JP3263036B2 - Power supply switching device and uninterruptible power supply - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a power supply switching device and an uninterruptible power supply having a plurality of power supply systems for supplying power to electric equipment and switching between the plurality of power supply systems.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An uninterruptible power supply (hereinafter referred to as a UPS (hereinafter referred to as UPS)) automatically switches power supply from a commercial power supply to a built-in battery at the time of a power supply abnormality such as a power failure, thereby enabling power supply backup to connected electric equipment. Uninteruptible Power Su
pply). )It has been known. In particular, in an information processing system including an information processing device such as a workstation (hereinafter, referred to as WS) or a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as PC) and a peripheral device such as an external storage device, data loss, system crash, and the like occur. This UPS is becoming indispensable since even a momentary interruption of the power supply is not allowed to prevent it.

Conventionally, in such a UPS, there is usually one system of a commercial power supply used for supplying electric power to electric equipment, and when an abnormality occurs in this one power supply system, the power supply by a built-in battery is performed. Is switched to. At this time,
The built-in battery can only supply power for a short time,
When an electric device to which power is supplied is an information processing device such as a PC, it is general to perform a shutdown process, which is a process for properly terminating the device, within a usable time of a battery.

[0004]

As described above, in the conventional UPS, the system of the commercial power supply connected to the input side is one.
Therefore, if an abnormality occurs in one of the power supply systems, there is a problem that power can be supplied only for a limited time by the built-in battery. Further, when the electric equipment to which power is supplied is an information processing apparatus such as a PC, there is a problem that the processing of terminating the apparatus must be performed within the use time of the battery.

[0005] By the way, in the UPS, in addition to the commercial power supply and the built-in battery, there is also a device which can supply electric power by a generator. In this device, when an abnormality occurs in the commercial power supply, the power supply is temporarily switched to the power supply by the battery, and the generator is started, and after the output is stabilized, the power supply is switched to the power supply by the generator as necessary. Has become. However, also in this case, there is a problem that the generator is only a temporary alternative power supply like the built-in battery and can supply power only for a limited time.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a stable power supply from another power supply system even if an abnormality occurs in one power supply system. An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply switching device and an uninterruptible power supply device that can be used.

[0007]

A power supply switching method according to claim 1.
The device is connected to a number of independent external
The power supply system supplies power to the
A switch that can selectively switch the state of power supply
And power from one of the external power systems
Control the switching means so that power is supplied to the device
Switching control means and an external power supply for supplying power to the electric equipment.
If an abnormality occurs in the state of the power system,
An internal power supply that can supply power and an internal power supply
While the power is being supplied from other external power systems.
Determination means for determining whether or not power supply is possible,
The judgment means determines that power can be supplied from another external power system.
When judgment is switching control means, it is determined to be the
Supply power to power equipment from the external power system
The switching means is controlled, and the judging means controls
Switching control means if it is determined that
Performs the process of terminating the operation of electrical equipment normally.
It is characterized by the following.

[0008] The uninterruptible power supply according to claim 2 can supply power.
Power from multiple independent external power systems
The state of power supply to electrical equipment to be supplied
Switching means that can be switched alternatively,
Power to electrical equipment from one of the
Switching control means for controlling the switching means so that power is supplied
And the state of the external power supply system that supplies power to electrical equipment
Power supply to electrical equipment when abnormalities occur in
Power supply that can be
During this time, power from other external power systems is
Determination means for determining whether or not it is possible, wherein the determination means
When it is determined that power can be supplied from another external power system
In addition, the switching control means includes an external power source determined to be possible.
Switching means are controlled to supply power from the grid to power equipment.
Control means, the power supply from another external power system
If it is determined that it is impossible, the switching control means
Performing a process of normally ending the operation of
Things.

With this power supply switching device or uninterruptible power supply,
Indicates the status of the external power supply system that supplies power to electrical equipment.
If an abnormality occurs in the power
Is supplied with power. And from this internal power supply
While power is being supplied to the
A determination is made as to whether power can be supplied to the electrical device.
You. As a result, if it is determined that it is possible,
Power is supplied from the determined external power system to the power equipment.
Will be On the other hand, if it is determined that
Is performed to terminate the operation normally.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power supply switching device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In this power supply switching device 1, one switching terminal is connected to a power cable 11, the other switching terminal is connected to a power cable 12, and one end is connected to a common terminal of the switch 13. And an output opening / closing switch 16 having the other end connected to the AC output terminal P;
And a controller 17 connected to the above-described components and controlling the operation of each unit of the apparatus.
And An operation switch (denoted by SW in the figure) 19 is connected to the controller 17, and by manually operating the operation switch 19, the power supply switching device 1 is operated.
Can be started and stopped. Output open / close switch 1
6 is controlled on / off by a controller 17, and when the output opening / closing switch 16 is turned on, the power supply from the AC output terminal P becomes possible.

