Systems and methods for powering a charging circuit of a communications interface

• US 9,041,241 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2012
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analogix Semiconductor, Inc. (Beijing Shanhai Capital Management Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Analogix Semiconductor, Inc. (Beijing Shanhai Capital Management Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhu, Ning, Chi, Hongwu
• Primary Examiner(s): Kaplan, Hal
• Application Number:
  US13/353,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20120229076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 307/1, 307/3, 307/4
• US Class Current: 307/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/16 in which the return channel carries supervisory signals, e.g. repetition request signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/02 Details ; arrangements for supplying electrical power along data transmission lines systems for transmitting signals via power distribution lines H04B3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/028 Arrangements specific to the transmitter end

Abstract

Embodiments include systems and methods of powering a mobile device using a sink device. The method may include detecting a coupling of the mobile device to the sink device and transmitting an acknowledgement in response to a query, the acknowledgement confirming that the sink device has charging capability. Power may be selectively provided in response to the power request. According to some embodiments, the method includes transmitting a query by a communications transmitter to determine if a sink device has charging capability, and deactivating a driver for a power line and transmitting a power request using the communications transmitter in response to receiving an acknowledgement signal from the sink device. The method may further include selectively providing power received from the sink device to a charging circuit of the mobile device. The mobile device may include an HDMI transmitter for communicating through a transmission line to an HDMI sink device.

Claims

1. A method of powering a mobile device using a sink device, comprising:

detecting a coupling of the mobile device to a communications receiver of the sink device;

transmitting an acknowledgement from the communications receiver in response to a query, the acknowledgement confirming that the sink device has charging capability;

receiving a power request to provide power to the mobile device; and

selectively providing power to the mobile device in response to the power request.

2. The method of claim 1, the communications receiver comprising a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) receiver.

3. The method of claim 1, the query comprising a request to read data from one or more predetermined memory addresses.

4. The method of claim 1, the power request comprising a request to write data to one or more predetermined memory addresses.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a shut down request from the mobile device;

halting the providing of power from the sink device to the mobile device in response to receiving the shut down request; and

transmitting a confirmation signal confirming that power is no longer being provided by the sink device to the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 5, the shut down request comprising a request to write data to one or more predetermined memory addresses.

7. A method of powering a mobile device, comprising:

transmitting a query by a communications transmitter of the mobile device through a transmission line to determine if a sink device has charging capability;

deactivating a driver for a power line and transmitting a power request using the communications transmitter in response to receiving an acknowledgement from the sink device;

receiving power from the sink device via the transmission line; and

in response to receiving power via the transmission line, selectively providing the received power to a charging circuit of the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7, the communications transmitter comprising a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) transmitter.

9. The method of claim 7, the query comprising a request to read data from one or more predetermined memory addresses.

10. The method of claim 7, the power request comprising a request to write date to one or more predetermined memory addresses.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting a shut down request;

halting the providing of the received power to the charging circuit; and

activating the driver for the power line in response to receiving a confirmation signal confirming that power is not being provided by the sink device.

12. The method of claim 11, the shut down request comprising a request to write data to one or more predetermined memory addresses.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising drawing additional power from the communications transmitter.

14. A system for powering a mobile device comprising:

a mobile device configured to transmit a query by a communications transmitter through a transmission line to determine if a sink device has charging capability; and

the sink device, where the sink device is configured to transmit an acknowledgement from a communications receiver in response to the query confirming that the sink device has charging capability, receive a power request to provide power to the mobile device, and selectively provide power to the mobile device in response to the power request.

15. The system of claim 14, where the communications receiver comprises a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) receiver.

16. The system of claim 14, where the communications transmitter comprises a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) transmitter.

17. The system of claim 14, where the query comprises a request to read data from one or more predetermined memory addresses.

18. The system of claim 14, where the power request comprises a request to write data to one or more predetermined memory addresses.

19. The system of claim 14, where the sink device is further configured to:

receive a shut down request from the mobile device;

halt the providing of power from the sink device to the mobile device in response to receiving the shut down request; and

transmit a confirmation signal confirming that power is no longer being provided by the sink device to the mobile device.

20. The system of claim 19, the shut down request comprising a request to write data to one or more predetermined memory addresses.