Power supply voltage and load consumption control

• US 9,703,367 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2013
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Atkinson, Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Dennis M
• Application Number:
  US14/766,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20150370314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,588 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 5/00 Systems for regulating electric variables by detecting deviations in the electric input to the system and thereby controlling a device within the system to obtain a regulated output
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage

Abstract

Examples of electronic circuits and methods are provided. A power adapter is coupled to load device such that a power node and a signal node and a ground node are common to both entities. A supply voltage is regulated and provided by the power adapter to the load device in accordance with a voltage sensed at the signal node. Electrical current drawn by the load device is limited in accordance with a voltage sensed at the signal node.

Claims

1. An electronic circuit, comprising:

a power circuit comprising;

first and second resistors,

a switch to selectively connect the first and second resistors to a signal node,

a voltage controller to, responsive to the switch being set to a first state to connect the first resistor to the signal node and disconnect the second resistor from the signal node, detect a voltage at the signal node and to provide a corresponding voltage control signal, and

a voltage regulator to provide a supply voltage to a power node in accordance with the voltage control signal; and

a load circuit to be removably coupled to the signal node and the power node, the load circuit comprising;

a programming resistor coupled between the signal node and a ground node, and

a load controller to, responsive to the switch being set to a second state to connect the second resistor to the signal node and disconnect the first resistor from the signal node, sense a voltage at the signal node and to provide a corresponding load control signal.

2. The electronic circuit according to claim 1, the programming resistor characterized by an electrical resistance correlated to a voltage required by a load device.

3. The electronic circuit according to claim 2, wherein the voltage controller and the voltage regulator are to provide the supply voltage in accordance with the voltage required by the load device.

4. The electronic circuit according to claim 1, wherein the second resistor is characterized by an electrical resistance correlated to a power capacity of the power circuit.

5. The electronic circuit according to claim 4, wherein the load controller is to provide the corresponding load control signal to cause an electrical current drawn by a load device to be limited in accordance with the power capacity of the power circuit.

6. The electronic circuit according to claim 1, each of the first and second resistors of the power circuit connected to the power node.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the voltage controller is to control the switch to selectively set the switch to the first and second states.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the load control signal is to cause a load device to restrict a power consumption by the load device in accordance with a power capacity of the power circuit corresponding to the voltage at the signal node sensed by the load controller.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the setting of the switch to the first state selects a first mode of operation, and the setting of the switch to the second state selects a second mode of operation.

10. A power adapter, comprising:

a power node, a signal node, and a ground node each to be disconnectably coupled to a computing device that is separate from the power adapter;

a first resistor between the power node and the signal node; and

a voltage controller to detect a voltage at the signal node and to provide a corresponding voltage control signal to control a supply voltage at the power node, wherein the detected voltage at the signal node is based on a resistance of the first resistor and a resistance of a second resistor that is part of the computing device and external of the power adapter.

11. The power adapter according to claim 10, further comprising:

a housing, wherein the first resistor is within the housing;

a third resistor within the housing and between the power node and the signal node; and

a switch selectively set to a first state to connect the first resistor to the signal node and disconnect the third resistor from the signal node, and to a second state to connect the third resistor to the signal node and disconnect the first resistor from the signal node,

wherein the voltage controller is to detect the voltage at the signal node responsive to the switch set to the first state.

12. The power adapter according to claim 11, wherein the switch is set to the second state to allow the computing device to determine a power capacity of the power adapter based on detecting a voltage at the signal node that is dependent upon a resistance of the third resistor and a resistance of the second resistor.

13. The power adapter according to claim 10, wherein the voltage at the signal node is based on a voltage divider including the first and second resistors between the power node and the ground node.

14. The power adapter according to claim 10, the power adapter configured to be coupled to a source of alternating-current electrical energy, the power adapter including a voltage regulator to provide the supply voltage at the power node in accordance with the voltage control signal.

15. A method comprising:

providing first and second resistors within an adapter;

connecting a switch to the first and second resistors, the switch selectively set to a first state to connect the first resistor to a signal node in the adapter and disconnect the second resistor from the signal node, and to a second state to connect the second resistor to the signal node and disconnect the first resistor from the signal node;

connecting a voltage controller to the signal node, the voltage controller to detect a voltage at the signal node responsive to the switch set to the first state, and the voltage controller to output a voltage control signal responsive to the detected voltage at the signal node; and

providing a regulator to output a regulated voltage from the adapter to a load entity in accordance with the voltage control signal.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising removably coupling the adapter to the load entity.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the detected voltage of the signal node is based on a resistance of the first resistor and a resistance of a third resistor in the load entity, the third resistor connected between the signal node and a ground node.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the switch when set to the second state allows the load entity to determine a power capacity of the adapter based on a resistance of the second resistor and the resistance of the third resistor.