Charging device

• US 8,169,196 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2007
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Vantu, Florin, Liedholm, Ulf, Ambrus, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US11/839,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20090001938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• Field of Search: 320/165, 320/107, 320/112, 320/114
• US Class Current: 320/165
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0036 using connection detecting circuits H02J7/0034 takes precedence

Abstract

A method performed by a charging device may include detecting a presence of an external device connected to a secondary side of the charging device and setting a switch on a primary side of the charging device to an off state when a presence of an external device is not detected.

Claims

1. A method performed by a charging device, the method comprising:

monitoring a voltage signal from an external device against a predetermined voltage threshold;

monitoring an electrical current signal from the external device against a predetermined current threshold;

detecting whether the external device is both present and charging based on a combination of the monitored voltage signal, with respect to the predetermined voltage threshold, and the monitored electric current signal, with respect to the predetermined current signal;

setting a switch on a primary side of the charging device to an off state when the presence and charging of the external device are not detected, where, when the switch on a primary side of the charging device is set to an off state, the charging device consumes no power;

detecting when both the charging device is reconnected to an AC voltage and when the external device was previously connected to the charging device; and

in response to the detecting when both the charging device is reconnected to an AC voltage and when the external device was previously connected to the charging device, controlling and powering switching logic to an on state.

2. The method of claim 1, where the detecting whether the external device is present and charging further comprises:

detecting whether an output connection switch of the charging device is in an off state; and

detecting that the external device is not present when the output connection switch is in the off state.

3. The method of claim 1, where the detecting whether the external device is present and charging further comprises:

detecting that the external device is not present using a proximity detector.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

charging the external device using the switching logic in the on state; and

causing the switching logic to consume no power while in the on state.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

resetting the switch on the primary side to an on state based on user input.

6. A charging device, comprising:

an alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) converter, where the AC to DC converter includes a primary side that receives power from an AC power source and a secondary side that provides power to an external device;

a switch connected between the AC power source and the primary side of the AC to DC converter, the switch including an on state and an off state, wherein, when the switch is set to the off state, the charging device consumes no power; and

switching logic configured to;

determine whether an external device is presently connected to the charging device;

determine whether the external device connected to the charging device is fully charged;

send a control signal to the switch to set the switch to the off state when the switching logic determines that no external device is presently connected to the charging device;

send a control signal to the switch to set the switch to the off state when the switching logic determines the external device is fully charged; and

send a control signal to the switch to set the switch to the on state when the switching logic determines that the charging device is reconnected to the AC power source and when the external device was previously connected to the charging device.

7. The charging device of claim 6, where the switching logic is further configured to:

determine that the external device is fully charged when less than a predetermined amount of current is being drawn by the charging device.

8. The charging device of claim 6, further comprising:

another switch configured to transmit a signal indicating that the external device is presently connected to the charging device.

9. The charging device of claim 6, further comprising:

a proximity sensor configured to transmit a signal indicating that the external device is presently connected to the charging device.

10. A charging device, comprising:

means for detecting a presence of at least one of an external device or a cord connected to the charging device;

means for detecting whether the external device is fully charged based on a combination of a monitored voltage signal and a monitored electric current signal;

means for setting a switch between an alternating current (AC) power source and a primary side of an AC to direct current (DC) converter on the charging device to an off state when;

a presence of the at least one of the external device or the cord is not detected, or

the external device is fully charged, wherein the charging device consumes no power when the switch is set to the off state;

means for detecting both when the charging device is reconnected to an AC voltage and when the external device was previously connected to the charging device; and

means for resetting the switch to an on state when it is detected that the charging device is reconnected to an AC voltage and the external device was previously connected to the charging device.

11. The charging device of claim 10, where the means for detecting a presence of at least one of the external device or the cord comprises another switch.

12. The charging device of claim 11, where the other switch is activated by at least one of the external device, the cord, or an actuator.

13. The charging device of claim 10, where the means for detecting a presence of at least one of the external device or the cord comprises a proximity detector.