ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR POWER MANAGEMENT

• US 20140310548A1
• Filed: 04/10/2014
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: CHEN, MING-TSUNG, TSAI, MING-FENG, ZHAO, YA-JUN
• Application Number:
  US14/249,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20140310548A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/321
• 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 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence

Abstract

In a method for managing power of slave electronic devices using a master electronic device, the slave electronic devices are connected in sequence and an end one of the slave electronic devices is connected to the master electronic device. Each of the slave electronic devices determines and transmits their charging priority information to the master electronic device. The master electronic device determines a charging sequence of the slave electronic devices, determines a target one of the slave electronic devices according to the charging sequence, and sends a charging signal to the connected slave electronic devices, to charge the target one of the slave electronic devices.

Claims

1. A method for managing power of slave electronic devices using a master electronic device, the slave electronic devices being connected in sequence and an end one of the slave electronic devices being connected to the master electronic device, each of the slave electronic devices comprising a power measurement module, the method comprising:

controlling the power measurement module to measure a residual electrical capacity of each of the slave electronic devices;

calculating a ratio of the measured residual electrical capacity of each of the slave electronic device;

determining a first charging priority of each of the slave electronic devices according to the calculated ratio;

transmitting charging priority information of each of the slave electronic devices to the master electronic device, the charging priority information comprising the first charging priority of each of the slave electronic devices;

in response to receiving a charging signal for charging a target one of the slave electronic devices from the master electronic device, charging the target one of the slave electronic devices.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the charging priority information further comprises a second charging priority of each of the slave electronic devices, and the second charging priority of each of the slave electronic devices is determined according to a connection sequence of the slave electronic devices.

3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein transmitting charging priority information of each of the slave electronic devices to the master electronic device comprises:

the other end slave electronic device farthest away from the master electronic device transmitting its charging priority information to a front connected one of the slave electronic devices;

each of the slave electronic devices connected between two end ones of the slave electronic devices receiving charging priority information of one or more rear slave electronic devices from a rear connected one of slave electronic devices, and transmitting charging priority information of a current slave electronic device and the received charging priority information to a front connected one of the slave electronic devices;

the end slave electronic device connected to the master electronic device receiving charging priority information of one or more rear slave electronic devices from a rear connected one of slave electronic devices, and transmitting its charging priority information and the received charging priority information to the master electronic device.

4. The method as described in claim 1, wherein in response to receiving a charging signal for charging a target one of the slave electronic devices from the master electronic device, charging the target one of the slave electronic devices comprises:

charging a current slave electronic device if the current slave electronic device is the target one of the slave electronic devices, or transmitting the charging signal to a rear connected one of slave electronic devices if the current slave electronic device is not the target one of the slave electronic devices.

5. A method for managing power of slave electronic devices using a master electronic device, the slave electronic devices being connected in sequence and an end one of the slave electronic devices being connected to the master electronic device, the method comprising:

in response to receiving charging priority information of the connected slave electronic devices from the end slave electronic device, determining a charging sequence of the slave electronic devices;

determining a target one of the slave electronic devices according to the charging sequence; and

sending a charging signal for charging the target one of the slave electronic devices to the connected slave electronic devices through the end slave electronic device.

6. The method as described in claim 5, wherein the charging sequence of the slave electronic devices is determined according to first charging priorities in the received charging priority information, or determined according to second charging priorities in the received charging priority information when two or more slave electronic devices having a same first charging priority.

7. An electronic device in serial connection to other electronic devices, the electronic device comprising:

a power measurement module;

at least one processor; and

a storage device storing a plurality of instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to;

determine a role of the electronic device to be a slave electronic device or a master electronic device;

when the electronic device is a slave electronic device and the other electronic devices comprise a master electronic device and slave electronic devices, control the power measurement module to measure a residual electrical capacity of the electronic device;

calculate a ratio of the measured residual electrical capacity of the electronic device;

determine a first charging priority of the electronic device according to the calculated ratio;

transmit charging priority information of each of the slave electronic devices to the master electronic device, the charging priority information comprising the first charging priority of each of the slave electronic devices;

in response to receiving a charging signal for charging a target one of the slave electronic devices from the master electronic device, charge the electronic device if the electronic device is the target one of the slave electronic devices, or transmit the charging signal to a rear connected one of slave electronic devices if the electronic device is not the target one of the slave electronic devices.

8. The electronic device described in claim 7, wherein the charging priority information further comprises a second charging priority of each of the slave electronic devices, the at least one processor of the electronic device further determines the second charging priority of the electronic device according to the connection sequence of the electronic device and the other electronic devices.

9. The electronic device as described in claim 8, wherein the at least one processor transmits charging priority information of each of the slave electronic devices to the master electronic device by:

transmitting the charging priority information of the electronic device to a front connected one of the slave electronic devices when the electronic device is an end one of the slave electronic devices farthest away from the master electronic device;

receiving charging priority information of one or more rear slave electronic devices from a rear connected one of slave electronic devices, and transmitting charging priority information of the electronic device and the received charging priority information to a front connected one of the slave electronic devices, when the electronic device is a slave electronic device connected between two end ones of the slave electronic devices;

receiving charging priority information of one or more rear slave electronic devices from a rear connected one of slave electronic devices, and transmitting the charging priority information of the electronic device and the received charging priority information to the master electronic device, when the electronic device is an end one of the slave electronic devices connected to the master electronic device.

10. The electronic device as described in claim 7, wherein when the electronic device is a master electronic device and the other electronic device are slave electronic devices, the at least one processor is further caused to:

in response to receiving charging priority information of the slave electronic devices from the end of the connected slave electronic devices, determine a charging sequence for the connected slave electronic devices;

determine a target one of the slave electronic devices according to the charging sequence; and

send a charging signal for charging the determined target one of the slave electronic devices to the connected slave electronic devices.

11. The electronic device as described in claim 10, wherein the at least one processor determines the charging sequence according to first charging priorities comprised in the received charging priority information, or determines the charging sequence according to second charging priorities comprised in the received charging priority information if two or more other similar electronic devices having a same first charging priority.

12. The electronic device as described in claim 7, wherein the at least one processor determines a role of the electronic device to be a slave electronic device or a master electronic device by:

determining the electronic device to be a master electronic device if the at least one processor determines that the electronic device is connected to a power source, or determining the electronic device to be a slave electronic device if the at least one processor determines that the electronic device is not connected to the power source.

13. The electronic device as described in claim 7, wherein the storage device further stores a table of parameters, each parameter comprising a ratio of the residual electrical capacity and an associated first charging priority, the at least one processor determines the first charging priority of the electronic device by querying the table to obtain the first charging priority associated with the calculated ratio.

14. The electronic device as described in claim 7, further comprises a first interface and a second interface, the electronic device communicates with a front connected one of the slave electronic devices through the first interface, and communicates with a rear connected electronic device through the second interface.

15. The electronic device as described in claim 14, further comprises a switch unit connected between the first interface, and the power supply unit and the second interface, wherein the at least one processor further controls the switch unit to selectively connect the first interface to the power supply unit if the electronic device is the target one of the slave electronic devices, or connect the first interface to the second interface if the electronic device is not the target one of the slave electronic devices.