DAMAGE IDENTIFICATION METHOD FOR REDUNDANT POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM

A damage identification method for a redundant power supply system is disclosed. The redundant power supply system comprises a plurality of power supply devices and a control unit. In application of the method, the control unit respectively sends switching signals to the power supply devices to boot every power supply device. The control unit checks whether each of the power supply devices sends back a power state signal. If at least one power supply device does not sends back the power state signal, the control unit resends the switching signal to the power supply device to compulsorily reboot the power supply device, which does not output the power state signal. Thereby is solved the problem that the conventional technology cannot instantly exclude temporary abnormalities and causes the user to misjudge the failure of a power supply device.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a control method for a redundant power supply system, particularly to a damage identification method for a redundant power supply system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The current sci-tech industry demands higher and higher reliability of power supply devices. Thus, some manufacturers develop redundant power supply systems. A redundant power supply system mainly comprises a microcontroller and at least two power supply devices. The microcontroller integrates the power output by the power supply devices and provides power to a load (such as an electronic device).

A Taiwan patent No. 1509402 disclosed a power supply device, which comprises a primary power converter and an auxiliary source converter. In application, the primary power converter and the auxiliary power converter are electrically connected with an electronic device. While the primary power converter is in a first operation state, the primary power converter generates a primary power and outputs the primary power to the electronic device. While the primary power converter is in a second operation state, the auxiliary power converter generates an auxiliary power to replace the primary power and outputs the auxiliary power to the electronic device.

In the abovementioned conventional power supply device, the auxiliary power converter can take the place of the primary power converter to keep on supplying power. However, the conventional power supply device can only shift to supply power with the auxiliary power converter while the primary power converter fails. It cannot identify whether the failure of the primary power converter is owing to damage or temporary abnormality. At present, the consumer-end engineering personnel only identify whether the external power source of the power supply device is normal while finding the failure of the power supply device. If the external power source is normal, the consumer-end engineering personnel will determine that the power supply device is damaged and demand the provider to repair the power supply device. However, the provider finds that most of the power supply devices sent back for repair are merely in a temporary abnormality state, which can be solved via merely rebooting the device, and that much management cost is wasted in a multitude of power supply devices that are unnecessarily sent back for repair. Therefore, the conventional power supply device still has room to improve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to solve the problem that the conventional technology cannot instantly exclude temporary abnormalities and causes the user to misjudge the failure of a power supply device.

In order to achieve the abovementioned objective, the present invention proposes a damage identification method for a redundant power supply system. The redundant power supply system comprises a plurality of power supply devices and a control unit connected with the plurality of power supply devices. The method of the present invention comprises Step 1: providing a booting request signal to the control unit to make the control unit to generate a plurality of independent switching signals and respectively send the switching signals to the power supply devices to boot every power supply device; Step 2: the control unit receiving a power state signal from each booted power supply device during the operation period thereof, wherein each power state signal includes a power-good message and a corresponding device identifier; the control unit checking whether each power supply device sends out the power state signal; if yes, the control unit determining that the corresponding power supply device operates normally; if no, the control unit resending the switching signal to the corresponding power supply device to compulsorily reboot the corresponding power supply device independently; Step 3: checking whether each compulsorily-rebooted power supply device outputs the power state signal to the control unit; if yes, determining that the corresponding power supply device was merely in a temporary abnormality state and letting the corresponding power supply device keep on supplying power; if no, determining that the corresponding power supply device is damaged.

In one embodiment, a motherboard, which is connected with the redundant power supply system, provides the booting request signal. In one embodiment, the switching signals, which the control unit sends to the power supply devices, respectively have corresponding device identifiers.

In addition to the abovementioned damage identification method for a redundant power supply system, the present invention also proposes a redundant power supply system using the abovementioned method.

In one embodiment, Step 3 further comprises a sub-step: while the control unit still cannot acquire the power state signal, compulsorily rebooting the power supply device, and checking again whether the power state signal of the compulsorily rebooted power supply device is sent out; if yes, determining that the power supply device was merely in a temporary abnormality state; if no, determining that the power supply is damaged. In one embodiment, Step 3 further comprises a sub-step: recording the count of rebooting the power supply device, and comparing the count of rebooting with a limited count; if the count of rebooting is equal to the limited count, forbidding booting the power supply device and determining that the power supply is damaged.

