Low cost power line modem

Abstract

A system for transmitting power and data over a two-pin connection interface can have a first device having a power source, a first microcontroller having a first communication peripheral coupled to a first pin and a first control port coupled to a gate of a first MOSFET, a switching path of the first MOSFET coupling the power source to the first pin, and a second device having a battery, a second microcontroller having a second communication peripheral coupled to the first pin and a second control port coupled to a gate of a second MOSFET, a switching path of the second MOSFET coupling the battery to the first pin of the second device. When the devices are coupled, the MOSFETs are turned on and off in synchronization, wherein during an off period, data transfer between the first device and the second device occurs through the first communication peripheral of the first device and the second communication peripheral of the second device, respectively.

Description

[0001] Related patent applications

[0002] This disclosure claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62 / 976,422, filed on February 14, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to a variety of low-cost power modems, and in particular to a system and method for transmitting data and power via a two-wire interface. Background Technology

[0004] Many battery-powered devices not only require power from a charger to charge their batteries, but also need to exchange data between the charger and the battery-powered device to determine battery status, lifespan, etc. However, there is a requirement: to maintain low manufacturing costs, the connector for the charger should not require any additional pins. For example, an e-cigarette includes a battery-powered mouthpiece and an associated charger. The mouthpiece can be inserted into the charger to charge its battery. The charger may also include (especially) a larger battery and may also include inputs for a power adapter or USB connection. Other portable devices may have a similar arrangement.

[0005] Combined power and input / output systems for electronic devices are known from U.S. Patent 9,450,419 and include a host system and a target system operatively coupled to the host system via combined power and I / O lines. The system also includes a power boost circuit in the target system to enable a higher voltage target device. These types of systems require very little power, as they only need to charge capacitors in the target system, which provides sufficient charge for operating the target device. Once the connection is severed, these types of systems cannot operate and do not attempt to operate independently. For communication purposes, these types of systems directly modulate power source signals using transistor 130, as in US 9,450,419. Figure 1 As shown in Figure A, this transistor is not suitable for high-power systems, such as those used to charge batteries in the target system. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a simple solution for data exchange between a first electronic device and a second battery-powered electronic device, which has low component count and low PCB space requirements, especially in cost-sensitive applications.

[0007] According to one embodiment, a system for transmitting power and data via a two-pin connection interface may include: a first device including a power supply or a connection to the power supply, a first microcontroller coupled to the power supply and including a first communication peripheral coupled to a pin of the first device and a first control port coupled to the gate of a first MOSFET of the first device, the switching path of the first MOSFET coupling the power supply to the pin of the first device; and a second device including a battery, a second microcontroller including a second communication peripheral coupled to a pin of the second device and a second control port coupled to the gate of a second MOSFET, the switching path of the second MOSFET coupling the battery to the pin of the second device, wherein the pin of the second device is configured to be coupled to the pin of the first device; wherein, when the pin of the second device is coupled to the pin of the first device, the first MOSFET and the second MOSFET are synchronously turned on and off, wherein the off period is shorter than the on period, and wherein during the off period, data transfer between the first device and the second device occurs respectively through the first communication peripheral of the first device and the second communication peripheral of the second device.

[0008] According to another embodiment, the microcontroller of at least the second device may include a tunable RC oscillator. According to another embodiment, the tunable RC oscillator may be tuned via a special function register of the microcontroller. According to another embodiment, the tunable RC oscillator may be tuned via a programmable fuse. According to another embodiment, the first device may be a charger device, and the second device may be a mouthpiece device. According to another embodiment, the mouthpiece device may be configured to be inserted into a charger device. According to another embodiment, the mouthpiece device may be an electronic cigarette, wherein the ratio between data transmission and power supply is in the range of 5%-10%. According to another embodiment, the system may further include: an inductor coupled between the switching path of the second MOSFET and the battery; and a reverse bias diode coupled between ground and a node located between the switching path of the second MOSFET and the inductor. According to another embodiment, the system may further include a capacitor connected in parallel with the battery. According to another embodiment, the first device can be configured to operate as a master device, and the second device is configured to operate as a slave device, wherein during a synchronization cycle, the master device is configured to supply power to the slave device, the power supply being interrupted by a pause of predetermined length, and wherein the slave device is configured to synchronize with the master device and send back a synchronization acknowledgment to the master device. According to another embodiment, the slave device can be configured to insert or delete dead cycles to be adjusted to a given timing range by the master device. According to another embodiment, the microcontroller of the slave device may include a tunable RC oscillator, and wherein the slave device is configured to tune the tunable RC oscillator to synchronize with the master device. According to another embodiment, the first device may further include: a first inductor coupled between a switching path of the first MOSFET and a first pin of the first device; and a third MOSFET controlled by a first microcontroller and having a switching path coupled between ground of the first device and a node between the switching path of the first MOSFET and the first inductor; and wherein the second device further includes: a second inductor coupled between a switching path of the second MOSFET and a first pin of the second device; and a fourth MOSFET controlled by a second microcontroller and having a switching path coupled between ground of the second device and a node between the switching path of the second MOSFET and the second inductor. According to another embodiment, the system may further include: a first resistor within the first device, located between a power source and the first MOSFET, wherein the first resistor is also coupled to the first microcontroller. According to another embodiment, the system may further include: a second resistor within the second device, located between ground of the second device and the switching path of the fourth MOSFET, wherein the second resistor is also coupled to the second microcontroller. According to another embodiment, the power source is a battery.

