Modifying power adapter output

• US 20060192530A1
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Nguyen, Don J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,818 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/128
• 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 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode

Abstract

A method and apparatus to modify an output power of a power adapter coupled to a computing device in accordance with a power consumption of the computing device is discussed. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

modifying an output power of a power adapter coupled to a computing device in accordance with a power consumption of the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring the power consumption of the computing device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the monitoring comprises determining a charge level of a battery pack of the computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the power adapter charging a battery pack of the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a power monitor module controlling the output power of the power adapter.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising implementing the power monitor module in the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising sensing an output power of the power adapter.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the power adapter providing an adapter power rating to the computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the power adapter is supplying power to the computing device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is selected from a group comprising a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a desktop computing device, and a rack-mounted computing device.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a power monitor module to modify an output power of a power adapter in accordance with a power consumption of a computing device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the power monitor module is implemented in the computing device.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the power adapter is external to the computing device.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the power monitor module controls the output power of the power adapter.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the computing device comprises a battery pack capable of being charged by the power adapter.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the computing device comprises a window detector to sense a feedback voltage of the power adapter.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the computing device is selected from a group comprising a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a desktop computing device, and a rack-mounted computing device.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the power adapter is an alternating current/direct current (AC/DC) power adapter.

19. A system comprising:

a nonvolatile memory device coupled to a computing device to store data; and

a power monitor module to modify an output power of a power adapter in accordance with a power consumption of the computing device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the power monitor module determines a charge level of a battery pack.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the power monitor module is implemented in the computing device.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the computing device comprises a battery pack capable of being charged by the power adapter.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the computing device comprises volatile memory selected from a group comprising RAM, DRAM, and SDRAM.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the power monitor module controls the output power of the power adapter.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the nonvolatile memory device is selected from a group comprising a hard drive and a floppy disk drive.

26. A computing device comprising:

a power supply to charge one or more battery packs; and

logic to generate a first signal to reduce a flow of current into the power supply after the one or more battery packs are charged, wherein the flow of current into the power supply is determined based on power consumption of one or more electronic components associated with the power supply.

27. The computing device of claim 26, wherein the first signal is to switch off the flow of current into the power supply.

28. The computing device of claim 26, wherein the logic is to generate a second signal to switch on the flow of current into the power supply.

29. The computing device of claim 26, further comprising a power monitor module to monitor the power consumption of the one or more battery packs.

30. The computing device of claim 26, further comprising a power adapter to supply the flow of current into the power supply.

31. The computing device of claim 30, wherein the power adapter is an alternating current/direct current (AC/DC) power adapter.

32. The computing device of claim 26, further comprising a system management controller (SMC) to determine a charge level of the one or more battery packs.

33. A system comprising:

a power supply to provide electrical power to one or more electronic components;

a first logic to monitor power consumption of the one or more electronic components; and

a second logic to generate a signal to control a flow of electrical current into the power supply in accordance with the power consumption of the one or more electronic components.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the signal is to reduce the flow of electrical current into the power supply.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the signal is to switch off the power supply.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the signal is to increase the flow of electrical current into the power supply such that the power supply is switched on.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the signal is to switch on the power supply.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein the one or more electronic components comprise at least one battery pack.

39. The system of claim 33, further comprising a third logic to sense the generated signal.

40. The system of claim 33, further comprising a power adapter to supply the flow of electrical current into the power supply.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the power adapter is an alternating current/direct current (AC/DC) power adapter.

42. A method comprising:

monitoring power consumption of one or more components of a computing device; and

generating a signal to control a supply of current into a power supply of the computing device in accordance with the power consumption of the one or more components.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the generated signal is to switch off the supply of current into the power supply.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the generated signal is to switch on the supply of current into the power supply.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein monitoring the power consumption of the one or more components comprises determining a charge level of one or more battery packs.

46. The method of claim 42, further comprising reducing the supply of current into the power supply after one or more battery packs of the computing device are fully charged.

47. The method of claim 42, further comprising sensing a capacity of one or more battery packs of the computing device.

48. The method of claim 42, further comprising sensing the generated signal.

49. An apparatus comprising:

a power adapter to supply electrical current to charge one or more battery packs of a computing device;

a first logic to monitor a charge level of the one or more battery packs; and

a second logic to generate a signal to turn off the power adapter after the one or more battery packs are charged.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, further comprising a power switch to generate a signal to turn on the power adapter.

51. The apparatus of claim 50, further comprising a selector to control the power switch.

52. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the power adapter is an alternating current/direct current (AC/DC) power adapter.

53. The apparatus of claim 49, further comprising a system management controller (SMC) to determine a charge capacity of the one or more battery packs.

54. The apparatus of claim 49, further comprising a third logic to sense the generated signal.