Dual-phase operation for concurrently charging a battery and powering a peripheral device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10326296-B2
Application number	US-201615273517-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2016
Priority date	Feb 1, 2016
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

A multi-phase (e.g., dual-phase) concurrent configuration of a power management component supports higher current levels to peripheral devices while maintaining acceptable thermal limits. A dual-phase integrated circuit (IC) having a first input/output (I/O) port coupled to a battery and a second I/O port coupled to an adapter and a peripheral device implements the configuration. The dual phase IC includes a dual-phase voltage regulator that selectively provide power (i) from the first I/O port to the second I/O port to provide power to the peripheral device or (ii) from the second I/O port to the first I/O port to provide power to the battery. A controller activates a boost phase to power the second I/O port in response to detecting a demand current of the peripheral device exceeds a maximum current available from the adapter.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery charging circuit, comprising:
a dual-phase integrated circuit having a first port coupled to a battery, a second port coupled to an external power source, and a third port coupled to a peripheral device, the dual-phase integrated circuit, comprising:
a dual-phase voltage regulator operable to selectively provide power (i) from the first port to the third port to provide power to the peripheral device or (ii) from the second port to the first port to provide power to the battery; and
a controller operable to activate a boost phase to power the third port in response to detecting a demand current of the peripheral device exceeding a maximum current available from the external power source.

2. The battery charging circuit of claim 1 , in which the controller is further operable to terminate a buck phase of a battery charging operation when the demand current from the peripheral device exceeds the maximum current available from the external power source.

3. The battery charging circuit of claim 1 , in which the dual-phase voltage regulator comprises:
a first regulator operable (i) in accordance with a buck phase or the boost phase during an active state and (ii) in a tristate during an inactive phase; and
a second regulator operable (i) in accordance with the boost phase or the buck phase during the active state and (ii) in the tristate during the inactive phase.

4. The battery charging circuit of claim 3 , in which the controller is further operable to transition the first regulator from the boost phase into the tristate and to transition the second regulator to the buck phase when the demand current from the peripheral device is less than the maximum current available from the external power source.

5. The battery charging circuit of claim 3 , in which the dual-phase voltage regulator further comprises:
a switch coupled to the second port, the third port, the first regulator, and the second regulator to selectively couple the first regulator and the second regulator to at least one of the second port and the third port.

6. The battery charging circuit of claim 5 , in which the switch is configured to selectively couple (i) the first regulator to the third port in the boost phase to power the peripheral device or (ii) the second regulator to the second port in the buck phase to charge the battery.

7. The battery charging circuit of claim 5 , in which the switch couples the second port to the first regulator and to the second regulator when both regulators operate in the buck phase to charge the battery.

8. The battery charging circuit of claim 3 , in which the controller is operable to transition the second regulator from the active state to the tristate to terminate the buck phase of a battery charging operation, and to transition the first regulator from the tristate to the active state to power the third port using the boost phase.

9. The battery charging circuit of claim 1 , in which current from the external power is concurrently supplied to the peripheral device and the battery according to a buck phase of a battery charging operation when the peripheral device draws an amount of current less than an amount of current provided by the external power source.

10. The battery charging circuit of claim 1 , in which the external power source comprises a wireless adapter.

11. The battery charging circuit of claim 1 , in which the peripheral device comprises an on-the-go (OTG) device.

12. The battery charging circuit of claim 1 , integrated into a mobile phone, a set top box, a music player, a video player, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a computer, a hand-held personal communication systems (PCS) unit, a portable data unit, and/or a fixed location data unit.

13. A method of operating a multiphase switch mode regulator, comprising:
selectively providing power (i) from a battery coupled to a first port to a peripheral device coupled to a second port or (ii) from an external power source coupled to a third port to the battery coupled to the first port; and
activating a boost phase to power the second port in response to detecting a demand current of the peripheral device exceeding a maximum current available from the external power source.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
detecting attachment of the peripheral device to the second port when the power is provided from the external power source to the battery in accordance with a charging operation;
terminating a buck phase of the charging operation when the demand current from the peripheral device exceeds the maximum current available from the external power source; and
powering the second port in response to detecting attachment of the peripheral device to the second port using the boost phase.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
concurrently charging the battery using the buck phase while supplying current to the second port using the external power source when the demand current from the peripheral device is less than the maximum current available from the external power source.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
transitioning the buck phase from an active state to a tristate; and
concurrently transitioning the boost phase from the tristate to the active state to power the peripheral device in response to detecting the demand current from the peripheral device exceeds the maximum current available from the external power source.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
transitioning the boost phase from the tristate to the active state; and
concurrently transitioning the buck phase from the tristate to the active state to charge the battery in response to detecting the demand current from the peripheral device is less than the maximum current available from the external power source.

18. The method of claim 13 , further comprising integrating the multiphase switch mode regulator into a mobile phone, a set top box, a music player, a video player, an entertainment unit, a navigation device, a computer, a hand-held personal communication systems (PCS) unit, a portable data unit, and/or a fixed location data unit.

19. A battery charging circuit, comprising:
a dual-phase integrated circuit having a first port coupled to a battery, a second port coupled to an external power source, and a third port coupled to a peripheral device, the dual-phase integrated circuit, comprising:
a dual-phase voltage regulator operable to selectively provide power (i) from the first port to the third port to provide power to the peripheral device or (ii) from the second port to the first port to provide power to the battery; and
means for activating a boost phase to power the third port in response to detecting a demand current of the peripheral device exceeding a maximum current available from the external power source.

20. The battery charging circuit of claim 19 , further comprising means for terminating a buck phase of a battery charging operation when the demand current from the peripheral device exceeds the maximum current available from the external power source.

21. The battery charging circuit of claim 19 , in which the dual-phase voltage regulator comprises:
a first regulator operable (i) in accordance with a buck phase or the boost phase during an active state and (ii) in a tristate during an inactive phase; and
a second regulator operable (i) in accordance with the boost phase or the buck phase during the active state and (ii) in the tristate duri

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Pullen Stuart
• Hawley Steve
• O'Brien Thomas

Classifications

• H02J7/865

  Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply (H02J7/50 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H02J2207/20

  Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter · CPC title

• H02J1/10

  Parallel operation of DC sources · CPC title

• G06F1/26

  Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) · CPC title

• G06F1/263

  Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC (G06F1/30 takes precedence) · CPC title