Power supply system, power converter, and power conversion method

Abstract

The invention discloses a power converter, a power supply system and a power conversion method. The power converter comprises an input circuit, a conversion circuit, an output circuit and a processor. The input circuit is used for receiving and detecting preceding-stage electric power transmitted by the preceding-stage device. The conversion circuit is coupled to the input circuit. The output circuit is coupled to the conversion circuit and is used for supplying power to a post-stage device. The processor is coupled to the input circuit, the conversion circuit and the output circuit. The processor is configured to determine whether the preceding stage power is stable and to hand over to the following stage device to confirm the conversion power agreed by the following stage device. The processor is also configured to control the conversion circuit to operate to convert the power to generate an output power to a post-stage device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a power conversion technology, and more particularly to a power supply system, a power converter and a power conversion method. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of technology, various electronic devices have become an indispensable part of people's lives. Since different types of electronic devices require different operating voltages, they all need to receive power through different power converters. Power converters usually have special-specification connection ports to prevent users from mistakenly using the power converter on other different types of electronic devices, causing possible damage. However, special-specification connection ports will limit usage, and once the electronic device is replaced, the corresponding power converter will also become electronic waste. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present disclosure is about a power converter, including an input circuit, a conversion circuit, an output circuit and a processor. The input circuit is used to receive and detect a front-stage power transmitted from a front-stage device. The conversion circuit is coupled to the input circuit. The output circuit is coupled to the conversion circuit and is used to supply power to a rear-stage device. The processor is coupled to the input circuit, the conversion circuit and the output circuit. The processor is used to determine whether the front-stage power is stable, and to hand over to the rear-stage device to confirm the conversion power agreed by the rear-stage device. The processor is also used to control the conversion circuit to operate in the conversion power to generate output power to the rear-stage device.

[0004] The present disclosure also relates to a power conversion method, comprising: receiving and detecting the front-stage power transmitted from the front-stage device through an input circuit, wherein the input circuit is coupled to the conversion circuit and the processor; determining whether the front-stage power remains stable through the processor, and handing over to the rear-stage device to confirm the conversion power agreed to by the rear-stage device; controlling the conversion circuit to operate at the conversion power, and providing the output power generated by the conversion circuit to the rear-stage device through the output circuit.

[0005] The present disclosure also relates to a power converter, comprising an input circuit, a conversion circuit, an output circuit and a processor. The input circuit is used to receive and detect the front-stage power transmitted from the front-stage device that does not have the handshake power supply capability through the power supply connection port. The conversion circuit is coupled to the input circuit. The output circuit is coupled to the conversion circuit and comprises a C-type universal serial bus connection port. The output circuit supplies power to the rear-stage device through the C-type universal serial bus connection port. The processor is coupled to the input circuit, the conversion circuit and the output circuit, and is used to handshake with the rear-stage device. The processor is also used to confirm the conversion power agreed by the rear-stage device based on the front-stage power of the front-stage device. The processor is also used to control the conversion circuit to operate on the conversion power to generate output power to the rear-stage device.

[0006] The present disclosure also relates to a power supply system, including a power supply device and a power converter. The power supply device is used to supply power to an electronic device that does not have a handshake capability. The power converter includes an input circuit, a conversion circuit, an output circuit and a processor. The input circuit is used to receive and detect the front-stage power transmitted by the power supply device. The conversion circuit is coupled to the input circuit. The output circuit is coupled to the conversion circuit and is used to supply power to the rear-stage device. The processor is coupled to the input circuit, the conversion circuit and the output circuit, and is used to determine whether the front-stage power is stable, and to handshake with the rear-stage device to confirm the conversion power agreed by the rear-stage device. The processor is also used to control the conversion circuit to operate in the conversion power to generate output power to the rear-stage device.

[0007] Accordingly, by detecting the state of the front-stage power provided by the front-stage device and handshaking with the rear-stage device according to the state of the front-stage power, it is possible to confirm whether the front-stage device has the ability to supply power to the rear-stage device, and provide power to the rear-stage device according to the conversion power confirmed after handshaking. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a power converter according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0009] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a power converter according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0010] Figure 3 is a flowchart of the steps of a power conversion method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0011] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a power converter according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a load detection circuit according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0013] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a power conversion method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a power supply system used according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0016] 100: Power Converter

[0017] 110: Input circuit

[0018] 110A: First detector

[0019] 120:Conversion circuit

[0020] 130: Output circuit

[0021] 130A: Second detector

[0022] 140: Processor

[0023] 400: Power Converter

[0024] 410: Input circuit

[0025] 410A: First detector

[0026] 420:Conversion circuit

[0027] 430: Output circuit

[0028] 430A: Second detector

[0029] 440: Processor

[0030] 450: Load test circuit

[0031] R1-R3: Load

[0032] W1-W3: Toggle switch

[0033] 700: Power supply system

[0034] 710: Power supply device

[0035] 720B-720C: Power Converter

[0036] 730A-730C: Electronics

[0037] PR1: Input port

[0038] PR2: Output port

[0039] DF: Preamplifier

[0040] DB: Post-stage device

[0041] V11: Electricity

[0042] V12-V13: Pre-amp power

[0043] V22-V23: Output power DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The following will disclose multiple embodiments of the present invention with the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of clear description, many practical details will be described together in the following description. However, it should be understood that these practical details should not be used to limit the present invention. That is, in some embodiments of the present invention, these practical details are not necessary. In addition, in order to simplify the drawings, some conventional structures and elements will be shown in the drawings in a simple schematic manner.

