Multiple power supply control
View Patent ↗Apparatus and methods are provided. A system includes two or more power supplies receiving electrical energy from respective independent sources. One of the power supplies detects an anomalous condition of the associated energy source and provides an alert signal. At least one of the other power supplies transitions from a standby mode to a normal output mode in response to the alert signal. The failing power supply provides operating level energy to an electrical load while the one or more other power supplies transition from standby to normal output level.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a first power supply coupled to an electrical load and a first source of electrical energy, the first power supply configured to issue an alert signal indicative of a failure condition of the first source of electrical energy; and
a second power supply coupled to the electrical load and a second source of electrical energy, the second power supply configured to transition from a lesser output level to a greater output level in response to an activation signal.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , the first power supply further configured to provide operating power to the electrical load while the second power supply transitions from the lesser output level to the greater output level.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , the first and second power supplies being coupled such that the activation signal is defined by the alert signal.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , the electrical load being configured to provide the activation signal to the second power supply in response to the alert signal from the first power supply.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , the first power supply further configured to transition from a lesser output level to a greater output level in response to a signal indicative of an anomaly in the second source of electrical energy.
6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , at least the first or second power supply configured to operate at a lesser output level in response to a standby signal, the first power supply further configured to transition from the lesser output level to a greater output level in response to a respective activation signal.
7. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a third power supply configured to transition from a lesser output level to a greater output level in response to an activation signal.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , the first power supply further configured to provide operating level power from internal energy storage to an electrical load while the second power supply transitions from the lesser output level to the greater output level in response to the activation signal.
9. A system, comprising:
an electrical load;
a first power supply coupled to a first independent source of electricity and to the electrical load, the first power supply configured to provide a first alert signal indicative of an anomalous condition of the first independent source of electricity; and
a second power supply coupled to a second independent source of electricity and to the electrical load, the second power supply configured to provide a second alert signal indicative of an anomalous condition of the second independent source of electricity, the first power supply further configured to transition from a lesser output level to a greater output level in response to a first activation signal, the second power supply further configured to transition from a lesser output level to a greater output level in response to a second activation signal.
10. The system according to claim 9 , at least the first or second power supply further configured to operate at a lesser output level in response to a standby signal.
11. The system according to claim 9 , the first and second power supplies respectively configured to provide operating level power to the electrical load for an amount of time sufficient for the other of the first and second power supplies to transition from the lesser output level to the greater output level.
12. The system according to claim 9 , the second activation signal defined by the first alert signal, the first activation signal defined by the second alert signal.
13. The system according to claim 9 , the electrical load configured to provide the second activation signal in response to the first alert signal, the electrical load further configured to provide the first activation signal in response to the second alert signal.
14. A method, comprising:
asserting a signal responsive to an anomalous condition of a first independent source of electrical energy, the first independent source of electrical energy coupled to energize a first power supply;
transitioning a second power supply from a standby output level to a normal output level responsive to the signal, the second power supply energized by a second independent source of electrical energy; and
providing operating power from the first power supply to an electrical load during the transitioning.
15. The method according to claim 14 further comprising communicating the signal from the first power supply to the second power supply, the second power supply providing operating power to the electrical load after the transitioning to normal output level.