[0009] According to another embodiment, a method for transmitting power and data via a two-pin connection interface includes: a first device having a power supply, a first microcontroller coupled to the power supply and including a first communication peripheral coupled to a first pin of the first device and a first control port coupled to the gate of a first MOSFET, the switching path of the first MOSFET coupling the power supply to the first pin of the first device; and a second device having a battery, a second microcontroller including a second communication peripheral coupled to a first pin of the second device and a second control port coupled to the gate of a second MOSFET, the switching path of the second MOSFET coupling the battery to the first pin of the second device, wherein the method may include the steps of: coupling the first device and the second device via the respective first pin; and synchronously turning on and off the first MOSFET and the second MOSFET, wherein the off period is shorter than the on period, and wherein during the off period, data transmission between the first device and the second device occurs respectively via the first communication peripheral of the first device and the second communication peripheral of the second device.

[0010] According to another embodiment of the above method, the method may further include the step of synchronizing the system clock of the second microcontroller to the system clock of the first microcontroller. According to another embodiment of the above method, the method may further include the step of synchronizing the system clock of the second microcontroller to the system clock of the first microcontroller. According to another embodiment of the above method, the first device may operate as a master device, and the second device may operate as a slave device, wherein during a synchronization cycle, the master device supplies power to the slave device, the power supply is interrupted by a pause of predetermined length, and wherein the slave device uses the interval length between two pauses to synchronize with the master device. According to another embodiment of the above method, the slave device may insert or delete dead cycles to be adjusted to a given timing range by the master device. According to another embodiment of the above method, the microcontroller of the slave device may include a tunable RC oscillator, and wherein the slave device tunes the tunable RC oscillator to synchronize with the master device.

[0011] According to another embodiment, a system for transmitting power and data via a two-pin connection interface may include: a first device comprising: a power supply or a connection to a power supply; a first microcontroller coupled to the power supply and including a first communication peripheral coupled to a first pin of a first connector of the first device and a first control port coupled to the gate of a first MOSFET, the switching path of the first MOSFET coupling the power supply to the first pin of the first connector; a first inductor coupled between the switching path of the first MOSFET and the first pin of the first connector; and a third MOSFET controlled by the first microcontroller and having a switching path coupled between ground of the first device and a node located between the switching path of the first MOSFET and the first inductor; a second device comprising: a battery; a second microcontroller coupled to the battery and including a second communication peripheral coupled to a first pin of a second connector of the second device and a second control port coupled to the gate of a second MOSFET, the switching path of the second MOSFET coupling the power supply to the first pin of the first connector; and a third MOSFET controlled by the first microcontroller and having a switching path coupled between ground of the first device and a node located between the switching path of the first MOSFET and the first inductor; and a second device comprising: a battery; a second microcontroller coupled to the battery and including a second communication peripheral coupled to a first pin of a second connector of the second device and a second control port coupled to the gate of a second MOSFET, the switching path of the second MOSFET coupling the power supply to the first pin of the first connector; and a third MOSFET coupled between ground of the first MOSFET and the first pin of the first connector; and a fourth MOSFET coupled between ground of the first MOSFET and the first pin of the first connector; and a fifth MOSFET coupled between ground of the first MOSFET and the first pin of the first connector; and a sixth MOSFET coupled between ground of the first MOSFET and the first pin of the first connector; and a seventh MOSFET coupled between ground of the first MOSFET and the first pin of the first connector; and a fifth MOSFET coupled between ground of the first MOSFET and the first pin of the first connector; and a fifth MOSFET coupled between ground of the first MOSFET and the first pin of the A battery is coupled to a first pin of a second connector, wherein the first pin of the second connector is configured to be coupled to a second connector; a second inductor is coupled between the switching path of a second MOSFET and the first pin of the second connector; and a fourth MOSFET, controlled by a second microcontroller and having a switching path coupled between the ground of the second device and a node between the switching path of the second MOSFET and the second inductor; wherein, when the first device and the second device are coupled through the respective first pins, the first MOSFET, the second MOSFET, the third MOSFET and the fourth MOSFET are controlled to cause the coupled device to operate in buck mode and / or boost mode, wherein during a communication cycle, the first MOSFET, the second MOSFET, the third MOSFET and the fourth MOSFET are synchronously turned off, wherein during the turn-off cycle, data transfer between the first device and the second device occurs through the first communication peripheral of the first device and the second communication peripheral of the second device, respectively. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 A conventional power modem capable of transmitting power and data via a two-wire connector is shown.