[0045] In this document, when an element is referred to as "connected" or "coupled", it may refer to "electrically connected" or "electrically coupled". "Connected" or "coupled" may also be used to indicate that two or more elements cooperate or interact with each other. In addition, although the terms "first", "second", etc. are used in this document to describe different elements, the terms are only used to distinguish between elements or operations described by the same technical terms. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the terms do not specifically refer to or imply an order or sequence, nor are they used to limit the present invention.

[0046] Figure 1 The power converter 100 is a schematic diagram of some embodiments of the present disclosure. The power converter 100 has an input port PR1 and an output port PR2. The input port PR1 is used to couple to the front-end device DF to receive the power supply. The output port PR2 is used to couple to the back-end device DB (such as a laptop, a smart phone, a home appliance, etc.). The power converter 100 can convert the received front-end power into output power through the internal conversion circuit to supply power to the back-end device DB.

[0047] In one embodiment, the front-stage device DF can be a charging cable, transformer, power adapter or power supply device of any electronic device, and its connection port specifications are the same as the input port PR1. The front-stage device DF can receive AC power from the mains socket and convert it into DC power. For example, the front-stage device DF can be a power adapter for a cordless vacuum cleaner. When the cordless vacuum cleaner is replaced or there is no need to use it at present, the user can couple the power adapter (front-stage device DF) of the cordless vacuum cleaner to the power converter 100. Accordingly, the power converter 100 can receive mains power through the power adapter (front-stage device DF) of the cordless vacuum cleaner to charge the rear-stage device DB, so that the power adapter (front-stage device DF) of the cordless vacuum cleaner can still perform its function, and is not limited to being applied only to cordless vacuum cleaners.

[0048] In one embodiment, the input port PR1 may be a DC power socket (e.g., DC POWER JACK) or any power transmission interface without handshaking capability. The output port PR2 may be a connector with handshaking capability, such as a type C universal serial bus connection port (type C). In addition, the connection port interfaces of the input port PR1 and the output port PR2 are different. In other embodiments, the power converter 100 may also have multiple input ports PR1, and the connection port interface of each input port PR1 is also different, so that it can be used with different types of pre-stage devices DF.

[0049] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a power converter 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The power converter 100 includes an input circuit 110, a conversion circuit 120, an output circuit 130, and a processor 140. The input circuit 110 is used to couple to a front-end device DF without handshake power supply capability to receive front-end power transmitted from the front-end device DF.

[0050] In some embodiments, the input circuit 110 further includes a first detector 110A (eg, a voltmeter, an ammeter) for detecting the state of the front-stage power transmitted from the front-stage device DF (eg, voltage magnitude or variation range, current magnitude or variation range). Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the input circuit 110 further includes an input port PR1 to receive the previous stage power through the input port PR1.

[0051] The conversion circuit 120 is coupled to the input circuit 110 to receive the front-stage power and convert the front-stage power to different voltage levels as output power. In one embodiment, the conversion circuit 120 is implemented by an isolated power conversion circuit, but in other embodiments, the conversion circuit 120 can also be a non-isolated power conversion circuit. The circuit architecture of the conversion circuit 120 can be: flyback, forward, half-bridge, and full-bridge, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0052] The output circuit 130 is coupled to the conversion circuit 120 to provide output power to the subsequent device DB. In some embodiments, the output circuit 130 further includes a second detector 130A, and the second detector 130A is used to detect the state of the output power. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the output circuit 130 further includes an output port PR2 to supply power to the subsequent device DB through the output port PR2. The output port PR2 may be a C-type universal serial bus connection port, and its interface is different from that of the input port PR1.

[0053] The processor 140 is coupled to the input circuit 110, the conversion circuit 120, and the output circuit 130. The processor 140 can receive the detection signals from the first detector 110A and the second detector 130A to determine the state of the front-stage power and the output power (e.g., whether it is stable). The processor 140 is also used to control the switching of each switch element in the conversion circuit 120 (e.g., control the conduction time of the switch element or the switching frequency), so that the conversion circuit 120 can operate at different powers and output different voltages and currents.

[0054] The processor 140 is communicatively connected to the subsequent device DB to handshake with the subsequent device DB. "Handshaking" refers to data transmission between the processor 140 and the subsequent device DB to confirm the parameters of mutual communication. Since the meaning and principle of "handshaking" can be understood by those skilled in the art, it will not be further described here.

