CN116547884A - Multi-protocol USB adaptive charging - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a system comprising a power supply, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) type C port, and a multi-protocol adaptation circuit. The multi-protocol adaptation circuit may be configured to determine that a USB element has been attached to a USB type C port, determine whether to apply a USB type C charging protocol to the USB element or to apply a legacy USB type a charging protocol to the USB element, and provide power from the power source to the USB element.

Description

Multi-protocol USB adaptive charging

Priority

The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application 63/172,147 filed on 8 th 4 th 2021, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to Universal Serial Bus (USB) power and communications, and more particularly to multi-protocol USB adaptive charging.

Background

Various USB implementations including battery charging modes are used before the protocol definition for USB type C connection adds specifications for Power Delivery (PD) for battery charging. These implementations may be specific to a particular manufacturer or region. For example, battery Charging (BC) 1.0 and 1.1 were developed by the USB implementer forum (USB-IF); omega developed 1.0A, 1.5A, 2.5A and Omega 3A charging modes (variously referred to herein as Omega modes); the chinese telecommunications industry standard YD/T1591-2009 specifies a charging protocol (referred to herein as chinese mode); samsung developed a charging mode (referred to herein as samsung mode); and blackberry developed a charging mode (referred to herein as blackberry mode). However, these modes have now been replaced by the new BC1.2 specification. The USB IF compliance test suite for BC1.2 in particular mandates that the device only complies with BC1.2 standard. Further, USB type C may or may not include a PD on a given connection.

The inventors of the examples of the present disclosure have found that this proliferation of different standards makes it difficult to provide a USB device with the correct charging protocol. Furthermore, the inventors of the examples of the present disclosure have found that the proliferation of different standards is further complicated by the fact that USB type a devices can be connected to USB type C ports through an adapter. Examples of the present disclosure may address one or more of these challenges.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an illustration of an example system for multi-protocol adaptive charging according to an example of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a more detailed illustration of a port according to an example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary method for determining whether a USB element has been attached to a USB type-A port or a USB type-C port, according to an example of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary method for determining how to power a USB element that has been attached to a USB type-A port, according to an example of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5-6 are illustrations of exemplary methods for selecting a best available battery charging solution from available or known protocols to apply to an attached USB element, according to examples of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is an illustration of an exemplary method for determining how to power a USB element that has been attached to a USB type C port according to an example of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure may include an apparatus. The device may include any suitable number and variety of USB ports. For example, the device may include a USB type C port. The apparatus may include a multi-protocol adaptation circuit configured to determine that a USB element has been attached to the USB type C port and to determine whether to apply a USB type C charging protocol to the USB element or to apply a legacy USB type a charging protocol to the USB element. The multi-protocol adaptation circuit may be implemented in any suitable manner, such as by analog circuitry, digital circuitry, instructions on a machine-readable medium executed by a processor, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or any suitable combination thereof. The multi-protocol adaptation circuit may be configured to determine, for example, whether the USB element is a legacy USB type a charging element that has been connected to the USB type C port through the adapter.

In combination with any of the above examples, the multi-protocol adaptation circuit may be further configured to: to determine whether to apply the USB type C charging protocol or the legacy USB type A charging protocol to the USB element, source capabilities are sent to the USB element, a reaction of the USB element in response to the sent source capabilities is evaluated, and based on the reaction, it is determined whether to apply the USB type C charging protocol or the legacy USB type A charging protocol to the USB element. For example, if no reply is received, the multi-protocol adaptation circuit may be configured to treat the USB element as a USB type a element that has been connected to a USB type C port through the adapter. If a reply is received, the multi-protocol adaptation circuit may be configured to treat the USB element as a USB type C element.

Thus, in combination with any of the above examples, the multi-protocol adaptation circuit may be further configured to determine to apply a legacy USB type a charging protocol to the USB element based on a reaction of the USB element, the reaction not including a reply.

In combination with any of the above examples, the multi-protocol adaptation circuit may be further configured to determine that the USB element is a USB type a element connected to the USB type C port through the adapter. This may be determined based on not reverting to the sending of the source capabilities.

