Abstract:
A dual power source system includes a first power source and a second power source operably coupled with an electrical device, as well as a switching mechanism capable of selecting between the first and second power sources. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is place in line with one of the first and second power sources leading to the electrical device. Sense circuitry is capable of identifying a power failure condition in either the first or second power sources. A controller utilizes signals from the sense circuitry to selectively switch between the first and second power sources while configuring the UPS in a manner of providing for a plurality of operational states that accommodate the electrical device with operational power despite any combination of power failures in the first and second power sources.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention pertains to the field of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) for use in providing continuous power to electrical devices in the event of a primary power system failure. More specifically, the UPS is adapted for use in systems having two primary sources of power in addition to the UPS. 
     2. Discussion of the Related Art 
     UPS devices are useful in preventing unwanted failure in electrical devices due to failure of an incoming power source. For example, a power utility company for a state or municipality may have a large industrial facility for converting energy from fossil fuels into electrical power. The resultant electricity travels on power transmission lines until the electricity arrives at an ultimate point of use. Frequently, the transmission of power to the ultimate end point of use is disrupted, e.g., by a rolling blackout or weather conditions that damage the power transmission lines. 
     Disruption of electrical power sources cannot be tolerated in situations where a continuous power source is necessary for the operation of critical electronic devices or where the disruption is likely to cause harm. For example, disruption of power to a telecommunications server for use in emergency medical situations might result in the loss of human life. Many businesses are unable to function without their computer systems in an operational state. Critical data may be irretrievably lost due to an abrupt power failure. 
     A variety of UPS devices are known in the art. Simple UPS devices typically act upon a sensed power loss from a single power supply and are capable of supplying power from a battery or capacitor storage device for a very limited time while a system shutdown is effected. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,244 describes a UPS that may be plugged into an alternating current (AC) receptacle for dedicated use on a personal computer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,515 describes a multi-processor device that automatically performs a normal shutdown of a general purpose operating system when a feed current from a main power supply is interrupted. UPS devices may be purchased from a variety of commercial sources, such as American Power Conversion of West Kingston, R.I. 
     The use of a dedicated UPS on a single power line does not necessarily prevent system shutdown. UPS devices are only intended to function for a limited or transient period during which the UPS discharges its stored power. For example, a UPS attached to a personal computer may diagnose a power failure condition, quick-switch to provide battery backup power, and notify the personal computer that it is necessary to commence an orderly shutdown procedure, in order to prevent the loss of critical data. 
     Accordingly, critical electronic systems may be provided with a plurality of power supply lines. For example, a citywide power grid may operate as a primary power source, and an auxiliary generator system may operate as a secondary power source. When there are at least two main power sources, a dedicated UPS may be deployed on each source, as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,191,500. This dual deployment is duplicative and thus, expensive. Failure of either power supply or either UPS can induce a shutdown of an attached electrical device when one of the UPS devices diagnoses a power failure condition, even though the other power supply or UPS may be intact and operational. 
     In still other alternative UPS deployments for dual power source situations, a single UPS may be coupled with more than one of the incoming power lines. The UPS may be operably configured for switching between the power sources based upon sensing of power disruption. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,129 discloses a UPS having a solid state transfer switch that is used to provide a constant source of direct current (DC) power by switching between primary and secondary sources upon sensing a voltage inversion caused by disruption of the primary source. U.S. Pat. No. 6,184,593 describes a UPS that is used to switch between a main power supply and an auxiliary generator system when the main power supply fails. U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,510 discloses a direct conversion UPS that may be used to supply power while a secondary supply comes on line. This UPS contains at least four bidirectional switches that are governed by a controller based upon sensed changes in power conditions. 
     A major problem with having a single UPS connected to two power sources is that the UPS is a single point of failure. Thus, failure of the UPS can cause the power disruption that is sought to be avoided. 
     It remains a problem to implement a single UPS to manage a dual power supply system in a manner that prevents the UPS from becoming a single point of failure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention overcomes the problems that are outlined above by providing a UPS and associated methodology for managing a dual power supply system in a manner that prevents the UPS from becoming a single point of failure. These improvements eliminate the expense of providing duplicate UPS devices in dual power systems that are designed to avoid single points of failure. 
     A system according to the preferred embodiments and instrumentalities described herein supplies power to an electrical device that is fitted with power couplings for use in establishing contact with a first power source and a second power source in a normal operational state. The system comprises a UPS in line between the second power source and the electrical device, but the UPS is not required to be located in line between the first power supply and the electrical device. In this context, the UPS is not considered to be in line even if the first power source is coupled to the UPS, so long as the UPS is not configured to perform power backup operations on the first power source. A switch, which is preferably but optionally located in the electrical device, permits the electrical device to consume power from a either the first power source, the second power source, or combinations thereof, such as simultaneous power consumption from the first and second power sources. 
