Power supply circuit for independent control and monitoring of multi-battery charging and / or generation of multiple voltage domains

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques and apparatus for powering, including battery charging. One example power supply circuit generally includes: a switching regulator including an output node; a first power supply node coupled to the output node of the switching regulator; a first charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the first power supply node and including a second terminal coupled to a second power supply node; a first battery node for coupling to a first battery; and a first switch including a first terminal coupled to the first power supply node and including a second terminal connected to the first battery node.

Description

Cross-references to related applications

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 545,729, filed December 19, 2023, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 497,496, filed April 21, 2023, both of which are assigned to the assignee and whose entire contents are expressly incorporated herein by reference, as if fully set forth herein and used for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0002] Certain aspects of this disclosure relate generally to power supply circuits, and more specifically, to techniques and apparatus for independently controlling the charging and management of multiple independent batteries and / or generating multiple voltage domains. Background Technology

[0003] Voltage regulators ideally provide a constant direct current (DC) output voltage, regardless of variations in load current or input voltage. Voltage regulators can be classified as linear regulators or switching regulators. While linear regulators tend to be relatively compact, many applications can benefit from the increased efficiency of switching regulators. For example, a linear regulator can be implemented using a low dropout (LDO) regulator. Switching regulators (also known as “switching converters” or “switches”) can be implemented, for example, using switch-mode power supplies (SMPS), such as buck converters, boost converters, buck-boost converters, or charge pumps.

[0004] For example, a buck converter is a type of SMPS that typically includes: (1) a high-side switch coupled between a relatively high voltage rail and a switching node; (2) a low-side switch coupled between the switching node and a relatively low voltage rail; and (3) an inductor coupled between the switching node and a load (e.g., represented by a parallel capacitor element). The high-side and low-side switches are typically implemented using transistors, but the low-side switch can alternatively be implemented using diodes.

[0005] A charge pump is a type of SMPS that typically includes at least one switching device to control the supply voltage across the load via a capacitor connection. For example, in a voltage doubler (also known as a "multiplier (X2) charge pump"), the capacitor in the charge pump circuit can initially be connected across the power supply, charging the capacitor to the supply voltage. The charge pump circuit can then be reconfigured to connect the capacitor in series with both the power supply and the load, thereby doubling the voltage across the load. This two-stage cycle repeats at the switching frequency of the charge pump. Depending on the circuit topology, the charge pump can be used to multiply or divide voltages by integers or fractions.

[0006] Power management integrated circuits (power management ICs or PMICs) are used to manage the power scheme of a host system and may include and / or control one or more voltage regulators (e.g., buck converters or charge pumps). PMICs can be used in battery-operated devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, wearable devices, etc., to control the flow and direction of power within the device. PMICs can perform various functions of the device, such as DC-DC conversion (e.g., using voltage regulators as described above), battery charging, power selection, voltage scaling, power sequencing, etc. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The systems, methods, and apparatuses of this disclosure each have several aspects, none of which is solely responsible for their desired properties. Without limiting the scope of this disclosure as set forth in the appended claims, some features are briefly discussed below. Upon consideration of this discussion, and especially after reading the section entitled "Detailed Description," it will be understood how the features of this disclosure provide the advantages described herein.

[0008] Some aspects of this disclosure provide a power supply circuit. The power supply circuit typically includes: a switching regulator including an output node; a first battery node for coupling to a first battery; a second battery node for coupling to a second battery; a first switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the first battery node; and a second switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the second battery node.

[0009] Some aspects of this disclosure provide an apparatus. The apparatus typically includes: a switching regulator including an output node; a first battery; a second battery; a first switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the first battery; and a second switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the second battery.

[0010] Some aspects of this disclosure relate to a method of power supply. The method typically includes: converting a first voltage to a second voltage via a first switching regulator; charging a first battery from the output of the first switching regulator via a first switch; and charging a second battery from the output of the first switching regulator via a second switch, the second switch being different from the first switch.

[0011] Some aspects of this disclosure provide a power supply circuit. The power supply circuit typically includes: a switching regulator including an output node; a first power node coupled to the output node of the switching regulator; a first charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the first power node and a second terminal coupled to a second power node; a first battery node for coupling to a first battery; and a first switch including a first terminal coupled to the first power node and a second terminal connected to the first battery node.

[0012] Some aspects of this disclosure provide a power supply circuit. The power supply circuit typically includes: a switching regulator including an output node; a first battery node for coupling to a first battery; a second battery node for coupling to a second battery; a first switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the first battery node; a second switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the second battery node; and a first charge pump including an input coupled to the output node of the switching regulator and an output coupled to the power supply node.

[0013] Some aspects of this disclosure provide an apparatus. The apparatus includes: a switching regulator including an output node, a first battery, a second battery, a first switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the first battery, a second switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the second battery, and a charge pump including an input coupled to the output node of the switching regulator and an output coupled to a power node.

[0014] Some aspects of this disclosure relate to a method of power supply. The method generally includes: converting a first voltage to a second voltage via a first switching regulator; charging a first battery from the output of the first switching regulator via a first switch; charging a second battery from the output of the first switching regulator via a second switch, the second switch being different from the first switch; and converting the second voltage to a third voltage via a second switching regulator, the second switching regulator including a charge pump, and the third voltage being different from the second voltage.

[0015] Some aspects of this disclosure relate to a method of power supply. The method typically includes: converting a first voltage to a second voltage via a first switching regulator; charging a battery from the output of the first switching regulator via a first switch; and converting the second voltage to a third voltage via a second switching regulator, the second switching regulator including a charge pump, and the third voltage being different from the second voltage.

[0016] Some aspects of this disclosure provide an integrated circuit (e.g., a power management integrated circuit (PMIC)) that includes at least a portion of any of the power supply circuits described above.

[0017] Some aspects of this disclosure provide a battery charging circuit that includes any of the power supply circuits described above.

[0018] To achieve the foregoing and related objectives, the one or more aspects include the features fully described below and particularly indicated in the claims. The following description and drawings set forth certain illustrative features of one or more aspects in detail. However, these features indicate only a few of the various ways in which the principles of the aspects can be employed. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To gain a more detailed understanding of the foregoing features of this disclosure, a more detailed description of the content briefly summarized above can be provided by referring to various aspects, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that the drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of this disclosure and are therefore not intended to limit its scope, as the specification may allow for other equally valid aspects.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of an example device including a power management system that can implement various aspects of the present disclosure, the power management system including a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) and a battery charging circuit.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram of an example power supply circuit based on certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 3A This is a circuit diagram of an example power supply circuit capable of single-charger charging according to certain aspects of this disclosure. The power supply circuit includes a switch-mode power supply (SMPS) circuit and multiple independently controlled charging paths.

