Digital current-sharing loop design of PSUs to ensure output voltage regulation during dynamic load transients
Power supply units (PSU) provide for digital current-sharing loop control to ensure output voltage regulation during dynamic load transients by (i) delaying an internal current signal to match a delay in a shared current signal, and (ii) controlling the output amplifier based on the shared current signal and the delayed local current signal to maintain the respective local DC electrical power in proportion to contributions by other ones of the more than one PSU to the shared DC electrical power and thereby avoid instability in dynamic response to a load transient induced by the power consuming component.
1. An Information Handling System (IHS) comprising:
a power consuming component that requires electrical power to operate;
a power interconnect; and
more than one power supply unit (PSU) connected in parallel via the power interconnect to convert alternating current (AC) electrical power, received from a power source, into voltage regulated, shared direct current (DC) electrical power, provided at a shared current output, the more than one PSU having master-slave current sharing control to provide shared DC electrical power based in part on a shared current signal carried on the power interconnect, the shared current signal having a delay;
wherein each PSU of the more than one PSU comprises:
an output amplifier electrically connected to the shared current output and that produces respective local DC electrical power;
an internal current sensor that measures the local DC electrical power and provides a local current signal representing the magnitude of the local DC electrical power;
a master control unit (MCU) in communication with the power interconnect, the internal current sensor, and the output amplifier, and which:
delays the internal current signal to match the delay in the shared current signal; and
controls the output amplifier based on the shared current signal and the delayed local current signal to maintain the respective, local DC electrical power in proportion to contributions by other PSUs to the shared DC electrical power and thereby avoid instability in dynamic response to a load transient induced by the power consuming component;
wherein the MCU delays the local current signal by averaging the local current signal over an adjustable time period that is set to match the delay in the shared current signal.
2. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the MCU further comprises:
a first averaging module that averages the shared current signal over a first time period to produce an internal shared current signal;
a second averaging module that averages the local current signal over a second time period to produce an intermediate current signal;
a third averaging module that averages the intermediate current signal over a third time period to produce an internal local current signal; and
a shared current controller comprising a differential amplifier that produces a shared current error signal based on a difference between the internal shared current signal and the internal local current signal.
3. The IHS of claim 2 , wherein the first, second, and third time periods respectively of the first, second, and third averaging modules each comprise a respective value adjusted to achieve a selected one of: (i) a matched response between internal local and shared current signals; and (ii) a response time across an intended operating bandwidth of a current share loop performed by the MCU.
4. The IHS of claim 2 , wherein each PSU is connected to a conductor of the power interconnect to contribute to the shared current signal by providing a rectified and low-pass filtered voltage of the intermediate current signal.
5. A power supply unit (PSU) comprising:
a power interconnect that connects to one or more other PSUs in parallel to convert alternating current (AC) electrical power, received from a power source, into voltage regulated, direct current (DC) electrical power, provided at a shared current output that powers a power consuming component of an information handling system (IHS) that requires electrical power to operate, the PSU and one or more other PSUs having master-slave current sharing control to provide shared DC electrical power based in part on a shared current signal carried on the power interconnect, the shared current signal having a delay;
an output amplifier electrically connected to the shared current output and that produces respective, local DC electrical power;
an internal current sensor that measures the local DC electrical power to provide a local current signal representing the magnitude of the local DC electrical power;
a master control unit (MCU) in communication with the power interconnect, the internal current sensor, and the output amplifier, and which
delays the local current signal to match the delay in the shared current signal; and
controls the output amplifier based on the shared current signal and the delayed local current signal to maintain the respective local DC electrical power in proportion to contributions by the one or more other PSUs to the shared DC electrical power and thereby avoiding instability in dynamic response to a load transient induced by the power consuming component;
wherein the MCU delays the local current signal by averaging the internal current signal over an adjustable time period that is set to match the delay in the shared current signal.
6. The PSU of claim 5 , wherein the MCU further comprises:
a first averaging module that averages the shared current signal over a first time period to produce an internal shared current signal;
a second averaging module that averages the local current signal over a second time period to produce an intermediate current signal;
a third averaging module that averages the intermediate current signal over a third time period to produce an internal local current signal; and
a shared current controller comprising a differential amplifier that produces a shared current error signal based on a difference between the internal shared current signal and the internal local current signal.
7. The PSU of claim 6 , wherein the first, second and third time periods respectively of the first, second, and third averaging modules each comprise a respective value adjusted to achieve a selected one of: (i) a matched response between internal local and shared current signals; and (ii) a response time across an intended operating bandwidth of a current share loop performed by the MCU.
8. The PSU of claim 6 , wherein each PSU is connected to a conductor of the power interconnect to contribute to the shared current signal component by providing a rectified and low-pass filtered voltage of the intermediate current signal.
9. A method comprising:
at each power supply unit (PSU) of more than one PSU:
receiving alternating current (AC) electrical power from a power source;
converting the AC electrical power into direct current (DC) electrical power;
receiving a shared current signal carried on a power interconnect that connects each PSU to other ones of the more than one PSU in parallel, the shared current signal for master-slave current sharing control to produce a shared DC electrical power provided at a shared current output that powers a power consuming component of an information handling system (IHS) that requires electrical power to operate, the shared current signal having a delay;
measuring the local DC electrical power;
providing a local current signal representing the magnitude of the local DC electrical power; and
regulating the local DC electrical power by: (i) delaying the local current signal to match the delay in the shared current signal, and (ii) controlling the output amplifier based on the shared current signal and the delayed local current signal to maintain the respective, local DC electrical power in proportion to contributions by other ones of the more than one PSU to the shared DC electrical power and thereby avoiding instability in dynamic response to a load transient induced by the power consuming component;
wherein delaying the local current signal comprises averaging the local current signal over an adjustable time period that is set to match the delay in the shared current signal.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein delaying the local current signal comprises:
averaging the shared current signal over a first time period to produce an internal shared current signal;
averaging the local current signal over a second time period to produce an intermediate current signal;
averaging the intermediate current signal over a third time period to produce an internal local current signal; and
providing a shared current error signal to regulate the local DC electrical power by differentially amplifying a difference between the internal shared current signal and the internal local current signal.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising respectively selecting the first, second and third time periods to achieve a selected one of: (i) a matched response between internal local and shared current signals; and (ii) a response time across an intended operating bandwidth of a current share loop performed by the MCU.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein receiving the shared current signal further comprises:
rectifying and low-pass filtering a voltage of the intermediate current signal by each PSU to provide a local representation; and
combining the local representations of the more than one PSU at the power interconnect to provide the shared current signal.