CN113922353B

CN113922353B - A device, Type-C adapter and Type-C cable for controlling power supply output

Info

Publication number: CN113922353B
Application number: CN202111486060.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 曹蔚然; 江辉; 周新亮; 李艺
Original assignee: Everpro Technologies Wuhan Co Ltd
Current assignee: Everpro Technologies Wuhan Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-12-07
Filing date: 2021-12-07
Publication date: 2022-02-25
Anticipated expiration: 2041-12-07
Also published as: CN113922353A

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for controlling power supply output, a Type-C adapter and a Type-C cable. The device comprises a sampling circuit, a current sampling circuit and a current sampling circuit, wherein the sampling circuit is respectively connected with VBUS and VCONN upstream of a power supply and is used for respectively collecting current flowing in the VBUS and the VCONN; an amplification circuit connected to the VCONN for amplifying a signal in the VCONN; the selection output circuit is respectively connected with the output ends of the VBUS and the VCONN and the amplifying circuit and is used for selectively providing a VBUS power supply output and/or a VCONN power supply output; and the control circuit is connected with the sampling circuit and the selection output circuit and is used for controlling whether the selection output circuit outputs the signal amplified by the amplifying circuit according to the current collected by the sampling circuit. By the scheme of the invention, the problem of insufficient power supply of some cables at present is solved.

Description

A device, Type-C adapter and Type-C cable for controlling power supply output

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to the field of electronic accessory technology. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling power output, a Type-C adapter, and a Type-C cable.

Background

This section is intended to provide a background or context to the embodiments of the invention that are recited in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily ones that have been previously conceived or pursued. Thus, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

With the continuous development of electronic technology, the requirements of bandwidth capable of being transmitted in cables and transmission distance of signals in cables are increasing, so that passive cables for short-distance communication cannot meet the requirements of people at present. In view of this, some active cables capable of realizing long-distance signal transmission and having a large transmission bandwidth are widely used. But for active cables, both active optical cables and cables based on copper wires, problems of power supply abnormality may occur. The reason for abnormal power supply in the active cable is that one is the problem of insufficient power supply caused by excessive power consumption of the cable itself, and the other is that the cable product is not designed according to the standard protocol.

By way of example, in designing a cable with Typc-C as the charging and communication port, the power supply that provides for powering the cable or device is provided by VCONN. However, the maximum power consumption that the VCONN can satisfy in the specified protocol is 1.5W, but the power consumption of some cables exceeds the maximum power consumption that the VCONN can satisfy, and in practical applications, a situation of insufficient power supply may occur, thereby causing the cables to fail to operate normally. Similarly, the voltage of VCONN transmitted to the device terminal is lower than the actual operating voltage for some reasons, which may also cause the cable to fail to operate normally.

In order to avoid the problem that the VCONN is short of power supply to cause the abnormal cable, VBUS is used for power supply in the design of some cable products. Although the design mode does not conform to the protocol regulations, the power supply requirement of the cable with larger power consumption can be met. However, with respect to a data line having a bidirectional charging or data transmission function, if the direction of power supply is changed, there is a problem that power cannot be supplied to the internal circuit of the cable temporarily due to the power-off of VBUS, resulting in some abnormal situations. By way of example, when a bidirectional Type-C data line is used to connect a notebook to a Type-C display, the notebook is typically powered by the Type-C display. But when the Type-C display reversely charges the notebook computer, the power supply for the internal circuit can not be supplied temporarily due to the VBUS disconnection, so that the phenomenon of screen blacking or screen flashing is caused, and the user experience is poor.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve one or more technical problems, the invention provides a method for amplifying a signal in the VCONN and selecting whether to output the amplified signal according to the magnitude of the currents in the VBUS and the VCONN, thereby solving the problem of power supply caused by insufficient power supply of the VCONN or the problem of power supply caused by the non-compliance of the cable design. To this end, the present invention provides aspects as follows.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for controlling a supply output, comprising: the sampling circuit is respectively connected with VBUS and VCONN upstream of the power supply and is used for respectively collecting the current flowing in the VBUS and the VCONN; an amplification circuit connected to the VCONN for amplifying a signal in the VCONN; the selection output circuit is respectively connected with the VBUS and the VCONN and the output end of the amplifying circuit and is used for selectively providing the VBUS or the signal amplified by the amplifying circuit as a VBUS power supply output and/or selectively providing the VCONN or the signal amplified by the amplifying circuit as a VCONN power supply output; and the control circuit is connected with the sampling circuit and the selection output circuit and is used for controlling whether the selection output circuit outputs the signal amplified by the amplifying circuit according to the current collected by the sampling circuit.