     First sense circuitry is used to identify a power failure condition in the first power source. Second sense circuitry is used to identify a power failure condition in the second power source. A controller is configured with control circuitry and logic for use in implementing machine instructions for a plurality of operational states based upon sensed power failure conditions. These operational states include: 
     a first power source failure state occurring when the first sense circuit senses a power failure condition in the first power source and the second sense circuit does not sense a power failure condition in the second power source, whereupon the switch selects the second power source to provide power to the electrical device, 
     a second power source failure state occurring when the second sense circuit senses a power failure in the second power source and the first sense circuit does not sense a power failure condition in the first power source, whereupon the switch selects the first power source to provide power to the electrical device and the UPS remains available to provide power if the first sense circuit senses a future power failure condition in the first power supply, and 
     a dual source failure state occurring when the first sense circuit senses a power failure condition in the first power supply and the second sense circuit senses a power failure condition in the second power supply, whereupon the UPS provides power to the electrical device while the electrical device proceeds with an orderly shutdown. 
     Preferred but optional forms of the controller provide, for example, for returning the system to the normal operational state in absence of the sensed power failure condition. The controller may also comprise distributed control circuitry or logic that resides in both the UPS and the electrical device. 
     Preferred but optional forms of the UPS are configured to provide a signal that notifies the controller of a power depletion condition in the UPS whenever the power depletion condition arises during the second power source failure state. The controller responds to this signal by implementing an orderly shutdown of the electrical device. 
     It is an especially preferred feature of the system that extant commercially available components may be coupled to form the basic system in terms of its hardware components. A computer readable form may be used to adapt or retrofit the commercially available components by programming the controller to implement the respective operational states. 
     Another aspect of the system pertains to a method of operating the system. The method steps include: 
     operating in a first power source failure state that occurs when the first sense circuitry senses a power failure condition in the first power source and the second sense circuitry does not sense a power failure condition in the second power source, whereupon the switch selects the second power source to provide power to the electrical device, 
     operating in a second power source failure state that occurs when the second sense circuitry senses a power failure in the second power source and the first sense circuitry does not sense a power failure condition in the first power source, whereupon the switch selects the first power source to provide power to the electrical device and the uninterruptible power supply remains available to provide power if the first sense circuitry senses a future power failure condition in the first power supply; and 
     operating in a dual source failure state that occurs when the first sense circuitry senses a power failure condition in the first power supply and the second sense circuitry senses a power failure condition in the second power supply, whereupon the uninterruptible power supply provides power to the electrical device while the electrical device proceeds with an orderly shutdown. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of a dual power supply system including a single UPS that is not a single point of possible failure; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram of firmware that embodies control logic for use in operating the system shown in  FIG. 1  according to a plurality of operational states corresponding to sensed power failure conditions. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 1  shows a block diagram of a dual power source system  100 . A first power source  102 , which is also designated as power source “A,” may be any power source, but is preferably a primary power source, such as a power transmission line that carries power originating from a power generation company. A second power source  104  may also be any power source, but is preferably a backup power source, such as an auxiliary generator or alternator system. Other types of power sources that may be used as the first or second power sources  102  and  104  include, for example, solar panels, wind charging systems, batteries, and fuel cells. Either the first power source  102  or the second power source  104  is alone capable of providing sufficient power to operate an electrical device  106 , which may be any electrical device in any multiple power source system. Categories of electrical device  106  include, by way of example, telecommunications servers, computer networks, network servers, computational devices, industrial control systems, process instruments, and military weapons systems. The first and second power sources  102  and  104  may be AC or DC sources, depending upon the needs of the electrical device  106 . 
     The first power source  102  feeds an optional first power grid  105 , which is, for example, a plurality of power lines leading to the individual components of a computer network. The second power source  104  feeds an optional second grid  108 , which preferably services at least a portion of the electrical devices, such as electrical device  106 , that are also coupled with the first grid  108 . 
     A UPS  110  is located in line  112  at any position in line  112  extending between the second power source  104  and the electrical device  106 . As used herein, the terms “uninterruptible power supply” and “UPS” are hereby defined to include any device that receives power from a power source, stores electrical power or is capable of generating electrical power, and is configured to release the stored electrical power upon demand based upon a sensed power failure in the power source. This concept of a UPS encompasses UPS devices including conventional sense circuitry, as well as UPS devices that rely upon other sense circuitry to sense the power failure. 
