TWI663798B - Power distribution unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A power distributor includes at least two conductors, multiple sockets, multiple indicators, an AC-DC conversion circuit and a control circuit. Each socket is electrically coupled to two of the conductors. Each indicator corresponds to one of the sockets. The input of the AC-DC conversion circuit is electrically coupled to two of the conductors. The control circuit is electrically coupled to the indicator light and the output of the AC-DC conversion circuit. The control circuit is used to sequentially drive the above-mentioned indicators, and according to the grouping information of each grouped socket, control a corresponding indicator to display the corresponding color of the group to which the socket belongs.

Description

Power distributor

The invention relates to the technical field of power supply, and in particular to a power distributor.

At present, power distribution units have been widely used in various types of computer rooms (such as data centers) to distribute power required by various types of equipment. However, as the equipment in the computer room becomes more and more complicated, multiple power distributors may be used in one computer room, and the same power distributor is often electrically coupled to different devices, resulting in the wiring configuration of the entire computer room being greater than in the past. It's a lot more complicated, which makes the computer room staff often need a lot of time to troubleshoot.

One object of the present invention is to provide a power distributor, which can be used by a computer room personnel to quickly identify the type of equipment electrically coupled to each socket of the power distributor, thereby improving the efficiency of the computer room personnel's troubleshooting.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a power distributor, which includes at least two conductors, multiple sockets, multiple indicators, an AC-DC conversion circuit and a control circuit. Each socket is electrically coupled to two of the aforementioned conductors. Each indicator corresponds to one of the sockets. communicate with- The input of the DC conversion circuit is electrically coupled to two of the conductors. The control circuit is electrically coupled to the above indicators and the output of the AC-DC conversion circuit. This control circuit is used to sequentially drive the above-mentioned indicators, and control a corresponding indicator to display the corresponding color of the group to which the socket belongs according to the grouping information of each grouped socket.

In order to make the above-mentioned purpose, technical characteristics, and gains after actual implementation more obvious and easier to understand, the following will be explained in more detail with better implementation examples and corresponding corresponding drawings.

100, 200, 300, 400, 500‧‧‧ power distributors

110‧‧‧conductor

120‧‧‧AC-DC conversion circuit

130, 230, 330‧‧‧ control circuit

140‧‧‧Socket

150‧‧‧ indicator

240‧‧‧memory unit

250‧‧‧ communication interface

260‧‧‧user interface

270‧‧‧sensing unit

510, 520, 530‧‧‧ virtual frame

D1 ~ DN‧‧‧sensing results

L, L1 ~ L3‧‧‧ AC power

LED_R, LED_G, LED_B‧‧‧Second output pin

N‧‧‧ neutral line

OUTLET_1 ~ OUTLET_N‧‧‧first output pin

S_1 ~ S_N, S_R, S_G, S_B‧‧‧ output signal

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a power distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates one of the electrical coupling modes of the control circuit and the indicators.

FIG. 3 is a timing diagram of the output signals of the control circuit.

FIG. 4 illustrates another electrical coupling manner between the control circuit and each indicator light.

FIG. 5 illustrates another timing of the output signal of the control circuit.

FIG. 6 shows the results of one of the groupings.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a power distributor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a power distributor according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a power distributor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a power distributor according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

In order to understand more clearly the features, contents and advantages of the present invention and the effects it can achieve, The present invention is described in detail in the form of an embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The schematics used in the present invention are only for the purpose of illustration and supplementary description. The attached drawings should not be interpreted in terms of the scale and configuration relationship, and should not limit the scope of rights of the present invention in actual implementation.

