Modular system having expandable form factor

• US 9,620,976 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2014
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Compal Electronics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Compal Electronics Incorporated
• Inventors: Medica, John, Tsai, Leonard, Chen, Shikuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US14/192,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20140312827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 320124-125
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• 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

A modular system of devices, in which a (master) device can be combined with one or more of other (slave) devices to transform to functional electronic devices having expanded functionalities and features in different form factors and/or platforms. The master device is docked to the slave device via a data/electrical interface, to transform the master device to the larger form factor of the slave device, with the master device maintaining control of the slave device, substantially based on the operating system installed in the master device, with access to the data, application programs, functionalities and features embodied in the master device. An intermediate removable physical interface adaptor (or docking adaptor) is provided to facilitate docking compatibility of the master device to the slave device. An enhanced charging and power management scheme is provided to optimize power management for the master device and the slave device.

Claims

1. A method of charging a first electronic device having a first battery docked to a second electronic device having a second battery, comprising:

dynamically allocating charging priority between the first and second electronic devices, in accordance with current battery charge level X of the first battery and current battery charge level Y of the second battery in reference to a battery charge level threshold P %, wherein the battery charge level threshold P % is not 100%, and wherein the charging priority is dynamically allocated based on following conditions;

when X<

P %, Y<

P %, first charging X to P % and then charging Y to P %,

when X≧

P % Y<

P %, divide charging current into trickle charging X and fast charging Y to P %,

when X<

P %, Y≧

P %, divide charging current into fast charging X to P % and trickle charging Y, and

when X≧

P %, Y≧

P %, trickle charging X and Y.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein P %=80%.

3. The method of claim 1:

wherein the first electronic device is independently functional with its own set of features, comprising a first housing in a first form factor, supporting;

a first human input/output interface;

a control system comprising a system processor and an operating system, controlling operation of the first human input/output interface;

a first power source providing power to operate the first electronic device;

an electrical interface providing data access external of the housing;

wherein the second electronic device comprises a second housing in a second form factor, supporting;

a second human input/output interface;

a second power source providing power to operate the second electronic device;

a docking interface communicating with the electrical interface of the first electronic device, and

wherein the first electronic device is removably dockable to the second electronic device, and wherein operation of the second electronic device is controlled at least in part by the system processor of the first electronic device via the electrical interface and docking interface when the first electronic device is docked to the second electronic device.