Power storage adapter for peak shift operation with a portable information handling system

• US 10,476,288 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2017
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• 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): Lee, Thomas C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Collins, Gary
• Application Number:
  US15/631,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20180375360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• 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 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A power storage adapter may use a peak shift operation method when supplying electrical power from an AC line power source to a portable information handling system and the power storage adapter receives an indication of a peak shift associated with the AC line power source. In particular, the power storage adapter may cease drawing power from the AC line power source and begin supplying electrical power from a battery included with the power storage adapter to the portable information handling system.

Claims

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

a PSA port;

a PSA battery; and

a PSA controller having access to memory media storing instructions executable by the PSA controller to;

receive, at a first time, an indication of a peak shift associated with an alternating current (AC) line power source, the indication specifying that the power storage adapter is to cease drawing electrical power from the AC line power source, the indication additionally indicating a further time period when an additional peak shift is to occur;

determine that a state of charge of the PSA battery is greater than a recharging state of charge;

in response to the indication and when the power storage adapter is electrically connected to the AC line power source, enter a peak shift by electrically disconnecting the power storage adapter from the AC line power source;

determine, after electrically disconnecting the power storage adapter from the AC line power source, that the state of charge of the PSA battery is less than the recharging state of charge, and in response, electrically connect the power storage adapter to the AC line power source;

in response to electrically connecting the power storage adapter to the AC line power source, terminate the peak shift of the AC line power source;

at a second time after terminating the peak shift of the AC line power source at the first time and during the further time period indicated by the previously received indication, entering the further peak shift of the AC line power source without receiving a further indication of the additional further peak shift associated with the AC line power source, including;

determine that the state of charge of the PSA battery is greater than the recharging state of charge; and

when the power storage adapter is electrically connected to the AC line power source, electrically disconnect the power storage adapter from the AC line power source.

2. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein the indication is a peak shift message from an embedded controller of an information handling system coupled to the PSA port.

3. The power storage adapter of claim 2, wherein the PSA port is a USB Type-C port.

4. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein the indication is a peak shift message from an entity associated with the AC line power source, and wherein the peak shift message is received using an Ethernet port coupled to the PSA port, and wherein the power storage adapter further comprises a second PSA port.

5. The power storage adapter of claim 1, further comprising instructions to:

receive a second indication of termination of the peak shift; and

in response to the second indication, electrically connect the power storage adapter to the AC line power source.

6. The power storage adapter of claim 4, wherein the second indication is received from an embedded controller of an information handling system coupled to the PSA port.

7. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein the indication further specifies a duration of time of the peak shift.

8. The power storage adapter of claim 1, further comprising instructions to:

monitor the state of charge of the PSA battery; and

in response to determining that the state of charge is less than or equal to a recharging state of charge, electrically connect the power storage adapter to the AC line power source.

9. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein the PSA controller utilizes a common protocol layer for communication with the information handling system, wherein the common protocol layer is a universal serial bus (USB) power delivery protocol layer.

10. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein the instructions to electrically disconnect the PSA from the AC line power source further include instructions to:

power off an AC/DC converter included with the power storage adapter.

11. A method for peak shift operation, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first time and by a PSA controller of a power storage adapter, an indication of a peak shift associated with an AC line power source of the power storage adapter, the indication specifying that the power storage adapter is to cease drawing electrical power from the AC line power source, the indication additionally indicating a further time period when an additional peak shift is to occur;

determining, by the PSA controller, that a state of charge of a PSA battery of the power storage adapter is greater than a recharging state of charge;

in response to the indication and when the power storage adapter is electrically connected to the AC line power source, entering a peak shift by electrically disconnecting, by the PSA controller, the power storage adapter from the AC line power source;

determining, after electrically disconnecting the power storage adapter from the AC line power source, that the state of charge of the PSA battery is less than the recharging state of charge, and in response, electrically connect the power storage adapter to the AC line power source;

in response to electrically connecting the power storage adapter to the AC line power source, terminating the peak shift of the AC line power source;

at a second time after terminating the peak shift of the AC line power source at the first time and during the further time period indicated by the previously received indication, entering the further peak shift of the AC line power source without receiving a further indication of the additional further peak shift associated with the AC line power source, including;

determining that the state of charge of the PSA battery is greater than the recharging state of charge; and

when the power storage adapter is electrically connected to the AC line power source, electrically disconnecting the power storage adapter from the AC line power source.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the indication is a peak shift message from an embedded controller of an information handling system coupled to the PSA port.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the PSA port is a USB Type-C port.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the indication is a peak shift message from an entity associated with the AC line power source, and wherein the peak shift message is received using an Ethernet port coupled to the PSA port, and wherein the power storage adapter further comprises a second PSA port.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a second indication of termination of the peak shift; and

in response to the second indication, electrically connecting the power storage adapter to the AC line power source.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second indication is received from an embedded controller of an information handling system coupled to the PSA port.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the indication further specifies a duration of time of the peak shift.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

monitoring the state of charge of the PSA battery; and

in response to determining that the state of charge is less than or equal to a recharging state of charge, electrically connecting the power storage adapter to the AC line power source.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the PSA controller utilizes a common protocol layer for communication with the information handling system, wherein the common protocol layer is a universal serial bus (USB) power delivery protocol layer.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein electrically disconnecting the PSA from the AC line power source further includes:

powering off an AC/DC converter included with the power storage adapter.