Patent Application
20140306529
Electronic devices may be charged by connecting them to a power source. For example, an electronic device may be charged by connecting it to a computer or to a wall plug. In general, power source devices, e.g., a computer, a laptop, etc., have a specified maximum output current limit. In some cases, the power source connection also serves another function, such as data transmission. Limiting the amount of current drawn for charging the battery adversely impacts the speed of which the battery is charged.
According to one embodiment, the instantaneous power consumption of the electronic device is monitored. The amount of current corresponding to the difference between the maximum operating load of the electronic device and the instantaneous power consumption of the electronic device may be used to charge the battery. As such, the battery may be charged faster while damage to the power source may be prevented.
An apparatus includes a rechargeable battery, a circuitry, and a controller. The circuitry is operable to receive power from a power source. The circuitry is configured to provide power to the rechargeable battery and to other electrical components. The controller is configured to control the circuitry to increase power to the rechargeable battery in response to a decrease in power consumption associated with the other electrical components.
The apparatus may include the above and the power from the power source is selectable using the controller to maintain electrical connection in the power source through a fuse of the power source. The apparatus may also include a monitoring circuit that is configured to monitor power consumption associated with the other electrical components of the apparatus.
These and various other features and advantages will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description.
Embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements.
According to embodiments described herein, the speed at which a battery of an electronic device is charged is increased while other functions are not utilizing the available power. Furthermore, the speed at which a battery of an electronic device is charged is increased while preventing the power source from interrupting supplying power to the electronic device, according to one embodiment.
Some power source devices may be equipped with a fuse that temporarily interrupts power when the maximum output current limit is exceeded. However, continuously interrupting the power is disruptive to charging of the electronic device. In order to maintain power, the amount of current drawn to charge the battery may be limited to the difference between the smallest maximum output current limit of all interconnection interfaces and the current associated with the maximum load of the electronic device. For example, the amount of current drawn to charge a battery of the electronic device from a USB interface may be limited to the difference between the current associated with the maximum load of the electronic device and the maximum output current limit.
According to one embodiment, the instantaneous power consumption of the electronic device is monitored. As a result, the amount of current associated with the power consumption can be determined. It is appreciated that monitoring the instantaneous power consumption may be accomplished by measuring the amount of current used by the electronic device.
The maximum current output limit associated with the power source is received or determined. The instantaneous power consumption of the electronic device may be used with a maximum current output limit, as specified by the power source, to dynamically adjust the amount of current used to charge the battery. According to one embodiment, the amount of current used to charge the battery may be dynamically adjusted to the difference between the maximum current output limit and the current associated with the instantaneous power consumption.
In other words, the amount of current used to charge the battery may be increased during low power consumption of the electronic device while the amount of current used to charge the battery may be decreased during higher power consumption of the electronic device. As such, the speed at which the battery is charged is increased while protecting the power source from being damaged. Moreover, interruption to supply power from the power source to the electronic device is prevented, e.g., by preventing the fuse to short the circuit.
Referring now to
The circuitry 140A may receive power from the power source 110A. Furthermore, the circuitry 140A may provide power to the rechargeable battery 150A and to other electrical components 170A of the device. The controller 130A is configured to monitor the instantaneous power consumption associated with the device 190A. It is appreciated that the monitored power consumption may be associated with the power consumption of the controller 130A, power consumption of other electrical components 170A or any combination thereof. In one instance, the power consumption may be associated with any functionality and circuitry of the device 190A other than the rechargeable battery 150A.
According to one embodiment, in response to monitoring the power consumption of the device, the controller 130A adjusts the amount of power provided to the rechargeable battery 150A. For example, the controller 130A may cause the amount of current provided from the circuitry 140A to the rechargeable battery 150A to increase in response to a decrease in the amount of power consumption of the device. In contrast, the controller 130A may cause the amount of current provided from the circuitry 140A to the rechargeable battery 150A to decrease in response to an increase in the amount of power consumption of the device.