[0023] Figure 3B , 3C 3D and 3E are circuit diagrams of example power supply circuits capable of parallel charging, including SMPS circuitry and multiple independently controlled charging paths, according to certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0024] Figure 3F This is a circuit diagram of an example power supply circuit capable of charging more than two independent batteries according to certain aspects of this disclosure. The example power supply circuit includes an SMPS circuit and more than two independently controlled charging paths.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating an example operation for power supply based on certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 5 The circuit diagram is an example power supply circuit capable of single-charger charging according to certain aspects of this disclosure. The power supply circuit includes an SMPS circuit for generating a first voltage domain, multiple independently controlled charging paths, and a charge pump for generating a second voltage domain from the first voltage domain.

[0027] Figure 6 This is a circuit diagram of an example power supply circuit capable of parallel charging according to certain aspects of this disclosure, the power supply circuit including an SMPS circuit for generating a first voltage domain and a charge pump for generating a second voltage domain from the first voltage domain.

[0028] Figure 7A and Figure 7B The circuit diagram is an example power supply circuit according to certain aspects of this disclosure, the example power supply circuit being capable of parallel charging of multiple series-connected batteries, and each power supply circuit including an SMPS circuit and a charge pump for generating multiple voltage domains.

[0029] Figure 8 This is a circuit diagram of an example portion of a power supply circuit having multiple charge pumps and capable of charging multiple individual batteries, according to certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0030] Figure 9 and Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating an example operation for power supply based on certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0031] To facilitate understanding, the same reference numerals have been used wherever possible to designate the same elements that are common to the figures. It is conceivable that elements disclosed in one aspect may be usefully applied to other aspects without specific description. Detailed Implementation

[0032] Certain aspects of this disclosure provide techniques and apparatus for independently controlling and managing the charging of multiple independent batteries using a power supply circuit that includes a switching regulator and multiple independently controlled and monitored charging paths. Such a power supply circuit can independently control and monitor the charging of multiple independent batteries without using multiple chargers and can balance the batteries during discharge. In some aspects, the power supply circuit can operate without impedance balancing circuitry (e.g., a current-limiting switch).

[0033] Certain aspects of this disclosure provide techniques and apparatus for efficiently generating multiple voltage domains. For example, some aspects relate to using a switching regulator to generate a first domain and using a charge pump to efficiently generate a second voltage domain from the first domain. These multiple voltage domains can be used internally by the device and / or can be used to charge one or more batteries, each battery potentially comprising the same or different numbers of battery cells connected in series and / or parallel. In some aspects, the generation of multiple voltage domains can be combined with independent control of the charging and management of multiple independent batteries, as described herein.

[0034] The various aspects of this disclosure are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any particular structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein, those skilled in the art will understand that the scope of this disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosure herein, whether implemented independently or in combination with any other aspect of this disclosure. For example, an apparatus or method may be implemented using any number of the aspects set forth herein. Furthermore, the scope of this disclosure is intended to cover such apparatuses or methods practiced using structures, functions, or structures and functions other than or different from the aspects of this disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of this disclosure may be embodied by one or more elements of the claims.

[0035] The word “exemplary” as used herein means “as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described as “exemplary” herein is not necessarily to be construed as preferred over or superior to other aspects.

[0036] As used in this article, the term "connected with" in various tenses of the verb "connect" can mean element A Directly connected to the component B Or other components can be connected to the component A and B Between (i.e., elements) A With components B (Indirect connection). In the case of electrical components, the term "connected to" may also be used herein to mean electrically connecting the component using wires, traces, or other conductive materials. A and B (and any components electrically connected between them). Example device

[0037] It should be understood that various aspects of this disclosure can be used in a wide range of applications. While this disclosure is not limited in this respect, the circuits disclosed herein can be used in any of a variety of suitable devices, such as power supplies for communication systems, battery charging circuits or power management circuits, video codecs, audio devices such as music players and microphones, televisions, camera devices, and test equipment such as oscilloscopes. Communication systems intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure, by way of example only, include cellular wireless telephone communication systems, satellite communication systems, two-way radio communication systems, one-way pagers, two-way pagers, personal communication systems (PCS), personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc.

[0038] Figure 1 An example device 100 is shown in which various aspects of this disclosure may be implemented. Device 100 may be a battery-operated device, such as a cellular phone, PDA, handheld device, wireless device, laptop computer, tablet computer, smartphone, Internet of Things (IoT) device, wearable device, etc.

[0039] Device 100 may include a processor 104 that controls the operation of device 100. Processor 104 may also be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU). Memory 106 may include both read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM) to provide instructions and data to processor 104. A portion of memory 106 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). Processor 104 typically performs logical and arithmetic operations based on program instructions stored in memory 106.

[0040] In some aspects, device 100 may also include a housing 108, which may include a transmitter 110 and a receiver 112 to allow the transmission and reception of data between the wireless device 100 and a remote location. In some aspects, transmitter 110 and receiver 112 may be combined into a transceiver 114. One or more antennas 116 may be attached to or otherwise coupled to housing 108 and electrically connected to transceiver 114. Device 100 may also include (not shown) multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, and / or multiple transceivers.

[0041] Device 100 may further include a signal detector 118, which may be used to detect and quantize the level of the signal received by transceiver 114. Signal detector 118 may detect signal parameters such as total energy, energy per subcarrier per symbol, and power spectral density. Device 100 may also include a digital signal processor (DSP) 120 for processing the signal.

[0042] Device 100 may also include a battery 122, which can be used to power various components of device 100 (e.g., when another power source, such as a wall adapter or wireless power charger, is unavailable). Battery 122 may include a single battery cell or multiple battery cells connected in series and / or parallel. Device 100 may also include additional independent batteries (not shown). Each additional independent battery may include a single cell or multiple cells connected in series and / or parallel.

[0043] Device 100 may also include a power management system 123 for managing the power of various components from battery 122 (or multiple batteries), wall adapter, and / or wireless power charger to device 100. The power management system 123 may perform various functions of the device, such as DC-DC conversion, battery charging, power selection, voltage scaling, power sequencing, source-mode power, etc. In some aspects, the power management system 123 may include a power management integrated circuit (power management IC or PMIC) 124 and one or more power circuits, such as a battery charger 125, which may be controlled by, for example, the PMIC or logic associated with the battery charger. In some aspects, at least a portion of one or more power circuits (e.g., at least a portion of the battery charger 125) may be integrated into the PMIC 124. The PMIC 124 and / or one or more power circuits may include at least a portion of a switch-mode power supply (SMPS) circuit, which may be any of a variety of suitable switch-mode power supply circuit topologies (such as a two-level buck converter, a three-level buck converter, a charge pump, or an adaptive combined power supply circuit (e.g., Figure 2 The SMPS circuit 214 is implemented, which can switch between buck converter mode and charge pump mode, as described below.

