JP7471944B2 - Power supply control device, switching power supply device and communication device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a power supply control device, a switching power supply device, and electronic/electrical equipment such as a communication device equipped with them, and in particular to a power supply control device, a switching power supply device, and a communication device equipped with them that can control the timing of the occurrence of inrush current when power supply starts.

In recent years, there has been an increase in systems that have a large number of small servers and network devices (communication equipment) mounted in racks at high density. The switching power supplies built into these devices incorporate inrush current suppression circuits of various types.

For example, the combination of a current limiting resistor and a relay shown in Patent Document 1 is one example. However, even in this case, although the peak value of the inrush current can be reduced, it does not reach a level where no inrush current occurs at all. Furthermore, relatively small-capacity switching power supplies do not have an inrush suppression circuit.

In systems that use many devices equipped with these switching power supplies, when power is restored after a power outage caused by a natural disaster or equipment inspection, an inrush current occurs simultaneously in all devices. For this reason, even though the individual inrush currents are small, they are superimposed, placing a heavy load on the power distribution equipment, causing the upper-level breaker to trip, and there are frequent cases of failures in which all the electronic and electrical equipment below it stops.

Recently, servers and network devices have become very sensitive to power supply system anomalies, so a sudden power outage can cause damage, affecting the reliability of the device, including its availability and lifespan.

To address the problem of inrush currents being superimposed when multiple devices are started at the same time, there is a technology described in Patent Document 3, for example, that prevents high loads on the power distribution equipment by controlling the inrush currents to occur at different times between devices even when power supply to multiple devices is started at the same time.

JP 2018-67985 A JP 2019-4577 A JP 2018-36800 A

Servers and network devices are composed of one or more logic boards equipped with a CPU and other components, and a switching power supply unit that supplies power to them. The logic boards of these devices generally consume a lot of power, and when trying to control the timing of inrush current generation by applying the technology of Patent Document 3 to prevent the superposition of inrush currents, the logic board itself corresponds to the load unit 13a in Patent Document 3. It is not possible to have the CPU on the logic board execute the software processing for power-on control that is being executed by the control unit 14a.

Furthermore, the technology in Patent Document 3 has the problem that "during initial startup, the delay times of each device are the same, so an inrush current generates an overcurrent in the system 9, causing startup of each device to fail."

The object of the present invention is to provide a power supply control device, a switching power supply device, and a communication device equipped with the same, which are capable of controlling the time from the start of external power supply to the generation of inrush current from the first startup using a simple circuit configuration.

The present invention includes a non-volatile memory that holds preset identification information, a communication interface that writes to and reads from the non-volatile memory, a conversion unit that converts the identification information stored in the non-volatile memory into a first delay time, a timer unit that counts the first delay time and transmits an Enable signal after the first delay time has elapsed, and an analog unit that receives the Enable signal and drives a MOSFET driver, and the MOSFET driver drives an external or built-in MOSFET.

By setting the time at which the switching power supply unit in each communication device starts supplying power to the logic board to be different, the timing at which inrush current occurs can be shifted from the initial startup, and the peak current value of the inrush current applied to the power distribution equipment can be reduced.

Details of at least one implementation of the subject matter disclosed herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the disclosed subject matter will become apparent from the following disclosure, drawings, and claims.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a communication device that supplies power to a logic board according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a communication device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power supply control unit included in a switching power supply device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 4 is a timing chart showing the operation of the switching power supply device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of an inrush current occurring when a conventional communication device is used; 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating an example of an inrush current generated when the communication device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is used. FIG. 11 is a rear view of a switching power supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a part of a switching power supply circuit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a part of a circuit of a switching power supply device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an operation mode of a switching power supply device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a communication device identifier and a timer delay time according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 shows an example of a system in which multiple communication devices (or electronic/electrical devices) according to the present invention are connected to a power supply source. This example system is composed of a distribution board 27 to which 100V or 200V AC power is supplied, multiple outlet boxes 13-16 connected to the distribution board 27, and multiple communication devices 1-5 connected to the outlet box 13.

Although not shown in the figure, multiple communication devices are also connected to outlet boxes 14 to 16, similar to outlet box 13. In addition, distribution board 27 includes main circuit breaker 26 (e.g., interrupting current 50 A) and multiple circuit breakers 21 to 24 (e.g., interrupting current 20 A).

