TWM643242U - Connecting port docking station that reduces the time of fast role swap - Google Patents

Abstract

A connecting port docking station that reduces the time for fast role swap is disclosed. The connecting port docking station that reduces the time of fast role swap includes: a first connecting port electrically connected to an external power source; a second connecting port electrically connected to a first electronic device; a energy storage module electrically connected to the first connecting port and the second connecting port respectively for storing power; and power delivery controller for controlling power supplied by the connecting port docking station or drawing power from the first electronic device according to the power state of the external power source; wherein when the external power source is supplied, power is supplied to the first electronic device through the connecting port docking station; wherein when the external power source does not supply power, the power delivery controller sends a fast role swap message to the first electronic device, and activates an acceleration unit to enable the first electronic device to supply power to the connecting port docking station in advance

Description

Port Docking Station for Faster Role Swap Times

This invention relates to a docking station, especially a port docking station that shortens the time for quick role swapping.

Universal Serial Bus (USB, hereinafter referred to as USB) interface has become a necessary connection interface in electronic device products because of its hot-swappable and plug-and-play advantages.

In recent years, the USB version has been continuously updated. When the USB-C version is released, the electronic device with the USB interface can quickly switch between the power supply role and the power supply role according to the usage requirements. This function is called Fast Role Swap (FRS), hereinafter referred to as FRS.

For example, when the port expansion base is connected to an external power source, it can supply power to the connected electronic device (for example, a notebook computer). However, when the external power supply is unplugged, the port expansion base will send a FRS message to the notebook computer through the configuration channel (Configuration Channel, CC) of the USB interface, so as to perform a fast role-swapping procedure with the notebook computer, and change the notebook computer to be the power supply terminal. In this way, it is ensured that the data and image transmission between the notebook computer and the docking station will not be interrupted.

However, before the notebook computer becomes the power supply terminal, it will continue to draw power from the docking station. Therefore, when the notebook computer draws power too fast, the Vbus voltage will be lower than the normal operating level, and cause the docking station to disconnect.

In view of the above-mentioned conventional technology, the creator has developed a port expansion base that can shorten the time for rapid role exchange, so as to improve the stability of the operation of the port expansion base.

In order to achieve the above purpose and other purposes, this invention provides a port expansion base that can shorten the time for fast role switching, including: a first port electrically connected to an external power supply; a second port electrically connected to a first electronic device; an energy storage module electrically connected to the first port and the second port respectively for storing power; and a power transmission controller used to control the power supply of the port expansion base or draw power from the first electronic device according to the power supply status of the external power supply; When supplying power, supply power to the first electronic device through the port expansion base; wherein when the external power supply is not powered, the power transmission controller sends a fast role swap message to the first electronic device, and activates an acceleration unit to enable the first electronic device to supply power to the port expansion base in advance.

In one embodiment, a third connection port is also included for electrically connecting with a second electronic device, and when the external power supply is not powered, the energy storage module supplies power to the second electronic device.

In one embodiment, it also includes: a first switch unit electrically connected to the first connection port; a first detection unit electrically connected to the first connection port for detecting the Vbus voltage of the external power supply; a second switch unit electrically connected to the first switch unit and the second connection port respectively, and disconnecting the electrical connection path leading to the second connection port when the external power supply is not supplied, so that the connection port expansion base stops supplying power to the first electronic device; and a second detection unit electrically connected to the second connection port, Used to detect the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device.

In one embodiment, the acceleration unit is used to discharge the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device, so that the first electronic device detects the time point when the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device drops to a first threshold voltage and a second threshold voltage earlier.

In one embodiment, when it is detected that the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device is lower than the second threshold voltage, the acceleration unit is turned off and the second switch unit is turned on, so that the first electronic device supplies power to the port expansion base.

In one embodiment, the second switch unit disconnects the connection path to the second connection port and after a predetermined time, the power transmission controller controls the second switch unit to turn on the connection path to the second connection port.

In one embodiment, when it is detected that the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device changes from low to high, the second switch unit is turned on, so that the first electronic device supplies power to the port expansion base.

In this way, the port expansion base that can shorten the time for fast role switching can allow the first electronic device to complete the fast role switching process earlier, and can avoid the disconnection problem of the port expansion base, and improve the use reliability of the port expansion base.