[0055] The processor 140 is used to confirm the appropriate and acceptable power supply to the subsequent device DB according to the state of the previous power (hereinafter, the power supply accepted by the subsequent device DB is referred to as "conversion power"). After the processor 140 confirms the conversion power accepted by the subsequent device DB, the processor 140 controls the conversion circuit 120 according to the conversion power, so that the conversion circuit 120 operates at the conversion power and generates output power to the subsequent device DB.

[0056] It is particularly important to mention here that when the processor 140 of the power converter 100 confirms the power supply to the subsequent device DB, the power converter 100 can obtain the voltage and current required by the subsequent device DB according to the power supply protocol (eg, USB Power Delivery), and then determine the power supply required by the subsequent device DB.

[0057] like Figure 2 As shown, the processor 140 detects and determines the state of the front-stage power (e.g., determines whether it is stable) in real time through the first detector 110A in the input circuit 110, thereby inferring the power supply capacity of the front-stage device DF. At the same time, the processor 140 communicates and confirms the power supply requirements that the rear-stage device DB can accept by handshaking with the rear-stage device DB. By "detecting the power supply capacity of the front-stage device DF" and "handshaking with the rear-stage device DB", the processor 140 can confirm a conversion power that is within the power supply capacity range of the front-stage device DF and is also agreed by the rear-stage device DB. In contrast, if the processor 140 cannot find an available conversion power within the power supply capacity range of the front-stage device DF, the processor 140 will control the conversion circuit 120 to be turned off, and / or control the output circuit 130 to stop supplying power to the rear-stage device DB.

[0058] In some embodiments, the processor 140 determines whether the received front-stage power is stable according to the detection result of the first detector 110A. In other words, the processor 140 does not need to communicate or transmit data with the front-stage device DF, but detects the received front-stage power to determine the power supply capacity of the front-stage device DF. In some embodiments, the processor 140 is also provided with a plurality of preset power values. The "preset power value" can be generated corresponding to the control parameters of the conversion circuit 120, for example: the power value "100W" represents that the processor 140 controls the switch element in the conversion circuit 120 with the first parameter (such as: the conduction time duty or frequency); the power value "60W" represents that the processor 140 controls the switch element in the conversion circuit 120 with the second parameter. In other words, the processor 140 is used to control the conversion circuit 120 according to any one of the plurality of preset power values, so that the conversion circuit 120 converts the front-stage power into output power with the corresponding preset power. When the processor 140 and the subsequent device DB are handshaking, the processor 140 selectively communicates with the subsequent device DB with different preset power values. When the subsequent device DB agrees with one of the preset powers, the preset power can be set as the default conversion power.

[0059] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a power conversion method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2-Figure 3 As shown, in step S301 , the power converter 100 receives the front-stage power provided by the front-stage device DF through the input circuit 110 . In some embodiments, the first detector 110A of the input circuit 110 can detect the state of the front-stage power in real time and transmit a detection signal to the processor 140 .

[0060] In step S302, the processor 140 communicates / handshakes with the subsequent device DB to determine the required power value of the subsequent device DB. The "required power value" can be a set value provided by the subsequent device DB (e.g., the maximum receivable power supply is 80W), or a required value generated by the subsequent device DB according to the current operating state (e.g., 55W), that is, the required power value will be determined according to the current load level of the subsequent device DB. The processor 140 can drive the conversion circuit 120 according to a preset power value close to and greater than or equal to the required power value to convert the previous power into output power.

[0061] For example, if the preset power values ​​preset by the processor 140 include: 100W, 60W, 45W, 30W, and the required power value of the subsequent device DB is 55W, the processor 140 can choose to directly drive the conversion circuit 120 with the required power value, or select the preset power value "closest to and greater than the required power value" to drive the conversion circuit 120. In this embodiment, since the preset power value "60W" is closest to the required power value "55W", the processor will drive the conversion circuit 120 according to the preset power value "60W" (hereinafter referred to as the first power value).

[0062] In step S303, the driven conversion circuit 120 converts the front-stage power into output power, and provides the output power to the back-stage device DB through the output circuit 130. When the power converter 100 supplies power, the first detector 110A instantly detects the state of the front-stage power, and the second detector 130A detects the state of the output power.

[0063] In step S304, the processor 140 determines whether the state of the front-stage power is stable. If the front-stage power remains stable, in step S305, the processor 140 controls the conversion circuit 120 to maintain operation at the current power (i.e., the first power value) to continuously supply power to the rear-stage device DB. In some embodiments, the processor 140 may determine whether the change in voltage or current of the front-stage power over a period of time remains within a preset range. If the change in voltage or current exceeds the preset range, it means that the front-stage power is unstable. In other embodiments, the processor may determine whether the front-stage power is higher than an upper threshold or lower than a lower threshold to evaluate whether the front-stage power is stable.