In one embodiment, the amplifying circuit includes a first amplifier, an input terminal of the first amplifier is connected to the VCONN, an output terminal of the first amplifier is connected to the VBUS input terminal of the selective output circuit, and a power supply terminal of the first amplifier is connected to the VCONN, and is configured to amplify the signal in the VCONN and input the amplified signal as VBUS to the selective output circuit.

In one embodiment, the selection output circuit includes a first selection circuit having a VBUS input coupled to the VBUS and the output of the first amplifier, the first selection circuit further coupled to the control circuit for outputting the VBUS signal from the first amplifier when current is zero in the VBUS in accordance with a control signal from the control circuit.

In one embodiment, the first selection circuit is further configured to output the VBUS signal transmitted via the VBUS when a current is non-zero in the VBUS according to a control signal of the control circuit.

In one embodiment, the amplifying circuit includes a second amplifier, an input terminal of the second amplifier is connected to the VCONN input terminal of the selection output circuit, and an output terminal of the second amplifier is connected to the VBUS, for amplifying the signal in the VCONN and inputting the amplified signal as the VCONN to the selection output circuit.

In one embodiment, the selection output circuit includes a second selection circuit having a VCONN input terminal connected to the VCONN and the output terminal of the second amplifier, and the second selection circuit is further connected to the control circuit, for outputting the VCONN signal from the second amplifier when a current flowing in the VCONN is lower than a threshold value according to a control signal of the control circuit.

In one embodiment, the second selection circuit is further configured to output the VCONN signal transmitted via the VCONN when a current flowing in the VCONN is not lower than a threshold value according to a control signal of the control circuit.

In a second aspect, the present invention further provides a Type-C adapter, including a power supply port and a power receiving port, where the apparatus as described in the embodiments of the first aspect is disposed between the power supply port and the power receiving port.

In one embodiment, the power port and the power port comprise any combination of: male to male, male to female, female to male, female to female.

In a third aspect, the present invention also provides a Type-C cable provided at either end with an apparatus as described in the embodiments of the first aspect.

According to the scheme of the invention, when the cable is used for supplying power, the signal in the VCONN can be amplified and can be used as the output of VBUS and the output of VCONN. When the amplified signal in VCONN is used for the output of VBUS, the power supply output of the cable is not affected by the power supply direction, and a stable and efficient power supply can be provided. When the amplified signal in the VCONN is used for the output of the VCONN, the problem of overlarge power consumption of the cable can be effectively solved, and sufficient power supply output is provided for normal work of the cable. Based on the scheme, the working stability and reliability of the cable are effectively improved.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Several embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar or corresponding parts and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one USB Type-C interface form shown schematically;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating an apparatus for controlling a power output according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram schematically showing one constituent structure of an amplifying circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram that schematically illustrates a first selection circuit, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram schematically showing another composition structure of an amplifying circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram that schematically illustrates a second selection circuit, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram that schematically illustrates a sampling circuit, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary functional circuit diagram schematically illustrating an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating a Type-C adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, not all, embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

One form of USB Type-C interface is shown in fig. 1. USB Type-C is a USB interface profile standard, and is a Type of interface that can be applied to both a master device (e.g., a personal computer) and a slave device (e.g., a mobile phone). As shown, USB Type-C generally has 4 pairs of TX/RX differential lines (in the figure, a2/B11, A3/B10, B3/a10, and B2/a11, which are used as USB3.1 high-speed data transmission/reception channels), 2 pairs of USB +/D- (in the figure, A6/B7 and B6/a7, which are used for USB2.0 interfaces), 1 pair of SBUs (in the figure, A8 and B8, which are second functional buses), and 2 CCs (in the figure, a5 and B5, which are configuration channels), and also 4 VBUS (in the figure, a4, a9, B4, and B9, which are cable power sources) and 4 ground lines (in the figure, a1, a12, B1, B12, which are ground cables).

