CN115275965A

CN115275965A - Power management device and consumer electronics

Info

Publication number: CN115275965A
Application number: CN202210990826.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王泽祥; 张惠能; 洪乃全; 颜圣贤
Original assignee: Weifeng Electronics Co ltd
Current assignee: Weifeng Electronics Co ltd
Priority date: 2022-07-25
Filing date: 2022-08-18
Publication date: 2022-11-01
Also published as: TW202406263A

Abstract

A power management device and a consumer electronic product are provided. The power management device is suitable for consumer electronics. The power management device includes a memory and a controller. The memory is used for storing power information of a load of the consumer electronic product. The input end of the first voltage regulator is coupled to the power pin of the uplink USB connector, and the output end of the first voltage regulator is coupled to the power end of the load. When the USB device is connected to the downlink USB connector of the consumer electronic product, the controller obtains a power requirement for the USB device, determines whether to change a power mode of the uplink USB connector according to the power information and the power requirement, and controls the second voltage regulator to supply power to the USB device according to the power mode.

Description

Power management device and consumer electronics

Technical Field

The present invention relates to power supply technologies, and more particularly, to a power management device and a consumer electronic product.

Background

In general, a consumer electronic product is usually connected to an external power device through a direct current outlet (DC jack) so that the power device can supply power to a load of the consumer electronic product.

However, with the increasing awareness of environmental protection, the number of internal components of the conventional dc power socket is large, and the conventional dc power socket occupies a large circuit area, which may not meet the requirement of environmental protection. Therefore, how to effectively improve the power transmission manner between the consumer electronic product and the power supply device will be a problem for those skilled in the art.

It should be noted that the contents of the "prior art" section are provided to aid in understanding the present invention. Some (or all) of the disclosure in the "prior art" section may not be known to those skilled in the art. What is disclosed in the "prior art" section is not a representation that this content was known to a person skilled in the art before the present application.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a power management device and a consumer electronic product, which can dynamically adjust the voltage supplied to a load of the consumer electronic product and the voltage supplied to a USB device according to the power information of the load and the power requirement of the expanded connected USB device.

In an embodiment of the invention, the power management apparatus is suitable for being configured in a consumer electronic product. The power management device includes a memory and a controller. The memory is used for storing first power information of a load of a consumer electronic product. The controller is coupled to the memory and a first voltage regulator of the consumer electronic product, wherein an input terminal of the first voltage regulator is coupled to a power pin of an uplink USB connector of the consumer electronic product, and an output terminal of the first voltage regulator is coupled to a power terminal of the load. When the at least one USB device is electrically connected to the at least one downlink USB connector of the consumer electronic product, the controller obtains at least one power requirement from the at least one USB device, the controller determines whether to change a power mode of the uplink USB connector according to the first power information and the at least one power requirement, and the controller controls the at least one second voltage regulator of the consumer electronic product according to the power mode to supply power to the at least one USB device.

In an embodiment of the invention, the consumer electronic product includes a memory, a first voltage regulator, a controller, and at least one second voltage regulator. The memory is used for storing first power information of the load. The input end of the first voltage regulator is coupled to the power pin of the uplink USB connector, and the output end of the first voltage regulator is coupled to the power end of the load. The controller is coupled to the memory and the first voltage regulator. The at least one second voltage regulator is coupled to the controller and the downstream USB connector. When the at least one USB device is electrically connected to the at least one downlink USB connector, the controller obtains at least one power requirement from the at least one USB device, the controller determines whether to change a power mode of the uplink USB connector according to the first power information and the at least one power requirement, and the controller controls the at least one second voltage regulator to supply power to the at least one USB device according to the power mode.