[0044] Various components of device 100 can be coupled together via bus system 126, which may include, in addition to data bus, power bus, control signal bus, and / or status signal bus. Alternatively, various combinations of components of device 100 can be coupled together via one or more other suitable technologies. Example power supply circuit and operation

[0045] As described above, PMIC 124 and / or one or more power supply circuits (e.g., battery charger 125) may include at least a portion of an SMPS circuit (e.g., a buck converter, a charge pump converter, or an adaptive combined power supply circuit capable of switching therebetween), which may be a single-phase or multi-phase converter. In the case of an adaptive combined power supply circuit, the two converter modes may be single-phase, the two converter modes may be multi-phase, one converter mode may be single-phase while the other converter mode is multi-phase or capable of changing between single-phase and multi-phase, or one converter mode may be multi-phase while the other converter mode is capable of changing between single-phase and multi-phase.

[0046] Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram of an example power supply circuit 200 that can be used to charge one or more batteries. As shown, the power supply circuit 200 includes a power multiplexer 212 (labeled "PMUX"), a reverse current blocking transistor Q1 (which may also be referred to as an overvoltage protection (OVP) field-effect transistor (FET) or input FET) and an SMPS circuit 214 (e.g., an adaptive SMPS circuit).

[0047] Power multiplexer 212 can be configured to, for example ( i ) for connecting to the Universal Serial Bus (USB) port of the wall adapter and ( ii The power is selected between the received power of the wireless power ports (not shown). The power multiplexer 212 can be implemented as a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch by two OVP FETs, and in this case, transistor Q1 can be eliminated.

[0048] In some respects, the output of power multiplexer 212 may be coupled to input voltage node 220 (labeled "VIN"). Input voltage node 220 may be coupled to the source of transistor Q1, and the drain of transistor Q1 may be coupled to the voltage node of SMPS circuit 214 (labeled "MID"). The MID voltage node may be used as the power rail of SMPS circuit 214, and in some cases, may alternatively be considered as the input node of SMPS circuit. In some cases, power multiplexer 212 and / or transistor Q1 may be removed.

[0049] In some respects, the SMPS circuit 214 can have a two-level buck converter topology. In other respects, the SMPS circuit 214 can have a single-phase three-level buck converter topology (such as...). Figure 2The power supply circuit 200 (shown here) may include a second transistor Q2, a third transistor Q3, a fourth transistor Q4, a fifth transistor Q5, a flying capacitor element Cfly, an inductor element L1, and a load 210, which is represented herein by a capacitor. In other aspects, the SMPS circuit 214 may have a two-phase three-level buck converter topology. To implement the adaptive SMPS circuit, a switch S1 may be added across the inductor element L1 of the three-level buck converter topology. With switch S1 closed, the adaptive SMPS circuit can act as a single-phase divide-by-two (Div2) charge pump converter, as further described below. In some aspects, switch S1 may be implemented by two back-to-back transistors.

[0050] Transistor Q3 can be coupled to transistor Q2 via a first node (labeled "CFH" for the high node of the flying capacitor), transistor Q4 can be coupled to transistor Q3 via a second node (labeled "VSW" for the voltage switching node), and transistor Q5 can be coupled to transistor Q4 via a third node (labeled "CFL" for the low node of the flying capacitor). In some respects, transistors Q2-Q5 can be implemented as n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) transistors, such as... Figure 2 As shown. In this configuration, the drain of transistor Q3 can be coupled to the source of transistor Q2, the drain of transistor Q4 can be coupled to the source of transistor Q3, and the drain of transistor Q5 can be coupled to the source of transistor Q4. The source of transistor Q5 can be coupled to the reference potential node 218 of the power supply circuit 200 (e.g., electrically grounded). The flying capacitor element Cfly can have a first terminal coupled to the first node and a second terminal coupled to the third node. The inductor element L1 can have a first terminal coupled to the second node and a second terminal coupled to the output voltage node 216 (labeled "VOUT", which may also be referred to as "VPH_PWR" or "VPH") and the load 210.

[0051] Control logic 201 can control other aspects of the operation of SMPS circuit 214 and power supply circuit 200. For example, control logic 201 can control the operation of transistors Q2-Q5 via output signals to the inputs of the respective gate drivers 202, 204, 206, and 208. The outputs of gate drivers 202, 204, 206, and 208 are coupled to the respective gates of transistors Q2-Q5. During the operation of the adaptive SMPS circuit (or three-level buck converter), control logic 201 can cycle through four different phases, which can vary depending on whether the duty cycle is less than or greater than 50%.

[0052] The operation of an adaptive SMPS circuit with a duty cycle of less than 50% is described first. In the first stage (referred to as the "charging stage"), transistors Q2 and Q4 are activated, and transistors Q3 and Q5 are deactivated to charge the flying capacitor Cfly and energize the inductor L1. In the second stage (referred to as the "holding stage"), transistor Q2 is deactivated, and transistor Q5 is activated, causing the VSW node to couple to the reference potential node, the flying capacitor Cfly to disconnect (e.g., one of the Cfly terminals is floating), and the inductor L1 to de-energize. In the third stage (referred to as the "discharging stage"), transistors Q3 and Q5 are activated, and transistor Q4 is deactivated, causing the flying capacitor Cfly to discharge and the inductor L1 to energize. In the fourth stage (also referred to as the "holding stage"), transistor Q4 is activated, and transistor Q3 is deactivated, causing the flying capacitor Cfly to disconnect and the inductor L1 to de-energize.

[0053] The operation of the adaptive SMPS circuit with a duty cycle greater than 50% is similar in the first and third stages, with the same transistor configuration. However, in the second stage (referred to as the "hold stage") following the first stage, transistor Q4 is deactivated and transistor Q3 is activated, causing the VSW node to couple to the MID node, the flying capacitor Cfly to disconnect, and the inductor L1 to be energized. Similarly, in the fourth stage (also referred to as the "hold stage") with a duty cycle greater than 50%, transistor Q2 is activated and transistor Q5 is deactivated, causing the flying capacitor Cfly to disconnect and the inductor L1 to be energized.

[0054] Furthermore, control logic 201 may have a control signal configured to control the operation of switch S1 and selectively enable the division by 2 (Div2) charge pump operation. Figure 2 (Not shown in the diagram). In some respects, when the control signal is logic low, switch S1 is open, and power supply circuit 200 functions as a three-level buck converter using inductor element L1. When the control signal is logic high in some respects, switch S1 is closed, thereby short-circuiting across inductor element L1 and effectively removing inductor element L1 from the circuit, causing the adaptive SMPS circuit to operate as a Div2 charge pump. Control logic 201 can be configured to automatically control the operation of switch S1 based on the output current (also known as "load current") and / or input current of the adaptive SMPS circuit (e.g., by the logic level of the control signal). Example power supply circuit for multi-battery charging

[0055] Many portable devices can utilize multiple independent batteries. In some cases, such as foldable and flip phones and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, multiple independent batteries include batteries of different capacities (asymmetric batteries), which often leads to challenges in charging, monitoring, and balancing the batteries. At least some multi-battery charging implementations are complex and expensive (in terms of cost and area) and can cause performance issues. For example, some multi-battery charging implementations use multiple separate charging circuits and employ impedance balancing circuits (e.g., current-limiting switches) to balance the batteries (e.g., to prevent one battery from charging or discharging faster than another).

