TWI851278B - Electronic device and operating method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic device and an operating method thereof are provided. The electronic device includes a power adapter and a charging control device. The power adapter includes a sensor and a first controller. The sensor senses a placement status of the power adapter to generate a sensing signal. The first controller generates event information according to the sensing signal. The charging control device is coupled to the power adapter. The charging control device includes a second controller. The second controller selects a first power delivery setting information of a plurality of delivery setting information to generate a controlling signal according to the sensing signal and the event information. According to the controlling signal, the first controller enables the power adapter according to the first power delivery setting information, such that the power adapter performs power delivery operations, thereby a flexibility and a useful life of the electronic device being increased.

Description

Electronic device and method of operating the same

The present invention relates to an electronic device, and in particular to a rechargeable electronic device and an operating method thereof.

Generally speaking, Universal Serial Bus Type-C (hereinafter referred to as USB Type-C) can be used in the transmission interface of Power Delivery (PD). The USB Type-C interface of the current power adapter can support the Extended Power Range (EPR) specification to provide fast charging applications. However, during the fast charging process, the power adapter will directly provide the maximum power supply based on the default power supply profile (PD Profile), which will increase the operating temperature of the charging device, thereby shortening the service life of the charging device.

The embodiment of the present invention provides an electronic device that can select the power supply to increase the flexibility and service life of the electronic device.

The electronic device of the embodiment of the present invention includes a power adapter and a charging control device. The power adapter includes a sensor and a first controller. The sensor is coupled to the first controller. The sensor senses the placement state of the power adapter to generate a sensing signal. The first controller generates event information based on the sensing signal. The charging control device is coupled to the power adapter. The charging control device includes a second controller. The second controller selects the first power supply setting information from multiple power supply setting information based on the sensing signal and the event information to generate a control signal. The first controller causes the power adapter to perform a power supply operation based on the first power supply setting information according to the control signal.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides an operating method of an electronic device. The operating method of the electronic device includes the following steps. The placement state of the power adapter is sensed by the sensor of the power adapter to generate a sensing signal. The first controller of the power adapter generates event information according to the sensing signal. The second controller of the charging control device selects the first power supply setting information from multiple power supply setting information according to the event information and the sensing signal to generate a control signal. The first controller causes the power adapter to perform a power supply operation according to the first power supply setting information according to the control signal.

Based on the above, the electronic device and the operating method of the embodiment of the present invention can enable the charging control device to select the corresponding power supply setting information by setting the placement state of the power adapter. Therefore, the power adapter can perform the power supply operation based on the selected power supply setting information to provide the corresponding power supply, thereby increasing the use flexibility and service life of the electronic device.

In order to make the above features and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, embodiments are given below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. When the same element symbols appear in different drawings, they will be regarded as the same or similar elements. These embodiments are only part of the present invention and do not disclose all possible implementations of the present invention. More precisely, these embodiments are only examples within the scope of the patent application of the present invention.

FIG1 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG1 , the electronic device 100 may apply the transmission specification of USB Type-C. In this embodiment, the electronic device 100 may include a power adapter 110 and a charging control device 120. The power adapter 110 is coupled to the charging control device 120. The power adapter 110 may also be coupled to an external device (not shown) so that the external device charges the charging control device 120 through the power adapter 110. The external device may be, for example, a mobile power supply or a power supply socket. The charging control device 120 may be, for example, a power device such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, and a desktop computer.

In this embodiment, the power adapter 110 may include a first controller 111 and a sensor 112. The sensor 112 is coupled to the first controller 111. The sensor 112 may be, for example, a giant magnetoresistance (GMR) sensor, a gravity sensor (G-sensor), and a proximity sensor (Proximity sensor). The first controller 111 may be, for example, a power delivery (PD) controller.

In this embodiment, the charging control device 120 may include a second controller 121. The second controller 121 is coupled to the first controller 111 and the sensor 112. The second controller 121 may be, for example, a power supply controller. In this embodiment, the power supply controller (i.e., controllers 111, 121) may include a signal converter, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a central processing unit (CPU), or other programmable general-purpose or special-purpose microprocessors (Microprocessors), digital signal processors (DSPs), programmable controllers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs) or other similar devices or combinations of these devices, which can load and execute computer program-related firmware or software to achieve processing, calculation, and execution functions.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an operation method of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the electronic device 100 can execute steps S210 to S240. The order of these steps S210 to S240 is only for example and is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, steps S210 to S240 can be applied to the following exemplary situations.

