TWI845994B - Power management device and consumer product - Google Patents

Abstract

A power management device and a consumer product are provided. The power management device for the consumer product. The power management device includes a memory and a controller. The memory is configured to store a power information of a load of the consumer electronic product. An input end of the first voltage regulator is coupled to a power pin of an upstream USB connector, and an output end of the first voltage regulator is coupled to a power end of the load. When USB device is connected to a downstream USB connector of the consumer electronic product, the controller obtains a power demand from the USB device, the controller determines whether to change a power mode of the upstream USB connector according to the power information and the power demand, and the controller controls the second voltage regulator to supply power to the USB device according to the power mode.

Description

Power management devices and consumer electronics

The present invention relates to a power supply technology, and in particular to a power management device and a consumer electronic product.

Generally speaking, consumer electronic products are usually connected to an external power device through a DC jack so that the power device can supply power to the load of the consumer electronic product.

However, with the increasing awareness of environmental protection, the traditional DC power socket has more internal components and occupies a larger circuit area, which cannot meet environmental protection requirements. Therefore, how to effectively improve the power transmission method between consumer electronic products and power devices will be a topic for relevant technical personnel in this field.

It should be noted that the contents of the "Prior Art" paragraph are used to help understand the present invention. Some (or all) of the contents disclosed in the "Prior Art" paragraph may not be the common knowledge known to those with ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field. The contents disclosed in the "Prior Art" paragraph do not mean that the contents have been known to those with ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field before the present invention is applied.

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

In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned power management device is suitable for being configured in a consumer electronic product. The power management device includes a memory and a controller. The memory is used to store the first power information of the load of the consumer electronic product. The controller is coupled to the memory and the first voltage regulator of the consumer electronic product, wherein the input end of the first voltage regulator is coupled to the power pin of the upstream USB connector of the consumer electronic product, and the output end of the first voltage regulator is coupled to the power end of the load. When at least one USB device is electrically connected to at least one downstream USB connector of a consumer electronic product, the controller obtains at least one power requirement from the at least one USB device, determines whether to change the power mode of the upstream USB connector according to the first power information and the at least one power requirement, and 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.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned consumer electronic product includes a memory, a first voltage regulator, a controller and at least one second voltage regulator. The memory is used to store first power information of a load. The input end of the first voltage regulator is coupled to a power pin of an upstream USB connector, and the output end of the first voltage regulator is coupled to a power terminal of the load. The controller is coupled to the memory and the first voltage regulator. At least one second voltage regulator is coupled to the controller and the downstream USB connector. When at least one USB device is electrically connected to at least one downstream 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 upstream 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 according to the power mode to supply power to the at least one USB device.

Based on the above, the power management device and consumer electronic product described in various embodiments of the present invention can obtain at least one power requirement from at least one USB device when 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 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 at least one USB device according to the power mode, thereby improving the compatibility between the power device, the load of the consumer electronic product and at least one USB device, and replacing the traditional DC jack.

In order to make the above features and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the following is a detailed description of the embodiments with the accompanying drawings.

10: Power supply device

11, 12, 13: Connectors

100: Consumer electronics

110: Upstream USB connector

120: Power management device

121: Controller

122: Memory

123, 124: Configure channel interface circuit

125: Communication interface circuit

130, 150, 160: Voltage regulator

140: Load

170, 180: Downstream 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: Steps

Vbus1: local power bus

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a circuit block of a consumer electronic product according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an operation flow chart of the controller shown in Figure 1 of the present invention.

The term "coupled (or connected)" used in the entire specification of this case (including the scope of the patent application) may refer to any direct or indirect means of connection. For example, if the text describes a first device coupled (or connected) to a second device, it should be interpreted that the first device can be directly connected to the second device, or the first device can be indirectly connected to the second device through other devices or some connection means. The terms "first", "second", etc. mentioned in the entire specification of this case (including the scope of the patent application) are used to name the elements or distinguish different embodiments or scopes, and are not used to limit the upper or lower limit of the number of elements, nor to limit the order of elements. In addition, wherever possible, elements/components/steps with the same numbers in the drawings and embodiments represent the same or similar parts. Elements/components/steps using the same number or the same terminology in different embodiments can refer to each other for related descriptions.