[0013] Figure 2 A first embodiment of the first device and the second device is shown.

[0014] Figure 3 A timing diagram for synchronization between the first and second devices is shown.

[0015] Figure 4 An exemplary microcontroller suitable for a first device and / or a second device is shown.

[0016] Figure 5 A second embodiment of the charger device and the cigarette holder device is shown.

[0017] Figure 6 Another timing diagram of the transmission protocol according to one implementation scheme is shown.

[0018] Figure 7 Another timing diagram of the transmission protocol according to yet another implementation scheme is shown.

[0019] Figure 8 Exemplary flowcharts of methods according to various implementation schemes are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0020] In, for example Figure 1 In the conventional powerline modem shown, power is continuously supplied, and data is modulated on a separate RF carrier, with both power and data carried on a single transmission line T. Figure 1 The left side shows: a power supply DC; an inductor L1 coupled in parallel; and a capacitor C1, which couples the power supply DC to the transmission line T. The demodulator is coupled to the transmission line T on the power supply side. Figure 1 The right side shows a device receiving power and having a load R1, which is coupled to transmission line T via another parallel coupling pair of inductor L2 and capacitor C2. A modulator is directly coupled to transmission line T within this device. In one application, power is supplied from the power source to the power-receiving device, and data is transmitted from the power-receiving device back to the power source. However, as... Figure 1 As shown, there are no restrictions on the direction of data flow.

[0021] Because they typically operate at low RF frequencies of around 125 kHz, these types of powerline modems require very large blocking inductors. Furthermore, the large number of components required results in a relatively large PCB area. Such an arrangement also only allows for low data throughput, typically in the range of a few kBit / s. For example, inductor ratings may need to be in the range of 10 μH, 4 A, and these inductors are large (13 mm × 10 mm) and expensive.

[0022] According to various implementations, a powerline modem providing interruptible power delivery has been proposed. For example, power delivery can be interrupted periodically, such as every 100 μs within a predetermined time period or randomly. During these shutdown periods, high-frequency (HF) bursts for data transmission modulation can be performed from either side. According to some implementations, transmission can always be initiated by the master device, regardless of the direction of data transmission.

[0023] To maintain the highest possible efficiency, the interruption period should be as short as possible. This requires a modulation process that should be as fast as possible, comparable to any given available hardware. To allow for high power transmission, the shutdown period is kept very short, for example, in the range of 10 μs. During the shutdown period, no power is supplied to the power receiving device. The ratio between transmitted data and supplied power can vary, and for example, for e-cigarette applications, it can preferably be in the range of 1:20 to 1:10.

[0024] According to various embodiments, the first device, i.e., the power supply device, and the second device, i.e., the power receiving device, each include a MOSFET, preferably a low on-resistance MOSFET, which is sized to accommodate the entire load current to separate the transmission line 100c, connector, or interface from the power supply and the power receiver, respectively. Therefore, once each side has turned off its corresponding MOSFET, high-speed data transmission can occur between the first and second devices via the established connection. The connection between the first and second devices can be a connector that directly connects, for example, a charger (first device) to a mouthpiece device (second device). Therefore, as an alternative to an actual wire or connecting cable, the interface may include a pair of connection pins, such as male and female connection pins, respectively, in the first and second devices. The second device can then be inserted into the first device for charging via a suitable plug provided within the first device. As will be understood according to this application, pins refer to any suitable connector convex or concave pins or convex or concave contacts of the provided plug or connector. Alternatively, the interface may include a two-core cable such as a twisted pair, or an isolated two-core cable may be used.