Here, the changeover switch 13 corresponds to "switching means" in the present invention. The controller 17
The power supply monitoring unit 20 corresponds to the “switching control unit” in the present invention.

The power cables 11 and 12 are connected to independent commercial power supplies (not shown) that are always in an external power supply available state. In the present embodiment, in a normal state, a commercial power supply connected via a power cable 11 is used as a main power supply system, for example, P
Power is supplied to an electric device (not shown) to be supplied with power, such as an information processing device such as C or a peripheral device such as an external storage device. Also, the power cable 11
When an abnormality occurs in the main power supply system connected via the power supply cable, power is supplied using the commercial power supply connected via the power supply cable 12 as a sub power supply system.

The changeover switch 13 is for switching the connection state of the power cables 11 and 12 to the electric equipment to which power is to be supplied, and can selectively switch the power supply state to the electric equipment. It has become. The power monitoring unit 20 monitors the state of the commercial power supply in the power cable 11, and outputs the monitoring result to the controller 17.

In a normal state, the controller 17 controls the changeover switch 13 so that power is supplied from the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side to electric equipment. Further, the controller 17 determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the state of the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side based on the monitoring result of the power supply monitoring unit 20, and determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the state of the main power supply system. Controls the changeover switch 13 so that power is supplied from the sub power supply system on the power cable 12 side. Further, when the state of the main power supply system on the power cable 11 recovers while the power is being supplied from the sub power supply system on the power cable 12 side, the controller 17 supplies power from the restored main power supply system. Switch 13 so that
Is controlled. The controller 17
For example, when the voltage value detected by the power supply monitoring unit 20 becomes lower than a preset value, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the power supply state due to a power failure or the like.

Next, the power supply switching device 1 having the above configuration
Will be described.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the power supply switching device 1 according to the present embodiment. The operation of the power supply switching device 1 is started when the operation switch 19 is manually operated. In the power supply switching device 1, normally, the changeover switch 1
3 is switched to the power cable 11 side, and the AC voltage supplied from the main power system on the power cable 11 side is
The power is output from the AC output terminal P to the electric equipment to which power is supplied. The voltage of the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side is detected by the power supply monitoring unit 20, and the detection result is output to the controller 17. The controller 17 controls the power cable 11 based on the detection result from the power monitor 20.
It is determined whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the state of the main power supply system input to (step S101). If no abnormality has occurred in the state of the main power supply system (N), this determination is repeated.
In addition, for example, when the voltage value detected by the power supply monitoring unit 20 becomes lower than a preset value, the controller 17 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the main power supply system (step S101; Y), The changeover switch 13 is controlled to switch to power supply by the sub power supply system on the power cable 12 side (step S102). Power cable 12
Even after switching to the sub power supply system on the power supply side, the voltage of the main power supply system on the power supply cable 11 side is detected by the power supply monitoring unit 20.

Next, the controller 17 controls the power supply monitoring unit 2
Based on the detection result from 0, it is determined whether or not the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side has returned while the power is supplied from the sub power supply system on the power cable 12 side (step S103). The controller 17 is a power cable 1
If the main power supply system on the first side has not recovered (step S1
03; N), the power supply from the sub power supply system on the power cable 12 side is continued, and the determination as to whether or not the main power supply system has been restored is repeated. The controller 17
When the main power system on the power cable 11 side is restored (step S103; Y), the changeover switch 13 is controlled to switch to the power supply by the main power system on the power cable 11 side (step S104).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the power supply monitoring unit 20 detects the voltage of the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side and determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side. The controller 17 controls the changeover switch 13 so that power is supplied from the sub power supply system on the power cable 12 when an abnormality occurs in the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side. Therefore, even if an abnormality occurs in the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side, stable power supply can be continuously performed from the sub power supply system on the power cable 12 side.

Also, according to the present embodiment, after an abnormality has occurred in the state of the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side, while the power is being supplied from the sub-power supply system on the power cable 12 side, the power cable When the state of the main power supply system on the 11 side is restored, the controller 17 controls the changeover switch 13 so that power is supplied from the restored main power supply system. It can be returned to the state of power supply.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated.

