Power supply device, conversion adapter, and power supply device

Abstract

The invention provides a power supply device, a power supply device constituting the power supply device, and a conversion adapter, the power supply device can be matched with a DC power input terminal of an information communication device such as a notebook computer provided with a separate DC power input terminal, and can supply DC power required by the information communication device. This power supply device (100) comprises: a power supply device (10) that detects the type of conversion adapter (20) and outputs DC power supported by the conversion adapter (20), said power supply device (10) being provided with a power supply plug (11) for inputting AC power, an AC / DC conversion circuit (12) for converting AC power into DC power, and a DC output unit (13) for outputting the converted power; the conversion adapter (20) is provided with a jack (25) whose shape is matched with a DC input part of a specified personal computer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a power supply device, a conversion adapter, and a power supply apparatus for supplying power to information communication devices such as laptop computers. Background Art

[0002] Regarding the connection between a power supply device and an electronic device such as a laptop computer, the following inventions are publicly known, for example.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-109898) discloses a method for USB charging, an electronic device, and a charger device, which do not require user operation, can reduce problems of charging / power supply level mismatch and product damage, and at the same time shorten the charging time. In the charging system described in Patent Document 1, the electronic device and the USB charger use a USB data cable to establish a bidirectional communication connection. The USB charger provides charger capability information to the main controller of the electronic device via the bidirectional communication connection. The main controller preferentially selects the fastest charging match between the charger capability information and the device charging capability information, and transmits composition information via the bidirectional communication connection for setting the power supply level of the USB charger. The USB charger transmits power supply status information to the electronic device, and the electronic device reconstructs the charger power supply level based on this information.

[0004] Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-117702) discloses a portable charger that improves the convenience of the user's operation for starting charging. The portable charger described in Patent Document 2 includes a power plug portion, a DC output portion, a power conversion circuit, and a control device. The power plug portion is configured to be connectable to the output portion of a power supply device, and AC power is input from the output portion of the power supply device to the power plug portion. The DC output portion is configured to be connectable to the power receiving portion of a power supply target and output DC power to the power receiving portion of the power supply target. The power conversion circuit is configured to convert the AC power input from the power plug portion into DC power and output it to the DC output portion. The control device controls the power conversion circuit. The DC output portion has a start switch. When the start switch is operated by the user, the start switch instructs the controller to control the power conversion circuit so that the DC output portion outputs DC power. However, when at least one of the power plug portion and the DC output portion is not connected, the start switch is disabled.

[0005] Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-521777) discloses a device and method for distinguishing and adjusting a dedicated charger, a non-floating charger, and a floating charger for charging current. The portable device described in Patent Document 3 is provided with a charger detection circuit. The charger detection circuit is configured to detect whether the connected Universal Serial Bus (USB) charger complies with the USB battery charging specification. The charger detection circuit is configured to further detect whether the non-compliant USB charger is a non-compliant floating charger or a non-compliant dedicated charger when the connected USB charger does not comply with the battery charging specification. The portable electronic device can be configured to mobilize the maximum charging current under the USB battery charging specification conditions when the connected USB charger is determined to be a non-compliant dedicated USB charger.

[0006] Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-531368) discloses a method for changing the default current limit value of the USB power system. The electronic system described in Patent Document 4 may include: a cable detector component for detecting a plug connected to a port; a source detector component for determining the identification display of a power source; and a circuit structure for changing the input current limit value or the output current limit value of an electronic device. Prior Art Documents Patent Documents

[0007] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-109898 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-117702 Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-521777 Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-531368 Summary of the Invention Technical Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] In recent years, USB-PD (USB Power Delivery) has been established as the charging standard for USB-Type-C. When a charger supporting USB-PD, a USB-C cable, and an information communication device such as a laptop computer supporting USB-PD are combined, the maximum supply power can reach 100W or 240W (USB-PD 3.1). Furthermore, in the protocols after USB-PD 3.0, in order to promote optimal charging, the PPS (Programable Power Supply) function has been added as an option. For information communication devices supporting PPS, the voltage and current output by the charger can be finely set. However, in reality, there are a large number of information communication devices that do not support USB-PD or do not have the PPS function, and it is generally believed that they will not disappear soon in the future. In particular, in laptop computers, the terminal shape, required input voltage, and current of the DC power input section vary depending on the model or manufacturer. Regarding the differences in the terminal shapes of the DC power input section, it can be addressed by preparing output jacks of different shapes for each laptop computer. However, it is difficult to prepare a suitable charger for each laptop computer for the differences in the required input voltage and current. As a result, for example, when charging a laptop computer with a 19V input specification using a charger with a 20V output, there is a large power loss, and problems such as severe heating of the charger and / or the laptop computer and in some cases damage may occur.