[0064] In some embodiments, when the front-stage power remains stable, the processor 140 may store / set the current power (e.g., the first power value) of the conversion circuit 120 as a default operating power (hereinafter referred to as the "priority power value"), and this priority power value will be set to correspond to the front-stage device DF. In other words, as long as the electrical connection relationship between the power converter 100 and the front-stage device DF is not released, the processor 140 will subsequently drive the conversion circuit 120 with this priority power value (first power value). In addition, when the electrical connection relationship between the power converter 100 (input circuit 110) and the front-stage device DF is released, the processor 140 will delete the set priority power value (i.e., reset the internal setting data).

[0065] If the front-stage power is not stable, it means that the power supply capacity of the front-stage device DF is insufficient to provide power of the corresponding power (e.g., "60W" in the above example). In step S306, the processor 140 detects the current power of the rear-stage device DB in real time through the second detector 130A in the output circuit 130 (e.g., analyzing the voltage and current actually required by the rear-stage device DB).

[0066] Next, in step S307, the processor 140 selects a preset power value "less than the first power value and the current power of the subsequent device DB" from among the multiple preset power values ​​as the second power value to communicate / handshake with the subsequent device DB. For example, in the aforementioned step S303, the required power value of the subsequent device DB is "55W", and the conversion circuit 120 is controlled at the first power value "60W", but the front-stage power provided by the front-stage device BF is not stable. At this time, the second detector 130A immediately detects that the power currently used by the subsequent device DB is "40W", so the processor 140 selects the next-level preset power value "30W" (second power value) that is lower than the current power of the subsequent device DB from among the multiple preset power values ​​"100W, 60W, 45W, 30W" to handshake with the subsequent device DB.

[0067] It is particularly important to mention that, although in the aforementioned step S306, the processor 140 will detect the current power of the subsequent device DB in real time through the second detector 130A, in other embodiments, the processor 140 may not obtain the current power of the subsequent device DB, but directly use the "secondary preset power value lower than the first power value" as the second power value. In other words, step S306 is not necessary.

[0068] In step S308, the processor 140 determines whether the subsequent device DB agrees with the second power value. If the subsequent device DB agrees that the second power value "30W" is an acceptable conversion power, the processor 140 controls the conversion circuit 120 to maintain operation at the current power (i.e., the second power value) to continuously supply power to the subsequent device DB. At the same time, the processor 140 will also continue to detect whether the previous power remains stable, that is, execute steps S303 and S304. In other words, the processor 140 can sequentially drive the conversion circuit 120 with different preset power values ​​until the previous power remains stable.

[0069] Continuing from the above, similar to the aforementioned step S305, when the conversion circuit 120 operates at the current power (i.e., the second power value), if the front-stage power remains stable, the processor 140 may set the current power (i.e., the second power value) as the priority power value, and this priority power value will be set to correspond to the front-stage device DF. As long as the coupling relationship between the power converter 100 and the front-stage device DF is not released, the processor 140 will subsequently drive the conversion circuit 120 with the priority power value (the second power value).

[0070] On the other hand, if the subsequent device DB does not agree that the second power value "30W" can be used as the conversion power (e.g., the power is too low), it means that the power supply capacity of the previous device DF is insufficient to support the power supply of the subsequent device DB. At this time, in step S309, the processor 140 controls the shutdown of the conversion circuit 120 and / or controls the output circuit 130 to stop supplying power to the subsequent device DB, but the processor 140 can still maintain information communication with the subsequent device DB. In addition, the processor 140 can also set the current power (i.e., the second power value) as the priority power value corresponding to the previous device DF. Accordingly, when one end of the power converter 100 is still connected to the previous device DF, but the other end is connected to another subsequent device, the processor 140 can handshake with the subsequent device at the priority power value (e.g., execute the aforementioned step S302).

[0071] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a power converter 400 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 In, with Figure 1 and Figure 2 Similar elements related to the embodiments of the present invention are denoted by the same reference numerals for ease of understanding, and the specific principles of similar elements have been described in detail in the previous paragraphs. Figure 4 The components have a cooperative operation relationship and need to be introduced, which will not be repeated here.

[0072] The power converter 400 includes an input circuit 410, a conversion circuit 420, an output circuit 430, a processor 440, and a load test circuit 450. The input circuit 410 is used to receive the front-stage power from the front-stage device DF, and can detect the state of the front-stage power through the first detector 410A. The conversion circuit 420 is coupled between the input circuit 410 and the output circuit 430, and is used to convert the front-stage power into output power, so as to provide the output circuit to the rear-stage device DB through the output circuit 430. Similar to the above-mentioned embodiment, when the power converter 400 supplies power to the rear-stage device DB, the output circuit 430 can detect the state of the output power in real time through the second detector 430A to determine the current power of the rear-stage device DB.