Based on the above, the power management apparatus and the consumer electronic product according to the embodiments of the invention can obtain at least one power requirement from at least one USB device when the at least one USB device is electrically connected to at least one downstream USB connector of the consumer electronic product, and change the power mode of the upstream USB connector according to the power information of the load of the consumer electronic product and the at least one power requirement. In this way, the controller can control the voltage regulator of the consumer electronic product to supply power to the load and the at least one USB device according to the power mode, so as to improve compatibility among the power device, the load of the consumer electronic product, and the at least one USB device, and replace a conventional direct current power outlet (DC jack).

In order to make the aforementioned and other features and advantages of the invention more comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a consumer electronic product according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a flow chart of the operation of the controller shown in fig. 1 in accordance with the present invention.

[ notation ] to show

10 power supply device

11. 12, 13 connector

100 consumer electronics

110 uplink USB connector

120 power management device

121 controller

122 memory

123. 124 configuring channel interface circuit

125 communication interface circuit

130. 150, 160 voltage regulator

140 load of

170. 180: down USB connector

190. 200, USB device

CC0, CC2, D +, D-, vbus0, vbus2, vbus3 pins

CS1, CS2, CS3 control signals

P _ M main power

S210, S220, S230, S240, S250, S251, S252, S253, S254, S260

Vbus1 local Power bus

Detailed Description

The term "coupled" as used throughout this specification, including the claims, may refer to any direct or indirect connection means. For example, if a first device couples (or connects) to a second device, that should be interpreted as that the first device may be directly connected to the second device or the first device may be indirectly connected to the second device through some other device or connection means. The terms "first," "second," and the like, as used throughout this specification, including the claims, are used to designate elements (elements) as names or to distinguish one embodiment or range from another, and are not used to limit the number of elements recited, nor the order in which the elements are recited. Further, wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. Elements/components/steps in different embodiments using the same reference numerals or using the same terms may be referred to one another in relation to the description.

Fig. 1 is a schematic circuit block diagram of a consumer electronic product 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, the USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector 110 and the USB (Universal Serial Bus) connector 170 of the consumer electronic product 100 may include USB type-C connectors. The downstream USB connector 180 of the consumer electronic product 100 may include a type-a connector. In another embodiment, the upstream USB connector 110 and the

downstream USB connectors

170, 180 may include other types of USB connectors, according to design requirements. In other embodiments, the upstream USB connector 110 and the

downstream USB connectors

170, 180 may include other electrical connectors.

The upstream USB connector 110 of the consumer electronic product 100 can be connected to the connector 11 of the power supply apparatus 10 via a cable. When the power supply device 10 is electrically connected to the consumer electronic product 100, the power supply device 10 can supply power to the consumer electronic product 100. The power device 10 may include a USB charger (charger), a USB adapter (adapter), or other power devices according to application requirements. In the case where the power supply apparatus 10 is a USB charger or a USB adapter, the connector 11 may include a USB type-a connector, a USB type-C connector, and/or other USB connectors.

On the other hand, the downstream USB connector 170 and the downstream USB connector 180 of the consumer electronic product 100 may be connected to the connector 12 of the USB device 190 and the connector 13 of the USB device 200, respectively, via cable lines. When the USB device 190 and/or the USB device 200 are electrically connected to the downlink USB connector 170 and/or the downlink USB connector 180, respectively, the power management device 120 can supply power to the USB device 190 and/or the USB device 200 through the downlink USB connector 170 and/or the downlink USB connector 180.

The

connectors

12 and 13 may be different types or forms of connectors. For example, connector 12 may comprise a USB type-C connector, and connector 13 may comprise a USB type-A connector. In another embodiment, connector 12 may include a USB type-A connector and/or other USB connectors, and connector 13 may include a USB type-C connector and/or other USB connectors.

In the present embodiment, the consumer electronic product 100 includes an upstream USB connector 110, a power management device 120, a voltage regulator 130, a load 140, a voltage regulator 150, a voltage regulator 160, a downstream USB connector 170, and a downstream USB connector 180. For example, in the case where the consumer electronic product 100 has an electric shaver function, the load 140 may include the body of the shaver, the charging base, and/or other circuits/components. In the case where the consumer electronic product 100 has a desk lamp function, the load 140 may include an LED, a man-machine interface circuit, and/or other circuits/elements. In the case where the consumer electronic product 100 has a speaker function, the load 140 may include a speaker, an amplifying circuit, a wireless communication circuit, and/or other circuits/elements. The operating power required by the load 140 is supplied by the local power bus Vbus1 of the consumer electronic product 100.

