POWER SUPPLY WITH ZERO POWER CONSUMPTION CAPABILITY

• US 20100080025A1
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rabu, Stanley, Sander, Wendell, Terlizzi, Jeffrey J., Sims, Nicholas Ainsley, Minoo, Jahan
• Granted Patent: US 7,956,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/78
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0032 Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/36 Means for starting or stopping converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/04 by static converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

Power supply devices are provided that can include power regulating circuitry for regulating (e.g., transforming or converting) electric power to be passed to an electronic device. A power supply device can also include control circuitry coupled with the regulating circuitry. The control circuitry can determine when the power supply device is coupled with an electronic device. The control circuitry can control the operation of the regulating circuitry based on whether or not the power supply device is coupled with the electronic device.

Claims

1. A power supply device comprising:

regulating circuitry operable to receive an electric power signal and output a regulated electric power signal; and

control circuitry coupled with the regulating circuitry and operable to selectively enable the regulating circuitry when the power supply device is coupled with an electronic device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the regulating circuitry comprises an AC-to-DC converter.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the regulating circuitry comprises:

a low-power regulating circuitry portion operable to output the regulated electric power signal up to a first power limit; and

a high-power regulating circuitry portion operable to output the regulated electric power signal up to a second power limit, wherein the second power limit is higher than the first power limit.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the first and second power limits are current limits.

5. The device of claim 3, further comprising:

a first switch coupled with the output of the low-power regulating circuitry portion; and

a second switch coupled with the output of the high-power regulating circuitry portion.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the control circuitry is operable to independently enable the low-power regulating circuitry portion and the high-power regulating circuitry portion.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is operable to determine when the power supply device is coupled with the electronic device.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry comprises a processor.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry comprises a sensor operable to determine when the power supply device is coupled with the electronic device.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry comprises communications circuitry operable to receive data from the electronic device coupled with the power supply device.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the control circuitry is located in interface hardware between the power supply device and the electronic device.

12. The device of claim 11, further comprising a connector for coupling with the electronic device, wherein the control circuitry comprises a sensor located in the connector for determining when the power supply device is coupled with the electronic device.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising a power storage device coupled with the control circuitry and operable to power the control circuitry when the regulating circuitry is not enabled.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the power storage device is rechargeable, and wherein the regulating circuitry, when enabled, is operable to recharge the power storage device.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is operable to selectively disable the regulating circuitry when the power supply device is not coupled with any electronic device.

16. A method for providing electric power to an electronic device, the method comprising:

determining when a power supply device is coupled with the electronic device; and

selectively enabling power regulating circuitry based on the determining.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining comprises monitoring a characteristic of a power line in the power supply device, the characteristic being selected from the group consisting of:

a voltage level;

a current level; and

a resistance.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

coupling the power line with control circuitry for monitoring the characteristic; and

decoupling the power line from the control circuitry when the determining indicates that the power supply device is not coupled with the electronic device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining comprises:

monitoring a resistance between a ground potential and a shield of a cable for coupling the power supply device with the electronic device.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining comprises receiving data from the electronic device.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising using electric power from a power storage device within the power supply device before the selectively enabling.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the selectively enabling comprises selectively enabling the power regulating circuitry when the determining indicates that the power supply device is coupled with the electronic device.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the power regulating circuitry comprises an AC-to-DC converter.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising selectively disabling the power regulating circuitry based on the determining.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein:

the selectively enabling comprises selectively enabling the power regulating circuitry when the determining indicates that the power supply device is coupled with the electronic device; and

the selectively disabling comprises selectively disabling the power regulating circuitry when the determining indicates that the power supply device is not coupled with any electronic device.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the power regulating circuitry comprises a first portion and a second portion, and wherein the selectively enabling comprises:

selectively enabling the first portion and disabling the second portion when the determining indicates that the power supply device is not coupled with any electronic device; and

selectively enabling the second portion and disabling the first portion when the determining indicates that the power supply device is coupled with the electronic device.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

opening a switch at the output of the second portion when the determining indicates that the power supply device is not coupled with any electronic device; and

closing the switch at the output of the second portion when the determining indicates that power supply device is coupled with the electronic device.

28. A power supply device comprising:

an AC-to-DC converter operable to receive an electric power signal with an alternating current and output an electric power signal with a direct current; and

control circuitry coupled with the converter and operable to selectively enable the converter when the power supply device is coupled with an electronic device.

29. A method for providing electric power to an electronic device, the method comprising:

determining when a power supply device having an AC-to-DC converter is coupled with the electronic device; and

selectively enabling the AC-to-DC converter based on the determining.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the selectively enabling comprises selectively enabling the AC-to-DC converter when the determining indicates that the power supply device is coupled with the electronic device.