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Charging Systems with Direct Charging Port Support and Extended Capabilities
| Content Provider | The Lens |
|---|---|
| Abstract | An alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) power converter may have a connector with a pair of power supply contacts and a pair of data contacts. An electronic device may be connected to the connector of the power converter. The power converter may supply DC power to the electronic device using the power supply contacts. The power converter may include control circuitry that has a resistor coupled across the data contacts. When the electronic device and the power converter are connected to each other, each may advertise to the other that capabilities are present that exceed industry standards. At the same time, standard-compliant discovery operations may be performed to probe the value of the resistance of the resistor that is coupled across the data contacts. When extended capabilities are discovered, extended functions may be performed including accelerated charging functions and data communications functions. |
| Related Links | https://www.lens.org/lens/patent/011-501-964-044-433/frontpage |
| Language | English |
| Publisher Date | 2017-05-16 |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Patent |
| Jurisdiction | United States of America |
| Date Applied | 2014-05-02 |
| Agent | Treyz Law Group, P.c. G. Victor Treyz Michael H. Lyons |
| Applicant | Apple Inc |
| Application No. | 201414268945 |
| Claim | An electronic device operable to receive power from external equipment having a resistance, the electronic device comprising: a connector having a pair of power line contacts and first and second data line contacts, wherein the first and second data line contacts are configured to be electrically coupled to opposing sides of the resistance of the external equipment when the connector is in contact with the external equipment; and control circuitry configured to measure the resistance of the external equipment by transmitting a signal to the external equipment using the first data line contact while the connector is in contact with the external equipment, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to advertise to the external equipment that the electronic device has capabilities that extend beyond standards-compliant capabilities by pulsing the signal to generate signal pulses and transmitting the signal pulses to the external equipment using the first data line contact while the connector is in contact with the external equipment. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the pair of power line contacts comprises Universal Serial Bus power line contacts and wherein the first and second data line contacts comprise Universal Serial Bus data line contacts. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the control circuitry comprises a current source and wherein the control circuitry is configured to hold the signal constant when measuring the resistance of the external equipment. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , control circuitry comprises a current source that is connected to the first data line contact, wherein the signal comprises a probe current that is held constant when the control circuitry measures the resistance of the external equipment, and wherein the signal pulses comprise current pulses. The electronic device defined in claim 4 wherein the control circuitry further comprises a current sink that is configured to receive current from the external equipment using the second data line contact. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the control circuitry comprises a voltage source connected to the first data line contact. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry comprises a current source that is connected to the first data line contact, wherein the signal comprises a probe current that varies as a function of time while the control circuitry measures the resistance of the external equipment. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the control circuitry comprises receiver circuitry that is configured to receive data signal pulses from the external equipment using the second data line contact. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the capabilities that extend beyond standards-compliant capabilities comprise capabilities that extend beyond limits imposed by USB-IF industry standards and wherein the limits imposed by the USB-IF industry standards comprise limits on the maximum current and maximum voltage of a DC power supply voltage received by the pair of power line contacts from the external equipment. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the capabilities that extend beyond the limits imposed by the USB-IF industry standards comprise at least one of the capabilities selected from the group consisting of: receiving the DC power supply voltage at a current greater than 1.5 amps, receiving the DC power supply at a voltage of approximately 4.5 volts and, simultaneously, at a current of approximately 0.3 amps, receiving the DC power supply voltage at a voltage of approximately 6 voltages and, simultaneously, at a current of approximately 3.0 amps. