TW201619746A - Electronic apparatus and method for determining supply power of power adapter thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic apparatus and a method for determining a supply power of a power adapter thereof are provided. The method includes following steps. The power adapter is connected and a detecting signal is generated. The detecting signal and a threshold are compared to determine whether the supply power of the power adapter satisfies a power demand of the electronic apparatus. Herein, the threshold is determined by a curve of an input voltage and a load current of the electronic apparatus, and the curve is determined by a relationship of a plurality of powers corresponding to a plurality of load current values.

Description

Method for judging power supply of electronic device and its power adapter

The present invention relates to a power management technique, and more particularly to a method of determining a power supply of an electronic device and its power adapter.

The Power Adapter converts utility power to DC power to power and charge the electronics. In general, the rated output power of the power adapter is designed to meet the power requirements of the internal load of the electronic device.

In the current notebook computer, different models of notebook computers may be equipped with power adapters of different rated output power. For users with multiple notebooks, when using the power adapter to charge the notebook, the user may accidentally connect the unsuitable power adapter to the notebook. In particular, when the user connects the power adapter whose rated output power is lower than the power demand of the notebook computer to the notebook computer, if the system of the notebook computer is under heavy load, that is, the load current required by the system is large. Although the power adapter is connected to the notebook, it may be insufficient due to the rated output power of the power adapter. In order to provide the large load current required for heavy load, it is misjudged that the notebook is not connected to the power adapter and the power mode of the notebook is switched to the discharge mode of the battery. As for when the system is under light load (low load current), since the power adapter can supply the load current required by the system, it is determined that the notebook is connected to the power adapter and the power mode is switched to the charging of the battery. mode. In other words, a change in the system load state may cause the charging circuit to switch between charging and discharging, making the charging time of the battery longer. Furthermore, when the notebook computer is not equipped with a battery but switches the power mode to the battery discharge mode due to a misjudgment, it may even cause the system in use to be shut down.

The above situation not only causes the user's inconvenience in operation, but also affects the use of the electronic device. Therefore, how to accurately determine whether the power supply provided by the power adapter is suitable for an electronic device has become one of the problems to be solved at present.

In view of this, the present invention provides a method for determining the power supply of an electronic device and a power adapter thereof, which can accurately determine whether the power supply of the power adapter meets the power demand of the electronic device to avoid the power mode of the electronic device. Misjudgment.

The present invention provides an electronic device. The electronic device includes a charging unit and a control unit. The charging unit is connected to the power adapter and generates a detection signal. The control unit is coupled to the charging unit, receives the detection signal, and compares the detection signal with the threshold value to determine whether the power supply provided by the power adapter meets the power requirement of the electronic device. Wherein, the threshold value is based on the relationship between the input voltage of the electronic device and the load current The line is determined, and the relationship curve is determined according to the relationship of a plurality of powers corresponding to a plurality of load current values.

The invention further provides a method for determining the power supply of the power adapter. This determination method includes the following steps. Connect the power adapter and generate a detection signal, and compare the detection signal with the threshold to determine whether the power supply provided by the power adapter meets the power requirements of the electronic device. The threshold value is determined according to the relationship between the input voltage of the electronic device and the load current, and the relationship curve is determined according to the relationship between the plurality of powers corresponding to the plurality of load current values.

Based on the above, the method for determining the power supply of the electronic device and the power adapter thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention utilizes a relationship between an input voltage of the electronic device and a load current to determine a threshold value, and connects the power adapter The generated detection signal is compared with the threshold value to determine whether the power supply of the power adapter meets the power demand of the electronic device. Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine whether the power supply of the power adapter is suitable for the electronic device, avoid the misjudgment of the power mode of the electronic device, and enable the user to use the electronic device normally, thereby improving the sense of use.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

10‧‧‧Electronic devices

110‧‧‧Charging unit

120‧‧‧Control unit

130‧‧‧Connector

140‧‧‧Battery

20‧‧‧Power adapter

C1, C2, C3‧‧‧ relationship curves

P1, P2, P3‧‧‧ power demand

IL‧‧‧ current value

VIN, VLOW‧‧‧ voltage value

S202~S204, S402~S412‧‧‧ steps

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention.

2 is a flow chart of a method for determining a power supply of a power adapter according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an input voltage versus a load current of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention.

4 is a flow chart of a method for determining a power supply of a power adapter according to an embodiment of the invention.

