Patent Application
20070281526
The present application is directed to a modular power distribution unit and method of use and, in particular, to a hot-swappable modular distribution unit and method of use.
Many types of power distribution units (PDUs) are available for distributing power to components in environments such as, for example, data centers, computer rooms, and communication centers. Presently available PDU systems typically include a box with fixed devices. Commercially available PDUs typically have fixed plug receptacles and breakers, the selection of which is very limited. Frequently, the available PDUs may not include a sufficient variety of receptacles for the different equipment that are used in such environments. When that is the case, users must order additional PDUs to accommodate the user's particular needs. Therefore, when faced with a variety of receptacle needs, a user must frequently select many different PDUs in order to meet the plug receptacle needs for each component requiring power. Thus, the limited configurations of plug receptacles in presently available PDUs increases the expense to the user and increases the amount of space used. This can create many redundant or unuseable plug receptacles that will go unused, and that the user otherwise would not order.
In addition, presently available PDUs must be hard-wired into the existing system, which, of course, requires the expertise of an electrician. There are many disadvantages to requiring an electrician to hard-wire each additional individual PDU. The PDU cannot be installed immediately, because the services of an electrician must be scheduled. Power to the existing PDUs must be shut off in order to allow the electrician to perform the connection to the new additional PDU(s). When power to the PDU system is shut down, equipment to which power is supplied by the PDUs must be shut off as well, if an alternate source of power is not available. In addition, when equipment is shut off, or is not powered redundantly, workers and systems are no longer productive.
A solution to the problems of prior power distribution units is provided in the present disclosure, which provides electrical power to equipment in environments such as data centers, computer rooms, or communications centers. The present disclosure recognizes that in these and other environments, the power requirements for the various equipment are multiple and varied, and subject to change. In a computer room, for example, the addition of a computer server, several PC's, or associated peripherals such as printers will require that the electric power be upgraded to accommodate the new equipment. Various electrical receptacles of certain configurations and power ratings must be supplied or the new equipment cannot operate. Also, in an environment such as a computer room, it is desirable for the new power requirements to be fulfilled and changes and upgrades be made without interrupting the power to the existing equipment, which may be involved in critical operations.
The power distribution unit of the present disclosure allows the electric power to be effectively changed or upgraded to accommodate the new power requirements without interrupting power to existing attached systems or without incurring significant increased cost or inconvenience for users.
The power distribution unit includes a frame and one or more user-replaceable power modules, which fit into slots in the frame. Each power module provides one or more plug receptacles for attaching equipment to provide power thereto. The power modules are available in a variety of receptacle types, receptacle numbers, and power rating configurations to accommodate various equipment in a particular environment, as needed.
The frame includes an internal connector panel for distributing power from a power source to the power modules when they are inserted in the frame. The internal connector panel is also a dividing wall, which separates the frame into a region for accommodating power modules and a region for receiving power from a power source and routing the power to the connectors on the connector panel.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, the power modules have the capability to be “hot-swapped,” where existing modules may be removed and replaced without shutting down any other modules or without the shutting down the electric power to the power distribution unit itself.
In an alternative embodiment, the power-distribution unit includes a remote control capability to provide control of individual control of the power modules from telephone, cable, or DSL lines. In this embodiment, the power distribution unit includes a remote control unit and circuitry, which allows the power distribution unit to receive and respond to control signals from a distance to implement functions such as sequencing the start-up or shut-down of individual power modules, timed start-up and shut-down, or direct user control as desired. Alternatively, the individual power modules may be controlled by a stored computer program.
In still another alternative embodiment, the concepts of the present invention may be incorporated into entertainment products such as VCRs and DVDs to facilitate adapting these devices for countries having different electrical source voltages, frequencies, and plug types. In this embodiment, the entertainment product accepts into a slot a power module adapted for receiving and converting power from a country's domestic electric power system for use in powering the product. The power module includes a receptacle for the country of use.
These and other features of the present disclosure will be understood from the description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the description below, with reference to the following drawing figures, in which:
The power distribution unit 10 of the present disclosure allows users to select configurations of plugs and receptacles to be compatible with the user's specific needs. The system has a frame and module construction that is scalable and customizable, as will be described.
A preferred embodiment of the a power distribution unit 10 according to the present disclosure is illustrated initially with reference to
The power distribution unit 10 includes at least one power module 26 and is generally configured to accommodate several power modules 28, 30, 32, as shown in
The first support member 14 is a welded structure having upper and lower surfaces to provide a rigid base for supporting all the components of the power distribution unit 10. The frame 12 includes a dividing wall 34 mounted on the first support member 14. The dividing wall includes first and second opposing surfaces. The dividing wall 34 divides the frame 12 into first and second sections in which various components of the power distribution unit 10 are positioned. The dividing wall 34 includes a plurality of apertures (not illustrated) in which a corresponding number of electrical connectors 36-46 may be supported, as shown in
A power cable 48 provides a source of electrical power to the power distribution unit 10 and to the connectors 36-46 from a coupled power supply (not shown). The power provided over power cable 48 by the power supply should be sufficient to drive a fully loaded power distribution unit 10, that is, where power distribution modules occupy each slot. The electrical connections and cabling will be explained in more detail further on. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that any other means or method of connecting power to power distribution 10 may be used, and that the system is not limited to a direct connection.
Power modules will now be explained in connection with
Turning to
When installed in the frame 12, the power module 26 is held in firm place within the frame 12 by holding screws 74, 76. The holding screws 72,74 have knurled heads, which respond to finger pressure for tightening or loosening. Knurled head screws are well known in the art for holding or clamping removable modular components in electrical cabinets and the like.
