Charging system with adaptive power management

A charging system, comprising:

• an adapter for converting AC electrical power to a DC electrical power, wherein a DC voltage produced by the adapter decreases rapidly as a DC current produced by the adapter increases above a rated current value,
• an electronic device having a power input coupled to at least one electrically chargeable source and to at least one electrical circuit defining a system load, and
• a charge control unit having an input coupled to the adapter, an output coupled to the power input of the electronic device, a sensor for sensing the DC current produced by the adapter and producing a current-sense signal, and switching circuitry coupled between the charge control unit input and output and responsive to control signals produced by the charge control unit to controllably supply the DC voltage and the DC current from the adapter to the charge control unit, the charge control unit responsive to the DC voltage produced by the adapter and to the current signal, when the DC current demanded by the electronic device exceeds the rated current to produce the control signals in a manner that approximately maximizes the DC electrical power produced by the adapter.

A method of supplying DC electrical power from an adapter to an electronic device, the adapter converting AC current and voltage to DC current and voltage, wherein the DC voltage produced by the adapter decreases rapidly as the DC current produced by the adapter increases above a rated current value, the method comprising:

• monitoring one of the DC voltage and the DC current produced by the AC adapter, and
• if the one of the monitored DC voltage drops below a predefined voltage and the monitored DC current exceeds the rated current, adaptively controlling a level of at least one of the DC voltage and the DC current supplied by the adapter to the electronic device in a manner that approximately maximizes the DC electrical power supplied by the adapter.