Referring now to
Device 190 includes a system power detection unit 120, a controller 130, power management unit 140, a battery 150, a battery power detection unit 160, and functional circuitries 170. The system power detection unit 120 is configured to monitor the instantaneous power consumption associated with the device 190. In one embodiment, the battery 150 may be a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery. In another embodiment, the battery 150 may be a rechargeable Nickel Cadmium battery or any other type of rechargeable battery.
It is appreciated that the monitored power consumption may be associated with the power consumption of the controller 130 and the functional circuitries 170, in one embodiment. It is appreciated that, in one instance, the power consumption may be associated with any functionality and circuitry of the device 190 other than the battery 150. In one exemplary embodiment, the power consumption may be associated with the amount of power consumption of the functional circuitries 170. It is appreciated that the functional circuitries 170 refer to circuitries of the device other than the circuitries associated with the battery functionality. For example, the functional circuitries 170 may include a storage functionality, data transmission functionality, Wi-Fi functionality, processing functionality, controller functionality, media playing or streaming, etc.
According to one embodiment, the system power detection unit 120 may monitor and detect the amount of current drawn in order to determine the amount of power consumption. For example, the system power detection unit 120 may monitor and detect the amount of current drawn by the functional circuitries 170.
The system power detection unit 120 may be coupled to the controller 130 and the power management unit 140. The controller 130 may control the operation of the power management unit as well as controlling other operations of the electronic device 190 (not shown). It is appreciated that the power management unit 140 may include a charge circuitry for supplying power to the battery 150 and to the functional circuitries 170. It is further appreciated that the power management unit 140 may also include a power path manager for supplying an appropriate amount of power to each of the battery 150 and the functional circuitries 170. It is noted that references to a power management unit throughout this disclosure may refer to the charge circuitry, a power path management unit, or any combination thereof.
The system power detection unit 120 may provide the electrical power received from the power source 110 to the power management unit 140. The system power detection unit 120 may also provide the detected power consumption to the controller 130.
The controller 130 may also receive the maximum current output limit associated with the power source 110. It is appreciated that the power source 110 manufacturer may specify the maximum current output limit. The maximum current output limit is the amount of current that can be safely drawn from the power source 110.
It is appreciated that in some embodiments the maximum current output limit may be determined by another component (not shown) and communicated to the controller 130. Alternatively, for example, the maximum current output limit may be communicated via the power source 110 to the controller 130. In various embodiments, a number of maximum current output limits associated with various interconnection interfaces may be stored in a memory component (not shown) accessible by the controller 130. As such, after detecting the type of interconnection interface, e.g., USB 2.0, USB 3.0, SATA, Thunderbolt, Firewire, etc., the controller 130 may fetch the appropriate maximum current output limit stored in a memory component.
The controller 130 may use the maximum current output limit, associated with a particular interconnection interface used to couple the device 190 to the power source 110, and the current associated with the power consumption of the device 190 to determine the amount of current that can be diverted and used to charge the battery 150 while preventing the power source 110 from being damaged or preventing the power source 110 from interrupting the supply of power to the electronic device, e.g., by blowing its fuse. According to one embodiment, the amount of current used to charge the battery 150 may be set to the difference between the maximum current output limit associated with a particular interconnection interface and the current associated with the power consumption of the device 190.
The controller 130 may communicate the amount of current to be used to charge the battery 150 to the power management unit 140. The power management unit 140 provides enough power, hence current, to the functional circuitries 170 based on its instantaneous power consumption. The power management unit 140 also provides the determined amount of current to charge the battery 150, as determined by the controller 130, via the battery power detection unit 160. The power management unit 140 may be a combination of field effect transistors (FET), capacitors, inductors, and/or resistors in accordance with various embodiments.
In one embodiment, the battery power detection unit 160 monitors the amount of current and/or voltage of the battery. The battery power detection unit 160 may also monitor and determine the direction of current flow into/from the battery 150. In other words, the battery power detection unit 160 may determine whether the battery is being charged or discharged. The amount of current or voltage and whether the battery 150 is being charged or discharged may be communicated from the battery power detection unit 160 to the controller 130.