The advantages, features, and technical methods of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings for easier understanding, and the present invention may be implemented in different forms, so it should not be understood to be limited to this The embodiments described herein, on the contrary, to those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field, the embodiments provided will make this disclosure more thoroughly and comprehensively and completely convey the scope of the invention, and the invention will only be appended As defined by the scope of patent applications.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a power distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the power distributor 100 includes two conductors 110, an AC-DC conversion circuit 120, a control circuit 130, multiple sockets 140 and multiple indicators 150. One of the conductors 110 is for electrically coupling the AC power source L, and the other of the conductors 110 is for electrically coupling the neutral line N. Each socket 140 is electrically coupled to the two conductors 110. Each indicator light 150 corresponds to one of the sockets 140. For example, each indicator light 150 may be disposed adjacent to one of the sockets 140, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The input of the AC-DC conversion circuit 120 is electrically coupled to the two conductors 110. As for the control circuit 130, it is electrically coupled to the above-mentioned indicators 150 and the output of the AC-DC conversion circuit 120. The control circuit 130 is used to sequentially drive the above-mentioned indicator lights 150, and control a corresponding indicator light 150 to display the corresponding color of the group to which the socket 140 belongs according to the grouping information of each grouped socket 140. The grouping information includes, but is not limited to, information on whether each socket 140 has been grouped, and each grouped socket 140 belongs to the group. News. In this example, the control circuit 130 is also used to record the packet information of each socket 140.

According to this, different groups of sockets 140 can display different colors through the respective indicator lights 150, so that the personnel in the computer room can quickly identify the type of equipment electrically coupled to each socket 140. For example, an indicator light 150 may be displayed in blue to indicate that its corresponding socket 140 is used to power lighting equipment, or may be displayed in green to indicate that its corresponding socket 140 is used to power communications equipment, or it may be displayed in red. It indicates that the corresponding socket 140 is used to supply power to the air-conditioning equipment. Of course, different colors can also be used to indicate different network segments where the device is located, or to indicate devices of different models, which is not limited in the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 1 again. Each of the above indicators 150 has at least two light sources of different colors, and each light source is implemented by a light emitting diode, for example. In order to explain the present invention more clearly, the following description will assume that each indicator light 150 has a red light emitting diode, a green light emitting diode, and a blue light emitting diode, but the present invention is not limited thereto. .

FIG. 2 illustrates one of the electrical coupling methods between the control circuit 130 and each indicator light 150. Referring to FIG. 2, the control circuit 130 has a plurality of first output pins (represented by OUTLET_1 ~ OUTLET_N, where N is a natural number), and has a plurality of second output pins (respectively LED_R, LED_G, and LED_B). Labeled). As shown in FIG. 2, each first output pin is electrically coupled to one end of each light-emitting diode in one of the indicators 150, and each second output pin is electrically coupled to the indicators. 150. The other end of each light emitting diode with the same color.

FIG. 3 is a timing diagram of the output signals of the control circuit 130. In Figure 3, S_1 ~ S_N represent the output signals of the first output pins OUTLET_1 ~ OUTLET_N, and S_R, S_G, and S_B represent the second output pins LED_R, LED_G, and Output signal of LED_B. Please refer to FIG. 3 and FIG. 2 at the same time. The control circuit 130 sequentially pulls up the first output pins OUTLET_1 ~ OUTLET_N to the high level (H) for a preset time T, and during each preset time T, according to the The grouping information corresponding to the socket 140 at a predetermined time T is used to determine whether to pull down at least one second output pin to a low level (L). In the same preset time T, if only a second output pin is pulled down to a low level, the corresponding indicator light 150 will display the corresponding color of the second output pin. In addition, during the same preset time T, if two or more second output pins are pulled down to a low level, the corresponding indicator light 150 will display the mixed color. In addition, at the same preset time T, if any second output pin is not pulled down to a low level, the corresponding indicator light 150 is off, which means that the corresponding sockets 140 have not been grouped.

FIG. 4 illustrates another electrical coupling manner between the control circuit 130 and each indicator light 150. Referring to FIG. 4, the control circuit 130 has first output pins OUTLET_1 to OUTLET_N and second output pins LED_R, LED_G, and LED_B. As shown in FIG. 4, each first output pin is electrically coupled to one end of each light emitting diode in one of the indicator lights 150, and each second output pin is electrically coupled to the indicators. 150. The other end of each light emitting diode with the same color.

FIG. 5 illustrates another timing of the output signal of the control circuit 130. In FIG. 5, S_1 ~ S_N represent the output signals of the first output pins OUTLET_1 ~ OUTLET_N, and S_R, S_G, and S_B represent the output signals of the second output pins LED_R, LED_G, and LED_B, respectively. Please refer to FIG. 5 and FIG. 4 at the same time, the control circuit 130 sequentially pulls down the first output pins OUTLET_1 ~ OUTLET_N to the low level (L) for a preset time T, and at each preset time T, according to the Determine the grouping information of the corresponding socket 140 at the preset time T Whether to pull up at least one second output pin to a high level (H). In the same preset time T, if only a second output pin is pulled up to a high level, the corresponding indicator light 150 will display the corresponding color of the second output pin. In addition, in the same preset time T, if two or more second output pins are pulled up to a high level, the corresponding indicator light 150 will display the mixed color. In addition, during the same preset time T, if any second output pin is not pulled up to a high level, the corresponding indicator light 150 is off, which means that the corresponding sockets 140 have not been grouped.

