Power supply management

Power supply management is one of key actions required for generating and controlling voltage, thanks to which it guarantees faultless work, maintains proper parameters of devices, and even can influence production time and time of putting given elements to the market.

Power supply management is a process, not ending on the production step, but covering also designing, later applications, and maintenance work. Due to the current development of high technologies, there are numerous solutions providing optimal and effective power supply and systems' management. 

Types of power supply management elements

Type of power supply management elements in a given device depends on a few important factors, e.g. voltage sources - AC or DC; whether input voltage is higher or lower than a required input voltage; depends also on a level of current overload and its resistance to disruptions.

Pulse power supplies

One of methods for proper power supply management are pulse power supplies/integrated pulse regulators. They switch semiconductors to provide required output voltage, and also offer power supply conversion and lowering strengthening the voltage.

Benefits of pulse power supplies:

• small size and low price,
• high effectiveness with almost all output voltages,
• possibility to generate high output power.

Pulse power supplies are mostly used in the industry, household automation and electronic equipment and almost all devices connected to the grid e.g. in TV, PC, phone chargers, and mobile and stationary devices' power supply units.

Regulators

Another method of power management is using lowering, strengthening or lowering-strengthening regulators.

Lowering regulators are pulse converters for usages in higher input and output voltage rates and higher current overloads.

Strengthening regulators are most often used for converting input voltage into higher output voltage.

Lowering-strengthening regulators however, are used when the input voltage can change and be lower or higher than the output one.

DC-DC and AC-DC solutions

DC-DC converters - This type of converters can be a combination of lowering regulators, increasing regulators and/or LDO. Switching regulators DC/DC are intended for applications using a wide range of input voltages, low input voltage, high density power, or digital power supply.

AC-DC converters - Especially used in electronics, in which AC has to be changed into output DC. AC-DC converters can have more than one output and can allow for protecting from short circuits.

Other solutions for power supply management

Wireless charging - Wireless charging of accumulators or wireless inductive charging - transfers electrical energy from charger to the device without cables and is based on magnetic resonance method (IPT).

Power over Ethernet (PoE) - PoE technology is used for supplying power through Ethernet cable. This type of power supply management offers reliability, comfort and low cost - they can be found in applications such as IP phones, wireless access points and safety cameras.

Power supply management optimization 

Proper power supply provides higher effectiveness and helps lowering costs, as well as decreases harmful effects on the environment thanks to the usage of renewable energy sources.

Optimization process can be divided into a few steps:

• Deciding on energy politics of the company and its conditions and goals.
• Planning energy sources and power saving options.
• Implementation of the plan and maintaining its goals.
• Process monitoring and improving systems and fixing errors.
• Doing routine audits, control actions and energy analysis and plan's implementation checks.

Implementation of power supply management not only provides effective, safe and long work, but also increases user trust, lowering costs, water usage, and proper waste management in the workshop.