In combination with any of the above examples, the multi-protocol adaptation circuit may be further configured to apply a legacy USB type a charging protocol or battery charging 1.2 protocol mode to the USB element based on determining that the USB element is a USB type a element connected to the USB type C port through the adapter. The conventional USB type a charging protocol may include, for example, omega charging mode, chinese charging mode, samsung charging mode, or blackberry charging mode.

In combination with any of the above examples, the multi-protocol adaptation circuit may be further configured to, when determining to apply the legacy USB type a charging protocol to the USB element, apply a series of a plurality of candidate legacy USB type a charging protocols to the USB element to determine a best protocol to be used by the USB element among the candidate legacy USB type a charging protocols. These traditional USB type a charging protocols may include, for example, omega charging mode, chinese charging mode, samsung charging mode, or blackberry charging mode. If the candidate legacy USB type-A charging protocol does not match the USB element, then battery charging 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 or other standardized USB specified protocols may be applied.

In combination with any of the above examples, the multi-protocol adaptation circuit may be further configured to apply the series of candidate legacy USB type a charging protocols by applying a test voltage to a d+ line and a D-line connected between the USB type C port and the USB element for each candidate legacy USB type a charging protocol. The test voltage may be associated with a candidate legacy USB type a charging protocol. The series of candidate legacy USB type-a charging protocols may be ordered by charging power.

In combination with any of the above examples, the multi-protocol adaptation circuit may be further configured to determine that the USB element uses a chinese-mode legacy USB type a charging protocol based on determining that the USB element has applied a pull-up resistor in response to the test voltage.

Examples of the present disclosure may include a system having any of the above devices and a power supply, wherein the multi-protocol adaptation circuit is configured to cause power to be supplied from the power supply to the USB element according to the selected USB charging protocol.

Examples of the present disclosure may include methods performed by any of the above devices or systems.

Fig. 1 is an illustration of an exemplary system 100 for multi-protocol adaptive charging (MPAC) according to an example of the disclosure.

The system 100 may include an MPAC device 102. The MPAC device 102 may be implemented as part of any larger system, such as a computer, an infotainment system, an in-vehicle host (head unit), a server, a charger, a hub, a bridge, or any other suitable electronic device. The MPAC device 102 may be configured to accept connection of one or more elements and charge such elements. Such elements may include, for example, a USB device, a USB host, a USB adapter, or a USB device or host connected through a USB adapter. The USB element may be implemented using, for example, the following: USB type C host or device, USB type A host or device, USB type C-USB 2 mini-B adapter, USB type C-USB 3 mini-B adapter, and type C-type A adapter. The protocols that the MPAC device 102 may be configured to use when communicating with and powering these elements may include, for example, a Battery Charging (BC) specification (such as the BC1.2 specification), type C with Power Delivery (PD) (where up to 20V and 100W may be supported), or type C without PD (where up to 5V may be supported). Further, the MPAC device 102 may be configured to be compatible with the USB Implementer Forum (IF) test suite.

The MPAC device 102 may include ports 110, 112, 114. Although three such ports are shown, any suitable number, variety, and combination of ports may be used. Port 110 may be a USB type a port. The port 112 may be a USB type C port. The port 114 may be a USB type C port. Any suitable USB element may be attached to port 110, such as device 118, which may be a USB type a device or host. Any suitable USB element may be attached to port 112, such as device 120, which may be a USB type-C device or host. Any suitable USB element may be attached to port 114, such as adapter 122, which may be a USB type C adapter for converting other USB protocols or connectors to USB type C. Any suitable element may be connected to the MPAC device 102 through an adapter 122, such as a USB element 124.USB element 124 may be, for example, a USB type A or USB type B device or host.

The MPAC device 102 may be implemented in any suitable manner. The MPAC device 102 may include MPAC circuitry 104 configured to perform implementations of the present disclosure for providing multiprotocol and adaptive charging. The MPAC circuit 104 may be implemented in any suitable manner, such as by analog circuitry, digital circuitry, instructions on a machine-readable medium (such as the memory 128) executed by a processor (such as the processor 126), application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or any suitable combination thereof. The MPAC circuit 104 is communicatively coupled to ports 110, 112, 114. The MPAC circuit 104 may be communicatively coupled to the power supply 106 and may be configured to provide charging to USB elements attached to the MPAC device 102 by power of the power supply 106. Further, the MPAC device 102 may include various other components 108, which may include any suitable components that may use the ports 110, 112, 114 or may be communicatively coupled to these ports. For example, component 108 may include a USB bridge, a USB hub, a USB host, a switch matrix, memory, or a communication port.

The MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to detect connection or attachment of a USB element to any of the ports 110, 112, 114 and adaptively provide charging to the respective port and thus to the USB element based on the connected or attached element.

If a USB type-A element (such as device 118) is plugged into a USB type-A port (such as port 110), MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to select the best available battery charging solution from among available or known protocols.

If a USB type C element (such as device 120) is plugged into a USB type C port (such as port 112), MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to provide PD over the USB-C protocol.

In one example, if a legacy device (such as a USB type a device, such as device 124) is connected to a USB type C port (such as port 114) and is not compatible with the PD (through adapter 122), the MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to select the best available battery charging solution from available or known protocols. In another example, this may be determined in the same manner as applied to determining a protocol when a USB type a element (such as device 118) is plugged into a type a port (such as port 110) as discussed above.

When a USB element is connected to a USB type a port (such as port 110), the MPAC circuit 104 may be aware that the element is a USB type a element (such as device 118) and may be configured to select the best available battery charging solution from available or known protocols to apply to the USB element. However, when a USB element is connected to a USB type C port (such as port 112 or port 114), in one example, the MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to evaluate whether to apply a PD to the USB element (as a USB type C element) or to treat the element as a USB type a element and select the best available battery charging solution from available or known protocols to apply to the USB element.

The operation of the MPAC circuit 104 to determine whether an attached USB element is attached to a USB type A or USB type C port may be illustrated in FIG. 3, discussed in more detail below.

The operation of the MPAC circuit 104 to evaluate the attachment of an element to a USB type A port may begin as illustrated in FIG. 4, discussed in more detail below.

The operation of the MPAC circuit 104 to evaluate the attachment of a USB element to a USB type c port may begin illustrated in FIG. 7, discussed in more detail below.

The operation of the MPAC circuit 104 to select the best available battery charging solution from available or known protocols for application to an attached USB element may be illustrated in FIGS. 5-6, discussed in more detail below. This operation may be caused, for example, by attaching a USB type a device to a USB type a port or attaching a USB type a device to a USB type C port through an adapter.

Fig. 2 is a more detailed illustration of ports 110, 112, 114 according to an example of the present disclosure.

The port 110 may include terminals for VBUS, DP (D+) and DM (D-) USB connections to USB elements connected thereto. The ports 112, 114 may also include terminals for connection of VBUS, DP and DM to the USB elements connected thereto. Ports 112, 114 may include terminals for connection of CC1 and CC2 to USB elements connected thereto.

Port 110 may include circuitry 202 configured to detect a voltage or current from its input pin and thus detect an action performed by a device connected thereto, such as the application or handshaking of a pull-up resistor. The circuit 202 may be configured to selectively apply current, voltage, pull-up resistor, and pull-down resistor to the input pins of the port 110. These operations may be controlled by the MPAC circuit 104. Further, these operations may be used to perform detection of a particular USB charging mode and will be discussed in this disclosure.

Similarly, ports 112, 114 may include circuitry 204 configured to detect a voltage or current from their input pins and thus detect an action performed by a device connected thereto, such as the application or handshaking of a pull-up resistor. The circuit 204 may be configured to selectively apply current, voltage, pull-up resistors, and pull-down resistors to the input pins of the ports 112, 114. These operations may be controlled by the MPAC circuit 104. Further, these operations may be used to perform detection of a particular USB charging mode and will be discussed in this disclosure. For example, various current sources 206, which may be defined according to voltage sources or pull-up resistors, may be selectively applied to CC1 and CC2.

Fig. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary method 300 for determining whether a USB element is attached to a USB type a port or a USB type C port according to an example of the present disclosure. The method 300 may be implemented by any suitable portion of the system 100, such as by the MPAC circuit 104. The method 300 may include more or fewer blocks than shown in fig. 3. The blocks of method 300 may optionally be repeated, omitted, performed in parallel, performed recursively, or performed in a different order than shown.

At block 305, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether any USB elements have been attached to any of the ports 110, 112, 114. If so, the method 300 may proceed to block 310. Otherwise, the MPAC circuit 104 may repeat block 305.