In the first embodiment, the changeover switch 13 is controlled to switch the connection state of the power cables 11 and 12 to the electric equipment (not shown). In some cases, it takes time to switch the connection state, and there is a possibility that an instantaneous interruption of power supply may occur. Regarding this instantaneous interruption, if the electric equipment has a capacitor for preventing instantaneous interruption inside, 10
Although there is a case where a momentary interruption of about ms can be tolerated, in an information processing apparatus such as a PC that does not include such a capacitor, if an instantaneous interruption occurs, data loss or a system crash may occur. It is desirable to take measures to prevent momentary interruption. In the present embodiment, measures are taken to prevent this momentary interruption.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power supply switching device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This power supply switching device 1 'is configured as an uninterruptible power supply, and has a rectifier 14 having an input terminal connected to a common terminal of a changeover switch 13 and an inverter 15 having an input terminal connected to an output terminal of the rectifier 14. And an output open / close switch 16 having one end connected to the output end of the inverter 15 and the other end connected to the AC output terminal P. The power supply switching device 1 ′ further includes a DC / DC converter 22 having one end connected to the output terminal of the rectifier 14,
Battery 21 connected to the other end of C converter 22
And a power monitoring unit 2 connected to the power cables 11 and 12
0 '.

Here, the battery 21 corresponds to the “internal power source” in the present invention. Further, the controller 17 and the power supply monitoring unit 20 'correspond to "determination means" in the present invention.

In this embodiment, in the normal state,
A commercial power supply connected via the power cable 11 is used as a main power supply system to supply power to electric devices such as an information processing device such as a PC and peripheral devices such as an external storage device. The AC power of the commercial power supply on the cable 11 side is stored in a built-in battery 21. When an abnormality occurs in the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side, power is supplied using the commercial power supply on the power cable 12 side as a sub power supply system, and the power cable 1
The AC power of the commercial power supply on the second side is stored in the battery 21.

The rectifier 14 rectifies the AC voltage of the commercial power supplied via the power cable 11 or 12 and converts it into a DC voltage. The inverter 34 converts a DC voltage into an AC voltage. The power supply monitoring unit 20 ′ monitors the state of the commercial power supply in the power supply cable 11 and the power supply cable 12, and outputs the monitoring result to the controller 17.

The DC / DC converter 22 includes a rectifier 14
Is converted into a predetermined DC voltage and input to the battery 21, while the output voltage level from the battery 21 is inversely converted and input to the inverter 15. When an abnormality occurs in the state of the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side, the battery 21 automatically and preferentially supplies electric power to electric devices instead of power supply by the main power supply system. ing.

In the normal state, the controller 17 controls the changeover switch 13 so that power is supplied from the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side to electric equipment. The controller 17 also controls the power cable 11 based on the monitoring result of the power monitoring unit 20 '.
While determining whether an abnormality has occurred in the state of the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side, and performing temporary power supply by the battery 21 instead of the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side.
It is determined whether or not power can be supplied from the sub power system on the power cable 12 side. If power can be supplied from the sub power system on the power cable 12 side, power is supplied from the sub power system. The changeover switch 13 is controlled. As described above, in the present embodiment, switching of the connection state of the power cables 11 and 12 is
This is performed during the temporary power supply by the battery 21 to prevent a momentary interruption that occurs during the switching operation of the changeover switch 13.

In the present embodiment, the controller 17 is in an abnormal state in which both the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side and the sub power supply system on the power cable 12 side cannot supply power. In this case, while the temporary power supply is being performed by the battery 21, the electric device is requested to execute a shutdown process for terminating the operation normally.

Next, the operation of the power supply switching device 1 'having the above configuration will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the power supply switching device 1 'according to the present embodiment. The controller 17
Based on the detection result from the power supply monitoring unit 20 ', it is determined whether an abnormality has occurred in the state of the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side (step S201), and when no abnormality has occurred in the state of the main power supply system This determination is repeated in (Step S201; N). When the voltage value detected by the power supply monitoring unit 20 'is lower than a preset value, the controller 17 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the main power supply system (step S201; Y). At this time, the power supply to the electric device is automatically switched to temporary power supply from the battery 21 instead of the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side (step S202).

