include high voltage, high frequency, chopped power waveforms. The regulator module includes an interleaved power supply stage that receives the power waveforms as pulse-width modulated power signals and converts the first and second power waveforms to the low voltage, regulated voltage on the output bus. The regulator module includes a feedback module that receives a voltage feedback signal from the output bus, adjusts a duty cycle based on the feedback signal, and transmits a drive signal based on the duty cycle to the power supply modules which use the drive signals to generate the first and second power waveforms.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for providing regulated electric power. At least two power buses transfer regulated direct current (“DC”) power from at least four power supplies to an electric load. The power supplies receive electric power from one or more electric sources and convert the electric power to the regulated DC electric power. A switch is connected between each of the power buses and the electric load. Each switch connects and disconnects a power bus to the electric load and transfers the regulated DC electric power from the buses to the electric load. An output power bus connection is disposed on each of the power supplies. Each of the power buses is connected to at least two power supplies and each output power bus connection connects the corresponding power supply upon which the output power bus connection is disposed to exactly one power bus.

Abstract: Battery charge management systems for charging a battery bank including a plurality of batteries connected in series are disclosed that include: a power source having a charging port, the power source capable of providing power to each battery in the battery bank; a multiplexer connected to the battery bank, the multiplexer capable of connecting the charging port to a single battery at a time and capable of switching the connection of the charging port to each battery in the battery bank; and a microcontroller connected to the multiplexer and operatively coupled to each battery in the battery bank, the microcontroller capable of receiving discharge data and charge data for each battery in the battery bank, the microcontroller capable of instructing the multiplexer to switch the connection of the charging port with each battery in dependence upon the discharge data and the charge data for that battery.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for a low cost multiple output redundant power supply. Disclosed is a power supply that includes a primary stage for regulating voltage on an internal bus. The power supply includes a first regulator stage and a second regulator stage connected to the internal bus. The first regulator stage regulates voltage on a bus configured to connect to a first system. The second regulator stage regulates voltage on a bus configured to connect to a second system. The each regulator stage continues to operate in the event the other regulator stage is not operating. A disconnecting means is connected between the primary stage and the each regulator stage for isolating the failed regulator stage from the other regulator stage and the primary stage.

Abstract: The present invention provides one single chip solution for a non-isolated DC-DC regulator. The advantage is high reliability, lower cost and smaller space on the motherboard. This integrated solution opens the door for a distributed architecture with few millimeter high 1?×1? regulator. Such regulators could be populated as QFP ICs are on all system boards. The present invention is based on a single VRM chip, PBGA multilayer board with processor signal pads and power points. The multilayer board periphery has SMD components such as ceramic capacitors, ICs, MOSFETs and a rectangular metal heat sink along with ferrite cores which sandwich the multilayer board and SMDs to form inductors for the multiphase solution.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for event, time, and failure state recording in a power supply. Disclosed is a power supply that receives AC voltage as an input and provides regulated DC voltage as an output; a microcontroller integrated into the power supply that regulates output voltage and monitors, records, and reports operating conditions of the power supply; and a non-volatile solid-state storage that can be repeatedly read from, written to, and erased by the microcontroller and integrated within the microcontroller such that only a single address is needed to access both the microcontroller and the solid-state storage, the solid-state storage configured to store operating data received from the microcontroller, the operating data including the recorded operating conditions of the power supply.

Abstract: An AC adapter which reduces the amount of power drawn from an AC power source when a system is disconnected from the adapter, includes: a rectifier bridge for rectifying an AC voltage from an AC power supply; a conversion circuit coupled to the rectifier bridge for converting the rectified AC voltage to a DC voltage; and an opto-coupler coupled to the conversion circuit for monitoring an output connection of the circuit, wherein when a system is not coupled to the output connection, the opto-coupler substantially prevents the AC voltage from being drawn from the AC power supply. The adapter circuit uses an opto-coupler comprising a diode and a transistor to reduce the amount of current drawn from an AC power supply when a system is not connected to the AC adapter. In this manner, the AC adapter is prevented from becoming heated when no system is connected.

Abstract: Aspects for integrating speed control and fault detection in a fan assembly are described. The aspects include a fan, a first circuit is coupled to the fan for regulating speed of the fan, and a second circuit coupled to the fan and to the first circuit for detecting a fault condition in the fan. A ripple regulator is integrated as the first circuit, and a pulse missing detector circuit is integrated as the second circuit.