In the cable with Type-C as the interface Type, the CC line is first used to determine the direction of the device insertion, such as forward insertion or backward insertion. When the device is in the positive plug state, the host uses CC1 to communicate with the device. When the device is in the reverse plug state, the host then communicates with the device using CC 2. It can be seen that the CC line uses a single wire protocol for transmission. When a Power Delivery (Power Delivery) module is provided in the cable, one CC line transmits a signal and the other CC line becomes a Power supply VCONN to supply Power (3.3V or 5V) to the chips in the cable.

Although the Type-C protocol clearly specifies that the VCONN (the aforementioned CC line for power supply) supplies power to the cable or the device connected thereto, in the actual design process, some products still use VBUS for power supply because VBUS has a stronger power supply capability than VCONN. Therefore, the scheme of the invention starts from the design of the power supply output of the VBUS, and the signal in the VCONN is amplified and then used for selectively providing the output of the VBUS power supply and/or the output of the VCONN power supply, so that the stability of the output of the VBUS power supply or the output of the VCONN power supply is effectively ensured. VCONN provides the basic functions of VCONN, and VBUS improves the overall power supply capability.

The following detailed description of embodiments of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings.

A schematic diagram of an apparatus 100 for controlling a power supply output according to an embodiment of the invention is schematically shown in fig. 2. As described above, VCONN in the present invention corresponds to the CC line for power supply specified in the aforementioned Type-C protocol, and VBUS corresponds to the aforementioned VBUS for power supply.

As shown in fig. 2, in the solution of the present invention, the apparatus 100 may include a sampling circuit 101, an amplifying circuit 102, a selection output circuit 103, and a control circuit 104. The sampling circuit 101 is connected to VBUS and VCONN upstream of the power supply, respectively, so as to collect the currents flowing in VBUS and VCONN, respectively. In one application scenario, the sampling circuit 101 may be a current sampling circuit or a voltage sampling circuit, so as to obtain the current or voltage condition in VBUS and VCONN, so as to measure whether the cable can be normally powered.

The amplifying circuit 102 is connected to VCONN for amplifying a signal in VCONN. In one or more embodiments, at least one amplifier may be disposed in the amplifying circuit 102 so as to amplify the signal in VCONN. The signal in VCONN can be used as the output of VBUS after being amplified, so as to provide stable VBUS power. After the signal in the VCONN is amplified, the amplified signal can also be used as the output of the VCONN, so that sufficient VCONN power supply can be provided, and the voltage of the VCONN transmitted to the device end is not lower than the actual working voltage, so that the cable can work normally.

The selection output circuit may be connected to the output terminals of the aforementioned VBUS, VCONN and the aforementioned amplifying circuit, respectively, so as to selectively provide the VBUS power output and/or the VCONN power output. In some embodiments, when the VBUS cannot realize stable power supply, the signal output by the amplifying circuit may be used as the VBUS power supply output, or when the VCONN is insufficiently supplied, the signal output by the amplifying circuit may also be output as the VCONN power supply output, thereby providing a stable and reliable power supply for the cable.

The control circuit can be respectively connected with the sampling circuit and the selection output circuit so as to control whether the selection output circuit outputs the signal amplified by the amplifying circuit according to the current collected by the sampling circuit. In some embodiments, the control circuit may control the signals in VBUS and VCONN to be normally output when the VBUS and VCONN can be normally powered. When the VBUS power supply is abnormal or the VCONN power supply is insufficient, the signal amplified by the amplifying circuit is selected to be used as the VBUS power supply output or the VCONN power supply output so as to provide stable and sufficient power supply for normal operation of the cable.

The above description is provided with reference to fig. 2 to briefly explain the composition and operation of the apparatus 100 for controlling power supply output according to the present invention. The operation of the device 100 of the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to specific components of each circuit.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram schematically showing one constituent structure of an amplifying circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention. It will be appreciated that the first amplifier shown in fig. 3 may be one possible implementation of the amplification circuit 102 in fig. 2, and therefore what is described with respect to fig. 2 is equally applicable to the description with respect to fig. 3 below.

As shown in fig. 3, the amplifying circuit 102 may include a first amplifier, and an input terminal of the first amplifier is connected to the VCONN. The output terminal of the first amplifier is connected to the VBUS input terminal of the selective output circuit, so that the signal in VCONN is amplified and input to the selective output circuit as VBUS. In some embodiments, the VBUS will not provide a stable power output when it is detected that the current flowing in the VBUS for a period of time due to a change in the direction of the power supply is zero. In the Type-C interface protocol, the signal in the VCONN has an advantage of not being affected by the power supply direction when power is transmitted, and the signal in the VCONN is amplified by the first amplifier and then input to the selective output circuit as VBUS, so that a stable VBUS output can be provided to the selective output circuit.