Compared with the conventional technology, the present invention has the following two characteristics:

In the present invention, the control unit uses the switching signals to boot all the power supply devices and checks whether each power supply device sends out the power state signal thereof. If at least one of the power supply devices does not send out the power state signal, the control unit resends the switching signal to compulsorily reboot the power supply device that does not yet send out the power state signal thereof. Then, the control unit checks again whether the power supply device sends out the power state signal thereof. If yes, it indicates that rebooting has excluded the temporary abnormality state. If no, it indicates that the power supply device is damaged. Thereby, the redundant power supply system can use the rebooting operations to verify whether the problematic power supply devices are in a temporary abnormality state or really damaged. Therefore, the present invention can solve the problem that the conventional technology cannot instantly exclude temporary abnormalities and causes the user to misjudge the failure of a power supply device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The technical contents of the present invention will be described in detail in cooperation with drawings below.

The present invention proposes a damage identification method for a redundant power supply system. Refer toFIG. 1. The redundant power supply system1comprises a plurality of power supply devices11and a control unit12. The power supply devices11are electrically connected with the control unit12. In one embodiment, the control unit12is a microcontroller unit (MCU). The control unit12is used to integrate the powers output by the power supply devices11and turn on/off the power supply devices11. In one embodiment, the control unit12is built in a power integration baseplate13of the redundant power supply system1. Each power supply device11further comprises a rectifying/filtering unit, a power correcting unit, a voltage transforming unit, and a pulse width controlling unit (not shown in the drawings), which undertake the functions of an ordinary power supply device, such as rectification, wave filtering, and voltage stabilization. The principle and detailed structure of the power supply device11is not the focus of the present invention but the prior art in the related field. Therefore, it will not repeat herein.

Refer toFIG. 1andFIG. 3. The method of the present invention comprises Steps S1-S3.

In Step S1, provide a booting request signal91to the control unit12to make the control unit12generate a plurality of independent switching signals92and respectively send the switching signals92to the power supply devices11to boot every power supply device11.

In Step S2, let the control unit12receive a power state signal93from each booted power supply device11during the operation period thereof. Each power state signal93is independent. If the control unit12cannot acquire one of the power state signals93, the control unit12resends the switching signal92to the corresponding power supply device11to compulsorily reboot the corresponding power supply device11independently.

In Step S3, check whether the compulsorily rebooted power supply device11outputs the power state signal93to the control unit12. If yes, determine that the corresponding power supply device11was merely in a temporary abnormality state and let the corresponding power supply device11keep on supplying power. If no, determine that the corresponding power supply device11is damaged.

It should be particularly explained: the connection lines of the booting request signal91, the switching signals92and the power state signal93inFIG. 1are only used to demonstrate the following embodiments conveniently; it does not mean that the control unit12and the motherboard21must be connected by a single electric wire or that the control unit12and each power supply device11must be connected by two electric wires. In order to explain the embodiments clearly, the power supply devices11are classified into a first power supply device111and a second power supply device112, as shown inFIG. 2. None superordinate-subordinate relationship exists between the first power supply device111and the second power supply device112. The quantities of the first power supply devices111and the second power supply devices112are not limited byFIG. 2.

Refer toFIG. 2andFIG. 4. In application, the redundant power supply system1is connected with an electronic device2. The electronic device2is regarded as a load of the redundant power supply system1. The electronic device2includes a motherboard21, and the motherboard21is electrically connected with the control unit12. In Step S1, the user switches on the electronic device2, and the motherboard21sends the booting request signal91(i.e. the PS_ON signal) to the control unit12. According to the booting request signal91, the control unit12generates a first switching signal921and a second switching signal922(i.e. the abovementioned switching signals92), which are independent to each other, and respectively sends the first switching signal921and the second switching signal922to the first power supply device111and the second power supply device112to boot the first power supply device111and the second power supply device112.

In the embodiment, the first power supply device111and the second power supply device112are respectively corresponding to a first device identifier (DID) and a second device identifier, and the first DID is different from the second DID. InFIG. 4, MB1and MB2are used to exemplify the first DID and the second DID respectively. The first switching signal921includes a first power-on message and the first DID (MB1). The second switching signal922includes a second power-on message and the second DID (MB2). The different DIDs make the first switching signal921and the second switching signal922independent to each other. Thus, in Step S1, the first power supply device111uses MB1to verify whether the first switching signal921is addressed to it; if yes, the first power supply device111turns on. The second power supply device112uses MB2to verify whether the second switching signal922is addressed to it; if yes, the second power supply device112turns on.

