Charging device

• US 9,153,984 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2013
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Ono, Yoshiharu, Tanaka, Tsutomu, Mochizuki, Mamoru, Makita, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US13/771,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20130241469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 958 Days
• Field of Search: 320/100, 320/107, 320/162, 713/300, 713/340
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/385 Arrangements for measuring battery or accumulator variables for monitoring G01R31/382
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00038 using passive battery identification means, e.g. resistors or capacitors identification by mechanical connections H02J7/0045
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

There is provided a charging device which can rapidly charge, with a single charger, portable devices of a plurality of charging specifications.

A plurality of available power indicating circuits included in a USB module 10 notify, through a data line, a portable device coupled to the charging device of a signal indicating suppliable amount of current. A CPU 4 obtains, from a portable device coupled thereto, information identifying the portable device, at the time of adjustment. A memory 6 has a table stored therein, for a plurality of portable devices, defining a correspondence between information identifying a portable device and an available power indicating circuit. Referring to the table based on the obtained information, the CPU 4 selects an available power indicating circuit and, at the time of actual operation, activates only the selected available power indicating circuit.

Claims

1. A charging device which charges a portable device via a universal serial bus, the charging device comprising:

a power supply unit which supplies current to a portable device coupled through a voltage bus (VBUS);

a plurality of available power indicating circuits which notify, through a data line, a portable device coupled to the charging device of a signal indicating suppliable amount of current;

a control unit which obtains, from a portable device coupled thereto at a time of adjustment, information identifying the portable device;

a storage unit which stores, for a plurality of portable devices, a table defining correspondence between information identifying the portable devices and available power indicating circuits, and

a measurement unit which measures amount of current supplied to the portable device through the voltage bus (VBUS),

wherein the control unit selects, referring to the table based on the obtained information, an available power indicating circuit, and activates only the selected available power indicating circuit at a time of actual operation; and

wherein, when the control unit does not obtain, from a portable device coupled thereto, information identifying the portable device, or when an available power indicating circuit corresponding to information is not defined in the obtained table, the control unit activates the available power indicating circuits one by one, causes the measurement unit to measure amount of current supplied to the portable device through a voltage bus (VBUS) and stores a measurement result in the storage unit, selects an available power indicating circuit exhibiting the maximum current supply amount, referring to the storage unit, and activates only the selected available power indicating circuit at a time of actual operation.

2. The charging device according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit sets, in the power supply unit, a limit value for amount of current supplied through the voltage bus (VBUS), in accordance with an available power indicating circuit to be activated.

3. The charging device according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit sets one or more limit values for amount of current supplied through the voltage bus (VBUS), in accordance with an available power indicating circuit to be activated at a time of adjustment, causes the measurement unit to measure amount of current to be supplied to the portable device under respective limit values, and stores a measurement result in the storage unit, and

wherein the control unit, referring to the storage unit, selects an available power indicating circuit exhibiting the maximum current supply amount and a limit value for amount of current to be supplied, activates only the selected available power indicating circuit at a time of actual operation, and sets, in the power supply unit, the limit value for amount of current to be supplied.

4. A charging device which charges a portable device via a universal serial bus, the charging device comprising:

a power supply unit which supplies current to a portable device coupled through a voltage bus (VBUS);

a measurement unit which measures amount of current supplied to the portable device through the voltage bus (VBUS);

a storage unit;

a plurality of available power indicating circuits, each having different current supplying ability, which notify, through a data line, a portable device coupled to the charging device of a signal indicating suppliable amount of current; and

a control unit which, at the time of adjustment, does not obtain from a portable device coupled thereto information identifying the portable device,

wherein, at the time of adjustment, the control unit activates the available power indicating circuits one by one, causes the measurement unit to measure amount of current supplied to the portable device through a voltage bus (VBUS) and stores a measurement result in the storage unit,

selects, by referring to the storage unit, an available power indicating circuit exhibiting the maximum current supply amount, and

activates only the selected available power indicating circuit at a time of actual operation.