In this configuration, 100V or 200V AC power is supplied to multiple communication devices 1-5, and if an overcurrent occurs for any reason, the main circuit breaker 26 or circuit breakers 21-24 cut off the power supply. Note that the number of communication devices 1 and outlet boxes is not limited to those shown in the figure.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of communication device 1 according to the present invention. Communication devices 2 to 5 also have the same configuration, and in the following, unless there is a need to distinguish between the individual communication devices, the description will focus on communication device 1 as a representative.

The communication device 1 is composed of a switching power supply device 6 that receives AC 100V/AC 200V as a power source at AC_IN 100 and outputs a DC voltage (12V) from DC_OUT 102, and a logic board 7 that receives the DC voltage and has various functions according to the specifications. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the logic board 7 performs communication processing.

The switching power supply 6 has an input section consisting of an inrush current suppression NTC (Negative Temperature Coefficient) thermistor 35 that suppresses inrush current and a rectifier diode 34, a power supply control section (or power supply control device) 50, a switching section of a MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor) 56, an output section consisting of an isolation transformer 38, diodes 39-40, and an inductor 41, and an isolated I2C bus driver 48.

The logic board 7 also includes a DC/DC converter 44 that converts the DC voltage (12V) received from the DC_OUT 102 of the switching power supply 6 through the power supply cable 33 into an internal voltage, a UIM (Unique Information Memory) 45 that stores identification information (or identification number) such as the serial number of the communication device 1, a microcomputer (microcomputer) 46 that writes the contents of the UIM 45 to the switching power supply 6, a communication unit 81 that controls communication between devices under the control of the microcomputer 46, and a port 82 that is connected to the communication unit 81 and connects to an external device.

The UIM 45 is composed of a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory).

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the power supply control unit 50 built into the switching power supply device 6.

The power supply control unit 50 consists of a regulator 58 that generates an internal voltage, an analog section 59, a digital section 61, a MOSFET driver 60, a comparator with hysteresis 66, a current source 67 that supplies a charge current Icc to the external capacitor 51, and an EEPROM 65 that holds the delay time.

The digital section 61 is made up of an I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) interface section 64, a conversion section 63 that converts the binary value of the EEPROM 65 into time, and a delay timer section 62. Note that in Figs. 2 and 3, the power supply control section 50 is shown as being configured as a single IC (Integrated Circuit), but is not limited to this configuration method.

The following will further explain how to control the timing of inrush current generation in the communication device 1 having the configuration described above, using Figures 2 and 3.

First, information required to determine the timing at which an inrush current occurs in the communication device 1 is set in the EEPROM 65. Specifically, for example, product-specific information (identification information) such as the product name, manufacturing lot number, and serial number of the communication device 1 is stored in advance before the product is shipped.

The product name, lot number, and serial number are printed on the product nameplate in the form of a barcode or QR code (registered trademark) so that they can be confirmed from outside the communication device 1, and these codes are read by a reader and first written into the UIM 45 of the logic board 7. Alternatively, the user may decide on an arbitrary value corresponding to the delay time and write this into the UIM 45 instead of the above product-specific information.

The microcomputer 46 reads information from the UIM 45 and writes it to the EEPROM 65 in the power supply control unit 50 via the I2C bus 47, the insulated I2C bus driver 48, and the I2C bus 49. Alternatively, the user may write a value corresponding to the delay time directly to the EEPROM 65 in the power supply control unit 50, rather than the information in the UIM 45.

The above operations are performed when the communication device 1 is operating in a stable power supply environment, such as during preparation for product shipment or during the initial setup of the communication device 1. Since the EEPROM 65 is a non-volatile memory, once a value is written, it remains set even if the power is subsequently turned off.

When configured as described above, if the power is cut off due to a power outage or the like and then restored, the communication device 1 will operate as follows.

When 100 VAC or 200 VAC is applied to the switching power supply 6, it is converted to a DC voltage of 140 V peak or 280 V peak by the rectifier diode 34, and the voltage is applied to the VCCA 103 by the voltage dividing resistors 37 and 54, and power is supplied to the power supply control unit 50. At the same time, the EN signal 104 becomes high level by the pull-up resistor 55, and the power supply control unit 50 starts operating.

After the power supply control unit 50 has completed initialization, it starts charging the external capacitor 51 with a current Icc from the current source 67, and the voltage at the CSS (Current Source power Supply) terminal 107 starts to rise. After a delay time T_delay = Ct x Vth/Icc has elapsed, when the voltage exceeds the threshold voltage 69 (Vth), the hysteresis comparator 66 changes the RESET signal 106 from low to high to release the reset of the delay timer unit 62, and the delay timer unit 62 starts operating. Note that Ct above indicates the capacitance of the external capacitor 51.

