Patent Application
20120019392
The present invention relates generally to electrical chargers for electronic devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to electrical chargers with microprocessor for electronic devices with universal serial buses.
Most modern electronic devices use one or more internal batteries to provide the necessary power to operate the electronic devices. The batteries provide direct current to the electronic device. The internal battery may be either disposable or rechargeable. Disposable batteries require periodic replacement. Rechargeable batteries require periodic recharging from an external power source such as another battery, alternating current source, etc.
Most of the electronic devices recharge its internal rechargeable batteries through its universal serial bus (USB) port. USB ports are based on an industry wide standard and are commonly available. It is found virtually in all modern computers and electronic devices. The USB ports may be used to transfer data as well as to recharge the internal rechargeable batteries.
Electronic devices such as the iPad, iPhone, and iPod lines of products from Apple Inc. located in Cupertino, Calif., require specific power output from the power source to recharge their internal batteries through their USB ports. Many other electronic devices such as the BlackBerry 9700 also require similar but different specific power output from the power source to recharge their internal batteries.
Existing and prior chargers that charge through the USB ports of the electronic devices output a specific power through their USB ports that is specific to a particular electronic device. The charger cannot detect the recharging requirement of the electronic device, and therefore, cannot be used for another electronic device with different recharging requirements. A separate charger that is specific to the electronic device is required for each electronic devices that has a different recharging requirements, even though they all use the same USB port for recharging. Therefore, there exists a need for a single charger that can recharge various electronic devices through their USB ports with varying recharging requirements.
The USB charger of the present invention is an electrical charger with microprocessor for electronic devices with universal serial buses. The USB charger comprises an alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power input, a microprocessor, a resistor network, and a USB port for charging electronic devices through the USB port.
An object of the USB charger is to provide a charger capable of charging various electronic devices through their USB ports. A further object of the USB charger is to provide a charger capable of detecting the required charging current and provide the appropriate charging current. Another object of the USB charger is to provide a charger with light emitting diode indicators to show the different charging modes. Yet another object of the USB charger is to provide a charger that is capable of manual as well as automatic selection of the charging current.
The USB charger defaults to provide 2000 mA when power is applied through the power input. The USB port is monitored to detect when device is connected to it. When a device is detected, it measures device current drain to see if it is charging. If the device is charging, then it remains in the 2000 mA charging mode. If no current drain is detected, the power supply switches to 1000 mA. The microprocessor will turn off power output and then turns it back on. If the electronic device recognizes the proper charging network it will begin charging. When the microprocessor detects current drain, it leaves the charging network as is. If still no current drain is detected, the USB microprocessor will attempt the 500 mA charging current. If there is a current drain, it will leave the charging network as is. If no current drain is detected, then it indicates a fault and a LED flashes to indicate the fault. LED indicators will show the charging mode (i.e., 500, 1000, or 2000 mA) and the fault status. Optionally, a switch will allow the user to bypass auto mode and manually select the proper mode.
The following description and figures are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting. Other embodiments of this invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of this description.
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In the preferred embodiment, as shown in
If no current drain is detected (e.g. a BlackBerry 9700 was connected to the USB port) the microprocessor switches to the 1000 mA network. The microprocessor then turns off the power output and then turns it back on. If the electronic device (e.g. the BlackBerry 9700) recognizes proper resistor network and begins charging, the microprocessor will detect charge current and leaves the network as is. An LED is turned on to indicate the 1000 mA charging mode. The resistor network charging mode is stored in memory.
If still no current drain is detected, the microprocessor will switch to the 500 mA resistor network setting. The microprocessor then turns off the power output and then turns it back on. The microprocessor will then check current drain. If it detects current drain, it will leave the resistor network setting as is and turn an LED on to indicate the 500 mA charging mode. The resistor network charging mode is stored in memory.
If still no current drain is detected then the microprocessor indicates a fault and a red LED flashes on the USB charger. The fault may be caused by the use of an improper mini USB cable, for example, that does not contain the normal 200 kΩ resistor at the mini USB plug itself (e.g. the user connected a data sync cable and not a charging cable). Since what may be plugged into the USB port of the USB charger cannot be limited, the USB charger can only indicate fault.
In the preferred embodiment, LED indicators are used to show the charging modes (500, 1000, or 2000 mA). One LED indicator with on/off/flashing may be used to indicate the charging mode. Alternatively, two LED indicators may be used to show charging mode (e.g. one LED indicator for each of the 2000 mA and 1000 mA charging mode and either both on or both off for the 500 mA charging mode.) A fault may be indicated when both LED indicators are flashing. Preferably three LED indicators are used to indicate each of the three charging mode. A fault may be indicated when all three LED indicators are flashing.
In the preferred embodiment, a switch, such as a push button switch, is provided to enable the user to bypass the auto mode and manually select the proper mode. Alternatively, the switch may be a sliding switch or any other suitable switches.
Although the invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments and applications, one of ordinary skill in the art, in light of this teaching, can generate additional embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of or exceeding the scope of the claimed invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the drawings and descriptions herein are proffered by way of example to facilitate comprehension of the invention and should not be construed to limit the scope thereof.
