METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CHARGING A BATTERY IN A PERIPHERAL DEVICE

• US 20100085011A1
• Filed: 12/09/2009
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: KRAH, Christoph, FADELL, Anthony M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,940,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/132
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/001 Hot plugging or unplugging of load or power modules to or from power distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/06 Two-wire systems
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/30 Charge provided using DC bus or data bus of a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence

Abstract

A power manager for managing power delivered to a battery operated peripheral device is disclosed. The power manager includes an input current limiter arranged to suppress a power surge associated with an insertion event by a power cable arranged to provide an external voltage. A voltage converter unit coupled to the input current limiter converts the received external voltage to a supply voltage that is transmitted by way of a main bus to a voltage sensor unit coupled thereto. During the insertion event, a comparator unit coupled to the voltage sensor, sends a first switching signal to a switchover circuit that responds by connecting the peripheral device and an uncharged battery to the main bus such that the supply voltage is provided thereto. When the battery is substantially fully charged, the switchover circuit responds by electrically disconnecting the battery so as to not overcharge the battery.

Claims

1. A power manager unit for managing power delivered to a battery powered device, comprising:

a main bus;

an inrush current limiter, wherein the inrush current limiter limits current from a power line connected to the inrush current limiter;

a voltage converter unit connected to the main bus and to the output of the inrush current limiter;

a voltage sensor unit coupled to the main bus and arranged to sense a voltage on the main bus; and

a switchover circuit arranged to, upon connection of a power line to the inrush current limiter-causing the voltage sensor unit to sense a voltage on the main bus above a predefined threshold, connect the voltage converter unit to the battery powered device, and upon detection that the battery is in a fully charged state, disconnect the battery from the voltage converter unit such that no current flows to or from the battery.

2. The power manager unit of claim 1, wherein the voltage converter unit has a soft start capability such that an output voltage/current limit is slowly increased until reaching a set limit, preventing a voltage spike on the main bus when a power line is connected to the inrush current limiter.

3. The power manager unit of claim 2, wherein the soft start capability is implemented using an external pull-up resistor and a soft start capacitor.

4. The power manager unit of claim 1, wherein the switchover circuit is further arranged to, upon disconnection of a power line from the voltage converter causing the voltage sensor unit to sense a voltage on the main bus below the predefined threshold, disconnect the voltage converter unit from the battery powered device and connect a battery to the battery powered device.

5. A method of managing power delivered to a battery powered device, comprising:

receiving an external voltage through a data port in the device;

converting the external voltage from the data port to a supply voltage on a main bus using a voltage converter unit;

sensing a voltage on the main bus higher than a predetermined threshold;

generating a switching signal based upon the sensed voltage when the sensed voltage is greater than the predefined threshold; and

upon detection of the switching signal and upon detection that the battery is in a fully charged state, disconnecting the battery from the voltage converted unit such that no current flows to or from the battery.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the external voltage is delivered by way of a cable that includes a number of lines at least one of which is a power line arranged to carry the external voltage from the external voltage supply to the battery powered device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the voltage converter unit includes an isolation diode having a forward voltage drop, and wherein the predefined threshold is based on the forward voltage drop.

8. A system comprising:

a battery powered device having a central processing unit (CPU);

a power manager unit for managing power delivered to a battery powered device, comprising;

an inrush current limiter arranged to receive power from a power line connected to the power manager unit and limit current output of the inrush current limiter;

a buck converter connected to the output of the inrush current limiter and arranged to convert a voltage from the output of the inrush current limiter to a different voltage on a main bus;

a voltage sensor unit coupled to the main bus and arranged to sense a voltage on the main bus;

a comparator unit coupled to the voltage sensor unit arranged to generate a first switching signal when the voltage sensor unit detects a voltage on the main bus above a first predefined threshold, wherein the first predefined threshold is based on the forward voltage drop wherein the comparator unit is further arranged to generate a reset signal when the power line is disconnected from the main bus and the voltage sensor unit detects a voltage on the main bus less than the second predefined threshold; and

a switchover circuit coupled to the comparator unit arranged to respond to the first switching signal by concurrently disconnecting the voltage converter unit from the battery such that no current flows to or from the battery if the battery is in a fully charged state wherein the switchover circuit is arranged to respond to the reset signal by disconnecting the battery from the battery powered device to avoid deep discharge of the battery; and

wherein the CPU is configured to respond to the reset signal by entering a sleep state.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein an output voltage rise time for the buck converter is less than 15 ms.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the power on the power line is delivered by way of a cable that includes a number of lines at least one of which is a power line arranged to carry the external voltage from the external voltage supply to the battery powered device.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the buck converter has an isolation diode with a forward voltage drop and wherein the predefined threshold includes a correction based on the forward voltage drop of the isolation diode.

12. A method for managing power delivered to a battery-operated peripheral device by way of a cable arranged to carry electrical power from an external electrical supply to the peripheral device, the peripheral device having a chargeable battery and an active circuit, the method comprising:

when the active circuit is operational and the battery is not in either a low-charged or a substantially fully-charged state, then providing electrical power from both the electrical supply and the battery to the operational active circuit;

when the active circuit is operational and the battery is in the low-charged state, then providing electrical power only from the electrical supply to the operational active circuit; and

when the active circuit is operational and the battery is substantially fully charged then disconnecting the battery from the electrical supply and providing electrical power only from the battery to the operational active circuit.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first current includes an active circuit current and a backfeed current.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising converting the electrical power from an external voltage to a supply voltage by a voltage converter unit.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the second current includes a current used by the operational active circuit and a battery charging current.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the battery charging current is approximately 750 milliamps.

17. A portable consumer electronic product having at least a battery and an active circuit coupled to the battery, comprising:

a sensor unit arranged to detect if the battery is in a low-charged state and whether data is transmitted over a cable connected to an electrical supply, wherein the presence of the data indicates that the cable is connected to the device;

a switchover circuit arranged to, in response to the detection of data on the cable connected to the electrical supply,

when the active circuit is operational and the battery is not in either a low-charged or a substantially fully-charged state, then provide electrical power from both the electrical supply and the battery to the operational active circuit;

when the active circuit is operational and the battery is in the low-charged state, then provide electrical power only from the electrical supply to the operational active circuit; and

when the active circuit is operational and the battery is substantially fully charged then disconnect the battery from the electrical supply and providing electrical power only from the battery to the operational active circuit.

18. The portable consumer electronic product of claim 17, wherein the cable includes two twisted pairs of wires carrying data.

19. The portable consumer electronic product of claim 18, wherein the two twisted pairs of wires are separately shielded.

20. The portable consumer electronic product of claim 19, wherein the cable is an I.E.E.E. 1394 compliant cable.

21. The portable consumer electronic product of claim 17, wherein the switchover circuit is further arranged to:

when the active circuit is operational and the battery is in a low-charged state, then draw electrical power from the electrical supply to both the battery and the operational active circuit, wherein the electrical power drawn from the electrical supply to the operational active circuit is at a first current; and

when the active circuit is operational and the battery is not in either a low-charged or a substantially fully-charged state, then draw electrical power from the electrical supply to both the battery and the operational active circuit, wherein the electrical power drawn from the electrical supply to the operational active circuit is at a second current that is different from the first current.