PERIPHERAL DEVICE HOST CHARGING

• US 20100219790A1
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Published: 09/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Maher, Gregory, Chadbourne, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,736,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/107
• 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: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction

Abstract

This document discusses, among other things, a charging emulator configured to be coupled to an electrical interface, the charging emulator including a control circuit configured to receive information about a peripheral device coupled to the electrical interface and a charger circuit configured to provide power to the electrical interface using the received peripheral device information. In an example, the charging emulator can include a component of a host device including a low-power state, and the charger circuit can be configured to provide power to the electrical interface when the host device is in the low-power state.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a control circuit configured to receive information about a peripheral device coupled to an electrical interface; and

a charging emulator configured to be coupled to the electrical interface, the charging emulator configured to configure the electrical interface to charge the peripheral device using the received peripheral device information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, including the electrical interface configured to couple to the peripheral device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the electrical interface includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, including a charger circuit configured to provide power to the electrical interface using the received peripheral device information.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, including a host device, wherein the host device includes an electronic device including a low-power state, and wherein the host device includes the charging emulator;

and

wherein the charger circuit is configured to provide power to the electrical interface when the host device is in the low-power state.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control circuit is configured to receive information about the peripheral device when the host device is in the low-power state.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the low-power state includes at least one of a hibernation, a stand-by, a sleep, a suspended, or an off state.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the host device includes a personal computer (PC) including a processor, and wherein the low-power state includes a state where the processor is off or in a hibernation, a stand-by, a sleep, or a suspended state.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine a characteristic of the peripheral device coupled to the electrical interface using the received peripheral device information;

and

wherein the charging emulator is configured to configure the electrical interface using the determined characteristic.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, including a charger circuit configured to provide power to the electrical interface using the determined characteristic;

and

wherein the characteristic of the peripheral device includes a charging characteristic

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information about the peripheral device coupled to the electrical interface includes a current draw of the peripheral device.

12. A system comprising:

a host device including an electronic device including a low-power state, the low-power state including at least one of a low-power, a hibernation, a stand-by, a sleep, or a suspended state, the host device including;

an electrical interface configured to couple to a peripheral device;

a control circuit configured to determine a charging characteristic of the peripheral device; and

a charging emulator coupled to the electrical interface, the charging emulator configured to be operable when the host device is in the low-power state and to configure the electrical interface to charge the peripheral device using the determined charging characteristic, the charging emulator including;

a charger circuit configured to provide power to the electrical interface using the determined charging characteristic.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the control circuit is configured to determine the charging characteristic of the peripheral device when the host device is in the low-power state.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the charger circuit is configured to provide power to the electrical interface, using the determined charging characteristic, when the host device is in the low-power state.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the electrical interface includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the host device includes a personal computer (PC) including a processor, and wherein the low-power state includes a state where the processor is off or in a hibernation, a stand-by, a sleep, or a suspended state.

17. A method comprising:

receiving information about a peripheral device coupled to an electrical interface; and

configuring the electrical interface to charge the peripheral device using the received peripheral device information.

18. The method of claim 17, including determining a characteristic of the peripheral device using the received peripheral device information;

and

wherein the configuring the electrical interface to charge the peripheral device includes using the determined characteristic.

19. The method of claim 17, including providing power to the electrical interface using the received peripheral device information.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the electrical interface includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface coupled to a charging emulator;

and

wherein the providing power to the electrical interface includes providing power to the USB interface.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the providing power to the electrical interface includes using a host device;

and

wherein the providing power to the electrical interface includes providing power when the host device is in a low-power state.

22. The method of claim 21, including determining a characteristic of the peripheral device using the received peripheral device information;

and

wherein the providing power to the electrical interface using the received peripheral device information includes using the determined characteristic.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the receiving information about the peripheral device includes receiving information about the peripheral device when the host device is in the low-power state;

and

wherein the low-power state includes at least one of a low-power, a hibernation, a stand-by, a sleep, or a suspended state.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the host device includes a personal computer (PC) including a processor, and wherein the low-power state includes a state where the processor is off or in a hibernation, a stand-by, a sleep, or a suspended state.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the receiving the peripheral device information includes measuring a current draw of the peripheral device;

and

wherein the providing power to the electrical interface includes providing voltage to the peripheral device in a first mode if the measured current draw is above a threshold and providing voltage to the peripheral device in a second mode if the measured current draw is below the threshold.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the electrical interface includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-A interface coupled to a charging emulator;

wherein the providing power to the electrical interface includes providing power to the USB interface; and

wherein the providing voltage to the peripheral device in the first mode includes in a USB mode and in the second mode includes in a proprietary device mode using a voltage divider.