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AssigneeSTMicroelectronics S.r.l.
InventorsGiuseppe Platania, Jerome Nebon, Patrizia Milazzo, Alexandre Balmefrezol
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A DC-DC voltage down-converter for an electronic device supplied by a battery and having a bus interface for the interconnection with another electronic device capable of supplying electric power is provided. The DC-DC voltage down-converter includes a terminal coupled to a voltage supply line of the bus interface and operable to receive a input current from the another electronic device. The DC-DC voltage down-converter further includes an electric energy storage element coupled between the battery and the terminal, the electric energy storage element being operable to storage/release electric energy and a drive circuit arranged to control the storage/release of the electric energy storage element, so as to cause an electric power generated by the input current supplied by the another electronic device through the voltage supply line to re-charge the battery. The DC-DC voltage down-converter still further includes a input current feedback control circuit coupled to the terminal and arranged to monitor a value of the input current and generate a corresponding input current indication; the drive circuit configured to control the storage/release of the electric energy storage element according to the input current indication.
A DC-DC voltage down-converter for a first electronic device, the first electronic device supplied by a battery and having a bus interface for interconnection with a second electronic device capable of supplying electric power, the DC-DC voltage down-converter including:
A method for controlling a transfer of electric power to a first electronic device supplied by a battery, the electric power being supplied by a second electronic device adapted to be interconnected to the first electronic device through a bus interface, the method comprising:
A DC-DC voltage down-converter for a first electronic device, the first electronic device supplied by a battery and having a bus interface for the interconnection with a second electronic device capable of supplying electric power, the DC-DC voltage down-converter including:
A method for controlling a transfer of electric power to a first electronic device supplied by a battery, the electric power being supplied by a second electronic device adapted to be interconnected to the first electronic device through a bus interface, the method comprising:
A method for controlling a transfer of electric power to a first electronic device supplied by a battery, the electric power being supplied by a second electronic device adapted to be interconnected to the first electronic device through a bus interface, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
This application claims the priority benefit of European patent application number 07291047.4, filed on Aug. 30, 2007, entitled “Battery Charge Control Circuit,” which is hereby incorporated by reference to the maximum extent allowable by law.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of electronics, and specifically to the aspects of battery charging, more particularly in relation to the use of the USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface for the charging of portable or mobile, battery-operated devices.
The features and advantages of the present invention will be best understood by reading the following detailed description of an exemplary and non-limitative embodiment thereof description that will be made in conjunction with the attached drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 schematically shows a battery-operated device including a USB interface, wherein a DC-DC converter according to an embodiment of the present invention can be usefully applied;
FIG. 2 schematically shows a DC-DC converter according to an embodiment of the present invention; and
Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary scenario where an embodiment of the present is advantageously exploited.
Reference numeral 105 denotes a battery-operated device, particularly a portable or mobile device, for example a mobile or cellular phone 105; for instance, albeit not limitatively, the mobile phone 105 may be a second-generation or 2G mobile phone (for example a GSM—Global System for Mobile communications— or GPRS—General Packet Radio System— or EDGE—Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution) or a third-generation or 3G mobile phone (for example a UMTS—Universal Mobile Telecommunications Standard). The mobile phone 105 may, as nowadays common, implement several multimedia functions in addition to pure mobile phone functions, for example one or more among MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) functions, digital still camera functions, camcorder functions, functions of receiver of DVB-H television signals (Digital Video Broadcasting—Handheld).
The mobile phone 105 is provided with a USB interface including a USB connector 110 for the connection to a USB cable 115, and an internal USB driver, for handling the communications with other devices through the USB bus. Through the USB connector 110, the mobile phone 105 can be connected to a USB host 120, for charging a battery 125 of the mobile phone 105. The USB host 120 shown in the figure may be, for example a PC, which is provided with a USB interface including a USB connector 130. It should be noted that the concepts of the present invention are also applicable in case the USB host 120 is replaced by a USB battery charger, for example, a charger that can be plugged into the AC mains and that includes an AC/DC converter and a USB interface.
With automatic control of output voltage or current, e.g. switching regulators: including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices…
Apparatus for conversion between ac and ac, between ac and dc, or
About 3 years 6 months of term left · ends 16 Apr 2030 (estimated)