[0056] Certain aspects of this disclosure provide techniques and apparatus for charging multiple independent batteries using a power supply circuit comprising a switch-mode power supply (SMPS) and independently controlled and monitored charging paths. Such a power supply circuit can control and monitor the charging of multiple independent batteries without using multiple chargers. For example, the power supply circuit may include charging paths for independent control of each battery, each charging path having a switch (e.g., a battery FET) to provide charging control. In some aspects, the power supply circuit can operate without impedance balancing circuitry (e.g., a current-limiting switch). In this way, certain aspects can support the independent control, monitoring, and balancing of the charging of multiple independent batteries (e.g., any number of m cells in series per battery and any number of n cells in parallel (mSnP), such as one cell per battery and any number of n batteries in parallel (1SnP), regardless of whether the batteries have different capacities and / or are connected in series), while significantly reducing cost and complexity. Such a power supply circuit can also provide independent monitoring of the individual state of charge of each battery.

[0057] Figure 3A This is a circuit diagram of an example power supply circuit 300A, which includes a switching regulator (e.g., SMPS circuit 214) as a single charger and independently controlled charging paths (e.g., charging paths 360, 362), according to certain aspects of this disclosure. For some aspects, the power supply circuit 300A may include a power multiplexer 212, transistor Q1, and SMPS circuit 214 (or another suitable SMPS circuit). The power supply circuit 300A may also include a load 306 (e.g., labeled "VPH load"), a first switch (e.g., implemented by one or more transistors QBAT1), a second switch (e.g., implemented by one or more transistors QBAT2), a first battery 304 (BAT1), a second battery 302 (BAT2), and a first sensing resistor element R. SNS1 Second sensing resistor element R SNS2And the balancing resistor element Rb. In some respects, batteries 302 and 304 may be external to the integrated circuit (IC) (e.g., PMIC), while at least a portion of the switching regulator and switch (implemented by transistors QBAT1 and QBAT2) may be internal to the IC. Sensing resistor element R SNS1 and R SNS2 The sensing resistor element can be located inside or outside the IC, or one sensing resistor element can be inside the IC while the other is outside. In some cases, the sensing resistor element R can be eliminated. SNS1 and R SNS2 Any one or both of the following, and the on-resistance of the corresponding transistors QBAT1 and / or QBAT2 can be used as a current sensing resistor.

[0058] Load 306 can be similar to Figure 2 Load 210. Load 306 may represent a device powered internally by a switching regulator (e.g., having a power rail VPH = VOUT). Figure 1 The device 100) includes one or more circuits. The load 306 can be coupled (shunt) to the reference potential node 218.

[0059] In some respects, the first battery 304 and / or the second battery 302 may represent a single-cell (1S) battery, a dual-cell series (2S) battery, or more than two stacked cells in a battery (e.g., a multi-cell series battery). Figure 3A The billing architecture shown represents a 1S2P configuration. In some cases, the first battery 304 and the second battery 302 can be symmetrical batteries with the same capacity (and size). In other cases, the first battery 304 and the second battery 302 can be asymmetrical batteries, each with a different capacity (and size). For example, a power circuit 300A can be included in a foldable device that may include a first portion coupled to a second portion via a hinge. In this example, the first portion of the foldable device may include the first battery 304, and the second portion of the foldable device may include the second battery 302.

[0060] In some aspects, the output voltage node 216 of the SMPS circuit 214 can be coupled to transistors QBAT1 and QBAT2 and load 306. In some aspects, one or more of transistors QBAT1 and QBAT2 can be bidirectional switches, each implemented using one or more transistors. In some cases, transistors QBAT1 and / or QBAT2 can be implemented by, for example, back-to-back transistors or body-switchable transistors. The gates of transistors QBAT1 and QBAT2 can be defined by logic circuitry (e.g., Figure 2 Control logic 201 or Figure 3A (Other logic not shown in the diagram) drives it.

[0061] In some aspects, transistor QBAT1 may be coupled to the first battery 304 via a first battery voltage node 340 (labeled "VBAT1"), and transistor QBAT2 may be coupled to the second battery 302 via a second battery voltage node 330 (labeled "VBAT2"). The first battery 304 may be coupled to the first sensing resistor element R via another first battery voltage node 342 (e.g., coupled to the negative terminal of the first battery 304). SNS1 Furthermore, the second battery 302 can be coupled to the second sensing resistor element R via another second battery voltage node 332 (e.g., coupled to the negative terminal of the second battery 302). SNS2 The first sensing resistor element R SNS1 Second sensing resistor element R SNS2 It can be used as a sensing resistor to measure the current passing through the first battery 304 and the second battery 302, respectively.

[0062] When batteries 302 and 304 are external to the IC, which has other circuitry including power supply circuitry 300A, the IC may include a positive first battery port (e.g., a pin) coupled to the positive terminal of the first battery voltage node 340 and the first battery 304. In some cases, the IC may include a first sensing resistor element R coupled to another first battery voltage node 342. SNS1 The IC includes the negative first battery port of the negative terminal of the first battery 304. Alternatively, the IC may include the positive second battery port coupled to the second battery voltage node 330 and the positive terminal of the second battery 302. In some cases, the IC may include a sensing resistor element R coupled to another second battery voltage node 332. SNS2 The negative second battery port of the negative terminal of the second battery 302. Sensing resistor element R SNS1 and R SNS2 It can be coupled to the reference potential node 218.

[0063] In some aspects, the positive terminals of the first battery 304 and the second battery 302 can be coupled together via a balancing resistor element Rb. In some cases, the balancing resistor element Rb can be implemented as, for example, a 100Ω resistor. The balancing resistor element Rb can be internal to the IC (coupled between the first battery voltage node 340 and the second battery voltage node 330) or external to the IC. The balancing resistor element Rb can be used to balance the two batteries during charging or when the device is powered off and batteries 302 and 304 begin to discharge.

[0064] According to certain aspects, the power supply circuit 300A can charge both the first battery 304 and the second battery 302 via two independently controlled charging paths 360 and 362 (via SMPS circuit 214). For example, electrical power received from a wall adapter or wireless charger at the power multiplexer 212 can be converted by SMPS circuit 214 and used to independently charge the first battery 304 (e.g., via charging path 362) and the second battery 302 (e.g., via charging path 360). For example, current from output voltage node 216 can be routed to first battery voltage node 340 via transistor QBAT1 in charging path 362 for charging the first battery 304. Similarly, current from output voltage node 216 can be routed to second battery voltage node 330 via transistor QBAT2 in charging path 360 for charging the second battery 302. In some respects, transistor QBAT1 can be configured to independently control and monitor the charging of the first battery 304 (via charging path 362), and transistor QBAT2 can be configured to independently control and monitor the charging of the second battery 302 (via charging path 360).