Abstract: A power factor correction circuit is disclosed. The power factor correction circuit comprises a converter portion, a boost stage portion coupled to the converter portion, and an energy reserve portion coupled to the boost stage portion, the energy reserve portion for providing a voltage for the power factor correction circuit in the event of an interruption of power to the circuit. Through the use of the circuit in accordance with the present invention, the use of expensive, higher rated circuitry components is avoided. By avoiding the use of expensive higher rated circuitry components a significant reduction in manufacturing costs is achieved.

Abstract: An AC adapter which reduces the amount of power drawn from an AC power source when a system is disconnected from the adapter, includes: a rectifier bridge for rectifying an AC voltage from an AC power supply; a conversion circuit coupled to the rectifier bridge for converting the rectified AC voltage to a DC voltage; and an opto-coupler coupled to the conversion circuit for monitoring an output connection of the circuit, wherein when a system is not coupled to the output connection, the opto-coupler substantially prevents the AC voltage from being drawn from the AC power supply. The adapter circuit uses an opto-coupler comprising a diode and a transistor to reduce the amount of current drawn from an AC power supply when a system is not connected to the AC adapter. In this manner, the AC adapter is prevented from becoming heated when no system is connected.

Abstract: The power supply in accordance with the present invention provides AC redundancy while also preventing voltages from multiple AC voltage sources from adding at a common node. The adding of voltages is avoided by ensuring that only one AC voltage source at a time is providing the voltage at the output. Even if the other AC voltage sources are connected afterwards, these later AC voltage source are prevented from providing power at the output. In addition, diodes prevent current from back flowing to the AC voltage sources which are not supplying power to the output. Because the power supply in accordance with the present invention neither uses redundant AC to DC power supplies from independent AC voltage sources, nor does it use a costly transfer switch, the power supply in accordance with the present invention is more cost effective than conventional redundant power supplies.

Abstract: A power supply system for providing power to a load is disclosed. The power supply system comprises a plurality of sources and a plurality of power supplies. Each of the plurality of power supplies has an input and an output. Each of the plurality of power supplies are coupled to one of the plurality of sources. One of the plurality of power supplies provides a power status signal. The outputs of the plurality of power supplies are coupled together. The power supply system includes a switching circuit coupled to the plurality of sources and receives the power status signal. The power supply system further includes a back up power supply. The back up power supply has an input and an output. The input of the back up power supply is coupled to the switching circuit. The output of the back up power supply is coupled to the output of the plurality of power supplies. The switching circuit monitors the power status signal and switches in the back up power supply when a power interruption occurs.

Abstract: A power converter circuit is disclosed. The power converter circuit comprises an oscillator for receiving an input wherein the oscillator operates with a fixed frequency and a resonant circuit coupled to the oscillator, wherein the resonant circuit is adjusted to minimize switching losses. Through the use the power converter circuit in accordance with the present invention, high switching losses are avoided thereby resulting in an increase in the overall efficiency of the power converter circuit.

Abstract: The power supply in accordance with the present invention provides AC redundancy while also preventing voltages from multiple AC voltage sources from adding at a common node. The adding of voltages is avoided by ensuring that only one AC voltage source at a time is providing the voltage at the output. Even if the other AC voltage sources are connected afterwards, these later AC voltage source are prevented from providing power at the output. In addition, diodes prevent current from back flowing to the AC voltage sources which are not supplying power to the output. Because the power supply in accordance with the present invention neither uses redundant AC to DC power supplies from independent AC voltage sources, nor does it use a costly transfer switch, the power supply in accordance with the present invention is more cost effective than conventional redundant power supplies.

Abstract: Aspects for a power converter with power factor correction (PFC) circuit are described. The aspects include a buck/boost circuit for achieving a DC voltage from an AC input voltage signal line without developing an inrush current from the AC input voltage line, and a DC/DC converter circuit coupled to the buck/boost circuit for converting the DC voltage to a desired voltage level. The aspects are achieved in a straightforward, cost effective, and adaptable manner.

Abstract: A power supply system for providing power to a load is disclosed. The power supply system comprises a plurality of sources and a plurality of power supplies. Each of the plurality of power supplies has an input and an output. Each of the plurality of power supplies are coupled to one of the plurality of sources. One of the plurality of power supplies provides a power status signal. The outputs of the plurality of power supplies are coupled together. The power supply system includes a switching circuit coupled to the plurality of sources and receives the power status signal. The power supply system further includes a back up power supply. The back up power supply has an input and an output. The input of the back up power supply is coupled to the switching circuit. The output of the back up power supply is coupled to the output of the plurality of power supplies. The switching circuit monitors the power status signal and switches in the back up power supply when a power interruption occurs.