Peer to peer power management

• US 8,954,762 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2010
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boss, Gregory J., Jones, Andrew R., Kangas, P. Daniel, McConnell, Kevin C., Moore, John E. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TANH Q
• Application Number:
  US12/795,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• 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: H01R 29/00 Coupling parts for selective co-operation with a counterpart in different ways to establish different circuits, e.g. for voltage selection, for series-parallel selection, programmable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements

Abstract

A system and methods for delivering power to a multitude of portable electronic devices is provided. More specifically, the system and methods provide for powering different portable electronic devices through a central charging device. The method of delivering a power supply to a plurality of portable electronic devices includes determining a power requirement for each of the portable computing devices and supplying the power requirement to each of the portable computing devices in a daisy chain configuration using a central power device.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a power supply to a plurality of portable computing devices, comprising:

determining by a central power device respective power requirements of the plurality of portable computing devices connected to the central power device, wherein;

a plurality of cables connect the plurality of portable computing devices and the central power device in a daisy chain configuration,

the daisy chain configuration comprises a first device of the plurality of portable computing devices, and one or more downstream devices of the plurality of portable computing devices that are connected downstream of the first device in the daisy chain configuration,

the first device is directly connected to the central power device,

the one or more downstream devices are indirectly connected to the central power device via the first device, and

the power requirements include voltage information;

sending by the central power device, via one or more of the plurality of cables, information specifying an amount of power that the first device is to accept;

supplying power, based on the respective power requirements of the plurality of portable computing devices, from the central power device to the plurality of portable computing devices in the daisy chain configuration via the plurality of cables; and

passing through by the first device an excess amount of the power to the one or more downstream devices based on the information sent by the central power device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is based on a communication received through a communication link.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the communication is through wireless communication.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the plurality of cables are power cords including communication channels; and

the communication is a network communication received through the communication link via the communication channels of the power cords.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the determining the power requirements comprises;

sending out a query for identification information to the plurality of portable computing devices;

receiving the identification information from the plurality of portable computing devices; and

determining the power requirements based on the identification information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining the power requirements of the plurality of the portable computing devices comprises the central power device looking-up the power requirements in a table.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the central power device, by the plurality of the portable computing devices information specifying respective amounts of the power to accept;

accepting by the plurality of the portable computing devices the respective amounts of the power to accept; and

passing by the plurality of the portable computing devices, except for a last of the one or more downstream devices in the daisy chain configuration, an amount of the power in excess of the respective amounts to accept to a subsequent one or more downstream devices based on the information received from the central power device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of portable computing devices regulate the power received from the central power device through respective voltage regulators.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining the power requirements comprises accessing an internal or external database to determine the power requirements.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the power requirements comprises:

discovering respective types of the plurality of portable computing devices based on respective identifications of the plurality of portable computing devices received from each of the plurality of portable computing devices through a communication link; and

determining the power requirements of the plurality of portable computing devices using the identifications.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a service provider, on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis, provides information for the power requirements for each of the portable computing devices.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the supplying power from the central power device to the plurality of portable computing devices is through a connector that connects the central power device to the first device,

the connector includes a power tip that includes selector key that aligns one or more connections of the power tip with corresponding features on the first device, and

the connections of the power tip correspond to a particular voltage.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the alignment of the selector key and the one or more connection results in the correct voltages being sent to each of the plurality of portable computing devices.

12. A method for deploying a system of delivering a power supply to a plurality of portable computing devices, comprising:

determining, by a central power device, respective power requirements for the plurality of portable computing devices by matching respective identification information received from the plurality of portable computing devices with correct voltages associated with the power requirements in a look up table, wherein;

a plurality of cables connect the plurality of portable computing devices and the central power device in a daisy chain configuration,

the daisy chain configuration comprises a first device of the plurality of portable computing devices, and one or more downstream devices of the plurality of portable computing devices that are connected downstream of the first device in the daisy chain configuration,

the first device is directly connected to the central power device,

the one or more downstream devices are indirectly connected to the central power device via the first device;

sending, by the central power device, to the plurality of portable computing devices via the plurality of cables, information specifying respective amounts of power the plurality of portable computing devices are to accept;

supplying, by the central power device, to the plurality of portable computing devices via the plurality of cables, the correct voltages based on the information specifying respective amounts of power to accept, wherein the supplying comprises passing by the plurality of portable computing devices, except for a last of the one or more downstream devices in the daisy chain configuration, an amount of the power in excess of the respective amounts of power to accept sent by the central power device.