Patent Grant
7443055
A DC-DC converter is a voltage regulator that converts one direct current voltage to another direct current voltage. Notably, there are numerous DC-DC converters present in computing systems. For example, a single circuit board in a computing system can use as many as 15-30 different voltages for powering various subsystems, with each of these voltages being produced by a separate DC-DC converter.
In this regard, it is oftentimes desirable to provide redundant power sources in systems, such as computing systems. Redundancy tends to ensure that, if one power source fails, another source is able to provide the requisite power for various loads within the system.
One technique for providing power redundancy involves the use of paralleled DC-DC converters. Oftentimes, this technique implements a form of current share between the paralleled converters, each of which is designed to carry a portion of a load during normal operation. There may be any number of paralleled converters, of which it is desired that each carry an equal portion (within allotted tolerances) of the load. During normal operation, the paralleled converters are “ON” and are providing power to the load. Responsive to a failure of one of the converters, the failed converter is electrically disconnected from the circuit, leaving the remaining converter to carry the entire load.
Some of the perceived challenges to the aforementioned technique include: the behavior of the converters during no load conditions; achieving accurate current share during startup as well as during transient load conditions; reliability and speed of fault detection and responsive disconnect of a failed converter; and the requirement that converters be of the same topology so that current share is reasonably achievable. One significant impact of inaccurate current share between paralleled converters is the potential for at least one of the paralleled converters to sink current while at least one of the other paralleled converters supply that current. This can lead to catastrophic failures of the converter(s) sinking current. The converter(s) providing that current may be overstressed, hence reducing their life expectancy and reducing the value of the redundancy. Furthermore, this can also lead to increased power draws, lower efficiency, hotter components, shutting off of power due to over-current protection and/or other undesirable affects.
In this regard, systems and methods for providing redundant voltage regulation are provided. An exemplary embodiment of such a system comprises a first voltage regulator, a second voltage regulator and a fault detector. The first voltage regulator is operative to power a load. The second voltage regulator is operative to power the load, with the second voltage regulator having output rectifiers. In a first mode of operation, the output rectifiers are disabled such that the second voltage regulator does not provide power to the load. The fault detector is operative to detect a fault of the first voltage regulator such that, in the first mode of operation, the fault detector enables the first voltage regulator to power the load independent of the second voltage regulator and, in a second mode of operation responsive to a detected fault of the first voltage regulator, the fault detector enables the output rectifiers of the second voltage regulator such that the second voltage regulator powers the load independent of the first voltage regulator.
Another embodiment of such a system comprises a circuit board, a first voltage regulator module and a fault detector. The circuit board has an embedded voltage regulator and lacks a component, located electrically downstream of the embedded voltage regulator, for disconnecting the embedded voltage regulator from a load. The first voltage regulator module has a first voltage regulator and a first output disconnect, with the first voltage regulator module being removably attachable to the circuit board such that attachment of the first voltage regulator module to the circuit board enables electrical connection of the first voltage regulator to the load. When so attached, the first output disconnect is operative to selectively, electrically connect and disconnect the first voltage regulator from the load. The fault detector is operative to detect a fault of the first voltage regulator such that, when the first voltage regulator module is attached to the circuit board and in a first mode of operation, the fault detector enables the first voltage regulator to power the load independent of the embedded voltage regulator and, when the first voltage regulator module is attached to the circuit board and in a second mode of operation responsive to a detected fault of the first voltage regulator, the fault detector enables the first output disconnect to electrically disconnect the first voltage regulator from the load and enables the embedded voltage regulator to power the load independent of the first voltage regulator such that redundant voltage regulation is provided.
An embodiment of a method for providing redundant voltage regulation comprises: providing a first voltage regulator and a second voltage regulator, the second voltage regulator having drive circuitry; electrically connecting the first voltage regulator to a load such that the first voltage regulator independently powers the load; disabling the drive circuitry of the second voltage regulator; detecting a fault of the first voltage regulator; and, responsive to the fault, enabling the drive circuitry of the second voltage regulator such that the second voltage regulator independently powers the load.
Other systems, methods, features and/or advantages of the present invention will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and/or advantages be included within this description and protected by the accompanying claims.