[0025] Figure 2A first embodiment of system 100 is shown, comprising a charger unit 100a as a first device, a transmission line and connector or two-wire / two-pin interface 100c, and a mouthpiece device 100b as a second device. Charger device 100a includes a microcontroller 120. Device 100a is powered by a battery 130 or any other suitable external or internal power source, such as an AC power adapter or USB power. Therefore, charger device 100a may have a power supply or a connection to a power source. Microcontroller 120 controls MOSFET 110 via a gate coupled to an I / O port of microcontroller 120. MOSFET 110 is preferably a power MOSFET. The switching path (source-drain path) of MOSFET 110, which includes a parasitic reverse-biased diode, connects the positive terminal of battery 130 to a first contact pin 125a in charger device 100a. The gate of MOSFET 110 can be controlled by software via a general-purpose I / O port of microcontroller 120, or by a PWM peripheral, timer, or any other suitable peripheral of the microcontroller that provides protocols according to various implementations. The microcontroller also includes a communication port Com directly connected to a first contact pin 125a. A second pin 125b in charger device 100a is connected to the ground of charger device 100a, the negative terminal of battery 130, and the ground connection of microcontroller 120. In the case of an AC charger, the local ground can be connected to the ground connection of the AC socket. The microcontroller's communication port Com can be coupled to any type of communication peripheral, such as a Universal Synchronous / Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (USART) capable of operating to modulate data signals over a single wire.

[0026] exist Figure 2 In the specific implementation shown, interface 100c may not include, for example... Figure 2 Instead of any physical wire shown, the interface 100c consists of a first contact pin 125a and a second contact pin 125b in the charger device 100a, thereby forming a first connector and corresponding first contact pins 185a and second contact pins 185b in the mouthpiece device 100b, thereby forming a second connector, wherein the second connector of the mouthpiece device 100b can be directly inserted into the first connector of the charger device 100a. The charger device 100a may include a corresponding receiving area having a first connector that supports mouthpiece devices known in the art. However, according to other embodiments, the interface 100c may also include a cable that establishes a connection between the charger device 100a and the mouthpiece device 100b.

[0027] In one embodiment, mouthpiece device 100b includes a microcontroller 180 that controls a corresponding MOSFET 160 via the gate of the MOSFET 160, wherein the gate of the MOSFET 160 is coupled to an I / O port of the microcontroller 180. MOSFET 160 is preferably a power MOSFET. The microcontroller 180 is powered by a battery 170. Mouthpiece device 100b may also include a load powered by the battery 170, as shown by digit 175. For example, the load may be a heater element in an electronic cigarette application, which can be controlled by the microcontroller 180 via one or more control lines. The I / O ports of the microcontroller 180 may be configured in a manner similar to that discussed with respect to charger device 100a. MOSFET 160 again includes a switching path (source-drain path) and a parasitic diode that connects a first contact pin 185a of mouthpiece device 100b to the positive terminal of battery 170. The second contact pin 185b of the mouthpiece device 100b is coupled to the ground of the mouthpiece device 100b, the negative terminal of the battery 170, and the ground connection of the microcontroller 180. A communication port Com associated with the second communication peripheral of the microcontroller 180, similar to the communication port discussed with respect to the charger device 100a, is directly coupled to the transmission line 100c via the first contact pin 185a. In one embodiment, the source of the MOSFET 160 is directly coupled to the positive terminal of the battery 170 via the connector 150, as shown by the dashed line. In another embodiment, the source of the MOSFET 160 is coupled to the battery 170 via the inductor 140, and the connector 150 is not provided. In the latter embodiment, the capacitor 172 may also be provided in parallel with the battery 170. Additionally, the latter embodiment also includes a diode 190, which is reverse-biased and coupled between ground and the node between the source of the MOSFET 190 and the inductor 140.

[0028] like Figure 2The system 100 shown is suitable for transmitting power and data via a two-pin connection interface and a single-pin connector, i.e., a first contact pin 125a coupled to a first contact pin 185a; and via other pin connectors, i.e., a second contact pin 125b coupled to a second contact pin 185b; and for coupling the corresponding ground potentials of these devices. When the charger device 100a and the mouthpiece device 100b are coupled via the two-pin connection interface, the first MOSFET and the second MOSFET are synchronously turned on and off, as will be discussed in more detail below, wherein the off-time is shorter than the on-time, and wherein during the off-time, data transfer between the charger device 100a and the mouthpiece device 100b occurs with a low-current signal, correspondingly through the first communication peripheral of the charger device 100a and the second communication peripheral of the mouthpiece device 100b. Preferably, the off-time is about 5%-10% of the on-time.

