JP6679768B2 - Method, electronic device, and charger device for rapid USB charging - Google Patents

Description

  The present disclosure relates to USB charging circuitry and apparatus for interfacing electronic devices with charging equipment using a USB cable.

  Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports are commonly found in a variety of portable devices, such as laptop computers, tablets, cell phones, MP3 players, etc., and also to provide interconnections for serial communication between devices. It is also provided for desktop computers, automobile dashboard consoles, etc. The USB standard also defines a charging capability that allows a mobile phone or other portable device to operate with the power provided to the device via a USB cable. This power feature of the USB system also advantageously allows a battery-powered device to be charged using the power provided by the connected USB compatible device. Even if serial communication is not required between the charging device and the device, it is possible to utilize, for example, a dedicated charging device with multiple USB ports for charging various portable devices. The original USB implementation specified charging at 5V with charging current limited to 1A, and subsequent revisions to the standard (eg, USB3.0, 3.1, etc.) would charge, for example, 5V, 12V, 20V. The unit voltage and charge current levels of 1A, 3A, and 5A are used to define fast charging at higher levels, thus supporting up to 100W charging. However, a mismatch between the USB charging source and the device being charged can result in product damage and / or inability to minimize charging time. Therefore, there is a need for improved USB charger devices and electronic devices in which charging power levels can be maximized without damage to the charger or the electronic device being charged.

  Embodiments disclosed herein automatically establish a bidirectional communication connection or link along a USB data line of a USB cable between a USB charger and an electronic device to be charged, thereby automatically charging the USB charger. And an apparatus and technique directed to a better match between the capabilities of the electronic device to be charged and via which the electronic device to be charged is detected by detecting the capabilities of the USB charger. Finding the best match with the capabilities of the electronic device to be charged, the electronic device to be charged sends programming or configuration information to the charger via this communication connection. This technique allows the device to configure or program the charger within the operating limits of both devices and also preferentially select the highest workable charge level for rapid charging. Also, in various embodiments, the charger may report status indications such as overvoltage, overcurrent and / or overtemperature conditions of its power supply, and the device may accordingly reconfigure the charger to a lower charge level. You can As such, the present disclosure provides significant advantages with respect to reducing charge time while reducing charge / power level mismatch and product damage without requiring user action.

  According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, the electronic device coupled to a USB connector, a load, and a conductive structure associated with first and second data signal conductors of a USB cable. The controller is operative to establish a two-way digital communication connection with a connected charger. The device may also use the communication connection to obtain charger capability information from the connected charger and, at least in part, according to such charger capability information, the connected charger via the communication connection. And a processor programmed to selectively configure or reconfigure.

  In some embodiments, the device processor is configured to determine one or more matches between the charger capability information and the device charging capability information that represents a charging power level suitable for charging the electronic device. Programmed, the processor uses the communication connection to selectively configure or reconfigure the connected charger in accordance at least in part with the identified match.

  Also, in some embodiments, the electronic device receives charger status information from the connected charger via a communication connection, and the device processor includes at least a portion of the charger status information via the communication connection. Selectively reconfigure the connected charger according to the target. In some disclosed embodiments, the processor is programmed to preferentially configure the charger according to the fastest charging match between the charger capability information and the device charging capability information. Also, the processor in some embodiments is programmed to selectively reconfigure the connected charger using a communication connection to a slower charging match according to any received charger status information. . In this way, for example, overvoltage, overvoltage, to reduce the charge level in order to mitigate or avoid charger failure or damage while maintaining the possibility of the fastest possible charging considering the charger situation. The charging status of the charger, such as current and / or over temperature status, may be used by the device processor for intelligent reconfiguration.

  In some embodiments, the electronic device includes a switching control signal having a first state indicating a detected connection of the charger and a second state indicating that the charger is not connected to the electronic device. Includes a charger detection circuit provided. The device in these embodiments further includes selectively coupling the USB cable data line with the controller when the switching control signal is in the first state, and when the switching control signal is in the second state. Switching circuitry is included to decouple the USB data lines from the controller.

The device controller in some embodiments implements an I ² C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) bus via a USB data line, and the device controller uses the first data line as a serial data line (SDA), and The second data line is used as a serial clock line (SCL) and operates as a master controller. Further embodiments are feasible, in which the controller and attached charger communicate using any suitable communication protocol, for example, I ² C, Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (UART), Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), etc. Is.

  According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a method for powering or charging an electronic device from a USB cable is provided. The method uses a processor to establish a two-way digital communication connection along first and second data signal conductors of a USB cable for exchanging data between a device and a connected charger. And using the digital communication connection to obtain charger capability information from the connected charger. The method further comprises determining at least one match between charger capability information and device charging capability information representative of at least one charging power level suitable for charging the device, and charger capability information. And selectively configuring the connected charger using the communication connection in accordance with at least in part the fastest charging match between the device charging capability information and the device charging capability information.

