Multi-port power delivery system and power distribution method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-port power delivery system and a power distribution method thereof, the system comprising a first connection port, a second connection port, a controller configured to monitor an average power of each connection port, when the average power of the first connection port is smaller than a first critical value and the average power of the second connection port is larger than a second critical value, the power budget of the first connection port is reduced, and the power budget of the second connection port is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a multi-port power transmission system and a power distribution method thereof, and in particular to a dynamic power distribution method of a multi-port USB power transmission system. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection ports have been widely used in various portable electronic products such as mobile phones and digital cameras. USB Type-C is a new generation of USB interface launched in 2014, and is the successor of USB Type-A and USB Type-B. USB Type-C has high-speed data transmission and USB power supply function. Compared with the maximum power supply power of 2.5W of USB 2.0, 4.5W of USB 3.0, and 7.5W of USB BC (Battery Charging) 1.2, the USB-PD (Power Delivery) 3.0 charging standard specification can provide 5V, 9V, 15V, and 20V output voltages, up to 20V / 5A, that is, 100W of transmission power, which can meet the charging needs of laptops and other devices. USB-PD 3.1 further provides a power of 240W to cover the charging needs of higher power devices.

[0003] When the power sink device is connected to the port of the power supply device, the power supply device and the power sink device will negotiate to determine the power supply parameters such as voltage and current according to the USB-PD specification. The power supply device will send the power supply capability information (source capabilities message) to the power sink device through the configuration channel of the USB Type-C port, where the power supply capability information includes one or more sets of voltage / current options. The power sink device selects the voltage / current option in the power supply capability information based on the received power supply capability information and the power sink device's own capabilities, such as the voltage and maximum current capabilities that it can operate, and then sends a request message (request message) - including the voltage requested by the power sink device and the maximum tolerable current, etc., which is returned to the power sink device through the port. Based on the request information received from each power sink device, the power sink device determines the power budget for each power sink device - including the output voltage, maximum current value, etc. The power sink device controls the output voltage and current according to this power budget, and outputs power to each power sink device through each connection port.

[0004] However, in the above power negotiation, there is no specification in USB-PD on how the power supply device properly determines the power budget. Moreover, after the power budget is determined, as the charging state or other states of the power-consuming device change, the original power budget may not be appropriate. There needs to be a method to dynamically adjust the power budget according to the changes in power demand, so that the idle power budget share can be transferred to other power-consuming devices that need more power to enable them to charge faster. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a multi-port power transmission system and a power allocation method thereof, so as to properly determine the initial power budget for each power-consuming device and perform subsequent dynamic power budget adjustment according to the power demand change of each power-consuming device.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a USB multi-port power delivery system, the system comprising: a first / second power converter coupled to a system power supply to provide power to a first / second connection port, respectively, and a controller coupled to the first / second power converter and the first / second connection port. The connection port is used to connect an external power-consuming device. The controller evenly distributes the power supply capacity to negotiate the power requirements of the first / second connection port, and sets the power budget of the first / second connection port after classifying and looking up the power requirements; then, when the average power of the first connection port is lower than a certain critical value and the average power of the second connection port is higher than a certain critical value, the power supply capacity option is lowered / increased respectively, and the power requirements of the first / second connection port are negotiated to reduce / increase their power budgets respectively.

[0007] In a second aspect, the present invention also provides a power distribution method, which is applied to a USB multi-port power delivery system. The power delivery system includes a first / second power converter coupled to a system power supply to provide power to a first / second connection port, respectively, and a controller coupled to the first / second power converter and the first / second connection port. The method includes: using the controller to evenly distribute power supply capability options, thereby negotiating the power requirements of the first / second connection ports, and setting the power budget of the first / second connection port based on the power requirements after classification and table lookup; and using the controller to monitor when the average power of the first connection port is lower than a certain critical value and the average power of the second connection port is higher than a certain critical value, respectively lowering / increasing the power supply capability options, thereby negotiating the power requirements of the first / second connection ports, and respectively reducing / increasing their power budgets.

[0008] According to the multi-port USB power delivery system and power allocation method provided by the present invention, the power budget can be properly allocated based on the classification table lookup of the required voltage of the power-consuming device; and by monitoring the average power consumption of each connection port, the idle power budget share can be transferred to the power-consuming device that needs more power, so as to fully utilize the power supply device capacity and make the power-consuming device charge faster. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 A block diagram of a multi-port power delivery system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0010] Figure 2 The allocation phase of the multi-port power allocation method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0011] Figure 3 Display according to the present invention Figure 2 The steps of the first allocation stage in the embodiment.

[0012] Figure 4 Display according to the present invention Figure 2 The steps of the second allocation stage in the embodiment.

