Electronic apparatus with driving power having different voltage levels

• US 20060091897A1
• Filed: 08/25/2005
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Hee-Jun
• Granted Patent: US 7,589,519 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/756.05
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus comprising a plurality of electronic components, further comprising a connection detector to detect whether an external device is connected to a connector, and a regulator module to supply driving power having one of first and second voltage levels different from each other according to detection results of the connection detector to at least one of the electronic components and/or the external device. Thus, the present invention provides an electronic apparatus comprising a regulator module that outputs power having voltage levels different according to whether an external device is connected thereto.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising a plurality of electronic components, further comprising:

a connection detector to detect whether an external device is connected to a connector; and

a regulator module to supply driving power having one of first and second voltage levels different from each other according to detection results of the connection detector to at least one of the electronic components and/or the external device.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the regulator module outputs the driving power having the first voltage level when the connection detector detects that the external device is connected to the connector, and outputs the driving power having the second voltage level when the connection detector detects that the external device is not connected to the connector, and

the first voltage level is higher than the second voltage level.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the driving power having the second voltage level is lower than a reference voltage level needed for driving the electronic components.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the regulator module comprises:

a level selector to select one of the first and second voltage levels in correspondence with the detection results of the connection detector; and

a driving power generator to generate the driving power having one of the first and second voltage levels in correspondence with selection of the level selector.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the voltage level of the driving power outputted from the driving power generator is determined by a predetermined reference voltage and resistance of voltage division resistors that divide the driving power to feed back, and

the level selector selects one of the first and second voltage levels by varying the voltage level of the reference voltage in correspondence with the detection result of the connection detector.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the voltage level of the driving power outputted from the driving power generator is determined by a predetermined reference voltage and resistance of voltage division resistors that divide the driving power to feed back, and

the level selector selects one of the first and second voltage levels by varying the resistance of the voltage division resistors in correspondence with the detection result of the connection detector.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connector supports at least one of a USB interface, a PCI interface, a card bus interface, and/or an SD card interface.

8. An electronic method comprising:

detecting whether an external device is connected to a connector; and

supplying driving power having one of first and second voltage levels different from each other depending on the detected connection of the connector to at least one of electronic components and/or the external device.

9. The electronic method according to claim 8, further comprising:

selecting one of the first and second voltage levels in correspondence with the detected connection; and

generating the driving power having one of the first and second voltage levels.