Device charging system

• US 9,128,706 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2011
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Fiebrich, Greg R., Messick, Douglas Evan, Cross, Kyle E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zaman, Faisal M
• Application Number:
  US13/223,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20120005502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: 713300-340
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• 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

Abstract

Optimized bus powered peripheral battery charging includes a circuit to initiate a change in an advanced configuration and power interface (ACPI) state in a controller allowing charging of a peripheral device battery, the circuit including a signal converter coupled between an input port and the controller to sense when a the peripheral device battery is coupled to an input port and to restrict the controller from changing ACPI state multiple times for a given peripheral device battery coupling; and a ground loop detector coupled in parallel to the signal converter between the input port and the controller to allow the controller to know that the peripheral device battery has maintained being coupled to the input port.

Claims

1. A device battery charging system, comprising:

an input port that is operable to couple to a device battery;

a controller that is operable to enable power from a charging battery in a charging system to be supplied to the input port;

a converter that is coupled between the input port and the controller, wherein the converter is operable to sense the coupling of the device battery to the input port when the input port is not being supplied power from the charging battery and, in response, send a signal to the controller, and wherein in response to the signal, the controller is operable to change a power management state of the charging system such that power from the charging battery is supplied to the input port to charge the device battery, and wherein the converter is also operable to restrict the controller from changing the power management state of the charging system multiple times for a given coupling of the device battery to the input port; and

a detector that is coupled between the input port and the controller and that is operable to allow the controller to determine that the device battery has maintained being coupled to the input port upon the charging system changing power management states and entering a run time state.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the converter is coupled to a power switch input of the controller.

3. The circuit of claim 2, wherein the converter is operable to translate a falling edge at the input port into a limited duration pulse at the power switch input of the controller.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the detector is coupled to a general purpose input of the controller.

5. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the converter further comprises:

a capacitor in series between the input port and the controller.

6. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the input port is a universal serial bus (USB) port.

7. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the change in the power management state of the charging system is a change from a deep sleep state in which the charging battery is not operable to charge the device battery to a sleep state in which the charging battery is operable to charge the device battery.

8. An information handling system (IHS), comprising:

a processor;

a charging battery coupled to the processor;

a controller coupled to the processor;

an input port coupled to the processor;

a converter that is coupled between the input port and the controller and that is operable to sense that a device battery is coupled to the input port when the input port is not being supplied power from the charging battery and, in response, send a signal to the controller, wherein in response to the signal, the controller is operable to change a power management state of the IHS such that power from the charging battery is supplied to the input port to charge the device battery, and wherein the converter is also operable to restrict the controller from changing the power management state of the IHS multiple times for a given coupling of the device battery to the input port; and

a detector that is coupled between the input port and the controller and that is operable to allow the controller to determine that the device battery has maintained being coupled to the input port upon the IHS changing power management states and entering a run time state.

9. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the converter is coupled to a power switch input of the controller.

10. The IHS of claim 9, wherein the converter is operable to translate a falling edge at the input port into a limited duration pulse at the power switch input of the controller.

11. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the detector is coupled to a general purpose input of the controller.

12. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the converter further comprises:

a capacitor in series between the input port and the controller.

13. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the input port is a universal serial bus (USB) port.

14. The IHS of claim 8, wherein the change in the power management state of the IHS is a change from a deep sleep state in which the charging battery is not operable to charge the device battery to a sleep state in which the charging battery is operable to charge the device battery.

15. A device battery charging method, comprising:

providing a charging system including a charging battery and an input port coupled to the charging battery;

detecting the coupling of a device battery to the input port when the input port is not being supplied power and, in response, changing a power management state of the charging system such that power from the charging battery is supplied to the input port to charge the device battery;

restricting the changing of the power management state of the charging system multiple times for a given coupling of the device battery to the input port; and

determining that the device battery has maintained being coupled to the input port upon the charging system changing power management states to a run time state.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the charging system includes a converter that is coupled between the input port and a controller, and wherein the converter performs the detecting of the coupling of the device battery to the input port.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the detecting by the converter includes translating a falling edge at the input port into a limited duration pulse at a power switch input of the controller.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein a detector is coupled to a general purpose input of a controller, and wherein the detector allows the controller to perform the determining that the device battery has maintained being coupled to the input port at the run time state of the charging system.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the converter includes a capacitor in series between the input port and the controller.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the change in the power management state of the charging system is a change from a deep sleep state in which the charging battery is not operable to charge the device battery to a sleep state in which the charging battery is operable to charge the device battery.