In the present embodiment, the power management device 120 includes a controller 121, a memory 122, a configuration channel interface circuit 123, a configuration channel interface circuit 124, and a communication interface circuit 125. The Power management device 120 has a Power Delivery (PD) function conforming to the USB specification.

The memory 122 is coupled to the controller 121. The memory 122 may include One-Time programmable (OTP) memory, electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), and/or non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory) according to design requirements.

Specifically, the memory 122 may be configured to store one or more of load characteristic information, a protocol profile (protocol profile), and a power profile (or power profile). The power profile may include voltage parameters, current parameters, and/or other power parameters. The load characteristic information may include 12 bytes (Byte) of information. For example, 1 byte in the load characteristic information is used to record a Product identification code (Product ID), 1 byte in the load characteristic information is used to record a Vendor ID (Vendor ID), 2 bytes in the load characteristic information is used to record power configuration information of the power supply device 10, 2 bytes in the load characteristic information is used to record power information of the load 140, 2 bytes in the load characteristic information is used to record power information (or power requirement) of the

USB devices

190 and 200, and 4 bytes in the load characteristic information may be a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code.

It should be noted that, in the design/manufacturing stage of the consumer electronic product 100, the designer may pre-program data related to the power configuration information of the power supply device 10, the power information of the load 140, and the power information (or power requirement) of the

USB devices

190 and 200 in the load characteristic information into the memory 122.

For example, in the case that the USB connector 180 of the consumer electronic product 100 includes a type-a connector, the designer may preset the power information (or power requirement) of the USB device 200 in the load characteristic information to 12W (i.e., the operating voltage of the USB device 200 is 5V and the operating current of the USB device 200 is 2.4A) according to the standard power mode specified by the USB3.0 specification.

Also, in the case where the consumer electronic product 100 has the electric shaver function, the designer may set the power information of the load 140 in the load characteristic information to 12W in advance (that is, the operating voltage of the load 140 is 12V and the operating current of the load 140 is 1A).

It should be noted that the Power configuration information of the Power supply apparatus 10 may include one or more Power Data Object (PDO) packets. For example, each PDO may be used to set the power supply apparatus 10 to operate at a set voltage and set current, and the maximum power of each PDO is set to 100W. In this embodiment, the controller 121 may select an appropriate set of PDOs from the PDOs according to the power information of the load 140, the power information (or power requirement) of the USB device 190 and/or the USB device 200. The controller 121 may provide the selected PDO (selected power configuration information) to the power supply apparatus 10 through the upstream USB connector 110. Based on this, the controller 121 may negotiate the output power configuration of the power supply device 10 to the power supply device 10. The power supply pin Vbus0 of the upstream USB connector 110 may receive the main power P _ M (selected voltage and selected current) from the power supply device 10. The upstream USB connector 110 may transmit the main power P _ M from the power device 10 to the voltage regulators 130, 150 and/or 160. The controller 121 controls the voltage regulators 130, 150 and/or 160 according to the power information of the load 140 and the power requirements of the

downstream USB connectors

170, 180, so as to dynamically distribute the main power P _ M to the load 140 and the

downstream USB connectors

170, 180.