[0065] Having one or more transistors (e.g., transistor QBAT1 or QBAT2) in each charging path allows for independent charging control of the batteries, including trickle charging, pre-charging, constant current (CC), constant voltage (CV), and / or terminal charging. In some aspects, independently monitoring the charging of multiple independent batteries may include independently monitoring the charge level in the batteries via these transistors. Alternatively or additionally, independently monitoring the charging of multiple independent batteries may include independent current sensing, battery measurement, and / or current limiting regulation (overall or individually). The presence of one or more transistors in each charging path can eliminate the need for impedance balancing circuitry (e.g., current limiting switches) between multiple independent batteries, as the transistors in each charging path can be used to perform current limiting regulation. For example, power supply circuit 300A may lack a current limiting switch between the first battery 304 and the second battery 302.

[0066] Some aspects of this disclosure also provide flexibility in the termination of battery charging (e.g., the termination of battery charging may depend on the current of a single cell, the total current of multiple cells, or the state of charge (SOC)). Independent charging path switches (e.g., transistors QBAT1 and QBAT2) may be internal to the PMIC (integrated within the PMIC), or one or more switches may be external to the PMIC. Battery temperature can be monitored independently, and based on the sensed battery temperature, appropriate actions can be taken via the independent charging path switches (e.g., charging may be paused, charging voltage and / or current may be reduced, etc.). For example, when the temperature of the second cell 302 is too high, transistor QBAT2 may be effectively turned on, or the charging current may be incrementally reduced or paused.

[0067] Depending on certain aspects, power supply circuit 300A can use a single charger to charge a single battery (e.g., first battery 304). For example, second battery 302 may have been disconnected and / or removed from power supply circuit 300A. In this 1S1P configuration, transistor QBAT2 can be used as a bypass switch (e.g., bypass FET). Power supply circuit 300A can enable power to the device (e.g., device 100) when only a single battery is connected, and can also prevent overcharging of a single connected battery.

[0068] In some cases, it may be desirable to utilize parallel charging to charge multiple independent batteries to accelerate charging (e.g., when the batteries have a higher power level). In an example parallel charging solution, the main charger (e.g., SMPS circuit 214) is capable of charging multiple independent batteries (e.g., first battery 304 and second battery 302) and providing power individually, or it can be connected in parallel with one or more auxiliary chargers. Each auxiliary charger can be implemented as, for example, a switched capacitor converter (e.g., a divide-by-2 (Div2), divide-by-3 (Div3), or divide-by-4 (Div4) charge pump (CP)) or a switch-mode power supply (SMPS) topology using an inductor (e.g., a buck converter). CP converters can provide a more efficient alternative to buck converters.

[0069] Figure 3B-3E This is a circuit diagram of an example power supply circuit capable of parallel charging, comprising a main charger (e.g., SMPS circuit 214) and one or more auxiliary chargers having multiple independently controlled charging paths (e.g., charging paths 360, 362) in accordance with certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0070] Figure 3B The power supply circuit 300B can be similar to Figure 3AThe power supply circuit 300A includes CP 308 and CP 310 as auxiliary chargers for parallel charging. Each of CP 308 and 310 can be implemented as a Div2 charge pump, a Div4 charge pump, or a charge pump with any other suitable voltage conversion. CP 308 can have an input coupled to input voltage node 220 and an output coupled to second battery voltage node 330, and CP 310 can have an input coupled to input voltage node 220 and an output coupled to first battery voltage node 340. Due to lower power conduction losses, the design of power supply circuit 300B may be desirable when the first battery 304 and the second battery 302 are substantially symmetrical (e.g., less asymmetrical).

[0071] As described above, transistor QBAT2 can be implemented as back-to-back transistors QBAT2A and QBAT2B, as shown in the figure, but can alternatively be implemented as a body-switchable transistor. As described above, the gates of transistors QBAT2A and QBAT2B can be driven by logic circuitry.

[0072] During parallel charging, electrical power received from the wall adapter or wireless charger, for example at power multiplexer 212, can be converted by SMPS circuit 214 and used to independently charge the first battery 304 (e.g., via charging path 362) and the second battery 302 (e.g., via charging path 360). In addition to charging path 362, when CP 310 is enabled, electrical power from power multiplexer 212 can also be converted by CP 310 and used to charge the first battery 304 in parallel with SMPS circuit 214. Furthermore, in addition to charging path 360, when CP 308 is enabled, electrical power from power multiplexer 212 can also be converted by CP 308 and used to charge the second battery 302 in parallel with SMPS circuit 214.

[0073] Figure 3C The power supply circuit 300C can be similar to Figure 3A The power supply circuit 300A includes a CP 312 as an auxiliary charger for parallel charging. The CP 312 can be implemented as a Div2 charge pump, a Div4 charge pump, or a charge pump with any other suitable voltage conversion. The CP 312 can have an input coupled to input voltage node 220 and an output coupled to output voltage node 216.

[0074] Sensing resistor element (e.g., element R) SNS1 and R SNS2 ) is optional in power supply circuit 300C and can be removed from power supply circuit 300C. Component R is not included in power supply circuit 300C. SNS1 and R SNS2In this case, the on-resistance of transistor QBAT1 can be used as the sensing resistor for the first battery 304, and the on-resistance of transistor QBAT2 can be used as the sensing resistor for the second battery 302. Furthermore, due to the design of having a single charge pump and how CP 312 is connected, the power supply circuit 300C can also have fewer wires or traces passing through the hinge of the foldable device (compared to...). Figure 3B and 3D Compared to other parallel charging topologies in the power supply circuits 300B and 300D).

[0075] As described above, transistor QBAT2 can be implemented as back-to-back transistors QBAT2A and QBAT2B, such as Figure 3C As shown, however, it can be alternatively implemented as a body-switchable transistor. As mentioned above, the gates of transistors QBAT2A and QBAT2B can be driven by logic circuitry.

[0076] During parallel charging, electrical power received from the wall adapter or wireless charger, for example at power multiplexer 212, can be converted by SMPS circuit 214 and used to independently charge the first battery 304 (e.g., via charging path 362) and the second battery 302 (e.g., via charging path 360). Additionally, when CP 312 is enabled, electrical power from power multiplexer 212 can also be converted by CP 312 and used to independently charge the first battery 304 (e.g., via charging path 362) and the second battery 302 (e.g., via charging path 360).

[0077] Figure 3D The power supply circuit of 300D can be similar to Figure 3A The power supply circuit is 300A, but may also include CP 314 and CP 316 as auxiliary chargers for parallel charging. Each of CP 314 and 316 can be implemented as a Div2 charge pump, a Div4 charge pump, or a charge pump with any other suitable voltage conversion. CP 314 may have an input coupled to input voltage node 220 and an output coupled to output voltage node 216, and CP 316 may have an input coupled to input voltage node 220 and an output coupled to first battery voltage node 340. When the first battery 304 and the second battery 302 are highly asymmetrical (with... Figure 3A and 3B Compared to power supply circuits 300A and 300B, the design of power supply circuit 300D may be desirable. For example, in addition to SMPS circuit 214, the first battery 304 can have a much larger capacity than the second battery 302 and can benefit from charging by both CP 314 and CP 316. Power supply circuit 300D can have a larger capacity than... Figure 3CThe power supply circuit 300C requires low conduction power loss and high efficiency.

