Information handling system adaptive high performance power delivery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9069540-B2
Application number	US-201213633580-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2012
Priority date	Oct 2, 2012
Publication date	Jun 30, 2015
Grant date	Jun 30, 2015

Abstract

An information handling system provides power to a peripheral through a peripheral interface, such as a USB interface, by communicating power availability with a primary set of power parameters through a data link and communicating power availability with a secondary set of power parameters through a power link. If a peripheral device has the capability to draw power at the second power parameters, it does so while monitoring for a fold back of host power that indicates power is not available at the second power parameters.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information handling system comprising:
a housing;
a processor disposed in the housing and operable to process information;
memory disposed in the housing and interfaced with the processor, the memory operable to store information;
a Universal Serial Bus (USB) controller disposed in the housing and interfaced with the processor, the USB controller operable to communicate with a peripheral device through data lines and to provide power to the peripheral device through power lines;
a USB port disposed at the housing and interfaced with the USB controller, the port operable to accept a USB cable connector to interface the data lines with data lines of a USB cable and to interface the power lines with power lines of the USB cable; and
a power controller associated with the USB controller, the power controller operable to communicate through the data lines with a peripheral device before completing legacy peripheral power configuration to establish a first power parameters for providing power to the peripheral;
wherein the power controller is further operable to communicate a power signal through the power lines before completing legacy peripheral power configuration to indicate availability of second power parameters for providing power to the peripheral; and
wherein the power controller is further operable to confirm whether the second power parameters are available from the host by initiating power transfer with the first power parameters and then increasing power transfer to the second power parameters.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein:
the second power parameters comprise a greater current than the first power parameters; and
the power controller is further operable to provide power to the peripheral at up to the greater current.

3. The information handling system of claim 2 wherein the power controller provides power to the peripheral at a current greater than the first power parameters without receiving confirmation of the second power parameters from the peripheral.

4. The information handling system of claim 2 further comprising a peripheral interfaced with the information handling system through a USB cable coupled to the USB port, the peripheral comprising:
a housing;
a battery disposed in the housing; and
a charger disposed in the housing, the charger operable to respond to the power signal by drawing power at a rate greater than the first power parameters without receiving confirmation of the second power parameters from the power controller.

5. The information handling system of claim 4 wherein the charger is further operable to detect a fold back of the power from the USB port in response to the drawing power at a rate greater than the first power parameters, and to use the first power parameters in response to the fold back.

6. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the power signal is communicated before the power controller communicates through the data lines to establish the first power parameters.

7. The information handling system of claim 6 wherein the peripheral responds to the power signal by drawing power at the first power parameters, increasing power draw to greater than the first power parameters and decreasing power draw to no greater than the first power parameters if power provided from the USB port folds back in response to increasing power draw to greater than the first power parameters.

8. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the first power parameters comprise 10 W of power and the second power parameters comprise 20 W of power.

9. The information handling system of claim 1 wherein the peripheral comprises a wireless telephone.

10. A method for providing power from a host to a peripheral through a cable, the method comprising:
detecting an interface between the host and the peripheral through the cable;
in response to detecting, communicating a power signal from the host to the peripheral through a power line of the cable, the power signal sent before legacy peripheral power configuration of the host and peripheral with digital data communication;
determining at the peripheral that the power signal indicates the availability of power at a second power parameters;
signaling between the host and peripheral the availability of power at a first power parameters through a data line of the cable, the signaling of the availability of power at a first power parameters sent before legacy peripheral power configuration of the host and peripheral with digital data communication; and
confirming at the peripheral whether the second power parameters are available from the host by initiating power transfer with the first power parameters and then increasing power transfer to the second power parameters.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the communicating a power signal is performed before the signaling between the host and peripheral.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the second power parameters provide power at a greater rate than the first power parameters.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
in response to determining at the peripheral from the first power parameters that the second power parameters are available, increasing power draw at the peripheral from the host to a rate above the first power parameters; and
monitoring at the peripheral the power draw from the host to detect a fold back.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
detecting a fold back of power from the host; and
in response to detecting, setting power draw by the peripheral from the host to the first power parameters.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
detecting a lack of fold back from the host; and
in response to detecting, setting power draw by the peripheral from the host to the second power parameters.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the host and peripheral communicate through a USB interface.

17. A host-to-peripheral communication system comprising:
a serial link having data lines for communicating information;
a power link having power lines for transferring power from the host to the peripheral;
a power controller associated with the host and operable to communicate through the serial link the availability of power at a first power parameters before legacy peripheral power configuration of the host and peripheral with digital data communication; and
a charger associated with the peripheral and operable to communicate through the serial link to receive power at the first power parameters before legacy peripheral power configuration of the host and peripheral with digital data communication;
wherein the power controller is further operable to indicate to the charger the availability of power at a second power parameters by providing a power signal to the power link before legacy peripheral power configuration of the host and peripheral with digital data communication, the second power parameters greater than the first power parameters; and
wherein the power controller is further operable to confirm whether the second power parameters are available from the host by initiating power transfer with the first power parameters and then increasing power transfer to the second power parameters.

18. The host-to-peripheral communication system of claim 17 wherein the charger is further operable to detect the power signal and in response to the power signal to draw power at the second power parameters.

19. The host-to-peripheral communication system of claim 18 wherein the charger is further ope

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Sultenfuss Andrew T
• Hijazi Mohammed K

Classifications

• G06F1/00

  Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 (architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76) · CPC title

• G06F1/3203

  Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode · CPC title

• G06F1/3296

  by lowering the supply or operating voltage · CPC title

• G06F1/266 Primary

  Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips · CPC title

• G06F1/26

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