USB port with smart power management

• US 8,084,987 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Active-Semi, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Active-Semi, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hurtz, Gary M.
• Primary Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, ARUN C
• Application Number:
  US12/069,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20090200982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103
• US Class Current: 320/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3253 Power saving in bus
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 323/901 Starting circuits

Abstract

A method involves detecting an inrush current that flows out of a USB port of a first electronic device when a central processing unit (CPU) of the first electronic device is not being powered. The inrush current is detected by a novel inrush current detect circuit when a second electronic device is connected to the USB port. In one example, the first electronic device is a laptop computer having a battery and a USB DC-to-DC converter. The inrush current detect circuit enables the USB DC-to-DC converter such that the USB DC-to-DC converter receives power from the battery and supplies a regulated voltage to the second electronic device through the USB port while the CPU remains unpowered (not drawing power from the battery).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) detecting an inrush current condition of a USB port when a central processing unit (CPU) of a first electronic device is not being powered, wherein the first electronic device includes the USB port and the CPU, and wherein the inrush current condition is due to a second electronic device being plugged into the USB port.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inrush current condition is detected in (a) by supplying a regulated voltage onto a terminal of the USB port and determining whether a current flowing out of the USB port is larger than a predetermined current.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the regulated voltage is supplied by a voltage regulator having a limited current capacity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the inrush current condition is detected in (a) by applying a current source onto a terminal of the USB port and determining whether a voltage on the terminal of the USB port is lower than a predetermined voltage.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device is a battery-powered device having a battery, and wherein the CPU of the battery-powered device remains unpowered.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

(b) in response to said detecting, enabling a DC-to-DC converter of the first electronic device such that the DC-to-DC converter receives power from the battery and supplies a regulated voltage onto a terminal of the USB port, wherein the regulated voltage is supplied onto the terminal when the CPU of the first electronic device remains unpowered.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(b) in response to said detecting, transferring information between the first electronic device and the second electronic device through the USB port.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device is not plugged into any external AC power.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(b) supplying a voltage onto a terminal of the USB port while the CPU of the first electronic device is not being powered and before the second electronic device is plugged into the USB port.

10. A device comprising:

a central processor unit (CPU);

a USB port; and

means for detecting an inrush current condition when the CPU is not being powered, wherein the inrush current condition is due to a second electronic device being plugged into the USB port.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the means is also for supplying a regulated voltage onto a terminal of the USB port, and wherein the means comprises a DC-to-DC converter that is enabled when the means detects the inrush current condition.

12. A method comprising:

(a) detecting an inrush current flowing out of a USB port when a central processing unit (CPU) of a battery-powered device is not being powered, wherein the battery-powered device includes the USB port, the CPU, a battery, and a DC-to-DC converter; and

(b) in response to said detecting, enabling the DC-to-DC converter so that the DC-to-DC converter receives power from the battery and supplies a regulated voltage onto a terminal of the USB port, wherein the regulated voltage is supplied onto the terminal when the CPU is not being powered by the battery.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the inrush current is due to an electronic device being plugged into the USB port.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the inrush current is detected in (a) by determining whether a current flowing out of the USB port is larger than a predetermined current.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the inrush current is detected in (a) by determining whether a voltage on the terminal is lower than a predetermined voltage.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

(c) detecting that a current flowing out of the USB port is less than a predetermined current; and

(d) in response to the detecting of (c), disabling the DC-to-DC converter.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the DC-to-DC converter is not coupled to supply power to the CPU.

18. A device comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU) that is unpowered;

a battery;

a USB port;

a DC-to-DC converter; and

an inrush current detect circuit, wherein upon a detection of an inrush current flowing out of the USB port, the inrush current detect circuit enables the DC-to-DC converter such that the DC-to-DC converter receives power from the battery and supplies a regulated DC voltage onto a terminal of the USB port, and wherein the regulated DC voltage is supplied onto the terminal while the CPU remains unpowered.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the inrush current is due to an electronic device being plugged into the USB port.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the DC-to-DC converter is disabled when a current flowing out of the USB port is less than a predetermined current.

21. The device of claim 18, wherein the inrush current detect circuit comprises:

a voltage source that is coupled to the terminal of the USB port;

a comparator that compares a voltage on the voltage source and a reference voltage, wherein the comparator outputs a digital value; and

a control logic circuit that receives the digital value and in response enables the DC-to-DC converter.

22. The device of claim 18, wherein the inrush current detect circuit comprises:

a current source having an output node coupled to the terminal of the USB port, wherein the current source outputs a control signal; and

a control logic circuit that receives the control signal and in response enables the DC-to-DC converter.

23. The device of claim 18, wherein the inrush current detect circuit comprises:

a voltage regulator that outputs a voltage; and

a selection circuit that is controlled by the voltage regulator and that couples a selectable one of either the voltage provided by the voltage regulator or a voltage provided by the DC-to-DC converter onto the terminal of the USB port.

24. An integrated circuit comprising:

a first terminal that receives a first supply voltage;

a second terminal that receives a second supply voltage;

a DC-to-DC converter that is operable in an enabled mode and a disabled mode, wherein the DC-to-DC converter is powered by the first supply voltage and generates a third voltage in the enabled mode;

a selection circuit that is controllable by the second supply voltage and that couples a selectable one of either the second supply voltage or the third voltage onto a third terminal; and

an inrush current detect circuit powered by the first supply voltage, wherein the inrush current detect circuit detects an inrush current flowing out of the third terminal and enables the DC-to-DC converter to operate in the enabled mode, wherein a host device includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a USB port, wherein the third terminal is on the USB port, and wherein the CPU is not being powered when an electronic device is being plugged into the USB port of the host device.

25. The integrated circuit of claim 24, wherein the third terminal is a power terminal of the USB port, and wherein the inrush current is due to an electronic device being plugged into the USB port.

26. The integrated circuit of claim 24, further comprising:

a USB transceiver that is powered by the second supply voltage through a voltage regulator.