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of a consumer electronic product 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the upstream Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector 110 and the downstream USB connector 170 of the consumer electronic product 100 may include a USB type-C connector. The downstream USB connector 180 of the consumer electronic product 100 may include a type-A connector. According to design requirements, in another embodiment, the upstream USB connector 110 and the downstream USB connectors 170, 180 may include other types of USB connectors. 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 device 10 via a cable. When the power device 10 is electrically connected to the consumer electronic product 100, the power device 10 can supply power to the consumer electronic product 100. According to application requirements, the power device 10 can include a USB charger, a USB adapter, or other power devices. In the case where the power device 10 is a USB charger or a USB adapter, the connector 11 can 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 can be connected to the connector 12 of the USB device 190 and the connector 13 of the USB device 200 respectively via cables. When the USB device 190 and/or the USB device 200 are electrically connected to the downstream USB connector 170 and/or the downstream 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 downstream USB connector 170 and/or the downstream USB connector 180.

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

In this 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, when the consumer electronic product 100 has an electric shaver function, the load 140 may include a shaver body, a charging base, and/or other circuits/components. When the consumer electronic product 100 has a desk lamp function, the load 140 may include an LED, a human-machine interface circuit, and/or other circuits/components. When the consumer electronic product 100 has a speaker function, the load 140 may include a speaker, an amplifier circuit, a wireless communication circuit, and/or other circuits/components. The operating power required by the load 140 is provided by the local power bus Vbus1 of the consumer electronic product 100.

In this 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 that complies with the USB specification.

The memory 122 is coupled to the controller 121. According to design requirements, the memory 122 may include a one-time programming (OTP) memory, an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) and/or other non-volatile memory.

Specifically, the memory 122 may be used to store one or more load characteristic information, a protocol profile, and/or a power profile. The power profile may include voltage parameters, current parameters, and/or other power parameters. The load characteristic information may include 12 bytes of information. For example, 1 byte in the load characteristic information is used to record the product ID, 1 byte in the load characteristic information is used to record the vendor ID, 2 bytes in the load characteristic information are used to record the power configuration information of the power device 10, 2 bytes in the load characteristic information are used to record the power information of the load 140, 2 bytes in the load characteristic information are used to record the power information (or power requirement) of the USB devices 190 and 200, and 4 bytes in the load characteristic information can be a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) code.

It should be noted that during the design/manufacturing stage of the consumer electronic product 100, the designer can pre-record the data related to the power configuration information of the power device 10, the power information of the load 140, and the power information (or power requirements) of the USB devices 190 and 200 in the load characteristic information into the memory 122.

For example, when the downstream USB connector 180 of the consumer electronic product 100 includes a type-A connector, the designer can preset the power information (or power requirement) of the USB device 200 in the load characteristic information to 12W (that is, 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.

Furthermore, when the consumer electronic product 100 has an electric shaver function, the designer can preset the power information of the load 140 in the load characteristic information to 12W (that is, the operating voltage of the load 140 is 12V and the operating current of the load 140 is 1A).

It is worth mentioning that the power configuration information of the power device 10 mentioned above may include one or more Power Data Object (PDO) packets. For example, each PDO can be used to set the power device 10 to operate at a set of set voltages and set currents, and the maximum power setting of each PDO is 100W. In this embodiment, the controller 121 can select a set of appropriate PDOs from these PDOs based on the power information of the load 140, the power information (or power requirements) of the USB device 190 and (or) the USB device 200. The controller 121 can provide the selected PDO (selected power configuration information) to the power device 10 through the upstream USB connector 110. Based on this, the controller 121 can negotiate the output power configuration of the power device 10 with the power device 10. The power pin Vbus0 of the upstream USB connector 110 can receive the main power P_M (selected voltage and selected current) from the power device 10. The upstream USB connector 110 can transmit the main power P_M from the power device 10 to the voltage regulator 130, 150 and (or) 160. The controller 121 controls the voltage regulator 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 to dynamically distribute the main power P_M to the load 140 and the downstream USB connectors 170, 180.

