DYNAMIC VCONN SWAPPING IN DUAL-POWERED TYPE-C CABLE APPLICATIONS

• US 20190332150A1
• Filed: 04/12/2019
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Bodnaruk, Nicholas Alexander, Bajpai, Pradeep Kumar, Arulappan, Godwin Gerald, Khodabandehlou, Hamid
• Granted Patent: US 10,719,112 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 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/0042 Universal serial bus [USB]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0006 Arrangements for supplying an adequate voltage to the control circuit of converters

Abstract

A semiconductor device for a USB Type-C cable includes a first terminal to couple to a first VCONN line from a first end of the cable, a second terminal to couple to a second VCONN line from the second end of the cable, a charge pump, and a switch circuit coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal. The switch circuit includes a first drain-extended n-type field effect transistor (DENFET) coupled between the first terminal and an internal power supply of the semiconductor device; a first pump switch coupled between the charge pump and a gate of the first DENFET; a second DENFET coupled between the second terminal and the internal power supply; and a second pump switch coupled between the charge pump and a gate of the second DENFET.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A semiconductor device for a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C cable, the semiconductor device comprising:

a first terminal to couple to a first VCONN line from a first end of the USB Type-C cable;

a second terminal to couple to a second VCONN line from a second end of the USB Type-C cable;

a voltage boost circuit; and

a switch circuit coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal, the switch circuit comprising;

a first transistor coupled between the first terminal and an internal power supply of the semiconductor device;

a first switch coupled between the voltage boost circuit and a control terminal control terminal of the first transistor;

a second transistor coupled between the second terminal and the internal power supply; and

a second switch coupled between the voltage boost circuit and a control terminal of the second transistor.

22. The semiconductor device of claim 21, wherein the switch circuit is configured to dynamically switch a power supply from one of the first VCONN line and the second VCONN line to the internal power supply of the semiconductor device back and forth between the first terminal and the second terminal, respectively.

23. The semiconductor device of claim 21, further comprising hardware logic coupled to the internal power supply, to the first switch, and to the second switch, the hardware logic to, upon start up:

detect a voltage coming from one of the first terminal or the second terminal; and

turn on one of the first switch or the second switch corresponding to the one of the first terminal or the second terminal from which the voltage was detected, to pass a pump voltage from the voltage boost circuit to the control terminal of one of the first transistor or second transistor, respectively.

24. The semiconductor device of claim 21, wherein the first and second transistors are n-type field effect transistors (NFETs).

25. The semiconductor device of claim 23, wherein the hardware logic is further to:

during start up, set a switch disable signal and a switch enable active signal to zero for each of the first switch and the second switch; and

in response to detection of the voltage coming from the first terminal;

set to one the switch enable active signal to the first switch;

set to zero the switch enable active signal to the second switch; and

set to one the switch disable signal to the second switch.

26. The semiconductor device of claim 21, further comprising:

a first resistor coupled between the first terminal and the control terminal of the first transistor;

a first diode clamp coupled between the control terminal of the first transistor and ground;

a second resistor coupled between the second terminal and the control terminal of the second transistor; and

a second diode clamp coupled between the control terminal of the second transistor and ground.

27. The semiconductor device of claim 21, further comprising:

a first resistor coupled between a source of the first transistor and the internal power supply of the semiconductor device;

a second resistor coupled between a source of the second transistor and the internal power supply; and

wherein the first resistor and the second resistor are to provide electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection from an over-current surge from either of the first terminal or the second terminal, respectively.

28. A method comprising:

operating a semiconductor device for a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Type-C cable, the semiconductor device comprising a first terminal, a first transistor coupled between the first terminal and an internal power supply, a first switch coupled to a control terminal of the first transistor, and control logic coupled to the first switch, wherein operating the semiconductor device comprises;

powering on the first transistor from a voltage, received at the first terminal, falling across a resistive element that is coupled between the first terminal and a control terminal of the first transistor;

powering on an internal power supply of the semiconductor device in response to the voltage being passed through the first transistor to the internal power supply;

powering up the semiconductor device in response to the powering on the internal power supply; and

operating the control logic of the semiconductor device to fully power on the first transistor, and thus enter an active mode of the semiconductor device, in response to the powering up of the semiconductor device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the powering on the internal power supply is to a voltage level that is to de-assert a power-on-reset circuit of the semiconductor device.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the semiconductor device further comprises a second terminal, a second control terminal coupled between the second terminal and the internal power supply, a second switch coupled to a control terminal of the second transistor and to the control logic, and wherein operating the control logic further comprises:

