Universal serial bus host and power management method thereof

• US 9,477,288 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2012
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yang, Seung-Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): KINSEY, BRANDON MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US13/611,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20130166928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320
• 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 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A universal serial bus (USB) host includes a power unit and a USB interface unit. The power unit includes a battery and a charging module configured to control the battery. The USB interface unit is configured to interface with a first USB device, and is configured to be controlled based on a remaining amount of power of the battery. The USB interface unit is further configured to maintain a data connection between the USB interface unit and the first USB device when a power supply connection between the USB interface unit and the first USB device is disconnected.

Claims

1. A universal serial bus (USB) host, comprising:

a power unit comprising a battery and a charging module configured to control the battery; and

a USB interface unit configured to interface with a first USB device,

wherein the USB interface unit is configured to be controlled based on a remaining amount of power of the battery, and the USB interface unit is configured to maintain a data connection between the USB interface unit and the first USB device when a power supply connection between the USB interface unit and the first USB device is disconnected,

wherein the data connection between the USB interface unit and the first USB device and the power supply connection between the USB interface unit and the first USB device are established via a same USB cable,

wherein the USB host is configured to send the first USB device a request of a device type, the device type being information indicating whether the first USB device is a self-powered USB device or a bus-powered USB device,

wherein the USB host is configured to operate at one of a first power level, a second power level, and a third power level while in a power saving mode,

wherein the power supply connection to the first USB device is interrupted and the data connection to the first USB device is maintained when the first USB device is the self-powered USB device and the USB host is operating at the first or second power level, and the power supply connection and the data connection to the first USB device are interrupted when the first USB device is the self-powered USB device and the USB host is operating at the third power level,

wherein the power supply connection and the data connection to the first USB device are maintained when the first USB device is the bus-powered USB device and the USB host is operating at the first power level, and the power supply connection and the data connection to the first USB device are interrupted when the first USB device is the bus-powered USB device and the USB host is operating at the second or third power level.

2. The USB host of claim 1, wherein the USB interface unit is configured to interface with the first USB device via a data communication line and a power supply line, the data connection between the USB interface unit and the first USB device is established via the data communication line, and the power supply connection between the USB interface unit and the first USB device is established via the power supply line.

3. The USB host of claim 1, further comprising:

an input device configured to receive an input signal, wherein the USB interface unit is configured to be controlled based on the input signal.

4. The USB host of claim 1, wherein the USB interface unit is configured to connect the power supply connection to the first USB device and receive power from the first USB device based on the remaining amount of power of the battery.

5. The USB host of claim 1, wherein the USB interface unit is configured to interface with a second USB device, and the second USB device is bus-powered,

wherein the USB interface unit is configured to connect the data connection to the second USB device while the power supply connection is connected to the second USB device, while the USB host is set to the power saving mode.

6. The USB host of claim 5, wherein the USB host is set to the power saving mode based on the remaining amount of power of the battery.

7. A universal serial bus (USB) host, comprising:

a power unit comprising a battery and a charging module configured to control the battery; and

a USB interface unit configured to interface with at least one USB device,

wherein the USB interface unit is configured to be controlled based on a remaining amount of power of the battery, and the USB interface unit is configured to separately control a power supply line connected to the USB interface unit and the at least one USB device, and a data communication line connected to the USB interface unit and the at least one USB device,

wherein the power supply line and the data communication line are included in a same USB cable,

wherein the USB host is configured to send the at least one USB device a request of a device type, the device type being information indicating whether the at least one USB device is a self-powered USB device or a bus-powered USB device,

wherein the USB host is configured to operate at one of a first power level, a second power level, and a third power level while in a power saving mode,

wherein a power supply connection to the at least one USB device is interrupted and a data connection to the at least one USB device is maintained when the at least one USB device is the self-powered USB device and the USB host is operating at the first or second power level, and the power supply connection and the data connection to the at least one USB device are interrupted when the at least one USB device is the self-powered USB device and the USB host is operating at the third power level,

wherein the power supply connection and the data connection to the at least one USB device are maintained when the at least one USB device is the bus-powered USB device and the USB host is operating at the first power level, and the power supply connection and the data connection to the at least one USB device are interrupted when the at least one USB device is the bus-powered USB device and the USB host is operating at the second or third power level.

8. The USB host of claim 7, further comprising:

an input device configured to receive an input signal, wherein the USB interface unit is configured to be controlled based on the input signal.

9. The USB host of claim 7, wherein the USB interface unit is configured to receive power from the self-powered USB device.