     Especially preferred forms of UPS  110  are capable of transmitting signals, e.g., according to RS 232 protocol, that communicate the status of UPS  110 . Status signals may include whether UPS  110  has sensed a power failure in power supply  104 , whether UPS  110  has substantially depleted its storage power capacity, the time remaining until such depletion occurs, or whether UPS  110  is depleting its stored power. Especially preferred forms of UPS  110  are also capable of receiving control signals that configure the operational state of UPS  110 , e.g., by causing UPS  110  to begin discharging its stored power, as opposed to having control logic in UPS  110  control this operation. 
     It is a particularly preferred feature of the invention that UPS  110  is not required to be in line with the first power source  102 , and UPS  110  takes no direct action in delivering power to line  114 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , UPS  110  is located upstream of the second grid  108  where the UPS  110  can service the entire second grid  108 , however, UPS  110  can also be positioned downstream of the second grid  108  at position  116 . UPS  110  is preferably provided with conventional circuitry that prevents power losses due to upstream flow of power. 
     The concepts disclosed herein may be implemented using a variety of commercially available hardware components. Without limiting the broad concept of the invention, specific examples of commercially available UPS devices include, by way of example, TSi Power Corporation of Antigo, Wis.; American Power Conversion of West Kingston, R.I., and I-Bus/Phoenix Power Systems or San Diego, Calif. The electrical device  106  preferably has a plurality of internal components, though these components may be distributed to the UPS  110  or they may function as standalone components. These internal components include power couplings  118  and  120 , which respectively couple the electrical device  106  with a corresponding power source  102  or  104 . 
     It is a preferred feature of the system  100 , according to its various instrumentalities, that the system  100  is provided with sense and switch circuitry  122  (sense/switch circuits), such as may be provided in a card or incorporated into a source-switching power supply (not shown). Conventional circuits according to these specifications can be obtained, for example, on commercial order from such manufacturers and suppliers as Selestica or Artesyn Technologies of Boca Raton Fla. While the specific form of the sense and switch circuits is unimportant to the broader principles of operation, they function to monitor the voltage or current on line  124  and, optionally, on line  126 . The sense/switch circuits  122  may share common components, but may be conceptually allocated into a first portion  128  that is dedicated to grid  106  and line  114  and a second optional portion  130  that is dedicated to grid  108  and line  112 . In the event that a voltage or current drop is detected on either line  124  or  126 , the sense/switch circuits  122  provide a signal that notifies a controller  132  of a power failure condition where, for example, a power failure on line  116  indicates a failure of UPS  110 . 
     The controller  132  receives signals from the sense/switch circuitry  122  and directs appropriate action to configure system  100  in an operational state that is responsive to the sensed power failure. This response is taken by directing the sense/switch circuitry  122  to select one of the first power source  102  or the second power source  104  for the supply of power to electrical device  106 . Additionally, the controller  132  also directs the UPS  110  to place itself into an operational state that compliments the operational state of system  100 , or controller  132  permits UPS  110  to place itself into the complimentary operational state. 
     A communications card  134  is optionally used to facilitate the transmission and receipt of signals between UPS  110 , sense/switch circuits  122 , and controller  132 . Commercially available system components typically utilize the RS  232  protocol for transmission of these signals. 
     There will now be shown a diagram that demonstrates control logic for use in programming the controller  132  or, optionally, UPS  110 , with machine instructions that place system  100  in a plurality of operational states based upon sensed power failure conditions. 
     A first power source failure state occurs when a first portion  128  of the sense/switch circuitry  122  senses a power failure condition in the first power source  102  and a second portion  130  of the sense/switch circuitry  122  (or the UPS  110 ) does not sense a power failure condition in the second power source  104 , whereupon the sense/switch circuitry  122  selects the second power source  104  to provide power to the electrical device  106 . 
     A second power source failure state occurs when the second portion  130  of the sense/switch circuitry  122  senses a power failure in the second power source  104  and the first portion  128  of the sense/switch circuitry  122  does not sense a power failure condition in the first power source  102 , whereupon the sense/switch circuitry  122  selects the first power source  102  to provide power to the electrical device  102  and the UPS  110  remains available to provide power if the first portion  128  of sense/switch circuitry senses a future power failure condition in the first power source  102 . 