On the other hand, the controller 121 is coupled to the memory 122, the configuration channel interface circuit 123, the configuration channel interface circuit 124, the communication interface circuit 125, and the voltage regulator 130. The configuration channel interface circuit 123 is coupled between the controller 121 and the 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 between the controller 121 and the differential signal pin pair of the downstream USB connector 180 (e.g., the D+ pin and the D- pin of the downstream USB connector 180).

Specifically, in this embodiment, the controller 121 can determine the power mode of the power device 10 supplying power to the consumer electronic product 100 by configuring the channel interface circuit 123 and the CC pin CC0 of the upstream USB connector 110 based on the protocol configuration file stored in the memory 122.

In addition, the power management device 120 can detect the electrical state of the CC pin CC0 of the upstream USB connector 110 to determine whether the upstream USB connector 110 is connected to an 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 based on the power configuration file stored in the memory 122 and through the configuration channel interface circuit 123 and the CC pin CC0 of the upstream USB connector 110.

Similarly, the power management device 120 can detect the electrical state of the CC pin CC2 of the downstream USB connector 170 to determine whether the downstream USB connector 170 is connected to an 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 based on the power configuration file stored in the memory 122 and through the configuration channel interface circuit 124 and the CC pin CC2 of the downstream USB connector 170. In addition, the power management device 120 can 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 an 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 based on the power configuration file stored in the memory 122 and through the communication interface circuit 125 and the D+ pin and D- pin of the downstream USB connector 180.

In particular, when the upstream USB connector 110 and the downstream USB connector 170 include USB connectors, the configuration channel interface circuit 123 and the configuration channel interface circuit 124 may include a physical layer circuit of the CC pin that complies with 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 accordance with the USB specification. In addition, when the downstream USB connector 180 includes a USB connector, the communication interface circuit 125 may include a physical layer circuit of a differential data channel that complies with the USB specification. The control circuit 121 may detect the D+ pin and the D- pin of the downstream USB connector 180 in accordance with the USB specification.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the input end 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 end of the voltage regulator 130 is coupled to the power terminal of the load 140. The input end 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 end of the voltage regulator 150 is coupled to the power pin Vbus2 of the downstream USB connector 170. The input end 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 end of the voltage regulator 160 is coupled to the power pin Vbus3 of the downstream USB connector 180.

The voltage regulator 130, the voltage regulator 150 and the voltage regulator 160 can perform a step-up or step-down operation on the main power P_M according to the control signals CS1, CS2 and CS3 provided by the controller 121. The voltage regulator 130, the voltage regulator 150 and the voltage regulator 160 of this embodiment can include a boost converter, a buck converter or other types of voltage converters. When the power device 10 is connected to the upstream USB connector 110 and the USB devices 190 and/or 200 are electrically connected to the downstream USB connectors 170 and/or 180, the controller 121 may select a selected power configuration information from the power configuration information (PDO) about the power device 10 stored in the memory 122 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 device 10) via the configuration channel interface circuit 123. The upstream USB connector 110 may provide the main power P_M from the power device 10 to the voltage regulators 130, 150, and 160. According to the power information of the load 140 and the power requirements of the USB devices 190 and/or 200, the controller 121 can 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 can dynamically request the power device 10 to change the power mode and control the voltage regulator 130 to supply power to the load 140.

For the implementation details of the power management device 120 of the consumer electronic product 100, please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 at the same time. FIG. 2 is an operation flow chart of the controller 121 shown in FIG. 1 of the present invention. In step S210, the consumer electronic product 100 can start the controller 121 so that the controller 121 performs related operation actions. Then, the controller 121 can receive the load characteristic information stored in the memory 122.