[0078] In some respects, the power supply circuit 300D may not include the sensing resistor element R. SNS2 Conversely, the on-resistance of transistors QBAT2A and / or QBAT2B can be used as a current sensing resistor for the second battery 302.

[0079] During parallel charging, electrical power received from the wall adapter or wireless charger, for example at power multiplexer 212, can be converted by SMPS circuit 214 and used to independently charge the first battery 304 (e.g., via charging path 362) and the second battery 302 (e.g., via charging path 360). Additionally, when CP 314 is enabled, electrical power from power multiplexer 212 can also be converted by CP 314 and used to independently charge the first battery 304 (e.g., via charging path 362) and the second battery 302 (e.g., via charging path 360). Furthermore, when CP 316 is enabled, electrical power from power multiplexer 212 can be converted by CP 316 and used to charge the first battery 304 in parallel with SMPS circuit 214 (and in parallel with CP 314 when both CPs 314 and 316 are enabled).

[0080] Figure 3E The power supply circuit 300E can be similar to Figure 3A The power supply circuit is 300A, but may also include CP 318 and CP 320 as auxiliary chargers for parallel charging. Each of CP 318 and 320 can be implemented as a Div2 charge pump, a Div4 charge pump, or a charge pump with any other suitable voltage conversion. CP 318 may have an input coupled to input voltage node 220 and an output coupled to output voltage node 216, and CP 320 may have an input coupled to input voltage node 220 and an output coupled to second battery voltage node 330. When the first battery 304 and the second battery 302 are highly asymmetrical (with... Figure 3A and 3B Compared to power supply circuits 300A and 300B, the design of power supply circuit 300E is likely desirable. For example, in addition to SMPS circuit 214, the second battery 302 can have a much larger capacity than the first battery 304, and therefore can benefit from charging by both CP 318 and CP 320. Power supply circuit 300E can have a larger capacity than... Figure 3C The power supply circuit 300C requires low conduction power loss and high efficiency.

[0081] In some respects, the power supply circuit 300E may not include the sensing resistor element R. SNS1Conversely, the on-resistance of transistor QBAT1 can be used as a current sensing resistor for the first battery 304.

[0082] During parallel charging, electrical power received from the wall adapter or wireless charger, for example at power multiplexer 212, can be converted by SMPS circuit 214 and used to independently charge the first battery 304 (e.g., via charging path 362) and the second battery 302 (e.g., via charging path 360), as described above. Additionally, when CP 318 is enabled, electrical power from power multiplexer 212 can also be converted by CP 318 and used to independently charge the first battery 304 (e.g., via charging path 362) and the second battery 302 (e.g., via charging path 360). Furthermore, when CP 320 is enabled, electrical power from power multiplexer 212 can be converted by CP 320 and used to charge the second battery 302 in parallel with SMPS circuit 214 (and in parallel with CP 318 when both CPs 318 and 320 are enabled).

[0083] Figure 3F This is a circuit diagram of an example power supply circuit (e.g., power supply circuit 300F) capable of charging more than two independent batteries according to certain aspects of this disclosure. The power supply circuit includes SMPS circuitry (e.g., SMPS circuitry 214) and multiple independent charging paths (e.g., charging paths 360, 362, 364). In some cases, it may be desirable for the device to have more than two batteries coupled in parallel. Figure 3F The power supply circuit 300F can be similar to Figure 3A The power supply circuit 300A may also include a third battery 322 and a third sensing resistor element R for independent control. SNS3 The third switch (implemented by one or more transistors QBAT3) for charging the second balancing resistor element Rbx. In some aspects, transistor QBAT3 can be a bidirectional switch implemented with transistors. For example, transistor QBAT3 can be implemented by a back-to-back transistor or a body-switchable transistor. As mentioned above, the gate of transistor QBAT3 can be made of logic circuitry (e.g., Figure 2 Control logic 201 or Figure 3F (Other logic not shown in the diagram) drives it.

[0084] In this configuration, the output voltage node 216 of the SMPS circuit 214 can also be coupled to transistor QBAT3. Transistor QBAT3 can be coupled to the positive terminal of the third battery 322 (the port used for coupling to the positive terminal of the third battery 322) via the third battery voltage node 350 (labeled "VBAT3"). The negative terminal (or its port) of the third battery 322 can be coupled to the third sensing resistor element R via another third battery voltage node 352. SNS3 The third sensing resistor element R SNS3 It can be configured to measure the current through the third cell 322 and can be coupled to a reference potential node 218, as shown in the figure. The third sensing resistor element R... SNS3 This can be internal to an integrated circuit (IC) (e.g., a PMIC) having at least a portion of a power supply circuit 300F, or external to such an IC. For example, the IC may include a port coupled to a third battery voltage node 350 for coupling to the positive terminal of the third battery. In some cases, the IC may include another port that can be coupled to another third battery voltage node 352 for coupling to the negative terminal of the third battery 322, or it may be coupled to a reference potential node 218 for coupling to an external third sensing resistor element R. SNS3 In some aspects, the third battery 322 and the second battery 302 can be coupled together via a second balancing resistor element Rbx. In some cases, the second balancing resistor element Rb can be implemented as, for example, a 100Ω resistor. In some aspects, a third balancing resistor element (not shown) can be added between the first battery voltage node 340 and the third battery voltage node 350. The third sensing resistor element R... SNS3 The second balancing resistor element Rbx and / or the third balancing resistor element can be external to or internal to the IC (e.g., PMIC).

[0085] According to some aspects, in addition to the first battery 304 and the second battery 302, the power supply circuit 300F can also charge the third battery 322 via three independently controlled charging paths (using a single charger). The above refers to... Figure 3A Charging paths 360 and 362 are described. The power converted by the SMPS circuit 214 can also be used to charge the third battery 322 (e.g., via charging path 364). For example, current from the SMPS circuit 214 can be routed from the output voltage node 216 to the third battery voltage node 350 via transistor QBAT3. In some aspects, transistor QBAT3 can be configured to independently control and monitor the charging of the third battery 322 (via charging path 364), as described above (e.g., regarding...). Figure 3A ). Example battery charging operation

[0086] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of an example operation 400 for power supply according to certain aspects of this disclosure. Operation 400 may be powered by a power supply circuit (e.g., Figures 3A-3F The power supply circuit (300A-300F) is used for execution.

[0087] Operation can begin at block 402 with a first switching regulator (e.g., SMPS circuit 214) converting a first voltage (e.g., input voltage VIN or MID) to a second voltage (output voltage VOUT or VPH). At block 404, the power supply circuit charges a first battery (e.g., first battery 304) from the output of the first switching regulator (e.g., output voltage node 216) via a first switch (e.g., transistor QBAT1). At block 406, the power supply circuit charges a second battery (e.g., second battery 302) from the output of the first switching regulator via a second switch (e.g., transistor QBAT2). The second switch is different from the first switch.

[0088] Depending on some aspects, operation 400 may also include charging a third battery (e.g., third battery 322) from the output of the first switch regulator via a third switch (e.g., transistor QBAT3). In this case, the third switch may be different from the second switch and / or different from the first switch.