[0029] and Figure 1 Compared to other implementations, in the cost of MOSFETs 110 and 160, inductors L1 and L2 and capacitors C1 and C2 are not required, and they have dashed connections instead of inductor 140 and diode 190. Implementations including inductor 140 do not require large inductors, thus keeping the PCB area smaller. These solutions, which turn off transistors 110 and 160 during data transmission, increase data throughput to several 100 kBit / s.

[0030] Microcontrollers 120 and 180 can be any type of microcontroller, and many microcontrollers manufactured by the assignee of this application are particularly suitable. Figure 4 A possible implementation of microcontrollers 120 and 180, shown as microcontroller 400, is illustrated. Microcontroller 400 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 410 whose timing is controlled by a tunable RC oscillator 470, thereby providing a system clock for microcontroller 400. Microcontroller 400 includes memory 420, general purpose input / output ports 450, and multiple peripheral devices. As an example, Figure 4 Four such peripherals are shown, specifically timer unit 430, pulse width modulation unit 440, configurable logic unit unit 480, and USART 460. These peripherals may or may not have external connections to the microcontroller 400 via external pins. Depending on the target design, more or fewer of these peripherals may be required. The tunable RC oscillator 470 can be tuned via CPU 410 through special function register 475. The microcontroller 120, i.e., the microcontroller 400 implemented in the charger device 100a, may not require the tunable RC oscillator 470.

[0031] Figure 6Typical communication and power delivery timing diagrams according to various implementation schemes are shown, where the x-axis represents time and the y-axis represents the voltage between the first pin 125a and the second pin 125b. Figure 6 As shown, during the turn-on cycle, the voltage is stable, while during the turn-off cycle, the voltage first drops to a low level and then oscillates rapidly, indicating data transmission from the master device to the slave device. Since there is no subsequent transmission from the slave device to the master device, the turn-off cycle is truncated after a timeout. The turn-off cycle is very short compared to the turn-on cycle, for example, 10% or 5% or even less, depending on various implementations. During the turn-on cycle, high current can be delivered at the rated voltage, while during the communication period, the data signal is a low-current, high-frequency signal, thus transferring data from one device to another between communication peripherals. It is advantageous to reuse [devices such as...]. Figure 2 The embodiment shown uses power components of a switch-mode charging circuit employing inductor 140 and diode 190. For example, MOSFET 160 can be controlled by microcontroller 180 to also function as a boost converter in conjunction with inductor 140 and diode 190. Components 140, 160, 190, and 172 can boost the voltage of the first device to charge the battery of the second device. The USART460 can preferably be a transceiver to allow bidirectional communication. However, some applications may only require the second device to transmit data to the first device, or vice versa. Therefore, according to some embodiments, one device may consist only of a transmitter, and the corresponding other device may consist only of a receiver.

[0032] To keep costs as low as possible, an internal RC oscillator within the microcontroller can be used to provide the corresponding system clock. However, these RC oscillators typically have an inaccuracy of + / -5%, resulting in a worst-case scenario of + / -10% in total, which may be too large for the target modulation scheme.

[0033] There are two possible solutions to overcome this situation, but it is not limited to these. Figure 3A timing diagram of the signals provided to the gate of MOSFET 110 via the "on / off" of the port of microcontroller 120 is shown. Power delivery is still interrupted by short pulses even without dynamic data exchange. Therefore, microcontroller 120 in charger device 100a acts as the master device and still generates these pauses. According to one embodiment, the master device always periodically interrupts power delivery regardless of whether there is data to be transmitted. The slave device synchronizes to the falling edge and measures the time between two consecutive edges, in other words, the time interval between two pauses. The master device pauses for a short period. If the master device has data to transmit, it begins transmitting and makes another short pause. Thereafter, according to a given timeout, it waits for data from the slave device. If data reception is complete or a timeout has occurred, power is turned on again. Therefore, microcontroller 180 in mouthpiece device 100b acts as the slave device. Since the slave device receives synchronization pulses from the master device side, it can: if hardware-supported, continuously tune its internal clock; or insert / remove dead cycles (NOPs) to be adjusted to a given timing range by the master device. Figure 2 A tunable RC system oscillator 121, 181 in each of the corresponding microcontrollers 120, 180 is shown. However, according to some embodiments, a microcontroller operating only as a slave device may need to provide this functionality. According to other embodiments, only the master microcontroller 120 may have a tunable RC oscillator 121 and change its frequency until it receives valid acknowledgment data from the slave device. Once the microcontroller's system clock is synchronized, the two asynchronous communication peripherals can communicate directly at high speed.

