IP Library Granted Patent US 10,148,108
Granted Patent B2
US 10,148,108 · App. 14/926,832 · Granted Dec 4, 2018

Battery charger with USB type-C adapter

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,148,108
App. No.
14/926,832
Granted
Dec 4, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

In an embodiment, a system includes a first link to couple first universal serial bus (USB) type-C control logic and electrical charger control logic of electrical charger circuitry. The first link is to provide a first data path between the first USB type-C control logic and the electrical charger control logic. The system also includes the first USB type-C control logic to receive first control data from the electrical charger control logic via the first link, and a second link to couple the first USB type-C control logic to second USB type-C control logic of a USB type-C power adapter circuitry. The second link is to provide a second data path for the first control data from the first USB type-C controller logic to the second USB type-C control logic. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims (33)

1. A system comprising:

a first link to couple first universal serial bus (USB) type-C control logic and electrical charger control logic of electrical charger circuitry, the first link to provide a first data path between the first USB type-C control logic and the electrical charger control logic, wherein the first link comprises a physical link of a portable computing device coupled between the first USB type-C control logic and the electrical charger control logic, wherein the first USB type-C control logic and the electrical charger control logic are integrated in the portable computing device;

the first USB type-C control logic to receive first control data from the electrical charger control logic via the first link; and

a second link to couple the first USB type-C control logic to second USB type-C control logic of a USB type-C power adapter circuitry, the second link to provide a second data path for the first USB type-C control logic to send the first control data received from the electrical charger control logic to the second USB type-C control logic.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first control data comprises digital data.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first control data includes a first indication of an output voltage requested to be received from the USB type-C power adapter circuitry by the electrical charger circuitry.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the first USB type-C control logic is to receive via the first link a plurality of commands issued in succession by the electrical charger control logic, each command including a request to increment the output voltage, and wherein the first USB type-C control logic is to send each of the plurality of commands to the second USB type-C control logic via the second link and the system is to, responsive to each command sent to the second USB type-C control logic, receive a corresponding incremented output voltage that is incremented from a voltage previously received from the USB type-C power adapter circuitry.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second link is to carry second data from the second USB type-C control logic to the first type-C control logic.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the second data includes temperature data associated with the USB type-C power adapter circuitry.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the second data includes an indication of an output power capacity of the USB type-C power adapter circuitry.

8. A non-transitory machine readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which if performed by a machine cause the machine to perform a method comprising:

providing control data from charger control logic of a battery charger within a portable computing system to universal serial bus (USB) type-C control logic within the portable computing system via a physical link within the portable computing system, wherein the control data specifies a voltage;

providing the control data from the USB type-C control logic to a USB type-C power adapter via a data pin that couples the USB type-C control logic and the USB type-C power adapter; and

responsive to providing the control data to the USB type-C power adapter receiving, by the portable computing system, the voltage from the USB type-C power adapter.

9. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises for each of a plurality of iterations monitoring a battery charging current, providing corresponding updated control data from the charger control logic to the USB type-C control logic via the physical link and from the USB type-C control logic to the USB type-C power adapter via the data pin, wherein each corresponding updated control data specifies a corresponding incremented voltage responsive to the battery charging current being less than a threshold current, and receiving from the USB type-C power adapter the corresponding incremented voltage responsive to providing the corresponding updated control data to the USB type-C power adapter.

10. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises monitoring by the charger control logic, a battery voltage of a battery being charged by the battery charger, and responsive to an indication that the battery voltage exceeds a battery voltage threshold, ceasing to charge the battery.

11. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the control data comprises digital data.

12. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises receiving from the USB type-C power adapter by the USB type-C control logic via the data pin, USB type-C power adapter data that includes an indication of a power output capability of the USB type-C power adapter.

13. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the USB type-C power adapter data further includes an indication of a temperature of the USB type-C power adapter.

14. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises providing data associated with a pulse width duty cycle of the charger control logic to the USB type-C power adapter via the data pin.

15. A portable computing device comprising:

a system on chip (SoC) to execute instructions;

an embedded controller coupled to the SoC;

a power system to provide power to the portable computing device;

a battery charger to charge a battery of the portable computing device, wherein the battery charger comprises:

a charger controller to control charging of the battery;

a current monitor to monitor a charging current; and

a physical link to couple the battery charger to a universal serial bus (USB) type-C consumer controller;

the USB type-C consumer controller coupled to the battery charger via the physical link; and

a data pin via which control data is to be communicated;

wherein when the portable computing device is coupled to a power adapter, the USB type-C consumer controller is to perform a negotiation with a USB type-C provider controller of the power adapter, and thereafter receive a voltage command from the charger controller via the physical link, and send the voltage command to the USB type-C provider controller via the data pin to cause the power adapter to output a voltage to the battery charger.

16. The portable computing device of claim 15 , wherein the physical link comprises a dedicated physical link.

17. The portable computing device of claim 15 , wherein the USB type-C consumer controller is to send information to the USB type-C provider controller, and in response to the information, the power adapter is to adjust the voltage.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 15, 2022
From: INTEL CORPORATION
To: TAHOE RESEARCH, LTD.
Reel/Frame 061175/0176 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 3, 2015
From: NGUYEN, DON J.
To: INTEL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 036946/0432 →