In step S220, the controller 121 can read the load characteristic information recorded in the memory 122 of the non-volatile electronic product 100, and determine whether the load characteristic information is correct based on the CRC code of the load characteristic information. If the controller 121 determines that the load characteristic information is in an error state, the operation of step S230 is continued to be executed. If the controller 121 determines that the load characteristic information is not in an error state, the operation of step S240 is continued to be executed. Among them, in step S220, it is known that the CRC code of the load characteristic information stored in the memory 122 is used to detect or verify errors that may occur after data transmission or storage, so it will not be elaborated here.

In step S230, when the CRC code indicates that the load characteristic information is erroneous 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) provided in the consumer electronic product 100 to prompt the user that the consumer electronic product 100 is in an erroneous state.

In step S240, the controller 121 may start to read the power configuration information of the power device 10, the power information of the load 140, and the power information (or power demand) of the USB devices 190 and 200 of the load characteristic information stored in the memory 122. Then, in step S250, the controller 121 may determine whether the consumer electronic product 100 is equipped with the downstream USB connector 170 and the downstream USB connector 180 according to the load characteristic information.

Specifically, if the controller 121 determines that the consumer electronic product 100 is not equipped 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 to connect to an external USB device. Therefore, the power supply device 10 only needs to supply power to the load 140 (e.g., an electric shaver) of the consumer electronic product 100. In this case, the controller 121 can continue to perform the operation of step S260.

In step S260, the controller 121 may provide a PDO to the power device 10 and control the power device 10 to provide the main power P_M to the voltage regulator 130 through the upstream USB connector 110. For example, in step S260, when the power device 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 PDOs that meet the operating voltage and operating current of the load 140 from the power configuration information of the power device 10 according to the power information of the load 140. Then, the controller 121 can generate a control signal CS1 to the voltage regulator 130 according to the load characteristic information, and the controller 121 can provide the selected PDO to the power device 10 by configuring the channel interface circuit 123 and the CC pin CC0 of the upstream USB connector 110. The power device 10 can generate a selected voltage of 5V and a selected current of 3A (i.e., the main power P_M) to the upstream USB connector 110 according to the selected PDO, and provide 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 can perform a boost 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 equipped with a downstream USB connector 170 and/or a downstream USB connector 180, it means that the consumer electronic product 100 is additionally provided with one or more USB connectors to connect to an external USB device. In this case, the controller 121 may continue to perform the operation of step S251.

In step S251, the controller 121 may continuously read the power configuration information of the load characteristic information stored in the memory 122, the power information of the load 140, and the power information (or power demand) of the USB devices 190 and 200. 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 downstream USB connector 170 and the downstream USB connector 180 are not connected to the USB device 190 and the USB device 200, it means that the power supply device 10 only needs to supply power to the load 140 of the consumer electronic product 100. In this case, the controller 121 can continue to execute the operation of step S254. The operation of the controller 121 in executing step S254 can be deduced by referring to the relevant description of step S260, so it will not be repeated.

On the other hand, in step S252, if the controller 121 determines that the downstream USB connector 170 and/or the downstream 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 power requirements from the USB device 190 and/or the USB device 200, and change the power mode of the upstream USB connector 110 according to the power information of the load 140, 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 according to the power mode to supply power to the USB device 190 and/or the USB device 200.

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 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 can 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. It is assumed that the power requirement of the USB device 190 is 12W (that is, 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 upstream USB connector 110 (i.e., the output power of the power device 10) can meet the power requirements of the load 140 and the USB device 190 at the same time according to the power requirement of the USB device 190 (i.e., 12W) and the power information of the load 140 (i.e., 12W).

In this regard, since the current output power of the power device 10 is 15W (when the power device 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 can reselect (or update) a set of PDOs that can meet the operating voltage and operating current requirements of the load 140 and the USB device 190 from the power configuration information of the power device 10 according to the above judgment results.