At block 310, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether the USB element is attached to a USB type-A port or a USB type-C port. If a USB element has been attached to the USB type-A port, the method 300 may proceed to block 315, where the MPAC circuit 104 may run a USB type-A algorithm. This may be illustrated in method 400 of fig. 4, discussed in more detail below. If a USB element has been attached to the USB type C port, the method 300 may proceed to block 320, where the MPAC circuit 104 may run a USB type C algorithm. This may be illustrated in method 700 of fig. 7, discussed in more detail below.

Fig. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary method 400 for determining how to power a USB element that has been attached to a USB type a port, such as port 110, according to an example of the present disclosure. The method 400 may be implemented by any suitable portion of the system 100, such as by the MPAC circuit 104. The method 400 may include more or fewer blocks than shown in fig. 4. The blocks of method 400 may optionally be repeated, omitted, performed in parallel, performed recursively, or performed in a different order than shown.

At block 405, the attachment of a USB type-a element may be detected. The attachment may be made at, for example, port 110. At block 410, a 5V supply signal may be applied to the VBUS line, and thus to the attached element, with security.

At block 415, as a result of applying the 5V supply signal to VBUS, it may be determined whether the attached element supports battery charging. This determination may be made, for example, by attempting to perform a Battery Charging (BC) handshake and determining whether an appropriate response to the BC handshake is received. If the attached element does not support battery charging, the method 400 may proceed to block 420. Otherwise, the method 400 may proceed to block 425.

At block 420, no further action may be taken with respect to battery charging until the USB element is detached.

At block 425, a battery charging algorithm may be performed. This may include the method 500 of fig. 5-6 discussed in more detail below.

Fig. 5-6 are illustrations of an exemplary method 500 for selecting a best available battery charging solution from available or known protocols to apply to an attached USB element, according to examples of the present disclosure. The method 500 may be implemented by any suitable portion of the system 100, such as by the MPAC circuit 104. Method 500 may include more or fewer blocks than shown in fig. 4. The blocks of method 500 may optionally be repeated, omitted, performed in parallel, performed recursively, or performed in a different order than shown.

The method 500 may be performed based on the attachment of a USB element to a USB type a port or the attachment of an adapter to a USB type C port. These may be reflected, for example, in block 425 described above or in block 750 of fig. 7 discussed further below.

At block 505, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether the USB element that has been attached to the port is a USB host. This may be determined in any suitable manner, such as by sensing the value of VBUS. The particular voltage value of VBUS that indicates whether the USB element is a host may depend on the particular implementation of USB employed in the system, but may be any voltage value accepted as a logical one value. For example, the voltage value carried on VBUS between USB elements may be in the range of 3.3V to 20V. These voltages may then be stepped down or divided down for evaluation by the MPAC circuit 104. For example, if the VBUS range between USB elements is between 0V and 3.3V, with no stepped voltage drop, voltages above 1.8V may be considered logic one. In another example, if the VBUS range between USB elements is between 0V and 5V, a voltage above 4.5V may be considered a logical one. Further, in such examples, there may be 2 for the input of the MPAC circuit 104: a 1 voltage divider, and thus any voltage above 2.25V observed by the MPAC circuit 104 may be considered a logical one. If the USB element is a USB host, the method 500 may proceed to block 510. If the USB element is a USB device, the method 500 may proceed to block 515.

At block 510, a Charging Downstream Port (CDP) mode may be employed. The method 500 may proceed to block 520.

At block 515, a Dedicated Charging Port (DCP) mode may be employed. The method 500 may proceed to block 540.

At block 520, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether a BC handshake has been received from the component. Handshaking may include, for example, whether 0.7V applied on the D + line is mirrored by 0.7V applied on the D-line. If a BC handshake has been received, the method 500 may proceed to block 525. Otherwise, the method 500 may proceed to block 540.

At block 525, the MPAC circuit 104 may respond to the BC handshake by holding 0.7V on the DM line via the hardware circuit. This may be maintained until the host detaches, or until a DP pull attachment is detected. The method 500 may proceed to block 530.

At block 530, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether a DP pull-up attach operation is detected. If so, the method 500 may terminate at block 550. Otherwise, the method 500 may proceed to block 535. At block 535, it may be determined whether the host has been detached. Furthermore, block 535 may be performed in parallel with any other block of method 500. The split monitoring may be performed by monitoring the DO line state in the hardware circuit. If the host has been detached, the method 500 may terminate at block 550. Otherwise, the method 500 may return to block 530.