  Some embodiments of the method use a processor to receive charger status information from a connected charger and connect to a slower charging match according to the charger status information using a communication connection. Selectively reconfiguring the installed charger.

  A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a USB charger device for electrical connection of a USB cable to first and second data signal conductors and to first and second power conductors. And a power supply operative to power the connected electronic device at one of a plurality of output power levels. The charger device also includes a controller that provides the connected electronic device with charger capability information representative of multiple output power levels using a bidirectional digital communication connection along the USB cable data signal conductor. The charger controller further uses the communication connection to select the power supply to one of the plurality of output power levels to receive configuration information from the connected electronic device, and in accordance at least in part with such configuration information. Act to set or adjust manually.

  In some embodiments, the charger controller uses a communication connection to provide status information representative of at least one condition of the power supply to a connected electronic device, the status information in some implementations being power. Represents supply overvoltage and overcurrent conditions and / or overtemperature conditions.

The controller in some embodiments acts as a slave controller and the communication connection is an I ² C bus connection that uses USB cable data line conductors as the serial data line and serial clock line.

  In some embodiments, the USB charger controller acts to control the power supply to provide a default power output level to power or charge the connected electronic device, and the controller is connected. The output level of the power supply is selectively adjusted according to the configuration information received from the electronic device.

  The following description and drawings detail some example implementations of the disclosure that illustrate some ways in which various principles of the disclosure may be practiced. However, the illustrated example does not cover many possible embodiments of the present disclosure. Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present disclosure are set forth in the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic system diagram illustrating a USB charger and electronic device connected by a USB cable to power or charge the device, according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the charger and device are: Implement bi-directional communication connection for intelligent charger power level configuration.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electronic device embodiment implementing an I ² C master controller and a connected charger embodiment implementing an I ² C slave controller for the configuration of the charger using two-way digital communication. is there.

Further details of an electronic device including an I ² C master controller with transceivers and pull-up resistors for the serial data line SDA and the serial clock line SCL to implement a bidirectional digital communication connection with a connected charger. It is the schematic which illustrates.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a charger detection circuit in the electronic device of FIGS. 1-3.

3 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a device operating method for powering or charging a device from a USB cable.

6 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a charger device operating method for supplying or charging a connected device using a USB cable.

  One or more embodiments or implementations are described below in conjunction with the drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout, and various features are not necessarily drawn to scale.

  FIG. 1 illustrates a USB charger device 110 and an electronic device connected via a USB cable 130 to power or charge the device 120 using the power carried from the USB charger device 110 via the USB cable 130. 1 illustrates a charging system 100 including 120. The device 120 can be any electronic device including, but not limited to, laptop computers, tablet computers, mobile phones, etc., having a load 122 that can receive power from the charger 110 via the USB cable 130. The charger device 110 also includes a power supply 112 and a USB connector 111 that act to provide power to the connected device 120 via a USB cable 130, a dedicated charging device, desktop computer, or any It may be another device.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the charger 110 includes a USB connector 111, the USB connector 111 adapted to receive a plug or receptacle 132 of the USB cable 130, and electrical connections to various conductors of the USB cable 130. Conductive structures 151-154 are provided. In particular, the first conductive structure 151 provides an electrical connection to the first data signal conductor of the USB cable 130, which in this case is the positive data signal conductor DP or D +, and the second conductive structure 152 is negative. Of the data signal conductor DN or D− of the third and fourth conductive structures 153 and 154, respectively, of the first and second (eg, positive and negative) power conductors VBUS of the USB cable 130. And provide electrical connection to GND. The charger connector 111 may be configured to interface with a standard USB cable 130, which may be, for example, an A-type or B-type USB cable plug or receptacle with any suitable number of connections according to the relevant USB standard. Any embodiment of connector 111 may accommodate more than four connections and is adapted to receive or interface with a male connector 132 (plug) or female connector (receptacle). Can be done.

  The charger device 110 is also coupled via the third and fourth conductive structures 153 and 154 to a power supply coupled to power the connected electronic device 120 at one of a plurality of output power levels. Including 112. In one non-limiting example, power supply 112 can be programmable to provide output power at 5V, 12V, or 20V, and can provide output current at 1A, 3A, or 5A. In other embodiments, the power supply 112 may implement other charge levels for voltage and current output, more or less combinations to provide two or more programmable output power levels. Can be implemented.