[0034] Alternatively, a modulation scheme from which the clock source can be reconstructed from its modulated signal can be used. In such cases, no additional tuning of the system clock is required. Preferably, this reconstruction process can be of low complexity to run on, for example, a low-cost 8-bit microcontroller. A conventional approach for such a reconstruction process is Manchester encoding, but this may require significant computational power for decoding or necessitates dedicated hardware. However, a core-independent peripheral device can be used to perform hardware decoding in many available microcontrollers, such as those manufactured by the assignee of this application.

[0035] Figure 7 The short communication phase of the system according to various implementations is shown in more detail. The scaling on the left shows the voltage level at the communication line. The truncated curve represents the reconstructed clock. Logic '1' or '0' is sampled at the rising edge. The scaling has been shifted to show the crossover between two signals. According to some implementations, 1 / 3-2 / 3 encoding can be used, such as... Figure 7 As shown. This type of encoding uses pulses of different lengths, which represent, for example... Figure 7Visible "0"s and "1"s. This type of encoding can be easily decoded in software with significantly reduced computation time requirements, or even easily decoded in hardware, for example, by using configurable logic units, timers, and / or by input capture peripherals available in the microcontroller manufactured by the assignee of this application. This can be achieved with minimal CPU intervention by using the core independent peripherals of the microcontroller manufactured by the assignee of this application. This will save processing time for other computational tasks such as battery charging algorithms.

[0036] In many portable devices, not only communication is required, but also battery charging. During the development of various embodiments of this application, the inventors discovered that this can be advantageously combined. The bill of materials can be improved by reusing components already used in implementing battery chargers. For example, only an inductor and a second diode need to be added. Figure 2 The implementation scheme can then form a boost converter to charge the battery 170 using inductor 140 and diode 190. The only remaining additional component for communication is MOSFET 110 in the charger device, since MOSFET 160 is used for both communication and as a boost converter device.

[0037] In order for MOSFETs 110 and 160 to switch at the correct time, the clocks on both MCUs 120 and 180 need to be synchronized as described above. For this purpose, a tunable RC oscillator can be provided within the microcontroller.

[0038] If the voltage of the charging circuit is close to the voltage of the battery to be charged, as is the case in some implementations, a buck-boost topology can be used, meaning the voltage can be increased or decreased based on the battery's state of charge. However, such topologies typically require capacitors C at both the input and output terminals. B This will also block communication between the two devices, such as Figure 5 The diagram above illustrates a typical buck and boost circuit.

[0039] Figure 5 Another embodiment of system 200 for solving this problem is shown. Charger device 200a includes microcontroller 210, battery 225, and configuration and... Figure 2The implementation scheme is similar to the first MOSFET 220. Additionally, the charger device 200a includes an inductor 240 coupled between a first contact pin 125a of the charger device 200a and the output terminal (i.e., the source of the MOSFET 220). A second MOSFET 245, controlled via port LS of the microcontroller 210, may be provided, coupling the ground of the charger device 200a to a node located between the inductor 240 and the resistor 230. A two-wire pin interface 200c corresponds to a two-wire pin interface 100c.

[0040] The mouthpiece device 200b includes a microcontroller 270, a battery 290, an inductor 250, and configurations such as... Figure 2 A similar first MOSFET 280 is shown. Additionally, Figure 5 A second MOSFET 255 for a mouthpiece device 200b, controlled via the control port LS of microcontroller 270, is shown. The second MOSFET 255 is coupled between a node between inductor 250 and MOSFET 280 and ground of mouthpiece device 200b. Optionally, a resistor 260 is inserted between MOSFET 255 of mouthpiece device 200b and ground, wherein the node between the resistor and MOSFET 255 is coupled to the current measurement input Cur of microcontroller 270. Figure 2 The embodiment of the cigarette holder device 200b actually shows a capacitor 285 coupled in parallel with the battery 290. Again, microcontrollers 210 and 270 can be any suitable microcontroller, such as, for example, ... Figure 4 The microcontroller shown.