At block 540, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether a DP pull-up attachment is detected. If so, the method 500 may proceed to block 545 to await host detachment. Otherwise, the method 500 may repeat, for example, at block 520. If no handshake is received in block 520 in any iteration of method 500, the host does not support the standard USB charging protocol.

At block 545, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether the USB element has been detached. If the host has been detached, the method 500 may terminate at block 550. Otherwise, block 545 may be repeated.

At block 560, the MPAC circuit 104 may begin to determine which of several possible charging protocols to use for the attached device. For example, the MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to determine whether an attached USB device is to be charged using Omega, china charging, custom charging, samsung charging, or blackberry charging. The MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to cycle through two or more possible such protocols in any suitable order. In one example, the MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to cycle through such protocols in a sequence corresponding to the highest to lowest possible charge level such that the highest possible charge level is applied to the USB element. For example, if a given USB element supports multiple such charging protocols, the USB element may be charged with a higher possible charging level by first evaluating the charging protocol with a higher possible charging level. Further, in evaluating a given protocol, the MPAC circuit 104 may evaluate whether sufficient power is available to employ the given protocol. This may be performed by reference to a software configuration or other indication of power allocation within the system. For example, in system 100, the available power for USB ports 110, 112, 114 may be distributed or shared in any suitable manner, such as evenly distributed among the ports, one port prioritized over another, or a fair sharing distribution scheme. Thus, a given amount of power may be allocated to a given USB port to which the USB element is attached and evaluated in method 500. This given power may be checked by the MPAC circuit 104 to determine whether a given protocol may be used based on the assigned given power.

Specifically, at block 560, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether sufficient power is available to enable the Omega charging to be performed. If so, the method 500 may proceed to block 562. Otherwise, the method 500 may proceed to block 574.

At block 562, the MPAC circuit 104 may begin enabling Omega charging in 3.0A, 2.5A, 2.0A, or 1.5A mode by the hardware circuit and determine whether charging occurs. First, an attempt may be made to enable Omega charging in 3.0A mode. As a preliminary matter, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether sufficient power is available for Omega charging in 3.0A mode. If so, omega charging can be attempted by applying 3.3V on the D+ line and 2.7V on the D-line. The MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether the result is that the USB element is being charged. If the result is that the USB element is charging, method 600 may proceed to block 570. Otherwise, if the result is that the USB element is not charging, or if insufficient power is available for Omega charging in 3.0A mode, the method 600 may proceed to block 564.

At block 564, omega charging in 2.5A mode may be attempted. As a preliminary matter, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether sufficient power is available for Omega charging in the 2.5A mode. If so, omega charging can be attempted by applying 2.7V on the D+ line and 2.7V on the D-line. The MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether the result is that the USB element is being charged. If the result is that the USB element is charging, method 600 may proceed to block 570. Otherwise, if the result is that the USB element is not charging, or if insufficient power is available for Omega charging in 2.5A mode, the method 600 may proceed to block 566.

At block 566, omega charging in 2.0A mode may be attempted. As a preliminary matter, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether sufficient power is available for Omega charging in 2.0A mode. If so, omega charging can be attempted by applying 2.7V on the D+ line and 2.7V on the D-line. The MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether the result is that the USB element is being charged. If the result is that the USB element is charging, method 600 may proceed to block 570. Otherwise, if the result is that the USB element is not charging, or if insufficient power is available for Omega charging in 2.0A mode, the method 600 may proceed to block 568.

At block 568, omega charging in 1.0A mode may be attempted. As a preliminary matter, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether sufficient power is available for Omega charging in 1.0A mode. If so, omega charging can be attempted by applying 2.0V on the D+ line and 2.0V on the D-line. The MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether the result is that the USB element is being charged. If the result is that the USB element is charging, method 600 may proceed to block 570. Otherwise, if the result is that the USB element is not charging, or if insufficient power is available for Omega charging in 1.0A mode, the method 600 may proceed to block 576.

At block 570, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether the USB element has applied a pull-up resistor in response to the attempted Omega charge. If so, the method 700 may proceed to block 585 to apply the China mode. Otherwise, the method 500 may proceed to block 572.