It can be seen from the description of FIGS. 2 to 5 that the control circuit 130 drives the indicators 150 in sequence, and the indicators 150 share the second output pins LED_R, LED_G, and LED_B of the control circuit 130, so The number of pins of the control circuit 130 is reduced. In addition, the driving sequence of the indicators 150 can be changed. It is worth mentioning that if the flicker of the indicator light 150 is not to be perceived by the human eye, the conduction frequency of the indicator light 150 should be at least 30 Hz.

FIG. 6 shows the results of one of the groupings. In FIG. 6, there are four power distributors 100, and the sockets 140 selected by the virtual box 510 are divided into a first group, and the sockets 140 selected by the virtual box 520 are divided into a second group. In the group, the sockets 140 selected by the virtual frame 530 are divided into a third group. The sockets 140 in the first group are, for example, powering lighting equipment, the sockets 140 in the second group are, for example, powering communication equipment, and the sockets 140 in the third group are, for example, powering air conditioner. device. The indicators 150 corresponding to the first group may be displayed in blue, for example, the indicators 150 corresponding to the second group may be displayed in green, and the indicators 150 corresponding to the third group may be displayed in green. For example, it can be displayed in red.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a power distributor according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 7 and FIG. 1 at the same time. Compared with the power distributor 100 shown in FIG. 1, the power distributor 200 shown in FIG. 7 It further includes a memory unit 240, a communication interface 250 and a user interface 260. The memory unit 240, the communication interface 250, and the user interface 260 are all electrically coupled to the control circuit 230. In this example, the memory unit 240 is used to record the grouping information of each socket 140. In this way, the control circuit 230 does not need to record the information any more, but only needs to access the information to the memory unit 240. In addition, the control circuit 230 can receive the grouping setting of any socket 140 through the communication interface 250. In addition, the user interface 260 may include at least one of an input interface and a display interface. If the user interface 260 has an input interface, the control circuit 230 can also receive grouping settings of any of the sockets 140 through the input interface. Of course, the memory unit 240, the communication interface 250, and the user interface 260 can all decide whether to adopt or not according to actual design requirements.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a power distributor according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 8 and FIG. 7 at the same time. Compared with the power distributor 200 shown in FIG. 7, the power distributor 300 shown in FIG. 8 further includes a plurality of sensing units 270. Each socket 140 is electrically coupled to one of the conductors 110 through one of the sensing units 270. Each sensing unit 270 is used to measure the current and provide a sensing result accordingly (as shown by D1 to DN, where N is a natural number). In this example, the control circuit 330 calculates a corresponding load according to each sensing result, and controls the color displayed by a corresponding indicator light 150 accordingly. For example, when the control circuit 330 calculates that one of the devices electrically connected to the corresponding socket 140 has been overloaded according to the sensing result D2, the control circuit 330 controls a corresponding indicator 150 A specific color (for example, orange) is displayed to show the overload state.

Further, the control circuit 330 can calculate a corresponding load according to each sensing result, and sum up the values of the corresponding loads of the same group of sockets 140 to obtain a total result, thereby controlling the group of sockets 140 Corresponding to the colors displayed by the indicators 150. For example In other words, when the control circuit 330 determines that the corresponding electrically coupled devices of the group of sockets 140 are overloaded according to a total result, the control circuit 330 controls the corresponding indicators 150 to display a specific color. (For example, yellow) to show this overload state.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a power distributor according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 9 and FIG. 7 at the same time. Compared with the power distributor 200 shown in FIG. 7, the power distributor 400 shown in FIG. 9 includes four conductors 110. In this example, the four conductors 110 are electrically coupled to the AC power sources L1, L2, L3 and the neutral line N, respectively. The phase difference between any of the AC power sources L1, L2, and L3 is 120 degrees, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In this example, the sockets 140 electrically coupled to the AC power L1 and the neutral N are divided into a group, and the sockets 140 electrically coupled to the AC power L2 and the neutral N are divided The sockets 140 are electrically connected to the AC power source L3 and the neutral line N, and are divided into a group. In addition, the control circuit 230 controls the corresponding three sets of indicator lights 150 to display three different colors, respectively.