[0073] The processor 440 is coupled to the input circuit 410, the conversion circuit 420, the output circuit 430 and the load test circuit 450, and can control the conversion circuit 420 to operate at any one of a plurality of preset power values. The load test circuit 450 is coupled to the input circuit 410 to receive the front-stage power. In this embodiment, the processor 440 is used to adjust the overall impedance of the load test circuit 450 to test the power supply capability of the front-stage device DF through the load test circuit 450.

[0074] Figure 5FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a load test circuit 450 in some embodiments of the present disclosure. The load test circuit 450 includes a plurality of loads R1 to R3 (Dummy loads) with different impedance values. The impedance values ​​of the loads R1 to R3 correspond to different preset power values, so the processor 440 can use the loads R1 to R3 to test the power supply capability of the front-stage device DF. Specifically, the load test circuit 450 includes a plurality of loads (e.g. Figure 5 The processor 440 can change the overall impedance of the load test circuit 450 by controlling the on or off of the switches W1 - W3.

[0075] For example, the preset power values ​​stored in the processor 440 include "100W, 60W, 30W", and among the multiple loads R1-R3 of the load test circuit 450, the load R1 is the largest and the load R3 is the smallest. Therefore, the loads R1-R3 can be used to simulate the state of the power converter 400 when the conversion circuit 420 operates at different preset power values. For example, when the switching switch W1 is turned on, but the switching switches W2-W3 are turned off, the load test circuit 450 is used to simulate the impedance of the power converter 400 when it operates at the preset power value of 100W to receive power from the forward device DF. Similarly, when the switching switch W3 is turned on, but the switching switches W1-W2 are turned off, the load test circuit 450 simulates the impedance of the power converter 400 when it operates at the preset power value of 30W. In other words, the processor 440 can selectively conduct the loads R1-R3 to the input circuit 410 to receive the front-stage power, and the processor 440 can determine whether the front-stage power remains stable through the first detector 410A to confirm the power supply capacity of the front-stage device DF. In other embodiments, the processor 440 can simultaneously conduct one or more switches W1-W3, so that the impedance of the load test circuit 450 has more variations.

[0076] As mentioned above, the load test circuit 450 is used to simulate the impedance of the power converter 400 when it operates at different preset power values. Therefore, when any load R1~R3 ​​in the load test circuit 450 is connected to the input circuit 410, the processor 440 will stop driving the conversion circuit 420 (or the conversion circuit 420 stops receiving the previous stage power), and at this time the output circuit 430 will not supply power to the subsequent device DB.

[0077] Figure 6 For power conversion methods according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figures 4 to 6 In step S601, after the power converter 400 is coupled to the front-end device DF (which can be Figure 1The processor 440 stops driving the conversion circuit 420 (or keeps it in the off state) and selectively conducts the loads R1 to R3 in the load test circuit 450 to the input circuit 410. In one embodiment, the processor 440 first conducts the load R1 to the input circuit 410, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0078] In step S602 , the input circuit 410 receives the front-stage power from the front-stage device DF and detects the state of the front-stage power through the first detector 410A, and the first detector 410A transmits a detection signal to the processor 440 .

[0079] In step S603, the processor 440 determines whether the front-stage power remains stable. If the front-stage power does not remain stable, it means that the power supply capacity of the front-stage device DF is insufficient. In one embodiment, three preset power values ​​"100W, 60W, 30W" are stored in the processor 440, corresponding to the loads R1~R3 ​​respectively. Therefore, if the load R1 is connected to the input circuit 410 (that is, the switching switch W1 is turned on and the switching switches W2~W3 are turned off), the front-stage power is unstable, which means that the front-stage device DF cannot provide a power supply corresponding to the preset power value "100W" (first power value).

[0080] As mentioned above, when the front-stage power does not remain stable, step S604 is executed. In step S604, the processor 440 adjusts the impedance of the load test circuit 450, for example, the load R2 (e.g., corresponding to the second power value "60W" in the preset power value) is switched to the input circuit 410. After the impedance of the load test circuit 450 is adjusted, the input circuit 410 receives the front-stage power from the front-stage device DF again, and detects the state of the front-stage power through the first detector 410A, that is, the aforementioned step S602 is executed.

[0081] On the other hand, after the processor 440 sequentially adjusts the loads R1 to R3 in the load test circuit 450 according to the state of the front-stage power to keep the front-stage power stable, the processor 440 turns off the load test circuit 450 and executes step S605. At this time, the power converter 400 is coupled to the rear-stage device DB (which can be connected by Figure 1 The output port PR2 shown in the figure), and the processor 440 exchanges hands with the subsequent device DB, and confirms the preset power value (such as the second power value "60W") corresponding to the current impedance state of the load test circuit 450 (such as load R2) and the subsequent device DB.

[0082] In step S606, the processor 440 determines whether the subsequent device DB agrees with the proposed power value (e.g., the second power value "60W"). If the subsequent device DB agrees that the proposed power value "60W" can be used as the conversion power for power supply, in step S607, the processor 440 controls / drives the conversion circuit 420 to operate at the confirmed power value (i.e., the second power value) to supply power to the subsequent device DB. In one embodiment, the processor 440 can also continue to detect whether the previous power remains stable, that is, execute step S603.