In order to fully understand the purpose, characteristics and effects of this creation, I will give a detailed description of this creation by using the following specific examples and accompanying drawings, as follows:

Please refer to FIG. 1A, which is a system block diagram of an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 1A , the port expansion base 100 includes: a first switch unit 10 , a second switch unit 12 , an energy storage module 20 , a power transmission controller 30 , a first detection unit 40 , a second detection unit 42 , an acceleration unit 50 , a first connection port 110 and a second connection port 120 . The first electronic device 300 (for example, a notebook computer) has a connection port 310 and is electrically connected to the second connection port 120 to transmit signals, data, images and/or power.

The first switch unit 10 is electrically connected to the first connection port 110 , and the first connection port 110 is electrically connected to the external power source 200 . The first switch unit 10 may be composed of PMOS or NMOS field effect transistor switches, for example. In addition, the first connection port 110 may be, for example, a USB interface or a power connection interface of other specifications. In one embodiment, the external power supply 200 may have a connection port with the same specifications as the first connection port 110 .

The second switch unit 12 is electrically connected to the first switch unit 10 and the second connection port 120 respectively. The second switch unit 12 may be composed of PMOS or NMOS field effect transistor switches, for example. When the external power supply 200 is not powered, the second switch unit 12 is in an off state to disconnect the electrical connection path leading to the second connection port 120 , so that the connection port expansion base 100 stops supplying power to the first electronic device 300 . In this way, the problem of disconnection of the connection port expansion base 100 in the prior art can be avoided because the first electronic device 300 draws power too fast, causing the Vbus voltage to be lower than the normal operating level.

The second connection port 120 is electrically connected with the first electronic device 300 . More specifically, the second connection port 120 is electrically connected to the connection port 310 of the first electronic device 300 through a cable (not labeled in the figure). In addition, the second connection port 120 can be, for example, a USB interface. The second connection port 120 and the connection port 310 are transmission interfaces with the same specification.

The energy storage module 20 is electrically connected to the first connection port 110 and the second connection port 120 respectively. The energy storage module 20 is used for storing electric power. The energy storage module 20 can be, for example, a capacitor, a battery or a rechargeable battery. When the external power supply 200 is not supplying power, the energy storage module 20 supplies power to the docking station 100 itself, or supplies power to the first electronic device 300 .

The power transmission controller 30 is electrically connected to the first switch unit 10 , the second switch unit 12 , the energy storage module 20 and the acceleration unit 50 respectively. The power transmission controller 30 is configured to control the power supply from the docking station 100 or draw power from the first electronic device 300 according to the power supply status of the external power supply 200 .

The first detection unit 40 is electrically connected to the first connection port 110 . The first detection unit 40 is used for detecting the Vbus voltage of the external power supply 200 . The first detection unit 40 may be composed of, for example, a voltage detection circuit.

The second detection unit 42 is electrically connected to the second connection port 120 . The second detection unit 42 is used for detecting the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device 300 . Likewise, the second detection unit 42 may be composed of a voltage detection circuit, for example.

Please refer to FIG. 1B, which is a system block diagram of another embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 1B , the port expansion base 150 differs from the port expansion base 100 in FIG. 1A in that it has a third connection port 130 , and the rest are the same or similar, and will not be repeated here.

The third connection port 130 is electrically connected with the second electronic device (eg, smart phone, tablet computer, smart watch, etc.) 400 . More specifically, the third connection port 130 is electrically connected to the connection port 410 of the second electronic device 400 through a cable (not labeled in the figure). In addition, the third connection port 130 can be, for example, a USB interface. The third connection port 130 and the connection port 410 are transmission interfaces with the same specification.

In one embodiment, when the external power supply 200 is not powered, the energy storage module 20 can supply power to the docking station 150 itself and supply power to the second electronic device 400 .

Next, please refer to FIG. 2 , which is a schematic circuit diagram of the first switch unit, the second switch unit, the first detection unit and the second detection unit of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2 , the first switch unit 10 and the second switch unit 12 are respectively composed of PMOS field effect transistor switches. The first detection unit 40 and the second detection unit 42 are respectively composed of NMOS field effect transistor switches and several resistors.