The charger device 110 further includes a controller 114 and a memory or data store 116 that stores charger capability information 117 and status information 118. Controller 114 may be any suitable processor, control circuit, programmable logic, logic circuit, etc., and may include interface circuitry for transmitting and receiving digital data signals. Controller 114 is coupled with conductive structures 151 and 152 and, in some embodiments, using a bidirectional digital communication connection established via conductive structures 151 and 152 along the DP and DN conductors of USB cable 130. , Operates as a slave controller to provide the connected electronic device 120 with charger capability information 117 representative of two or more output power levels. In one possible implementation, for example, the slave controller 114 may be an electronic processor mounted on a printed circuit board and the conductive structures 151 and 152 are electrically connected between the slave controller 114 and the connector 111. Is implemented as a conductive circuit board trace. One or more intervening components, such as filter circuit components, may be connected between the slave controller 114 and the connector 111. Also, in some implementations, the bi-directional digital communication connection uses I ² C using the first conductive structure 151 as a serial data line (SDA) and the second conductive structure 152 as a serial clock line (SCL). A bus connection, the controller 114 acts as a slave controller to exchange data with the master controller 124 of the device 120. In another possible embodiment, the charger controller 114 may operate as a master, such as in a multi-master system.

  In operation, the charger controller 114 receives and also receives configuration information from the connected electronic device 120 using a two-way digital communication connection via the USB cable 130, as described further below. At least in part in accordance with the information, selectively setting or adjusting power supply 112 to one of a plurality of output power levels. Also, the illustrated charger device 110 may also use one or more power supplies, such as for indicating a power supply overvoltage condition, an overcurrent condition, and / or an overtemperature condition, using a two-way digital communication connection. It serves to provide status information 117 representative of the situation to the connected electronic device 120. In this regard, the charger 110 may include appropriate diagnostic circuitry, and the controller 114 may be implemented as a programmed processor operative to evaluate diagnostic information regarding the status or operational status of the power supply 112. The status information 118 to be stored may be stored in the electronic memory 116.

  This provided charger status information is intelligent for selectively selecting different desired power output levels and for transmitting information via the communication connection to reconfigure charger 110 accordingly. Can be used by various electronic devices 120. In one possible embodiment, the controller 114 controls the power supply 112 to provide a default power output level, such as 5V and 1A, to power or charge the device 120 and communicate from the connected electronic device 120. The output level of the power supply 112 is selectively adjusted according to the configuration information received via the connection. Further, the charger 110 in some embodiments may be operable to modify or update the charger capability information 117 based on the status information 118, or other input, such as power. If the diagnostic information indicates that the supply 112 can no longer provide a constant voltage and / or current level, then the constant information may be deleted from the capability information 117.

  The electronic device 120 includes a processor 126 with a load 122, a controller 124, and associated electronic memory 128, along with a USB connector 121, and also charger detection, as further described below in connection with FIG. Additional circuit elements such as circuit 129 and switching circuits may be included. As seen in FIG. 1, the connector 121 is adapted to receive a connector 134 (eg, a plug or a receptacle) of the USB cable 130 and includes conductive structures 141-144 for electrical connection, respectively, on the DP of the cable 130. , DN, VBUS, and GND conductors. Device 120 also includes a load 122 connected to conductive structures 143 and 144, which operates various circuit elements of device 120, a rechargeable battery system, or other electrical load in various embodiments. It may be a power supply for

  The device controller 124 is coupled with the conductive structures 141 and 142 to communicate with the connected charger 110 and along the DP and DN conductors of the USB cable 130 to exchange data with the connected charger 110. Act selectively to establish a two-way digital communication connection. The device controller 124 may be any suitable analog and / or digital circuit element and may be programmable, including processor components, programmable logic, etc., in various embodiments. The processor 126 is operably coupled to the controller 124 and is programmed to use the controller 124 to establish a two-way digital communication connection or link with the connected charger 110. In some implementations, the processor 126 may initiate communication connections with the controller 124, or the connected charger 110 may initiate such communication connections. Any suitable process may be implemented between the controller 110, 124 of the charger 110 and device 120 to establish a bidirectional communication link along the DP and DN lines.

Once the communication link is established, the processor 126 of the device 120 obtains charger capability information 117 from the connected charger 110 via the two-way digital communication connection established by the controller 124 and the processor DP And a bidirectional digital communication connection along the DN conductor is used to selectively configure or reconfigure the connected charger 110. In one possible embodiment, the electronic device 120 sends a message requesting charger capability information 117 to the charger 110 via a communication link and the charger controller 114 (acting as a slave) is requested. Responding with a message including the capability information 117. In other possible embodiments, the charger 110 provides the charging capability information 117 without being prompted by the device 120. Appropriate message frames and communication protocols may be used by which the charger 110 provides the capability information 117 in a format recognizable by the device 120. To configure the charger 110 in one embodiment, the processor 126 of the device 120 indicates a selected charge level recognizable by the charger 110 to configure or program the power supply 112 accordingly. Constructs one or more messages and sends those messages to charger 110 via the communication link along the DP and DN lines. Many are possible different embodiments, in such embodiments, the controller 124 and connected charger ^{110, I} 2 C, universal asynchronous transceiver (UART), etc., including, any serial peripheral interface (SPI) It communicates using an appropriate communication protocol, but is not limited to these.

