Patent Description:
An active current sharing method is widely used in direct current/alternating current (AC/DC) and DC/DC converter redundant operations. Outputs of a plurality of voltage converters are connected together, so that a total output power of the converters meets power requirements of an application in a case of power redundancy.

The voltage converters involved in the current sharing method may include a master voltage converter and one or more slave voltage converters. In a practical application, a master-slave exchange may frequently occur for various reasons (for example, performance parameters of the various voltage converters involved are inconsistent).

Therefore, a technology that may solve frequent master-slave exchanges is required.

<NPL> discloses modeling and dynamic analysis of paralleled dc/dc converters with master-slave current sharing control.

According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, a power supply and a method of controlling a voltage converter are provided.

The adjustable first proportional coefficient is selected based on whether the voltage converter is a master voltage converter or a slave voltage converter in a current sharing mode, so that a magnitude of the generated first voltage signal may be selected according to a role of the voltage converter in a master-slave current sharing mode, which makes it more difficult, for example, for a magnitude of a first voltage signal of the slave voltage converter to exceed a magnitude of a first voltage signal of the master voltage converter, and thus reduces a frequency of master-slave exchange.

Other advantages may be apparent to those skilled in the art. Some embodiments may not have the advantages, or have some or all of the advantages.

The embodiments of the present disclosure and the features and advantages thereof may be understood more completely through the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the descriptions are exemplary only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, in the following description, descriptions of well-known structures and techniques are omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the concepts of the present disclosure.

Some block diagrams and/or flow diagrams are shown in the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that some blocks or combinations thereof in the block diagrams and/or flowcharts may be implemented by computer program instructions. The computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, so that the instructions, when executed by the processor, may create means for implementing the functions/operations illustrated in the block diagrams and/or flow diagrams.

Accordingly, the techniques of the present disclosure may be implemented in a form of hardware and/or software (including a firmware, a microcode, etc.). In addition, the techniques of the present disclosure may take a form of a computer program product on a computer-readable medium having stored instructions for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system. In the context of the present disclosure, the computer-readable medium may be any medium that may contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit instructions. For example, the computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, devices, or propagation mediums. Specific examples of the computer-readable medium include: a magnetic storage device, such as a magnetic tape or hard disk (HDD); an optical storage device, such as a compact disk (CD-ROM); a memory, such as a random access memory (RAM) or flash memory; and/or a wired /wireless communication link.

<FIG> shows a schematic diagram of a voltage feedback converter. As shown in <FIG>, the voltage feedback converter has a voltage controller loop. An output Vout of the converter is amplified by an amplifier with a coefficient H, and then subtracted from a reference signal Vref to generate an error signal Verr. The error signal Verr is inputted to a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller or pole/zero controller to produce a control signal for regulating the output of the converter. In order to avoid currents from other converters flowing back into the converter in a redundant operation, the output of the converter passes through a unidirectionally conductive device (diode/rectifier/MOSFET) before flowing into the amplifier with the coefficient H.

<FIG> shows a schematic diagram of another voltage feedback converter. According to a common active current method shown in <FIG>, a current sharing signal Vlshare is generated by using an output current. All Vlshare signals of converters connected in parallel are connected together. The Vlshare signal of each converter is proportional to an output current Iout of the converter (by a coefficient K). However, due to a unidirectionally conductive device D1 (such as a diode shown in <FIG>), only a largest Vlshare signal is fed into other converters. An output current of a converter with a largest Vout is a largest output current, the Vlshare signal of the converter is fed to all converters including itself. The converter is called a master voltage converter, while the other converters are called slave voltage converters. The largest Vlshare signal is then divided by K, and a sum (Iout+I_MARGIN) of Iout and a margin current signal is subtracted so as to generate a current error signal Ierr. I_MARGIN is a predefined output current difference, which means that a current with a difference within I MARGIN is not considered to have a substantial difference in the technical solutions of the present disclosure.

A current sharing PID controller receives the error signal Ierr and generates an incremental signal DeltaV based on the signal. DeltaV is added to a fixed nominal reference signal Vref_NOM to generate an adjusted Vref signal, which is used to generate the error signal Verr, and a control signal Vc used to regulate the converter is generated through a Vout PID controller.

In some embodiments, DeltaV is limited to be greater than <NUM> and less than DeltaV_MAX used to limit a maximum Vout adjustment value.

When the converter shown in <FIG> is a master voltage converter, Vlshare=K x Iout_master, and Ierr_mater equals -I_MARGIN. When an input of the current sharing PID controller is negative, an output DeltaV_master of the controller is equal to <NUM>, and the output of the master voltage converter is unchanged (Vref_master = Vref_NOM).

