JP2020017003A - Power supply unit and power supply - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a power supply unit and a power supply that can minimize power loss by switching whether a blocking circuit is working or not according to a practical form selectively.SOLUTION: The power supply unit comprises: multiple power supplies arranged in parallel with each other and including an input end and an output end, a converter that converts voltage inputted from the input end and outputs the converted voltage to an external device connected to the output end, a blocking circuit that is inserted between the converter and the output end and protects the converter from an abnormal current flown in from the output end, and a relay switch arranged in parallel with the blocking circuit; and a control unit controlling an on-off operation at a relay switch included in each of the multiple power supplies.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a power supply unit that converts an input voltage and supplies the converted voltage to an external device, and a power supply.

  In general, a power supply unit that converts an input voltage and supplies the converted voltage to an external device employs a parallel operation method. For example, as disclosed in Patent Literature 1 below, a power supply unit adopting the above-described parallel operation method connects a plurality of power supplies for converting an input voltage to a predetermined voltage in parallel, and at least one of the power supplies One is to supply voltage to external equipment. Thereby, the power supply unit can meet various market needs from small capacity to high capacity.

  By the way, in a power supply unit adopting the parallel operation system, when a failure occurs in at least one of a plurality of power supplies connected in parallel, an abnormal current is generated in the failed power supply. In order to protect the normally operating power supply from the abnormal current, an output section of each power supply is provided with a blocking circuit such as an OR diode circuit or an OR FET circuit. Thus, the power supply unit can prevent an abnormal current generated when a failure occurs in the power supply from flowing into another power supply connected in parallel.

JP-A-2002-215273

  On the other hand, the blocking circuit includes an electronic component such as a diode or a transistor, and thus generates more power loss than a simple electric path. For example, in the case of a power supply unit provided with a plurality of power supplies connected in parallel and supplying a voltage to an external device by any one of the plurality of power supplies, the power supply is generated by another power supply other than the power supply to be operated other than the power supply to be operated. There is no need to consider the failure that occurs. Therefore, there is no need to consider the abnormal current flowing from another power source, and the blocking circuit is not required. That is, when the blocking circuit is always installed in the output unit of each power supply, there is a problem that useless power loss occurs depending on the operation mode of the power supply unit.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to selectively switch whether or not to operate the blocking circuit according to an operation mode to minimize power loss. It is an object of the present invention to provide a power supply unit and a power supply.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the power supply unit according to the present embodiment, an input terminal and an output terminal, convert a voltage input from the input terminal, and convert the voltage converted to the external device connected to the output terminal. A converter that outputs, a blocking circuit that is provided between the converter and the output terminal and protects the converter from an abnormal current flowing from the output terminal, and a relay switch that is connected in parallel with the blocking circuit, The power supply includes a plurality of power supplies connected in parallel, and a control unit that controls an on / off operation of the relay switch included in each of the plurality of power supplies. In the case where the converted voltage is output to the external device by at least two or more of the plurality of power supplies, all the relay switches included in each of the plurality of power supplies are turned off by the control unit. Is done. When outputting the converted voltage to the external device by any one of the plurality of power supplies, the relay switch included in the power supply that is outputting the voltage among the plurality of power supplies, The relay switch that is turned on by the control unit and included in the power supply that does not output the voltage among the plurality of power supplies is turned off by the control unit.

  According to the above configuration, in the power supply unit according to the present embodiment, in a case where the converted voltage is output to the external device by at least two or more power supplies of the plurality of power supplies, all the power supplies included in each of the plurality of power supplies are output. The relay switch is turned off by the control unit. Accordingly, the power supply unit and the power supply according to the present embodiment can make the blocking circuit function and protect the converter. In the case where the converted voltage is output to an external device by any one of the plurality of power supplies, a relay switch included in the power supply outputting the voltage among the plurality of power supplies is turned on by the control unit. . Thus, the power supply unit and the power supply according to the present embodiment can supply the voltage output from the converter to the external device without passing through the blocking circuit that causes power loss. Further, among the plurality of power supplies, a relay switch included in a power supply that does not output a voltage is turned off by the control unit. Accordingly, the power supply unit and the power supply according to the present embodiment can make the blocking circuit function and protect the converter.