In one embodiment, in response to receiving information from the battery power detection unit 160, the controller 130 may control the power management unit 140 to, for example, provide a constant current to the battery 150 if the battery charge is below a certain threshold, e.g., below 90%, 80%, 75%, 50% charge. It is appreciated that in another instance, in response to receiving information regarding the amount of current or voltage and whether the battery 150 is being charged or discharged, the controller 130 may control the power management unit 140 to provide a constant voltage to the battery 150 if the battery charge is above a certain threshold, e.g., above 90%, 80%, 75%, 50% charge.
Referring now to
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At step 420, a first power level is provided to the rechargeable battery of the device during a first operational mode, e.g., processing data, sleep mode, running an application, storing data, fetching data, etc. A certain amount of electrical power is needed by the electronic device in order to function and remain in its first operational mode. As a result, the amount of electrical power remaining, hence the difference between the maximum current output limit and the current used to power the first operational mode, may be used to charge the rechargeable battery. Accordingly, the battery is being charged at maximum speed while preventing the power source from being damaged or preventing the power source from interrupting the supply of power to the electronic device, e.g., by blowing a fuse.
At step 430, a second power level is provided to the rechargeable battery of the device during a second operational mode, e.g., data transmission, Wi-Fi mode, etc. A certain amount of electrical power is needed by the electronic device in order to function and remain in its second operational mode. As a result, the amount of electrical power remaining, hence the difference between the maximum current output limit and the current used to power the second operational mode, may be used to charge the rechargeable battery. In one embodiment, if the second operational mode utilizes more power in comparison to the first operational mode, a smaller amount of current is being used to charge the battery. In contrast, if the second operational mode utilizes less power in comparison to the first operational mode, a larger amount of current is used to charge the battery. Accordingly, the battery is charged at maximum allowed speed without damaging the power source or without causing the power supply to interrupt the supply of power to the electronic device, e.g., by blowing its fuse. In one exemplary embodiment, the second power level is greater than the first power level and in some embodiments it can be at least 1.1, 1.2, 1.5, 2 or 3 times the first power level.
Referring now to
At step 520, the power level to charge the rechargeable battery may be adjusted based on the power consumption of the device. For example, if the power consumption of the device is decreased the power level for charging the battery may be increased by the same amount. In contrast, if the power consumption of the device is increased, the power level for charging the battery may be decreased by the same amount. According to one embodiment, the power level is adjusted by adjusting the amount of current supplied to the battery. It is appreciated that the amount of power supplied to the electronic device may be selected based on the maximum current output limit, as described above.
At step 530, functional circuitries of the device other than the rechargeable battery may be powered in order to keep them operational. For example, as much power as needed may be supplied to the functional circuitries in order to enable the device to complete its task other than charging the battery.
Referring now to
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At step 720, the power level for charging the battery may be dynamically selected. It is appreciated that the power level for charging the battery may be selected based on the power consumption of the device except for charging the battery and further based on the maximum current output limit as specified by the power source. For example, the power level for charging the battery may be the difference between the current associated with the power consumption of the device and the maximum current output limit. As such, the battery is charged at maximum allowed speed without damaging the power source or without causing the power supply to interrupt the supply of power to the electronic device, e.g., by blowing its fuse.
An exemplary computer system for charging a battery in accordance with some embodiments includes a bus or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a processor coupled with bus for processing information. A computer system may implement the method for charging a battery as shown in
The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical or magnetic disks. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Transmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics. Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio wave and infrared data communications.
Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a flexible disk, hard disk, hard drive, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer can read.
In some embodiments, the present invention is used with a portable hard drive capable of fast charging a battery when resources are not needed to accomplish a data transfer. A disk drive may be included as part of the functional circuitries described above. The functional circuitries may also include a wireless circuitry.
An interface or drive connector along an exterior of the disk drive may be used to provide connectivity between circuitry of the disk drive and a next level of integration such as an interposer, a circuit board, a cable connector, a host, or an electronic assembly.
References were made in detail to embodiments, examples of which were illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the embodiments were described in conjunction with the drawings, it is understood that they were not intended to limit the embodiments. On the contrary, the embodiments are intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents. Furthermore, in the detailed description, numerous specific details were set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding. However, it is recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments.
The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The implementations described above and other implementations are within the scope of the following claims.