The delay timer unit 62 calculates the DELAY_Timer time at 5 ms/bit using the conversion unit 63 from the value in the EEPROM 65, and after the DELAY_Timer time has elapsed, it sends an Enable signal 105 to the analog unit 59.

The unit time for conversion to the DELAY_Timer time does not need to be 5 ms/bit, but may be 1 ms/bit to 100 ms/bit, etc. Furthermore, if the value in EEPROM 65 is product-specific information, conversion unit 63 may perform an operation such as applying an appropriate hash function or the like to the value in EEPROM 65 and then extracting a predetermined number of bits before converting it to the DELAY_Timer time, thereby distributing the DELAY_Timer time in each of communication devices 1 to 5 by shifting it within a certain time range.

When the analog unit 59 and the MOSFET driver 60 receive the Enable signal 105, they start operating and drive the external MOSFET 56, starting the switching operation. The external MOSFET 56 may be built into the power supply controller 50.

Figure 4 shows the above-described operation in the form of a time chart showing the main signals inside the switching power supply 6 after 100 VAC or 200 VAC is applied.

At time T0, the application of 100 VAC or 200 VAC starts, and at the same time, the voltage of VCCA 103 and EN signal 104 changes from low to high, and the voltage of CSS terminal 107 starts to rise.

After T_delay = Ct x Vth/Icc has elapsed, at time T1 when the voltage of the CSS terminal 107 exceeds the threshold voltage (Vth), the RESET signal 106 in the power supply control unit 50 goes from low to high.

Furthermore, at time T2 after the Delay_Timer has elapsed, the Enable signal 105 in the power supply control unit 50 goes from low to high, and at the same time that the DC_OUT 102 of the switching power supply device 6 rises, an inrush current occurs in the input current I_IN 101.

Here, the Delay_Timer time is determined based on product-specific information or a value determined in advance by the user, and the timing at which the inrush current occurs in communication devices 1 to 5 is configured to be different from one another, thereby reducing the superposition of inrush currents.

Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams that explain the effect of reducing the superposition of inrush currents achieved by the present invention. Figure 5 shows the state of inrush current in a conventional example, and Figure 6 shows the state of inrush current when the present invention is applied to communication devices 1 to 5.

In the system of FIG. 5, the present invention is not applied to communication devices 1 to 5, so when power supply is started from distribution board 27 via outlet box 13, inrush currents 8 to 12 generated in each of them all occur at the same time, and the peak value of inrush current 17 flowing through circuit breaker 21 to which outlet box 13 is connected is the sum of the peak values of inrush currents 8 to 12.

If communication devices 1 are connected to outlet boxes 14-16 as well as outlet box 13, the inrush currents 18-20 will be similar. Furthermore, the peak value of inrush current 25 flowing through main circuit breaker 26 will be the sum of the peak values of inrush currents 17-20. If this peak value exceeds the capacity of main circuit breaker 26, main circuit breaker 26 will cut off the circuit, causing an accident in which power is cut off again for all subordinate communication devices 1.

In contrast, in the system of FIG. 6, the present invention is applied to communication devices 1 to 5, so the occurrence times of inrush currents 8 to 12 can be set to different times, for example as shown in the figure. As a result, the peak value of inrush current 28 flowing through circuit breaker 21 is not simply the sum of the peak values of inrush currents 8 to 12 as shown in the figure, and the peak value is suppressed compared to the conventional example.

The same applies to the inrush currents 29 to 31 in the outlet boxes 14 to 16. As a result, the peak value of the inrush current 32 flowing through the main circuit breaker 26 is suppressed compared to the inrush current 25 in FIG. 5, as shown in the figure, which has the effect of preventing accidents that cause the power supply to be shut off again.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing the relationship between the identifier of a switching power supply device and the delay time. Figure 9 shows an example in which the serial number of the communication device 1 is written to the UIM 45 as product-specific information (identification information) and a delay time (Delay_Timer time) corresponding to the serial number is set. Figure 9 shows the relationship between the serial number 651, which indicates the last digit of the serial number, and the delay time (msec) 652.

In the illustrated example, the serial number of the communication device 1 is expressed in hexadecimal, and the delay time is set for the last digit of the serial number in ascending order at intervals of 100 (msec). Note that the delay time interval is one example and is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be set at any desired interval.