10. The USB host of claim 7, wherein the USB interface unit comprises:

a USB port configured to interface with the self-powered and bus-powered USB devices via the power supply line and the data communication line;

a switcher configured to switch between a first connection between the USB port and the data communication line, and a second connection between the USB port and the power supply line; and

a host driver connected to the switcher and the charging module, and configured to identify an interfaced USB device, and determine whether the interfaced USB device is the self-powered USB device or the bus-powered USB device,

wherein the host driver is configured to control the switcher based on the interfaced USB device and the remaining amount of power of the battery.

11. The USB host of claim 10, wherein the switcher is configured to deactivate the power supply line connected to the self-powered USB device, and activate the data communication line connected to the self-powered USB device while the power supply line is deactivated.

12. The USB host of claim 10, wherein the switcher is configured to reverse an input/output path of the power supply line connected to the self-powered USB device,

wherein the battery is charged using power supplied by the self-powered USB device, and the data communication line between the USB host and the self-powered USB device is activated upon reversing the input/output path.

13. The USB host of claim 10, wherein the switcher is configured to reverse an input/output path of the power supply line connected to the self-powered USB device,

wherein the battery is charged using power supplied from the self-powered USB device, and the data communication line between the USB host and the self-powered USB device is deactivated upon reversing the input/output path.

14. The USB host of claim 7, wherein the USB interface unit comprises:

a USB port configured to interface with the self-powered USB device and the bus-powered USB device via the power supply line and the data communication line; and

a host driver connected to the charging module, and configured to identify an interfaced USB device, and determine whether the interfaced USB device is the self-powered USB device or the bus-powered USB device,

wherein the host driver is configured to switch between a first connection between the USB port and the data communication line, and a second connection between the USB port and the power supply line based on the interfaced USB device and the remaining amount of power of the battery.

15. The USB host of claim 14, wherein the switcher is configured to deactivate the power supply line connected to the self-powered USB device and activate the data communication line connected to the self-powered USB device, and activate the power supply line connected to the bus-powered USB device and activate the data communication line connected to the bus-powered USB device at substantially a same time.

16. The USB host of claim 14, wherein the switcher is configured to deactivate the power supply line connected to the self-powered USB device and activate the data communication line connected to the self-powered USB device, and deactivate the power supply line connected to the bus-powered USB device and deactivate the data communication line connected to the bus-powered USB device at substantially a same time.

17. The USB host of claim 14, wherein the host driver is configured to reverse an input/output path of the power supply line connected to the self-powered USB device,

wherein the battery is charged using power supplied from the self-powered USB device, the data communication line connected to the self-powered USB device is activated, the power supply line connected to the bus-powered USB device is activated, and the data communication line connected to the bus-powered USB device is activated at substantially a same time.

18. The USB host of claim 14, wherein the host driver is configured to reverse an input/output path of the power supply line connected to the self-powered USB device,

wherein the battery is charged using power supplied from the self-powered USB device, the data communication line connected to the self-powered USB device is activated, the power supply line connected to the bus-powered USB device is deactivated, and the data communication line connected to the bus-powered USB device is deactivated at substantially a same time.

19. A universal serial bus (USB) power management method, comprising:

connecting a USB device to a USB host, wherein the USB host comprises a battery;

determining a remaining amount of power of the battery;

setting an operation mode of the USB host to a normal mode upon determining that the remaining amount of power is greater than a first power threshold;

setting the operation mode of the USB host to a power saving mode upon determining that the remaining amount of power is less than or equal to the first power threshold and greater than a second power threshold; and

setting the operation mode of the USB host to a power charging mode upon determining that the remaining amount of power is less than the second power threshold,

wherein the USB host communicates data with the USB device and supplies power to the USB device while in the normal mode, and the USB host communicates data with the USB device and receives power from the USB device while in the power charging mode,

wherein the USB host operates at one of a first power level, a second power level, and a third power level while in the power saving mode,

wherein a power supply connection to the USB device is interrupted and a data connection to the USB device is maintained when the USB device is a self-powered USB device and the USB host is operating at the first or second power level, and the power supply connection and the data connection to the USB device are interrupted when the USB device is the self-powered USB device and the USB host is operating at the third power level,

wherein the power supply connection and the data connection to the USB device are maintained when the USB device is a bus-powered USB device and the USB host is operating at the first power level, and the power supply connection and the data connection to the USB device are interrupted when the USB device is the bus-powered USB device and the USB host is operating at the second or third power level.

20. The USB management method of claim 19, further comprising:

reversing an input/output path of the power supply line between the USB host and the USB device while in the power charging mode,

wherein the USB device is self-powered, the battery is charged using power supplied from the USB device, and the data communication line between the USB host and the USB device is deactivated upon reversing the input/output path.