Although in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the input of the AC-DC conversion circuit 120 and each socket 140 are electrically coupled to the neutral line N, and are electrically coupled to one of the AC power sources L1, L2, and L3, However, this is not intended to limit the present invention. For example, the input of the AC-DC conversion circuit 120 and each socket 140 may also be two of the AC power sources L1, L2, and L3 electrically coupled. Therefore, the sockets 140 electrically coupled to the AC power L1 and L2 are divided into a group, the sockets 140 electrically coupled to the AC power L2 and L3 are divided into a group, and the electrical coupling The sockets 140 connected to the AC power sources L3 and L1 are divided into a group. In addition, the control circuit 230 controls the corresponding three sets of indicator lights 150 to display three different colors, respectively. In such an embodiment, the power distributor 200 only needs to have three conductors 110.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a power distributor according to still another embodiment of the present invention. Please also refer to 10 and FIG. 9, compared with the power distributor 400 shown in FIG. 9, the power distributor 500 shown in FIG. 10 further includes a plurality of sensing units 270. Each socket 140 is electrically coupled to one of the conductors 110 through a sensing unit 270, and each sensing unit 270 is used to measure current and provide a sensing result accordingly (such as D1 ~ DN). In this example, the control circuit 330 calculates a corresponding load according to each sensing result, and controls the color displayed by a corresponding indicator light 150 accordingly. For example, when the control circuit 330 calculates that one of the devices electrically connected to the corresponding socket 140 is overloaded according to the sensing result D2, the control circuit 330 controls a corresponding indicator 150 to display a specific color (Such as orange) to show this overload state.

Further, the control circuit 330 can calculate a corresponding load according to each sensing result, and sum up the values of the corresponding loads of the same group of sockets 140 to obtain a total result, thereby controlling the group of sockets 140 Corresponding to the colors displayed by the indicators 150. For example, when the control circuit 330 determines that the correspondingly-coupled devices of the group of sockets 140 are overloaded according to a total result, the control circuit 330 controls the corresponding indicators 150 to display a specific Color (for example, yellow) to represent this overload state. Of course, the input of the AC-DC conversion circuit 120 and each socket 140 may also be two of the AC power sources L1, L2, and L3 electrically coupled. Therefore, the sockets 140 electrically coupled to the AC power L1 and L2 are divided into a group, the sockets 140 electrically coupled to the AC power L2 and L3 are divided into a group, and the electrical coupling The sockets 140 connected to the AC power sources L3 and L1 are divided into a group. In addition, the control circuit 230 controls the corresponding three sets of indicator lights 150 to display three different colors, respectively. In such an embodiment, the power distributor 500 only needs to have three conductors 110.

In summary, since different groups of sockets 140 can display different colors through their respective indicator lights 150, the power distributor of the present invention can quickly identify the equipment to which each socket 140 is electrically coupled. To improve the efficiency of troubleshooting in the computer room. In addition, this design method also provides the flexibility of future equipment changes. In addition, the power distributor of the present invention can even display different load states through the indicator light 150, and can display a specific color through the indicator light 150 to alert a certain emergency situation (such as an overload state), which will further improve The efficiency of the computer room personnel to perform troubleshooting.

The embodiments described above are only for explaining the technical ideas and characteristics of the present invention. The purpose is to enable those skilled in the art to understand the content of this creation and implement it accordingly. When the scope of the patent of the present invention cannot be limited, That is, any equivalent change or modification made according to the spirit disclosed by the present invention should still be covered by the patent scope of the present invention.