Next, the controller 17
During the temporary power supply by the power supply monitoring unit 20 ', it is determined whether or not the sub power supply system on the power cable 12 is in a state where power can be supplied (step S203). If the sub power system on the power cable 12 side is not in a state where power can be supplied (step S203; N), the controller 17 causes the electric device to perform a shutdown process for terminating the operation normally. Process for That is, first,
The controller 17 transmits a signal S1 of a shutdown command to the electric device (Step S207). On the electrical device side, a predetermined shutdown process is performed, and a signal S2 for confirming that shutdown has been completed is transmitted. Next, after receiving the shutdown completion confirmation signal S2 from the electric device (step S208), the controller 17 turns off the output opening / closing switch 16 to stop the power supply from the battery 21 (step S209).

On the other hand, when the sub power system on the power cable 12 side is in a state where power can be supplied (step S203; Y), the controller 17 controls the changeover switch 13 to The power supply is switched to the power supply (step S204). Next, based on the detection result from the power supply monitoring unit 20 ′, the controller 17 checks whether the main power supply system on the power cable 11 has been restored while supplying power from the sub power supply system on the power cable 12 side. It is determined whether or not there is (Step S205). If the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side has not been restored (step S205; N), the controller 17 continues the power supply from the sub power supply system on the power cable 12 side and has restored this main power supply system. The determination of whether or not is repeated. Further, the controller 17 includes the power cable 1
When the main power supply system on the 1 side is restored (Step S205;
In Y), the changeover switch 13 is controlled to switch to power supply by the main power supply system on the power cable 11 side (step S206).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the connection state of the power cables 11 and 12 is switched while the temporary power supply by the battery 21 is performed. The instantaneous interruption that occurs during the switching operation is prevented, so that, for example, data loss or a system crash caused by an instantaneous interruption in an information processing apparatus such as a PC can be prevented.

The other configurations, operations, and effects of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made. For example, in each of the above embodiments, a case has been described in which there are two commercial power supply systems, but three or more power supply systems may be provided.

[0037]

As described above, the electronic device according to the first aspect has the following features.
The power supply switching device or the uninterruptible power supply according to claim 2.
According to the state of the external power system that is supplying power to the electrical equipment
Power supply from an internal power supply to electrical equipment
Supply, and during this time,
Determines whether power supply to the device is possible and determines
If the power supply is turned off,
Power supply, and if it is judged impossible,
Processing to stop the
Data loss or system crash
This has the effect that shuffling and the like can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a power supply switching device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation of the power supply switching device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a power supply switching device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of the power supply switching device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Power supply switching device 1 'Power supply switching device (uninterruptible power supply device) 11, 12 Power cable 13 Changeover switch 14 Rectifier 15 Inverter 16 Output open / close switch 17 Controller 19 Operation switch 20, 20' Power supply monitoring unit 21 Battery 22 DC / DC converter P AC output terminal

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of mutually independent power-supplyable states
Electrical equipment to which power is supplied from external power
Power supply state can be switched alternatively
Switching means, and the power supply from one of the plurality of external power supply systems.
Controlling the switching means so that power is supplied to the gas appliance.
Switching control means for controlling the state of an external power supply system for supplying power to the electric device.
Power supply to the electrical equipment in the event of an abnormality
And while the power supply from the internal power supply is being performed,
A judgment to determine whether power can be supplied from the external power system
Disconnecting means, wherein the determining means can supply power from another external power supply system.
If the switching control means determines that the
Power supply from the external power supply system determined to be
The switching means is controlled so as to perform power supply, and the determination means determines that power supply from another external power supply system is not possible.
If it is determined that it is possible, the switching control means
Processing to terminate the operation of the container normally.
Power switching device. 2. A plurality of mutually independent power-supplyable states.
Electrical equipment to which power is supplied from external power
Power supply state can be switched alternatively
Switching means, and the power supply from one of the plurality of external power supply systems.
Controlling the switching means so that power is supplied to the gas appliance.
Switching control means for controlling the state of an external power supply system for supplying power to the electric device.
Power supply to the electrical equipment in the event of an abnormality
And while the power supply from the internal power supply is being performed,
A judgment to determine whether power can be supplied from the external power system
Disconnecting means, wherein the determining means is capable of supplying power from another external power supply system.
If the switching control means determines that the
Power supply from the external power supply system determined to be
The switching means is controlled so as to perform power supply, and the determination means determines that the power supply from another external power supply system has failed.
If it is determined that it is possible, the switching control means
Processing to end the operation of the container normally.
Uninterruptible power supply.