In this embodiment, the conversion unit 63 distributes the Delay_Timer time into 16 different types depending on the last digit of the serial number. By setting the time at which the switching power supply unit 6 starts supplying power to the logic board 7 to a different time for each communication device 1, it is possible to shift the timing at which an inrush current occurs from the initial startup, and reduce the peak current value of the inrush current applied to the power distribution equipment.

In the above embodiment 1, an example is shown in which the switching power supply device 6 supplies power to the logic board 7 that constitutes the communication device 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any configuration in which the switching power supply device 6 supplies power to an electronic device or an electric device may be used.

When the number of communication devices 1 connected under the distribution board 27 increases, it may be advantageous in some cases to easily perform auxiliary control of the delay time by user settings in order to further reduce the possibility of inrush current superposition.

For example, by making the capacitance of the external capacitor 51 of the switching power supply device 6 variable, it is possible to make the delay time T_delay from when the VCCA 103 is supplied until the RESET signal 106 is generated variable. An example of this is shown in Figures 7A and 7B.

Figure 7A shows a rear view of the communication device 1 of the second embodiment. Also, Figure 7B shows a part of the circuit diagram of the switching power supply device 6. Figure 7B shows a configuration in which multiple external capacitors Cta51a, Ctb51b, Cta51c, Cta51d, and Cta51e and multiple switches A70, B71, C72, and D73 (the switches are indicated as SW in the figure) are connected to the CSS terminal 107 of the power supply control unit 50 in order to make the capacitance of the external capacitor 51 shown in Figure 3 variable. Note that the other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

As shown in Figure 7B, each capacitor and switch is connected in series, and four sets of them are connected in parallel. However, the only capacitor Cta51e is not connected to a switch.

The transparent plate 74 on which switches A70 to D73 are attached is fixed with transparent plate fixing screws 75 in a position that can be operated from the rear of the housing 68 of the communication device 1, and can be manually switched ON/OFF.

For example, when switch A70 is ON and switches B71 to D73 are OFF, the external capacitors connected to the CSS terminal 107 of the power supply control unit 50 are Cta51a and Cte51e connected in parallel, so the delay time T_delay due to the external capacitors is (Cta+Cte)×Vth/Icc, and when all switches are OFF, it is Cte×Vth/Icc.

Also, if Cte51e is not provided and all switches are OFF, the delay time T_delay = 0, and only the DELAY_Timer time in the power supply control unit 50 is used.

According to this embodiment, it becomes possible to add the delay time T_delay as an offset to the Delay_Timer time set by the delay timer unit 62.

This makes it possible to distribute the delay times by further setting the delay time T_delay when there are a large number of communication devices 1 and there is a risk that the delay times will coincide by coincidence if the Delay_Timer time is calculated based on product-specific information alone.

For example, in a system like that shown in FIG. 1, if multiple communication devices 1-5 are connected to one outlet box 13-16, the values of switches A70 to D73 of communication devices 1-5 connected to them can be determined on an outlet box basis to provide a startup time offset, so that the startup times of communication devices 1-5 are set so as not to overlap on an outlet box basis.

In other words, the delay time T_delay (second delay time) can be changed to various types by changing the capacitance values of the external capacitors Cta51a to Cta51d and the ON/OFF combinations of the switches A70 to D73.

Therefore, by changing the delay time T_delay for each communication device 1-5 in addition to the 16 types of Delay_Timer time, it is possible to further reduce the superposition of inrush currents between multiple communication devices 1-5.

As described above, the communication device 1 of Example 2 can change the delay time T_delay according to the combination of ON/OFF of switches A70 to D73 even after starting operation, and can change the timing at which an inrush current occurs according to moving the installation location of the communication device 1 or changing the combination with other computers.

Figure 8A shows a part of the circuit of a switching power supply device 6 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8B shows the operating modes of the switching power supply device 6.

In the third embodiment, a rotary switch 76 is provided in the switching power supply device 6 to switch the delay mode of the power supply control unit 50. The other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The following describes an embodiment in which the delay time T_delay and the Delay_Timer time can be selected to be enabled or disabled using the rotary switch 76.

The power supply control unit 50 further has input terminals SEL0 (108) and SEL1 (109), and SEL0 (108) and SEL1 (109) each have an external pull-down resistor 77. This pull-down resistor 77 may be built into the power supply control unit 50.

SEL0 (108) and SEL1 (109) are input terminals for signals that determine the operation of the delay timer unit 62. A signal that determines whether the delay time T_delay is enabled is input to SEL0 (108), and a signal that determines whether the Delay_Timer time is enabled is input to SEL1 (109). In this embodiment, when each signal is at a high level, the corresponding time is disabled, and when the signal is at a low level, the corresponding time is enabled.