[0013] Description of reference numerals:

[0014] 100…Multi-port power delivery system

[0015] 101…Controller

[0016] 102…System power supply

[0017] 103a ...first power converter

[0018] 103b…second power converter

[0019] 104a ... a first current sensor

[0020] 104b ... a second current sensor

[0021] 105a…first connection port

[0022] 105b…Second connection port

[0023] 200a…first external electrical device

[0024] 200b…Second external electrical device

[0025] S10…First distribution stage

[0026] S101~S103…steps

[0027] S20…Second allocation phase

[0028] S201~S203…Steps DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Example embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the example embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms and should not be construed as being limited to the examples set forth herein. Instead, these embodiments are provided so that the present invention will be more comprehensive and complete and the concepts of the example embodiments will be fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings are only schematic illustrations of the present invention and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same or similar parts, and thus their repeated description will be omitted.

[0030] To facilitate the description of the present invention, the meanings of some descriptions are explained as follows: the so-called "current value of the connection port" refers to the current magnitude provided by the power supply device to the external power device via a connection port, that is, the current magnitude drawn by the external power device from the power supply device. The so-called "average power of the connection port" refers to the average power provided by the power supply device to the external power device via the connection port, that is, the average power consumption drawn by the external power device from the power supply device. The so-called "power budget of the connection port" refers to the power budget set by the power supply device corresponding to the external power device connected to the connection port.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 1 1 is a block diagram of a multi-port power delivery system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multi-port power delivery system 100 includes a first power converter 103a coupled between a first connection port 105a and a system power supply 102, a second power converter 103b coupled between a second connection port 105b and the system power supply 102, and a controller 101 coupled to the first power converter 103a, the second power converter 103b, the first connection port 105a, and the second connection port 105b. The first connection port 105a and the second connection port 105b are used to connect to a first external power device 200a and a second external power device 200b, respectively. The system power supply 102 is generally an AC power source, and technically can also be a DC power source. The first power converter 103a and the second power converter 103b convert the system power supply 102 into DC power, and supply power to the first connection port 105a and the second connection port 105b respectively under the control of the controller 101.

[0032] Please refer to Figure 2According to an embodiment of the present invention, the operation of the multi-port power delivery system 100 includes two stages: a first allocation stage S10 and a second allocation stage S20. In the first allocation stage S10, power budget allocation is performed according to the needs of external power-consuming devices after classification and table lookup. In the second allocation stage S20, by monitoring the power consumption of each connection port, when it is found that there is an idle power budget share that can be transferred to the power-consuming device that needs more power, the power budget is readjusted to reduce or increase, so as to fully utilize the power supply capacity of the multi-port power delivery system and allow the power-consuming device to charge faster. The implementation details of the above two stages are respectively described as follows.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 3 According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first allocation phase S10 of the multi-port power delivery system 100 comprises the following steps:

[0034] Step S101: The controller 101 divides the overall power budget and sends power supply capability information to the first external power device 200a and the second external power device 200b through the first connection port 105a and the second connection port 105b. The power supply capability information includes available voltage / current information to inform the first external power device 200a and the second external power device 200b of the power supply capability of the multi-port power delivery system 100.

[0035] Take the maximum output power of the multi-port power delivery system 100 as an example, which is 66W (watts), that is, 66W is the total power budget that the multi-port power delivery system 100 can deliver at most. Since the power requirements of the first external power device 200a and the second external power device 200b are unknown in the initial state, the controller 101 of the multi-port power delivery system 100 initially evenly distributes 66W into two initial power budgets, that is, the power budget for the first connection port 105a is 33W, and the power budget for the second connection port 105b is also 33W. Based on this power budget, the controller 101 sends power supply capability information to each external power device via each connection port. The power supply capability information contains one or more voltage / current combinations close to the power budget, such as 20V (volts) / 1.5A (amperes), 15V / 2A, etc., to show the power supply capability of the multi-port power delivery system 100.

[0036] Step S102: the controller 101 receives request information from an external power device through a connection port. According to the request information, the external power device informs the multi-port power delivery system 100 of the voltage requested and the maximum current that the external power device can withstand.

[0037] Step S103: The controller 101 sets the power budget corresponding to each connection port according to the request information of each external power device, that is, the power budget corresponding to each external power device. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the controller 101 classifies the external power devices according to the voltage required by the external power devices. As one example, power devices requiring 5V, 9V, 15V, and 20V are respectively classified as Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, and Type 4, as shown in Table 1. In the existing mobile devices, the voltage required by mobile phones is usually 5V or 9V, tablets are usually 9V or 15V, and laptops are usually 15V or 20V.

[0038] category Request voltage Power Range Type 1 5V 7.5～15W Type 2 9V 15W~27W Type 3 15V 27W~45W Type 4 20V 45W~60W

[0039] Table 1

[0040] According to the implementation results, the greater the voltage required by the external power device, the greater the required power is usually. The "Power Requirement Range" column in Table 1 shows the actual approximate required power range, which is between 7.5W and 60W.