  The power supply unit and the power supply according to the present embodiment can selectively switch whether or not to function the blocking circuit according to the operation mode, thereby minimizing power loss.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a power supply unit according to the embodiment and other configurations. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a blocking circuit and a relay switch included in each of a plurality of power supplies illustrated in FIG. 1. In the power supply control circuit shown in FIG. 1, when the power supply is operating and an operation signal is received or not received from another control circuit, the ON / OFF operation of the semiconductor switch of the relay switch and the blocking circuit is not performed. It is a timing chart shown. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a power supply unit that supplies a converted voltage to an external device using one power supply according to the embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a power supply unit and a power supply according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present embodiment is not limited to the content described below, and can be arbitrarily changed and implemented without changing the gist thereof. Also, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments are all schematic diagrams of constituent members, and are partially emphasized, enlarged, reduced, or omitted for better understanding. May not accurately represent the shape or shape.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment and other configurations. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of blocking circuits 41 to 4n (n: an integer) and relay switches 51 to 5n (n: an integer) included in each of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n (n: an integer) illustrated in FIG. It is.

  In the power supply unit 1 shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n are connected in parallel between an input terminal Tin and an output terminal Tout. The power supply unit 1 has a control unit that controls each of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, including on / off operations of the relay switches 51 to 5n included in each of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n. The control unit according to the present embodiment is provided in association with each of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, and includes a plurality of control circuits 61 to control each of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, including on / off operations of the relay switches 51 to 5n. 6n. The plurality of control circuits 61 to 6n in the present embodiment are provided in, for example, each of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n. The power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment converts a voltage input from the input terminal Tin by at least one of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n and outputs the converted voltage from the output terminal Tout. An external device 3 that receives supply of a voltage output from the power supply unit 1 is connected to the output terminal Tout. For example, the power supply unit 1 may supply the converted voltage to the external device 3 by the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n. The power supply unit 1 may supply the converted voltage to the external device 3 by any one of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n.

  The power supply 21 shown in FIG. 1 includes an input terminal T11, an output terminal T21, a converter 31, a blocking circuit 41, and a relay switch 51. Similarly, the power supply 2n shown in FIG. 1 includes an input terminal T1n (n: an integer), an output terminal T2n (n: an integer), a converter 3n (n: an integer), a blocking circuit 4n, and a relay switch 5n. Here, it is assumed that the power supplies 21 to 2n according to the present embodiment are designed, developed, and produced according to the same standard, and for convenience of description, only the configuration included in the power supply 21 will be described in detail. Detailed description of the configuration included in the power supply 2n is omitted.

  Converter 31 converts the voltage input from input terminal T11 and outputs the converted voltage to output terminal T21. Here, the converter 31 in the present embodiment is at least one of a non-insulated AC-DC converter, an isolated AC-DC converter, a non-insulated DC-DC converter, and an isolated DC-DC converter.

  The blocking circuit 41 is provided between the converter 31 and the output terminal T21. Blocking circuit 41 protects converter 31 from an abnormal current caused by other power supplies 22 to 2n connected in parallel.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the blocking circuit 41 includes a semiconductor switch Tr and a switching circuit C. The semiconductor switch Tr in the present embodiment is, for example, an n-channel MOSFET. The drain of the semiconductor switch Tr is connected to the output side of the converter 31. The source of the semiconductor switch Tr is connected to the output terminal T21. The gate of the semiconductor switch Tr is connected to an output terminal Vout of a comparator IC described later. The switching circuit C has a comparator IC connected in parallel with the semiconductor switch Tr. The positive input terminal Vin1 of the comparator IC in the present embodiment is connected to the drain side of the semiconductor switch Tr via the resistor R1. Further, the negative input terminal Vin2 of the comparator IC in the present embodiment is connected to the source side of the semiconductor switch Tr via the resistor R2.

  In the blocking circuit 41 according to the present embodiment, when the potential on the drain side of the semiconductor switch Tr is higher than the potential on the source side of the semiconductor switch Tr (for example, when a predetermined voltage output from the converter 31 is applied), the comparator IC Outputs a signal of a high amplitude level to the gate of the semiconductor switch Tr. As a result, the gate-drain voltage in the semiconductor switch Tr turns on, and the drain-source voltage in the semiconductor switch Tr turns on. That is, the semiconductor switch Tr is turned on.

