US 11,061,457 B1Granted

Dynamic sharing of power among USB type-c power delivery (USB-C/PD) ports

AssigneeCypress Semiconductor Corporation

InventorsDebraj Bhattacharjee, Kailas Iyer, Palaniappan Subbiah, Subramanyam Sankaran, Anshul Gulati, Neel Karkhanis

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Abstract

Technology to dynamically share system power among charging ports of a multiport power delivery (PD) system is described. In one embodiment, a multiport PD system includes a master controller associated with a master port, and one or more slave controllers associated with one or more slave ports. The master controller determines a port connection status of a set of multiple ports. The port connection status indicates that multiple devices are connected. The master controller determines a power requirement of each of the devices. The master controller dynamically allocates a system power between each of the ports, independent of a connection sequence of the devices.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

determining, by a controller, a port connection status of a plurality of USB ports, the port connection status indicating that a plurality of devices are connected,
wherein at least one of the plurality USB ports is a USB Type-C Power Delivery (USB-C/PD) port;
determining, by the controller, a power requirement of each of the plurality of devices;
dynamically allocating, by the controller, a system power between each of the plurality of USB ports, independent of a connection sequence of the plurality of devices;
determining, by the controller, a change in the port connection status;
reallocating, by the controller, the system power between each of the plurality of USB ports, responsive to the change in the port connection status remaining consistent during a specified duration of time, detecting, by the controller, a communication fault between the controller and another controller associated with power delivery to one of the plurality of USB ports;
and performing, by the controller, a power budget reduction responsive to detection of the communication fault,
wherein performing the power budget reduction comprises re-allocating a portion of the system power to each of the plurality of USB ports.

5 more elements

A system comprising:

a first USB Type-C Power Delivery (USB-C/PD) port:
a second USB port;
a first controller operatively coupled to the first USB-C/PD port and the second USB port;
a communication interface;
and
a second controller coupled to the first controller via the communication interface, the second controller being coupled to control the second USB port and the first controller being coupled to control the first USB-C/PD port,
wherein the first controller is configured to:
determine a port connection status of the first USB-C/PD port and the second USB port, the port connection status indicating that a first device is connected to the first USB-C/PD port and a second device is connected to the second USB port;
determine a first power requirement of the first device and a second power requirement of the second device;
dynamically allocate a system power between the first USB-C/PD port and the second USB port, independent of a connection sequence of the first USB-C/PD port and the second USB port;
determine a change in the port connection status of the first USB-C/PD port and the second USB port;
and
reallocate the system power between the first USB-C PD port and the second USB port, responsive to the change in the port connection status remaining consistent during a specified duration of time, detect a communication fault between the first controller and the second controller;
and
performing a power budget reduction responsive to detection of the communication fault,
wherein performing the power budget reduction comprises re-allocating a portion of the system power to the first USB-C/PD port and the second USB port.

13 more elements

A USB Type-C Power Delivery (USB-C/PD) controller comprising:

a first terminal coupled to a first USB-C/PD port of a plurality of USB-ports of a multi-port adapter;
a set of terminals coupled to a communication interface coupled to at least a second USB-C/PD controller that is coupled to a second USB-C/PD port;
and
a processing circuit coupled to the first terminal and the set of terminals, the processing circuit to:
determine a port connection status of the plurality of USB ports, the port connection status indicating that a plurality of devices are connected;
determine a power requirement of each of the plurality of devices;
dynamically allocate a system power between each of the plurality of USB ports, independent of a connection sequence of the plurality of devices;
determine a change in the port connection status;
reallocate the system power between each of the plurality of USB ports, responsive to the change in the port connection status remaining consistent during a specified duration of time, detect a communication fault between the USB Type-C Power Delivery (USB-C/PD) controller and the second USB-C/PD controller;
and
performing a power budget reduction responsive to detection of the communication fault,
wherein performing the power budget reduction comprises re-allocating a portion of the system power to each of the plurality of USB ports.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/827,520Filed 23 Mar 2020 · us provisional application
Priority: 8 Jan 2020
Published: US 2021/0208654 A18 Jul 2021
Granted: 13 Jul 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification18 codes

G06F 1/266
Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof: arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under…
G06F 1/189
Packaging or power distribution: power distribution
G06F 1/3215
Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality: monitoring of peripheral devices
G06F 1/325
Power saving characterised by the action undertaken: power saving in peripheral device