After obtaining the updated PDO, the controller 121 can provide the updated PDO to the power device 10 by configuring the channel interface circuit 123 and the CC pin CC0 of the upstream USB connector 110. The power device 10 can generate a selected voltage of 9V and a selected current of 3A (i.e., the main power P_M) to the upstream USB connector 110 according to the updated PDO. Therefore, the power pin Vbus0 of the upstream USB connector 110 can 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 can 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 device 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 can 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. It is also assumed that the power requirement of the USB device 190 is 12W (that is, 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 upstream USB connector 110 (i.e., the output power of the power device 10) can simultaneously meet the power requirements of the load 140, the USB device 190, and the USB device 200 according to the power requirement of the USB device 190 (i.e., 12W), the power information of the load 140 (i.e., 12W), and the power information of the USB device 200 (i.e., 12W) pre-recorded in the memory 122.

In this regard, since the current output power of the power device 10 is 15W (when the power device 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 can reselect (or update) a set of PDOs that can simultaneously meet the operating voltage and operating current requirements of the load 140, the USB device 190, and the USB device 200 from the power configuration information of the power device 10 according to the above judgment results.

After obtaining the updated PDO, the controller 121 can provide the updated PDO to the power device 10 by configuring the channel interface circuit 123 and the CC pin of the upstream USB connector 110. The power device 10 can generate a selected voltage of 15V and a selected current of 3A (i.e., the main power P_M) to the upstream USB connector 110 according to the updated PDO. Therefore, the power pin Vbus0 of the upstream USB connector 110 can 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, 12V and 5V respectively, the voltage regulator 130, the voltage regulator 150 and the voltage regulator 160 can reduce the voltage of the main power P_M according to the control signals CS1, CS2 and CS3, and provide the reduced power to the load 140, the USB device 190 and the USB device 200 to supply power to the load 140, the USB device 190 and the USB device 200.

It is worth mentioning that after the controller 121 completes the operation of step S253 or step S254, the controller 121 can continue to execute the operation of step S252.

According to different design requirements, the power management device 120 and/or the controller 121 blocks can be implemented in the form of hardware, firmware, software (i.e., program), or a combination of the above three.

In terms of hardware, the blocks of the power management device 120 and/or the controller 121 may be implemented as logic circuits on an integrated circuit. The related functions of the power management device 120 and/or the controller 121 may be implemented as hardware using hardware description languages (such as Verilog HDL or VHDL) or other suitable programming languages. For example, the above-mentioned power management device 120 and/or the related functions of the controller 121 can be implemented in various logic blocks, modules and circuits in one or more controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), digital signal processors (DSP), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) and/or other processing units.

In software form and/or firmware form, the related functions of the power management device 120 and/or the controller 121 can be implemented as programming codes. For example, the power management device 120 and/or the controller 121 can be implemented using general programming languages (such as C, C++ or assembly language) or other suitable programming languages. The programming codes can be recorded/stored in a recording medium, and the recording medium includes, 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 can read and execute the programming codes from the recording medium to achieve the related functions. As the recording medium, a "non-transitory computer readable medium" can be used, such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, etc. Moreover, the program can also be provided to the computer (or CPU) via any transmission medium (communication network or broadcast waves, etc.). The communication network is, for example, the Internet, wired communication, wireless communication, or other communication media.

In summary, the power management device and consumer electronic product described in the embodiments of the present invention can obtain at least one power requirement from at least one USB device through a controller when 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 at least one power requirement. In this way, the controller can control the voltage regulator of the consumer electronic product according to the power mode to supply power to the load and at least one USB device, thereby improving the compatibility between the power device, the load of the consumer electronic product and at least one USB device, and replacing the traditional DC jack.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above by the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the scope defined by the attached patent application.

