Adaptive multi-mode charging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11923715-B2
Application number	US-202016914160-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2020
Priority date	Dec 20, 2019
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed for adaptive multi-mode charging. In an example aspect, the apparatus includes at least one charger having a first node and a second node. The at least one charger is configured to accept an input voltage at the first node. The at least one charger is also configured to selectively operate in a first mode to generate a first output voltage at the second node that is greater than or less than the input voltage or operate in a second mode to generate a second output voltage at the second node that is substantially equal to the input voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising: at least one charger having a first node and a second node, the at least one charger configured to: accept an input voltage at the first node; and selectively: operate in a first mode to generate a first output voltage at the second node that is greater than or less than the input voltage; or operate in a second mode to generate a second output voltage at the second node that is substantially equal to the input voltage, wherein the at least one charger is further configured to: accept another input voltage at the second node; and selectively: operate in a third mode to generate a third output voltage at the first node that is greater than or less than the other input voltage; or operate in a fourth mode to generate a fourth output voltage at the first node that is substantially equal to the other input voltage, wherein the at least one charger is further configured to selectively: transfer power from a first power supply circuit selectively coupled to the first node of the at least one charger to a first load based on the first mode or the second mode; and transfer power from a second power supply circuit to a second load selectively coupled to the first node of the at least one charger based on the third mode or the fourth mode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one charger is configured to selectively:
operate as a divide-by-n charge pump or a multiply-by-n charge pump according to the first mode; or
operate as a direct charger according to the second mode.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the first output voltage is less than the input voltage; and
the apparatus further comprises a mode-control circuit coupled to the at least one charger, the mode-control circuit configured to:
monitor a temperature associated with the apparatus; and
cause the at least one charger to transition from operating in the first mode to operating in the second mode responsive to the temperature being greater than a first threshold.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the mode-control circuit is configured to cause the at least one charger to transition from operating in the second mode to operating in the first mode responsive to the temperature being less than a second threshold, the second threshold being less than the first threshold.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein: the apparatus comprises: at least one power supply circuit including the first power supply circuit coupled to the first node of the at least one charger; and at least one load including the first load coupled to the second node of the at least one charger.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein:
the at least one power supply circuit comprises at least one of:
a wireless power receiver;
a power adaptor; or
a battery; and

the at least one load comprises at least one of:
the power adaptor;
another battery;
a wireless power transmitter;
a display of the apparatus; or
a wireless transceiver of the apparatus.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein: the at least one power supply circuit comprises the second power supply circuit; and the apparatus further comprises a switching circuit coupled to the first power supply circuit, the second power supply circuit, and the first node of the at least one charger, the switching circuit configured to selectively: connect the first power supply circuit to the first node of the at least one charger; or connect the second power supply circuit to the second node of the at least one charger.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one charger comprises:
a positive node and a negative node;
a ground node;
at least one capacitor coupled between the positive node and the negative node;
a first switch coupled between the first node and the positive node;
a second switch coupled between the negative node and the second node;
a third switch coupled between the negative node and the ground node; and
a fourth switch coupled between the positive node and the second node.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the at least one charger is configured to:
actively switch states of the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, and the fourth switch between an open state and a closed state for the first mode;
place the first switch and the fourth switch in the closed state for the second mode; and
place the second switch and the third switch in the open state for the second mode.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein: the apparatus comprises: the first power supply circuit; the first load coupled to the second node of the at least one charger; the second power supply circuit coupled to the second node of the at least one charger; the second load; and a switching circuit coupled to the first power supply circuit, the second load, and the first node of the at least one charger, the switching circuit configured to selectively: connect the first power supply circuit to the first node of the at least one charger; or connect the second load to the first node of the at least one charger.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein:
the first power supply circuit comprises a wireless power receiver or a power adaptor;
the first load comprises a battery, a display of the apparatus, or a wireless transceiver of the apparatus;
the second power supply circuit comprises the battery; and
the second load comprises a wireless power transmitter or the power adaptor.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one charger comprises a first charger and a second charger coupled together in parallel; and
the first charger is configured to provide a first conversion ratio for the first mode; and
the second charger is configured to provide a second conversion ratio for the first mode, the second conversion ratio being different than the first conversion ratio.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one charger comprises a first charger and a second charger coupled together in parallel;
the first charger is configured to operate according to a first phase;
the second charger is configured to operate according to a second phase that is different than the first phase; and
the first charger and the second charger are configured to operate together to provide dual-phase charging.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one charger comprises a first charger and a second charger;
the first charger is configured to operate in the first mode or the second mode to support forward charging; and
the second charger is configured to operate in the third mode or the fourth mode to support reverse charging.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first power supply circuit is one of a plurality of power supply circuits including a wireless power circuit and a power adaptor circuit, wherein the first load comprises a battery, the apparatus further comprising: a switching circuit coupled between the at least one charger and the plurality of power supply circuits, the switching circuit configured to selectively couple at least one of the plurality of power supply circuits to the first node of the at least one charger.

16. An apparatus comprising:
supply means for providing an input voltage, the supply means coupled to a first node;
load means for accepting an output voltage, the load means coupled to a second node; and
charging means for transferring power from the supply means to the load means by selectively: providing a first voltage as the output voltage in accordance with a first mode or a second voltage as the output voltage in accordance with a second mode, the first voltage b

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Song Chunping
• Kun Cheong
• Gao Xiaolin
• Jung Sanghwa
• Jing Yue

Classifications

• H02J7/975 Primary

  in response to temperature · CPC title

• H02J7/60

  including safety or protection arrangements · CPC title

• H02J7/007192 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02J7/02

  for charging batteries from AC mains by converters · CPC title

• H02J2207/20

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