[0041] For the sake of explanation only, Figure 5 The figure above also shows typical circuits for the buck converter 350 and the boost converter 300. It is known in the art to combine these two topologies into a so-called buck-boost converter. Such a combination essentially combines the two circuits in series, and omits the inductor L and capacitor C of the buck topology by using the inductor L and capacitor C of the boost topology in buck mode. This basic 4-switch buck-boost converter is constructed using… Figure 5 The circuit shown is formed, as will be further described below.

[0042] Figure 5The circuit shown utilizes this concept by dividing the inductor L of such a buck-boost converter into two inductors, 240 and 250, each arranged in the charger device 200a and the mouthpiece device 200b, respectively. When the charger and mouthpiece devices are coupled, i.e., when the first contact pin 125a and the second contact pin 125b are in contact with the first contact pin 185a and the second contact pin 185b, MOSFETs 220, 245, 280, and 255 are controlled to operate the coupled devices in buck mode, boost mode, or buck-boost mode. In buck mode, MOSFET 280 is closed and controls the switching operation of MOSFET 220. MOSFET 245 can operate as a parasitic diode or can actively and complementaryly switch to MOSFET 220. In boost mode, MOSFET 220 is closed and controls the switching operation of MOSFET 255. MOSFET 280 can operate as a parasitic diode or can actively and complementaryly switch to MOSFET 255. In buck-boost mode, the switching operation of MOSFETs 220 and 255 is controlled. MOSFETs 245 and 280 can operate as parasitic diodes, or they can be actively and complementaryly switched to MOSFETs 220 and 255. Similar to... Figure 2 The illustrated implementation operates in two modes interrupted during a short communication phase, controlling MOSFETs 220, 280, 245, and 255 to provide decoupling from power supply 225 and battery 290. This operation provides a shutdown cycle during which communication occurs. Inductors 240 and 250 also increase the RF impedance to the charger and mouthpiece sides. This operation prevents RF power from being delivered to the charger or mouthpiece device during the communication phase. This is in Figure 5 The RF signal is represented by a dashed circle labeled RF. The RF modulated signal can now flow only within the loop between nodes 125a, 185a, 185b, and 125b, from one communication port Com of microcontroller 210 to another communication port Com of microcontroller 270, and vice versa. Inductors 240 and 250 prevent the RF signal from leaving the loop.

[0043] Figure 8A flowchart illustrating a method for transmitting power and data via a two-pin connection interface according to various embodiments discussed above is shown. In a first step 800, a first device (charger device) is coupled to a second device (cigarette holder device), for example, via a connecting cable or directly as discussed above. In a second step, a first MOSFET and a second MOSFET in the first and second devices are synchronously turned on and off, wherein the off-time is shorter than the on-time. Then, according to an embodiment shown in step 820, the second device can be synchronized to the first device. In step 830, during the off-time, data transmission between the first and second devices occurs, respectively, via a first communication peripheral of the first device and a second communication peripheral of the second device. Step 810 may include: synchronizing the system clock of the second microcontroller to the system clock of the first microcontroller.

[0044] The synchronization step may include synchronizing the system clock of the second microcontroller to the system clock of the first microcontroller. The first device may operate as a master device, and the second device may operate as a slave device, wherein during the synchronization cycle, the master device supplies power to the slave device, the power supply being interrupted by pauses of a predetermined length, and wherein the slave device may use the interval length between two pauses to synchronize with the master device. In step 820, the slave device may insert or remove dead cycles to be adjusted to a given timing range by the master device. The slave device's microcontroller includes a tunable RC oscillator, and wherein the slave device tunes the tunable RC oscillator to synchronize with the master device.

[0045] In summary, the various implementation schemes discussed above interrupt the power supply rather than continuously modulating a constant power supply. Any oscillator inaccuracies can be overcome by adjusting the system clock or through a modulation scheme that can be easily encoded / decoded. The combined charger / communication circuitry requires virtually no additional components. In the buck-boost implementation, a shunt inductor can be used to prevent RF power from passing through. Figure 1 Compared to existing technology systems, various implementation schemes offer shorter bills of materials and smaller PCB spaces, thereby reducing costs.