The first detection unit 40 can continuously detect the change of the Vbus voltage of the external power supply 200 . Likewise, the second detection unit 42 can continuously detect the change of the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device 300 . When the external power supply 200 is not supplying power, the power transmission controller 30 can control the second switch unit 12 to be in an off state.

Please refer to FIG. 3 , which is a schematic circuit diagram of the acceleration unit of the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3 , the acceleration unit 50 includes: a first electronic switch Q1 , a first resistor R1 and a second resistor R2 . The first electronic switch Q1 is an NMOS field effect transistor switch. A first terminal (eg, a gate) G of the first electronic switch Q1 is electrically connected to the control signal and one terminal of the second resistor R2 respectively. The other end of the second resistor R2 is electrically connected to the ground. The second end (eg, source) S of the first electronic switch Q1 is electrically connected to the ground. The third terminal (eg, the drain) D of the first electronic switch Q1 is electrically connected to one terminal of the first resistor R1 . The other end of the first resistor R1 is electrically connected to the Vbus voltage.

For example, when the control signal is at low potential (Low), the first electronic switch Q1 is in an off state, and the Vbus voltage will not be pulled down. In other words, the acceleration unit 50 does not discharge the Vbus voltage. When the control signal is at a high potential (High), the first electronic switch Q1 is turned on, and the Vbus voltage is pulled down. In other words, the acceleration unit 50 discharges the Vbus voltage. The control signal can be sent by the power transmission controller 30 . Thereby, the first electronic device 300 can detect the time point when the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device 300 drops to the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage earlier.

In addition, when the first detection unit 40 detects that the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device 300 is lower than the second threshold voltage (as shown in FIG. 4 ), the power transmission controller 30 turns off the acceleration unit 50 and turns on the second switch unit 12, so that the first electronic device 300 supplies power to the docking station 100.

Please refer to FIG. 4 , which is a schematic diagram of the Vbus voltage change curve in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the horizontal axis is time, and the vertical axis is voltage. When the first detection unit 40 detects that the Vbus voltage of the external power supply 200 starts to drop, the power transmission controller 30 sends an FRS message to the first electronic device 300 through the configuration channel. When the first electronic device 300 detects that the Vbus voltage is less than the first threshold voltage (for example, vSafe5V (max)), it will turn on the power supply within the switching time T3 after the Vbus voltage drops to the second threshold voltage (for example, vSafe5V (min)), and the first electronic device 300 will supply power to the port expansion base 100 instead.

In one embodiment, when the second switch unit 12 disconnects the connection path to the second connection port 120 and after a predetermined time T4, the power transmission controller 30 controls the second switch unit 12 to turn on the connection path to the second connection port 120 again, so that the first electronic device 300 supplies power to the port expansion base 100 .

In one embodiment, when the second detection unit 42 detects that the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device 300 changes from low to high, the power transmission controller 30 turns on the second switch unit 12 so that the first electronic device 300 supplies power to the docking station 100 .

Please refer to FIG. 5 , which is a schematic diagram of the program operation of the rapid role exchange, the power path exchange and the Vbus voltage change in the embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIG. 5 , the uppermost diagram presents the operation process of the fast role exchange procedure. The middle diagram shows the power path exchange process between the docking station 100 and the first electronic device 300 . The bottom diagram presents a comparison chart of the Vbus voltage change between the conventional technology and the embodiment of the invention.

The first curve 60 represents the Vbus voltage change of the first electronic device detected by the FRS of the conventional technology. The second curve 62 represents the Vbus voltage change of the first electronic device detected by the FRS of the present invention.

The first curve 60 is at the time point T1, the exchange process of the power supply of the port expansion base 100 and the first electronic device 300 is completed, and the second curve 62 is at the time point T2, the exchange process of the power supply of the port expansion base 100 and the first electronic device 300 has been completed.

It can be seen that, due to the relationship of the acceleration unit 50 , the descending slope of the second curve 62 is faster than the descending slope of the first curve 62 . Thereby, the exchange time of the FRS program can be shortened.