[0009] In the charging system described in Patent Document 1, an electronic device and a charger device can exchange charger capability information and device charging capability information via a USB cable and reconstruct the optimal power supply level of the charger. However, when charging a laptop computer that does not support USB-PD, especially a laptop computer with a dedicated DC power input terminal, even if the shape of the output jack of the conversion adapter can match the shape of the laptop computer, the device charging capability information required by the laptop computer cannot be provided to the charger. Therefore, the output voltage and current on the charger side cannot be optimized, and the problems of power loss, heating, and / or damage cannot be solved.

[0010] Although the portable charger described in Patent Document 2 is characterized in that a start switch is provided in the DC output section and the start switch is disabled when at least one of the power plug head and the DC output section is not connected, this charger does not have the function of detecting the voltage or current required by the connected electronic device and the function of adjusting the voltage or current of the DC output section according to the voltage or current required by the connected electronic device.

[0011] The portable device described in Patent Document 3 is provided with a charger detection circuit and can be configured to detect the specifications of the connected USB charger and, when the connected USB charger is determined to be a non-standard dedicated USB charger, activate the maximum charging current of the USB battery charging standard. However, when an existing laptop computer has a dedicated DC power input terminal, the device charging capability information required by the laptop computer cannot be provided to the charger. Therefore, the output voltage and current on the charger side cannot be optimized.

[0012] The electronic system described in Patent Document 4 can change the default current limit value by including a cable detector component, a source detector component, and a circuit structure for changing the input current limit value or output current limit value of an electronic device. However, even in this case, for a laptop computer with a dedicated DC power input terminal, since there is no path to change the current limit value of the charger from the laptop computer side, the output current on the charger side cannot be optimized.

[0013] The main object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device, a power supply unit and a conversion adapter constituting the power supply device. For an information communication device such as a laptop computer with a dedicated DC power input terminal, the power supply device can match the DC power input terminal of the information communication device and can provide the DC power required by the information communication device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device, a power supply unit and a conversion adapter constituting the power supply device. In the case where the power supply device cannot supply the DC power required by the information communication device, the output of the power supply device can be stopped to protect the power supply device and the information communication device. Technical means for solving the problem (1) The power supply unit of the first aspect includes: a power plug head for inputting AC power; an AC / DC conversion circuit for converting AC power into DC power; a DC output unit for outputting the converted power; a detection unit for detecting the type of the conversion adapter when the conversion adapter is connected to the DC output unit, and the conversion adapter has a jack whose shape matches the DC power input unit of a specified personal computer.

[0015] Heretofore, in information communication devices such as laptop computers, a power supply unit having a jack with a specified shape and a specified DC voltage and current output specification has been provided as an accessory or a single product and is used when using the information communication device. However, these power supply units are difficult to use due to reasons such as their large overall shape. On the other hand, in small information communication devices such as smart phones, a USB power supply unit that can be directly inserted into a small household AC outlet is widely used. Furthermore, in recent years, USB-PD (USB Power Delivery) has been established as a charging standard for USB-Type-C. When a charger supporting USB-PD, a USB-C cable, and an information communication device such as a laptop computer supporting USB-PD are combined, the maximum supply power can reach 100W or 240W (USB-PD3.1). Therefore, even in relatively large information communication devices such as laptop computers, by combining with a power supply supporting USB-PD and a USB-C cable, it is possible to be used in combination with a USB power supply that can be directly plugged into a small household AC socket. However, in existing information communication devices of the type that input charging power from a DC power input section, even if they are equipped with a USB-C terminal, there are cases where charging power cannot be input from the USB-C cable.

[0016] Therefore, there is provided a conversion adapter that takes a USB-C terminal as an input and has a jack whose shape matches the DC power input section of a specified laptop computer as an output. However, these existing conversion adapters only perform terminal shape conversion. Even if a USB-C cable is connected to the input side, information such as which laptop computer the charging is for, what the appropriate input voltage and current of the laptop computer are, cannot be provided to the USB power supply via the USB-C cable.

[0017] The power supply according to the first aspect includes a detection unit that, in view of the problems in the use of the above-mentioned existing conversion adapters, detects the type of the conversion adapter connected to the DC output section. And by using the detection unit to detect the type of the conversion adapter, it is possible to identify the type of the laptop computer that matches the jack of the conversion adapter and obtain information on the input voltage and / or current required by the laptop computer. It should be noted that an AC output section (power socket) can be further added to the power supply. In this case, the problem of the reduction in the number of insertion ports of the power socket caused by connecting the power supply to the power socket can be alleviated. (2) As the power supply according to the second invention, in the power supply according to the first aspect, when the detection unit detects the type of the conversion adapter, DC power supported by the conversion adapter can be output from the DC output section.