In this embodiment, the power adapter 110 can be placed against the work surface in various ways, and in this scenario, the charging control device 120 is charged. Taking the cylindrical power adapter 110 as an example, the user can place any side of the power adapter 110 horizontally on the work surface to have a corresponding placement state.

In step S210, the sensor 112 senses the placement state of the power adapter 110 to generate a sensing signal S1-1. In this embodiment, the sensing signal S1-1 may be, for example, a signal indicating the placement state of the power adapter 110. The sensing signal S1-1 may include coordinate data of the power adapter 110 (e.g., the "coordinates" in Table (1)).

In step S220, the first controller 111 generates event information S1-2 according to the sensing signal. In this embodiment, the event information S1-2 may be, for example, information indicating a state event of the power adapter 110. The event information S1-2 may include information such as the power adapter 110 maintaining a certain placement state and the placement state of the power adapter 110 changing.

In step S230, the second controller 121 selects the first power supply setting information (e.g., information D1) from the plurality of power supply setting information D1-DN according to the sensing signal S1-1 and the event information S1-2 to generate a control signal S2, wherein N is a positive integer greater than 1. In this embodiment, the power supply setting information D1-DN may be, for example, a plurality of power supply profiles (PD Profiles) indicating different power supply settings under the transmission specification of USB Type-C. The power supply settings may include settings such as power supply voltage, power supply current, and power supply power.

In step S240, the first controller 111 causes the power adapter 110 to perform a power supply operation according to the first power supply setting information D1 according to the control signal S2. That is, the second controller 121 can select different power supply setting information D1-DN according to various placement states of the power adapter 110. The power adapter 110 can perform a power supply operation based on a corresponding one of the power supply setting information D1-DN.

It is worth mentioning that, since various placement states of the power adapter 110 can correspond to different power supply setting information D1-DN, the user can set the placement state of the power adapter 110 and select the power supply setting information (e.g., the first power supply setting information D1) corresponding to the current placement state through the charging control device 120. In this way, the power adapter 110 can provide corresponding power supply based on the selected power supply setting information D1, thereby meeting various charging scenarios to increase the use flexibility of the electronic device 100, and at the same time can increase the service life of the electronic device 100.

FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG3 , the electronic device 300 may include a power adapter 310 and a charging control device 320. The power adapter 310 may include a first controller 311, a sensor 312, a switch circuit 313, and an information prompter 314. The first controller 311 is coupled to the sensor 312, the switch circuit 313, and the information prompter 314. The charging control device 320 may include a second controller 321. The power adapter 310, the charging control device 320, the first controller 311, the sensor 312, and the second controller 321 may refer to the relevant description of the electronic device 100 and be deduced by analogy.

In the present embodiment, the switch circuit 313 is coupled between the paths of the power supply channel pins of the first controller 311 receiving the power supply voltage. The power supply channel pins of the first controller 311 may be, for example, the pin VBUS for transmitting electric energy. The power supply voltage may be, for example, the voltage of the power supply end (Source). In the present embodiment, the switch circuit 313 is also coupled to the second controller 321. The switch circuit 313 may be controlled by a control signal (for example, the control signal S2 shown in FIG. 1 ) from the second controller 321, so that the switch circuit 313 performs a switching operation according to the control signal.

In this embodiment, the information prompter 314 is coupled to the first controller 311. The information prompter 314 can be controlled by a signal from the first controller 311 for performing a power supply operation, so that the information prompter 314 provides prompt information corresponding to the power supply setting information (such as the first power supply setting information D1) executed by the power adapter 310.

In this embodiment, the information prompter 314 can be disposed on any side of the power adapter 310. The information prompter 314 can be, for example, a display including a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED), and an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) that provides a display function. In this embodiment, the prompt information can, for example, include various colored lights corresponding to different placement states of the power adapter 310, various carbon emission information, or a combination thereof.

It should be noted that the user can clearly know the current charging mode through the prompt information (such as a certain color of light) output by the information prompter 314. The charging mode can be, for example, the mode in which the power adapter 310 performs a power supply operation on the power adapter 310 based on the first power supply setting information D1.

In the present embodiment, the second controller 321 is also coupled to a memory (not shown). The memory can store a plurality of power supply setting information D1~DN, where N is illustrated by 4 as an example. That is, the second controller 321 can access the first power supply setting information D1 (represented by "PD profile 1") to the fourth power supply setting information D4 (represented by "PD profile 4") in the memory. In the present embodiment, the memory may be, for example, an external memory, or a memory disposed in the charging control device 320. The memory may be, for example, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a flash memory, or a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), etc.