     A dual source failure state occurs when the first portion  128  of sense/switch circuitry  122  senses a power failure condition in the first power supply  102  and the second portion  130  of sense/switch circuitry (or UPS  110 ) senses a power failure condition in the second power supply  104 , whereupon the UPS  110  provides power to the electrical device while the electrical device  106  proceeds with an orderly shutdown. 
       FIG. 2  a diagram of process  200  that is implemented by programming controller  132  and/or UPS  110  with firmware which embodies control logic processes for use in operating the system shown in  FIG. 1 , according to the aforementioned operational states. 
     Step  202  entails a normal operational state wherein the electrical device  106  and system  100  is functioning within normal design parameters. Neither the first power source  102  nor the second power source  104  have failed, and the load represented by electrical device  106  consumes power from either source or both sources simultaneously according to system design options. 
     In step  204 , controller  132  determines whether there is a signal from the first portion  128  of sense/switch circuitry  122  indicating that there is a power failure on grid  106  or line  114 . 
     If the result of step  204  is that power has failed on grid  106  or line  114 , controller  132  initiates the first power source failure state in step  206  by directing the sense/switch circuitry  122  to select power from the second power source  104 . UPS  110  may be called upon to provide temporary power while, for example, an auxiliary generator system represented by second power source  104  comes on line. While the first power source failure state of step  206  is operational, if in step  208  the second portion  130  of sense/switch circuitry  122  (or UPS  110 ) determines that there is an additional failure on grid  108  or line  112 , controller  132  induces the dual source failure state by initiating in step  210  an orderly shutdown of electrical device  106  under power supplied by UPS  110 . If no power failure is diagnosed in step  208 , controller  132  determines in step  212  whether sense/switch circuitry  122  senses that power has been restored to grid  106  or line  114 . If not, the operational state of step  206  continues until such time as power from the first power supply  102  is restored, whereupon system  100  returns to the normal operational state represented by step  202 . 
     In step  204 , during the normal operational state of step  202 , if there has been no power failure on grid  106  or line  114 , controller  132  in step  214  determines from UPS  110  (or the second portion  130  of sense/switch circuitry  122  if UPS  110  has failed) whether there has been a power failure on grid  108  or line  112 . If not, the normal operational state of step  202  continues. If controller  132  determines that there is a power failure in step  214 , controller  132  in step  216  optionally has UPS  110  supply temporary power to the electrical device  106 , if such power is required by conditions of the normal operating state of step  202 . Where UPS  110  senses a power failure on grid  108  or line  112 , UPS  110  also provides a signal to controller  132  indicating the power failure condition in step  218 . 
     Upon receipt of a signal indicating a power failure condition on grid  108  or line  112 , controller  132  in step  220  commences the second power source failure state by activating sense/switch circuitry  122  for reliance upon power source  102  by switching to shed any load dependency from power supply  104  at electrical device  106 . 
     Step  220  is followed by step  222  in which controller  132 , using sense signals from the sense/switch circuitry  122 , determines whether there has been a power failure on the “A” grid  106 . If such failure has occurred on grid  106 , control passes to step  206 , with a corresponding shutdown in step  210  in the event power has not been restored top grid  108 . If failure on grid  106  has not occurred, control passes to step  224 . 
     UPS  110  cannot operate indefinitely in the second power source failure state, which places UPS 110  in a power standby condition. Accordingly, a minimum load on UPS  110  eventually does drain the power that is stored in UPS  110 , but UPS  110  can typically endure on standby for a period of days. During the standby interval, controller  132  in step  224  continually determines on the basis of sense signals whether power to grid  108  or line  112  has been restored. If so, system  100  returns to the normal operational state of step  202 , after first restoring the usual load on the “B” grid  108  in step  226 . If not, the second power source failure state of step  220  continues until UPS  110  in step  228  produces a signal indicating that its power storage is substantially drained. at which time controller in step  230  implements an orderly shutdown procedure that is identical to step  210 . 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the functionality which is directly attributed to various components in the foregoing discussion may also be performed by other system components. For example, operations attributed to the second portion  130  of sense/switch circuitry  122  may be distributed in whole or in part to UPS  110 . Similarly, operations attributed to controller  132  may be performed by embedded commands in the sense/switch circuitry  122 , or by UPS  110 . 
     The foregoing discussion is intended to illustrate the concepts of the invention by way of example with emphasis upon the preferred embodiments and instrumentalities. Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments and instrumentalities are not exhaustive of all options or mannerisms for practicing the disclosed principles of the invention. The inventors hereby state their intention to rely upon the Doctrine of Equivalents in protecting the full scope and spirit of the invention.