Further, the power supply terminal of the first amplifier may be connected to the VCONN, so as to supply power to the first amplifier by using the VCONN, thereby ensuring that the first amplifier can normally operate when a power supply abnormal condition occurs in the VBUS. In addition, the power supply strategy of the VCONN for the first amplifier can fully utilize the power supply resources in the cable, and effectively simplify the circuit design, so that the circuit structure of the device 100 is simpler and more flexible.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating a first selection circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention. It will be appreciated that the first selection circuit shown in fig. 4 may be one possible implementation of the selection output circuit 103 in fig. 2, and therefore what is described with respect to fig. 2 is equally applicable to the description with respect to fig. 4 below.

As shown in FIG. 4, the aforementioned selection output circuit 103 includes a first selection circuit having VBUS inputs, including VBUS1 and VBUS 2. The VBUS input is connected to the aforementioned VBUS, i.e. the input VBUS1 of the first selection circuit is connected to VBUS in the figure. The VBUS input terminal is further connected to the output terminal of the first amplifier, i.e. the input terminal VBUS2 of the first selection circuit is connected to the output terminal of the first amplifier, so that the signal amplified by the first amplifier is input to the selection output circuit through the input terminal VBUS2 of the first selection circuit. In order to realize the selection control of different output forms, the first selection circuit is also connected with the control circuit, so that the VBUS signal from the first amplifier is output when the current is zero in the VBUS according to the control signal output by the control circuit. For example, the POWER MUX type POWER switch may be used in the first selection circuit, so that different types of POWER inputs can be selectively output.

In an application scenario, when the sampling circuit detects that the signal in the VBUS is zero, the control circuit determines that a power supply abnormal condition occurs in the VBUS, and sends a control signal for switching power supply output to the first selection circuit, so that the signal amplified by the first amplifier is output as the VBUS, so as to provide a stable VBUS signal. Further, when the sampling circuit detects that the signal in the VBUS is non-zero, the detection signal is sent to the control circuit, and the control circuit sends a corresponding control signal according to the detection result. The first selection circuit outputs the VBUS signal transmitted through the VBUS when the current in the VBUS is non-zero according to the control signal output by the control circuit.

The manner in which the stable VBUS power output is achieved in the solution of the present invention is described in detail above in connection with fig. 3 and 4. Next, a scheme of ensuring that the VCONN power supply output has a sufficient power supply capability in the present invention will be described in detail.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram schematically showing another composition structure of an amplifying circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention. It will be appreciated that the first amplifier shown in fig. 5 may be one possible implementation of the amplification circuit 102 in fig. 2, and therefore what is described with respect to fig. 2 is equally applicable to the description with respect to fig. 5 below.

As shown in fig. 5, the amplifying circuit 102 may include a second amplifier, an input terminal of the second amplifier is connected to the VCONN input terminal of the selecting output circuit, and an output terminal of the second amplifier is connected to the VCONN input terminal of the selecting output circuit, so that the signal amplified by the second amplifier is input to the selecting output circuit as VCONN. In some embodiments, when the current in the VCONN is detected to be less than the threshold value, i.e., the VCONN power supply capability is insufficient to counteract the power consumption of the cable, the VCONN will not provide a valid power output, so that the cable will not work properly. At this time, the VCONN power supply capacity is improved by amplifying the signal in the VCONN, so that the reliability of the working process of the cable is ensured. After the signal in the VCONN is amplified by the second amplifier, the amplified signal is input to the selective output circuit as VCONN, so that stable VCONN output can be provided to the selective output circuit.

Further, when the current in VCONN is too small and the power supply capability is insufficient, the power supply terminal of the second amplifier may be connected to VBUS to supply power to the second amplifier by VBUS, so that the second amplifier can operate normally. In addition, the power supply strategy of the VCONN for the second amplifier can fully utilize the power supply resources in the cable, and effectively simplify the circuit design, so that the circuit structure of the device 100 is simpler and more flexible.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating a second selection circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention. It will be appreciated that the second selection circuit shown in fig. 6 may be one possible implementation of the selection output circuit 103 in fig. 2, and therefore what is described with respect to fig. 2 is equally applicable to the description with respect to fig. 6 below.