[0041] Since the required power and the required voltage are positively correlated, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 101 determines the power budget of each external power device by looking up a table based on the category of each external power device.

[0042]

[0043] Table 2

[0044] After determining the power budget for each connection port and the voltage required by the external power device, the controller 101 controls the output voltage and current of the first power converter 103a and the second power converter 103b accordingly. For example, the requested voltages of the external power devices are 5V and 15V respectively, and the external power devices are classified as Type 1 and Type 3 respectively. According to Table 2, the power budgets of the first connection port 105a and the second connection port 105b are set to 15W and 51W respectively, and then the controller 101 will control the output voltages of the first power converter 103a and the second power converter 103b to be 5V and 15V respectively, and the output power will be controlled within the power budget.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 4 According to one embodiment of the present invention, the second allocation phase S20 of the multi-port power delivery system 100 includes the following steps:

[0046] Step S201: Monitor the current value of each connection port. In the present invention, the first power converter 103a includes a first current sensor 104a for measuring the current value delivered to the first connection port 105a; the second power converter 103b includes a second current sensor 104b for measuring the current value delivered to the second connection port 105b.

[0047] Step S202: When the power consumption of one connection port is at a low level and the power consumption of another connection port is at a high level, the controller 101 triggers the reallocation of the power budget. That is, when the controller 101 detects that the power consumption of one connection port is lower than a predetermined value compared to the power budget of the corresponding connection port, and the power consumption of another connection port is close to its power budget, the controller 101 triggers the renegotiation of the power budget of each connection port.

[0048] More specifically, in this step, the controller 101 periodically monitors the high and low states of the average power value of each connection port. Here, the so-called periodic execution can be periodic or executed according to the scheduled time of the controller 101. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 101 monitors the difference between the average power of the connection port and its power budget. For example, when the average power of the first connection port 105a is less than a first critical value, and the average power of the second connection port 105b is greater than a second critical value, it means that the power consumption of the first external power device 200a connected to the first connection port 105a is at a low level, that is, the power currently required by the external power device is low, and the power consumption of the second external power device 200b connected to the second connection port 105b is at a high level, and it may even need more power. Therefore, the controller 101 actively triggers the reallocation adjustment of the power budget so that the idle power budget share can be moved to the power device in need.

[0049] The first critical value is a value less than the power budget of the first connection port 105a, and can be a value obtained by subtracting a certain value (e.g., 20W) from the power budget of the first connection port 105a; or a value obtained by multiplying the power budget of the first connection port 105a by a ratio (e.g., 20%). Similarly, the second critical value is a value less than the power budget of the second connection port 105b, and can be a value obtained by subtracting a certain value (e.g., 10W) ​​from the power budget of the second connection port 105b; or a value obtained by multiplying the power budget of the second connection port 105b by a ratio (e.g., 80%). The present invention adopts a difference, a ratio, or other methods to set the first / second critical values, so as to be sufficient to determine whether the average power consumption of the connection port is at a low level or a high level, and to match each other. For example, the first critical value can be set to the power budget of the first connection port 105a minus 20W, and the second critical value can be set to the power budget of the second connection port 105b multiplied by 80%.

[0050] Taking USB Type-C as an example, when the controller 101 detects a high or low state, for example, when the power consumption of the first connection port 105a is at a low level and the power consumption of the second connection port 105b is at a high level, the controller 101 prepares a new version of power supply capability information for each connection port, wherein the power supply capability information option for the first connection port 105a is adjusted down, and the power supply capability information option for the second connection port 105b is adjusted up. The power supply capability information is sent to each external power-consuming device through each connection port, and the operating voltage / current is negotiated with each external power-consuming device.

[0051] Regarding average power, in one embodiment of the present invention, the controller 101 obtains the current values ​​monitored by the current sensor 104a and the current sensor 104b, and performs an average operation to calculate the average current value, thereby calculating the average power consumption of each connection port. The present invention uses a running average method to calculate the average current value. Various other average calculation methods, such as averaging the most recent N data, can also be used in the present invention. According to the calculated average current value and the voltage value in the power budget, the average power value is obtained.

[0052] Step S203: reduce the power budget of one connection port and increase the power budget of another connection port. Following the example of step 202, the controller 101 transmits the upgraded power supply capability information to the first external power device 200a through the first connection port 105a, and transmits the downgraded power supply capability information to the second external power device 200b through the second connection port 105b. Once the request information responded by the first external power device 200a shows that a reduced voltage or current is used, and the request information responded by the second external power device 200b shows that an increased voltage or current is used, the controller 101 will accordingly reduce the power budget corresponding to the first connection port 105a to control the first power converter 103a to work at a lower voltage or current, and increase the power budget corresponding to the second connection port 105b to control the second power converter 103b to work at a higher voltage or current. In this way, the idle power budget share is transferred to the power device that needs more power, which is conducive to shortening the charging time.