[0089] According to some aspects, operation 400 also involves converting the first voltage to a second voltage via a second switching regulator (e.g., CP 312, 314, or 318). In this case, the output of the first switching regulator may be coupled to the output of the second switching regulator. According to some aspects, operation 400 also involves converting the first voltage to a third voltage via a third switching regulator (e.g., CP 316 or 320). In some cases, operation 400 may also include charging the first battery from the output of the third switching regulator (e.g., as described above regarding...). Figure 3D (As described). At block 404, when the first battery is charged from the output of the first switch regulator via the first switch, such charging of the first battery from the output of the third switch regulator can also occur. In other cases, operation 400 may also include charging of the second battery from the output of the third switch regulator (e.g., as described above regarding...). Figure 3E (As described). At box 406, when the second battery is charged from the output of the first switch regulator via the second switch, such charging of the second battery from the output of the third switch regulator can occur.

[0090] According to some aspects, operation 400 also involves converting the first voltage to a third voltage via a second switching regulator (e.g., CP 310) and charging the first battery from the output of the second switching regulator. This charging of the first battery from the output of the second switching regulator can occur when the first battery is charged via the first switch from the output of the first switching regulator. According to some aspects, operation 400 may also include converting the first voltage to a fourth voltage via a third switching regulator (e.g., CP 308) and charging the second battery from the output of the third switching regulator. This charging of the second battery from the output of the third switching regulator can occur when the second battery is charged via the second switch from the output of the first switching regulator. Example of additional voltage domain support

[0091] Many portable electronic devices offer multiple power domains, some of which provide higher voltages than others. For example, portable devices may include active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays, haptic technologies, speaker amplifiers, radio frequency (RF) components, etc., which may require support from voltage domains higher than digital logic. Generating such domains can involve separate voltage conversions from lower voltage rails. However, these separate conversions can be inefficient, expensive, and / or may result in limited power capabilities for the portable device. Furthermore, some portable devices can use batteries with different cell stacks, but such implementations can be prohibitively expensive and / or complex. For example, a portable virtual reality (VR) device may have a battery for some electronics located at the rear of the device, and a smaller battery at the front (e.g., for the display, etc.). Another example could be a foldable phone, which could use a 2S1P configuration near a location with many high-voltage electronics, but could use a 1S1P configuration for lower voltage domains (CPU, graphics processing unit (GPU), etc.). Using a 2S1P configuration on one side of the device can help reduce the number and / or length of traces on that side of the device.

[0092] Certain aspects of this disclosure provide techniques and apparatus for using power supply circuits to provide multiple voltage domains (e.g., both relatively low and relatively high voltage domains), said power supply circuits including SMPS, and in some cases, independently controlling and monitoring the charging path. Such power supply circuits can achieve higher-efficiency voltage conversion in various portable designs by generating higher voltage domains from lower voltage domains or by charging and discharging lower and higher voltage batteries. In addition to achieving higher efficiency that can extend battery life, certain aspects of this disclosure can enable power supply circuits to have improved thermal performance (e.g., to reduce heat dissipation during operation).

[0093] Figure 5This is a circuit diagram of an example power supply circuit 500 capable of single-charger charging according to certain aspects of this disclosure. The power supply circuit 500 includes a switching regulator (e.g., SMPS circuit 214) for generating a first voltage domain (e.g., a power rail labeled "VPH1"), multiple independently controlled charging paths (e.g., charging paths 360, 362), and a CP 502 for generating a second voltage domain (e.g., a power rail labeled "VPH2"). The voltage of power rail VPH1 can be higher or lower than the voltage of power rail VPH2.

[0094] Figure 5 The power supply circuit 500 can be similar to Figure 3A The power supply circuit 300A also includes a CP 502 and another load 504 (labeled "VPH2 load" to indicate the load on the VPH2 rail). The CP 502 can be implemented as a x2 charge pump, a x4 (x4) charge pump, a Div2 charge pump, a Div4 charge pump, or a charge pump with any other suitable voltage conversion. The CP 502 may have a first terminal coupled to the output voltage node 216 and the power rail VPH1, and a second terminal coupled to the load 504. The CP 502 can be configured to efficiently generate the power rail VPH2 from the power rail VPH1 to power the load 504. In some aspects, the power rail VPH2 may have a higher voltage than the power rail VPH1. For example, the CP 502 may double the voltage at the power rail VPH1 to generate the power rail VPH2. Therefore, the CP 502 enables the power supply circuit 500 to efficiently supply power rails in both the low voltage domain (e.g., VPH1) and the high voltage domain (e.g., VPH2).

[0095] Load 504 may represent a device powered internally by a switching regulator (e.g., by CP 502 from power rail VPH2). Figure 1 The device 100) may contain one or more circuits. Load 504 may be coupled (shunt) to reference potential node 218. In some aspects, load 504 may represent one or more circuits including a display (e.g., an AMOLED display), a haptic boost, a speaker amplifier, and / or any other load that may use a relatively high voltage domain.

[0096] Figure 6 This is a circuit diagram of an example power supply circuit 600 capable of parallel charging according to certain aspects of this disclosure. The power supply circuit 600 includes an SMPS circuit (e.g., SMPS circuit 214) for generating a first voltage domain (e.g., power rail VPH1) and a CP 502 for generating a second voltage domain (e.g., power rail VPH2) from the first voltage domain. Figure 6 The power supply circuit 600 can be similar to Figure 3BThe power supply circuit 300B, in which... Figure 5 CP 502 and load 504 are shown, but only a single charging path (e.g., charging path 362) is shown.

[0097] Figure 7A and Figure 7B These are circuit diagrams of example power supply circuits 700A and 700B, based on certain aspects of this disclosure, capable of parallel charging of multi-cell series-connected batteries (e.g., 2SnP batteries). Power supply circuits 700A and 700B each include an SMPS circuit (e.g., SMPS circuit 214) and a CP 702 for generating multiple voltage domains (e.g., power rails VPH1 and VPH2). Figure 7A and 7B As shown, batteries 302 and 304 can be stacked in series to form a 2S1P battery.

[0098] refer to Figure 7A The power supply circuit 700A includes a CP 702, a load 504, a first switch (e.g., implemented by one or more transistors QPH1), and a second switch (e.g., implemented by one or more transistors QPH2). Furthermore, as shown, the first battery voltage node 340 may not be connected to the QBAT1 transistor in the power supply circuit 700A. Therefore, the power supply circuit 700A may not effectively include an independently controlled charging path 362. In some aspects, one or more QBAT1 transistors are not present in the power supply circuit.