When the user connects the power adapter to the electronic device, the electronic device generally only detects whether the link has been established, and does not consider whether the power provided by the power adapter can meet the power demand of the electronic device. Therefore, the method for determining the power supply of the electronic device and the power adapter thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention utilizes a relationship between an input voltage and a load current of the electronic device that is preset to obtain a threshold value, and A Charger Integrated Circuit (Charger IC) detects the connection between the electronic device and the power adapter and generates a detection signal. Then, the detection signal and the threshold value are judged to determine whether the power supply of the power adapter meets the power demand of the electronic device. In this way, it is possible to accurately determine whether the power supply of the power adapter is suitable for the electronic device, and avoid the power supply mode misjudgment of the electronic device, and can issue a warning when it is determined that the power adapter is not applicable.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , the electronic device 10 of the present embodiment is, for example, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, or the like, and the type thereof is not limited herein. Electronic device 10 pack The charging unit 110 and the control unit 120 are described, and their functions are described as follows.

The charging unit 110 is, for example, a power supply control circuit such as a charge integrated circuit (Charger IC) or a universal charger integrated circuit (USB Charger IC), which can be connected to the power adapter 20 and generate a detection signal.

In the present embodiment, the charging unit 110 is connected to the power adapter 20 via the port 130, for example, to identify the device type of the power adapter 20 and the power supply information such as the rated output voltage and the rated output current. The power adapter 20 is for receiving power and supplying power to the electronic device 10. For example, the power adapter 20 can receive AC power through a power cord connection socket and provide the electronic device 10 after converting the AC power to DC power. In addition, the charging unit 110 can also be coupled to the battery 140. When the charging unit 110 is connected to the power adapter 20, the power adapter 20 can supply power to the battery 140 through the charging unit 110 for charging. In other words, the charging unit 110 can be used to control the power management of the electronic device 10, and can switch the battery 140 of the electronic device 10 to a charging or discharging mode depending on whether or not the power adapter 20 is connected.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned battery 140 can be omitted, and the charging unit 110 at this time will decide to supply power to the electronic device 10 by the power adapter 20 . In addition, when the charging unit 110 is provided with a connection port function, the port 130 may be omitted. The arrangement of the connection port 130 and the battery 140 can be adjusted according to the design requirements of the embodiment, and the invention is not limited.

The control unit 120 is coupled to the charging unit 110. The control unit 120 is, for example, an embedded controller (Microprocessor). And other control circuits. In this embodiment, the control unit 120 determines whether the power supply of the power adapter 20 satisfies the power demand of the electronic device 10 according to the received detection signal, thereby providing a function of determining whether the power adapter 20 is applicable.

Based on the system architecture described above, the following embodiments describe in detail the method for determining the power supply of the power adapter according to the embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for determining a power supply of a power adapter according to an embodiment of the invention, and is applicable to the electronic device 10 of FIG. The detailed steps of the method will be described below in conjunction with the various elements in FIG.

In step S202, the charging unit 110 is connected to the power adapter 20 and generates a detection signal. Specifically, in an embodiment, when the charging unit 110 is connected to the power adapter 20 or connected to the power adapter 20 through the connection port 130, the charging unit 110 can receive the external DC provided by the power adapter 20. The power supply, and correspondingly generates a high voltage level detection signal. The voltage level of the detection signal can be equal to the voltage level of the external DC power supply, or can be stepped down so that the voltage level of the detection signal is lower than the voltage level of the external DC power supply. In other words, the voltage level of the detection signal can be determined by the output voltage value of the power supply of the power adapter 20. On the other hand, when the charging unit 110 is not connected to the power adapter 20, the charging unit 110 generates a detection signal of a low voltage level, for example.

It should be noted that the charging unit 110 is coupled to the control unit 120 through an AC detection pin, for example, to transmit the detection signal to the control unit 120. In an embodiment, the electronic device 10 may further include a voltage dividing circuit, and the voltage dividing circuit is coupled between the AC detecting pin of the charging unit 110 and the control unit 120. The detection signal generated by the charging unit 110 is divided to adjust the voltage level of the detection signal, and the adjusted detection signal is transmitted to the control unit 120. The voltage dividing circuit described above is composed of, for example, two resistors connected in series, or may be realized by a combination of other components. The structure of the voltage dividing circuit should be a well-known technology in the art, and will not be described herein.

After the control unit 120 receives the detection signal, in step S204, the control unit 120 compares the detection signal with the threshold value to determine whether the power supply provided by the power adapter 20 satisfies the power demand of the electronic device 10. The threshold value is determined according to, for example, a relationship between an input voltage of the electronic device 10 and a load current, and the relationship curve may be determined according to a relationship of a plurality of powers corresponding to a plurality of load current values.

In detail, in an embodiment, the relationship between the input voltage and the load current of the electronic device 10 can be obtained by experimentally measuring a plurality of data obtained. For a particular power demand of the electronic device 10, depending on the load current required by the system, the input voltages required by the system will also correspond to different voltage values, respectively. Or, from another perspective, depending on the power requirements of the system and its required load current value, the input voltage required by the system will be determined. Therefore, in this embodiment, the correspondence between the input voltage and the load current under various power requirements can be obtained by setting multiple sets of power demand and load current of the electronic device 10. In this embodiment, the corresponding relationship may be expressed in the form of a relationship curve.

Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an input voltage versus a load current of an electronic device 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. It shows the electron The power supply P1 (for example, 90 watts), P2 (for example, 65 watts), and P3 (for example, 45 watts) of the device 10 respectively correspond to the input voltages of the electronic devices 10 and the load currents C1, C2, and C3. These relationship curves may be pre-established and stored in a storage unit such as the control unit 120, the power adapter 20, or a register to provide access to the control unit 120. Thereby, the control unit 120 can obtain the voltage value corresponding to a preset current according to the power demand of the electronic device 10, and thus the relationship curve corresponding to the power demand. Alternatively, the control unit 120 may also obtain a current value corresponding to a preset voltage in the above relationship curve.

Here is how to determine the threshold value in the judgment mechanism. In detail, in an embodiment, the control unit 120 may determine the preset voltage value according to the preset current and the relationship curve, and calculate a product of the preset current and the preset voltage value to determine the threshold value. Taking the power demand P1 shown in FIG. 3 as an example, when the load current required by the electronic device 10 is the current value IL, the control unit 120 can obtain the input voltage required by the electronic device 10 according to the relationship curve C1 and the current value IL. Is the voltage value VIN. The control unit 120 can calculate the product of the current value IL and the voltage value VIN as a threshold value.

After the threshold value is determined, the control unit 120 further sets the preset current according to the system load of the electronic device 10, and can analyze the detection signal to obtain the output voltage value of the power supply of the power adapter 20. As described above, the voltage level of the detection signal may depend on the output voltage value of the power supply of the power adapter 20, and therefore, by analyzing the voltage level of the detection signal, the supply of the power adapter 20 can be obtained. The output voltage value of the power supply. When the product of the preset current and the output voltage value is lower than the threshold value, the control unit 120 determines that the power supply of the power adapter 20 is lower than the power of the electronic device 10 begging.

Taking the relationship curve C1 in FIG. 3 as an example, when the control unit 120 sets the preset current to the current value IL, the input voltage (ie, the output voltage of the power adapter 20) must be greater than or equal to the voltage value VIN. The power supply of the power adapter 20 can satisfy the power demand P1 of the electronic device 10. Therefore, when the control unit 120 analyzes the detection signal and obtains that the output voltage value of the power supply of the power adapter 20 is less than the voltage value VIN (for example, the voltage value VLOW), the control unit determines that the power supply of the power adapter 20 is low. The power demand of the electronic device 10.

From another point of view, if the power demand of the electronic device 10 is constant, the control unit 120 can also compare the power supply of the power adapter 20 with the relationship curve C1 for each different load current. When the power supply of the power adapter 20 is located below the relationship curve C1 in FIG. 3, the control unit 120 may determine that the power supply of the power adapter 20 is lower than the power demand of the electronic device 10.

It is worth mentioning that, in an embodiment, if the load current of the electronic device 10 is constant (for example, when the power demand P1 is maintained and the load current is the current value IL), the control unit 120 can also directly connect to the power adapter 20 The supplied voltage and voltage value VIN are compared to determine whether the power supply of the power adapter 20 is suitable for the power demand of the electronic device 10.

In addition to utilizing the relationship between the input voltage and the load current of the electronic device 10 to obtain the threshold value, in an embodiment, the control unit 120 can also obtain the input of the electronic device 10 by means of a lookup table or other data representation. The correspondence between voltage and load current, and the threshold value is calculated accordingly. Lookup tables can also be pre-built And stored in the control unit 120, the power adapter 20, or other storage unit such as a register for access by the control unit 120. The method for how the control unit 120 pre-stores the correspondence between the input voltage and the load current and uses the threshold value to obtain the threshold value is not limited in the present invention.

4 is a flow chart of a method for determining a power supply of a power adapter according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, it is considered that the load state of the electronic device 10 may change rather than being always in a heavy load state. Therefore, the power supply adapter 20 may be repeatedly detected by the control unit 120 to Improve the accuracy of the judgment mechanism. The detailed steps of the method are illustrated below in conjunction with the various elements in FIG.