[0019] As the input voltage of a laptop computer, there are various types such as 16V, 19V, 20V, etc. For example, when a voltage of 20V is applied to a laptop computer with a 16V input, the heat generation on the laptop computer side increases, power loss occurs, and at the same time, a failure may be caused. On the other hand, when a voltage of 15V is applied to a laptop computer with a 20V input, most laptop computers cannot be charged and no charging mark will be displayed. However, there are also devices that can be charged even with 15V. In this case, the maximum current that can flow in the charger will be output from the charger, so the charger may heat up and cause a failure. Or, the charger may repeat the process of "output → stop due to exceeding the current value limit → output", resulting in a failure. In the power supply of the second invention, by detecting the type of the conversion adapter, identifying the type of the laptop computer that matches the jack of the conversion adapter, and outputting the DC power (voltage, current) required by the laptop computer, problems such as inability to charge, large power loss, and in the worst case, failure can be prevented. (3) As the power supply of the third invention, in the power supply of the second invention, when the DC power supported by the conversion adapter cannot be output from the DC output section, the power supply from the DC output section can be stopped.

[0021] For example, in a power supply that can only output a maximum voltage of 15V, when it is recognized from the type of the conversion adapter that the voltage required by the connected laptop computer is 20V, if the laptop computer can be charged even at 15V, when a voltage of 15V is output from the power supply, the maximum current that can flow in the power supply will be output from the power supply, and thus the power supply may heat up and cause a failure. Or, the power supply will repeat the process of "output → stop due to exceeding the current value limit → output", which may lead to the worst failure. In the power supply of the third invention, in order to prevent the above situation, when the power supply cannot output the voltage required by the laptop computer connected with the conversion adapter, the power supply from the DC output section is not performed. (4) As the power supply of the fourth invention, in the power supply of any one of the first to third inventions, the power supply may further include a display section, and when the type of the conversion adapter is detected, the display section displays the detected information.

[0023] In this case, by displaying the detected information, it can be confirmed that the safety function of the power supply is working, and a sense of security can be given to the user. In addition, when the power supply has multiple systems of DC output sections, the user can easily grasp the possibility that the output power of the DC output section without a connected conversion adapter is limited. (5) As the power supply of the fifth invention, in the power supply of any one of the first to fourth inventions, the DC output section and the conversion adapter can be connected via a USB-C cable, and the type of the conversion adapter can be detected according to the VID (Vender ID: vendor identification code) and the PID (Product ID: product identification code).

[0025] The power supply and the conversion adapter are equipped with USB-C terminals, and the DC output section and the conversion adapter are connected via a USB-C cable, enabling sharing with a power supply that supports USB-PD (Power Delivery). Additionally, by setting the VID and PID in the conversion adapter connected by the USB cable, the VID and PID can be detected according to the USB standard specifications, making it easy to identify the type of the conversion adapter based on the VID and PID, and further identifying the type of laptop computer that matches the conversion adapter. (6) As the power supply of the sixth invention, in the power supply of any one of the first to fifth inventions, when the DC output section is directly connected to a personal computer via a USB-C cable, the power supply can operate as a power supply that supports USB-PD. Note that USB-PD is an abbreviation for USB-Power Delivery.

[0027] In the power supply of the sixth invention, the DC output section can be composed of a USB-C terminal and be directly connected to a personal computer via a USB-C cable. Therefore, when connected to a laptop computer that supports USB-PD via a USB-C cable that supports USB-PD, the power supply can operate as a USB power supply that supports USB-PD. In this case, by supplying power to a traditional model laptop computer with a DC power input section via a conversion adapter and directly supplying power to a recent laptop computer that supports USB-PD, etc., one power supply can be used for a wide range of purposes, which is very convenient. (7) The conversion adapter in other aspects is a conversion adapter capable of connecting to the power supply of any one of the first to sixth inventions, and may include: a DC input section connected to the power supply; a jack for supplying DC power and having a shape that matches the DC power input section of a specified personal computer; a power supply detection section for detecting the type of the power supply; and a protection circuit for stopping the output of DC power from the jack when the power supply cannot supply the power required by the specified personal computer.