The rotary switch 76 is a switch that can switch whether or not each of terminals 1 (111) to 3 (113) is connected to terminal C110 depending on the position of the rotated switch.

SEL0 (108) is connected to terminal 1 (111) of the rotary switch 76, SEL1 (109) is connected to terminal 2 (112) of the rotary switch 76, and terminal C110 of the rotary switch 76 is pulled up to VCCA103 by the pull-up resistor 78.

In this case, the pull-up resistor 78 is made sufficiently small compared to the pull-down resistor 77, and the voltage division ratio is set so that the power supply control unit 50 can recognize the high level.

In this embodiment, terminal 3 (113) is not used. When the rotary switch 76 is at "0" or "4", terminal 1 (111) and terminal 2 (112) of the rotary switch 76 are not connected to terminal C110 within the rotary switch 76, and terminal SEL0 (108) and terminal SEL1 (109) are set to low level by the pull-down resistor 77, and as shown in FIG. 8B, the power supply control unit 50 operates with both the delay time T_delay (RESET signal in the figure) and the Delay_Timer time valid.

When the rotary switch 76 is set to "1" or "5", terminal 1 (111) and terminal C110 of the rotary switch 76 are connected within the rotary switch 76, terminal 1 (111) and terminal SEL0 (108) of the rotary switch 76 are set to high level by the pull-up resistor 78, terminal 2 (112) and terminal C110 of the rotary switch 76 are not connected within the rotary switch 76, and terminal 2 (112) and terminal SEL1 (109) of the rotary switch 76 are set to low level by the pull-down resistor 77. As shown in FIG. 8B, the delay time T_delay (RESET signal in the figure) is disabled, and the Delay_Timer time is enabled.

When the rotary switch 76 is set to "2" or "6", terminal 1 (111) and terminal C110 of the rotary switch 76 are not connected within the rotary switch 76, and terminal 1 (111) and terminal SEL0 (108) of the rotary switch 76 are set to low level by the pull-down resistor 77, terminal 2 (112) and terminal C (110) of the rotary switch 76 are connected within the rotary switch 76, and terminal 2 (112) and terminal SEL1 (109) of the rotary switch 76 are set to high level by the pull-up resistor 78. As shown in FIG. 8B, the delay time T_delay (RESET signal in the figure) is valid, and the Delay_Timer time is invalid.

When the rotary switch 76 is set to "3" or "7", the terminal 1 (111) and terminal C (110) of the rotary switch 76 are connected within the rotary switch 76, and the terminal 1 (111) and terminal SEL0 (108) of the rotary switch 76 are set to high level by the pull-up resistor 78, and the terminal 2 (112) and terminal C (110) of the rotary switch 76 are connected within the rotary switch 76, and the terminal 2 (112) and terminal SEL1 (109) of the rotary switch 76 are set to high level by the pull-up resistor 78. As shown in FIG. 8B, the delay time T_delay (RESET signal in the figure) and the Delay_Timer time are invalidated, and when the VCCA 103 and EN signal 104 become high level, the delay timer unit 62 immediately sends the Enable signal 105, which causes the external MOSFET 56 to drive and start switching operation.

As a modification of this embodiment, an area is provided in the EEPROM 65 for writing values (operation mode information) corresponding to the signal states of SEL0 (108) and SEL1 (109), and when a value is written in this area, the delay timer unit 62 uses the value in this area in priority over the setting of the rotary switch 76, and can specify whether the delay time T_delay and Delay_Timer time are enabled or disabled.

According to this embodiment, the user can easily select how to use the timer function for controlling the timing of inrush current generation, and appropriate settings can be made while avoiding complex settings depending on the number of communication devices in the system.
<Conclusion>

The communication device 1 of the first embodiment can delay the time when the switching power supply device 6 in each communication device starts supplying power to the logic board 7 to a different time individually, thereby shifting the timing at which an inrush current occurs from the initial startup, and reducing the peak current value of the inrush current applied to the power distribution equipment.

In addition, after the communication device 1 of Example 2 starts operating, it is possible to change the delay time T_delay according to the combination of ON/OFF of switches A70 to D73, and it is possible to change the timing at which an inrush current occurs according to the movement of the installation location (rack) of the communication device 1 or the change of the combination with other computers.