In step S402, the charging unit 110 is connected to the power adapter 20 and generates a detection signal. This step is similar to step S202 of the previous embodiment, so please refer to the foregoing. Next, in step S404, the control unit 120 detects whether the product of the preset current and the output voltage value is lower than the threshold value in a plurality of time intervals. The product of the preset current and the output voltage value here may correspond to the power supply of the power adapter 20. When it is determined that the product of the preset current and the output voltage value is lower than the threshold value, in step S406, the control unit 120 accumulates the number of times the product of the preset current and the output voltage value is lower than the threshold value, and in step S408, When the accumulated number of times is greater than the preset number of times (for example, three times), the control unit 120 determines that the power supply of the power adapter 20 is lower than the power demand of the electronic device 10. On the other hand, when the control unit 120 detects that the product of the preset current and the output voltage value is not lower than the threshold value, the control unit 120 determines in step S410 that the power supply of the power adapter 20 satisfies the power demand of the electronic device 10. And controllable The power supply adapter 20 charges the electronic device 10.

It is worth mentioning that the electronic device 10 may further include an indicator to indicate that the power supply of the power adapter 20 is lower than the power demand of the electronic device 10 or meet the power demand of the electronic device 10. Therefore, in an embodiment, when the control unit 120 determines that the power supply of the power adapter 20 is lower than the power demand of the electronic device 10, the control unit 120 may further perform step S412 to emit a beep through the indicator, thereby warning The power adapter 20 connected to the user is not suitable for the electronic device 10, and the user can be reminded to replace the power adapter 20 suitable for the electronic device 10 to use the electronic device 10 normally.

In summary, the method for determining the power supply of the electronic device and the power adapter thereof according to the embodiments of the present invention can use the relationship between the input voltage and the load current of the preset electronic device to determine the threshold value, and will detect The test signal is compared with the threshold value to determine whether the power supply of the power adapter meets the power demand of the electronic device. In this way, it is possible to accurately determine whether the power supply of the power adapter is suitable for the electronic device, and can issue a warning when the power adapter is not applicable, and can avoid misjudging the power mode when the system load of the electronic device changes.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

S202~S204‧‧‧Steps

Claims (10)

An electronic device includes: a charging unit connected to a power adapter and generating a detection signal; and a control unit coupled to the charging unit to receive the detection signal and compare the detection signal with a threshold a value is used to determine whether a power supply provided by the power adapter meets a power requirement of the electronic device, wherein the threshold is determined according to a relationship between an input voltage of the electronic device and a load current, and the relationship is based on a majority The load current values are determined by the relationship of the majority of the powers. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control unit sets a preset current according to a system load of the electronic device, and analyzes the detection signal to obtain an output of the power supply of the power adapter. The voltage value, and when the product of the preset current and the output voltage value is lower than the threshold, the control unit determines that the power supply of the power adapter is lower than the power demand of the electronic device. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the control unit further comprises detecting, in a plurality of time intervals, whether a product of the preset current and the output voltage value is lower than the threshold, and accumulating the preset The product of the current and the output voltage value is lower than the threshold value, and when the number of times is greater than a predetermined number of times, the control unit determines that the power supply of the power adapter is lower than the power demand of the electronic device. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the control unit determines a predetermined voltage value according to the preset current and the relationship curve, and calculates the preset The product of the current and the preset voltage value is set to determine the threshold value. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises an indicator for indicating that the power supply of the power adapter is lower than the power demand of the electronic device or the power of the electronic device is satisfied. demand. A method for determining a power supply of a power adapter includes: connecting a power adapter and generating a detection signal; and comparing the detection signal with a threshold to determine a supply provided by the power adapter Whether the power supply meets the power demand of an electronic device, wherein the threshold value is determined according to a relationship between the input voltage of the electronic device and the load current, and the relationship curve is based on a relationship of a plurality of powers corresponding to a plurality of load current values respectively. Decide. The method of claim 6, wherein comparing the detection signal with the threshold to determine whether the power supply provided by the power adapter meets the power demand of the electronic device comprises: The system load of the electronic device is configured to set a preset current; analyzing the detection signal to obtain an output voltage value of the power supply of the power adapter; and when the product of the preset current and the output voltage value is lower than the When the threshold is negative, the control unit determines that the power supply of the power adapter is lower than the power demand of the electronic device. The method for judging according to claim 7 , wherein comparing the detection signal with the threshold value to determine whether the power supply provided by the power adapter is The step of satisfying the power demand of the electronic device further includes: detecting, in a plurality of time intervals, whether a product of the preset current and the output voltage value is lower than the threshold; accumulating a product of the preset current and the output voltage value a number of times lower than the threshold value; and when the number of times is greater than a predetermined number of times, determining that the power supply of the power adapter is lower than a power demand of the electronic device. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of comparing the detection signal with the threshold to determine whether the power supply provided by the power adapter meets the power requirement of the electronic device comprises: The preset current and the relationship curve determine a preset voltage value; and calculate a product of the preset current and the preset voltage value to determine the threshold value. The method of claim 6, wherein the electronic device further comprises an indicator, and the determining method comprises: indicating, by the indicator, that the power supply of the power adapter is lower than power of the electronic device The demand or meets the power requirements of the electronic device.