Claims (18)

A power distributor includes: at least two conductors; a plurality of sockets, each socket being electrically coupled to two of the conductors; a plurality of indicators, each indicator corresponding to one of the sockets, and each indicator There are at least two light sources of different colors, each light source includes a light emitting diode; an AC-DC conversion circuit, the input of which is electrically coupled to two of the conductors; and a control circuit, which is electrically coupled to the These indicators and the output of the AC-DC conversion circuit, the control circuit is used to sequentially drive the indicators, and control a corresponding indicator to display the group of the group to which the socket belongs according to the grouping information of each grouped socket. A corresponding color, wherein the control circuit has a plurality of first output pins and a plurality of second output pins, each first output pin is electrically coupled to one end of each light source in one of the indicator lights, and Each second output pin is electrically coupled to the other end of each light source with the same color in the indicators, wherein the control circuit sequentially pulls the first output pins to a first level. Bit-ahead Time, and in each preset time, determine whether to pull down at least one second output pin to a second level according to the grouping information of a corresponding socket of the preset time, wherein the second level is less than the second level First level. The power distributor according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the control circuit is further configured to record grouping information of each socket. The power distributor according to item 1 of the patent application scope further includes a memory unit, which is electrically coupled to the control circuit and is used to record grouping information of each socket. The power distributor according to item 1 of the patent application scope further includes a communication interface, which is electrically coupled to the control circuit so that the control circuit receives the grouping setting of any socket through the communication interface. The power distributor according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, further comprising a user interface, the user interface is electrically coupled to the control circuit, so that the control circuit receives the grouping setting of any socket through the user interface. . The power distributor according to item 1 of the patent application scope further includes a plurality of sensing units, and each socket is electrically coupled to one of the conductors through one of the sensing units, and each sensing unit The measuring unit is used to measure the current and provide a sensing result accordingly. The power distributor according to item 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein the control circuit further calculates a corresponding load according to each sensing result, and controls the color displayed by a corresponding indicator light accordingly. The power distributor according to item 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein the control circuit further calculates the size of a corresponding load according to each sensing result, and adds up the values of the corresponding loads of the same group of sockets to obtain a plus The overall result is used to control the colors displayed by the indicators corresponding to the group of sockets. The power distributor as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the on-frequency of each indicator light is at least 30Hz. A power distributor includes: at least two conductors; a plurality of sockets, each socket being electrically coupled to two of the conductors; a plurality of indicators, each indicator corresponding to one of the sockets, and each indicator There are at least two light sources of different colors, each light source includes a light emitting diode; an AC-DC conversion circuit, the input of which is electrically coupled to two of the conductors; and a control circuit, which is electrically coupled to the These indicators and the output of the AC-DC conversion circuit, the control circuit is used to sequentially drive the indicators, and control a corresponding indicator to display the group of the group to which the socket belongs according to the grouping information of each grouped socket. A corresponding color, wherein the control circuit has a plurality of first output pins and a plurality of second output pins, each first output pin is electrically coupled to one end of each light source in one of the indicator lights, and Each second output pin is electrically coupled to the other end of each light source with the same color in the indicators, wherein the control circuit sequentially pulls down the first output pins to a first level. One foresee Time, and in each preset time, decide whether to pull up at least one second output pin to a second level according to the grouping information of the corresponding socket in one of the preset times, where the second level is greater than The first level. The power distributor according to item 10 of the patent application scope, wherein the control circuit is further configured to record grouping information of each socket. The power distributor according to item 10 of the scope of patent application, further comprising a memory unit, the memory unit is electrically coupled to the control circuit and is used to record the grouping information of each socket. The power distributor according to item 10 of the patent application scope further includes a communication interface, the communication interface is electrically coupled to the control circuit, so that the control circuit receives the grouping setting of any socket through the communication interface. The power distributor according to item 10 of the scope of patent application, further comprising a user interface, the user interface is electrically coupled to the control circuit, so that the control circuit receives the grouping setting of any socket through the user interface. . The power distributor according to item 10 of the patent application scope, further comprising a plurality of sensing units, and each socket is electrically coupled to one of the conductors through one of the sensing units, and each sensing unit The measuring unit is used to measure the current and provide a sensing result accordingly. The power distributor according to item 15 of the scope of patent application, wherein the control circuit further calculates a corresponding load according to each sensing result, and controls the color displayed by a corresponding indicator light accordingly. The power distributor according to item 15 of the scope of patent application, wherein the control circuit further calculates a corresponding load according to each sensing result, and adds up the values of the corresponding loads of the same group of sockets to obtain a plus The overall result is used to control the colors displayed by the indicators corresponding to the group of sockets. The power distributor according to item 10 of the scope of patent application, wherein the on-frequency of each indicator light is at least 30Hz.