In addition, after the communication device 1 of Example 3 starts operating, it is possible to change the delay time T_delay and the Delay_Timer time to enabled or disabled by setting the rotary switch 76.

As described above, the power supply control unit 50 of the above embodiment can be configured as follows.

(1) A power supply control device (power supply control unit 50) having a non-volatile memory (EEPROM 65) that holds preset identification information (serial number), a communication interface (I2C I/F 64) that writes to or reads from the non-volatile memory (65), a conversion unit (63) that converts the identification information stored in the non-volatile memory (65) into a first delay time (DELAY_Timer time), a timer unit (delay timer unit 62) that counts the first delay time and transmits an Enable signal (105) after the first delay time has elapsed, and an analog unit (59) that receives the Enable signal (105) and drives a MOSFET drive unit (60), the MOSFET drive unit (60) driving an external or built-in MOSFET (56).

With the above configuration, the power supply control unit 50 can delay the start of power supply to different times individually, thereby shifting the timing at which inrush current occurs from the initial startup, and reducing the peak current value of the inrush current applied to the power distribution equipment.

(2) The power supply control device according to (1) above, further comprising a terminal (CSS terminal 107) for connecting to an external capacitor (51), a current source (67) for supplying a charge current from the terminal (107) to the external capacitor (51), and a comparator with hysteresis (66) for detecting the voltage across the external capacitor (51) and outputting a RESET signal (106) when a predetermined voltage is reached, wherein the timer unit (62) starts counting the first delay time when it receives the RESET signal (106) from the comparator with hysteresis (66).

With the above configuration, the power supply control unit 50 starts charging the Icc current from the current source 67 to the external capacitor 51, and the voltage of the CSS terminal 107 starts to rise. After the delay time T_delay has elapsed, when the voltage exceeds the threshold voltage 69 (Vth), the hysteresis comparator 66 changes the RESET signal 106 from low level to high level to reset the delay timer unit 62, and the delay timer unit 62 can be started.

(3) The power supply control device according to (2) above, further comprising selector terminals ( 108, 109 ) for selecting enable or disable for each of the first delay time and the RESET signal (106).

With the above configuration, after the power supply control unit 50 starts operating, it is possible to change the Delay_Timer time (first delay time) and the delay time T_delay (second delay time) between enabled and disabled by setting the rotary switch 76.

(4) The power supply control device according to (3) above, characterized in that the non-volatile memory (65) is capable of storing operation mode information for selecting enable or disable for each of the first delay time and the RESET signal (106), and the timer unit (62) selects enable or disable for each of the first delay time and the RESET signal (106) based on the operation mode information in preference to the selector terminals (111, 112) when the operation mode information is stored in the non-volatile memory (65).

With the above configuration, when operation mode information is stored in the non-volatile memory 65, the power supply control unit 50 is able to change the enable/disable of the Delay_Timer time (first delay time) and the delay time T_delay (second delay time) based on the operation mode information, taking precedence over the setting of the rotary switch 76.

(5) The power supply control device according to (2) above, wherein the external capacitor (51) further comprises a first capacitor (51e) that is constantly connected to the current source, and a second capacitor (51a) that is connected in parallel with the first capacitor (51e) and is connected to the current source (67) via a switch (70), and the power supply control device changes a second delay time (T_delay) until the RESET signal (106) is output in response to opening and closing of the switch (70).

With the above configuration, the power supply control unit 50 can change the delay time T_delay after starting operation according to the combination of ON/OFF of switches A70 to D73, making it possible to change the timing at which an inrush current occurs according to, for example, moving the installation location (rack) of the communication device 1 or changing the combination with other computers.

(6) The power supply control device according to (5) above, characterized in that the identification information stored in the non-volatile memory (65) is a preset identification number (serial number), and the conversion unit (63) sets the first delay time according to the value of a predetermined digit of the identification number.

With the above configuration, the power supply control unit 50 can distribute the Delay_Timer time into 16 different types depending on the last digit of the serial number. By individually setting different times to start supplying power to the logic boards 7, it is possible to shift the timing at which inrush current occurs from the initial startup, thereby reducing the peak current value of the inrush current applied to the power distribution equipment.

