CHARGING METHOD AND CHARGING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20150194834A1
• Filed: 01/05/2015
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Woo-Kwang
• Granted Patent: US 10,110,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00038 using passive battery identification means, e.g. resistors or capacitors identification by mechanical connections H02J7/0045
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current

Abstract

A charging method and a charging apparatus for an electronic device are provided. The method for charging a battery of a first electronic device, includes determining whether a current supply device is connected to a second electronic device connected to the first electronic device, recognizing at least one external device connected to the second electronic device when the current supply device is connected to the second electronic device, setting a charging current based on the recognized at least one external device, and receiving the set charging current from the current supply device connected to the second electronic device and charging the battery of the first electronic device.

Claims

1. A method for charging a battery of a first electronic device, the method comprising:

determining whether a current supply device is connected to a second electronic device connected to the first electronic device;

recognizing at least one external device connected to the second electronic device when the current supply device is connected to the second electronic device;

setting a charging current based on the recognized at least one external device; and

receiving the set charging current from the current supply device connected to the second electronic device and charging the battery of the first electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising supplying, when the current supply device is not connected to the second electronic device, a predetermined voltage to the second electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of whether the current supply device is connected to the second electronic device connected to the first electronic device comprises recognizing a specified resistance corresponding to whether the current supply device is connected.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the set charging current is one of set in reverse proportion to a number of the recognized at least one external device and set based on information included in a universal serial bus (USB) descriptor.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the USB descriptor comprises at least one of a device descriptor, a configuration descriptor, an interface descriptor, an endpoint descriptor, and a string descriptor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, when the current supply device is connected to the second electronic device, a rest current obtained by subtracting the set charging current from a current of the current supply device is supplied to the recognized at least one external device connected to the second electronic device.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein, when the current supply device is connected to the second electronic device, the recognized at least one external device connected to the second electronic device is supplied with a required current from the current supply device, and

wherein the rest current is obtained by subtracting the required current is used as the set charging current.

8. A method for supporting battery charging of a first electronic device in a second electronic device, the method comprising:

outputting, when a current supply device is connected to the second electronic device connected to the first electronic device, a signal for a specified resistance corresponding to connection of the current supply device to the first electronic device; and

supplying a predetermined current to at least one external device connected to the second electronic device, and supplying a charging current to the first electronic device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving, when the current supply device is not connected to the second electronic device, a predetermined voltage from the second electronic device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the charging current is set in reverse proportion to a number of the at least one external device or is set based on information included in a universal serial bus (USB) descriptor, by the first electronic device.

11. An apparatus for charging a battery of a first electronic device, the apparatus comprising:

a processor configured;

to determine whether the current supply device is connected to the second electronic device connected to the first electronic device and,

to recognize, when the current supply device is connected to the second electronic device, at least one external device connected to the second electronic device; and

a charging unit configured;

to set a charging current based on the recognized at least one external device, and

to receive the set charging current from the current supply device connected to the second electronic device and charging the battery of the first electronic device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to supply a predetermined voltage to the second electronic device, when the current supply device is not connected to the second electronic device.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to recognize a specified resistance corresponding to whether the current supply device is connected in order to determine whether the current supply device is connected to the second electronic device connected to the first electronic device.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the set charging current is one of set in reverse proportion to a number of the recognized at least one external device and set based on information included in a universal serial bus (USB) descriptor.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the USB descriptor comprises at least one of a device descriptor, a configuration descriptor, an interface descriptor, an endpoint descriptor, and a string descriptor.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, when the current supply device is connected to the second electronic device, a rest current obtained by subtracting the set charging current from a current of the current supply device is supplied to the recognized at least one external device connected to the second electronic device.

17. The apparatus of claim 11,

wherein, when the current supply device is connected to the second electronic device, the recognized at least one external device connected to the second electronic device is supplied with a required current from the current supply device, and

wherein the rest current is obtained by subtracting the required current is used as the set charging current.

18. An apparatus for supporting battery charging of a first electronic device in a second electronic device, the apparatus comprising:

a control unit configured;

to output, when a current supply device is connected to the second electronic device connected to the first electronic device, a signal for a specified resistance corresponding to connection of the current supply device to the first electronic device, and

to supply a predetermined current to at least one external device connected to the second electronic device, and supplying a charging current to the first electronic device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the control unit is further configured to receive a predetermined voltage from the first electronic device, when the current supply device is not connected to the second electronic device.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising the charging current is set in reverse proportion to a number of the at least one external device or is set based on information included in a universal serial bus (USB) descriptor, by the first electronic device.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the current supply device is configured:

to receive information about the charging current set in the first electronic device,

to supply a part of a current output from the travel adaptor to the first electronic device as the charging current, and

to supply a remaining part of the charging current to the second electronic device.