ADJUSTABLE POWER DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS (USB) TYPE-C

• US 20170293335A1
• Filed: 05/31/2016
• Published: 10/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Dunstan, Robert A., Nguyen, Don J., Nge, Chee Lim, Yoder, James M.
• Application Number:
  US15/169,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20170293335A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 13/4022 using switching circuits, e.g. switching matrix, connection or expansion network G06F13/4009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4282 on a serial bus, e.g. I2C bus, SPI bus on daisy chain buses G06F13/4247
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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: H02M 1/08 Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A Power Provider is described which comprises a pull-up resistive device to pull-up a sideband unit (SBU) pin; and logic to adjust voltage level on a power supply node (VBUS) according to the voltage and/or current condition on the SBU pin. A Power Consumer is described which comprises: logic to modulate voltage and/or current on SBU pin; and logic to receive a power supply on a power supply node (VBUS) according to the modulated voltage and/or current on the SBU pin. A USB system is described which comprises: a power provider having a first SBU pin which is pulled high; a power consumer having a second SBU pin, wherein the power consumer is operable to modulate voltage/current on the second SBU pin; and a USB Type-C cable coupled to the power provider and the power consumer such that the first and second SBU pins are electrically connected.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a pull-up resistive device to pull-up a sideband unit (SBU) pin; and

logic to adjust a voltage level on a bus voltage (VBUS) pin according to a voltage or current condition on the SBU pin.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the SBU pin is part of a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C connector.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pull-up resistive device is a resistor having a first terminal coupled to an interconnect which is coupled to the SBU pin, and a second terminal coupled an internal power supply node.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic is a Power Delivery (PD) Controller which is complaint with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C Specification.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 comprises a switch coupled to the VBUS pin and controllable by the SBU pin.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the SBU pin is coupled to a consumer device which is operable to modulate voltage or current on the SBU pin.

7. An apparatus comprising:

logic to modulate a voltage or current;

circuit to receive the modulated voltage or current, wherein the circuit is coupled to a sideband unit (SBU) pin and is to modify a voltage or current condition of the SBU pin; and

a bus voltage (VBUS) pin to receive a power supply according to the voltage or current condition of the SBU pin.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the SBU pin is part of a Universal Serial Bus Type-C connector.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the logic is to modulate the voltage and/or current using a pulse width modulator.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the SBU pin is electrically coupled to a power provider which comprises:

a pull-up resistive device to pull-up the SBU pin; and

logic to adjust a voltage level on the VBUS pin according to the voltage or current condition on the SBU pin.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the pull-up resistive device is a resistor having a first terminal coupled to an interconnect which is coupled to the SBU pin, and a second terminal coupled an internal power supply node.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the logic of the power provider is a Power Delivery (PD) Controller which is complaint with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C Specification.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the power provider comprises a switch coupled to the VBUS pin and controllable by the SBU pin.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a pull-up resistive device to pull-up a dedicated pin; and

logic to adjust a voltage level on a bus voltage (VBUS) pin according to a voltage or current condition on the dedicated pin.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the dedicated pin is part of a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C connector.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the pull-up resistive device is a resistor having a first terminal coupled to an interconnect which is coupled to the dedicated pin, and a second terminal coupled an internal power supply node.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the logic is a Power Delivery (PD) Controller which is complaint with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C Specification.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 comprises a switch coupled to the VBUS pin and controllable by the dedicated pin.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the dedicated pin is coupled to a consumer device which is operable to modulate voltage or current on the dedicated pin.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the dedicated pin is a Sideband Unit (SBU) pin.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the dedicated pin is a data pin.