  When the potential on the source side of the semiconductor switch Tr is higher than the potential on the drain side of the semiconductor switch Tr (for example, when an abnormal current caused by the other power supplies 22 to 2n connected in parallel flows into the power supply 21) The comparator IC outputs a signal of a low amplitude level to the gate of the semiconductor switch Tr. As a result, the gate-drain voltage of the semiconductor switch Tr is turned off, and the drain-source voltage of the semiconductor switch Tr is turned off. That is, the semiconductor switch Tr is turned off. Thereby, the power supply 21 according to the present embodiment can protect the converter 31 from the abnormal current. Here, the abnormal current is, for example, an inrush current generated when the other power supplies 22 to 2n are hot-plugged, or an overcurrent due to a failure and abnormal operation of the other power supplies 22 to 2n.

  The relay switch 51 is connected in parallel with the blocking circuit 41. The relay switch 51 in the present embodiment is, for example, a contact relay switch having components such as a coil and a mechanical switch SW shown in FIG. 2, or a contactless relay switch having electronic components such as a triac and a transistor.

  The control circuit 61 has a predetermined processor such as a microcomputer or an IC. The control circuit 61 in the present embodiment controls the power supply 21. For example, the control circuit 61 controls the operation of the converter 31 according to the operation mode of the power supply unit 1. The control circuit 61 controls the on / off operation of the relay switch 51. For example, when the power supply 21 is operating, the control circuit 61 transmits an operation signal related to the operation of the power supply 21 to the other control circuits 62 to 6n included in the other power supplies 22 to 2n.

  Specifically, the control circuit 61 determines whether the power supply 21 is operating based on whether a voltage is detected by a voltage detector (not shown) connected between the blocking circuit 41 and the output terminal T21 of the power supply. Judge. Further, if the voltage is detected by the voltage detector, the control circuit 61 transmits the operation signal to the other control circuits 62 to 6n included in the other power supplies 22 to 2n. The voltage detector may be built in the power supply 21 or may be installed outside the power supply unit 1. Further, the control circuit 61 receives operation signals related to the operations of the other power supplies 22 to 2n from the other control circuits 62 to 6n included in the other power supplies 22 to 2n.

  Here, the operation signal is, for example, an operation notification signal for notifying that the control circuits 61 to 6n are operating, or a contact signal for simply turning on or off the relay switches 51 to 5n. The control circuits 61 to 6n are connected to each other by electrical connection means or optical connection means. The electric connection means is, for example, an electric wire, an electric circuit, or an electric cable designed, developed, and produced according to a predetermined standard. Further, the optical connection means is, for example, a light emitting element and a light receiving element.

  Further, when the power supply 21 is operating and an operation signal relating to the operation of the other power supplies 22 to 2n is received from at least one of the other control circuits 62 to 6n, the control circuit 61 Turn off 51. The control circuit 61 turns on the relay switch 51 when the power supply 21 is operating and does not receive the operation signals from all the other control circuits 62 to 6n.

  Here, in the control circuit 61 according to the present embodiment, the relay switch 51 and the blocking when the power supply 21 is operating and the operation signal is received from the other control circuits 62 to 6n or not received. The on / off operation of the semiconductor switch Tr of the circuit 41 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 shows a relay when the power supply 21 is operating in the control circuit 61 of the power supply 21 shown in FIG. 1 and when the operation signal is received from other control circuits 62 to 6n or not received. 6 is a timing chart showing on / off operations of the switch 51 and the semiconductor switch Tr of the blocking circuit 41. Note that FIG. 3 illustrates a single operation in which the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment supplies a voltage converted to the external device 3 by any one of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, and an external device by the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n. 3 shows a timing chart in an operation mode in which parallel operation for supplying a voltage converted to No. 3 is sequentially performed.

  First, when the power supply 21 is operating, and when the above operation signal is received (when the operation signal shown in FIG. 3 is on), at least one of the other power supplies 22 to 2n is operating. . In other words, the power supply unit 1 executes a parallel operation of outputting the converted voltage to the external device 3 by using at least two or more of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n. Therefore, the control circuit 61 turns off the relay switch 51. Further, when the relay switch 51 is turned off, the voltage output from the converter 31 is applied to the semiconductor switch Tr, so that a difference between the potential on the drain side of the semiconductor switch Tr and the potential on the source side of the semiconductor switch Tr occurs. . Therefore, as described above, the semiconductor switch Tr is turned on. That is, the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment turns off the relay switch 51 when supplying the converted voltage to the external device 3 by at least two or more of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n. The converter 31 can be protected by making the blocking circuit 41 function.

