Electronic system, terminal device, and function expansion device

• US 10,459,503 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Client Computing Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Client Computing Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shimura, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tanh Q
• Application Number:
  US15/352,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20170177050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence

Abstract

A terminal device includes a state acquisition unit that notifies, when an amount of electric power consumption of the terminal device is small, a docking station of a small electric power consumption state and a power-on management unit that notifies, in response to an instruction to turn on a power supply, the docking station that the power supply is turned on and that starts an electric power supply to a CPU. The docking station includes a charge setting unit that decreases, when a notification of the small electric power consumption state is received from the state acquisition unit, electric power consumption of the docking station when a notification that the power supply is turned on is received from the power-on management unit and increases the electric power consumption of the docking station when the notification that the power supply is turned on is not received from the power-on management unit.

Claims

1. An electronic system comprising:

a first electronic device; and

a second electronic device that is connected to the first electronic device, and that receives an electric power supply from the same power supply as that of the first electronic device, the second electronic device including a battery,

wherein the first electronic device includes;

a load that consumes electric power, and

a processor configured to;

notify, when an amount of electric power consumption of the first electronic device is small, the second electronic device of a small electric power consumption state of the first electronic device,

in response to an instruction to start electric power supply to the load, notify the second electronic device of a limit of a charging current of the battery, and

in response to a limiting completion notification from the second electronic device, cause the electric power supply to the load to be started, and

the second electronic device includes a processor configured to;

decrease, when a notification of the small electric power consumption state of the first electronic device is received, an amount of electric power that can be used to charge the battery in response to receiving a notification of the limit of the charging current of the battery from the first electronic device, and

increase, when a notification of the small electric power consumption state of the first electronic device is received, the amount of electric power that can be used to charge the battery when the notification of the limit of the charging current of the battery is not received.

4. The electronic system according to claim 1, wherein

the processor of the second electronic device further:

detects an approach of the first electronic device before the first electronic device is connected to the second electronic device, and

decreases the amount of electric power that can be used to charge the battery when the approach of the first electronic device is detected.

2. A terminal device comprising:

a load that consumes electrical power, and

a processor configured to;

perform arithmetic processing;

notify, when an amount of electric power consumption of the terminal device is small, another device of a small electric power consumption state of the terminal device, wherein the another device is connected to the terminal device and receives an electric power supply from the same power supply as that of the terminal device; and

in response to an instruction to start electric power supply to the load, notify the another device of a limit of a charging current of a battery of the another device, and

in response to a limiting completion notification from the another device, cause the electric power supply to the load to be started.

3. A function expansion device that consumes electric power supplied from the same power supply as that of a terminal device, the function expansion device comprising:

a processor configured to;

decrease, when a notification that electric power consumption of the terminal device is small is received, an amount of electric power that can be used to charge a battery of the function expansion device in response to receiving from the terminal device a notification that the terminal device receives an instruction to start electric power supply to a load of the terminal device, and then notify the terminal device of a limiting completion notification,

increase, when the notification that the electric power consumption of the terminal device is small is received, the amount of electric power that can be used to charge the battery when the notification that the terminal device receives the instruction to start the electric power supply to the load is not received.