In another aspect, controller 121 is coupled to memory 122, configuration channel interface circuit 123, configuration channel interface circuit 124, communication interface circuit 125, and voltage regulator 130. The Configuration Channel interface circuit 123 is coupled between the controller 121 and a Configuration Channel (CC) pin CC0 of the upstream USB connector 110. The configuration channel interface circuit 124 is coupled between the controller 121 and the CC pin CC2 of the downstream USB connector 170. The communication interface circuit 125 is coupled to the controller 121 and a differential signal (differential signal) pin pair (e.g., a D + pin and a D-pin of the downstream USB connector 180) of the downstream USB connector 180.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the controller 121 may determine the power mode of the power supply apparatus 10 for supplying power to the consumer electronic product 100 by configuring the channel interface circuit 123 and the CC pin CC0 of the uplink USB connector 110 to perform the PD protocol on the power supply apparatus 10 based on the protocol configuration file stored in the memory 122.

In addition, the power management device 120 can detect the electrical status of the CC pin CC0 of the uplink USB connector 110 to determine whether the uplink USB connector 110 is connected to the external power device 10. When the power device 10 is electrically connected to the upstream USB connector 110, the power management device 120 can exchange configuration information with the power device 10 through the configuration channel interface circuit 123 and the CC pin CC0 of the upstream USB connector 110 based on the power configuration file stored in the memory 122.

Similarly, the power management device 120 can detect the electrical status of the CC pin CC2 of the downstream USB connector 170 to determine whether the downstream USB connector 170 is connected to the external USB device 190. When the USB device 190 is electrically connected to the downstream USB connector 170, the power management device 120 can exchange configuration information with the USB device 190 through the configuration channel interface circuit 124 and the CC pin CC2 of the downstream USB connector 170 based on the power configuration file stored in the memory 122. The power management device 120 may detect the D + pin and the D-pin of the downstream USB connector 180 to determine whether the downstream USB connector 180 is connected to the external USB device 200. When the USB device 200 is electrically connected to the downstream USB connector 180, the power management device 120 can exchange configuration information with the USB device 200 through the communication interface circuit 125 and the D + pin and the D-pin of the downstream USB connector 180 based on the power configuration file stored in the memory 122.

It is particularly noted that in case the upstream USB connector 110 and the downstream USB connector 170 comprise USB connectors, the configuration channel interface circuit 123 and the configuration channel interface circuit 124 may comprise physical layer circuits conforming to the CC pins of the USB specification. The control circuit 121 may detect the CC pin of the upstream USB connector 110 and the CC pin of the downstream USB connector 170 in compliance with the USB specification. Further, where the downstream USB connector 180 comprises a USB connector, the communication interface circuit 125 may comprise physical layer circuitry that conforms to the differential data channel of the USB specification. The control circuit 121 may detect the D + pin and the D-pin of the downstream USB connector 180 in compliance with the USB specification.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the input terminal of the voltage regulator 130 is coupled to the power pin Vbus0 of the upstream USB connector 110 to receive the main power P _ M. The output terminal of the voltage regulator 130 is coupled to a power terminal of the load 140. An input of the voltage regulator 150 is coupled to the power pin Vbus0 of the upstream USB connector 110 to receive the main power P _ M. The output of the voltage regulator 150 is coupled to the power pin Vbus2 of the downstream USB connector 170. An input of the voltage regulator 160 is coupled to the power pin Vbus0 of the upstream USB connector 110 to receive the main power P _ M. The output of the voltage regulator 160 is coupled to the power pin Vbus3 of the downstream USB connector 180.

The voltage regulators 130, 150 and 160 can boost or buck the main power P _ M according to the control signals CS1, CS2 and CS3 provided by the controller 121. The voltage regulators 130, 150 and 160 of the present embodiment may include a Boost Converter (Boost Converter), a Buck Converter (Buck Converter) or other types of voltage converters. When the power device 10 is connected to the USB connector 110 and the USB devices 190 and/or 200 are electrically connected to the USB connectors 170 and/or 180, the controller 121 may select a selected power configuration information from the power configuration information (PDO) stored in the memory 122 about the power device 10 according to the power information of the load 140 and the power requirement of the USB devices 190 and/or 200. The controller 121 may provide the selected power configuration information to the upstream USB connector 110 (power supply apparatus 10) via the configuration channel interface circuit 123. The upstream USB connector 110 may provide the main power P _ M from the power supply apparatus 10 to the voltage regulators 130, 150 and 160. Depending on the power information of the load 140 and the power requirements of the USB devices 190 and/or 200, the controller 121 may control the voltage regulators 130, 150 and 160 to dynamically distribute the main power P _ M to the load and the downstream USB connectors 170 and/or 180. When the

USB devices

190 and 200 are not electrically connected to the

downstream USB connectors

170 and 180, the controller 121 may dynamically request the power device 10 to change the power mode and control the voltage regulator 130 to supply power to the load 140.

Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2 together, for details of the implementation of the power management apparatus 120 of the consumer electronic product 100, fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the controller 121 shown in fig. 1 according to the present invention. In step S210, the consumer electronic product 100 may activate the controller 121 to cause the controller 121 to perform the relevant operation action. Next, the controller 121 may receive the load characteristic information stored in the memory 122.

In step S220, the controller 121 may read the load characteristic information recorded in the memory 122 of the consumer electronic product 100, and determine whether the load characteristic information is correct according to the CRC code of the load characteristic information. If the controller 121 determines that the load characteristic information has an error state, the operation of step S230 is executed. If the controller 121 determines that the load characteristic information does not have an error state, the operation of step S240 is executed. In step S220, it is known to detect or check errors that may occur after data transmission or storage by using the CRC code of the load characteristic information stored in the memory 122, and therefore, the details are not described herein.

In step S230, if the CRC code indicates that the load characteristic information is in error during data transmission or after being stored in the memory 122, the controller 121 may generate a prompt signal to a warning light (not shown) disposed in the consumer electronic product 100 to prompt a user that the consumer electronic product 100 is in an error state.

In step S240, the controller 121 may start reading the power configuration information of the power supply device 10, the power information of the load 140, and the power information (or power demand) of the

USB device

190, 200 of the load characteristic information stored in the memory 122. Next, in step S250, the controller 121 determines whether the consumer electronic product 100 is configured with the downstream USB connector 170 and the downstream USB connector 180 according to the load characteristic information.

In detail, if the controller 121 determines that the consumer electronic product 100 is not configured with the downstream USB connector 170 and the downstream USB connector 180, it means that the consumer electronic product 100 is not additionally provided with one or more USB connectors for connecting external USB devices. Thus, the power supply apparatus 10 need only supply power to a load 140 (e.g., an electric shaver) of the consumer electronic product 100. In this case, the controller 121 may continue to perform the operation action of step S260.

In step S260, the controller 121 may provide PDO to the power supply apparatus 10 and control the power supply apparatus 10 to provide the main power P _ M to the voltage regulator 130 through the uplink USB connector 110. For example, in step S260, in the case that the power supply apparatus 10 only needs to supply power to the load 140 of the consumer electronic product 100, the controller 121 may obtain the operating voltage (i.e., 12V) and the operating current (i.e., 1A) of the load 140 according to the power information of the load 140 in the load characteristic information. The controller 121 may select a set of PDO corresponding to the operating voltage and the operating current of the load 140 from the power configuration information of the power supply apparatus 10 according to the power information of the load 140. Then, the controller 121 may generate a control signal CS1 to the voltage regulator 130 according to the load characteristic information, and the controller 121 may provide the selected PDO to the power supply apparatus 10 by configuring the channel interface circuit 123 and the CC pin CC0 of the uplink USB connector 110. The power device 10 generates a selected voltage of 5V and a selected current of 3A (i.e., main power P _ M) to the upstream USB connector 110 according to the selected PDO, and provides the main power P _ M to the voltage regulator 130 through the power pin Vbus0 of the upstream USB connector 110.

Since the operating voltage of the load 140 is 12V, the voltage regulator 130 may perform a boosting operation on the main power P _ M according to the control signal CS1 and provide the boosted power to the load 140 through the local power bus Vbus1 to power the load 140.

