Patent Application
20240258795
This disclosure relates generally to techniques for generating and distributing reference clock signals in, e.g., a synchronous system. The ability to generate and distribute synchronized reference clock signals across multiple systems is not trivial, and is critical in many applications. For example, with quantum applications, the ability to perform a repeatable experiment relies on all quantum devices maintaining synchronous stability with one another. Conventional solutions accomplish system/device synchronization using dedicated equipment (e.g., signal generator, waveform generators, etc.) to generate a reference clock signal, wherein the dedicated equipment must be wired to all components to create a fixed relationship between every device in the system. There are various disadvantages of using dedicated equipment to generate reference clock signals. For instance, such equipment can be very expensive. In addition, since a dedicated connection is required from the equipment to each component or device which needs to be synchronized, scalability becomes challenging as the system grows due to the need to fanout the reference clock signal from the equipment to a relatively large number of system components to be synchronized.
Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure include techniques for converting utility power having an unstable utility frequency into supply power having a stable frequency, which can be distributed and utilized as a system reference.
For example, an exemplary embodiment includes a system which comprises a power generator and a power distribution system. The power generator is configured to convert utility power having an unstable utility frequency to supply power having a stable frequency component. The power distribution system is coupled to an output of the power generator, and is configured to distribute the supply power having the stable frequency component to at least one power consumer which is configured to utilize the stable frequency component of the supply power as a reference frequency.
Another exemplary embodiment includes an apparatus that is configured to utilize an atomic clock signal to convert utility power having an unstable utility frequency to supply power having a stable frequency component for use as a system reference, wherein the stable frequency component has a frequency that corresponds to a frequency of the atomic clock signal.
Another exemplary embodiment includes a method which comprises: converting utility power having an unstable utility frequency to supply power having a stable frequency component; and distributing the supply power having the stable frequency component to at least one power consumer which is configured to utilize the stable frequency component of the supply power as a reference frequency.
Other embodiments will be described in the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, which is to be read in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
Exemplary embodiments of the disclosure will now be described in further detail with regard to systems and methods for utilizing a power infrastructure to generate and distribute a stable reference frequency signal. The exemplary techniques disclosed herein make use of an existing power infrastructure to generate and distribute supply power (e.g., AC power or DC power) having the stable frequency component to power consumers which are configured to utilize the stable frequency component of the distributed supply power as a reference frequency, thus eliminating the need for utilizing dedicated equipment to generate reference clock signals.
It is to be understood that the various features as shown in the accompanying drawings are schematic illustrations that are not drawn to scale. Moreover, the same or similar reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to denote the same or similar features, elements, or structures, and thus, a detailed explanation of the same or similar features, elements, or structures will not be repeated for each of the drawings. Further, the term “exemplary” as used herein means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration”. Any embodiment or design described herein as “exemplary” is not to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs.
Further, it is to be understood that the phrase “configured to” used in conjunction with a circuit, structure, element, component, or the like, performing one or more functions or otherwise providing some functionality, is intended to encompass embodiments wherein the circuit, structure, element, component, or the like, is implemented in hardware, software, and/or combinations thereof, and in implementations that comprise hardware, the hardware may comprise discrete circuit elements (e.g., transistors, inverters, etc.), programmable elements (e.g., ASICs, FPGAs, etc.), processing devices (e.g., CPUs, GPUs, etc.), one or more integrated circuits, and/or combinations thereof. Thus, by way of example only, when a circuit is defined to be configured to provide a specific functionality, it is intended to cover, but not be limited to, embodiments where the circuit is comprised of elements, processing devices, and/or integrated circuits that enable it to perform the specific functionality when in an operational state (e.g., connected or otherwise deployed in a system, powered on, receiving an input, and/or producing an output), as well as cover embodiments when the circuit is in a non-operational state (e.g., not connected nor otherwise deployed in a system, not powered on, not receiving an input, and/or not producing an output) or in a partial operational state.
The utility power plant 210 comprises a facility that is operated by a utility company, wherein the utility power plant 210 generates AC electricity (or AC power) and transmits the AC power over a network of high-voltage primary transmission lines to a topology of primary, switching, and distribution substations (e.g., substation 220) which, in turn, distribute the AC power to a plurality of utility grids using a network of secondary, medium voltage transmission lines. Each utility grid is configured to distribute power to different towns or regions, or multiple towns or regions, etc., depending on the how the utility grids are configured. Thereafter, low voltage wiring (e.g., service lines, or service drops) supply utility power to buildings and other structures which are connected to a given utility grid.