In this embodiment, the plurality of power supply setting information D1-D4 may include a plurality of power supply powers corresponding to different placement states of the power adapter 310. These power supply powers are within the extended power range (EPR). The correspondence between the placement states and the EPR specifications is shown in the following table (1).

Table (1): Power supply (charging voltage/charging current) Placement direction Coordinates Color light 36V/5A SD1 (1,0,0) red 28V/5A SD2 (0,1,0) Orange 20V/5A SD3 (-1,0,0) Blue 15V/5A SD4 (0,-1,0) Green

Referring to FIG. 4 , FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the power adapter according to the embodiment of FIG. 3 of the present invention. In this embodiment, the power adapter 310 may include four side surfaces. These side surfaces lie horizontally on the work surface in corresponding placement directions SD1 to SD4 and have respective placement states.

For example, the first power supply setting information D1 corresponds to a first placement state. The first placement state may be, for example, a state when the power adapter 310 lies horizontally on a work surface in a placement direction SD1. The first placement state has coordinates represented as (1,0,0). The first power supply setting information D1 includes a first power supply power. The first power supply power indicates that the power adapter 310 performs a power supply operation with a charging voltage of 36V and a charging current of 5A. The first power supply setting information D1 also includes a first prompt information. The first prompt information indicates that the information prompter 314 emits a red light. The second power supply setting information D2, the third power supply setting information D3, and the fourth power supply setting information D4 can refer to the relevant description of the first power supply setting information D1 and be inferred by analogy.

It should be noted that, since the fourth power supply power of the fourth power supply setting information D4 can be, for example, the minimum power supply power that meets the EPR specification, the fourth power supply setting information D4 can be defined as an environmental protection power supply mode. The user can select this power supply setting information D4 by setting the placement state of the power adapter 310 to respond to environmental protection. In this embodiment, the fourth power supply setting information D4 defined as the environmental protection power supply mode can be designed or modified in conjunction with the battery configuration of the charging control device 320 to have a corresponding power supply power.

In this embodiment, the electronic device 300 can execute modules S410-S432 to illustrate how to switch to different power supply settings to continue charging during charging. Assume that the current power adapter 310 has a first placement state and performs a power supply operation with the first power supply setting information D1. Assume that the power adapter 310 is flipped from the first placement state to the second placement state.

In module S410, the power adapter 310 performs a power supply operation and is flipped to change the placement state of the power adapter 310. The sensor 312 senses the current placement state of the power adapter 310 to generate a sensing signal (for example, the sensing signal S1-1 shown in Figure 1). The sensor 312 transmits the sensing signal to the first controller 311 and the second controller 321 via a transmission line. In this embodiment, the sensing signal includes coordinate data of the power adapter 310. The coordinate data may be, for example, the "coordinates" corresponding to the second placement state in Table (1) (i.e., (0,1,0)).

Continuing with the above description, the first controller 311 receives the sensing signal and generates event information (e.g., event information S1-2 shown in FIG. 1 ) according to the sensing signal. The first controller 311 transmits the event information to the second controller 321 via a configuration channel (CC). In this embodiment, the event information indicates that the placement state of the power adapter 310 has changed.

In module S420, the second controller 321 receives the sensing signal and the event information, and switches (e.g., turns off) the switch circuit 313 according to the event information. That is, during the charging process, when the placement state of the power adapter 310 changes, the second controller 321 learns the aforementioned change scenario according to the event information, and accordingly cuts off the path between the power supply channel pins (e.g., pin VBUS) in the power adapter 310 receiving the power supply voltage.

In this embodiment, when the switch circuit 313 is turned off, the second controller 321 switches the plurality of power setting information D1-D4 according to the sensing signal and the event information to select the second power setting information D2 corresponding to the current placement state (ie, the second placement state) of the power adapter 310.

Specifically, in module S431, the second controller 321 analyzes the sensing signal according to the event information to determine the coordinate data of the power adapter 310. That is, when the second controller 321 receives the event information, the second controller 321 reads the sensor 312 through the transmission line to obtain the coordinate data of the power adapter 310.

In module S432, the second controller 321 specifies to read a plurality of power setting information D1-D4 in the memory according to the sensing signal. The second controller 321 selects the second power setting information D2 according to the read coordinate data (i.e., the coordinates (0,1,0) of the second placement state) to switch the first power setting information D1 to the second power setting information D2.

Continuing with the above description, when the switch circuit 313 is turned off, the second controller 321 generates a control signal according to the switched (or selected) second power supply setting information D2. The second controller 321 transmits the control signal to the first controller 311 through a set of configuration channels. In addition, the second controller 321 switches (e.g., turns on) the switch circuit 313 so that the power adapter 310 receives the power supply voltage again so as to enable the power supply operation.

