Dynamic power sharing among multiple physical ports

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016336745-A1
Application number	US-201615154258-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 13, 2016
Priority date	May 14, 2015
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments provide a charging device. The charging device includes a battery, a first physical port and a management apparatus. The management apparatus determines a first type and a first state of a first load device connected to the first physical port and allocates power supplied to the first load device through the first physical port according to the first type and the first state of the first load device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for managing power allocation, comprising:
determining, by a charging device, a first type and a first state of a first load device connected to a first physical port of the charging device; and allocating, from the charging device, power supplied to the first load device through the first physical port according to the first type and the first state of the first load device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein allocating power supplied to the first load device through the first physical port comprises:
allocating the power supplied to the first load device through the first physical port based on a coupling of an external power source to the charging device.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein allocating the power supplied to the first load device based on the coupling of the external power source to the charging device comprises:
when the external power source is not coupled to the charging device, allocating the power supplied to the first load device from a battery on the charging device at a level that is lower than a maximum allocation of power on the charging device.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by the charging device, a second type and a second state of a second load device connected to a second physical port of the charging device; and allocating, from the charging device, power supplied to the second load device through the second physical port according to the second type and the second state of the second load device.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
determining a first priority of the first load device based on the first type and the first state of the first load device; determining a second priority of the second load device based on the second type and the second state of the second load device; and reallocating power supplied to the first and second load devices through the first and second physical ports according to the first and second priorities.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
operating a battery in the charging device based on the first and second priorities.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein operating the battery in the charging device based on the first and second priorities comprises one of:
disabling charging of the battery before the battery reaches a fully charged state to increase power supplied to the first and second load devices; and allocating power for charging the battery based on a battery level of the battery and the first and second priorities.

8 . The method of claim 5 , wherein reallocating power supplied to the first and second load devices according to the first and second priorities comprises:
reducing power supplied to the first load device to accommodate the power supplied to the second load device.

9 . The method of claim 5 , wherein reallocation of the power supplied to the first and second load devices occurs upon detecting a connection of the second device to the second physical port of the charging device.

10 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
allocating power supplied to the first and second load devices based on user input from the first or second load devices.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein allocating power supplied to the first load device through the first physical port comprises:
communicating a power allocation for the first load device to the first load device through the first physical port.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein allocating power supplied to the first load device through the first physical port further comprises:
monitoring a power draw of the first load device; and limiting the power supplied to the first load device based on the monitored power draw and the power allocation.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein limiting the power supplied to the first load device based on the monitored power draw and the power allocation comprises one of:
preventing the power supplied to the first load device from exceeding the power allocation; and disconnecting the first load device from the charging device when the monitored power draw exceeds the power allocation.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein communicating the power allocation for the first load device comprises:
communicating a port type of the physical port to the first load device, wherein the port type is associated with the power allocation.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first state of the first load device comprises at least one of:
a battery level of a battery in the first load device; a current load on the first load device; and a power draw of the first load device.

16 . A charging device, comprising:
a battery; a first physical port; and a management apparatus configured to:
determine a first type and a first state of a first load device connected to the first physical port; and
allocate power supplied to the first load device through the first physical port according to the first type and the first state of the first load device.

17 . The charging device of claim 16 , further comprising:
a second physical port, wherein the management apparatus is further configured to:
determine a second type and a second state of a second load device connected to the second physical port; and
allocate power supplied to the second load device through the second physical port according to the second type and the second state of the second load device.

18 . The charging device of claim 17 , wherein the management apparatus is further configured to:
determine a first priority of the first load device based on the first type and the first state of the first load device; determine a second priority of the second load device based on the second type and the second state of the second load device; and reallocate power supplied to the first and second load devices through the first and second physical ports according to the first and second priorities.

19 . The charging device of claim 18 , wherein the management apparatus is further configured to:
operate the battery based on the first and second priorities.

20 . The charging device of claim 16 , wherein the management apparatus is further configured to:
allocate the power supplied to the first load device through the first physical port based on a coupling of an external power source to the charging device.

21 . The charging device of claim 16 , wherein the management apparatus is further configured to:
allocate power supplied to the first and second load devices based on user input from the first or second load devices.

22 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions that, when executed by a controller, cause the controller to perform a method for managing power allocation, the method comprising:
determining, by a charging device, a first type and a first state of a first load device connected to a first physical port of the charging device; and allocating, from the charging device, power supplied to the first load device through the first physical port according to the first type and the first state of the first load device.

23 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22 , the method further comprising:
allocating the power supplied to the first load device through the first physical port based on a coupling of an external power source to the charging device.

24 . The non-tr

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Pandya Manisha P
• Sims Nicholas A

Classifications

• H02J7/42

  with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones · CPC title

• H02J7/865

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

• H02J7/50

  acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H02J7/96 Primary

  in response to battery voltage · CPC title

• H02J7/342

  The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging (with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/68) · CPC title