POWER STORAGE ADAPTER FOR EFFICIENT SUPPLY OF POWER OF MULTIPLE PORTABLE INFORMATION HANDLING SYSTEMS

• US 20190064914A1
• Filed: 08/24/2017
• Published: 02/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Krishnakumar, Karthikeyan, Sultenfuss, Andrew Thomas, Thompson, Richard Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 10,642,333 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: 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 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0025 Sequential battery discharge in systems with a plurality of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A power storage adapter may use a method for efficient supply of power of multiple portable information handling systems. In particular, when electrical power is delivered from a battery to at least one of the portable information handling systems, the power storage adapter may deliver electrical power from the battery to another portable information handling system when the battery has sufficient battery capacity such that the power is supplied efficiently.

Claims

1. A power storage adapter (PSA), comprising:

a first PSA port and a second PSA port;

a PSA battery; and

a PSA controller having access to memory media storing instructions executable by the PSA controller to;

establish a first power delivery contract to supply a first electrical power from the PSA to a first portable information handling system coupled to the power storage adapter at the first PSA port; and

when an AC line power source does not supply electrical power to the PSA battery;

receive a request for a second power delivery contract from a second portable information handling system coupled to the power storage adapter at the second PSA port, the second power delivery contract to supply a second electrical power to the second portable information handling system;

responsive to receiving the request, determine a battery capacity of the PSA battery; and

when the battery capacity is sufficient to supply a sum of the first electrical power and the second electrical power for a first minimum duration, perform a first power state analysis further comprising;

determine a first battery threshold power above which the second electrical power supplied at the second PSA port, in addition to the first electrical power supplied at the first PSA port, is supplied with less than a specified power loss;

determine a power margin of the PSA as a difference between a maximum power rating of the PSA and the first electrical power; and

when the power margin is greater than or equal to the first battery threshold power, establish the second power delivery contract.

2. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein the first power state analysis further comprises instructions to:

determine power delivery states for the second PSA port specifying at most the second electrical power, wherein a power delivery state specifies a voltage, a power, a power loss, and a temperature rise;

determine a start temperature at the PSA and a maximum temperature rise with respect to the start temperature;

select a power delivery state for the second PSA port having the temperature rise less than the maximum temperature rise and a lowest power loss; and

establish the second power delivery contract for the power delivery state selected.

3. The power storage adapter of claim 1, further comprising instructions to, when the power margin is less than the first battery threshold power:

discontinue supplying the first electrical power at the first PSA port;

responsive to discontinuing supplying the first electrical power, determine a second battery threshold power above which the second electrical power supplied at the second PSA port is supplied with less than the specified power loss; and

when the maximum power rating is greater than or equal to the second battery threshold power, establish the second power delivery contract.

4. The power storage adapter of claim 1, further comprising instructions to:

when the battery capacity is not sufficient to supply the sum of the first electrical power and the second electrical power for the first minimum duration, discontinue supplying the first electrical power at the first PSA port; and

responsive to discontinuing supplying the first electrical power, when the battery capacity is sufficient to supply the second electrical power for a second minimum duration, perform a second power state analysis further comprising;

determine a second battery threshold power above which the second electrical power supplied at the second PSA port is supplied with less than the specified power loss; and

when the maximum power rating is greater than or equal to the second battery threshold power, establish the second power delivery contract.

5. The power storage adapter of claim 4, wherein the second power state analysis further comprises instructions to:

determine power delivery states for the second PSA port specifying at most the second electrical power, wherein a power delivery state specifies a voltage, a power, a power loss, and a temperature rise;

determine a start temperature at the PSA and a maximum temperature rise with respect to the start temperature;

select a power delivery state for the second PSA port having the temperature rise less than the maximum temperature rise and a lowest power loss; and

establish the second power delivery contract for the power delivery state selected.

6. The power storage adapter of claim 1, further comprising instructions to:

prior to establishing the first power delivery contract, establish a reserved power delivery contract to supply a reserved electrical power from the power storage adapter at the second PSA port, wherein the reserved electrical power enables the power storage adapter to supply a minimum electrical power at the first PSA port and at the second PSA port, and wherein the minimum electrical power is selected to enable operation of a PSA port.

7. The power storage adapter of claim 6, wherein the instructions to establish the second power delivery contract further comprise instructions to:

discontinue supplying the reserved electrical power at the second PSA port.

8. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein the first electrical power is supplied at a first DC voltage and the second electrical power is supplied at a second DC voltage.