When the converter shown in <FIG> is a slave voltage converter, an output current of the converter is less than that of the master voltage converter. When the output current of the slave voltage converter is lower than (Iout_master-I_MARGIN), Ierr_slave = Iout_master-(Iout_slave + I_MARGIN) will be greater than <NUM>. The current sharing PID controller of the slave voltage converter will output a positive DeltaV_slave, and the signal will increase an output voltage of the slave voltage converter. If the current sharing PID controller has a high integral gain, then Ierr_slave is close to <NUM> in a steady state, Iout_slave = Iout_master-I_MARGIN.

If Iout_master-Iout_slave < I_MARGIN, then Ierr_slave will be equal to <NUM>, and DeltaV_slave will also be equal to <NUM>.

In a steady state, the output current of the slave voltage converter will change as an output current of the master voltage converter changes, in this case,
Iout_master-Iout_slave < I_MARGIN, or Iout_slave = Iout_master-I_MARGIN,
Vref_master=Vref_NOM,
Vref_slave = Vref_NOM+DeltaV_slave (where
<NUM><=DeltaV_slave<=DeltaV_MAX).

In a process of practicing the above-mentioned technical solutions, it is found that the above-mentioned current sharing solution works well in a steady state. For a dynamic system load, operating conditions depend on a response of the Vout PID controller, a response of the current sharing PID controller, and a dynamic response of the converter. In some applications, the converters used in the above-mentioned current sharing solution may not have consistent performances, e.g., from different manufacturers or for other reasons, e.g., may have different converter dynamic responses and/or different Vout PID controller responses and/or different current sharing PID controller responses. This tends to lead to an oscillation of the output voltage and current of the converter. When the output current of the converter oscillates, Iout_slave may temporarily be higher than Iout_master, and leads to an exchange of master/slave roles. In this case, it may be difficult to settle the oscillation because the converters are all temporarily acting as slave voltage converters and trying to adjust their own output. In some solutions, the situation may be improved by increasing a value of I_MARGIN. With the larger value of I_MARGIN, the difference between Iout_slave and Iout_master should be larger to realize a master-slave exchange. However, it is found that the solution may lead to difficulties in meeting current sharing accuracy requirements.

In order to solve the problem, the present disclosure proposes a power supply and a method of controlling said power supply.

<FIG> shows a schematic structural diagram of a voltage converter according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. According to the schematic structural diagram, a voltage converter <NUM> includes a converter module <NUM>, a current sharing terminal <NUM> and a control circuit <NUM>.

The converter module <NUM> converts an input voltage to an output voltage.

The current sharing terminal <NUM> is connected in parallel with a current sharing terminal of each of at least one other voltage converter.

The control circuit <NUM> generates a first voltage signal proportional to an output current of the converter module <NUM> with an adjustable first proportional coefficient and outputs the first voltage signal to the current sharing terminal <NUM>; wherein the first proportional coefficient is selected based on whether the voltage converter <NUM> is a master voltage converter or a slave voltage converter in a current sharing state; generates a first current signal proportional to a second voltage signal at the current sharing terminal <NUM> with a second proportional coefficient, wherein the second voltage signal is a largest voltage signal among the first voltage signal and other voltage signal from each current sharing terminal connected in parallel, and the first proportional coefficient is less than or equal to a reciprocal of the second proportional coefficient; subtracts the output current of the converter module <NUM> from the first current signal so as to generate an error current signal; and adjusts the output voltage of the converter module <NUM> based on the error current signal.

The adjustable first proportional coefficient is selected based on whether the voltage converter <NUM> is a master voltage converter or a slave voltage converter in a current sharing state, so that a magnitude of the generated first voltage signal may be selected according to a role of the voltage converter <NUM> in a master-slave current sharing mode, which makes it more difficult, for example, for a magnitude of a first voltage signal of the slave voltage converter to exceed a magnitude of a first voltage signal of the master voltage converter, and thus reduces a frequency of master-slave exchange.

According to the present invention, subtracting the output current of the converter module <NUM> from the first current signal so as to generate an error current signal may include: subtracting the output current of the converter module <NUM> and a margin current from the first current signal so as to generate the error current signal.

In some embodiments, the control circuit <NUM> may further include a comparison circuit <NUM>. The comparison circuit <NUM> compares the first voltage signal with the second voltage signal, and outputs the larger one of the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal as a new second voltage signal.

In some embodiments, the control circuit <NUM> may include at least one amplifier <NUM> having different amplification coefficients; and a selector <NUM> configured to select one of the at least one amplifier so as to generate the first voltage signal. For example, one of the amplifiers <NUM> corresponds to a role of master voltage converter, and at least one of the amplifiers <NUM> corresponds to a role of slave voltage converter. The selector <NUM> selects an amplifier or amplification coefficient to be used based on whether the voltage converter <NUM> is a master voltage converter or a slave voltage converter.