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the capabilities that extend beyond the limits imposed by the USB-IF industry standards comprise receiving the DC power supply voltage at a current greater than 1.5 amps. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the capabilities that extend beyond the limits imposed by the USB-IF industry standards comprise receiving the DC power supply at a voltage of approximately 4.5 volts and, simultaneously at a current of approximately 0.3 amps. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the capabilities that extend beyond the limits imposed by the USB-IF industry standards comprise receiving the DC power supply voltage at a voltage of approximately 6 voltages and, simultaneously, at a current of approximately 3.0 amps. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to receive, using the second data line contact, the signal transmitted by the control circuitry to the external equipment using the first data line contact, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to measure the resistance based on the signal received using the second data line contact. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to identify whether the external equipment has capabilities that extend beyond the standards-compliant capabilities based on the measured resistance. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to limit an amplitude of the signal pulses below a threshold amplitude value while the control circuitry measures the resistance of the external equipment and wherein the control circuitry is configured to generate the signal pulses at amplitudes that exceed the threshold amplitude value after the control circuitry has measured the resistance. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to modulate the signal to generate the signal pulses after the control circuitry has measured the resistance. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , further comprising: a battery, wherein one or more of the pair of power line contacts is configured to receive the power from the external equipment; and power management circuitry that is configured to charge the battery using the power received from the external equipment by the one or more of the pair of power line contacts. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the capabilities that extend beyond standards-compliant capabilities comprise a capability of the electronic device to receive a current from the external equipment using at least one power line contact of the pair of power line contacts that exceeds a maximum current limit imposed by an industry standard. The electronic device defined in claim 1 , wherein the capabilities that extend beyond standards-compliant capabilities comprise a capability of the electronic device to draw a greater amount of power from the external equipment using at least one power line contact of the pair of power line contacts than a maximum power limit imposed by an industry standard. |
| CPC Classification | CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER;SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY APPARATUS FOR CONVERSION BETWEEN AC AND AC; BETWEEN AC AND DC; OR BETWEEN DC AND DC; AND FOR USE WITH MAINS OR SIMILAR POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS;CONVERSION OF DC OR AC INPUT POWER INTO SURGE OUTPUT POWER;CONTROL OR REGULATION THEREOF ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING Measuring Force; Stress; Torque; Work; Mechanical Power; Mechanical Efficiency; Or Fluid Pressure Measuring Electric Variables;Measuring Magnetic Variables |
| Examiner | Paresh Patel |
| Extended Family | 181-385-453-420-299 165-442-389-800-278 049-967-757-083-978 011-501-964-044-433 115-728-378-482-630 184-846-423-161-255 031-496-537-677-49X 134-803-064-228-732 186-779-034-208-828 180-363-730-955-889 035-914-296-480-083 040-030-200-945-761 178-700-484-977-902 179-353-161-987-084 125-503-368-257-881 149-240-902-737-914 067-379-420-887-382 176-935-502-557-527 121-865-284-193-57X 119-246-582-404-836 182-430-831-772-061 144-410-133-313-777 012-949-878-773-930 179-751-849-598-70X 112-178-018-616-575 093-746-639-030-61X 153-975-165-704-355 047-574-130-587-072 |
| Patent ID | 9651593 |
| Inventor/Author | Sims Nicholas A Terlizzi Jeffrey J Kosut Alexei Johnson Timothy Corlett Barry |
| IPC | G01R27/02 G01L1/20 H02J7/00 H02J7/04 H02M7/02 |
| Status | Active |
| Simple Family | 181-385-453-420-299 165-442-389-800-278 049-967-757-083-978 011-501-964-044-433 115-728-378-482-630 184-846-423-161-255 031-496-537-677-49X 134-803-064-228-732 186-779-034-208-828 180-363-730-955-889 035-914-296-480-083 040-030-200-945-761 178-700-484-977-902 179-353-161-987-084 125-503-368-257-881 149-240-902-737-914 067-379-420-887-382 176-935-502-557-527 121-865-284-193-57X 119-246-582-404-836 182-430-831-772-061 144-410-133-313-777 012-949-878-773-930 179-751-849-598-70X 112-178-018-616-575 093-746-639-030-61X 153-975-165-704-355 047-574-130-587-072 |
| CPC (with Group) | H02J7/00034 H02J7/007 H02J7/04 H02M3/07 H02M3/158 G06F1/266 H02J7/02 H02M1/10 H02J7/00036 G01L1/205 G01R27/02 H02M7/02 H02M7/53803 H02M7/53846 H02M7/539 H02J7/00 |
| Issuing Authority | United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) |
| Kind | Patent/New European patent specification (amended specification after opposition procedure) |
