Current sharing architecture for combination charger

• US 10,727,703 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2020
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Original Assignee: Eaton Intelligent Power Limited (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Kadam, Nilesh Ankush, Agrawal, Arpit, Murahari, Saivaraprasad, Salas, Luis
• Primary Examiner(s): Pacheco, Alexis B
• Application Number:
  US16/803,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20200195063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 152 Days
• Field of Search: 320107, 320134, 320136, 320111
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage

Abstract

A charger apparatus a first port, a second port, a first circuit coupled to the first port, and a second circuit coupled to the second port. The charger also includes a controller, wherein the first circuit and the second circuit each receive a DC power signal generated from an AC input signal, and wherein the controller is structured and configured to determine whether a load current on the second circuit is above a threshold level and responsive to determining that the load current is above the threshold level, (i) cause the first circuit to advertise the first current at a level that is less than a maximum current level that may be advertised at the first port, and (ii) cause the second circuit to advertise the second current at a level that is equal to a maximum current level that may be advertised at the second port.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a charger apparatus that includes a first port and a second port of a different type than the first port, the method comprising:

receiving a DC power signal generated from an AC input signal provided to the charger apparatus;

determining whether a load current being provided to the second port is above a threshold level;

responsive to determining that the load current being provided to the second port is above the threshold level, (i) causing the first port to advertise a first current at a level that is less than a maximum current level that may be advertised at the first port, and (ii) causing the second port to advertise a second current at a level that is equal to a maximum current level that may be advertised at the second port.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first port is a USB Type-C port and the second port is a USB Type-A port.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, responsive to the load current being provided to the second port being below the threshold level, (i) causing the first current to be advertised at the first port at a level that is equal to the maximum current level that may be advertised at the first port, and (ii) causing the second current to be advertised at the second port at a level that is less than the maximum current level that may be advertised at the second port.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising measuring a load current being provided to the first port, and responsive to the load current on the second circuit being below the threshold level and the load current being provided to the first port being above a second threshold, (i) causing the first current to be advertised at the first port at a level that is equal to the maximum current level that may be advertised at the first port, and (ii) causing the second current to be advertised at the second port at a level that is less than the maximum current level that may be advertised at the second port.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the threshold level and the second threshold level are adjustable.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the level of the first current is determined by controlling an electronic switch in response to a pulse width modulation output.

7. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program comprising program code for implementing the method of claim 1.