Many aspects of the invention can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present invention. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
As will be described in detail here, systems and methods for providing redundant voltage regulation are provided. In particular, some embodiments provide redundant voltage regulation without using current sharing circuits, which are used to balance loads from multiple voltage regulators, and which tend to be problematic in their implementation. Specifically, several exemplary embodiments implementing a technique referred to herein as “warm standby” will be described.
In this regard,
Each of the primary and secondary voltage regulators is able to power the entire load 106; however, under normal conditions, the primary voltage regulator alone provides such power.
Also shown in
Notably, when the primary voltage regulator is carrying the load, the secondary voltage regulator is operating in warm standby. This is in contrast to conventional hot standby, in which a secondary voltage regulator is electrically disconnected from a load but is providing an output that could be used for carrying the load. In warm standby, initial conditions of the secondary voltage regulator may be set. The initial conditions that might be set include, but are not limited to: biasing the control loop error amplifiers to avoid long slew rates at first startup; setting initial conditions on the output inductors such that the current can be ramped quickly, as well as communicating information from the first voltage regulator regarding output current and voltage such that the second voltage regulator will be set at the correct starting point. However, while the first regulator is providing the power, the secondary voltage regulator is not providing power and, thus, additional components for electrically disconnecting the secondary voltage regulator need not be used. This is achieved by using the output rectifiers (already present in the topology) as the disconnect for the time the secondary voltage regulator is not providing power to the load. This potentially results in a cost and space benefit compared to the aforementioned hot standby technique because these additional components can be omitted.
In some embodiments (see
Notably, one or more perceived advantages may be provided by an embodiment such as described above. By way of example, by using an embedded voltage regulator, manufacturing costs can be reduced, as such implementations tend to incur relatively low material costs. As another example, by incorporating voltage regulation redundancy in a module, such redundancy and the costs associated therewith are provided as an option to a customer. That is, if redundancy is not desired, the feature can be omitted and costs associated with the redundant feature can be avoided by the customer. Additionally, by using the voltage regulator of the module as the default voltage regulator when installed, the voltage regulator of the module may tend to fail before the embedded voltage regulator fails. If this occurs, the module can be removed and replaced so that redundancy once again can be provided. Thus, the board that incorporates the embedded voltage regulator need not be replaced in order to provide redundancy.
Additionally, since only one or the other of the voltage regulators is providing power to the load at any given time, except potentially during a transient period during which the load is being transferred, the voltage regulators can be disparate types.
During standard current share topologies, the voltage regulators are the same type so that accurate and reliable current share can be achieved. This architecture does not require the regulators to share current, hence this restraint is removed.
The fault detector monitors the primary voltage regulator for one or more of various failures. Responsive to detecting such a failure, the fault detector electrically disconnects the primary voltage regulator from the load by actuating the input and output disconnects. The fault detector also causes the secondary voltage regulator to power the load. Notably, each of the primary and secondary voltage regulators is able to power the entire load. It should also be noted that although this embodiment incorporates the use of a shared input power source, non-shared power sources could be used.
In operation, three general modes of operation are accommodated. Specifically, the first mode is a redundant mode, the second mode is a fault mode, and the third mode is a non-redundant mode. In the redundant mode, the primary voltage regulator is ‘ON’ and supplying 100% of the load. In this mode, the secondary voltage regulator does not provide power to the load and is considered in warm standby or ‘SEMI-OFF.’ As will be described in greater detail later, sensing circuitry and pulse width modulation (PWM) signals of the secondary voltage regulator are active in this mode.
The sensing circuitry could be used in configurations in which accurately biasing the second voltage regulator is desired. This option could include providing voltage and current information from the first voltage regulator (Primary) such that the initial conditions of the second voltage regulator (Standby) are reasonably accurate. This may allow the second voltage regulator to respond faster to the load when a fault occurs.
In the fault mode, in which a fault of the primary voltage regulator has been detected, the primary voltage regulator is disconnected from the input power source and from the load, using the input disconnect and the output disconnect, respectively. Additionally, the secondary voltage regulator transitions to ‘ON.’
In the non-redundant mode, disconnect of the primary voltage regulator has been completed and the secondary voltage regulator is supplying 100% of the load.