(13) A communication device (1) having a switching power supply device (6) and a logic board (7), the logic board (7) having a communication unit (81) that controls communication between external devices, a memory unit (UIM 45) that holds preset identification information (serial number), and a calculation unit (microcomputer 46) that controls the communication unit (81) and writes the identification information of the memory unit (45) to the switching power supply device (6), the switching power supply device (6) having an input unit having a rectifier element (rectifier diode 34) that inputs AC and converts it to DC, a switching unit that inputs the DC and performs switching with a MOSFET (56), a power supply control unit (50) that controls the MOSFET (56), and a power supply control unit (50) that generates a DC of a predetermined voltage from the output of the MOSFET (56) using an isolation transformer (38), diodes (39, 40), and an inductor (41) and outputs the DC. The power supply control unit (50) has a non-volatile memory (EEPROM 65) that holds preset identification information, a communication interface (I2C I/F 64) that writes to or reads from the non-volatile memory (65), a conversion unit 63 that converts the identification information stored in the non-volatile memory (65) into a first delay time (DELAY_Timer time), a timer unit (delay timer unit 62) that counts the first delay time and transmits an Enable signal (105) after the first delay time has elapsed, and an analog unit (59) that receives the Enable signal and drives a MOSFET drive unit (60), and the MOSFET drive unit (60) drives the MOSFET (56).

With the above configuration, the communication device 1 can delay the start of power supply to different times individually, thereby shifting the timing at which an inrush current occurs from the initial startup, and reducing the peak current value of the inrush current applied to the power distribution equipment.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiments are described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all of the configurations described. It is also possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. In addition, the addition, deletion, or replacement of part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations can be applied alone or in combination.

The above configurations, functions, processing units, and processing means may be realized in part or in whole in hardware, for example by designing them as integrated circuits. The above configurations and functions may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function. Information on the programs, tables, files, etc. that realize each function may be stored in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD.

In addition, the control lines and information lines shown are those considered necessary for the explanation, and not all control lines and information lines on the product are necessarily shown. In reality, it can be assumed that almost all components are interconnected.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Communication device 6 Switching power supply device 7 Logic board 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Inrush current A
13 to 16 Outlet boxes A to D
17, 18, 19, 20 Inrush current B
21, 22, 23, 24 Circuit breaker 25 Inrush current C
26 Main circuit breaker 27 Distribution board 28, 29, 30, 31 Inrush current D
32 Inrush current E
33 Power supply cable 34 Rectifier diode 35 Inrush current suppression NTC thermistor 37, 54 Resistor 38 Isolation transformer 39, 40, 57 Diode 41 Inductor 44 DC/DC converter 45 UIM (EEPROM)
46 Microcomputer 47 I2C bus 48 Insulated I2C bus driver 49 I2C bus 50 Power supply control unit 51, 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d, 51e External capacitor 56 MOSFET
58 Regulator 59 Analog section 60 MOFSET drive section 61 Digital section 62 Delay timer section 63 Conversion section 64 I2C interface 65 Reference power supply (Vth)
66 Comparator with hysteresis 67 Current source 68 Housing 70 to 73 Switches A to D
74 Transparent plate 75 Transparent plate fixing screw 76 Rotary switch 77 Pull-down resistor 78 Pull-up resistor 81 Communication unit 82 Port

Claims (13)

