Battery charger for portable electronic equipment

• US 9,142,985 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2011
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Components Industries LLC (ON Semiconductor Corporation)
• Inventors: Arai, Nobuhiro, Yamada, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): TORRES RUIZ, JOHALI ALEJANDRA
• Application Number:
  US13/078,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20110241627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,635 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/107, 320162-164, 320/159
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/007 Detection of the absence of a load

Abstract

There is offered a battery charger for a portable electronic device that has a simple structure and is capable of detecting that the portable electronic device is connected to the battery charger. A first power supply line is connected to a positive terminal (+) of a rechargeable battery, while a ground line is connected to a negative terminal (−) of the rechargeable battery. An output transistor is connected between the first power supply line and a second power supply line. The output transistor is connected to a Vbus terminal of a USB connector through the second power supply line. A controller outputs a voltage of an H level to the Vbus terminal to detect a change in a voltage at the Vbus terminal, and judges whether the portable electronic device is connected to the USB connector based on a result of the detection. The controller turns the output transistor on when the portable electronic device is judged to be connected to the USB connector.

Claims

1. A battery charger for a portable electronic device, comprising:

a power supply;

a power supply line connected to the power supply;

a ground line connected to the power supply;

a USB connector comprising a Vbus terminal;

a switching device connected between the power supply line and the Vbus terminal; and

a controller configured to;

perform a first detection to detect a change in a voltage at the Vbus terminal by outputting a first voltage to the Vbus terminal from a voltage output portion of the controller while the switching device is open and terminating the outputting of the first voltage, to judge whether the portable electronic device is connected to the USB connector based on a result of the first detection, wherein the first detection is performed after the terminating of the outputting of the first voltage;

turn on the switching device when the controller judges that the portable electronic device is connected to the USB connector;

perform a second detection to detect a change in the voltage at the Vbus terminal by outputting a second voltage that is different from the first voltage to the Vbus terminal and then terminating the outputting of the second voltage to and determining whether the voltage at the Vbus terminal changes from the second voltage when the controller judges that the portable electronic device is not connected to the USB connector based on the result of the first detection, and judges whether the portable electronic device is connected to the USB connector based on a result of the second detection; and

turn on the switching device when the controller judges that the portable electronic device is connected to the USB connector.

2. The battery charger for the portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller judges that the portable electronic device is connected to the USB connector when the voltage at the Vbus terminal changes from the first voltage by a predetermined amount of voltage after outputting the first voltage to the Vbus terminal.

3. The battery charger for the portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the ground line is connected to a ground terminal of the USB connector, and the controller judges whether the portable electronic device is disconnected from the USB connector based on a current flowing through the ground line.

4. The battery charger for the electronic device of claim 1, wherein the ground line is connected to a ground terminal of the USB connector, and the controller judges whether charging a rechargeable battery in the portable electronic device is completed based on a current flowing through the ground line.

5. The battery charger for the portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a resistance bridge circuit comprising first and second resistors connected in series and third and fourth resistors connected in series and a voltage output portion outputting a voltage to a connecting node between the second and fourth resistors, wherein an end of the first resistor and an end of the third resistor are connected to the ground line, a connecting node between the first and second resistors is connected to a first data communication terminal of the USB connector and a connecting node between the third and fourth resistors is connected to a second data communication terminal of the USB terminal.

6. The battery charger for the portable electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a DC-DC converter converting an output voltage of the power supply into a desired voltage and outputting the desired voltage to the Vbus terminal through the switching device, wherein the controller puts the DC-DC converter into operation when the controller judges that the portable electronic device is connected to the USB connector.

7. The battery charger for the portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the power supply comprises a relay switching between turning on and off of an AC power supply, a rectifier rectifying an AC voltage supplied through the relay, a DC-DC converter converting an output voltage of the rectifier into a predetermined DC voltage and a backup capacitor being charged through the DC-DC converter, wherein the controller operates on a voltage of the backup capacitor and charges the backup capacitor through the rectifier and the DC-DC converter by turning the relay on when the voltage of the backup capacitor is reduced to a voltage lower than a predetermined voltage.

8. The battery charge for the portable electronic device of claim 7, wherein the controller puts the DC-DC converter into operation by turning the relay on when the controller judges that the portable electronic device is connected to the USB connector.

