Circuits, devices, methods and systems to secure power-up for battery operating devices even with low current chargers and to execute other performances

• US 9,806,547 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2012
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Carr, Jean-Yves, Palojrvi, Pasi Juha Matias
• Primary Examiner(s): Muralidar, Richard V
• Application Number:
  US13/449,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20130082662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,022 Days
• Field of Search: 320103, 320134-136
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• 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 power control circuit includes a power conditioner circuit (120, 130) having a charging input line (116), a battery-related line (133) of the power conditioner circuit (120, 130), and a power voltage output line (137); and an anti-crash loop mechanism (170) coupled to the battery-related line (133) and to the power voltage output line (137) of the power conditioner circuit (120, 130), the anti-crash loop mechanism (170) having a control output line (172, PWGOOD) to be selectively active and inactive in response to voltage levels over time on the battery-related line (133) and on the power voltage output line (137) of the power conditioner circuit (120, 130).

Claims

1. An electronic power control circuit comprising:

a power conditioner circuit having a charging input line, a battery-related line of said power conditioner circuit, and a power voltage output line; and

an anti-crash loop mechanism coupled to said battery-related line and to said power voltage output line of said power conditioner circuit, said anti-crash loop mechanism having a control output line to be selectively active and inactive in response to voltage levels over time on said battery-related line and on said power voltage output line of said power conditioner circuit.

2. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 1 wherein said anti-crash loop mechanism includes a power control state machine operable to supply said control output line to be active to represent a power-good condition at said power voltage output line of said power conditioner circuit.

3. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 2 further comprising a second power control state machine operable to produce control signals to effectuate at least:

off, active, and sleep, and said second power control state machine is responsive to said anti-crash loop mechanism to transition from active and sleep to off unless said control output line is active whereby to indicate a power-good condition.

4. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 1 wherein said anti-crash loop mechanism has a first state coupled to make said control output line to be active to represent a power-good condition and a second state coupled to make said control output line to be inactive, and a compare circuit operable to cause a transition from the first state to the second state when the voltage of said power voltage output line is less than a first threshold, and further operable to cause a transition from the second state to the first state when (i) the voltage of said power voltage output line is greater than a second threshold and (ii) a voltage on said battery-related line is greater than a third threshold.

5. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 4 wherein said anti-crash loop mechanism has a third state and said compare circuit is coupled to cause a transition from said second state to said third state when the voltage at said power voltage output line is less than the second threshold for a predetermined period of time, and to cause a transition from said third state to said first state in case the voltage at said power voltage output line becomes greater than approximately the second threshold.

6. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 1 wherein said anti-crash loop mechanism has a first state coupled to make said control output line to be active to represent a power-good condition and a second state and a third state each coupled to make said control output line to be inactive, and a compare circuit coupled to cause a transition from the first state to the second state when the voltage of said power voltage output line is less than a first threshold, and further operable to cause a transition from the second state to the third state when the voltage of said power voltage output line is greater than a second threshold, and to cause a transition from said third state to said first state when the voltage at said battery-related line is greater than a third threshold.

7. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 6 wherein said anti-crash loop mechanism has a fourth state and said compare circuit is coupled to cause a transition from said second state to said fourth state when the voltage at said power voltage output line is less than the second threshold for a predetermined period of time, and to cause a transition from said fourth state to said first state in case the voltage at said power voltage output line becomes greater than the second threshold.

8. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 1 wherein said anti-crash loop mechanism has a first state coupled to make said control output line to be active to represent a power-good condition and a second state and a third state each coupled to make said control output line to be inactive, and a compare circuit to cause a transition from the first state to the second state when the voltage of said power voltage output line is less than a first threshold, and further operable to cause a transition from said second state to said third state when the voltage at said power voltage output line is less than a second, higher, threshold for a predetermined period of time, and to cause a transition from the third state to the first state in case the voltage at said power voltage output line becomes greater than approximately the second threshold.

9. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 8 wherein said anti-crash loop mechanism has a fourth state and said compare circuit is coupled to cause a transition from said second state when the voltage at said power voltage output line exceeds the second threshold to said fourth state, the fourth state setting a flag, followed by a transition from said fourth state to said third state when the flag is set.

10. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 9 wherein said compare circuit is coupled to cause a transition from said third state to said first state according to a voltage condition that also depends on whether the flag is set or not.

11. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 9 wherein said compare circuit is coupled to cause a transition from said third state to said first state according to a voltage logic in cases of:

(i) the voltage at said power voltage output line becomes greater than approximately the second threshold when the flag is not set, and (ii) the voltage at said battery-related line is greater than a third threshold when the flag is set.

12. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 9 wherein said anti-crash loop mechanism has a fifth state that is coupled to make said control output line to be active to represent the power-good condition, and said compare circuit is coupled to cause a transition from said third state selectively to a given one of said first state and said fifth state, depending on voltage conditions that also include whether the flag is set or not.

13. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 1 wherein said anti-crash loop mechanism has a first state coupled to make said control output line to be active to represent a power-good condition, a second state coupled to cause said control output line to be inactive, and a third state coupled to make said control output line to be active to represent the power-good condition, and a compare circuit operable to cause a transition from the first state to the third state when the voltage at said battery-related line is less than a battery threshold and to transition from the third state to the second state at least upon persistence of the third state for a predetermined period of time, said compare circuit further operable to cause a transition from the second state to the first state when both the voltage at said power voltage output line is greater than a power voltage threshold, and the voltage at said battery-related line is greater than a second higher battery threshold.

14. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 13 wherein said compare circuit is operable to cause a transition from the first state to the second state when the voltage at said power voltage output line is less than a second, lower, power voltage threshold, and operable to cause a transition from the third state to the second state upon the first to occur of (i) the voltage at said power voltage output line being less than approximately the second power voltage threshold, and (ii) said persistence of the third state for a predetermined period of time.

15. The electronic power control circuit claimed in claim 1 further comprising a USB connector coupled via said charging input line with said power conditioner circuit.

16. An electronic power control circuit article comprising:

a power conditioner circuit having a charging input line, a battery-related line of said power conditioner circuit, and a power output line; and

an anti-crash loop mechanism having comparison circuitry coupled to said battery-related line and to said power output line of said power conditioner circuit to make threshold-based comparisons, said anti-crash loop mechanism having a control circuit responsive to said comparison circuitry to make a control output line of said control circuit selectively active and inactive in response to the threshold-based comparisons over time on said battery-related line and said power output line of said power conditioner circuit.

17. The electronic power control circuit article claimed in claim 16 wherein the threshold-based comparisons on said power output line include voltage comparisons.

18. The electronic power control circuit article claimed in claim 16 wherein the threshold-based comparisons include at least one comparison based on said battery-related line and selected from the group consisting of:

1) voltage,

     2) battery energy,

     3) accumulated current,

     4) fraction of full charge,

     5) accumulated voltage-current product,

     6) charging time duration.

19. The electronic power control circuit article claimed in claim 16 wherein the threshold-based comparisons include comparisons on said power output line based on at least two distinct thresholds and a comparison on said battery-related line based on another distinct threshold.

20. The electronic power control circuit article claimed in claim 16 wherein said control circuit has a first state coupled to supply said control output line to be active to represent a power-good condition and a second state and a third state each coupled to cause said control output line to be inactive, and said comparison circuitry coupled with said control circuit to cause a transition from the first state to the second state when a first threshold-based comparison from said power output line indicates line low, and further operable to cause a transition from the second state to the first state when (i) a second threshold-based comparison from said power output line indicates line higher and (ii) a third threshold-based comparison on said battery-related line is exceeded.

21. A mobile electronic device for use with a rechargeable battery and with energy from a battery charger, the device comprising:

a powering circuit having an electrical energy input, a charging output and a voltage output;

a functional electronic circuit coupled to the voltage output of said powering circuit, said functional electronic circuit subject to operational interruption if said functional electronic circuit uses more current to usefully operate than is available from said powering circuit, said functional electronic circuit having a power management circuit with a control input; and

an anti-crash loop mechanism having input sense lines coupled to said charging output and said voltage output of said powering circuit and said mechanism having a control line output to activate and inactivate said control input of said power management circuit, said mechanism operable to detect a condition indicative of such operational interruption of the functional electronic circuit from at least one of said input sense lines and free of any input from said functional electronic circuit and to consequently inactivate said control input of said power management circuit, said mechanism further operable thereafter to determine, independent of any charger detection, that a sufficient charging at the charging output has occurred and to signal a power-good determination via said control line output to said control input of said power management circuit to enable operation by said functional electronic circuit.

22. The mobile electronic device claimed in claim 21 wherein said anti-crash loop mechanism is further operable to additionally signal to said functional electronic circuit that an instance of such operational interruption is coming, and said functional electronic circuit is responsive to the additional signal to commence an orderly shutdown of its functional operations.