US 5,886,422 AGranted

Universal electric power controller

AssigneeSpartec International Corp.

InventorAndrew Mills

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Abstract

An electrical power supply and controller for supplying electrical power from a common platform in a plurality of distinct electrical waveforms, including voltages, and frequency, and to a plurality of distinct loads including distinct motor loads, and controlling alternatively the speed and torque of these motor loads. The power supply and controller of this invention automatically accepts and adjusts to an electrical input across a wide range of electrical waveforms, including voltage and frequency, and includes an interface for accepting a plurality of distinct computer programs for controlling each load type. The electrical power supply and controller supplies electrical power to the plurality of distinct load modules, accepts the plurality of distinct electrical inputs, and accepts the plurality of distinct computer programs without any modification to the electrical power supply and controller itself.

Claims30

Dependent claims

In a power conversion and control apparatus for supplying operating voltage to a load which may be of any of a plurality of different types that require operating voltages having different respective waveforms and different respective magnitudes or frequencies, said power conversion and control apparatus being of the type having a plurality of power input terminals, a plurality of power output terminals for connection to said load, a switching network connected between said power input terminals and said power output terminals, and a programmable control circuit responsive to at least one feedback signal from said load and to a stored program for controlling said operating voltage, in combination:

a first program memory coupled to said programmable control circuit for storing a first portion of said stored program, said first portion including that portion of said stored program which is independent of the type of load that is connected to said power output terminals;
a memory interface connector coupled to said programmable control circuit for receiving any one of a plurality of different second program memories for storing a second portion of said stored program, each of said second portions corresponding to one of said plurality of types of load, and each being adapted to cooperate with said first program memory to control said one of said plurality of types of load, when said corresponding type of load is connected to said power output terminals;
whereby said power conversion and control apparatus may be configured for operation with any of said different types of load by connecting a corresponding second program memory to said memory interface connector.

In a power conversion and control apparatus for supplying a controllable operating voltage from a selected one of an AC source and a DC source to a load, in combination:

a set of AC and DC power input terminals;
a set of power output terminals for connection to a load module of any one of a plurality of different types, said types having different respective operating voltage and control requirements;
a power buss;
rectifying means for connecting said AC and DC power terminals to said power buss;
switching means for controllably connecting said power buss to said power output terminals and thereby providing an operating voltage to said load module;
processing means responsive to a stored program for controlling the switching activity of said switching means;
a built in memory for storing a first segment of said stored program, said segment being independent of the type of load module connected to said output terminals;
a plug in memory for storing a second segment of said stored program, said second segment being specific to the type of load module connected to said output terminals;
and
a memory interface for connecting said plug in memory to said processing means.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.