On the other hand, in step S250, if the controller 121 determines that the consumer electronic product 100 is configured with the downlink USB connector 170 and/or the downlink USB connector 180, it indicates that the consumer electronic product 100 is additionally provided with one or more USB connectors to connect to external USB devices. In this case, the controller 121 may continue to perform the operation action of step S251.

In step S251, the controller 121 may continuously read the power configuration information of the load characteristic information, the power information of the load 140, and the power information (or power requirement) of the

USB device

190, 200 stored in the memory 122. Next, in step S252, the controller 121 may determine whether the downstream USB connector 170 and the downstream USB connector 180 are connected to the USB device 190 and the USB device 200, respectively. If the controller 121 determines that the USB downlink connector 170 and the USB downlink connector 180 are not connected to the USB device 190 and the USB device 200, it means that the power supply apparatus 10 only needs to supply power to the load 140 of the consumer electronic product 100. In this case, the controller 121 may continue to perform the operation action of step S254. The operation of the controller 121 to perform the step S254 can be analogized with reference to the related description of the step S260, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

On the other hand, in step S252, if the controller 121 determines that the downlink USB connector 170 and (or) the downlink USB connector 180 are connected to the USB device 190 and (or) the USB device 200, the controller 121 may continue to perform the operation of step S253.

In step S253, the controller 121 may obtain a power requirement from the USB device 190 and/or the USB device 200, and change the power mode of the USB connector 110 according to the power information of the load 140 and the power requirements of the USB device 190 and/or the USB device 200, and the controller 121 may control the voltage regulator 150 and/or the voltage regulator 160 to supply power to the USB device 190 and/or the USB device 200 according to the power mode.

For example, in one embodiment, when the controller 121 determines in step S252 that the USB device 190 is connected to the downstream USB connector 170 and the USB device 200 is not connected to the downstream USB connector 180, it means that the power supply device 10 only needs to supply power to the load 140 of the consumer electronic product 100 and the USB device 190.

In this case, the controller 121 may obtain the power requirement of the USB device 190 by configuring the channel interface circuit 124 and the CC pin CC2 of the downstream USB connector 170. Assume that the power requirement of the USB device 190 is 12W (i.e., the operating voltage of the USB device 190 is 12V and the operating current of the USB device 190 is 1A).

Then, the controller 121 can determine whether the current power mode of the uplink USB connector 110 (i.e., the output power of the power device 10) can satisfy the power requirements of the load 140 and the USB device 190 at the same time according to the power requirement (i.e., 12W) of the USB device 190 and the power information (i.e., 12W) of the load 140.

In this regard, since the output power of the power supply apparatus 10 is currently 15W (in the case that the power supply apparatus 10 only needs to supply power to the load 140), and the power requirements of the load 140 and the USB device 190 are both 12W, the controller 121 may reselect (or update) a set of PDOs capable of simultaneously meeting the requirements of the operating voltages and the operating currents of the load 140 and the USB device 190 from the power configuration information of the power supply apparatus 10 according to the above determination result.

After obtaining the updated PDO, the controller 121 may provide the updated PDO to the power supply apparatus 10 by configuring the channel interface circuit 123 and the CC pin CC0 of the upstream USB connector 110. The power supply device 10 can generate a selected voltage of 9V and a selected current of 3A (i.e., main power P _ M) to the upstream USB connector 110 according to the updated PDO. Accordingly, the power pin Vbus0 of the upstream USB connector 110 may provide the updated main power P _ M to the voltage regulators 130, 150, and 160.

Since the operating voltages of the load 140 and the USB device 190 are both 12V, the voltage regulator 130 and the voltage regulator 150 may boost the main power P _ M according to the control signals CS1 and CS2, and respectively provide the boosted power to the load 140 and the USB device 190 through the local power bus Vbus1 and the downstream USB connector 170 to power the load 140 and the USB device 190.