[0053] In summary, the multi-port USB power distribution system and its power distribution method provided by the present invention can achieve proper allocation of power budget based on the classification and table lookup of the required voltage of the power-consuming device; and by monitoring the average power consumption of each connection port, the idle power budget share can be transferred to the power-consuming device that needs more power, so as to fully utilize the power supply device capacity and make the power-consuming device charge faster.

[0054] The above are only specific embodiments of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A multi-port power delivery system for distributing power from a system power supply to a plurality of external power-consuming devices, the multi-port power delivery system comprising: a first power converter coupled between a first connection port and the system power supply; a second power converter coupled between a second connection port and the system power supply; as well as a controller coupled between the first power converter, the second power converter, the first connection port, and the second connection port, the controller being configured to perform: (a) negotiating a first power requirement of the first connection port and a second power requirement of the second connection port, and setting a first power budget of the first connection port and a second power budget of the second connection port; (b) calculating a first average power of the first connection port and a second average power of the second connection port; and (c) monitoring a difference between the first average power and the first power budget and a difference between the second average power and the second power budget, and adjusting the first power budget and the second power budget accordingly.

2. The multi-port power delivery system of claim 1, wherein the multi-port power delivery system complies with USB power delivery specifications. 3 . The multi-port power delivery system of claim 1 , wherein the first connection port and the second connection port comprise USB Type-C connection ports.

4. The multi-port power delivery system of claim 1 , wherein in the execution of item (a) by the controller, the controller is further configured to execute: (a1) classifying the first power demand as a first type based on a first requested voltage in the first power demand; (a2) classifying the second power demand as a second type based on a second requested voltage in the second power demand; and (a3) performing a table lookup based on the first type and the second type to determine the first power budget and the second power budget.

5. The multi-port power delivery system of claim 1 , further comprising: The first power converter includes a first current sensor for measuring a first current value of the first connection port; The second power converter includes a second current sensor for measuring a second current value of the second connection port; as well as With respect to the execution item (b) of the controller, the controller is further configured to execute: (b1) calculating the first average power based on a first output voltage and the first current value of the first power budget; and (b2) Calculating the second average power based on a second output voltage of the second power budget and the second current value.

6. The multi-port power delivery system of claim 1 , wherein with respect to execution (c) of the controller, the controller is further configured to execute: When the monitoring item (c) is executed and the first average power is less than a first threshold and the second average power is greater than a second threshold, the controller is used to negotiate the power requirements of the first connection port and the second connection port to reduce the first power budget and increase the second power budget. 7 . The multi-port power delivery system of claim 6 , wherein the first threshold is smaller than the first power budget, and the second threshold is smaller than the second power budget.

8. A multi-port power distribution method for distributing power to a plurality of external power-consuming devices, the multi-port power distribution method comprising the following steps: (a) negotiating, by a controller, a first power requirement of a first connection port and a second power requirement of a second connection port, and determining, by the controller, a first power budget of the first connection port and a second power budget of the second connection port based on the first power requirement and the second power requirement; (b) the controller calculates a first average power of the first connection port and a second average power of the second connection port; and (c) The controller monitors a difference between the first average power and the first power budget and a difference between the second average power and the second power budget, and adjusts the first power budget and the second power budget accordingly.

9. The multi-port power distribution method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the multi-port power distribution system complies with USB power delivery specifications. 10 . The multi-port power distribution method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the first connection port and the second connection port comprise USB Type-C connection ports.

11. The multi-port power allocation method of claim 8, wherein step (a) comprises the following steps: (a1) the controller classifies the first power demand as a first type based on a first request voltage in the first power demand; (a2) the controller classifies the second power demand as a second type based on a second request voltage in the second power demand; as well as (a3) The controller performs a table lookup based on the first type and the second type to determine the first power budget and the second power budget.

12. The multi-port power allocation method of claim 8, wherein step (b) comprises the following steps: (b1) measuring a first current value of the first connection port by a first current sensor; (b2) measuring a second current value of the second connection port by a second current sensor; (b3) the controller calculates a first average current value based on the first current value, and calculates a second average current value based on the second current value; (b4) the controller calculates the first average power based on a first output voltage of the first power budget and the first average current value; as well as (b5) The controller calculates the second average power based on a second output voltage of the second power budget and the second average current value.

13. The multi-port power allocation method of claim 8, wherein step (c) comprises the following steps: The controller monitors that when the first average power is less than a first critical value and the second average power is greater than a second critical value in step (c), power requirements of the first connection port and the second connection port are negotiated to reduce the first power budget and increase the second power budget. 14 . The multi-port power allocation method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the first threshold is smaller than the first power budget, and the second threshold is smaller than the second power budget.

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