[0029] The conversion adapter of the seventh invention can detect the type of the connected power supply, so the specifications of the DC power that the power supply can supply can be obtained. And when the power supply cannot supply the DC power (voltage and current) required by the personal computer, for example, when the maximum output voltage of the power supply is 15V while the voltage required by the personal computer is 20V, depending on the type of the personal computer, the maximum current that can flow in the power supply will be output from the power supply, so the power supply may heat up and be damaged. Or, the power supply will repeat "output → stop due to exceeding the current value limit → output", resulting in a malfunction. In such cases, the conversion adapter of the seventh invention can prevent the worst-case scenario by stopping the output of DC power from the jack. It should be noted that the connection method between the power supply and the conversion adapter and the detection method of the power supply detection unit are not particularly limited. For example, the power supply and the conversion adapter can be connected through a USB-C cable, and the conversion adapter can detect the type of the power supply by detecting the VID (Vender ID: vendor identification code) and PID (Product ID: product identification code) of the power supply. (8) As the conversion adapter of the eighth invention, in the conversion adapter of the seventh invention, when the power supply detection unit cannot detect the type of the power supply, the output of the power supply can be output unchanged or the output can be stopped.

[0031] Since the types of personal computers connected to the jack of the output unit of the conversion adapter are limited, the specifications such as whether the protection circuit of the personal computer works can be grasped when the power supply cannot supply the DC power required by the personal computer. Therefore, for example, the conversion adapter can output the output of the power supply unchanged or stop the output according to the type of the personal computer connected to the conversion adapter. (9) In other aspects, the power supply device includes a power supply of any one of the first to sixth inventions and a conversion adapter of the seventh or eighth invention. When the power supply and the conversion adapter are connected, it outputs the DC power supported by the designated personal computer that matches the jack of the conversion adapter, and stops the output when the power supply cannot output the DC power supported by the designated personal computer.

[0033] In the power supply device of other aspects, the information on the DC power required by the connected personal computer is determined according to the type of the conversion adapter, and the type of the conversion adapter is detected by the power supply, so that the power supply can identify the information on the DC power required by the connected personal computer. Therefore, in other aspects of the power supply device, the DC output of the power supply can be set to the DC power required by the connected personal computer, so that the DC power most suitable for the personal computer can be provided to the personal computer. In addition, when the power supply cannot supply the DC power required by the personal computer, the output of the power supply can be stopped to prevent excessive power loss or situations such as failures of the power supply or the personal computer. (10) As the power supply device of the tenth invention, in other aspects of the power supply device, the power supply can be provided with DC output parts of two or more systems, and when a conversion adapter is connected to one DC output part, the output power is preferentially distributed to the DC output part on the side where the conversion adapter is connected.

[0035] Heretofore, in a power supply having DC output parts of two systems, the distribution of DC power to the DC output parts of the two systems has been fixed. For example, in a power supply with a maximum output of 70W, most are distributed as Output 1: 45W and Output 2: 25W. And, for example, when the DC power required by the personal computer is 65W, the charger with the above-fixed DC power distribution cannot supply the DC power required by the personal computer. In contrast, in the power supply device of the tenth invention, when a conversion adapter is connected to one DC output part, by detecting the type of the conversion adapter by the power supply, the information on the DC power required by the connected personal computer can be identified, and the required DC power can be preferentially distributed. Specifically, the DC power required by the personal computer, that is, 65W, can be allocated to the conversion adapter to charge the personal computer with appropriate DC power. Description of the Drawings

[0036] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a power supply device composed of a power supply and a conversion adapter. Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of a power supply device composed of a power supply with two output systems and a conversion adapter. Figure 3 (A) is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the power supply when viewed from the front side, Figure 3 (B) is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the power supply when viewed from the back. Figure 4 (A), (B), (C), and (D) are respectively schematic perspective views showing examples of the appearance of a conversion adapter having jacks matching the DC power input parts of different personal computers. Figure 5A schematic flowchart showing an example of the operation process of a power supply unit. Figure 6 A schematic flowchart showing an example of the operation process of a conversion adapter. Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram showing a modified example of the usage method of a power supply unit. Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of a power supply device composed of a conventional power supply unit and a conversion adapter. Description of Reference Numerals

[0037] 10, 10a, 10b: Power supply units; 11: Power plug portion; 12: AC / DC conversion circuit; 13, 13a, 21, 31: USB port portions; 14: Detection unit (USB I / F); 16: Display unit; 20, 20b: Conversion adapters; 22: Protection circuit; 23: Power supply unit detection unit (USB I / F); 25: Jack; 30, 30a: Laptop computers; 40: USB-C cable; 100, 100a, 100b: Power supply devices. Detailed Description of the Embodiment

[0038] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. In addition, when the reference numerals are the same, their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated.

