Distributed power system

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention provides for improved reliability of systems producing and consuming power through the use of a shared power bus fed from a plurality of power supplies, each power supply coupled to the shared power bus through an optional supply isolator, each optional supply isolator having a control input responsive to a failure in the power supply to which it is coupled.
Further coupled to this shared power bus are a plurality of load isolator, each load isolator thereafter coupled to a power load, and each load isolator responsive to a failure in the load to which it is coupled.
Typically, the plurality of power supplies comprise current sharing power supplies, the supply isolator comprises a controllable low-loss switch means such as a low resistance Field Effect Transistor (FET), and the load comprises electronic equipment receiving such power.
The control means for this power supply isolator comprises a fault detection circuit measuring a power supply parameter.
The plurality of power loads comprises the actual electronic equipment being operated, and the control input for each load isolators comprises a fault detection circuit measuring a load parameter.
Therefore, a first object of the invention is a power distribution system which detects and isolates power supply failures.
A second object of the invention is a power distribution system which detects and isolates load failures.
A third object of the invention is a power distribution system which allows additional power supplies and loads to be incrementally added or removed while providing enhanced and improved reliability of operation.
A fourth object of the invention is a power distribution system which provides n-way redundancy without the need for n-1 additional power supplies which are used for no other purpose.