In another embodiment, when the controller 121 determines in step S252 that the USB device 190 is connected to the downstream USB connector 170 and the USB device 200 is connected to the downstream USB connector 180, it indicates that the power supply apparatus 10 needs to supply power to the load 140 of the consumer electronic product 100, the USB device 190 and the USB device 200.

In this case, the controller 121 may obtain the power requirement of the USB device 190 by configuring the channel interface circuit 124 and the CC pin CC2 of the downstream USB connector 170. Here again, assume that the power requirement of USB device 190 is 12W (i.e., the operating voltage of USB device 190 is 12V and the operating current of USB device 190 is 1A).

Then, the controller 121 determines whether the current power mode of the uplink USB connector 110 (i.e., the output power of the power device 10) can satisfy the power requirements of the load 140, the USB device 190 and the USB device 200 at the same time according to the power requirement (i.e., 12W) of the USB device 190, the power information (i.e., 12W) of the load 140 and the power information (i.e., 12W) of the USB device 200 that are pre-programmed into the memory 122.

In this regard, since the output power of the power supply apparatus 10 is 15W (in the case that the power supply apparatus 10 only needs to supply power to the load 140), and the power requirements of the load 140, the USB device 190 and the USB device 200 are all 12W, the controller 121 may reselect (or update) a set of PDOs from the power configuration information of the power supply apparatus 10 according to the above determination results, wherein the set of PDOs can simultaneously meet the requirements of the operating voltages and the operating currents of the load 140, the USB device 190 and the USB device 200.

After obtaining the updated PDO, the controller 121 may provide the updated PDO to the power supply apparatus 10 by configuring the channel interface circuit 123 and the CC pin of the upstream USB connector 110. The power supply device 10 may generate a selected voltage of 15V and a selected current of 3A (i.e., main power P _ M) to the upstream USB connector 110 according to the updated PDO. Thus, the power pin Vbus0 of the upstream USB connector 110 may provide the main power P _ M to the voltage regulator 130, the voltage regulator 150, and the voltage regulator 160.

Since the operating voltages of the load 140, the USB device 190, and the USB device 200 are 12V, and 5V, respectively, the voltage regulators 130, 150, and 160 may step down the main power P _ M according to the control signals CS1, CS2, and CS3, and provide the stepped-down power to the load 140, the USB device 190, and the USB device 200 to power the load 140, the USB device 190, and the USB device 200.

It should be noted that after the controller 121 performs the operation of completing step S253 or step S254, the controller 120 may continue to perform the operation of step S252.

The implementation manner of the above-mentioned power management device 120 and (or) the blocks of the controller 121 may be hardware (hardware), firmware (firmware), software (software, i.e. program), or a combination of a plurality of the foregoing three according to different design requirements.

In terms of hardware, the above-mentioned blocks of the power management apparatus 120 and/or the controller 121 may be implemented in logic circuits on an integrated circuit (integrated circuit). The power management device 120 and/or the related functions of the controller 121 can be implemented as hardware by using hardware description languages (such as Verilog HDL or VHDL) or other suitable programming languages. For example, the related functions of the power management device 120 and/or the controller 121 may be implemented in various logic blocks, modules and circuits of one or more controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital Signal Processors (DSPs), field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and/or other processing units.

In terms of software and/or firmware, the functions of the power management device 120 and/or the controller 121 may be implemented as programming codes (programming codes). For example, the power management device 120 and/or the controller 121 may be implemented by a general programming language (e.g., C + +, or a combination language) or other suitable programming languages. The programming code may be recorded/stored in a recording medium including, for example, a Read Only Memory (ROM), a storage device, and/or a Random Access Memory (RAM). A computer, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a controller, a microcontroller, or a microprocessor may read and execute the programming codes from the recording medium to achieve related functions. As the recording medium, "non-transitory computer readable medium" may be used, and for example, tape (tape), disk (disk), card (card), semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like may be used. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer (or CPU) via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, or the like). Such as the Internet, wired communication, wireless communication, or other communication media.

