Method of transmitting and receiving power and electronic device using the same

• US 10,128,669 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2016
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lim, Kyungwoo, Kim, Kihyun, Park, Seho, Park, Hyunsup, Lee, Wooram
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Arun
• Application Number:
  US15/138,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20170012446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/007 Arrangements for selectively connecting the load or loads to one or several among a plurality of power lines or power sources for providing uninterruptable power supply H02J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection

Abstract

An electronic device comprising: a battery having a plurality of cells that are connected in series; a circuit electrically connected to the battery; and a conductive pattern electrically connected to the circuit, wherein the circuit is configured to: receive a first signal wirelessly from a first external device by using the conductive pattern, charge at least some of the plurality of cells in the battery by using a power of the first signal, generate a second signal by changing a first voltage, that is produced by at least two of the plurality of cells in the battery, into a second voltage that is lower than the first voltage, and wirelessly transmit the second signal to a second external device, the second signal being transmitted by using the conductive pattern.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a battery that is mounted in the housing and includes a plurality of cells;

a circuit electrically connected to the battery;

at least one processor receiving input from the circuit; and

a conductive pattern electrically connected to the circuit in an interior of the housing, wherein the circuit is configured to;

receive power from a first external device by using the conductive pattern,

charge at least some of the plurality of cells in the battery by using the received power, wherein the at least some of the plurality of cells are connected in parallel,

change a first voltage, which is generated by at least some other of the plurality of cells in the battery, into a second voltage that is lower than the first voltage, wherein the at least some other of the plurality of cells are connected in series,

when the at least one processor receives a first input from the circuit, form a first conductive path by controlling a plurality of switches included in the circuit, and wirelessly transmit power corresponding to the second voltage to a second external device by using the conductive pattern via the first conductive path; and

when the at least one processor receives a second input from the circuit, form a second conductive path by controlling the plurality of switches, and provide power from a wired interface via the second conductive path.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display that is exposed through at least one side of the housing and is connected to the processor; and

a memory electrically connected to the processor,

wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed configure the at least one processor to;

selectively operate the plurality of switches based on whether the at least one processor receives the first input or the second input.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control the display to display an indication of at least one of a charging state of the battery and a charging state of a battery of the second external device.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured to charge at least two of the plurality of cells in the battery, which are connected in parallel, by using the received power.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the circuit is configured to:

receive power from a third external device over a wired connection between the electronic device and the third external device,

charge at least some of the plurality of cells in the battery by using the power,

change a third voltage, which is generated by a series connection between at least two of the plurality of cells in the battery, into a fourth voltage that is lower than the third voltage, and

transmit power corresponding to the fourth voltage to a fourth external device over a wired connection between the electronic device and the fourth external device.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the circuit is further configured to provide at least some of the wired received power or the wirelessly received power to the fourth external device.

7. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the circuit is further configured to provide at least some of the wired received power to the second external device, and prevent the wired received power from flowing into the conductive pattern.

8. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the circuit is further configured to prevent the power provided to the second or fourth external device from flowing into the conductive pattern.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a battery that is mounted in the housing and includes a plurality of cells; and

a circuit electrically connected to the battery, wherein the circuit is configured to;

receive first power from a first external device, the power being received over one of a wired channel and a wireless channel,

divide the first power into a second power and a third power based on at least one charging parameter associated with at least one of the battery of the electronic device and a second external device;

charge at least some of the plurality of cells in the battery by using the second power, and

transmit the third power to a second external device over a wired channel by forming a first conductive path and a wireless channel by forming a second conductive path,

wherein the first conductive path and the second conductive path are formed by controlling a plurality of switches included in the circuit.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one charging parameter comprises at least one of a battery charging completion time, a battery capacity, a residual quantity of a battery, information on a connection with the second external device, a charging priority, a number of external devices that are connected to the electronic device, an amount of rechargeable power for a battery, and an operating state of the second external device.

11. A method in an electronic device, comprising:

receiving power from a first external device, the received power being received over a wireless channel;

charging at least some of a plurality of cells in a battery of the electronic device by using the received power, wherein the at least some of the plurality of cells are connected in parallel;

changing a first voltage, which is generated by the at least some other of the plurality of cells in the battery, into a second voltage that is lower than the first voltage, wherein the at least some other of the plurality of cells are connected in series;

when at least one processor receives a first input, forming a first conductive path by controlling a plurality of switches included in a circuit, and wirelessly transmitting power corresponding to the second voltage to a second external device via the first conductive path with a conductive pattern; and

when the at least one processor receives a second input, forming a second conductive path by controlling the plurality of switches, and providing power from a wired interface via the second conductive path with the conductive pattern.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying, on a display of the electronic device, an indication of at least one of a charging state of the battery and a charging state of a battery of the second external device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the charging of the at least some of the plurality of cells in the battery comprises:

charging at least two of the plurality of cells in the battery, which are connected in parallel, by using the received power.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving power from a third external device over a wired connection between the electronic device and the third external device;

charging at least some of the plurality of cells in the battery by the received power from the third external device;

changing a third voltage, which is generated by a series connection between at least two of the plurality of cells in the battery, into a fourth voltage that is lower than the third voltage; and

transmitting power corresponding to the fourth voltage to a fourth external device, the power corresponding to the fourth voltage being transmitted over a wired connection between the electronic device and the fourth external device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting, to the fourth external device, at least some of the wired received power or the wirelessly received power.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting at least some of the wired received power to the second external device.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising shutting off the power transmitted to the second or fourth external device to prevent the power from flowing into the first external device and the third external device.