Transitioning from the redundant mode to the fault mode, and then ultimately to the non-redundant mode, is facilitated in large part by the fault detector. The fault detector is responsible for detecting faults and for indicating the presence of any faults to other components. By way of example, in an embodiment of a system for providing redundant voltage regulation implemented as a multi-phase buck controller (an example of which will be described in greater detail in the embodiment of
Responsive to fault detection, the fault detector provides a fault signal to the output disconnect so that the primary voltage regulator can be electrically disconnected from the load. In some embodiments, the output disconnect is implemented as a series connected MOSFET that is actuated by the fault signal from the fault detector. Clearly, such an implementation is much less complex than traditional active OR-ing circuits that tend to be used in conventional redundant power implementations.
Although not required in all embodiments, an input disconnect is used in the embodiment of
As with the output disconnect, various configurations of input disconnects can be used. By way of example, a series MOSFET can be used. Such a series MOSFET may be in the form of a hot-swap controller, an inrush protection circuit or a series MOSFET controlled by the fault signal described earlier.
Also responsive to fault detection, the fault detector provides an enable control signal for enabling the secondary voltage regulator to provide power to the load. In those embodiments in which the secondary voltage regulator incorporates switching FETs, these FETs can be turned ‘OFF’ or otherwise disabled until the secondary voltage regulator receives the enable control signal. Responsive to that signal, the switching FETs can start switching, thereby allowing power to be provided from the secondary voltage regulator to the load. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the fault detector can provide an enable control signal directly to the secondary voltage regulator. However, in the embodiment of
As shown in
The secondary voltage regulator also incorporates a similar although not necessarily identical topology. Of particular interest, however, are drivers 340 and 342. Notably, driver 340 provides a first drive signal to a high gate FET 344, and the driver 342 provides a second drive signal (inverse to that of the first drive signal) to a low gate FET 346. In operation in the redundant mode, this secondary voltage regulator is disconnected from the load. An enable signal is provided from the fault detector 316 to the ‘drive circuitry’. The output FETs 344 and 346 will not switch or produce a PWM signal to the inductor 348 during this time. Instead the output FETs will be at high impedance such that the sources of the output FETs will be essentially electrically isolated from the load 308. The FETs 344 and 346 are then operating as OR-ing circuitry while the secondary voltage regulator is not producing power to the load.
In operation in the fault mode and the non-redundant mode, the drive circuitry will be enabled such that the high and low gate FETs begin switching and allowing regulated power to be provided from the secondary voltage regulator to the load. The secondary voltage regulator in this embodiment also incorporates feedback components to promote improved voltage, current and impedance regulation characteristics as is known to one of skill in the art.
Responsive to fault detection, the fault detector provides a fault signal to the output disconnect so that the primary voltage regulator can be electrically disconnected from the load and to the input disconnect so that the primary voltage regulator can be electrically disconnected from input power source 304.
Also responsive to fault detection, the fault detector provides an enable control signal 350 for enabling the secondary voltage regulator to provide power to the load. In this embodiment, the enable control signal activates the drivers 340 and 342 so that the high and low gate FETs 344, 346 can begin switching. By keeping the FETs 344 and 346 OFF despite the presence of feedback and having the other secondary voltage regulator components active, this suppresses the PWM signal to be present at the phase node (the physical connection between the FETs 344, 346) and the output inductor 348. This is referred to as PWM suppression.
The fault detector also provides a bias control signal to bias circuitry 318 responsive to fault detection. The bias circuitry involves setting of the initial conditions of the secondary voltage regulator. Notably, there is a time delay between the time that the secondary voltage regulator is enabled and the time that a properly regulated output voltage is likely to be achieved. In this regard, until the switching FETs of the secondary voltage regulator begin switching and regulated voltage is provided to the load, the feedback signal 360 can be erroneous. Thus, the feedback components of any control elements might be biased to a nominal value so that a suitable a PWM signal can be provided to the switching FETs. It also may be desired to lengthen the first PWM signals to the inductor 348 such that current can ramp more quickly to the load. There also may be some communication from the primary voltage regulator to the secondary voltage regulator communicating desired output voltage and output current. The bias circuitry is used to provide the aforementioned nominal value to the feedback components until the system is operating in the non-redundant mode, in which the secondary voltage regulator is independently powering the load. In some embodiments, this is accomplished by holding the feedback elements in a known state until the system transitions to the non-redundant mode. After this transition, the bias circuitry can remove the initial condition settings.
As mentioned above, the bias circuitry of the embodiment of
It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely possible examples of implementations. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| 20080093933 A1 | Apr 2008 | US |