According to the invention, when the voltage converter <NUM> is the slave voltage converter, the value of the first proportional coefficient is less than the reciprocal value of the second proportional coefficient; and when the voltage converter <NUM> is the master voltage converter, the value of the first proportional coefficient is equal to the reciprocal value of the second proportional coefficient.

Specifically, when the voltage converter <NUM> is the slave voltage converter, the value of the first proportional coefficient may be in a range of <NUM> times to <NUM> times the reciprocal value of the second proportional coefficient. However, those skilled in the art may understand that, according to different implementations, the value range may also change. Such a change shall fall within the scope of the technical solutions of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, when the voltage converter <NUM> is the slave voltage converter, and when the voltage converter <NUM> frequently performs a master-slave conversion, a ratio of the value of the first proportional coefficient to the reciprocal value of the second proportional coefficient may be reduced.

In some embodiments, when the voltage converter <NUM> is the slave voltage converter, and when a conversion speed of the voltage converter <NUM> is slow in a slave-master conversion, a ratio of the value of the first proportional coefficient to the reciprocal value of the second proportional coefficient is increased.

<FIG> shows a schematic arrangement of a power supply according to the embodiments. As shown in <FIG>, a current sharing power supply <NUM> is formed by connecting respective current sharing terminals of a plurality of voltage converters <NUM> in parallel with each other.

<FIG> shows a method <NUM> of controlling a voltage converter corresponding to the voltage converter <NUM> shown in <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, the voltage converter <NUM> includes a converter module <NUM> configured to convert an input voltage to an output voltage, a current sharing terminal <NUM> configured to be connected in parallel with a current sharing terminal of each of at least one other voltage converter, and a control circuit <NUM>. The method <NUM> is performed by the control circuit <NUM> and includes steps S510 to S540.

In step S510, a first voltage signal proportional to an output current of the converter module <NUM> with an adjustable first proportional coefficient is generated and output to the current sharing terminal <NUM>. The first proportional coefficient is selected based on whether the voltage converter <NUM> is a master voltage converter or a slave voltage converter in a current sharing mode.

In step S520, a first current signal proportional to a second voltage signal at the current sharing terminal <NUM> with a second proportional coefficient is generated. The second voltage signal is a largest voltage signal among the first voltage signal and other voltage signal from each current sharing terminal connected in parallel, and the first proportional coefficient is less than or equal to a reciprocal of the second proportional coefficient.

In step S530, the output current of the converter module <NUM> is subtracted from the first current signal so as to generate an error current signal.

In step S540, the output voltage of the converter module <NUM> is adjusted based on the error current signal.

The adjustable first proportional coefficient is adjusted based on whether the voltage converter <NUM> is a master voltage converter or a slave voltage converter in a current sharing mode, so that a magnitude of the generated first voltage signal may be selected according to a role of the voltage converter <NUM> in a master-slave current sharing mode, which makes it more difficult, for example, for a magnitude of a first voltage signal of the slave voltage converter to exceed a magnitude of a first voltage signal of the master voltage converter, and thus reduces a frequency of master-slave exchange.

In some embodiments, subtracting the output current of the converter module <NUM> from the first current signal so as to generate an error current signal may include: subtracting the output current of the converter module <NUM> and a margin current from the first current signal so as to generate the error current signal.

In some embodiments, the method <NUM> may further include: comparing the first voltage signal with the second voltage signal, and outputting the larger one of the first voltage signal and the second voltage signal as a new second voltage signal. The step may be performed by a comparison circuit <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the control circuit <NUM> may include at least one amplifier <NUM> having different amplification coefficients. The method <NUM> may include selecting one of the at least one amplifier having different amplification coefficients so as to generate the first voltage signal. The step may be performed, for example, by a selector <NUM>. For example, one of the amplifiers <NUM> corresponds to a role of master voltage converter and at least one of the amplifiers <NUM> corresponds to a role of slave voltage converter. The selector <NUM> selects an amplifier or amplification coefficient to be used based on whether the voltage converter <NUM> is a master voltage converter or a slave voltage converter.

In some embodiments, when the voltage converter <NUM> is the slave voltage converter, and when the voltage converter <NUM> frequently performs a master-slave conversion, a ratio of the value of the first proportional coefficient to the reciprocal value of the second proportional coefficient is reduced.

In some embodiments, when the voltage converter <NUM> is the slave voltage converter, and when a conversion speed of the voltage converter <NUM> is slow in a slave-master conversion, a ratio of a value of the first proportional coefficient to a reciprocal value of the second proportional coefficient is increased.

<FIG> shows a method <NUM> of designing a power supply corresponding to the power supply of <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, the method <NUM> may include step S610 of connecting current sharing terminals <NUM> of a plurality of voltage converters <NUM> controlled according to the method shown in <FIG> in parallel with each other.