  In other words, when the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment outputs the converted voltage to the external device 3 by at least two or more of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n Are turned off by the associated control circuits 61 to 6n. Therefore, the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment can protect the converter 31 by causing the blocking circuit 41 to function.

  Next, when the power supply 21 is operating and the operation signal is not received (when the operation signal shown in FIG. 3 is off), the other power supplies 22 to 2n are not operating. In other words, the power supply unit 1 is performing an isolated operation of outputting the converted voltage to the external device 3 by one of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n. Therefore, the control circuit 61 turns on the relay switch 51. As a result, the drain side of the semiconductor switch Tr and the source side of the semiconductor switch Tr are short-circuited, so that there is no difference between the potential on the drain side of the semiconductor switch Tr and the potential on the source side of the semiconductor switch Tr, and the semiconductor switch Tr is turned off. Becomes In addition, a short circuit is formed between the drain side of the semiconductor switch Tr and the source side of the semiconductor switch Tr to supply a voltage output from the converter 31 to the external device 3. That is, when the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment supplies the converted voltage to the external device 3 by any one of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, the relay switch 51 is turned on to cause a power loss. The voltage output from the converter 31 can be supplied to the external device 3 without passing through the circuit 41.

  In other words, the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment, when outputting the converted voltage to the external device 3 by any one of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, outputs the voltage among the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n. The relay switches 51 to 5n included in the output power source are turned on by the associated control circuits 61 to 6n. Thus, the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment can supply the voltage output from the converters 31 to 3n to the external device 3 without passing through the blocking circuits 41 to 4n that cause power loss. In the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment, among the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, the relay switches 51 to 5n included in the power supply that does not output a voltage are turned off by the associated control circuits 61 to 6n. You. Thereby, the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment can protect the converters 31 to 3n by causing the blocking circuits 41 to 4n to function.

(Summary)
As described above, the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment includes the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n connected in parallel and the control unit. The power supplies 21 to 2n convert input voltages from input terminals T11 to T1n, output terminals T21 to T2n, and input terminals T11 to T1n, and output voltages converted to the output terminals T21 to T2n. Blocking circuits 41 to 4n provided between the power supply units 31 to 3n and the output terminals T21 to T2n to protect the converters 31 to 3n from abnormal currents caused by the other power supplies 21 to 2n connected in parallel; 4n and relay switches 51 to 5n connected in parallel. The control unit is provided in association with a configuration (for example, relay switches 51 to 5n) included in each of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, and includes a plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n including on / off operations in the relay switches 51 to 5n. It comprises a plurality of control circuits 61 to 6n for controlling each of them. When the converted voltage is output to the external device 3 by at least two of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, all the relay switches 51 to 5n included in each of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n are controlled. Turned off by the unit. When the converted voltage is output to the external device 3 by any one of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, the voltage is included in the power supplies 21 to 2n that output the voltage among the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n. The relay switches 51 to 5n are turned on by the control unit. Further, among the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, the relay switches 51 to 5n included in the power supplies 21 to 2n that do not output a voltage are turned off by the control unit.

  According to the above configuration, when the converted voltage is output to the external device 3 by at least two or more of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, all the relay switches included in each of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n 51 to 5n are turned off by the control unit. Thereby, the power supply unit 1 and the power supplies 21 to 2n according to the present embodiment can protect the converters 31 to 3n by causing the blocking circuits 41 to 4n to function. When the converted voltage is output to the external device 3 by any one of the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, the relay switch 51 included in the power supply that outputs the voltage among the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n. To 5n are turned on by the control unit. Thus, the power supply unit 1 and the power supplies 21 to 2n according to the present embodiment supply the voltage output from the converters 31 to 3n to the external device 3 without passing through the blocking circuits 41 to 4n that cause power loss. Can be. Further, among the plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n, the relay switches 51 to 5n included in the power supply that does not output a voltage are turned off by the control unit. Thereby, the power supply unit 1 and the power supplies 21 to 2n according to the present embodiment can protect the converters 31 to 3n by causing the blocking circuits 41 to 4n to function.

  Thus, the power supply unit 1 and the power supplies 21 to 2n according to the present embodiment selectively switch whether or not the blocking circuits 41 to 4n function according to the operation mode to minimize power loss. Can be.