[0083] In some embodiments, the processor 440 can store / set the power value confirmed at this time (i.e., the second power value) as the default operating power (i.e., the priority power value), and this priority power value will be set to correspond to the front-stage device DF. As long as the coupling relationship between the power converter 400 (input circuit 410) and the front-stage device DF is not released, the processor 440 will subsequently drive the conversion circuit 420 with the priority power value (second power value).

[0084] On the other hand, if the subsequent device DB does not agree that the second power value "60W" can be used as the conversion power (e.g., the power is too low), it means that the power supply capacity of the previous device DF is insufficient to support the power supply of the subsequent device DB. At this time, in step S608, the processor 440 will shut down the conversion circuit 420 to ensure that the power converter 400 will not supply power to the subsequent device DB.

[0085] In one embodiment, regardless of whether the power converter 400 is electrically connected to the subsequent device DB, as long as it is confirmed in step S603 that the previous stage power remains stable, the processor 440 can record the priority power value corresponding to the previous stage device DF according to the loads R1 to R3 currently connected to the input circuit 410. In other words, when the first load R1 (or the second load R2, the third load R3) is connected to the input circuit 410 and the previous stage power remains stable, the processor 440 stores the corresponding first power value (or the second power value, the third power value) as the priority power value corresponding to the previous stage device DF. The processor 440 deletes the stored priority power value until the electrical connection between the power converter 400 and the previous stage device DF is released.

[0086] The power converter 100 / 400 of the present disclosure can exchange with the subsequent device DB according to the preset power value. After the subsequent device DB agrees with the preset power value, the preset power value is set as the conversion power to drive the conversion circuit 120 / 420 to generate output power to the subsequent device DB. Since the power converter 100 / 400 does not need to communicate data with the previous device DF, but detects its power supply capacity, the power conversion method and power converter 100 / 400 of the present disclosure can be easily applied to various previous devices DF and subsequent devices DB, and can avoid the problem of insufficient power supply capacity of the previous device DF and possible damage.

[0087] Figure 7 FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a power supply system 700 used in some embodiments of the present disclosure. The power supply system 700 includes a power supply device 710, one or more power converters 720B-720C, and a plurality of electronic devices 730A-730C. The power supply device 710 may be a transformer with multiple output ports. The power converters 720B-720C may be the aforementioned Figure 2 The power converter 100 or Figure 4 The power converter 400 is shown implemented.

[0088] The power converters 720B-720C are coupled between the power supply device 710 and the plurality of electronic devices 730B-730C to receive the front-stage power V11-V13 provided by the power supply device 710. The power converters 720B-720C are used to confirm the conversion power agreed by the subsequent device (i.e., the electronic device 730B-730C) and to make the internal conversion circuit operate on the conversion power to generate output power to the subsequent device. The power converters 720B-720C can be Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 The circuit shown in FIG. 1 is used to implement the present invention, so it will not be described in detail here.

[0089] The electronic devices 730A-730C may be different types of electronic products, such as motors, televisions, mobile phone chargers, etc. In one embodiment, assuming that the electronic device 730A is a load device (such as a motor) that does not have handshaking capability, that is, the electronic device 730A cannot handshake with the front stage, the power supply device 710 will directly provide power V11 to the electronic device 730A. At the same time, the power supply device 710 also provides the front stage power V12-V13 to the power converters 720B-720C respectively. The power converters 720B-720C can handshake with the rear stage electronic devices 730B-730C to convert the front stage power V12-V13 into output power V22-V23 to supply power to the electronic devices 730B-730C.

[0090] like Figure 7As shown, since the actual power supply required by each electronic device 730A-730C varies according to the usage, the power converters 720B-720C can be configured according to the aforementioned Figure 3 or Figure 6 The power conversion method adjusts the operating power in real time and dynamically to change the output power V22~V23. For example, if the electronic device 730A without handshake power supply capability needs more power due to overload, the front-stage power V12, V13 is unstable at this time, and the power converter 720B and / or the power converter 720C will obtain the current power of the corresponding subsequent device (i.e., the electronic device 730B, 730C) and select one of the preset power values ​​that is less than the current power to handshake with the subsequent device. The power converter 720B and / or the power converter 720C will perform corresponding load reduction according to the aforementioned embodiment, so that each electronic device 730A~730C can still obtain sufficient power for operation. Accordingly, power can be used more efficiently and the balance of the power supply system 700 can be maintained.

[0091] The various elements, method steps or technical features in the aforementioned embodiments may be combined with each other and are not limited to the order of textual description or the order of presentation of the drawings in the present disclosure.