At block 572, the MPAC circuit 104 may remain to charge the USB device in the determined Omega mode. The MPAC circuit 104 may wait for the USB device to detach by, for example, returning to block 545.

At block 574, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether sufficient power is available to perform china charging. This may be performed by checking the software configuration. If so, the method 500 may proceed to block 576. Otherwise, method 500 may proceed to 580.

At block 576, the Chinese charging mode may be verified by applying voltages to the D+ line, the D-line, the USB line. The voltage may include any of the Omega voltage levels described in blocks 562, 564, 566, or 568, for example. After applying the voltage, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether the attached element has applied a pull-up resistor in response to the application of the voltage. This may be determined by evaluating the amount of current drawn by the USB element. For example, if a pull-up resistor has been applied, the method 500 may proceed to block 578. Otherwise, the method 500 may proceed to block 580.

At block 578, the china charge mode may be enabled by the MPAC circuit 104 by shorting the d+ line and the D-line via resistors. The MPAC circuit 104 may remain charging the USB device in the China charging mode. The MPAC circuit 104 may wait for the USB device to detach by, for example, returning to block 545.

At block 580, it may be determined whether sufficient power is available to perform the samsung charge. This may be performed by checking the software configuration. If so, the method 500 may proceed to block 582. Otherwise, the method 500 may proceed to block 586.

At block 582, a samsung pattern may be applied. A voltage of 1.1V may be applied to both the D + line and the D-line. It may be determined whether charging has started. This may be determined by identifying that the USB element has drawn more than 500 mA. If so, the method 500 may proceed to block 584. Otherwise, the method 500 may proceed to block 586.

At block 584, the MPAC circuit 104 may remain charging the USB device in the three star mode. The MPAC circuit 104 may wait for the USB device to detach by, for example, returning to block 545.

At block 586, blackberry mode may be applied. It may be determined whether charging has started. If so, the method 500 may proceed to block 588. Otherwise, the method 500 may proceed to block 590.

At block 588, the MPAC circuit 104 may keep charging the USB device in blackberry mode. The MPAC circuit 104 may wait for the USB device to detach by, for example, returning to block 545.

At block 590, the MPAC circuit 104 may keep charging the USB device in a conventional USB configuration charging mode, such as battery charging 1.2. The MPAC circuit 104 may wait for the USB device to detach by, for example, returning to block 545.

Fig. 7 is an illustration of an example method 700 for determining how to power a USB element that has been attached to a USB type C port, such as port 112 or 114, according to an example of the present disclosure. The method 700 may be implemented by any suitable portion of the system 100, such as by the MPAC circuit 104. Method 700 may include more or fewer blocks than shown in fig. 4. The blocks of method 700 may optionally be repeated, omitted, performed in parallel, performed recursively, or performed in a different order than shown.

At block 705, the MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to determine that a USB element has been attached to a USB type C port, such as port 112 or port 114. The MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to determine the nature of a USB element that has been attached to either port 112 or port 114.

For example, at block 710, the MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to apply the voltage of the USB bus VBUS to the corresponding port 112 or port 114.

At block 715, the MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to begin determining whether the attached USB element is connected through an adapter (such as USB element 124 connected through adapter 122) or whether the attached USB element is a USB type C host or device directly connected to port 112. The MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to make this determination in any suitable manner.

For example, at block 720, the MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to send a source capability message to an element that has been attached to a port. Thus, the MPAC circuit 104 may be configured to determine whether the attached USB element is a USB type C host or device that is directly connected to the port, or to determine that the attached USB element is a USB type A element that is connected through a USB type C adapter.

At block 725, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether a reply to the source-capable message has been received. If a message has been received, the attached USB element may be a USB type C host or device that is directly connected to the port. This may occur in fig. 1, for example, in port 112 attached to device 120. The method 700 may proceed to block 735. If no message is received, the attached USB element may be a USB type-A element connected through a USB type-C adapter. This may occur in fig. 1, for example, in port 114 attached to device 124 through adapter 122. The method 700 may proceed to block 730.

At block 730, the MPAC circuit 104 may execute a battery charging algorithm. This may be performed, for example, by the method 500 of fig. 5 described above.