In order to further describe the details of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below based on a circuit diagram shown in <FIG>.

In order to avoid an oscillation caused by an exchange of master/slave roles, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will suppress an output of Iout_slave to Vlshare.

In the role of slave voltage converter, the first voltage signal is calculated by setting DeltaV to be greater than <NUM> and selecting another value of K with DeltaV as a control signal. Thus, in the solution shown in <FIG>, a lower (even <NUM>) gain K' is selected so that K' x Iout_slave will not be higher than K x Iout_master, and Vlshare is always equal to K x Iout_master.

In the role of master voltage converter, the first voltage signal is calculated by setting DeltaV to be <NUM> and selecting K with DeltaV as a control signal. In this case, the situation of <FIG> is the same as that of <FIG>.

When an appropriate value (e.g. much less than K) is selected for K', K' x Iout_slave of the slave voltage converter will not be higher than K x Iout_master, so that the master/slave roles may not be changed easily even under a dynamic load condition.

When the voltage converter works as a slave voltage converter but an output current of the voltage converter is higher than that of other voltage converters, an input of a current sharing PID controller of the voltage converter will eventually drop to <NUM> and a gain K may be adopted for the first proportional coefficient used to calculate the first voltage signal. The voltage converter will be changed (back) to the role of master voltage converter without being locked into the role of slave voltage converter.

A value of K' may be determined according to specific implementations. When the value of K' is too small (e.g., much less than K), the master/slave roles of the voltage converter are indeed not easily changed. In this case, however, when a voltage converter exits from the role of master voltage converter, it may take a long time for another voltage converter (which operates as a slave voltage converter) to become a master voltage converter. When the value of K' is too large (e.g., close to K), an effect of avoiding a frequent master-slave switching may not be apparent.

To this end, according to some embodiments, the value of K' may be adjusted according to a current working condition of the power supply. For example, when a master-slave conversion occurs frequently in the voltage converter, it is indicated that the value of K' may be too large at present, and a frequency of the master-slave conversion may be reduced by lowering the value of K'. When a slave-master conversion occurs, if a conversion speed of the voltage converter is slow, for example, no voltage converter may become the master voltage converter for a long time, the conversion speed may be increased by increasing the value of K'.

The value of K' of each voltage converter that performs a current sharing in the power supply may be adjusted in any suitable manner. For example, the value of K' of each voltage converter may be controlled by a centralized (micro) controller according to a working condition of the power supply by means of centralized control. For example, a greater K' value may be assigned (or preferentially adjusted) to a voltage converter with better and/or more stable performances, so that the voltage converter may have a greater chance of being the master voltage converter. Certainly, any other specific implementation solutions based on the above-mentioned allocation/adjustment ideas may also be adopted. The solutions also fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

For example, in the circuit diagram shown in <FIG>, a corresponding amplifier/first proportional coefficient/amplifier gain may be selected by means of a selection switch. The selection switch may be implemented, for example, in one or more of the following ways.

Claim 1:
A power supply comprising a plurality of voltage converters (<NUM>), wherein each voltage converter (<NUM>) comprises:
a converter module (<NUM>) configured to convert an input voltage (Vin) to an output voltage (Vout);
a current sharing terminal (<NUM>) configured to be connected with a current sharing terminal (<NUM>) of each of at least one other voltage converter (<NUM>); and
a control circuit (<NUM>) configured to:
generate a first voltage signal proportional to an output current (Iout) of the converter module (<NUM>) with an adjustable first proportional coefficient (K, K') ;
wherein the first proportional coefficient (K, K') is selected based on whether the voltage converter (<NUM>) is a master voltage converter or a slave voltage converter in a current sharing mode;
generate a first current signal proportional to a second voltage signal (Vlshare) at the current sharing terminal (<NUM>) with a second proportional coefficient, wherein a unidirectional conductive device (D1) of said voltage converter is configured to generate the second voltage signal (Vlshare) at the current sharing terminal (<NUM>) from said first voltage signal, and wherein the second voltage signal (Vlshare) is a largest voltage signal among the first voltage signal and the voltage signal from the current sharing terminal (<NUM>) and the first proportional coefficient (K, K') is less than or equal to a reciprocal of the second proportional coefficient;
subtract the output current (Iout) of the converter module (<NUM>) from the first current signal so as to generate an error current signal (Ierr); and
adjust the output voltage (Vout) of the converter module (<NUM>) based on the error current signal (Ierr),
wherein the first proportional coefficient (K, K') is less than the reciprocal of the second proportional coefficient in response to the voltage converter (<NUM>) being the slave voltage converter; and
a value of the first proportional coefficient (K, K') is equal to a reciprocal value of the second proportional coefficient in response to the voltage converter (<NUM>) being the master voltage converter.