  The configuration or reconfiguration is implemented by the processor 126 in accordance at least in part with the charger capability information 117 received from the charger 110. The memory 128 in this embodiment stores device charging capability information 127 that represents one or more appropriate charging power levels at which power may be safely provided to the load 122. In operation according to one embodiment, the device processor 126 may include one or more matches between the charger capability information 117 received from the charger 110 and the device charging capability information 127 stored in the memory 128. , And selectively configure or reconfigure the charger 110 using the two-way digital communication connection, at least in part, according to the identified match. In some embodiments, processor 126 may also consider other factors in determining what configuration information to send to charger 110, such as, for example, charger status information received from charger 110. Good. The processor 126 uses a bidirectional digital communication connection to receive charger status information from the connected charger 110, and a bidirectional digital communication connection at least partially in accordance with the charger status information. It is programmed to selectively reconfigure (220) the connected charger 110. Also, in some implementations, the device processor 126 preferentially configures the charger 110 via the communication connection according to the fastest charging match between the charger capability information 117 and the device charging capability information 127. For example, the charger 110 may report to the device 120 that it may initiate a charging operation at 5V and provide more rapid charging at 12V or 20V by default. If device 120 may charge at one or both of these higher voltages, device processor 126 may send a configuration message to charger 110 to configure charger power supply 112 to operate at 20V. .

  The device processor 126 in this embodiment also follows a slower charging match between the charger capability information 117 and the device charging capability information 127 based at least in part on any received charger status information 118. , The connected charger 110 may be selectively reconfigured. For example, if the slave controller 114 reports an over temperature condition on the power supply 112, the device processor 126 may reconfigure the charger 110 by sending a reconfiguration message indicating a desired charging voltage level of 12V. In this example, the charger controller 114 may then report the removal of the previously reported overtemperature condition, after which the device processor 126 may operate at the higher power output level (eg, 20V in this example). The charger 110 may be reconfigured again to resume

  As such, electronic device 120 may intelligently facilitate safe operation of charger 110, while preferentially selecting the highest power output level within the capabilities of both charger 110 and device 120. The charging may be accelerated and the power output level may be selectively reduced as needed according to the reported power supply status information 118 from the charger 110 (eg, this slows the charging process). Also, this advantageous operation is not feasible with charging and device equipment that cannot communicate with each other and with simple one-way communication. Also, the use of USB data lines DP and DN to advantageously implement a two-way digital communication connection avoids or reduces the need for undue circuit modifications, and in such circuit modifications the charger and device may be Other approaches using a power supply connection (eg, VBUS) for communication between require AC-coupled circuitry to interface the transmitter and receiver at either end of USB cable 130. On the other hand, the concepts of the present disclosure utilize data signal conductors DP and DN to implement bi-directional communication, which facilitates intelligent rapid charging operations.

FIG. 2 illustrates further details of an embodiment of the charger 110 and device 120 in which an I ² C or Inter-Integrated Circuit bus communication link has been established and the charger controller 114 has an I ² C. Implemented in a microcontroller unit (MCU) as a slave controller for communication, the device controller 124 is operating as an I ² C master controller. Other bidirectional digital communication links may be implemented using, but not limited to, SPI, UART, etc. DP and DN lines. As seen in FIG. 2, the charger 110 in the I ² C embodiment includes a low dropout (LDO) supply 113 that provides power to a slave controller 114, which supplies an adjustable set point. The charger power supply 112 is configured via the register array 119 for provision to 112. The charger 110 also includes a variable resistor R connected between the data lines 151 and 152, and the controller 114 is configured to selectively modify the resistance value of the resistor R. Any suitable variable resistance circuit element, such as a switching circuit for interconnecting various individual resistors in series, parallel, and / or a combination of series / parallel configurations between the data lines 151 and 152, may be a variable resistor. It can be used to implement R. The resistance value may be used, in some embodiments, to facilitate connection detection by device 120, as described further below. Also, the controller 114 is operably coupled to the memory 116, which may store the charger capability information 117 again and may also store the charger status information 118 as described above. In another possible embodiment, any general purpose I / O provides the connected device 120 with charger capability information 117 representing two or more output power levels that may be implemented by the power supply 112. , May be operably coupled to the device controller 114.

  As further shown in FIG. 2, the device in this case includes a charger detection circuit 129 coupled with the data lines 141 and 142, the first detection circuit 129 indicating that the charger 110 connection has been detected. And a second state indicating that there is no charger 110 connected to the device 120 via the USB connector 121, the switching control signal 166 is provided. Any suitable detection circuitry 129 may be used in various embodiments, a non-limiting example of which is further illustrated and described below in connection with FIG. The device 120 in the embodiment of FIG. 2 also includes a switching circuit comprising switches S1 and S2 that are coupled to receive the switching control signal 166 from the detection circuit 129. In this case, the switching circuit selects the first and second conductive structures 141 and 142 with the communication controller 124 when the switching control signal 166 is in the first state (ie, when the charger 110 is connected). The first and second conductive structures 141 and 142 from the controller 124 when the switching control signal 166 is in the second state (eg, when the charger is not connected). Acts to release the bond.