In some embodiments, the utility AC power (which is generated by the utility power plant 210 and distributed over a wide area power grid) comprises an AC voltage having a nominal utility frequency (alternatively referred to as power frequency, line frequency or mains frequency). For example, in some countries such as the United States, utility AC power is generated and transmitted at a nominal utility frequency of 60 Hz, while in other countries such as European countries, utility AC power is generated and transmitted at a nominal utility frequency of 50 Hz. In reality, however, the exact utility frequency that is transmitted at any given time could vary around the nominal utility frequency, e.g., lower utility frequency when the power grid is heavily loaded, and higher utility frequency when the power grid lightly loaded. In particular, in the United States, the utility frequency can vary from 55 Hz to 65 Hz, and in European countries, the utility frequency can vary from 45 Hz to 55 Hz.
In the exemplary embodiment of
In some embodiments, the frequency-stable power generator system 100 can be disposed in line with a power feed to a given power distribution panel such that the frequency-stable power generator system 100 generates frequency-stable AC power that is applied to the input of the given power distribution panel and distributed to the branch circuits that are fed by the given power distribution panel, e.g., branch circuits that feed a given room comprising the room power distribution system 240. The room power distribution system 240 comprises various components including, e.g., wiring that feeds/connects electrical wall outlets, power distribution units (PDUs), etc. The power consumers 250 include electric components and systems that are powered by the frequency-stable AC power that is supplied by the room power distribution system 240.
Next,
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The frequency-stable power generator system 310 comprises an AC-to-DC rectification system 312, a DC switching system 314, and an ultra-stable clock source controller 316. The AC-to-DC rectification system 312 is configured to receive as input utility AC supply power having an unstable utility frequency, as discussed above, and output a positive DC voltage (denoted VP+) and a negative DC voltage (denoted VP−) which correspond to positive and negative voltage peak levels, respectively, of a voltage supply waveform of the utility AC supply power. The ultra-stable clock source controller 316 is configured to generate and output a reference clock signal (denoted Ref Clock) having an ultra-stable frequency that is substantially equal to a nominal utility frequency of the utility AC power (e.g., ultra-stable reference clock signal with a frequency of 60 Hz). For example, in some embodiments, the ultra-stable clock source controller 316 comprises a rubidium atomic clock source, or any other suitable atomic clock source that is utilized to generate an ultra-stable reference clock signal Ref Clock at the desired frequency (e.g., 60 Hz).
The DC switching system 314 is configured to receive as input (i) the positive DC voltage VP+ and negative DC voltage VP− output from the AC-to-DC rectification system 312, and (ii) the ultra-stable reference clock signal Ref Clock, and switch the output of the DC switching system 314 between VP+ and negative DC voltage VP− at the ultra-stable frequency of the reference clock signal Ref Clock. In this regard, in some embodiments, the frequency-stable power generator system 310 receives as input a sinusoidal AC power waveform with an unstable utility frequency, and essentially generates a square wave signal having a stable AC utility frequency.
For example,
As schematically illustrated in
Referring back to
Each power consumer 330 that receives the frequency-stable AC power can utilize the frequency-stable AC power as normal AC power to provide power to system components. For example, a power consumer can be a computer which comprises a power supply unit (PSU) that converts the frequency-stable AC power to low-voltage regulated DC power for the internal components of the computer. In addition, as noted above, a given power consumer can utilize the frequency-stable AC power a system frequency signal (or reference clock signal) to perform functions including, but not limited to, synchronizing operations of the electronic systems and components, controlling clocks in synchronous networks, deriving clock signals with clock operating frequencies as needed for a given application, etc. For example, in a given test environment, some or all of the power consumers 330 can be components of a given system under test (SUT), wherein such power consumers 330 are synchronized using the frequency-stable AC power as a system frequency signal to synchronize operations and generation of requisite clocks signals, etc.
Further, in an exemplary embodiment such as shown in
Similar to the exemplary embodiments discussed above, the frequency-stable power generator system 410 is configured to receive AC utility power (e.g., sinusoidal voltage waveform) having an unstable frequency, and generate AC power having a stable frequency. The frequency-stable power generator system 410 comprises an AC uninterrupted power supply (AC UPS) 412, and an ultra-stable clock source controller 416. The ultra-stable clock source controller 416 is configured to generate and output a reference clock signal (denoted Ref Clock) having an ultra-stable frequency that is substantially equal to a nominal utility frequency of the utility AC power (e.g., ultra-stable reference clock signal with a frequency of 60 Hz). As noted above, in some embodiments, the ultra-stable clock source controller 416 comprises a rubidium atomic clock source, or any other suitable atomic clock source that is utilized to generate an ultra-stable reference clock signal Ref Clock at the desired frequency (e.g., 60 Hz).