In summary, the power management apparatus and the consumer electronic product according to the embodiments of the invention can obtain at least one power requirement from at least one USB device through the controller when the at least one USB device is electrically connected to at least one downlink USB connector of the consumer electronic product, and change the power mode of the uplink USB connector according to the power information of the load of the consumer electronic product and the at least one power requirement. Therefore, the controller can control the voltage regulator of the consumer electronic product to supply power to the load and the at least one USB device according to the power mode, so as to improve the compatibility among the power supply device, the load of the consumer electronic product and the at least one USB device and replace a traditional direct current power socket (DC jack).

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments, it should be understood that various changes and modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A power management device adapted to be deployed on a consumer electronic product, the power management device comprising:

a memory for storing first power information of a load of the consumer electronic product; and

a controller coupled to the memory and a first voltage regulator of the consumer electronic product, wherein an input terminal of the first voltage regulator is coupled to a power pin of an uplink USB connector of the consumer electronic product, an output terminal of the first voltage regulator is coupled to a power terminal of the load,

when at least one USB device is electrically connected to at least one downlink USB connector of the consumer electronic product, the controller obtains at least one power requirement from the at least one USB device, the controller determines whether to change the power mode of the uplink USB connector according to the first power information and the at least one power requirement, and the controller controls at least one second voltage regulator of the consumer electronic product according to the power mode to supply power to the at least one USB device.

2. The power management device of claim 1, wherein the power management device further comprises:

a configuration channel interface circuit coupled between the configuration channel pin of the uplink USB connector and the controller; and

at least one communication interface circuit coupled between the at least one downlink USB connector and the controller.

3. The power management device of claim 2, wherein the memory is further configured to store power configuration information of the power supply device, and

when the power device is connected to the uplink USB connector and the at least one USB device is electrically connected to the at least one downlink USB connector, the controller selects selected power configuration information from the power configuration information according to the first power information and the at least one power requirement, provides the selected power configuration information to the uplink USB connector through the configuration channel interface circuit, provides main power from the power device to the first voltage regulator and the at least one second voltage regulator through the uplink USB connector, and controls the first voltage regulator and the at least one second voltage regulator according to the first power information and the at least one power requirement to dynamically distribute the main power to the load and the at least one downlink USB connector.

4. The power management device of claim 3, wherein the power device comprises a USB charger or a USB adapter.

5. The power management device of claim 1, wherein the controller dynamically requests the power device to change the power mode and controls the first voltage regulator to supply power to the load when the at least one USB device is not electrically connected to the at least one downstream USB connector of the consumer electronic product.

6. The power management device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first voltage regulator and the at least one second voltage regulator comprises a boost converter or a buck converter.

7. A consumer electronic product comprising:

an uplink USB connector;

a first voltage regulator having an input coupled to a power pin of the upstream USB connector;

a load having a power supply terminal coupled to the output terminal of the first voltage regulator;

at least one downlink USB connector;

at least one second voltage regulator having an output coupled to the downstream USB connector; and

a power management device comprising:

a memory for storing first power information of the load; and

a controller coupled to the memory, the first voltage regulator and the at least one second voltage regulator, wherein

When at least one USB device is electrically connected to the at least one downlink USB connector, the controller obtains at least one power requirement from the at least one USB device, the controller determines whether to change the power mode of the uplink USB connector according to the first power information and the at least one power requirement, and the controller controls the at least one second voltage regulator according to the power mode to supply power to the at least one USB device.

8. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 7, wherein the consumer electronic product further comprises:

9. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 8, wherein the memory is further configured to store power configuration information for the power supply device, and

10. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 9, wherein the power device comprises a USB charger or a USB adapter.

11. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 7, wherein the controller dynamically requests the power device to change the power mode and controls the first voltage regulator to supply power to the load when the at least one USB device is not electrically connected to the at least one downstream USB connector.

12. The consumer electronic product of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first voltage regulator and the at least one second voltage regulator comprises a boost converter or a buck converter.