Referring also to FIG. 3, a non-limiting example of an I ² C master controller 124 is illustrated, including a transceiver 146 with an enable input that receives a control signal 162 from a charger detection circuit 129, with a connected charger 110. The control signal 162 enables the transceiver 146 when detected by the detection circuitry 129, and otherwise disables it. The charger detection circuit 129 in this example also provides a control signal 164 to the device processor 126, thereby informing the processor 126 that the connected charger 110 has been detected. In this embodiment, the master controller 124 also includes pull-up resistors R1 and R2, R1 is connected between the data line (SDA) and the positive supply voltage VCC, and R2 is an open drain I ² C bus. Is connected between the serial clock lines SCL and VCC to accommodate the interconnection of the transceivers 146 of. The first switch S1 connects the first conductive structure 141 (USB DP line) to the first data connection 141a to the processor 126 when the charger 110 is not connected (eg, for normal USB communication). Alternatively, it acts in accordance with control signal 166 to connect to I ² C bus SDA connection 141b, which is coupled to controller transceiver 146 as shown (when charger 110 is connected to device 120). Also, S2 similarly connects the second conductive structure 142 (USB DN line) to the second data connection 142a to the processor 126 (when the charger 110 is not connected), or to the connected charger. When 110 is detected by the detection circuitry 129, it connects to the I ² C bus serial clock (SCL) connection.

Master controller 124 further provides a data transmission control transistor Ql operated by transceiver 146 to generate output data bits on SDA line 141b according to transmission control line 147 (TX), and a serial clock signal on SCL line 142b. Therefore, a clock control transistor Q2 operated by a control line 148 from the transceiver 146 is included. In operation of the illustrated embodiment, the device controller 124 acts as a master controller to establish the bidirectional digital communication connection or link as an I ² C bus, and as shown, the bidirectional digital communication connection is The first conductive structure 141 is used as the serial data line SDA, and the second conductive structure 142 is used as the serial clock line SCL. Also, as mentioned above, the charger controller 114 may be configured as a slave controller or as a master controller and is suitable for transmitting and receiving data via the USB cable 130 according to any suitable communication protocol. Transceiver circuitry.

One possible charger detection circuit embodiment 129, as illustrated in FIG. 4, provides charger detection control signals 162, 164, and 166 as described above based on the detection of the connected USB charger 110. It includes a logic circuit 170 for providing. In this embodiment, the charger detection circuit 129 is connected to the conductive structures _141-144, and the VBUS line of the connected USB cable 130 exceeds the reference based on the comparison of the voltage of the connection 143 and the reference voltage _{VOTG_SESS_VLD.} It includes a comparator 172 that provides a signal to the logic circuit 170 that indicates whether it has a positive voltage. The first conductive structure 141 (DP line) is connected to the switches S3 to S5 controlled by the logic circuit 170. The switch S3 selectively connects the positive data source voltage reference V _{DP_SRC} to the DP line 141, and the switch S4 selectively connects the current source 174 to provide the current I _{DP_SRC} to the DP line. It operates according to circuit 170. Switch S5 also selectively connects line 141 to current source 176IDP_SINK to conduct current from line 141 to circuit ground (conductive structure 144), and S5 also connects line 141 to the voltage on line 141 for data. It is connected to a comparator 178 which compares the reference voltage V _{DAT_REF} . When switch S5 is closed, line 141 is also provided as an input to inverter 180, the output of inverter 180 providing AND gate 182 which provides a dedicated charge port detect signal (DCP_DET) to logic circuit element 170 as shown. It is provided as an input to, along with the output of comparator 178.

The second conductive structure 142 is connected to the switches S6 to S8 of the charger detection circuit 129, as shown in FIG. 4, which switch S6 is a logic for selectively connecting the line 142 to the data source voltage reference V _{DM — SRC. Acting} on the signal from the circuit 170, the switch S8 is selectively closed by the logic circuit 170 to connect the second data line (DN) to the ground line 144 via the pull-down register R _{DM — DWN} . Logic circuit 170 also selects line 142 with current source 184 to conduct sink current I _{DM — SINK} to ground and to a comparator circuit including comparator 186, which compares the voltage to data reference voltage V _{DAT — REF.} Control the switch S7 for connection, and the comparator output provides an input to the AND gate 190, along with the output of the inverter 188 to provide the charger detect signal CHG_DET to the logic 170, as shown.