To sum up, because the connection port expansion base of the present invention can shorten the fast role switching time, the acceleration unit discharges the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device, so that the first electronic device detects the time point when the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device drops to the first threshold voltage and the second threshold voltage earlier, so as to complete the fast role switching procedure earlier. On the whole, in addition to shortening the fast role exchange time, it can also avoid the disconnection problem of the port expansion base and improve the reliability of the use of the port expansion base.

The invention has been disclosed above with a preferred embodiment, but those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiment is only used to describe the invention, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that all changes and replacements equivalent to the embodiments should be included in the scope of this creation. Therefore, the scope of protection of this creation should be defined by the scope of the patent application.

10: The first switch unit 12: Second switch unit 20: Energy storage module 30: Power transmission controller 40: The first detection unit 42: Second detection unit 50: Acceleration unit 60: First Curve 62:Second Curve 100: port expansion base 110: the first port 120: Second port 130: The third port 150: Port Expansion Base 200: external power supply 300: The first electronic device 310: port 400: second electronic device 410: port D: first end G: second end Q1: The first electronic switch R1: the first resistor R2: Second resistor S: the third end T1: time point T2: time point T3: exchange time T4: scheduled time

[Fig. 1A] is a system block diagram of an embodiment of the invention. [Fig. 1B] is a system block diagram of another embodiment of the invention. [Fig. 2] is a schematic circuit diagram of the first switch unit, the second switch unit, the first detection unit and the second detection unit of the present creation embodiment. [Fig. 3] is a schematic circuit diagram of the acceleration unit of the embodiment of the present invention. [Fig. 4] is a schematic diagram of the Vbus voltage change curve of the embodiment of the present invention. [Fig. 5] is a schematic diagram of the program operation of the rapid role exchange, the power path exchange and the Vbus voltage change in the embodiment of the invention.

10: The first switch unit

12: Second switch unit

20: Energy storage module

30: Power transmission controller

40: The first detection unit

42: Second detection unit

50: Acceleration unit

100: port expansion base

110: the first port

120: Second port

200: external power supply

300: The first electronic device

310: port

Claims (7)

A port expansion base that shortens the time for rapid role swapping, comprising: a first connection port electrically connected to an external power supply; a second connection port electrically connected with a first electronic device; an energy storage module, electrically connected to the first connection port and the second connection port respectively, for storing electric power; and a power transmission controller, used for controlling power supply from the docking station or drawing power from the first electronic device according to the power supply state of the external power supply; Wherein, when the external power supply supplies power, supply power to the first electronic device through the port expansion base; Wherein when the external power supply is not powered, the power transmission controller sends a fast role swap message to the first electronic device, and activates an acceleration unit to enable the first electronic device to supply power to the port expansion base in advance. The connection port expansion base capable of shortening the time for fast role switching as described in claim 1 further includes a third connection port for electrically connecting with a second electronic device, and the energy storage module supplies power to the second electronic device when the external power supply is not powered. The port expansion base capable of shortening the time for fast role switching as described in claim 1, which also includes: a first switch unit electrically connected to the first connection port; A first detection unit, electrically connected to the first connection port, for detecting the Vbus voltage of the external power supply; A second switch unit is electrically connected to the first switch unit and the second connection port respectively, and disconnects the electrical connection path leading to the second connection port when the external power supply is not supplied, so that the connection port expansion base stops supplying power to the first electronic device; and A second detection unit is electrically connected with the second connection port for detecting the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device. The connection port expansion base capable of shortening the fast role switching time as described in claim 3, wherein the acceleration unit is used to discharge the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device, so that the first electronic device detects earlier the time point when the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device drops to a first threshold voltage and a second threshold voltage. The port expansion base capable of shortening the fast role switching time as described in claim 4, wherein when it is detected that the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device is lower than the second threshold voltage, the acceleration unit is turned off and the second switch unit is turned on, so that the first electronic device supplies power to the port expansion base. The connection port expansion base capable of shortening the time of fast role switching as described in claim 3, wherein the second switch unit disconnects the connection path leading to the second connection port and after a predetermined time, the power transmission controller controls the second switch unit to turn on the connection path leading to the second connection port. The port expansion base capable of shortening the fast role switching time as described in claim 3, wherein when it is detected that the Vbus voltage of the first electronic device changes from low to high, the second switch unit is turned on so that the first electronic device supplies power to the port expansion base.

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