Method and Apparatus Pertaining to Universal Serial Bus-Based Charging

• US 20140181350A1
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Published: 06/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: PEDRO, Justin Manuel, ABDELSAMIE, Ahmed
• Granted Patent: US 9,244,876 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4072 Drivers or receivers G06F13/4086 takes precedence; for multistate logic circuits H03K19/0002
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4077 Precharging or discharging

Abstract

A control circuit (comprising, for example, a part of a charging hub for a portable electronic communications device) that is not configured to support USB On-The-Go-compatible Host Negotiation Protocol is operably coupled to a USB-ID connector and is configured to transmit an identifier via that USB-ID connector to prompt a USB device in function mode to serve as a USB host. A locally-available power supply can then serve to provide power to that USB device notwithstanding the latter'"'"'s role as the host.

Claims

1. A charging hub comprising:

a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface including differential data connectors, a VBUS connector, and a USB-ID connector;

an upstream USB port that operably couples to the USB interface;

a control circuit that is not configured to support USB On-The-Go-compatible Host Negotiation Protocol and that is operably coupled to the USB-ID connector and configured to transmit an identifier via the USB-ID connector to prompt a USB device in function mode to serve as a USB host.

2. The charging hub of claim 1 further comprising:

a power supply that is non-selectively connected to the VBUS connector to thereby provide power to the USB device that is serving as the USB host.

3. The charging hub of claim 2 wherein the power supply is selectively connected to VBUS for the upstream USB port.

4. The charging hub of claim 3 wherein the power supply is selectively connected to VBUS for the upstream USB port via a control circuit-controlled switch.

5. The charging hub of claim 4 wherein the control circuit is configured to control the switch as a function, at least in part, of at least one of:

USB-ID Accessory Protocol packet traffic signals; and

a high signal.

6. The charging hub of claim 5 wherein the high signal comprises a 1.8V signal.

7. The charging hub of claim 5 wherein the control circuit is configured to open the switch in response to detecting that USB-ID connector goes low for at least a predetermined period of time.

8. The charging hub of claim 7 wherein the predetermined period of time is about fifteen milliseconds.

9. The charging hub of claim 5 wherein the control circuit is configured to open the switch in response to failing to detect a polling signal via the USB-ID connector.

10. The charging hub of claim 1 further comprising:

a power supply that is selectively connected to both the VBUS connector to thereby provide power to the USB device that is serving as the USB host and to VBUS for the upstream USB port via a control circuit-controlled switch.

11. The charging hub of claim 10 wherein the control circuit is configured to control the switch as a function, at least in part, of at least one of:

USB-ID Accessory Protocol packet traffic signals; and

a high signal.

12. A method to facilitate charging a Universal Serial Bus (USB) host comprising:

by a control circuit at a charging hub that is not configured to support USB On-The-Go-compatible Host Negotiation Protocol and that is operably coupled to a USB-ID connector;

transmitting an identifier via the USB-ID connector to prompt a USB device in function mode to serve as a USB host.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

non-selectively connecting a power supply to a VBUS connector to thereby provide power to the USB device that is serving as the USB host.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

selectively connecting the power supply to VBUS for an upstream USB port.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein selectively connecting the power supply to VBUS for an upstream USB port comprises, at least in part, selectively connecting the power supply to VBUS for the upstream USB port as a function, at least in part, of at least one of:

USB-ID Accessory Protocol packet traffic signals; and

a high signal.