In some embodiments, if there is a device that is connected to device 120 via USB cable 130, charger detection circuit 129 and master controller 124 may follow conventional USB detection procedures to ascertain the type of device. It may be used by the processor 126. For example, the device 120 may distinguish between a standard downstream port (SDP), a charging downstream port (CDP), an accessory charger adapter (ACA), or a dedicated charging port (DCP) to determine the battery charging specification 1.2 primary. Detection or other suitable detection technique may be implemented. For example, a primary detection may be implemented in which the logic circuit 170 turns on the switches S3 and S7 in order to detect whether the DCP is connected, in which case the USB charging standard is such that the connected DCP is resistive (R _{DCP_DAT).} , (Not shown) through which DP and DN are shorted, and thus the charger detection circuit 129 may detect the voltage on DN (via comparator 186) close to V _{DP — SRC} . The device 120 also compares the voltage on the DN line with the data reference voltage V _{DAT_REF} with S7 closed, and if the DN line voltage exceeds this reference, the logic circuit 170 indicates that the device 120 is either DCP or CDP. It is determined that it is connected to. Also in this example, logic 170 is connected by closing switches S3 and S5, and by comparator 178 comparing the voltage on line 141 with a reference _{VDAT_REF} to selectively generate signal DCP_DET. CDP can be detected. In this regard, if the electronic device 120 detects that the dedicated charging port 110 is connected, some implementations use the DP and DN lines described above to selectively connect the bidirectional digital communication connection or link. Providing the establishment.

  Referring also to FIGS. 5 and 6, FIG. 5 illustrates a process or method 200 for powering or charging electronic device 120 from USB cable 130. Although the method 200 in FIG. 5 and the method 300 in FIG. 6 are illustrated and described in the form of a series of acts or events, various methods of the present disclosure may employ such acts, unless specifically stated otherwise herein. Alternatively, the order in which the events are exemplified is not limited. In this regard, unless otherwise specifically provided below, some acts or events may occur in a different order than illustrated and described herein and / or with other acts or events, Not all illustrated steps may be required to implement a process and method in accordance with the present disclosure. The illustrated method may be implemented in hardware as illustrated and described above, and / or software executed by a processor, processor executed to provide the adaptive intelligent charging capability described herein. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the specifically illustrated or described applications and systems, although they may be implemented using firmware, FPGAs, logic circuitry, etc., or combinations thereof.

Process 200 in FIG. 5 illustrates the operation of electronic device 120 beginning at 202, which determines or detects at 204 whether a charger (eg, a DCP charger in one embodiment) is connected. To do. For example, the charger detection circuit 129 may be used as described above with respect to FIG. 4 above to determine if the charger is connected. In the illustrated example, if SDP is connected, or if the device is not connected to USB connector 121 (NO at 204), the process continues at 204. If a DCP, CDP, or ACA is detected (YES at 204), the device 120 at 206 establishes a two-way digital communication connection with the connected charger 110 via the DP and DN lines. Try. In the above embodiment, for example, the charger detection circuit 129 operably couples the DP and DN lines with the I ² C master controller 124 via connections 141b and 142b, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. As described above, the switching control signal 166 is asserted to operate the switching circuits S1 and S2. As seen in FIG. 3, this provides pull-up resistors R1 and R2 between the DP and DN lines and VCC, respectively, thus making DP the I ² C serial data line SDA and DN serial. Used as the clock line SCL. In this example, the master controller 124 issues a START status indicating to the connected charger 110 that the address will be available. The master controller 124 then sends an ADDRESS corresponding to the predetermined address that the charger 110 will interpret as its own address, along with an indication that a Read operation is desired. In response, the connected charger (slave) controller 114 responds with an acknowledgment and subsequently transmits the data to the master controller 124, in this case the charger capability information 117 from the charger memory 116. .

  Upon receipt of the receipt confirmation, the master controller 124 of the electronic device 120 determines that a two-way communication connection has been established (YES in 208 in FIG. 5) and receives the charger capability information via the communication connection at 210. . The device processor 126 is provided with this charger capability information 117 from the controller 124, and the device processor 126 compares the charger capability information 117 with the locally stored device charge capability information 127 from the memory 128. Then, at 212, one or more matches between the charger capability information 117 and the device charging capability information 127 are determined. At 214, the device processor 126 selectively configures the connected charger 110 using a bidirectional digital communication connection by transmitting an ADDRESS with an indication of a write operation, followed by a configuration. The packet or frame indicates to the slave controller 114 the desired power supply output level selected by the connected device 120. As described above, in some embodiments, the device processor 126 preferentially selects the matching level corresponding to the fastest charging match between the charger capability information 117 and the device charging capability information 127 and selects this. , 214 is transmitted to the slave controller 114. At 216, device 120 receives charging power at the configured level and monitors the communication connection for any further information from charger 110.