[0092] Although the present disclosure has been disclosed as above in the form of an implementation method, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A power converter, comprising: An input circuit for receiving and detecting the pre-stage power transmitted from the pre-stage device; A conversion circuit, coupled to the input circuit; An output circuit, coupled to the conversion circuit, and used to supply power to a subsequent device; as well as A processor coupled to the input circuit, the conversion circuit and the output circuit, wherein the processor is further used to determine whether the front-stage power is stable and to handshake to the back-stage device to confirm the conversion power agreed by the back-stage device; The processor is further used to control the conversion circuit to operate on the conversion power to generate output power to the subsequent device.

2. The power converter according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further provided with a plurality of preset power values, and the processor is used to hand over to the subsequent device according to the plurality of preset power values, and when the subsequent device agrees with one of the plurality of preset power values, the processor is used to set the one of the plurality of preset power values ​​as the conversion power.

3. The power converter according to claim 2, wherein when the front-stage power remains stable, the processor is used to store the one of the plurality of preset power values ​​as a priority power value corresponding to the front-stage device; and When the electrical connection between the power converter and the front-stage device is released, the processor deletes the priority power value.

4. The power converter according to claim 2, wherein the processor is used to handover to the subsequent device to obtain the required power value of the subsequent device; and The processor is further configured to drive the conversion circuit according to a first power value among the plurality of preset power values, and the first power value is greater than or equal to the required power value.

5. The power converter according to claim 4, wherein when the processor drives the conversion circuit according to the first power value and the front-stage power does not remain stable, the processor is used to select a second power value from the multiple preset power values ​​to hand over to the rear-stage device, and when the rear-stage device agrees to the second power value, the processor sets the second power value as the conversion power to drive the conversion circuit.

6. A power converter according to claim 5, wherein when the processor drives the conversion circuit according to the first power value and the front-stage power does not remain stable, the processor is also used to obtain the current power of the rear-stage device, and the second power value selected by the processor is smaller than the first power value and the current power. 7 . The power converter according to claim 5 , wherein when the processor is used to handshake to the subsequent device according to the second power value, and the subsequent device does not accept the second power value, the power converter stops supplying power to the subsequent device.

8. The power converter according to claim 2, wherein the processor is provided with at least a first power value and a second power value, the first power value is greater than the second power value, and the power converter further comprises: a load test circuit coupled to the processor and comprising at least a first load and a second load, wherein impedance values ​​of the first load and the second load correspond to the first power value and the second power value, and the processor is used to control the load test circuit to conduct the first load or the second load to the input circuit to receive the front-stage power; and The processor is also used to determine whether the front-stage power remains stable. 9 . The power converter according to claim 8 , wherein when the processor controls the load test circuit to connect the first load or the second load to the input circuit, the processor stops driving the conversion circuit.

10. The power converter according to claim 8, wherein when the processor controls the load test circuit to conduct the first load to the input circuit, and the front-stage power remains stable, the processor is used to hand over to the rear-stage device according to the first power value, and when the rear-stage device agrees with the first power value, the processor sets the first power value as the conversion power to drive the conversion circuit.

11. The power converter according to claim 10, wherein when the first load is connected to the input circuit and the front-stage power does not maintain stability, the processor is used to control the load test circuit to connect the second load to the input circuit; When the second load is connected to the input circuit and the front-stage power remains stable, the processor is used to handshake to the rear-stage device according to the second power value. When the rear-stage device disagrees with the second power value, the processor shuts down the conversion circuit.

12. The power converter according to claim 11, wherein when the first load or the second load is connected to the input circuit and the front-stage power remains stable, the processor is used to set the first power value or the second power value to be stored as a priority power value corresponding to the front-stage device; and When the electrical connection between the power converter and the front-stage device is released, the processor deletes the priority power value.

13. A method for power conversion, comprising: Receiving and detecting the front-stage power transmitted from the front-stage device through the input circuit, wherein the input circuit is coupled to the conversion circuit and the processor; By means of the processor, determining whether the front-stage power is stable, and handshaking with the back-stage device to confirm the conversion power agreed by the back-stage device; and The conversion circuit is controlled to operate at the conversion power, and the output power generated by the conversion circuit is provided to a subsequent device through an output circuit.

14. The power conversion method according to claim 13, wherein the method of determining whether the front-stage power is stable and handing over to the back-stage device to confirm the conversion power agreed by the back-stage device comprises: Handshake to the subsequent device according to a plurality of preset power values ​​set in the processor; When the subsequent device agrees with one of the plurality of preset power values, the one of the plurality of preset power values ​​is set as the conversion power.

15. The power conversion method according to claim 14, further comprising: When the front-stage power remains stable, storing the one of the plurality of preset power values ​​as a priority power value corresponding to the front-stage device; and When the electrical connection between the input circuit and the preceding device is released, the priority power value is deleted.

16. The power conversion method according to claim 14, wherein the method of handing over to the subsequent device according to the one of the plurality of preset power values ​​set in the processor comprises: Handshaking with the subsequent device through the processor to obtain the required power value of the subsequent device; and The conversion circuit is driven according to a first power value among the plurality of preset power values, wherein the first power value is greater than or equal to the required power value.

