Power management system for an artificial reality system
A power management system for a headset includes a step-up converter and a step-down converter. The step-up converter increases the voltage and decreases the current supplied by the power supply. The power is transmitted via transmission lines at the increased voltage. The step-down converter decreases the voltage to a suitable level for various components of a power rail assembly. The power lost in the transmission lines is proportional to the square of the current. The power saved by transmission at a lower current in the transmission lines is greater than the power lost by the step-up converter and the step-down converter.
1. A power system comprising:
a power supply configured to output a direct current (DC) power at a first DC voltage, the power supply located at a first portion of a headset;
a flexible transmission line;
a step-up converter electrically coupled to the power supply and the flexible transmission line, the step-up converter configured to increase the first DC voltage to a second DC voltage; and
a step-down converter located at a second portion of the headset and electrically coupled to the step-up converter via the flexible transmission line, the step-down converter configured to:
receive, directly from the step-up converter via the flexible transmission line, the DC power at the second DC voltage, and
reduce the second DC voltage to a third DC voltage, at least a portion of the third DC voltage provided to an electrical load of the headset.
2. The power system of claim 1 , further comprising a high-power rail configured to receive the DC power at the second DC voltage.
3. The power system of claim 1 , further comprising a power controller configured to detect the electrical load.
4. The power system of claim 3 , wherein the power controller is configured to adjust a gain of the step-up converter based on the electrical load.
5. The power system of claim 3 , wherein the power controller is configured to measure the electrical load.
6. The power system of claim 3 , wherein the power controller is configured to calculate the electrical load.
7. A headset comprising:
a power supply configured to output a direct current (DC) power at a first DC voltage;
a flexible transmission line;
a step-up converter electrically coupled to the power supply and the flexible transmission line;
a step-down converter electrically coupled to the step-up converter via the flexible transmission line, the step-down converter configured to receive, directly from the step-up converter via the flexible transmission line, the DC power at a second DC voltage; and
a power rail assembly electrically coupled to the step-down converter.
8. The headset of claim 7 , wherein the step-up converter is configured to increase a voltage of the DC power provided by the power supply from the first DC voltage to the second DC voltage.
9. The headset of claim 8 , wherein the step-down converter is further configured to decrease the second DC voltage to a third DC voltage.
10. The headset of claim 8 , wherein the step-down converter is further configured to decrease the second DC voltage to a plurality of voltages.
11. The headset of claim 7 , further comprising a power controller configured to detect an electrical load in the headset.
12. The headset of claim 11 , wherein the power controller is configured to adjust a gain of the step-up converter based on the electrical load.
13. The headset of claim 11 , further comprising a high-power rail configured to receive the DC power at the second DC voltage via the flexible transmission line.
14. A headset comprising:
a power supply configured to output a direct current (DC) power at a first DC voltage;
a flexible transmission line;
a step-up converter configured to increase the first DC voltage of the DC power provided by the power supply; and
a step-down converter configured to:
receive the DC power directly from the step-up converter via the flexible transmission line,
decrease a DC voltage of the received DC power, and
provide the DC power at the decreased voltage to a power rail assembly of the headset.
15. The headset of claim 14 , further comprising a power controller configured to adjust a gain of the step-up converter.
16. The headset of claim 15 , wherein the power controller is configured to adjust the gain based on an electrical load in the headset.
17. The headset of claim 14 , wherein the power rail assembly is configured to be located in front of eyes of a user of the headset, and wherein the power supply is configured to be located behind a head of the user.
18. The headset of claim 14 , further comprising a high-power rail configured to receive the DC power at a second DC voltage output by the step-up converter.