  At 218, the device may, for example, in some embodiments, display some charger status information (eg, charging in FIG. 1) indicating overvoltage, overcurrent, and / or overtemperature in the charger power supply 112, or other conditions. The device status information 118) is received. If not (NO at 218 in FIG. 5), process 200 continues at 218 and device 120 receives charging power at the preconfigured output level. If the charger status information 118 is received from the charger 110 (YES at 218), the device 120 selectively reconfigures the charger 110 at 220 via the communication connection according to the received charger status, The process returns to the charging operation at 216 and the device controller 124 continues to monitor the DP and DN lines. In some implementations, as described above, for example at 218, when an overcurrent, overvoltage, and / or overtemperature condition is indicated by the charger 110, the device processor 126 slows the charging process to 220. To selectively reconfigure the charge level.

  Referring also to FIG. 6, illustrated is a process 300 for charger operation starting at 302, where the charger provides a default level of output power (eg, 5V at 1A) via VBUS and GND. Meanwhile, it monitors the DP and DN lines for communication from the connected electronic device 120. At 306, a determination is made as to whether a communication connection has been established, and if not (NO), the charger 110 continues to provide default voltage and current levels for charging the connected device 120. Once the communication connection is established (YES at 306), at 308, the charger 110 sends charger capability information 117 to the connected device 120 via the DP and DN lines and at 310, (available). Cases) charger status information 118 may optionally be sent to device 120.

  At 312, the charger 110 receives configuration information from the device 120 using the communication connection, such configuration information indicating a desired power supply output level (eg, 20V at 1A). At 314, the charger controller 114 selectively sets the output level of the power supply 112 according to the received configuration information, and then at 316, provides the output level while updating from the connected device 120. Monitor DP and DN lines again for future communication. In some embodiments, the charger 110 can also, at 318, upon detection of a predetermined condition (eg, overvoltage, overcurrent, and / or overtemperature in one embodiment) in the charger power supply 112, for example. , May send any updated status information 118 to the device 120 via the communication connection.

  At 320, the charger 110 determines if any reconfiguration information was received via the DP and DN connections, and if not (NO at 320), the process proceeds to 316 and the charger 110: While maintaining the output at the current level, the DP and DN lines are monitored for messages from the connected device 110, and at 318 any updated status information 118 is sent. If the reconfiguration information is received from device 120 (YES at 320), charger 110 selectively adjusts the output power level according to the reconfiguration information at 322 and process 300 returns to 316, described above.

  The embodiments disclosed herein advantageously reuse the DP and DN connections of the USB cable 130 to provide a bi-directional communication bus, allowing general purpose or other data storage on the connected charger 110. , Stores charger capability information 117 for transmission to a connected electronic device 120, allowing intelligent match and charge rate determination by device 120 based on actual capabilities of charger 110 and device 120 become. The disclosed technique also facilitates updating the charger output level under the control of the connected device 120 by providing power supply status information 118 from the charger 110, thereby reducing product damage. And adaptive regulation to facilitate reduced charging times. Therefore, the disclosed apparatus and techniques provide a significant advance over dedicated chargers that are subject to user mismatch, and the disclosed device 120 and charger 110 automatically reduce component damage or stress. Intelligently uses capability information supplemented by charger status information to facilitate rapid charging while also maintaining USB compatibility and standard compliance between multiple devices and chargers, while adapting communication between analog devices Does not require additional circuit elements associated with.

The above examples are merely illustrative of some possible embodiments of various aspects of the disclosure, and equivalent substitutions will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding this specification and the accompanying drawings. And / or modifications may be envisioned. Also, while certain features of the present disclosure may be disclosed with respect to only one of multiple implementations, such features may be implemented in other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. It may be combined with one or more other features of the form. In addition, the terms “including”, “includes”, “having”, “has”, “including”, or variations thereof are As used in the detailed description, and / or in the claims, such terms are intended to be as inclusive as the term “comprising”.

Claims (23)

