Sourcing power from a battery or AC-DC converter of a power storage adapter

• US 10,381,844 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2017
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Sultenfuss, Andrew Thomas, Thompson, Richard Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Fritz M
• Application Number:
  US15/631,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20180375342A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6675 with built-in power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/065 with built-in electric apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/40 adapted for charging from various sources, e.g. AC, DC or multivoltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007192 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/28 using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode to produce the intermediate ac

Abstract

An external power storage adapter (PSA) may supply electrical power to a portable information handling system or other power consuming device. The power storage adapter may include an AC-DC converter, a battery, and intelligent power management functionality. A PSA controller may determine whether electrical power supplied by the power storage adapter should be sourced from the AC-DC converter or from the battery based on various operating parameters of the power storage adapter, such the temperature of the power storage adapter, the state of charge of the battery, the amount of electrical power being supplied by the AC-DC converter, or the amount of time that the AC-DC converter has been supplying electrical power. The power storage adapter may output power to a port of the portable information handling system, such as a USB Type-C port, over a variable power bus.

Claims

1. A power storage adapter (PSA), comprising:

a port for coupling the power storage adapter to a variable power bus;

a battery;

an AC-DC converter;

power distribution circuitry to supply electrical power from the power storage adapter at a plurality of output voltage levels; and

a PSA controller, wherein the PSA controller comprises circuitry to;

when the AC-DC converter is coupled to AC line power and a power consuming device is coupled to the power storage adapter over the variable power bus through the port, and responsive to a request for the power storage adapter to supply electrical power to the power consuming device at a particular voltage;

determine, based on an operating parameter of the power storage adapter, one of an output of the AC-DC converter or an output of the battery as a selected source for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device; and

cause the power distribution circuitry to supply electrical power from the selected source to the power consuming device over the variable power bus at the particular voltage;

wherein the particular voltage is one of the plurality of output voltage levels.

2. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein the power consuming device is an information handling system comprising an internal battery.

3. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein:

the power storage adapter further comprises a sensor; and

the operating parameter is dependent on a measurement value obtained by the sensor.

4. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein to determine the selected source, the PSA controller circuitry is further to:

determine that a state of charge of the battery is greater than a threshold state of charge for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device at the particular voltage; and

responsive to determining that the state of charge of the battery is greater than the threshold state of charge;

determine that the selected source for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device is to be changed from an output of the AC-DC converter to an output of the battery, dependent on at least one of;

a determination that a temperature of the power storage adapter is greater than a threshold temperature for sourcing electrical power from the AC-DC converter;

a percentage of a maximum power supply capacity of the AC-DC converter at which the AC-DC converter is currently operating; and

an amount of time that the AC-DC converter has been operating to supply electrical power to the power consuming device.

5. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein:

to determine the selected source, the PSA controller circuitry is further to determine that the selected source for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device is to be changed from an output of the battery to an output of the AC-DC converter, dependent on at least one of;

a determination that a state of charge of the battery is less than or equal to a threshold state of charge for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device at the particular voltage; and

a determination that a temperature of the power storage adapter is less than or equal to a threshold temperature for sourcing electrical power from the AC-DC converter.

6. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein:

the PSA controller utilizes a universal serial bus (USB) power delivery protocol layer for communicating with and supplying electrical power to the power consuming device over the variable power bus;

the port is a USB Type-C port; and

the PSA controller further comprises circuitry to;

establish a power delivery contract to supply electrical power to the power consuming device at the particular voltage.

7. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein:

the AC-DC converter is a default source for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device when the AC-DC converter is coupled to AC line power and the power consuming device is coupled to the power storage adapter over the variable power bus through the port; and

to determine the selected source, the PSA controller circuitry is further to;

override the default source to determine that an output of the battery is the selected source for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device.

8. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein the PSA controller circuitry comprises:

a processor; and

a memory storing program instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform;

the determining of the selected source; and

generating one or more control signals to cause the power distribution circuitry to supply electrical power from the selected source to the power consuming device over the variable power bus at the particular voltage.

9. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein:

the power storage adapter further comprises a DC-DC converter comprising circuitry to boost an initial output voltage of the battery to the particular voltage to generate a boosted output voltage at which electrical power is supplied to the power consuming device over the variable power bus.

