Electrical transmission or interconnection systems – Plural supply circuits or sources – Substitute or emergency source
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-08
2001-03-20
Ballato, Josie (Department: 2836)
Electrical transmission or interconnection systems
Plural supply circuits or sources
Substitute or emergency source
C307S043000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06204574
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a backup-power supply device, and more particularly to a backup power-supply device which is able to supply a DC power when the power supplied to an electric appliance is interrupted.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Owing to the promotion of the personal computer (PC), the backup power-supply device is becoming significant. Nowadays, the representative backup power-supply device is the uninterruptible power system (UPS). The UPS is usually designed to have AC power output for supplying power for a period of time when a power outage occurs. Hence, the UPS is able to sustain supplying the power to an electric appliance during the power outage so that the electric appliance can operate without interruption. The UPS is usually employed in a complicated and large-scale electric appliance that can not be interrupted during the power outage, for example, a workstation. Therefore, the cost of UPS must be relatively high.
Referring to
FIG. 1
, a power supply
13
of a PC
11
includes an electromagnetic interference filter
131
, an AC/DC converter
132
, a DC/DC converter
133
, and a feedback control circuit
134
. If a high-level operating system, such as Windows 95/98, Windows NT, UNIX and so forth, is running on a PC, some serious damages like data loss may occur during the power outage.
Therefore, a UPS is needed to cooperate with a PC for supplying a backup power during the power outage. However, the UPS at least includes an electromagnetic interference filter
121
, an AC/DC converter
122
, a DC/AC converter
123
, a charger
124
, and a rechargeable battery cell
125
. The UPS is quite complicated and it is not practical for a PC because the users of a PC are mainly involved in the fields of application and entertainment, whereas the users of a workstation are mainly involved in the fields of research and development. Actually, a PC needs only three to five minutes for proceeding the data storage and shutdown processes during the power outage. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a backup power-supply device which can provide enough power for storing data and shutting down the PC.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a backup power-supply device for supplying backup power for at least three to five minutes so that the electric appliance can be operated without interruption during the power outage.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cheap and practical backup power-supply device for a personal computer.
According to the present invention, the backup power-supply device needs to cooperate with an electric appliance having a power supply with a first receptacle and a second receptacle. The first receptacle is used for receiving power from an external power source when the electric appliance is under a normal power-supply state.
The backup power-supply device includes an input terminal, an output terminal, a power-accumulating unit, a charger, a DC/DC converter, and a detecting circuit. The input terminal is electrically connected to the external power source for receiving power from the external power source. The output terminal is electrically connected to the second receptacle of the power supply. The power-accumulating unit is used for accumulating the backup power therein when the electric appliance is under the normal power-supply state and releasing the backup power when the external power source fails to supply power. The charger is electrically connected between the input terminal and the power-accumulating unit for charging the power-accumulating unit when the electric appliance is under the normal power-supply state. The DC/DC converter is electrically connected between the power-accumulating unit and the output terminal for converting a low-level direct current signal outputted from the power-accumulating unit into a high-level direct current signal provided for the electrical appliance through the output terminal and the second receptacle of the power supply, and the detecting circuit which is electrically connected to the input terminal, the charger, and the DC/DC converter and detecting the power from the external power source for having the DC/DC converter release the backup power to the electric appliance when the external power source fails to supply power
Preferably, the power-accumulating unit is a rechargeable battery cell, and the external power source is a utility power source.
Certainly, the electric appliance is a personal computer, more preferably a desktop personal computer.
Generally, there are two selections for connecting the second receptacle of the power supply. One way is to connect the second receptacle of the power supply directly to an output terminal of an AC/DC converter built in the power supply, and the other way is to connect the second receptacle of the power supply directly to an output terminal of an DC/DC converter built in the power supply.
Certainly, the first receptacle of the power supply is directly electrically connected to the external power source by an external conducting wire, and serves as an input terminal for the external power source.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the power-accumulating unit can sustain releasing the backup power for at least three to five minutes.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the backup power-supply device includes an input terminal, a first output terminal, a second output terminal, a power-accumulating unit, a charger, a DC/DC converter, and a detecting circuit. The input terminal is electrically connected to the external power source for receiving power from the external power source. The first output terminal is electrically connected to the second receptacle of the power supply. The second output terminal is electrically connected to the first receptacle of the power supply. The power-accumulating unit is used for accumulating the backup power therein when the electric appliance is under the normal power-supply state and releasing the backup power when the external power source fails to supply power. The charger is electrically connected between the input terminal and the power-accumulating unit for charging the power-accumulating unit when the electric appliance is under the normal power-supply state. The DC/DC converter is electrically connected between the power-accumulating unit and the first output terminal for converting a low-level direct current signal outputted from the power-accumulating unit into a high-level direct current signal provided for the electrical appliance through the first output terminal and the second receptacle of the power supply, and the detecting circuit which is electrically connected to the input terminal, the charger, and the DC/DC converter and detecting the power from the external power source for having the DC/DC converter release the backup power to the electric appliance when the external power source fails to supply power.
In this preferred embodiment, the electric appliance has a power supply with a first receptacle and a second receptacle, but the first receptacle does not connect to the external power source.
Now The present invention may best be understood through the following descriptions with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
REFERENCES:
patent: 5811895 (1998-09-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 5874788 (1999-02-01), McCartney
patent: 5955797 (1999-09-01), Kim
Alston & Bird LLP
Ballato Josie
DeBeradinis Robert L.
Delta Electronics , Inc.
LandOfFree
Backup power-supply device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Backup power-supply device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Backup power-supply device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2536564