[0039] [Power Supply Device 100] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a power supply device 100 composed of a power supply unit 10 and a conversion adapter 20. Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a power supply device 100a composed of a power supply unit 10a having two output systems and a conversion adapter 20. Figure 3 A schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the power supply unit 10. Figure 4 A schematic perspective view of a conversion adapter 20 having a jack 25 whose shape matches the DC power input portion of a different laptop computer 30. In Figure 1 the power supply unit 10 and the conversion adapter 20 are connected by a USB-C cable 40, and the output of the conversion adapter 20 supplies DC power to the laptop computer 30 via a jack 25 whose shape matches the DC power input portion of the designated laptop computer 30. Note that in this embodiment, although it is described that the conversion adapter 20 uses the laptop 30 as the object for DC power supply, the object for DC power supply is not limited to the laptop 30. For example, even for information and communication devices such as computers other than laptop types (personal computers) and tablet computers, as long as they are devices that supply DC power through a jack 25 with a specified shape, the power supply device 100 of the present invention can supply DC power. In addition, in this embodiment, although the power supply 10 and the conversion adapter 20 are connected by a USB-C cable 40, the cable connecting the power supply 10 and the conversion adapter 20 may not be the USB-C cable 40, as long as it includes a cable for supplying DC power and a signal cable for connecting the detection unit 14 of the power supply 10 and the power supply detection unit 23 of the conversion adapter 20. The power supply 10 includes a power plug portion 11, an AC / DC conversion circuit 12, a USB port portion 13, a detection unit 14, a control unit 15, and a display unit 16. Note that the power supply 10 may include one or more socket portions that are connected to the power plug portion 11 and into which other power plugs can be inserted. The AC / DC conversion circuit 12 inputs AC power from the power plug portion 11 and outputs DC power with a specified voltage and current from the USB port portion 13 according to a request from the control unit 15. The detection unit 14 is connected to the USB port portion 13 and obtains information such as the VID (Vender ID) and PID (Product ID) of the conversion adapter 20 via the USB-C cable 40. Note that in the case where the cable connecting the power supply 10 and the conversion adapter 20 is not the USB-C cable 40, the detection of the type of the conversion adapter 20 can be performed by a method other than detecting the VID and PID.

[0040] When the information of the conversion adapter 20 connected to the detection unit 14 is detected, the control unit 152 instructs the AC / DC conversion circuit to supply DC power with the required voltage and current based on the detected information such as the VID and PID. If the power supply 10 cannot supply the required voltage or current, in this case, the control unit 15 instructs the AC / DC conversion circuit 12 to stop the power supply. In addition, in the case where information such as the VID and PID cannot be obtained, or although the VID and PID are obtained, but the specifications such as the voltage and current corresponding to the VID and PID are unknown, the general DC power (voltage, current) inherent to the power supply 10 is output. When the information of the conversion adapter 20 is detected, the control unit 15 displays the detected information through an LED or the like of the display unit 16. In addition, a liquid crystal display or the like may be provided for the display unit 16 to display information such as output voltage and current.

[0041] The conversion adapter 20 includes a USB port unit 21, a protection circuit 22, a power supply detector 23, a control unit 24, and a jack 25. The protection circuit 22 is inserted between the USB port unit 21 and the jack 25, and stops the DC power supply from the jack 25 when necessary. The protection circuit 22 can be composed of, for example, a power field effect transistor (Power FET). The power supply detector 23 is connected to the USB port unit 21, and obtains information such as the VID (Vender ID: vendor identification code) and PID (Product ID: product identification code) of the power supply 10 via the USB-C cable 40. It should be noted that when the cable connecting the power supply 10 and the conversion adapter 20 is not the USB-C cable 40, the detection of the type of the power supply 10 can be performed by a method other than detecting the VID and PID. When the power supply detector 23 detects the information of the connected power supply 10, the control unit 24 grasps the DC power (voltage, current) that the power supply 10 can supply based on the detected VID, PID, etc., and if the power supply 10 cannot supply the required voltage and current, the protection circuit 22 is opened to stop the power supply. In addition, when the information of the power supply 10 cannot be detected, the control unit 24 supplies the general power from the power supply 10 to the personal computer without change or stops the power supply according to the general output setting of the conversion adapter 20. This general output setting can be fixed separately according to the personal computer that the conversion adapter 20 matches, or a changeover switch (not shown) can be provided in the conversion adapter 20 to enable switching. The shape of the jack 25 is different for each matching notebook computer 30 (refer to Figure 4 ), and by confirming whether the jack 25 matches the DC power input unit of the notebook computer 30, it is ensured that the conversion adapter 20 supports the notebook computer 30.

