Power manager with reconfigurable power converting circuits
A reconfigurable power circuit ( 400 ) includes a single one-way DC to DC power converter ( 220, 221 ). The reconfigurable power circuit is configurable by a digital data processor as one of three different power channels ( 230, 232 , and 234 ). Power channel ( 230 ) provides output power conversion. Power channel ( 232 ) provides input power conversion. Power channel ( 234 ) provides bi-directional power exchange without power conversion.
1. A power node comprising:
a first electrical connection interface and a second electrical connection interface;
a one-way DC to DC power converter comprising an input terminal for receiving input power at a first power amplitude and an output terminal for delivering output power at a second power amplitude;
at least one conductive pathway including a first power channel having a one-way current flow path extending from the first electrical connection interface to the input terminal, through the one-way DC to DC power converter to the output terminal, and from the output terminal to the second electrical connection interface;
at least one configurable switch disposed along the power channel;
at least one power sensor module disposed along the power channel;
an electronic controller that includes a digital data processor and an associated memory module;
a communication network including at least one communication network channel;
a network communication interface for communication with at least one other power node or power manager;
wherein the one-way DC to DC power converter, the at least one power sensor module, the at least one configurable switch, and the network communication interface are each electronically connected with the electronic controller over the communication network to deliver control signals thereto and to receive signals therefrom;
a first device port and a second device port, wherein the first electrical connection interface is electrically coupled to the first device port and the second electrical connection interface is electrically coupled to the second device port; and
wherein said controller is further configured to control at least one of the first and the second device ports to selectively connect to an external power device or to an external power bus architecture.
2. The power node of claim 1 , wherein the digital data processor includes a programmable logic device operating an energy management schema program and carrying out logical operations and is operable to run Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithms to modulate input power from at least one DC power source connected to the first or second device port.
3. The power node of claim 1 , wherein the first and second device ports are each connected with the electronic controller over the communication network.
4. The power node of claim 3 , wherein the at least one power sensor module comprises a first device port power sensor module coupled to the first device port and a second device port power sensor module coupled to the second device port.
5. The power node of claim 1 further comprising an internal rechargeable power source rechargeable power source can be charged when the power node is operably connected to a power source, to an external rechargeable battery, or to an external power bus architecture capable of providing charging power to the internal power source.
6. The power node of claim 1 wherein the digital data processor determines a device type and at least one power characteristic of each electrically coupled external power device and the digital data processor determines the at least one at least one power characteristic of each electrically coupled external power device based on power measurement signals communicated to the digital data processor by the at least one power sensor module.
7. The power node of claim 1 wherein the first device port is selectively connectable to an input power device and to the external power bus architecture, and the second device port is connectable to a DC power load.
8. The power node of claim 7 wherein: the input power device is time variable DC power source and the DC power load is a rechargeable DC battery; the digital data processor is operable to run Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithms to modulate input power from the time variable DC power source connected to the first device port; and the digital data processor implements a perturb and observe (P&O) PPT process for tracking an input power amplitude as a function of an output current set point of the one-way DC to DC power converter.
9. The power node of claim 7 wherein the DC power source comprises any of: a solar power source; a fuel cell; a rechargeable DC battery; a wind, water or mechanical power generator; and an AC power grid source connected to the first device port over an external AC to DC power converter.
10. The power node of claim 7 wherein the DC power load is any DC powered device including portable electronic devices, computers, audio systems, handheld radios, telephones smart phones, telecommunication equipment, sensors, instruments, navigations systems, weapons, night vision systems, photo sensing devices, medical devices, power tools, DC lighting, rechargeable DC batteries.
11. The power node of claim 7 , wherein the external power bus architecture provides power having a power bus voltage and wherein the at least one conductive pathway is configurable by the electronic controller to covert the power bus voltage to an operating voltage of the DC power load or to provide power at the power bus voltage to the power load.
12. The power node of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conductive pathway includes a second power channel having bidirectional current flow path between the first electrical connection interface and the second electrical connection interface.
13. The power node of claim 1 , wherein the at least one conductive pathway includes a third power channel having a one-way current flow path extending from the second electrical connection interface to the input terminal through the one-way DC to DC power converter to the output terminal and from the output terminal to the first electrical connection interface.
14. The power node of claim 1 , wherein each of the first device port and the second device port includes a communication interface electrically coupled to the communication network and the communication network enables exchange of messages, using a communication protocol, to and from an external power device electrically coupled to the first or second device port.
15. The power node of claim 14 , wherein: the communication protocol includes one or more of: IEEE 802.3 wired Local Area Networks (LAN) protocols comprising Ethernet and Power over Ethernet (POE), System Management Bus (SMBus), Universal Serial Bus (USB), and Recommended Standard 232 (RS232); and the network communication interface for communication with at least one other power node or power manager includes one or more of: an interface for a wireless network based on a IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) protocol; an interface for one or more cellular network protocols; and an interface for a wired communication protocol.
16. The power node of claim 5 , wherein the internal rechargeable power source is configured to enable uninterrupted operation of the power node when power from an external power source is not available.
17. The power node of claim 16 , wherein the internal rechargeable power source comprises one or more bulk capacitors.
18. The power node of claim 1 , wherein the first device port is connectable to a first external power bus architecture operating at a first power bus voltage, the second device port is connectable to a second external power bus architecture operating a second power bus voltage, and the power node is operable to convert the first power bus voltage to the second power bus voltage.
19. The power node of claim 1 , wherein the one-way DC to DC power converter comprises the configurable switch; the one-way DC to DC power converter being operable to modulate current amplitude over the power converter to substantially zero.
20. The power node of claim 1 , further wherein: said controller is further configured to control the at least one configurable switch to selectively connect at least one of the first and the second device ports to an external power device and to an external power bus architecture.