9. The power storage adapter of claim 8, wherein the specified power loss results from at least one of:

a power loss associated with the first DC voltage, and a power loss associated with the second DC voltage, and wherein the first DC voltage and the second DC voltage are different voltages, and wherein the first PSA port and the second PSA port are USB Type-C ports.

10. The power storage adapter of claim 1, wherein the first minimum duration and a second minimum duration are at least 5 watt-hours, a maximum temperature rise is at most 1.2°

F. rise for 15 minutes, and the specified power loss is based on at least power delivery states for the second PSA port specifying at most the second electrical power, wherein a power delivery state specifies a voltage, a power, a power loss, and a temperature rise, and the specified power loss and the temperature rise are based on characterization at the specified voltage and power.

11. A method, comprising:

establishing a first power delivery contract to supply a first electrical power from a power storage adapter (PSA) to a first portable information handling system coupled to the power storage adapter at a first PSA port of the PSA; and

when an AC line power source does not supply electrical power to the PSA battery;

receiving a request for a second power delivery contract from a second portable information handling system coupled to the PSA at a second PSA port of the PSA, the second power delivery contract to supply a second electrical power to the second portable information handling system;

responsive to receiving the request, determining a battery capacity of the PSA battery; and

when the battery capacity is sufficient to supply a sum of the first electrical power and the second electrical power for a first minimum duration, performing a first power state analysis further comprising;

determining a first battery threshold power above which the second electrical power supplied at the second PSA port, in addition to the first electrical power supplied at the first PSA port, is supplied with less than a specified power loss;

determining a power margin of the PSA as a difference between a maximum power rating of the PSA and the first electrical power; and

when the power margin is greater than or equal to the first battery threshold power, establishing the second power delivery contract.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first power state analysis further comprises:

determining power delivery states for the second PSA port specifying at most the second electrical power, wherein a power delivery state specifies a voltage, a power, a power loss, and a temperature rise;

determining a start temperature at the PSA and a maximum temperature rise with respect to the start temperature;

selecting a power delivery state for the second PSA port having the temperature rise less than the maximum temperature rise and a lowest power loss; and

establishing the second power delivery contract for the power delivery state selected.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising, when the power margin is less than the first battery threshold power:

discontinuing supplying the first electrical power at the first PSA port;

responsive to discontinuing supplying the first electrical power, determining a second battery threshold power above which the second electrical power supplied at the second PSA port is supplied with less than the specified power loss; and

when the maximum power rating is greater than or equal to the second battery threshold power, establishing the second power delivery contract.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

when the battery capacity is not sufficient to supply the sum of the first electrical power and the second electrical power for the first minimum duration, discontinuing supplying the first electrical power at the first PSA port; and

responsive to discontinuing supplying the first electrical power, when the battery capacity is sufficient to supply the second electrical power for a second minimum duration, performing a second power state analysis further comprising;

determining a second battery threshold power above which the second electrical power supplied at the second PSA port is supplied with less than the specified power loss; and

when the maximum power rating is greater than or equal to the second battery threshold power, establishing the second power delivery contract.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second power state analysis further comprising:

determining power delivery states for the second PSA port specifying at most the second electrical power, wherein a power delivery state specifies a voltage, a power, a power loss, and a temperature rise;

determining a start temperature at the PSA and a maximum temperature rise with respect to the start temperature;

selecting a power delivery state for the second PSA port having the temperature rise less than the maximum temperature rise and a lowest power loss; and

establishing the second power delivery contract for the power delivery state selected.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

prior to establishing the first power delivery contract, establishing a reserved power delivery contract to supply a reserved electrical power from the power storage adapter at the second PSA port, wherein the reserved electrical power enables the power storage adapter to supply a minimum electrical power at the first PSA port and at the second PSA port, and wherein the minimum electrical power is selected to enable operation of a PSA port.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein establishing the second power delivery contract further comprises:

discontinuing supplying the reserved electrical power at the second PSA port.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the first electrical power is supplied at a first DC voltage and the second electrical power is supplied at a second DC voltage.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the specified power loss results from at least one of:

a power loss associated with the first DC voltage, and a power loss associated with the second DC voltage, and wherein the first DC voltage and the second DC voltage are different voltages, and wherein the first PSA port and the second PSA port are USB Type-C ports.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the first minimum duration and a second minimum duration are at least 5 watt-hours, a maximum temperature rise is at most 1.2°

F. rise for 15 minutes, and the specified power loss is based on at least power delivery states for the second PSA port specifying at most the second electrical power, wherein a power delivery state specifies a voltage, a power, a power loss, and a temperature rise, and the specified power loss and the temperature rise are based on characterization at the specified voltage and power.