[0042] Figure 2 Fig. shows a schematic structural diagram of a power supply device 100a composed of a power supply 10a having two output systems and a conversion adapter 20. Relative to Figure 1 's structural diagram, Figure 2 's structural diagram is added with an output distribution unit 18 that distributes the output of the AC / DC conversion circuit 12 and a second-system USB port unit 13a.Figure 2 The other structures of Figure 1 the power supply device 100 are the same, so their descriptions are omitted. In normal use, in the power supply 10a with two output systems, the output power of the AC / DC conversion circuit 12 is distributed in a fixed ratio. For example, when the maximum power supply capacity of the power supply 10a is 70W, in normal use, the USB port section 13 is 45W and the USB port section 13a is 25W. However, in the power supply device 100a of the present invention, when the conversion adapter 20 is connected to the USB port section 13 via the USB-C cable 40, power is preferentially allocated to the USB port section 13 to which the conversion adapter 20 is connected. For example, when the power supply 10a detects the connection of the conversion adapter 20 and determines that the DC power required to be supplied to the laptop 30 by the conversion adapter 20 is 65W, the output distribution unit 18 changes the power distribution ratio so that 65W of power is distributed to the USB port section 13 and 5W of power is supplied to the USB port section 13a. Thus, in the power supply device 100a of the present invention, it is possible to avoid the problem of insufficient power supply (state without a charging mark) to the laptop 30 that occurs when the conversion adapter 20b of the prior art is connected to the power supply 10a (maximum output 70W) with two output systems. It should be noted that although Figure 2 the structural diagram of the power supply 10a with two output systems is shown, if necessary, the power supply 10a can also have three or more output systems. In this case, all systems can be of the USB-C standard, or multiple standards can be mixed, with some systems being of the USB-C standard and other systems being of the USB-A standard, etc. In addition, the output distribution of the output distribution unit 18 is not limited to the above example. For example, according to the type of the detected conversion adapter 20, the power distribution ratio between the USB port section 13 to which the conversion adapter 20 is connected and the other USB port section 13a can be appropriately changed to a preset ratio.

[0043] [Appearance of the power supply 10a and the conversion adapter 20] Figure 3 (A) is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the power supply 10a when viewed from the front side, Figure 3 (B) is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the power supply 10a when viewed from the back. When using the power supply 10a, hold the housing 19 and insert the power plug portion 11 into a socket (not shown), and at the same time insert a USB-C cable into the USB port portion 13. Additionally, as needed, the plug of other electrical devices can be inserted into the socket portion 17. Preferably, a stepped portion is provided on the housing 19, and the USB port portion 13 is provided on the stepped portion, thereby protecting the connector portion of the USB-C cable 40. Additionally, the power plug portion 11 is rotatably fixed to the housing 19, which is very convenient.

[0044] Figure 4 (A), (B), (C), and (D) are examples showing the appearance of the conversion adapter 20 having jacks 25 that match the DC power input portions of different personal computers. When using the conversion adapter 20, insert the USB-C cable 40 with the other end connected to the power supplies 10, 10a into the USB port portion 21, and insert the jack 25 into the matching laptop computer 30. The shape of the DC power input portion of the laptop computer 30 varies depending on the manufacturer or model of each laptop computer 30. By confirming whether the jack 25 matches the DC power input portion of the personal computer, it is ensured that the conversion adapter 20 supports the laptop computer 30.

[0045] [Workflow of the power supply 10 and the conversion adapter 20] Figure 5 A flowchart showing the workflow of the power supply 10 is shown. Hereinafter, based on Figure 5 , the workflow of the power supply 10 will be described. (Step S01) Standby until the conversion adapter 20 is connected. (Step S02) When the conversion adapter 20 is connected, the display unit 16 (such as an LED) displays the connection. (Step S03) Obtain the VID and PID of the conversion adapter 20 through the USB-C cable 40, and confirm whether the conversion adapter 20 is a conversion adapter 20 that supports the power supply 10 of the present invention. (Step S04) In the case where the conversion adapter 20 is a conversion adapter 20 that supports the power supply 10 of the present invention, obtain the power demand of the laptop computer 30 powered by the conversion adapter 20. It should be noted that in the case where the conversion adapter 20 is a conversion adapter 20 that supports the power supply 10 of the present invention, the power demand can be obtained by obtaining the VID and PID. (Step S05) Confirm whether the power supply 10 can supply DC power according to the power demand of the laptop 30. (Step S06) If the power supply 10 can supply power according to the power demand of the laptop 30, the power supply 10 supplies DC power according to the power demand. (Step S07) If the power supply 10 cannot supply power according to the power demand of the laptop 30, power supply is not performed. (Step S08) If the conversion adapter 20 is a conversion adapter 20 that does not support the power supply 10 of the present invention, the general power (voltage, current) inherent to the power supply 10 is output.