At block 735, any suitable PD negotiation with the attached USB element may begin to be performed. For example, the MPAC circuit 104 may send a PD capability message to the attached USB element. The PD capability message may, for example, determine whether the attached USB element supports programmable power. Such programmable power supplies may enable charging techniques that would otherwise not follow the USB specification and may include, for example, fast charging.

At block 740, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine whether a reply to the PD capability message has been received. If so, the method 700 may proceed to block 745. Otherwise, the method 700 may proceed to block 755.

At block 745, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine that the USB element is a PD-capable USB-C element. The MPAC circuit 104 may send PD packets for the fill capability to the USB element. The MPAC circuit 104 may also negotiate with the USB element to the fill support capability of the connection of the USB element. This may be performed, for example, by enabling enablement of the programmable power supply and resending the source capabilities to the attached device to further negotiate the best available power level for charging. The method 700 may proceed to block 750.

At block 750, the MPAC circuit 104 may wait for the devices to separate.

At block 755, the MPAC circuit 104 may determine that the USB element is a USB-C element without PD capability. The MPAC circuit 104 may begin to determine the most appropriate charge level for the USB element. This is described in more detail in blocks 760, 765, and 770. Blocks 760, 765, 770 may be performed by, for example, applying different RP resistor values to the CC lines connected to the elements to evaluate the current received on VBUS.

At block 760, the MPAC circuit 104 may set the support current source to the USB element to 3A. The MPAC circuit 104 may then determine whether the USB element is charging. If so, the method 700 may proceed to block 750. Otherwise, the method 700 may proceed to block 765.

At block 765, the MPAC circuit 104 may set the support current source to the USB element to 1.5A. The MPAC circuit 104 may then determine whether the USB element is charging. If so, the method 700 may proceed to block 750. Otherwise, method 700 may proceed to block 770.

At block 770, the MPAC circuit 104 may set the support current source to the USB element to 0.5A. The method 700 may proceed to block 750.

Although examples have been described above, the present disclosure may have other modifications and examples without departing from the spirit and scope of these examples.

Claims (9)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a Universal Serial Bus (USB) type C port; and

a multi-protocol adaptation circuit configured to:

determining that a USB element has been attached to the USB type-C port; and

it is determined whether to apply a USB type C charging protocol to the USB element or to apply a legacy USB type a charging protocol to the USB element.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to determine whether to apply a USB type-C charging protocol or a legacy USB type-a charging protocol to the USB element, the multi-protocol adaptation circuit is further configured to:

transmitting source capability to the USB element;

evaluating a response of the USB element in response to the transmitted source capabilities; and

whether to apply a USB type-C charging protocol or a legacy USB type-a charging protocol to the USB element is determined based on the reaction.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the multi-protocol adaptation circuit is further configured to determine to apply a legacy USB type-a charging protocol to the USB element based on the reaction of the USB element, the reaction not including a reply.

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1-3, wherein the multi-protocol adaptation circuit is further configured to determine that the USB element is a USB type a element connected to the USB type C port through an adapter.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the multi-protocol adaptation circuit is further configured to apply a legacy USB type a charging protocol to the USB element based on the determination that the USB element is a USB type a element connected to the USB type C port through the adapter.

6. The apparatus of any of claims 1-5, wherein in determining to apply a legacy USB type-a charging protocol to the USB element, the multi-protocol adaptation circuit is further configured to apply a series of a plurality of candidate legacy USB type-a charging protocols to the USB element to determine a best protocol to be used by the USB element for the candidate legacy USB type-a charging protocols.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the multi-protocol adaptation circuit is configured to:

applying the series of candidate legacy USB type a charging protocols by applying a test voltage to a d+ line and a D-line connected between the USB type C port and the USB element for each candidate legacy USB type a charging protocol, the test voltage being associated with the candidate legacy USB type a charging protocol, the series of candidate legacy USB type a charging protocols ordered by charging power; and

a determination is made that the USB element uses a China mode legacy USB type A charging protocol based on a determination that the USB element has applied a pull-up resistor in response to the test voltage.

8. A system, comprising:

a power supply;

the apparatus of any of claims 1-7, wherein the multi-protocol adaptation circuit is to cause power to be provided from the power source to the USB element using the selected charging protocol.

9. A method comprising the operation of any one of the apparatus or systems of claims 1 to 8.