Claims

1. A system for transmitting power and data via a two-pin connection interface, the system comprising: A first device, the first device comprising: A power supply or a connection to a power supply, a first microcontroller, the first microcontroller being coupled to the power supply and including a first communication peripheral device coupled to a pin of the first device and a first control port coupled to the gate of a first MOSFET of the first device, the switching path of the first MOSFET coupling the power supply to the pin of the first device; The second device, comprising: The battery and a second microcontroller, the second microcontroller including a second communication peripheral device coupled to a pin of the second device and a second control port coupled to the gate of a second MOSFET, the switching path of the second MOSFET coupling the battery to the pin of the second device, wherein the pin of the second device is configured to be coupled to the pin of the first device; When the pin of the second device is coupled to the pin of the first device, the first MOSFET and the second MOSFET are synchronously turned on and off, wherein the off period is shorter than the on period, and wherein during the off period, data transmission between the first device and the second device occurs through the first communication peripheral device of the first device and the second communication peripheral device of the second device, respectively.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least the microcontroller of the second device includes a tunable RC oscillator.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the tunable RC oscillator is tuned via a special function register of the microcontroller.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the tunable RC oscillator is tuned by a programmable fuse.

5. The system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first device is a charger device and the second device is a cigarette holder device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the mouthpiece device is configured to be inserted into the charger device.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the mouthpiece device is an electronic cigarette, and wherein the ratio between data transmission and power supply is in the range of 5%-10%.

8. The system according to any one of claims 1-4, further comprising: An inductor, the inductor being coupled between the switching path of the second MOSFET and the battery; and a reverse bias diode, the reverse bias diode being coupled between ground and the node between the switching path of the second MOSFET and the inductor.

9. The system of claim 8 further includes a capacitor connected in parallel with the battery.

10. The system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first device is configured to operate as a master device and the second device is configured to operate as a slave device, wherein during a synchronization period, the master device is configured to supply power to the slave device, the supply being interrupted by a pause of a predetermined length, and wherein the slave device is configured to synchronize with the master device and send a synchronization acknowledgment back to the master device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the slave device is configured to insert or delete dead cycles to be adjusted to a given timing range by the master device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the microcontroller of the slave device includes a tunable RC oscillator, and wherein the slave device is configured to tune the tunable RC oscillator to synchronize with the master device.

13. The system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first device further comprises: A first inductor is coupled between the switching path of the first MOSFET and the pin of the first device; and a third MOSFET, the third MOSFET being controlled by the first microcontroller and having a switching path coupled between the ground of the first device and a node between the switching path of the first MOSFET and the first inductor; The second device further includes a second inductor coupled between the switching path of the second MOSFET and the pin of the second device. and a fourth MOSFET, which is controlled by the second microcontroller and has a switching path coupled between the ground of the second device and a node between the switching path of the second MOSFET and the second inductor.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising: Within the first device, a first resistor is located between the power supply and the first MOSFET, wherein the first resistor is also coupled to the first microcontroller.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising: Within the second device, a second resistor is located between the ground of the second device and the switching path of the fourth MOSFET, wherein the second resistor is also coupled to the second microcontroller.

16. The system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the power source comprises a battery.

17. A method for transmitting power and data via a two-pin connection interface, the two-pin connection interface comprising: A first device has a power supply, a first microcontroller coupled to the power supply and including a first communication peripheral coupled to a first pin of the first device and a first control port coupled to the gate of a first MOSFET, the switching path of the first MOSFET coupling the power supply to the first pin of the first device. A second device, the second device having a battery, a second microcontroller, the second microcontroller including a second communication peripheral device coupled to a first pin of the second device and a second control port coupled to the gate of a second MOSFET, the switching path of the second MOSFET coupling the battery to the first pin of the second device, the method comprising the following steps: The first device is coupled to the second device via the corresponding first pin; as well as The first MOSFET and the second MOSFET are simultaneously turned on and off, wherein the off period is shorter than the on period, and wherein during the off period, data transmission between the first device and the second device occurs through the first communication peripheral device of the first device and the second communication peripheral device of the second device, respectively.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of: Synchronize the system clock of the second microcontroller to the system clock of the first microcontroller.

19. The method according to any one of claims 17-18, wherein the first device operates as a master device and the second device operates as a slave device, wherein during a synchronization cycle, the master device supplies power to the slave device, the supply is interrupted by a pause of a predetermined length, and wherein the slave device uses the interval length between two pauses to synchronize with the master device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the slave device inserts or deletes dead cycles to be adjusted to a given timing range by the master device.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the microcontroller of the slave device includes a tunable RC oscillator, and wherein the slave device tunes the tunable RC oscillator to synchronize with the master device.

22. The method according to any one of claims 17-18, further comprising operation of any one of the systems according to claims 1-4, 6-7, 9, 11-12, 14-15.

Images