[0046] Figure 6 The flowchart shows the working process of the conversion adapter 20. Hereinafter, based on Figure 6 The working process of the conversion adapter 20 will be described. (Step S11) Standby until the power supply 10 is connected. (Step S12) Obtain the VID and PID of the power supply 10 through the USB-C cable 40, and confirm whether the power supply 10 is a power supply 10 that supports the conversion adapter 20 of the present invention. (Step S13) If the power supply 10 is a power supply 10 that supports the conversion adapter 20 of the present invention, the power demand of the laptop 30 connected to the conversion adapter 20 is sent through the USB-C cable 40. Note that, if the power supply 10 is a power supply 10 that supports the conversion adapter 20 of the present invention, the power demand can be sent by sending the VID and PID of the conversion adapter 20. (Step S14) Confirm whether the power supply 10 can supply power according to the power demand of the laptop 30. If the power supply 10 is a power supply 10 that supports the conversion adapter 20 of the present invention, the power supply capacity of the power supply 10 can be obtained by obtaining the VID and PID of the power supply 10. (Step S15) If the power supply 10 can supply power according to the power demand of the laptop 30, the power supply 10 outputs the required DC power. (Step S16) If the power supply 10 cannot supply power according to the power demand of the laptop 30, the output of DC power is stopped. Specifically, the switch composed of FETs etc. in the protection circuit 22 is opened. (Step S17) When the power supply 10 is not the power supply 10 that supports the conversion adapter 20 of the present invention, it is confirmed whether the conversion adapter 20 is set to output general power. It should be noted that whether the conversion adapter 20 outputs general power is determined for each conversion adapter 20 according to the specifications of the protection circuit etc. of the laptop computer 30 it supports. For example, in the case of supplying a voltage or current outside the specifications to the laptop computer 30 supported by the conversion adapter, it is anticipated that problems such as serious overheating will occur in the power supply 10 and / or the laptop computer 30. In this case, the conversion adapter 20 that supports the laptop computer 30 is set not to output general power. (Step S18) When the conversion adapter 20 is set to output general power, the conversion adapter 20 supplies the general power supplied from the power supply 10 to the laptop computer 30 without change. It should be noted that when the conversion adapter 20 is set not to output general power, the output of DC power is stopped. Specifically, the switch composed of an FET etc. in the protection circuit 22 is opened (Step S16).

[0047] [Variant example of the usage method of the power supply 10] Figure 7 The schematic structural diagram in the case of directly connecting the power supply 10 to the laptop computer 30a that has a USB port part 31 and supports USB-PD is shown. In this case, the USB port part 13 of the power supply 10 is connected to the USB port part 31 of the laptop computer 30a via the USB-C cable 40. In addition, in this case, the power supply 10 operates in accordance with the standard specifications of a power supply that supports USB-PD. Therefore, the description of the operation of the power supply 10 is omitted.

[0048] [Structural example of the power supply device 100b composed of the prior art power supply 10b and conversion adapter 20b] Figure 8 The structural diagram of the power supply device 100b composed of the prior art power supply 10b and conversion adapter 20b is shown. In this case, the power supply 10b and the conversion adapter 20b are also connected via the USB-C cable 40. Therefore, the USB I / F 14a of the power supply 10b and the USB I / F 23a of the conversion adapter 20b can obtain the VID and PID of the connected power supply 10b and conversion adapter 20b. However, the power supply device 100b composed of the prior art power supply 10b and conversion adapter 20b has the following problems. (a) Even if the power supply unit acquires the VID and PID of the conversion adapter 20b, it cannot obtain the power requirement of the laptop computer 30 powered by the conversion adapter 20b. (b) Even if the conversion adapter 20b acquires the VID and PID of the power supply unit 10b, it cannot confirm whether the power supply unit 10b can supply DC power according to the power requirement of the laptop computer 30. Therefore, in the power supply device 100b composed of the prior art power supply unit 10b and the conversion adapter 20b, the power supply unit 10b cannot supply DC power according to the power requirement of the laptop computer 30. Additionally, even when the power supply unit 10 cannot supply power according to the power requirement of the laptop computer 30, the power supply cannot be stopped. Furthermore, comparing the conversion adapter 20 of the present invention with the prior art conversion adapter 20b, the difference lies in that a protection circuit 22 is inserted between the input and output of the DC power of the conversion adapter 20 of the present invention, while the prior art conversion adapter 20 does not have a protection circuit 22. Moreover, when the conversion adapter 20 of the present invention supplies a voltage or current outside the specification to the laptop computer 30 powered by the conversion adapter 20, problems such as serious heating of the power supply unit 10 and / or the laptop computer 30 are anticipated. In such a case, the DC power supply of the conversion adapter 20 can be disconnected. However, in the power supply device 100b composed of the prior art power supply unit 10b and the conversion adapter 20b, the DC power supply of the conversion adapter 10 cannot be disconnected.

