ELECTRONIC APPARATUS AND DRIVING CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20130205140A1
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PARK, Jeong-gyu, CHOI, Yeong-bok
• Granted Patent: US 9,923,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/10 Parallel operation of dc sources
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence

Abstract

An electronic apparatus includes an input unit to receive an input of DC power from an external adaptor, a battery unit to store the received DC power, a first control unit to drive the electronic apparatus using power of the battery unit or power received from the input unit in a first operation mode, and to drive the electronic apparatus using both the power of the battery unit and the power input from the input unit in a second operation mode, and a power control unit to prevent a mode of the electronic apparatus from being changed to the second operation mode according to a state of the battery unit.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus having a plurality of operation modes, the electronic apparatus comprising:

an input unit to receive an input of DC power from an external adaptor;

a battery unit to store the received DC power;

a first control unit to drive the electronic apparatus using power of the battery unit or power received from the input unit in a first operation mode, and to drive the electronic apparatus using both the power of the battery unit and the power input from the input unit in a second operation mode; and

a power control unit to prevent a mode of the electronic apparatus from being changed to the second operation mode according to a state of the battery unit.

2. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the power control unit detects a charge state of the battery unit; and

when the detected charge state is less than or equal to a predetermined capacity, the power control unit prevents a mode of the electronic apparatus from being changed to the second operation mode.

3. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the battery unit is removable from the electronic apparatus; and

the power control unit detects whether the battery unit is mounted or not, and, when the battery unit is not mounted in the electronic apparatus, prevents a mode of the electronic apparatus from being changed to the second operation mode.

4. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the power control unit controls to provide the power input through the input unit to the first control unit selectively according to an operation mode of the electronic apparatus; and

the power control unit controls the battery unit to be charged with the power input through the input unit according to an operation mode of the electronic apparatus and a charge state of the battery unit.

5. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a comparison circuit unit to detect a current of the power input through the input unit; and

wherein, when the detected current is greater than or equal to a predetermined current, the comparison circuit unit controls the first control unit to be operated in a third operation mode in which power lower than power of the first operation mode is consumed.

6. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the comparison circuit unit comprises:

a first voltage generation unit to generate a voltage value corresponding to a current value of the power input through the input unit;

a second voltage generation unit to generate a predetermined reference voltage value corresponding to the predetermined current; and

a comparison unit to compare an output voltage of the first voltage generation unit and an output voltage of the second voltage generation unit, and to provide a result of the comparing to the first control unit.

7. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the power control unit obtains information on rated power of the adaptor and controls the second voltage generation unit to generate a predetermined reference voltage value corresponding to the obtained information.

8. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface unit to display information indicating that the electronic apparatus is operated in a third operation mode, when a mode of the electronic apparatus is changed to the third operation mode.

9. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface unit to display an alert message when a mode of the electronic apparatus is changed to the second operation mode and the second operation mode is maintained longer than a predetermined time.

10. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first control unit is at least one of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphic processing unit, and a CPU having a graphic processing unit embedded therein.

11. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a second control unit to provide information on a state of the battery unit and a state of the input unit to the first control unit.

12. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second control unit is a main board chipset.

13. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the first operation mode is a mode in which the first control unit is operated by predetermined first thermal design power; and

the second operation mode is a mode in which the first control unit is operated by second thermal design power that is higher than the first thermal design power, using both power of the battery unit and power input from the input unit.

14. A driving control method of an electronic apparatus which has a plurality of operation modes, the method comprising:

driving in a first operation mode in which a control unit is operated according to a predetermined first thermal design power; and

changing a mode of the electronic apparatus to a second operation mode, in which the control unit is operated according to a second thermal design power higher than the first thermal design power, using both DC power provided from an external adaptor and power of a battery unit according to an operation load of the electronic apparatus,

wherein the changing comprises preventing a mode of the electronic apparatus from being changed to the second operation mode according to a state of the battery unit.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the changing comprises:

detecting a charge state of the battery unit; and

when the detected charge state is less than or equal to a predetermined capacity preventing a mode of the electronic apparatus from being changed to the second operation mode.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein:

the battery unit is removable from the electronic apparatus; and

the changing comprises detecting whether the battery unit is mounted or not, and, when the battery unit is not mounted in the electronic apparatus, preventing a mode of the electronic apparatus from being changed to the second operation mode.

17. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

detecting a current of power input through an input unit; and

when the detected current is greater than or equal to a predetermined current, changing a mode to a third operation mode in which the control unit consumes power lower than power of the first operation mode.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

obtaining information of rated power of the adaptor,

wherein the predetermined current is a current value corresponding to the obtained information.

19. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising;

when a mode of the electronic apparatus is changed to the third operation mode, displaying information indicating that the electronic apparatus is operated in the third operation mode.

20. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the control unit is at least one of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphic processing unit, and a CPU having a graphic processing unit embedded therein.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium to contain computer-readable codes as program to execute a method of claim 14 in an electronic apparatus which has a plurality of operation modes.