Power manager
An improved power manager includes a power bus ( 410 ) and multiple device ports ( 1 - 5 ), with at least one device port configured as a universal port ( 3 and 4 ) to be selectively connected to the power bus over an input power channel that includes an input power converter ( 510 ) or over a output or universal power channel ( 412, 416 ) that includes an output power converter ( 440, 442 ). The universal power channel ( 412 ) allows the input port ( 4 ) to be selected as an output power channel instead of an input power channel (i.e. operated as a universal port) for outputting power to device port ( 4 ) over power converter ( 440 ). The improved power manager ( 500 ) includes operating modes for altering an operating voltage of the power bus ( 505 ), to minimize overall power conversion losses due to DC to DC power conversions used to connect non-bus voltage compatible power devices to the power bus.
1. A power manager system for reducing power loss associated with power conversions comprising:
a power bus operating at present DC bus voltage;
an electronic controller, including a memory module, operating an energy management schema program;
a plurality of device ports, each device port configured to electrically interface with the power bus, the electronic controller, and an external DC power device, wherein each external DC power device has a device type and an operating voltage;
a plurality of unidirectional DC to DC power converters operably connected between the plurality of device ports and the power bus, and controlled by the electronic controller, each unidirectional DC to DC power converter configurable by the energy management schema program, to make a suitable DC to DC voltage conversion, for connecting each external DC power device that has a non-bus compatible operating voltage to the DC power bus, wherein, each DC to DC voltage conversion has a DC power conversion loss associated therewith;
wherein the energy management schema program operates to:
determine, for each external DC power device electrically interfaced with one of the plurality of device ports, the device type and the operating voltage thereof;
identify, each external DC power device, connected to one of the plurality of device ports, that has an operating voltage that is compatible with the present DC bus voltage;
identify each external DC power device, connected to one of the plurality of device ports, that has an operating voltage that is not compatible with the present DC bus voltage;
evaluate, based on the present DC bus voltage, a total DC power conversion loss associated with connecting each external DC power device that has an operating voltage that is not compatible with the present DC bus voltage to the DC power bus;
evaluate, based on one or more alternate DC bus voltages, one or more alternate total DC power conversion losses associated with connecting each external DC power device that has an operating voltage that is not compatible with corresponding ones of the one or more alternate DC bus voltages to the DC power bus; and,
setting the present DC bus voltage using one of the unidirectional DC to DC power converters to match an efficient DC bus voltage from the one or more alternative DC bus voltages associated with a minimum total power conversion loss of the alternate total DC power conversion losses.
2. A DC power manager system comprising:
a DC power bus operating at a present DC bus voltage;
an electronic controller, including a memory module, operating an energy management schema program;
a plurality of input device ports, each input device port operably connectable to and disconnectable from the DC power bus, by the energy management schema program;
a plurality of output device ports, each output device port operably connectable to and disconnectable from the DC power bus, by the energy management schema program;
a unidirectional DC to DC input power converter associated with at least one of the input device ports;
a unidirectional DC to DC output power converter associated with at least one of the output device ports;
a single DC power source, having a source operating voltage that is not compatible with the present DC bus voltage, connected to one of the one or more input device ports;
a plurality of DC power loads, each having a power load operating voltage, and each connected to a different one of the one or more output device ports;
wherein the energy management schema program is operated to:
determine, for the single DC power source and for each of the plurality of DC power loads, an operating voltage thereof;
calculate, based on the determined DC power source operating voltage and the determined DC power load operating voltages, a DC bus voltage that minimizes a total DC power conversion loss associated with making a suitable DC to DC power conversion by any one of, the unidirectional DC to DC input power converter and the unidirectional DC to DC output power converter, for connecting each of the single DC power source and the plurality of DC power loads to the DC power bus; and
resetting the DC power bus, by the electronic controller, to the DC bus voltage that minimizes the total DC power conversion loss by making the suitable DC to DC power conversion.