10: Power supply device

11, 12, 13: Connectors

100: Consumer electronics

110: Upstream USB connector

120: Power management device

121: Controller

122: Memory

123, 124: Configure channel interface circuit

125: Communication interface circuit

130, 150, 160: Voltage regulator

140: Load

170, 180: Downstream USB connector

190, 200: USB device

CC0, CC2, D+, D-, Vbus0, Vbus2, Vbus3: pins

CS1, CS2, CS3: control signals

P_M: Main power

Vbus1: local power bus

Claims (12)

A power management device is suitable for being configured in a consumer electronic product. The power management device includes: a memory for storing a first power information of a load characteristic information of a load of the consumer electronic product and a power configuration information of a power supply device; 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 the consumer electronic product. A power pin of an upstream USB connector of the consumer electronic product is coupled to an output end of the first voltage regulator, wherein the controller determines whether the consumer electronic product is equipped with at least one downstream USB connector according to the load characteristic information, and determines whether the at least one downstream USB connector is connected to at least one USB device of the consumer electronic product. When the controller determines that the consumer electronic product is equipped with the at least one downstream USB connector, the controller determines that the at least one downstream USB connector is connected to at least one USB device of the consumer electronic product. When the power device is connected to the upstream USB connector and the at least one USB device is electrically connected to the at least one downstream 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 upstream 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, wherein when the power device is connected to the upstream USB connector and the at least one USB device is electrically connected to the at least one downstream USB connector, the controller selects a selected power configuration information from the power configuration information according to the first power information and the at least one power requirement and provides it to the power device, so as to negotiate the output power configuration of the power device with the power device. The power management device as described in claim 1, wherein the power management device further comprises: a configuration channel interface circuit coupled between a configuration channel pin of the upstream USB connector and the controller; and at least one communication interface circuit coupled between the at least one downstream USB connector and the controller. A power management device as described in claim 2, wherein the controller provides the selected power configuration information to the upstream USB connector via the configuration channel interface circuit, and the upstream USB connector provides a main power from the power device to the first voltage regulator and the at least one second voltage regulator, and the controller 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 downstream USB connector. A power management device as described in claim 3, wherein the power device includes a USB charger or a USB adapter. The power management device as described in claim 3, wherein when the at least one USB device is not electrically connected to at least one downstream USB connector of the consumer electronic product, the controller dynamically requests the power device to change the power mode and control the first voltage regulator to supply power to the load. A power management device as described in 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. A consumer electronic product includes: an upstream USB connector; a first voltage regulator having an input terminal coupled to a power pin of the upstream USB connector; a load having a power terminal coupled to an output terminal of the first voltage regulator; at least one downstream USB connector; at least one second voltage regulator having an output terminal coupled to the downstream USB connector; and a power management device including: a memory for storing a first power information of a load characteristic information of the load and a power configuration information of a power device; and a controller coupled to the memory, the first voltage regulator and the at least one second voltage regulator, wherein the controller determines whether the consumer electronic product is equipped with the at least one downstream USB connector according to the load characteristic information, and determines whether the at least one downstream USB connector is connected to the at least one USB device of the consumer electronic product. When the controller determines that the consumer electronic product is equipped with the at least one downstream USB connector and the at least one USB device is electrically connected to the at least one downstream 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 upstream 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, when the power device is connected to the upstream USB connector and the at least one USB device is electrically connected to the at least one downstream USB connector, the controller selects a selected power configuration information from the power configuration information according to the first power information and the at least one power requirement, and provides it to the power device, so as to negotiate the output power configuration of the power device with the power device. A consumer electronic product as described in claim 7, wherein the consumer electronic product further comprises: a configuration channel interface circuit coupled between a configuration channel pin of the upstream USB connector and the controller; and at least one communication interface circuit coupled between the at least one downstream USB connector and the controller. A consumer electronic product as described in claim 8, wherein the controller provides the selected power configuration information to the upstream USB connector via the configuration channel interface circuit, and the upstream USB connector provides a main power from the power device to the first voltage regulator and the at least one second voltage regulator, and the controller 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 downstream USB connector. A consumer electronic product as described in claim 9, wherein the power supply device includes a USB charger or a USB adapter. A consumer electronic product as described in claim 9, wherein when the at least one USB device is not electrically connected to the at least one downstream USB connector, the controller dynamically requests the power device to change the power mode and control the first voltage regulator to supply power to the load. A consumer electronic product as described in 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.