There are various types of power modules each having different power ratings and different receptacles. In environments such as computer rooms, three-phase power receptacles may be required. Power modules are provided with single, duplex, or multiple receptacle configurations. In the preferred embodiment, a wide variety of power module configurations are provided. A catalog of available power modules provides a user with a full range of power receptacle configurations, defined by standards established by various agencies or associations such as NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association), which is conventional in the United States. Other standards that have been established domestically and/or internationally include, for example, CEE, CEE 7-7, BS, AS/NZS, CEI, SEV, SI, AFSNTI, EDP, JIS, IEC320, and IEC309. The various module configurations may be ordered as needed or an inventory of selected power modules may be stored for ready use, depending on the needs of the user and the particular installation. For example, NEMA receptacle configurations which are usable with the present disclosure include: 5-15R; 5-20R; 6-20R; L5-20R; L5-30R; L6-20R; L6-30R; L14-30R; and L21-30R. In the preferred embodiment, power modules with three-phase receptacles are provided in A, B & C phase configurations to facilitate load balancing requirements.
The module breaker 68 controls power to the receptacles on the power module 26. The breaker 68 includes a manually-operated switch 77 for powering the module on and off. The module breaker 68 is rated to accommodate the current being delivered to the receptacles 70,72 of each particular power module 26.
Turning now to
The rear section, behind the dividing wall 34, includes a terminal block 96 and a grounding block 98. In the preferred embodiment, a main breaker 100 is also provided to be electrically coupled between the power source and the terminal block, as shown in the schematic diagram of
The terminal block 96 has a number of connection points. The purpose of the terminal block 96 is to distribute power to the connectors 36-46 mounted in the dividing wall 34 of the frame 12. Each of the electrical connectors 36-46 mounted in the dividing wall 34 have the same connections to the terminal block and to the ground connection; i.e. the electrical connectors 36-46 are commonly coupled to the grounding block 98 connection and commonly coupled to the terminal block 96. This wiring arrangement can also be seen in
In the preferred embodiment, the main breaker 100 mounted on the rear panel 24 is rated at 90 amps, although other variations may be used, such as a 50 amp main breaker. It is also contemplated that the frame 14 may be customized for the particular application, and have a main breaker rating which will be specified by the user. For example, any rating within the range of between 0.10 and 100 amps may be specified. Alternatively, the frame may include a NEMA rated female inlet or a male inlet such as, for example, a NEMA L2130 male inlet, or a direct wiring connection.
To use the power distribution unit 10, a user would first determine the power requirements for some equipment in the particular environment such as a computer room. The user would then choose an appropriate power module 26 to install in an empty slot of the frame 12. Alternatively, if no slots are empty in the frame 12, an unused power module 26 may be removed and the new power module 26 inserted. The new power module 26 would have receptacles 70, 72 to fulfill the specific power requirement for equipment needing power. Often, the altered power requirements may be met by a single power module 26. The module 26 is purchased or taken from stock, for the particular application needed, and simply installed in the frame 14 by turning off the module breaker switch 77, inserting the power module 26 into the frame 12, tightening the two retaining screws 74,76 and then switching the breaker switch 77 on. The installation is completed and the new equipment may then be attached to the receptacles 70, 72 and provided with electrical power.
It should be appreciated that installation of a power module 26 is accomplished in “hot-swap” mode, without turning off the power to the power distribution unit 10 or without turning off power to any other power module 26. In a similar manner, an old or unused power module 26 may be removed without interrupting power to the power distribution unit 10 simply by switching off its associated breaker switch 77 and removing the power module 26 from its slot.
Turning now to
The remote-control function is provided by a control unit 102, such as a single-board computer, which receives control signals 104 from an administrator (not shown). The signals may be received in a variety of manners, and may have a corresponding variety of attributes. For example, the single board computer may be a radio receiver, capable of receiving radio signals form a remote device controlled by the administrator some distance away from the control unit 102. Alternatively, the control signals may be analog or digital signals driven by an electrical device accessible to the administrator, and located on the enclosure, for example a keypad or the like. In addition, the control signals could be forwarded from a preprogrammed device that turns on the power supplies in a given predefined pattern. In any of these implementations, upon receipt of the control signals 104 or upon activation of the software-controlled trigger, the relay circuit 106 apparatus will selectively operate to turn on or turn off the selected power module as desired.
In still another embodiment, the control unit 102 may take the form of a single board computer installed in the frame 12 with an appropriate electrical connector. The control unit 102 would trigger a relay circuit 106 to control power to the individual power modules 26-32. Or the power modules 26-32 themselves may include relay circuits 106 responsive signals received from the control unit 102. In this embodiment, users could remotely communicate with the power distribution unit 10 via telephone, cable, or DSL lines. Once connected the user can remotely and individually control power to each module receptacle.
Still another alternative embodiment of the enclosure is illustrated in
In
The description of the disclosure has been directed to certain exemplary embodiments. Various modifications of these embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the power distribution unit of the present disclosure is scalable. Although the configurations presented in the preferred embodiments generally are shown to have six slots to accommodate six power modules, it is within the scope of the present disclosure to include a frames of any needed size for accommodating any needed number of power modules, depending of the application. Further, the available power module types may include greater numbers and varieties of power receptacles than illustrated. These and other modifications are certainly within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the description is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure is indicated by the appended claims rather that by the forgoing description, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
Priority is hereby claimed under 35:U.S.C. § 119(e) to commonly owned and co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/333,794 which was filed on Nov. 28, 2001.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20050170678 A1 | Aug 2005 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60333794 | Nov 2001 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 10306532 | Nov 2002 | US |
| Child | 11098211 | Apr 2005 | US |
