# US 11,907,034 B2 · Method of power management for a hub with a plurality of USB-C ports > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,907,034 B2 - Document ID: US11907034B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/841,256 - Filed: 2022-06-15 - Published: 2023-12-21 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2022-06-15 - Assignees: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation - Applicants: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation - Inventors: Karthik Sivaramakrishnan; Simon Abraham; Manaskant Dipakkumar Desai - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11907034B2 ## CPC - G06F 1/266: {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} - G06F 1/3253: {Power saving in bus} - G06F 1/329: by task scheduling - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A method of power management for a hub having a plurality of Universal Serial Bus (USB)-C ports includes: allocating a guaranteed power budget to each USB-C port of the hub, wherein one of the USB-C ports has a higher power priority and the other USB-C ports have a lower power priority; reducing the guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port with the lower power priority if measured power for that USB-C port is below its currently guaranteed power budget by a predetermined amount; and offering additional power budget to the USB-C port with the higher power priority if the guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port with the lower power priority was previously reduced. Corresponding USB-Power Delivery (PD) integrated circuit (IC) controllers and hubs are also described. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of power management for a hub having a plurality of USB-C ports, the method comprising: allocating a guaranteed power budget to each USB-C port of the hub, wherein one of the USB-C ports has a higher power priority and the other USB-C ports have a lower power priority; reducing the guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port with the lower power priority in response to measured power for that USB-C port being below its currently guaranteed power budget by a predetermined amount; and offering additional power budget to the USB-C port with the higher power priority in response to the guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port with the lower power priority having been previously reduced. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein reducing the guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port with the lower power priority comprises: reducing the guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port with the lower power priority in response to measured power for that USB-C port being more than 50% below its currently guaranteed power budget. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: allocating a guaranteed power budget to one or more additional devices included in the hub; and adjusting the guaranteed power budget for the one or more additional devices based on an operating mode of the one or more additional devices. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein offering additional power budget to the USB-C port with the higher power priority comprises: offering additional power budget to the USB-C port with the higher power priority in response to the guaranteed power budget allocated to the one or more additional devices having been previously decreased. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: reducing the guaranteed power budget allocated to the USB-C port with the higher power priority in response to measured power for the USB-C port with the higher power priority being below its currently guaranteed power budget by a predetermined amount. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: the hub includes a first Universal Serial Bus (USB)-Power Delivery (PD) integrated circuit (IC) controller and a second USB-PD IC controller; the first USB-PD IC controller controls the USB-C port with the higher power priority and a USB-C port with the lower power priority; the second USB-PD IC controller controls at least two other USB-C ports with the lower power priority; the first USB-PD IC controller calculates all guaranteed power budgets for each USB-C port of the hub; and the second USB-PD IC controller reduces the guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port controlled by the second USB-PD IC controller in response to measured power for that USB-C port i being below its currently guaranteed power budget by a predetermined amount. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising: communicating, from the second USB-PD IC controller to the first USB-PD IC controller, each reduction of a guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port controlled by the second USB-PD IC controller. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, further comprising: recalculating, by the first USB-PD IC controller, the guaranteed power budget allocated to at least one of the USB-C ports of the hub in response to the second USB-PD IC controller communicating a guaranteed power budget reduction to the first USB-PD IC controller. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the hub has at least one USB-A port and one or more additional devices included in the hub, the method further comprising: calculating the guaranteed power budget for each USB-C port, each USB-A port, and each additional device included in the hub based on an operating mode for the one or more additional devices, a fixed total power available to the hub, and the number of USB-C and USB-A ports, wherein the initial guaranteed power budget allocated to each USB-A port of the hub is fixed. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a request to increase the guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port with the lower power priority; and determining whether to grant the request based on whether all power being consumed and delivered by the hub is less than a fixed total power available to the hub. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: initially denying the request in response to all power being consumed and delivered by the hub being at or within a predetermined margin of the fixed total power available to the hub; and subsequently granting the request when all power being consumed and delivered by the hub drops below the predetermined margin. ### Claim 12 A hub, comprising: a plurality of USB-C ports, wherein one of the USB-C ports has a higher power priority and the other USB-C ports have a lower power priority; and at least one Universal Serial Bus (USB)-Power Delivery (PD) integrated circuit (IC) controller configured to: allocate a guaranteed power budget to each USB-C port of the hub; reduce the guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port with the lower power priority if measured power for that USB-C port is below its currently guaranteed power budget by a predetermined amount; and offer additional power budget to the USB-C port with the higher power priority if the guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port with the lower power priority was previously reduced. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The hub of claim 12, wherein the at least one USB-PD IC controller is configured to reduce the guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port with the lower power priority if measured power for that USB-C port is more than 50% below its currently guaranteed power budget. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The hub of claim 12, wherein the at least one USB-PD IC controller is configured to: allocate a guaranteed power budget to one or more additional devices included in the hub; and adjust the guaranteed power budget for the one or more additional devices based on an operating mode of the one or more additional devices. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The hub of claim 14, wherein the at least one USB-PD IC controller is configured to offer additional power budget to the USB-C port with the higher power priority if the guaranteed power budget allocated to the one or more additional devices was previously decreased. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The hub of claim 12, wherein the at least one USB-PD IC controller is configured to reduce the guaranteed power budget allocated to the USB-C port with the higher power priority if measured power for the USB-C port with the higher power priority is below its currently guaranteed power budget by a predetermined amount. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The hub of claim 12, wherein: the at least one USB-PD IC controller includes a first USB-PD IC controller and a second USB-PD IC controller; the first USB-PD IC controller controls the USB-C port with the higher power priority and a USB-C port with the lower power priority; the second USB-PD IC controller controls at least two other USB-C ports with the lower power priority; the first USB-PD IC controller calculates all guaranteed power budgets for each USB-C port of the hub; and the second USB-PD IC controller reduces the guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port controlled by the second USB-PD IC controller if measured power for that USB-C port is below its currently guaranteed power budget by a predetermined amount. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The hub of claim 17, wherein the second USB-PD IC controller is configured to communicate to the first USB-PD IC controller each reduction of a guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port controlled by the second USB-PD IC controller. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The hub of claim 18, wherein the first USB-PD IC controller is configured to recalculate the guaranteed power budget allocated to at least one of the USB-C ports of the hub if the second USB-PD IC controller communicates a guaranteed power budget reduction to the first USB-PD IC controller. ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The hub of claim 12, further comprising: at least one USB-A port; and one or more additional devices, wherein the at least one USB-PD IC controller is configured to calculate the guaranteed power budget for each USB-C port, each USB-A port, and each additional device included in the hub based on an operating mode for the one or more additional devices, a fixed total power available to the hub, and the number of USB-C and USB-A ports, wherein the initial guaranteed power budget allocated to each USB-A port of the hub is fixed. ### Claim 21 (depends on 12) The hub of claim 12, wherein the at least one USB-PD IC controller is configured to determine whether to grant a request to increase the guaranteed power budget allocated to a USB-C port with the lower power priority, based on whether all power being consumed and delivered by the hub is less than a fixed total power available to the hub. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The hub of claim 21, wherein: the at least one USB-PD IC controller is configured to initially deny the request if all power being consumed and delivered by the hub is at or within a predetermined margin of the fixed total power available to the hub; and subsequently grant the request when all power being consumed and delivered by the hub drops below the predetermined margin.