That is, after the second controller 321 completes the switching of the power supply setting information D1 and D2, the second controller 321 informs the first controller 311 of the updated second power supply setting information D2, and the second controller 321 releases the power disconnection between the power adapter 310 and the power supply voltage. Accordingly, the power adapter 310 can re-complete the power supply communication based on the second power supply setting information D2 to continue the power supply operation.

In this embodiment, in order to prevent the placement state of the power adapter 310 from being accidentally changed, for example, when the user trips over the power adapter 310, the second controller 321 stops generating control signals during a preset period of time when the event information is received. That is, when the second controller 321 receives the event information, the second controller 321 waits for a period of time to allow the placement state of the power adapter 310 to become stable. After this period of time, the second controller 321 then generates control signals according to the current event information. Therefore, during this period of time (i.e., the preset period), the second controller 321 does not generate control signals according to the current event information.

In this embodiment, in order to protect the service life of the charging control device 320, when the remaining power of the charging control device 320 is too low, the second controller 321 will not switch the power supply setting information D1 and D2 according to the sensing signal and the event information. In detail, the second controller 321 stops generating the control signal according to the remaining power of the charging control device 320 being less than the threshold value (for example, the power is 0%).

In summary, the electronic device and the operating method of the embodiment of the present invention can select the corresponding power supply setting information by switching the placement state of the power adapter, so that the user can adjust the power supply setting of the power adapter by himself, for example, to make the power supply voltage of the power adapter close to the voltage setting of the charging control device. Therefore, the electronic device can improve the efficiency of charging the charging control device and reduce the power consumption of the charging control device, thereby achieving energy saving effect. In addition, the power adapter can provide the corresponding power supply based on the selected power supply setting information, thereby increasing the use flexibility and service life of the electronic device.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above by the embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Any person with ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be defined by the scope of the attached patent application.

100, 300: electronic device 110, 310: power adapter 111, 311: first controller 112, 312: sensor 120, 320: charging control device 121, 321: second controller 313: switch circuit 314: information indicator D1~DN, D1~D4: power supply setting information SD1~SD4: placement direction S210~S240: steps S410~S432: module S1-1: sensing signal S1-2: event information S2: control signal

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flow chart of an operation method of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an operation schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a power adapter according to the embodiment of FIG. 3 of the present invention.

100: Electronic devices

110: Power adapter

111: First controller

112:Sensor

120: Charging control device

121: Second controller

D1~DN: Power supply setting information

S1-1: Sensing signal

S1-2: Event information

S2: Control signal

Claims (9)

An electronic device, comprising: a power adapter, comprising a sensor and a first controller, wherein the sensor is coupled to the first controller and senses the placement state of the power adapter to generate a sensing signal, and the first controller generates an event information according to the sensing signal; and a charging control device, coupled to the power adapter, comprising a second controller, wherein the second controller selects a first power supply setting information from a plurality of power supply setting information according to the sensing signal and the event information to generate a control signal, wherein the first controller causes the power adapter to perform a power supply operation according to the first power supply setting information according to the control signal. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power adapter further comprises: A switch circuit coupled between a path for receiving a power supply voltage at a power supply channel pin of the first controller and controlled by the control signal. An electronic device as described in claim 2, wherein when the power adapter performs a power supply operation and the placement state of the power adapter changes, the second controller turns off the switch circuit according to the event information. An electronic device as described in claim 3, wherein when the switch circuit is turned off, the second controller switches the multiple power supply setting information according to the sensing signal and the event information to generate the control signal and turn on the switch circuit. The electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the power adapter further comprises: An information prompter coupled to the first controller, providing prompt information corresponding to the first power supply setting information executed by the power adapter. An electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the second controller stops generating the control signal within a preset period of time after receiving the event information. An electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the second controller stops generating the control signal based on a remaining power of the charging control device being less than a threshold. An electronic device as described in claim 1, wherein the power supply setting information includes multiple power supply powers corresponding to different placement states of the power adapter, wherein the power supply powers are within an extended power range. A method for operating an electronic device, comprising: Using a sensor of a power adapter, sensing the placement state of the power adapter to generate a sensing signal; Using a first controller of the power adapter, generating an event message according to the sensing signal; Using a second controller of a charging control device, selecting a first power supply setting information from a plurality of power supply setting information according to the event information and the sensing signal to generate a control signal; and Using the first controller, causing the power adapter to perform a power supply operation according to the first power supply setting information according to the control signal.

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