enabling a voltage boost circuit that is coupled to the first switch and to the second switch;

first detecting, by a voltage detection circuit, that a voltage from the first terminal exceeds a threshold voltage; and

in response to the first detecting;

turning on the first switch to pass a pump voltage from the voltage boost circuit o the control terminal of the first transistor, to fully activate the first transistor; and

turning off the second switch to disable the second transistor, which pulls the control terminal of the second transistor to ground.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein operating the control logic further comprises:

during powering on of the semiconductor device, setting a switch disable signal and a switch enable active signal to zero for each of the first switch and the second switch; and

in response to detecting the voltage coming from the first terminal;

setting to one the switch enable active signal to the first switch;

setting to zero the switch enable active signal to the second switch; and

setting to one the switch disable signal to the second switch.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the first detecting the voltage from the first terminal further comprises also detecting a second voltage from the second terminal that is greater than the threshold voltage.

33. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

second detecting, by the voltage detection circuit, that a voltage from the second terminal exceeds the threshold voltage;

in response to the second detecting;

turning on the second switch to pass the pump voltage from the voltage boost circuit to the control terminal of the second transistor, to fully activate the second transistor; and

turning off the first switch to disable the first transistor, which pulls the control terminal of the first transistor to ground.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

detecting multiple, successive changes in the voltage from the second terminal that passes back and forth between exceeding the threshold voltage and not exceeding the threshold voltage; and

waiting until the voltage from the second terminal exceeds the threshold voltage for a predetermined amount of time before turning on the second switch and turning off the first switch, to cause a swap to being powered via the second terminal.

35. A system comprising:

a first USB Type-C plug at a first end of a USB Type-C cable;

a first VCONN line coupled to the first USB Type-C plug; and

a first integrated circuit (IC) controller comprising;

a first terminal coupled to the first VCONN line;

a first transistor coupled between the first terminal and a first internal power supply of the first IC controller;

a first switch coupled between a first voltage boost circuit and a control terminal of the first transistor; and

first hardware logic coupled to the first switch, to the first voltage boost circuit, and to the first internal power supply, the first hardware logic to;

detect a received voltage coming from the first terminal; and

turn on the first switch in response to detection of the received voltage from the first terminal, to pass a control voltage from the first voltage boost circuit to a control terminal of the first transistor.

36. The system of claim 35, further comprising:

a second USB Type-C plug at a second end of the USB Type-C cable;

a second VCONN line coupled to the second USB Type-C plug; and

a second IC controller comprising;

a second terminal coupled to the second VCONN line;

a second transistor coupled between the second terminal and a second internal power supply;

a second switch coupled between a second charge pump and a control terminal of the second transistor; and

second hardware logic coupled to the second switch, to the second charge pump, and to the second internal power supply, the second hardware logic to;

detect a voltage coming from the second terminal; and

turn on the second switch in response to detection of the voltage from the second terminal, to pass a pump voltage from the second charge pump to a control terminal of the second transistor.

37. The system of claim 35, further comprising:

a second USB Type-C plug at a second end of the USB Type-C cable;

a second VCONN line coupled to the second USB Type-C plug; and

wherein the first IC controller further comprises;

a second terminal coupled to the second VCONN line of the USB Type-C cable;

a second transistor coupled between the second terminal and the first internal power supply; and

a second switch coupled between the first charge pump and a control terminal of the second transistor; and

wherein the first hardware logic is further coupled to the second switch and is to;

detect a threshold voltage coming from the second terminal;

turn on the second switch in response to detection of the voltage from the second terminal, to pass a voltage from the first charge pump to a control terminal of the second transistor; and

turn off the first switch.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the hardware logic is further to:

during start up, set a switch disable signal and a switch enable active signal to zero for each of the first switch and the second switch; and

in response to detection of the voltage coming from the second terminal;

set to one a switch enable active signal to the second switch;

set to zero a switch enable active signal to the first switch; and

set to one the switch disable signal to the first switch.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the first IC controller further comprises:

a first resistor coupled between the first terminal and the control terminal of the first transistor;

a first diode clamp coupled between the control terminal of the first transistor and ground;

a second resistor coupled between the second terminal and the control terminal of the second transistor; and

a second diode clamp coupled between the control terminal of the second transistor and ground.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein the first IC controller further comprises:

a first resistor coupled between a source of the first transistor and the first internal power supply;

a second resistor coupled between the source of the second transistor and the first internal power supply; and

wherein the first resistor and the second resistor are to provide electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection from an over-current surge from either of the first terminal or the second terminal, respectively.