3. The power manager system of claim 1 , wherein each of, the present DC bus voltage and the one or more alternate DC bus voltages comprise discreet operating voltage values that are stored by the memory module, and wherein the power manager system and the energy management schema program are each configured to operate the DC power manager system with the DC bus voltage set to any one of the discreet operating voltage values stored by the memory module.
4. The power manager system of claim 3 wherein each discreet voltage value stored in the memory module corresponds with a bus voltage range and wherein the operating voltage that is compatible with the present DC bus voltage is any voltage that falls within the bus voltage range.
5. The power manager system of claim 1 , wherein after evaluating each of the present DC bus voltage and the one or more alternate DC bus voltages, the energy management schema program further operates to:
set each of the plurality of unidirectional DC to DC power converters to make the suitable DC to DC voltage conversions associated with connecting each external DC power device that has a non-bus compatible operating voltage to the DC power bus; and,
connect each external DC power device connected to one of the plurality of device ports to the DC power bus.
6. The power manager system of claim 2 , wherein the single power source comprises any one of a DC power source and a rechargeable DC battery.
7. The power manager system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of DC power loads comprise any one of a DC power load and a rechargeable DC battery.
8. The power manager system of claim 2 , wherein the memory module includes a plurality of DC bus operating voltages stored therein and, wherein the power manager system and the energy management schema program are each configured to operate the DC power manager system using any one of the DC bus voltages stored by the memory module and the energy management schema program is configured to select, from any one of the DC bus voltages stored by the memory module, a DC bus voltage that provides a smallest total DC power conversion loss as compared to the calculated DC bus voltage that minimizes a total DC power conversion loss.
9. A method for operating a DC power manager system, wherein the DC power manager system includes: a DC power bus; a plurality of device ports connected to the DC power bus; a plurality of unidirectional DC to DC power converters operably connectable with the plurality of device ports; a plurality of external DC power devices electrically interfaced with the plurality of device ports; an electronic controller that includes a memory module to operate an energy management schema program, the electronic controller being operably connected to the unidirectional DC to DC power converters; a bus sensor module connected to the DC power bus and the electronic controller; and a communication network extending from each device port to the electronic controller, the method comprising the steps of:
establishing, by the energy management schema program, a present DC bus voltage voltage based on input readings from the bus sensor module;
determining, by the electronic controller running the energy management schema program to communicate with each external DC power device, for each external DC power device electrically interfaced with one of the plurality of device ports, a device type, and an operating voltage thereof;
identifying, by the energy management schema program, each external DC power device that has an operating voltage that is compatible with the present DC bus voltage;
identifying, by the energy management schema program, each external DC power device that has an operating voltage that is not compatible with the present DC bus voltage;
determining, by the energy management schema program, based on the present DC bus voltage, a present total DC power conversion loss value associated with connecting each external DC power device that has an operating voltage that is not compatible with the present DC bus voltage to the DC power bus over one of the plurality of unidirectional DC to DC power converters;
determining, by the energy management schema program, based on one or more alternate DC bus voltages, one or more other total DC power conversion loss values associated with connecting each external DC power device, that has an operating voltage that is not compatible with corresponding ones of the one or more alternate DC bus voltage values, to the DC power bus over one of the plurality of unidirectional DC to DC power converters;
selecting, by the energy management schema, from the present total DC power conversion loss value and the one or more other total DC power conversion loss values a minimum total DC power conversion loss value; and
resetting, by the energy management schema, if required, a voltage conversion setting of at least one of the plurality of unidirectional DC to DC power converters to alter the present DC bus voltage to another DC bus voltage corresponding with the minimum total DC power conversion loss value.
10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of:
storing, by the memory module, the present DC bus voltage and each of the one or more alternate DC bus voltages, wherein the power manager system and the energy management schema program are each configured to operate the DC power manager system with any one of the stored DC bus voltages; and,
connecting, by the energy management schema program, each external DC power device connected to one of the plurality of device ports to the DC power bus.