  Here, in the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment, each of the blocking circuits 41 to 4n includes the semiconductor switch Tr and the switching circuit C. However, the power supply unit 1 and the power supplies 21 to 2n in the present embodiment are not limited thereto. For example, each of the blocking circuits 41 to 4n in the present embodiment can appropriately replace various publicly known blocking circuits.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the power supply 21 according to the present embodiment can also be applied to the power supply unit 1 that supplies a converted voltage to the external device 3 using one power supply 21. When the power supply unit 1 that supplies the converted voltage to the external device 3 by one power supply 21 is provided, the control circuit 61 always turns on the relay switch 51. Thus, the power supply unit 1 and the power supply 21 according to the present embodiment can supply the voltage output from the converter 31 to the external device 3 without passing through the blocking circuit 41 that causes power loss.

  In the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment, the control circuits 61 to 6n function as control units. However, the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, in the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of power supplies 21 to 2n may be controlled by one control unit provided in the power supply unit 1.

  In the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment, the single operation and the parallel operation are sequentially performed. However, the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the power supply unit 1 according to the present embodiment may execute any one of the independent operation and the parallel operation.

  Further, the term “predetermined processor” used in the above description is, for example, a dedicated or general-purpose processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC: Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a programmable logic device (for example, a Simple Programmable Logic Device (SPLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)) Each component (each processing unit) of the present embodiment is not limited to a single processor, and may be realized by a plurality of processors. Processing unit) into a single processor It may be realized me.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power supply unit 21-2n Power supply 3 External equipment 31-3n Converter 41-4n Blocking circuit 51-5n Relay switch 61-6n Control circuit C Switching circuit IC Comparator R1, R2 Resistance SW Mechanical switch T11-T1n Input terminal T21-T2n Output terminal Tin Input terminal Tout Output terminal Tr Semiconductor switch Vin1 Positive input terminal Vin2 Negative input terminal Vout Output terminal

Claims (6)

In a power supply unit that outputs the converted voltage to an external device,
An input end and an output end, a converter for converting a voltage input from the input end and outputting the converted voltage to the external device connected to the output end, and a converter provided between the converter and the output end; A blocking circuit that protects the converter from an abnormal current flowing from the output end, including a relay switch connected in parallel with the blocking circuit, and a plurality of power supplies connected in parallel;
A control unit that controls an on / off operation of the relay switch included in each of the plurality of power supplies,
In the case where the converted voltage is output to the external device by at least two or more of the plurality of power supplies, all the relay switches included in each of the plurality of power supplies are turned off by the control unit. And
When outputting the converted voltage to the external device by any one of the plurality of power supplies, the relay switch included in the power supply that is outputting the voltage among the plurality of power supplies, A power supply unit that is turned on by a control unit, and the relay switch included in the power supply that does not output the voltage among the plurality of power supplies is turned off by the control unit.   The power supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is provided in association with each of the plurality of power supplies, and includes a plurality of control circuits that control an on / off operation of the relay switch.   The power supply unit according to claim 2, wherein the control circuit transmits an operation signal related to an operation of the power supply associated with the power supply to another control circuit. In a case where the converted voltage is output to the external device by at least two or more of the plurality of power supplies, all the relay switches included in each of the plurality of power supplies are associated with each other. Turned off by the control circuit,
By any one of the plurality of power supplies, when the converted voltage is output to the external device, among the plurality of power supplies, the relay switch included in the power supply outputting the voltage, Is turned on by the associated control circuit, and among the plurality of power supplies, the relay switch included in the other power supply that does not output the voltage is turned off by the associated control circuit. The power supply unit according to claim 3.   The power supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the blocking circuit includes a semiconductor switch and a switching circuit that switches on and off of the semiconductor switch. An input end and an output end,
A converter that converts a voltage input from the input terminal and outputs the converted voltage to the output terminal.
A blocking circuit provided between the converter and the output terminal, for protecting the converter from an abnormal current flowing from the output terminal;
A relay switch connected in parallel with the blocking circuit,
When at least two or more of the plurality of power supplies connected in parallel are provided in a power supply unit that outputs the converted voltage to an external device, all the relays included in each of the plurality of power supplies are provided. The switch is turned off by a control unit that controls an on / off operation of the relay switch,
When one power supply is provided in a power supply unit that outputs the converted voltage to the external device, the relay switch is turned on by the control unit,
A power supply unit provided with a plurality of power supplies connected in parallel, the power supply unit outputting the converted voltage to the external device by any one of the plurality of power supplies. The power supply, wherein the relay switch included in the power supply is turned on by the control unit, and the relay switch included in the power supply not outputting the voltage is turned off by the control unit.

Images