As shown in fig. 6, the aforementioned selection output circuit 103 includes a second selection circuit having a VCONN input terminal, including VCONN1 and VCONN 2. The VCONN input is connected to VCONN, i.e., the input VCONN1 of the second selection circuit is connected to VCONN. The VCONN input terminal is further connected to the output terminal of the second amplifier, i.e. the input terminal VCONN2 of the second selection circuit is connected to the output terminal of the second amplifier, so that the signal amplified by the second amplifier is input to the selection output circuit through the input terminal VCONN2 of the second selection circuit. In order to realize the selection control in different output modes, the second selection circuit is further connected to the control circuit so as to output the VCONN signal from the second amplifier when the current flowing through the VCONN is lower than a threshold value in accordance with the control signal of the control circuit. For example, the POWER MUX type POWER switch may be used in the second selection circuit, so that different types of POWER inputs can be selectively output.

In one application scenario, the sampling circuit detects a current in VCONN and sends a current signal to the control circuit. When the control circuit detects that the current in the VCONN is lower than the threshold value, it determines that the power supply shortage occurs in the VCONN. The control circuit sends a control signal for switching power supply output to the second selection circuit, so that the signal amplified by the first amplifier is output as the VCONN signal, and the VCONN signal with the current value higher than the threshold value is provided. Further, when the sampling circuit detects that the signal in the VCONN is lower than the threshold value, the detection signal is sent to the control circuit, and the control circuit sends a corresponding control signal according to the detection result. The second selection circuit outputs the VCONN signal transmitted via the VCONN when the current in the VCONN is higher than a threshold value according to the control signal output by the control circuit.

The manner of implementing the VCONN power output with stronger power supply capability in the solution of the present invention is described in detail above with reference to fig. 5 and 6. It is to be understood that the foregoing descriptions regarding the second amplifier and the second selection circuit are merely exemplary and not restrictive, and those skilled in the art may modify the structure of each circuit according to the actual application scenario. For example, the input terminal VCONN1 of the second selection circuit may be connected to the output terminal of the second amplifier, and the input terminal VCONN2 of the second selection circuit is connected to VCONN.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram schematically illustrating a sampling circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention. It will be appreciated that the sampling circuit shown in fig. 7 may be one possible implementation of the sampling circuit 101 in fig. 2, and thus what is described with respect to fig. 2 is equally applicable to the description with respect to fig. 7 below.

As shown in fig. 7, the sampling circuit 101 may perform current sampling, and a sampling circuit is disposed in the VBUS to detect a current in the VBUS. And a sampling circuit is disposed in the VCONN for detecting the magnitude of the current in the VCONN. In an application scenario, the aforementioned sampling circuit may include a sampling resistor connected in series in VBUS or VCONN, and the magnitude of the current flowing in VBUS or VCONN may be obtained by detecting a voltage across the sampling resistor. It is to be understood that the foregoing description of the form of the sampling circuit is merely exemplary and not limiting, and that a person skilled in the art may select the form according to actual needs. For example, a current sampling circuit based on LM385 can also be used, and the current sampling circuit can be suitable for a dual power supply operation mode.

Although the individual circuits are described separately above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these circuits may be combined to achieve the desired functionality. Fig. 8 shows an exemplary functional circuit diagram of the apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In another aspect of the present invention, the present invention further provides a Type-C adapter as shown in fig. 9, which includes a power supply port and a power receiving port, between which the apparatus 100 described in the foregoing embodiments may be disposed. Further, the power supply port and the power receiving port may include any combination of the following, for example: male to male, male to female, female to male, female to female. The foregoing Type-C adapter is shown in fig. 9 as a male-to-female format for illustrative purposes only.

In one aspect of the present invention, the present invention also provides a Type-C cable, at either end of which the apparatus 100 as described in the previous embodiments can be provided, thereby ensuring a stable and reliable working process of the cable. In practical applications, when the power consumption of the cable is too high and the VCONN supplies power, the device 100 of the present invention can provide the VCONN with stronger driving capability to normally supply power to the cable. When the current (or voltage) in the VCONN is too small to provide the cable with normal power, the device 100 of the present invention can provide enough voltage for the VCONN at the receiving end of the cable. When a device using Type-C requires back-powering of the host, for example, a notebook using Type-C is connected to a display using Type-C, the back-powering will cause a brief power loss in the VBUS because the connected cable is powered by the VBUS. At this time, the VBUS cannot supply power to the cable, which results in the cable not working, and may also cause the system not to work normally due to some compatibility problems. At this time, the power supply condition in the cable is adjusted by using the apparatus 100 of the present invention, that is, the apparatus 100 of the present invention can supply power to the cable from the notebook terminal VCONN, so that the system can work normally.