An electronic device,
And a universal serial bus (USB) connector having a VBUS conductor and DP conductor and DN conductor and GND conductor,
A load coupled to said GND conductor and the VBUS conductor,
A charger detection circuitry having a control output coupled to the VBUS conductor, the DP conductor and the DN conductor;
A processor having a DP connection coupled to the DP conductor and a DN connection coupled to the DN conductor for USB communication, further comprising a control input coupled to the control output and a controller conductor. A processor,
And a control input coupled to the control output and the DP first connected to the DN second connection with the controller coprocessor conductors that will be coupled to Dan Tak said processor coupled to a conductor coupled to conductor and a controller, coupled to said second connection and said first connection includes a serial bidirectional digital communications circuitry for non-USB communication, and said controller,
Including electronic devices. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein
Further comprising a switching circuitry coupled to the DP and DN conductor and said first and second connections and the DP and DN connection,
To have a control input the switching circuitry is Ru is connected to the control output, the electronic device. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein
It said controller comprises I ^{2 C} digital transceiver having a second input that will be connected to the second connection between the first connected Ru first input connection, an electronic device. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein
The first connection is a serial data line, the second connection is a serial clock line ,
Wherein the controller is a positive supply voltage and a first resistor that will be coupled between said serial data line, a second resistor coupled between the positive supply voltage and said serial clock line the includes a first transistor coupled between a serial data line and the circuit ground, and a second transistor that will be coupled between the circuit ground and the serial clock line, an electronic device. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein
An electronic device , wherein the load is a power supply for operating the electronic device. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein
The load is Ru battery system der rechargeable electronic device. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein
A memory that will be coupled to the processor, stores the charging capability information further comprises the memory, the electronic device. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein
An electronic device, wherein the serial bidirectional digital communication circuitry coupled to the first connection and the second connection is for communication of charger capability information . A process for charging a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device having a connector with VBUS, DP, DN and GND conductors,
Determining that a charger is connected to the connector with a charger detection circuit in the USB device coupled to the VBUS conductor, the DP conductor, and the DN conductor;
Establishing a serial bidirectional digital communication connection other than the USB communication connection between the connected charger and the DP and DN conductor coupled to a communication controller,
And exchanging digital data between on the DP and DN conductor, and the charger and the communication controller,
And configuring the charging capability of the charger to match the charging capability of the USB device,
Receiving a charging power on the connector from the charger in the constructed charging capability,
Including the process . The process of claim 9 , wherein
And monitoring the DP and DN conductors for communicating status change information from said charger,
And reconstructing the charger according to any status change information received from the charger,
The process further comprising: The process of claim 9 , wherein
The method wherein the establishing comprises: establishing an I ² C two-way digital communication connection. The process of claim 9, wherein
A process of exchanging the digital data comprises receiving charger capability information from the charger, reading charge capability information from a memory, and sending configuration information to the charger. The process of claim 9, wherein
Exchanging the digital data includes receiving a message at the processor through the serial bidirectional digital communication connection through the communication controller, and receiving a message from the processor through the serial bidirectional digital communication connection through the communication controller. And the process of sending. A Universal Serial Bus (USB) charger device,
And a USB connector including a VBUS conductor and DP conductor and DN conductor and GND conductor,
Coupled to said VBUS conductor and the GND Kodantaku, and power that have a resistor array input,
Wherein a controller that having a second conductor coupled to the first conductor and the DN conductor coupled to the DP conductor and resistor array control output, communicates through the DP and DN conductor, USB includes a serial bidirectional digital communications circuitry for non-communication, and the controller,
A resistor array having a resistor array control input coupled to the resistor array control output and a resistor array output coupled to the resistor array input of the power supply;
Universal Serial Bus (USB) charger device, including. The USB charger device according to claim 14 , wherein
Said first conductor is a serial data line, said a second conductor serial clock game, said controller Ru Ah with I 2 ^C slave controller, USB charger device. The USB charger device according to claim 15 , wherein
A variable resistor having a control input and coupled between the DP conductor and the DN conductor ,
The USB charger device, wherein the controller further comprises a variable resistor control output connected to the control input . The USB charger device according to claim 15 , wherein
It has a supply lead that will be connected to the controller, further comprising a low dropout supply connected to the VBUS conductor, USB charger device. The USB charger device according to claim 15, wherein
A USB charger device further comprising a memory for storing charger capability information and coupled to the controller. A process for charging a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device having a connector comprising a VBUS conductor, a DP conductor, a DN conductor and a GND conductor,
Connecting the USB device to a charger via the connector;
Providing a preset level of output power from the charger power supply to the USB device via the VBUS conductor and the GND conductor;
Establishing a serial bidirectional digital communication connection other than a USB communication connection between the communication controller of the charger and the USB device via the DP conductor and the DN conductor;
Transmitting charger capability information to the USB device via the DP conductor and the DN conductor;
Receiving configuration information from the USB device at the charger via the serial bidirectional digital communication connection on the DP conductor and the DN conductor;
Configuring the charging capability of the charger to match the configuration information;
Sending charging power on the connector from the charger to the USB device with the configured charging capability;
Including the process. 20. The process of claim 19, wherein
Monitoring the DP conductor and the DN conductor for any communication of status changes from the USB device;
Reconfiguring the charger according to a status change received from the USB device;
The process further comprising: 20. The process of claim 19, wherein
The serial bidirectional digital communication connection is I ² C A process that is a two-way digital communication connection. 20. The process of claim 19, wherein
The process, wherein the configuration information includes voltage and current supply information. 20. The process of claim 19, wherein
The process wherein the charger capability information includes voltage and current supply information.

Images