IP Library Granted Patent US 11,437,826
Granted Patent B2
US 11,437,826 · App. 15/347,492 · Granted Sep 6, 2022

Battery fast charging using multiple adaptor inputs

Inventors: Jeremy Robert Carlson (Cary, NC); Tin-Lup Wong (Chapel Hill, NC); Philip John Jakes (Durham, NC); Larry Glenn Estes (Durham, NC)
Assignee: Lenovo (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.
H02J7/00H02J7/0036H02J7/0045H02J7/00034H02J2207/30
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,437,826
App. No.
15/347,492
Granted
Sep 6, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

One embodiment provides an electronic device, including: two or more ports; two or more charging circuits, wherein the two or more ports have an associated charging circuit; a battery; a processor; and a memory device that stores instructions executable by the processor to: detect, at a first port, a physically connected plug; detect, at a second port, a physically connected plug; and provide, via the two or more charging circuits, charging to the battery from both of the detected plugs. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Claims (41)

1. An electronic device, comprising:

two or more ports;

two or more charging circuits, wherein said two or more ports each correspond to one of the two or more charging circuits, wherein the two or more charging circuits provide parallel current input to the electronic device while an operating system of the electronic device is running;

a battery;

a processor; and

a memory device that stores instructions executable by the processor to:

detect, at a first port of the two or more ports, a first physically connected plug of an adapter for charging the battery of the electronic device via a first of the two or more charging circuits, wherein current accepted from the first physically connected plug through the first port and the first of the two or more charging circuits is routed to both the battery of the electronic device and a power management system simultaneously, wherein the power management system powers the operating system of the electronic device while the electronic device is running, wherein the processor prioritizes one of the first port and a second port and wherein the prioritized port comprises the first physically connected plug that simultaneously provides power to the electronic device and charges the battery;

detect, at the second port of the two or more ports, a second physically connected plug of an adapter for charging the battery of the electronic device via a second of the two or more charging circuits, wherein current accepted from the second physically connected plug through the second port and the second of the two or more charging circuits is routed to the battery of the electronic device at the same time and in parallel with the current accepted from the first physically connected plug to facilitate fast charging; and

provide, via the two or more charging circuits associated with the two or more ports, power to the power management system of the electronic device and charge the battery using the first physically connected plug and additionally charge and supplement the charging of the battery by the first physically connected plug using the second physically connected plug.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first port and the second port are different types of ports.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein at least one type of port is a power and data port.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the processor prioritizes a port that provides a greater amount of charging as compared to another port.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first port and the second port are the same type of port.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein of the first port and the second port are power and data ports.

7. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein each of the first port and the second port are power ports.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a controller associated with at least one of the two or more ports;

wherein the processor is included in a system embedded controller; and

wherein the processor communicates with the controller to select a type of charging from said at least one of the two or more ports.

9. A method, comprising:

detecting, using a controller of an electronic device while an operating system of the electronic device is running, that a first plug of an adapter for charging a battery of the electronic device is physically connected to a first port of the electronic device via a first of two or more charging circuits, wherein the two or more charging circuits provide parallel current input, wherein current accepted from the first plug through the first port and the first of the two or more charging circuits is routed to both the battery of the electronic device and a power management system simultaneously, wherein the power management system powers the operating system of the electronic device while the electronic device is running, wherein the processor prioritizes one of the first port and a second port and wherein the prioritized port comprises the first physically connected plug that simultaneously provides power to the electronic device and charges the battery;

detecting, using the controller, that a second plug of an adapter for charging the battery of the electronic device is physically connected to the second port of the electronic device via a second of the two or more charging circuits, wherein current accepted from the second plug through the second port and the second of the two or more charging circuits is routed to the battery of the electronic device at the same time and in parallel with the current accepted from the first physically connected plug to facilitate fast charging; and

providing, via the first of the two or more charging circuits associated with the first port and he second of the two or more charging circuits associated with the second port, power to the power management system of the electronic device and charge the battery using the first physically connected plug and additionally charge and supplement the charging of the battery by the first physically connected plug using the second physically connected plug.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first port and the second port are different types of ports.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least one type of port is a power and data port.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising prioritizing one of the first port and the second port, wherein the prioritized port comprises the first physically connected plug that simultaneously provides power to the electronic device and charges the battery.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the prioritizing a port that provides a greater amount of charging as compared to another port.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first port and the second port are the same type of port.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein each of the first port and the second port are power and data ports.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein each of the first port and the second port are power ports.

17. A system, comprising:

a charging unit providing at least two plugs; and

an electronic device having an operating system that is running, comprising:

two or more ports that accept each of the at least two plugs;

two or more charging circuits, wherein said two or more ports each have an associated charging circuit, wherein the two or more charging circuits provide parallel current input;

a battery;

a processor; and

a memory device that stores instructions executable by the processor to:

detect, at a first port of the two or more ports, a first physically connected plug of an adapter for charging the battery of the electronic device via a first of the two or more charging circuits, wherein current accepted from the first physically connected plug through the first port and the first of the two or more charging circuits is routed to both the battery of the electronic device and a power management system simultaneously, wherein the power management system powers the operating system of the electronic device while the electronic device is running, wherein the processor prioritizes one of the first port and a second port and wherein the prioritized port comprises the first physically connected plug that simultaneously provides power to the electronic device and charges the battery;

detect, at the second port of the two or more ports of the electronic device, a second physically connected plug of an adapter for charging the battery of the electronic device via the second of the two or more charging circuits, wherein current accepted from the second physically connected plug through the second port and the second of the tow or more charging circuits is routed to the battery of the electronic device at the same time and in parallel with the current accepted from the first physically connected plug to facilitate fast charging; and

provide, via the two or more charging circuits associated with the two or more ports, power to the power management system of the electronic device and charge the battery using the first physically connected plug and additionally charge and supplement the charging of the battery by the first physically connected plug using the second physically connected plug.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 20, 2025
From: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
To: LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH
Reel/Frame 070269/0092 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 19, 2025
From: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD.
To: LENOVO PC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
Reel/Frame 070269/0028 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 9, 2016
From: CARLSON, JEREMY ROBERT; WONG, TIN-LUP; JAKES, PHILIP JOHN; ESTES, LARRY GLENN
To: LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE. LTD.
Reel/Frame 040272/0357 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180131211A1 · May 10, 2018