In the above description of the present specification, the terms "fixed," "mounted," "connected," or "connected," and the like, are to be construed broadly unless otherwise expressly specified or limited. For example, with the term "coupled", it can be fixedly coupled, detachably coupled, or integrally formed; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be directly connected or indirectly connected through intervening media, or they may be connected internally or in any other suitable relationship. Therefore, unless the specification explicitly defines otherwise, those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention according to specific situations.

It should be understood that the terms "first", "second", "third" and "fourth", etc. in the claims, the description and the drawings of the present invention are used for distinguishing different objects and are not used for describing a particular order. The terms "comprises" and "comprising," when used in the specification and claims of this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the specification and claims of this application, the singular form of "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the term "and/or" as used in the specification and claims of this specification refers to any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items and includes such combinations.

As used in this specification and claims, the term "if" may be interpreted contextually as "when", "upon" or "in response to a determination" or "in response to a detection". Similarly, the phrase "if it is determined" or "if a [ described condition or event ] is detected" may be interpreted contextually to mean "upon determining" or "in response to determining" or "upon detecting [ described condition or event ]" or "in response to detecting [ described condition or event ]".

While various embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerous modifications, changes, and substitutions will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. It is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that the module compositions, equivalents, or alternatives falling within the scope of these claims be covered thereby.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a power supply output, comprising:

the sampling circuit is respectively connected with VBUS and VCONN upstream of the power supply and is used for respectively collecting the current flowing in the VBUS and the VCONN;

an amplification circuit connected to the VCONN for amplifying a signal in the VCONN;

the selection output circuit is respectively connected with the VBUS and the VCONN and the output end of the amplifying circuit and is used for selectively providing the VBUS or the signal amplified by the amplifying circuit as a VBUS power supply output and/or selectively providing the VCONN or the signal amplified by the amplifying circuit as a VCONN power supply output; and

and the control circuit is connected with the sampling circuit and the selection output circuit and is used for controlling whether the selection output circuit outputs the signal amplified by the amplifying circuit according to the current collected by the sampling circuit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the amplifying circuit comprises a first amplifier having an input connected to the VCONN and an output connected to the VBUS input of the selective output circuit, and a supply terminal connected to the VCONN for amplifying the signal in the VCONN and inputting the amplified signal as VBUS to the selective output circuit.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the selection output circuit comprises a first selection circuit having a VBUS input coupled to the VBUS and the output of the first amplifier, the first selection circuit further coupled to the control circuit for outputting the VBUS signal from the first amplifier when the current is zero in the VBUS in accordance with a control signal from the control circuit.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first selection circuit is further configured to output a VBUS signal transmitted via the VBUS when a current in the VBUS is non-zero according to a control signal of the control circuit.

5. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1-4, wherein the amplifying circuit comprises a second amplifier having an input terminal connected to the VCONN and an output terminal connected to the VCONN input terminal of the selective output circuit, and a supply terminal connected to the VBUS for amplifying the signal in VCONN and inputting the amplified signal as VCONN to the selective output circuit by using the power of VBUS.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the selection output circuit comprises a second selection circuit having a VCONN input coupled to the VCONN and the output of the second amplifier, the second selection circuit further coupled to the control circuit for outputting the VCONN signal from the second amplifier when a current flowing in the VCONN is below a threshold according to a control signal of the control circuit.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the second selection circuit is further configured to output the VCONN signal transmitted via the VCONN when a current flowing in the VCONN is not lower than a threshold according to a control signal of the control circuit.

8. A Type-C adapter, comprising a power supply port and a power receiving port, wherein the apparatus according to any one of claims 1-7 is disposed between the power supply port and the power receiving port.

9. The adapter of claim 8, wherein the power port and the power port comprise any combination of: male to male, male to female, female to male, female to female.

10. A Type-C cable, characterized in that the cable is provided with a device according to any of claims 1-7 at either end.