17. The power conversion method according to claim 16, wherein the method of setting the one of the plurality of preset power values ​​as the conversion power further comprises: When the processor drives the conversion circuit according to the first power value and the front-stage power does not maintain stability, selecting a second power value from the plurality of preset power values ​​to hand over to the back-stage device; and When the subsequent device agrees with the second power value, the second power value is set as the conversion power to drive the conversion circuit.

18. The power conversion method according to claim 17, wherein the method of setting the one of the plurality of preset power values ​​as the conversion power further comprises: When the processor drives the conversion circuit according to the first power value and the front-stage power does not remain stable, the current power of the rear-stage device is obtained, wherein the selected second power value is smaller than the first power value and the current power.

19. The power conversion method according to claim 17, wherein the method of setting the one of the plurality of preset power values ​​as the conversion power further comprises: When the subsequent device does not accept the second power value, the conversion circuit is controlled to be turned off, and / or the output circuit is controlled to stop supplying power to the subsequent device.

20. The power conversion method according to claim 13, wherein the method of determining whether the front-stage power is stable and handing over to the back-stage device to confirm the conversion power agreed by the back-stage device comprises: The first load and the second load in the load test circuit are selectively connected to the input circuit to determine whether the front-stage power remains stable, wherein the impedance values ​​of the first load and the second load correspond to the first power value and the second power value, and the first power value is greater than the second power value.

21. The power conversion method according to claim 20, wherein the method of selectively connecting the first load and the second load in the load test circuit to the input circuit and determining whether the front-stage power maintains stability comprises: When the first load is connected to the input circuit and the front-stage power remains stable, handing over to the back-stage device according to the first power value; and When the subsequent device agrees with the first power value, the first power value is set as the conversion power to drive the conversion circuit.

22. The power conversion method according to claim 21, wherein the method of selectively connecting the first load and the second load in the load test circuit to the input circuit and determining whether the front-stage power maintains stability comprises: When the first load is connected to the input circuit and the front-stage power does not maintain stability, controlling the load test circuit to connect the second load to the input circuit; When the second load is connected to the input circuit and the front-stage power remains stable, handing over to the back-stage device according to the second power value; as well as When the subsequent device disagrees with the second power value, the conversion circuit is turned off.

23. The power conversion method according to claim 22, further comprising: When the first load or the second load is turned on to the input circuit and the front-stage power remains stable, setting the first power value or the second power value to be stored as a priority power value corresponding to the front-stage device; and When the electrical connection between the input circuit and the preceding device is released, the priority power value is deleted.

24. A power converter, comprising: An input circuit is used to receive and detect the front-stage power transmitted from the front-stage device without handshake power supply capability through the power supply connection port; A conversion circuit, coupled to the input circuit; an output circuit, coupled to the conversion circuit and comprising a C-type universal serial bus connection port, wherein the output circuit supplies power to a subsequent device through the C-type universal serial bus connection port; as well as A processor coupled to the input circuit, the conversion circuit and the output circuit, and used to handover to the subsequent device, wherein the processor is also used to confirm the conversion power agreed by the subsequent device according to the previous power of the previous device; The processor is further used to control the conversion circuit to operate on the conversion power to generate output power to the subsequent device.

25. A power converter according to claim 24, wherein the processor is also used to determine whether the front-stage power is stable, and a plurality of preset power values ​​are provided, the processor is used to handshake to the rear-stage device according to one of the plurality of preset power values, and when the rear-stage device agrees with one of the plurality of preset power values, the processor is used to set one of the plurality of preset power values ​​as the conversion power.

26. The power converter of claim 24, further comprising: A load test circuit, coupled to the processor, and comprising at least a first load and a second load, wherein the impedance values ​​of the first load and the second load correspond to the first power value and the second power value set in the processor; The processor is used to control the load test circuit to connect the first load or the second load to the input circuit to determine whether the front-stage power remains stable.

27. A power supply system comprising: A power supply device for supplying power to an electronic device without handshake capability; Power converter, including: An input circuit for receiving and detecting the front-stage power transmitted from the power supply device; A conversion circuit, coupled to the input circuit; An output circuit, coupled to the conversion circuit, and used to supply power to a subsequent device; A processor coupled to the input circuit, the conversion circuit and the output circuit, and used to determine whether the front-stage power is stable, and to hand over to the back-stage device to confirm the conversion power agreed by the back-stage device; The processor is further used to control the conversion circuit to operate on the conversion power to generate output power to the subsequent device.

28. The power supply system according to claim 27, wherein the processor is also provided with a plurality of preset power values. When the electronic device without handshaking capability is overloaded and the front-stage power is not kept stable, the processor obtains the current power of the rear-stage device and selects one of the plurality of preset power values ​​which is smaller than the current power to handshake to the rear-stage device.

Images