In Step S2, after turning on according to the first switching signal921, the first power supply device111outputs a first power state signal931to the control unit12; after turning on according to the second switching signal922, the second power supply device112outputs a second power state signal932to the control unit12. Then, the control unit12checks whether the first power supply device111and the second power supply device112operate normally respectively according to the first power state signal931and the second power state signal932. As mentioned above, the first power supply device111and the second power supply device112are respectively designated with the first DID—MB1and the second DID—MB2. As shown inFIG. 4, the first power state signal931includes a first power-good message (PG) and MB1; the second power state signal932includes a second power-good signal (PG) and MB2. Because of involving MB1and MB2, the first power state signal931and the second power state signal932are independent to each other. Thus, after receiving the first power state signal931and the second power state signal932(i.e. the abovementioned power state signals93), the control unit12can learn the correspondence between the first power state signal931and the first power supply device111and the correspondence between the second power state signal932and the second power supply device112, using MB1and MB2. Then, the control unit12analyzes the information of the first power state signal931and the second power state signal932to learn whether the first power supply device111and the second power supply device112operate normally. The first power supply device111having turned on normally will send the first power state signal931to the control unit12after a given interval. The second power supply device112having turned on normally will also send the second power state signal932to the control unit12after a given interval. Therefore, the control unit12can learn whether the first power supply device111and the second power supply device112operate normally according to the first power state signal931and the second power state signal932respectively at different time points.

In Step S2, the control unit12checks whether the first power supply device111and the second power supply device112respectively send back the first power state signal931and the second power state signal932. If yes, the control unit12determines that the first power supply device111and the second power supply device112operate normally. If no, the control unit12sends at least one of the first switching signal921and the second switching signal922to compulsorily reboot at least one of the first power supply device111and the second power supply device112. Then, the process proceeds to Step S3. In order to clearly demonstrate the method of the present invention, it is supposed in the following description that the second power supply device112does not send back the second power state signal932. However, in practical application, the present invention may handle more than a single power supply device11that does not send back the power state signal93.

In Step S3, the control unit12checks once again whether the second power supply device112sends back the second power state signal932. If yes, the control unit12determines that the second power supply device112was merely in a temporary abnormality state and lets the second power supply device112keeps on supplying power. If no, the control unit12determines that the second power supply device112is damaged and stops sending the second switching signal922to the second power supply device112. Therefore, the method of the present invention uses compulsory rebooting to verify whether the second power supply device112of the redundant power supply system1is really damaged and solves the problem that the conventional technology cannot instantly exclude temporary abnormalities and causes the user to misjudge the failure of a power supply device.

It should be particularly explained: in Step S2and Step S3, no matter whether there is at least one power supply device11(such as the first power supply device111or the second power supply device112) not sending back the power state signal93, the control unit12undertakes a power supply operation using the power supply devices11that have sent back the power state signals93. In detail, while the redundant power supply system1undertakes a power supply operation, the control unit12controls the power supply devices11to supply power to the motherboard21averagely, or controls the power supply devices11to supply power to the motherboard21alternately.

Refer toFIG. 5. In one embodiment, considering several cycles of rebooting activities may be needed to dismiss the temporary abnormality of some power supply devices11, Step S3further comprises Sub-Step S31: rebooting the power supply device11that does not send back the power state signal93once again, and checking whether the power supply device11sends back the power state signal93. In detail, if the control unit12still cannot exclude the abnormality with compulsory rebooting in Step S3, the control unit12resends the second switching signal922to the second power supply device112to reboot the second power supply device112once again and checks whether the second power supply device112sends back the second power state signal932in Step S31. If yes, the control unit12determines that the second power supply device112was merely in a temporary abnormality state and lets the second power supply device112keep on supplying power. If no, the control unit12determines that the second power supply device112is really damaged and would not resend the second switching signal922. Therefore, the method of the present invention uses multiple compulsory rebooting operations to determine whether the power supply device11of the redundant power supply system1is really damaged.

Refer toFIG. 6. In one embodiment, Step S3further comprises Sub-Step S32: checking whether the count of rebooting the power supply device11not sending back the power state signal93exceeds a limited count. In detail, if the second power supply device112still cannot be rebooted, the control unit12records the count of rebooting the second power supply device112(i.e. the count of sending the second switching signal922) and checks whether the count of rebooting the second power supply device112has reached the limited count. If yes, the control unit12determines that the power supply device11of the redundant power supply system1is really damaged. If no, Sub-Step S31is executed once again to reboot the second power supply device112.