A non-volatile memory for storing preset identification information;
A communication interface for writing to or reading from the non-volatile memory;
a conversion unit that converts the identification information stored in the nonvolatile memory into a first delay time;
a timer unit that counts the first delay time and transmits an Enable signal after the first delay time has elapsed;
an analog unit that receives the Enable signal and drives a MOSFET driver;
The power supply control device, wherein the MOSFET driver drives an external or built-in MOSFET. 2. The power supply control device according to claim 1,
A terminal for connecting to an external capacitor,
a current source that supplies a charge current from the terminal to the external capacitor;
a comparator with hysteresis that detects a voltage across the external capacitor and outputs a RESET signal when the voltage across the external capacitor reaches a predetermined voltage;
The timer unit is
a power supply control device which starts counting the first delay time when a RESET signal is received from the comparator with hysteresis. 3. The power supply control device according to claim 2,
a first selector terminal for inputting a signal for selecting whether the first delay time is enabled or disabled , and a second selector terminal for inputting a signal for selecting whether the RESET signal is enabled or disabled ,
A power supply control device characterized in that the timer unit sends the Enable signal without counting the first delay time when a signal selecting to disable the first delay time is input to the first selector terminal, and starts counting the first delay time without waiting for receipt of the RESET signal when a signal selecting to disable the RESET signal is input to the second selector terminal . 4. The power supply control device according to claim 3,
The non-volatile memory includes:
Operation mode information for selecting valid or invalid for each of the first delay time and the RESET signal can be stored,
The timer unit is
A power supply control device characterized in that, when the operating mode information is stored in the non-volatile memory, the first delay time and the RESET signal are selected to be enabled or disabled based on the operating mode information , taking priority over the inputs of the first and second selector terminals. 3. The power supply control device according to claim 2,
the external capacitor further includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor;
the first capacitor is constantly connected to the current source;
the second capacitor is connected in series with the switch;
the switch and the second capacitor connected in series are connected in parallel with the first capacitor;
A power supply control device comprising: a power supply control circuit for controlling a power supply from a first power supply to a second power supply; 6. The power supply control device according to claim 5,
The identification information stored in the non-volatile memory is a preset identification number,
The conversion unit is
A power supply control device, comprising: a power supply control unit that sets a first delay time in accordance with a value of a predetermined digit of the identification number. an input section having a rectifying element that receives an AC current and converts it into a DC current;
a switching unit which receives the direct current and performs switching using a MOSFET;
A power supply control unit that controls the MOSFET;
an output section which outputs a direct current of a predetermined voltage from the output of the MOSFET through an insulating transformer, a diode, and an inductor;
A communication driver for communicating with an external device;
The power supply control unit is
A non-volatile memory for storing preset identification information;
A communication interface for writing to or reading from the non-volatile memory;
a conversion unit that converts the identification information stored in the nonvolatile memory into a first delay time;
a timer unit that counts the first delay time and transmits an Enable signal after the first delay time has elapsed;
an analog unit that receives the Enable signal and drives a MOSFET driver;
The switching power supply device, wherein the MOSFET driver drives the MOSFET. 8. The switching power supply device according to claim 7,
A terminal for connecting to an external capacitor,
a current source that supplies a charge current from the terminal to the external capacitor;
a comparator with hysteresis that detects a voltage across the external capacitor and outputs a RESET signal when the voltage across the external capacitor reaches a predetermined voltage;
The timer unit is
a switching power supply device which starts counting the first delay time when a RESET signal is received from the comparator with hysteresis. 9. The switching power supply device according to claim 8,
a first selector terminal for inputting a signal for selecting whether the first delay time is enabled or disabled , and a second selector terminal for inputting a signal for selecting whether the RESET signal is enabled or disabled ,
a timer unit that transmits the Enable signal without counting the first delay time when a signal selecting to disable the first delay time is input to the first selector terminal, and starts counting the first delay time without waiting for receipt of the RESET signal when a signal selecting to disable the RESET signal is input to the second selector terminal. 10. The switching power supply device according to claim 9,
The non-volatile memory includes:
Operation mode information for selecting valid or invalid for each of the first delay time and the RESET signal can be stored,
The timer unit is
A switching power supply device characterized in that, when the operating mode information is stored in the non-volatile memory, the first delay time and the RESET signal are selected to be enabled or disabled based on the operating mode information , taking priority over the inputs of the first and second selector terminals. 9. The switching power supply device according to claim 8,
the external capacitor further includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor;
the first capacitor is constantly connected to the current source;
the second capacitor is connected in series with the switch;
the switch and the second capacitor connected in series are connected in parallel with the first capacitor;
a second delay time until the RESET signal is outputted is changed in response to opening and closing of the switch. 12. The switching power supply device according to claim 11,
The identification information stored in the non-volatile memory is a preset identification number,
The conversion unit is
A switching power supply device, comprising: a first delay time set in accordance with a value of a predetermined digit of said identification number. A communication device having a switching power supply device and a logic board,
The logic board includes:
A communication unit that controls communication between external devices;
A storage unit for storing preset identification information;
a calculation unit that controls the communication unit and writes the identification information of the storage unit into the switching power supply device,
The switching power supply device is
an input section having a rectifying element that receives an AC current and converts it into a DC current;
a switching unit which receives the direct current and performs switching using a MOSFET;
A power supply control unit that controls the MOSFET;
an output section which outputs a direct current of a predetermined voltage from the output of the MOSFET through an insulating transformer, a diode, and an inductor;
A communication driver that communicates with the calculation unit,
The power supply control unit is
A non-volatile memory for storing preset identification information;
A communication interface for writing to or reading from the non-volatile memory;
a conversion unit that converts the identification information stored in the nonvolatile memory into a first delay time;
a timer unit that counts the first delay time and transmits an Enable signal after the first delay time has elapsed;
an analog unit that receives the Enable signal and drives a MOSFET driver;
The communication device, wherein the MOSFET driver drives the MOSFET.

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