In some embodiments, the AC UPS 412 implements standard UPS functions to provide near-instantaneous protection from input power interruptions, by temporarily supplying AC power using energy that is stored in batteries, or supercapacitors, etc., and to protect electrical components and hardware such as computer and other electrical and electronic equipment from common utility AC power problems such as voltage spikes, sustained overvoltage, voltage sag, noise, harmonic distortion etc. Furthermore, to generate frequency-stable AC power, the AC UPS 412 comprises a phase alignment system which is configured to align the phase/frequency of the input utility AC power with the phase/frequency of the ultra-stable reference clock signal Ref Clock which is generated and output from the ultra-stable clock source controller 416. The phase alignment system of the AC UPS 412 can be implemented using known systems and techniques, which are suitable for the given application.
The frequency-stable AC power, which is generated by the frequency-stable power generator system 410, is input to the power distribution units 420-1, 420-2, and 420-3, and distributed to the respective power consumers 430-1, 430-2, and 430-3, which may or may not be in the same equipment room of a building. The redundant AC-DC power supply units 440-1, 440-2, and 440-3 utilize the frequency-stable AC power to generate low-voltage regulated DC power for the internal DC-powered components 460-1, 460-2, and 460-3 of the respective power consumers 430-1, 430-2, and 430-3. In addition, the redundant AC-DC power supply units 440-1, 440-2, and 440-3 utilize the frequency-stable AC power to forward the ultra-stable reference frequency signal of the AC power to the respective PLL systems 450-1, 450-2, and 450-3, which utilize the ultra-stable reference frequency signal of the AC power as a reference clock signal to generate respective clock signals Clock which are synchronized.
In some embodiments, the PLL systems 450-1, 450-2, and 450-3 are utilized for synchronization to allow associated circuit boards or systems to synchronize the phases of the respective on-board clocks with an external reference clock signal provided by the ultra-stable reference frequency signal of the AC power. The PLL systems 450-1, 450-2, and 450-3 enable synchronization when performing, e.g., data acquisition operations, since the PLL systems allow multiple circuit boards to lock to a shared reference signal and synchronize the phases of their respective sample clocks, thereby allowing each circuit board or system to take a measurement at precisely the same instant.
In some exemplary embodiments, for quantum computing applications, the PLL systems 450-1, 450-2, and 450-3 are configured to generate local oscillator (LO) clock signals which are utilized in conjunction with I/Q modulation systems of arbitrary waveform generators (AWGs) to generate control pulses for controlling quantum bits (qubits) to perform high-fidelity qubit gate operations (e.g., single-qubit gate operations, entanglement gate operations, etc.). As is known in the art, the state of a superconducting qubit can be changed by applying a radio frequency (RF) control pulse with a center frequency that is equal to a transition frequency. In some embodiments, the PLL systems 450-1, 450-2, and 450-3 can be configured to generate RF clock signals that have a same RF frequency or different RF frequencies, depending on the application.
Further, similar to the exemplary embodiment of
In the exemplary embodiment of
In some embodiments, the DC UPS 512 implements standard UPS functions including deriving power from utility AC power input and generating and outputting a DC voltage, while providing backup power from integrated batteries. Furthermore, the DC UPS 512 comprises a phase alignment system which is configured to align the phase/frequency of the input utility AC power with the phase/frequency of the ultra-stable reference clock signal Ref_Clock which is generated and output from the ultra-stable clock source controller 516, and generate a small amplitude reference clock signal that is mixed with the output DC voltage to generate DC power 518 with an ultra-stable frequency component superimposed on top of the output DC voltage. For example, in some embodiments, such as such in
The DC power 518 with the ultra-stable frequency component, which is generated by the frequency-stable power generator system 510, is input to the power distribution units 520-1, 520-2, and 520-3, and distributed to the respective power consumers 530-1, 530-2, and 530-3, which may or may not be in the same equipment room of a building. The redundant DC-DC power supply units 540-1, 540-2, and 540-3 utilize the DC power 518 to generate low-voltage regulated DC power for the internal DC-powered components 560-1, 560-2, and 560-3 of the respective power consumers 530-1, 530-2, and 530-3. In addition, the redundant DC-DC power supply units 540-1, 540-2, and 540-3 extract the ultra-stable frequency component 518-1 of the distributed DC power 518 and forward the ultra-stable frequency component 518-1 to the respective PLL systems 550-1, 550-2, and 550-3, which utilize the ultra-stable frequency component 518-1 as a reference clock signal to generate respective clock signals Clock which are synchronized and utilized for various purposes such as discussed above.
The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
