Boosting input power

• US 9,197,086 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhou, Pei-Qi, Yan, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): Rossoshek, Helen
• Application Number:
  US13/459,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20130285596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 320/107, 320/128, 320/140, 320/160, 320/162
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/32 using batteries with converting means
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations

Abstract

In one implementation, an input power management component receives an input power, and determines whether an input current and voltage satisfies predetermined thresholds. A boost component generates a boost output voltage using the input voltage if the input current satisfies a predetermined current threshold, and a step-down charging component converts the boost output voltage to a voltage for charging a battery and system power management.

Claims

1. An electronics system, comprising:

an input power management component to receive an input power, determine whether an input voltage of the input power is greater than an input voltage threshold, and in response to a determination that the input voltage is greater than the input voltage threshold, activate a boost enabled signal;

a boost component to receive the input power and the boost enabled signal from the input power management component, determine whether the boost enabled signal is activated, in response to a determination that the boost enabled signal is activated, generate a boost output voltage using the input voltage, compare the boost output voltage to a boost threshold, and if the boost output voltage is greater than the boost threshold, activate a boost OK signal; and

a step-down charging component to receive the boost output voltage and the boost OK signal from the boost component, determine whether the boost OK signal is activated, and in response to a determination that the boost OK signal is activated, decrease the boost output voltage to an output for charging a battery.

2. The electronics system of claim 1, wherein the input power management component determines an input current is less than an input current threshold, and in response to a determination that the input current is less than the input current threshold, instructs the step-down charge component to increase an output capability based on a status of the input current.

3. The electronics system of claim 1, wherein the input power management component receives the input voltage via a universal serial bus.

4. The electronics system of claim 1, wherein the battery is a lithium-ion battery.

5. The electronics system of claim 4, wherein the lithium-ion battery includes at least one of two cells in series or three cells in series.

6. The electronics system of claim 1, further comprising a boost control feedback component that controls generation of the boost output voltage by the boost component based at least in part on feedback regarding the boost output voltage.

7. The electronics system of claim 1, wherein

the input power management component determines whether the input voltage is less than the input voltage threshold;

and

in response to a determination that the input voltage is less than the input threshold, the boost component does not generate a boost output voltage using the input voltage.

8. The electronics system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the input power management component, the boost component, or the step-down charging component is included in a computing device.

9. The electronics system of claim 1, wherein the input power management component and step-down charging component are included in a first integrated circuit.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving an input power;

detecting an input voltage;

determining that the input voltage satisfies a first predetermined threshold;

in response to the input voltage satisfying the first predetermined threshold, boosting the input power to generate a high voltage output;

comparing the high voltage output to a boost threshold, and if the high voltage output is greater than the boost threshold, activating a boost OK signal; and

in response to determining the boost OK signal is activated, stepping down the high voltage output to a charging output.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining an input current is less than a lower limit; and

in response to the input current being less than the lower limit, increasing the charging output.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving the input power includes receiving the input power from a universal serial bus.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the stepping down the high voltage output to the charging output, includes stepping down the high voltage output to a charging output for a lithium-ion battery.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the stepping down the high voltage output to a charging voltage for the lithium-ion battery, includes stepping down the high voltage output to a charging output for a lithium-ion battery having at least one of two cells in series or three cells in series.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising controlling the boosting the input power based at least in part on feedback regarding the high voltage output.