10. A method for supplying power to a power consuming device, comprising:

when an AC-DC converter of a power storage adapter (PSA) is coupled to AC line power and a power consuming device is coupled to the power storage adapter over a variable power bus, and responsive to receiving a request for the power storage adapter to supply electrical power to the power consuming device at a particular voltage;

determining, based on an operating parameter of the power storage adapter, one of an output of the AC-DC converter or an output of a battery within the power storage adapter as a selected source for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device; and

causing power distribution circuitry within the power storage adapter to supply electrical power from the selected source to the power consuming device over the variable power bus at the particular voltage;

wherein the particular voltage is one of a plurality of output voltage levels at which electrical power is supplied by the power distribution circuitry within the power storage adapter.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the power consuming device is an information handling system comprising an internal battery.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the operating parameter is dependent on a measurement value obtained by a sensor within the power storage adapter.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the selected source comprises:

determining that a state of charge of the battery is greater than a threshold state of charge for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device at the particular voltage; and

responsive to determining that the state of charge of the battery is greater than the threshold state of charge;

determining that the selected source for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device is to be changed from an output of the AC-DC converter to an output of the battery, dependent on at least one of;

a determination that a temperature of the power storage adapter is greater than a threshold temperature for sourcing electrical power from the AC-DC converter;

a percentage of a maximum power supply capacity of the AC-DC converter at which the AC-DC converter is currently operating; and

an amount of time that the AC-DC converter has been operating to supply electrical power to the power consuming device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the selected source comprises:

determining that the selected source for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device is to be changed from an output of the battery to an output of the AC-DC converter, dependent on at least one of;

a determination that a state of charge of the battery is less than or equal to a threshold state of charge for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device at the particular voltage; and

a determination that a temperature of the power storage adapter is less than or equal to a threshold temperature for sourcing electrical power from the AC-DC converter.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the power storage adapter utilizes a universal serial bus (USB) power delivery protocol layer for communicating with and supplying electrical power to the power consuming device over the variable power bus through a USB Type-C port of the power storage adapter; and

the method further comprises;

establishing a power delivery contract to supply electrical power to the power consuming device at the particular voltage.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the AC-DC converter is a default source for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device when the AC-DC converter is coupled to AC line power and the power consuming device is coupled to the power storage adapter over the variable power bus through the port; and

determining the selected source comprises;

overriding the default source to determine that an output of the battery is the selected source for supplying electrical power to the power consuming device.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein causing power distribution circuitry within the power storage adapter to supply electrical power from the selected source to the power consuming device over the variable power bus at the particular voltage comprises:

boosting an initial output voltage of the battery to the particular voltage to generate a boosted output voltage at which electrical power is supplied to the power consuming device over the variable power bus.

18. A system, comprising:

an information handling system including an internal port for coupling the information handling system to a variable power bus; and

a power storage adapter (PSA) comprising;

a PSA port for coupling the power storage adapter to the information handling system over the variable power bus;

a battery;

an AC-DC converter;

power distribution circuitry to supply electrical power from the power storage adapter at a plurality of output voltage levels; and

a PSA controller, wherein the PSA controller comprises circuitry to;

when the AC-DC converter is coupled to AC line power and the information handling system is coupled to the power storage adapter over the variable power bus through the port, and responsive to a request for the power storage adapter to supply electrical power to the information handling system at a particular voltage;

determine, based on an operating parameter of the power storage adapter, one of an output of the AC-DC converter or an output of the battery as a selected source for supplying electrical power to the information handling system; and

cause the power distribution circuitry to supply electrical power from the selected source to the information handling system over the variable power bus at the particular voltage;

wherein the particular voltage is one of the plurality of output voltage levels.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein to determine the selected source, the PSA controller circuitry is further to:

determine that a state of charge of the battery is greater than a threshold state of charge for supplying electrical power to the information handling system at the particular voltage; and

responsive to determining that the state of charge of the battery is greater than the threshold state of charge;

determine that the selected source for supplying electrical power to the information handling system is to be changed from an output of the AC-DC converter to an output of the battery, dependent on at least one of;

a determination that a temperature of the power storage adapter is greater than a threshold temperature for sourcing electrical power from the AC-DC converter;

a percentage of a maximum power supply capacity of the AC-DC converter at which the AC-DC converter is currently operating; and

an amount of time that the AC-DC converter has been operating to supply electrical power to the information handling system.

20. The system claim 18, wherein:

to determine the selected source, the PSA controller circuitry is further to determine that the selected source for supplying electrical power to the information handling system is to be changed from an output of the battery to an output of the AC-DC converter, dependent on at least one of;

a determination that a state of charge of the battery is less than or equal to a threshold state of charge for supplying electrical power to the information handling system at the particular voltage; and

a determination that a temperature of the power storage adapter is less than or equal to a threshold temperature for sourcing electrical power from the AC-DC converter.