9. A battery charging circuit, comprising:

a power supply having a power supply line and a ground line connected to the power supply;

a USB connector having a Vbus terminal and a ground terminal, the ground terminal connected to the ground line;

a switching device connected between the power supply line and the Vbus terminal; and

a controller that performs;

a first detection while the switching device is off to detect a change in a voltage at the Vbus terminal by providing a high voltage to the Vbus terminal from a voltage output portion of the controller for a preselected time period and terminating the outputting of the high voltage and then removing the high voltage at the end of the preselected time period, wherein after the preselected period of time, the voltage output portion is placed in a high impedance state and when the Vbus changes from the high voltage to a low voltage when the voltage output portion is placed in the high impedance state the controller turns the switching device on and commences a charging procedure; and

a second detection while the switching device is off to detect a change in a voltage at the Vbus terminal by providing a low voltage to the Vbus terminal from the voltage output portion of the controller for a preselected time period and terminating the outputting of the low voltage and then removing the low voltage at the end of the preselected time period, wherein after the preselected period of time the voltage output portion is placed in a high impedance state and when the Vbus changes from the low voltage to a high voltage when the voltage output portion is placed in the high impedance state the controller turns the switching device on and commences a charging procedure.

10. The battery charger of claim 9, wherein the power supply is a rechargeable battery.

11. The battery charger of claim 9, wherein the controller judges whether charging is completed based on a current flowing through the ground line.

12. The battery charger of claim 9, further comprising a resistance bridge circuit comprising first and second resistors connected in series and third and fourth resistors connected in series and the voltage output portion outputting a voltage to a connecting node between the second and fourth resistors, wherein an end of the first resistor and an end of the third resistor are connected to the ground line, a connecting node between the first and second resistors is connected to a first data communication terminal of the USB connector and a connecting node between the third and fourth resistors is connected to a second data communication terminal of the USB terminal.

13. The battery charger of claim 9, further comprising a DC-DC converter converting an output voltage of the power supply into a desired voltage and outputting the desired voltage to the Vbus terminal through the switching device when the switching device is turned on, wherein the controller puts the DC-DC converter into operation to commence the charging procedure.

14. The battery charger of claim 9, wherein the power supply comprises a relay switching between turning on and off of an AC power supply, a rectifier rectifying an AC voltage supplied through the relay, a DC-DC converter converting an output voltage of the rectifier into a predetermined DC voltage and a backup capacitor being charged through the DCDC converter, wherein the controller operates on a voltage of the backup capacitor and charges the backup capacitor through the rectifier and the DC-DC converter by turning the relay on when the voltage of the backup capacitor is reduced to a voltage lower than a predetermined voltage.

15. A method of charging a battery of a portable electronic device by a charger having a switching device coupled between a power supply and a Vbus terminal, comprising:

a controller applying a high voltage to the Vbus terminal while the switching device is off from a voltage output portion of the controller, the high voltage being above a threshold level;

removing the first voltage from the Vbus terminal and placing the voltage output portion into a high impedance state while the switching device is off;

detecting the voltage at the Vbus terminal after applying and removing the first voltage at the Vbus terminal and when the voltage at the Vbus terminal changes to a level below the threshold level the charger commences a charging procedure by switching the switching device on;

applying a low voltage to the Vbus terminal while the switching device is off from the voltage output portion of the controller, the low voltage being below the threshold level;

removing the second voltage from the Vbus terminal and placing the voltage output portion into a high impedance state while the switching device is off; and

detecting the voltage at the Vbus terminal after applying and removing the second voltage at the Vbus terminal and when the voltage at the Vbus terminal changes to a level above the threshold level, while the switching device is off, the charger commences a charging procedure by switching the switching device on.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising waiting a preselected period of time before the controller applying the first voltage to the Vbus terminal.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising, upon commencing the charging procedure, applying voltage to a first data communication terminal and a second data communication terminal.

18. A battery charging circuit, comprising:

a power supply line and a ground line for connection to a power supply;

an output terminal having a Vbus terminal and a ground terminal, the ground terminal connected to the ground line;

a switching device connected between the power supply line and the Vbus terminal; and

a controller that;

performs a first detection while the switching device is off to detect a change in a voltage at the Vbus terminal by outputting a first voltage to the Vbus terminal and subsequently determining whether the Vbus terminal changes from a high voltage to a low voltage;

selectively performs a second detection while the switching device is off to detect a change in a voltage at the Vbus terminal by providing a low voltage to the Vbus terminal and determining whether the Vbus changes from the low voltage to the high voltage; and

turns on the switching device when the controller judges that a portable electronic device is connected to the output terminal in response to one of the first and second detections.

19. The battery charging circuit of claim 18 wherein the controller, as a part of performing the first detection, provides a high voltage to the Vbus terminal from a voltage output portion of the controller for a preselected time period and terminating the outputting of the high voltage and then removing the high voltage at the end of the preselected time period, wherein after the preselected time period the voltage output portion is placed in a high impedance state.

20. The battery charging circuit of claim 18 wherein the controller, as a part of performing the second detection, applies the low voltage for a preselected time period and terminates the outputting of the low voltage and then removes the low voltage at the end of the preselected time period, wherein after the time preselected period a voltage output portion is placed in a high impedance state and then determines if a voltage level of the Vbus terminal increases.

21. The battery charging circuit of claim 18, further comprising:

a USB connector coupled to the output terminal.