[0049] As described above, the power supply device composed of the power supply unit 10 and the conversion adapter 20 of the present invention has the following beneficial effects: (A) By connecting the conversion adapter 20 having a jack 25 with a shape matching the DC power input part of the specified laptop computer 30 to the power supply unit 10, DC power can be supplied according to the requirements of the specified laptop computer 30. (B) When the power supply unit 10 cannot supply the DC power required by the specified laptop computer 30, the supply of DC power is stopped, and problems such as unstable operation caused by supplying power outside the specification, for example, serious heating of the power supply unit 10 and / or the laptop computer 30, can be prevented. (C) When the conversion adapter 20 is connected to the prior art power supply unit 10b, unstable operation caused by supplying power outside the specification is also anticipated. In such a case, the protection circuit 22 of the conversion adapter 20 can be used to stop supplying DC power to the laptop computer 30.

[0050] In the present invention, the power plug head 11 corresponds to the "power plug head", the AC / DC conversion circuit 12 corresponds to the "AC / DC conversion circuit", the USB port parts 13, 13a correspond to the "DC output part", the laptop computer 30 corresponds to the "personal computer", the jack 25 corresponds to the "jack", the conversion adapter 20 corresponds to the "conversion adapter", the detection part 14 corresponds to the "detection part", the power suppliers 10, 10a correspond to the "power suppliers", the display part 16 corresponds to the "display part", the USB-C cable 40 corresponds to the "USB-C cable", the USB port part 21 corresponds to the "DC input part", the power supplier detection part 23 corresponds to the "power supplier detection part", the protection circuit 22 corresponds to the "protection circuit", and the power supply device 100 corresponds to the "power supply device".

[0051] A preferred embodiment of the present invention is as described above, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. It should be understood that various other embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Further, although the functions and effects of the structure of the present invention are described in this embodiment, these functions and effects are only examples and do not limit the present invention.

Claims

1. A power supply, characterized in that, Comprising: A power plug head for AC power input; An AC / DC conversion circuit for converting AC power into DC power; A DC output section for outputting the converted power; And A detection section for detecting the type of the conversion adapter when the conversion adapter is connected to the DC output section, the conversion adapter having a jack whose shape matches the DC power input section of a specified personal computer.

2. The power supply according to claim 1, wherein When the detection section detects the type of the conversion adapter, DC power supported by the conversion adapter is output from the DC output section.

3. The power supply section according to claim 2, wherein When DC power supported by the conversion adapter cannot be output from the DC output section, power supply from the DC output section is not performed.

4. The power supply according to claim 1, wherein The power supply further comprises a display section, and when the type of the conversion adapter is detected, the display section displays the detected information.

5. The power supply according to claim 1, wherein The DC output section and the conversion adapter are connected via a USB-C cable, and the type of the conversion adapter is detected according to the VID, i.e., the vendor identification code, and the PID, i.e., the product identification code.

6. The power supply according to claim 1, wherein When the DC output section is directly connected to a personal computer via a USB-C cable, the power supply can operate as a power supply supporting USB-PD.

7. A conversion adapter, which is a conversion adapter capable of being connected to the power supply device described in claim 1, is characterized in that Comprising: A DC input section connected to the power supply; The jack for supplying DC power and having a shape matching the DC input section of the specified personal computer; A power supply detection section for detecting the type of the power supply; And A protection circuit for stopping the output of DC power from the jack when the power supply cannot supply the power required by the specified personal computer.

8. The conversion adapter according to claim 7, wherein When the power supply detection section cannot detect the type of the power supply, the output of the power supply is output unchanged or the output is stopped.

9. A power supply device comprising the power supply according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and the conversion adapter according to claim 7 or 8, wherein When the power supply and the conversion adapter are connected, DC power supported by the specified personal computer matching the jack of the conversion adapter is output, When the power supply cannot output the DC power supported by the specified personal computer, the output is stopped.

10. The power supply device according to claim 9, wherein The power supply comprises two or more systems of the DC output sections, and when a conversion adapter is connected to one of the DC output sections, the output power of the power supply is preferentially distributed to the DC output section on the side where the conversion adapter is connected.

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