[0099] In power supply circuit 700A, the output voltage node 216 of SMPS circuit 214 can be coupled to power rail VPH1 and load 306 via transistor QPH1. The output voltage node 216 of SMPS circuit 214 can also be coupled to power rail VPH2 and load 504 via transistor QPH2. One or more of transistors QPH1 and QPH2 can be bidirectional switches, each implemented using two or more transistors. In some cases, transistors QPH1 and / or QPH2 can be implemented by, for example, back-to-back transistors or body-switchable transistors. The gates of transistors QPH1 and QPH2 can be defined by logic circuitry (e.g., Figure 2 Driven by control logic 201 or other logic not shown. The CP 702 can be implemented as an X2 charge pump, an X4 charge pump, a Div2 charge pump, a Div4 charge pump, or a charge pump with any other suitable voltage conversion.

[0100] CP 702 may have a first terminal coupled to transistor QPH1 and power rail VPH1, and a second terminal coupled to transistor QPH2 and power rail VPH2. In a first direction, CP 702 may be configured to generate power rail VPH2 from power rail VPH1 and supply power to load 504. In a second direction, CP 702 may be configured to generate power rail VPH1 from power rail VPH2 and supply power to load 306. For example, CP 702 may multiply the voltage in the first direction (e.g., operate as an X2 charge pump) and divide the voltage in the second direction (e.g., operate as a Div2 charge pump), and vice versa. In some aspects, power rail VPH2 has a higher voltage than power rail VPH1. For example, CP 702 may double the voltage at power rail VPH1 to generate power rail VPH2, so that power circuit 700A can supply both the power rail in the relatively low voltage domain (e.g., power rail VPH1) and the power rail in the relatively high voltage domain (e.g., power rail VPH2).

[0101] Using the topology of power supply circuit 700A, the SMPS circuit can supply power to both power rails VPH1 and VPH2 during battery charging and after charging is terminated, with transistors QBAT1 and QBAT2 turned off. This capability avoids the charging cycle problems (and associated reduced battery life) of some other topologies where both rails cannot be charged after charging is terminated. Furthermore, when a device with power supply circuit 700A is transported and the battery is charged, both power rails VPH1 and VPH2 can be pulled down to 0V when transistor QBAT2 is turned off, and loads 306 and 504 will not discharge the battery during transport.

[0102] Figure 7B The power supply circuit 700B can be similar to Figure 7A The power supply circuit 700A. However, as shown, the first battery voltage node 340 can be used as a tap for a multi-cell series battery, and therefore can be coupled to the QBAT1 transistor in the power supply circuit 700B. As a result, an independently controlled charging path 362 can exist in and operate within the power supply circuit 700B.

[0103] Figure 8 This is a circuit diagram of an example portion of a power supply circuit 800 having multiple charge pumps and capable of charging multiple individual batteries, according to certain aspects of this disclosure.

[0104] The power supply circuit 800 may include CP 802 and CP 804. Each of CP 802 and 804 may be implemented as an X2 charge pump, a Div2 charge pump, a Div4 charge pump, or a charge pump with any other suitable voltage conversion, and CP 802 and 804 need not be the same type of charge pump. CP 802 may have a first terminal coupled to a first power node labeled “VPHx”, which may resemble the power rail VPH1, or in some cases, coupled to the output voltage node (VOUT) of the SMPS circuit. The first power node VPHx may be coupled via a switch to a first voltage battery node 830 (labeled “VBATx”) and a first battery pack 860 (e.g., an x-series battery pack), the switch being implemented by one or more transistors QBATy. A second terminal of CP 802 may be coupled to a second power node labeled “VPHn”, which may resemble, for example, the power rail VPH2. The second power node VPHn can be coupled via a switch to the second voltage battery node 840 (labeled "VBATn") and the second battery pack 870 (e.g., an n-series battery pack), the switch of which can be implemented by one or more transistors QBATn. The second power node VPHn can also be coupled to the first terminal of CP 804. The second terminal of CP 804 can be coupled to a third power node labeled "VPHm". The third power node VPHm can be coupled via a switch to the third voltage battery node 850 (labeled "VBATm") and the third battery pack 880 (e.g., an m-series battery pack), the switch of which can be implemented by one or more transistors QBATm. As shown, the first battery pack 860, the second battery pack 870, and the third battery pack 880 can each be coupled to the reference potential node 218.

[0105] Each of the first battery pack 860, the second battery pack 870, and the third battery pack 880 can contain any number of cells connected in series and / or in parallel (e.g., x, n, or m battery cells, where x, n, and / or m can be the same or different numbers). In other words, each of the battery packs 860, 870, and 880 coupled to voltage battery nodes 830, 840, and 850 can be the same or different from each other. The topology of the power supply circuit 800 with multiple CPs 802 and 804 can be used to support independent charging of multiple batteries connected in parallel, even when the batteries have different numbers of cells connected in series and / or in parallel.

[0106] In some respects, CP 802 and 804 can be in the same position as Figure 8 The configuration shown in the example power supply circuit 800 is different. For example, the first terminal of CP 804 can be coupled to power node VPHx instead of power node VPHn.

[0107] Despite Figure 8The diagram shows three battery packs 860, 870, 880 and two CPs 802, 804, but it should be understood that the topology of the power supply circuit can be extended to include more than three battery packs (e.g., using more than two CPs) and / or can be changed (e.g., as described in the previous paragraphs).

[0108] It should be understood that, from Figures 3A-3F The power supply circuit 300A-300F has the following characteristics: Figure 5-8 At least some combinations of power supply circuits 500, 600, 700A, 700B, and 800. For example, a third battery 322 and a power supply circuit... Figure 3F One or more transistors implemented by QBAT3 can be added to a switch. Figure 5 The power supply circuit is 500. As another example, Figure 3B-3E One or more of CP 308, 310, 312, 314, 318, and 320 can be added. Figure 5-8 At least some of the power supply circuits 500, 600, 700A, 700B and 800. Example operation for providing power

[0109] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of an example operation 900 for power supply according to certain aspects of this disclosure. Operation 900 may be powered by a power supply circuit (e.g., Figure 5 , Figure 7B and Figure 8 The power supply circuits 500, 700B, and 800 can be connected to power supplies from... Figures 3A to 3F The power supply circuit 300A-300F features a combination of characteristics.

[0110] Operation can begin at block 902 with a first switching regulator (e.g., SMPS circuit 214 or CP 802) converting a first voltage (e.g., VIN, MID, or VPHx) to a second voltage (VOUT, VPH1, or VPHn). At block 904, the power supply circuit charges a first battery (e.g., first battery 304 or second battery pack 870) from the output of the first switching regulator (e.g., output voltage node 216, VPH1, or VPHn) via a first switch (e.g., transistor QBAT1 or QBATn). At block 906, the power supply circuit charges a second battery (e.g., second battery 302 or third battery pack 880) from the output of the first switching regulator via a second switch (e.g., transistor QBAT2 or QBATm). The second switch may be different from the first switch. At block 908, a second switching regulator (e.g., CP 502, 702, 804) converts the second voltage to a third voltage (e.g., VOUT, VPH2, or VPHm). The second switching regulator may include a charge pump (e.g., CP 502, 702, 804). The third voltage may be different from the second voltage.

[0111] Depending on some aspects, operation 900 may also include charging a third battery (e.g., third battery 322) from the output of the first switch regulator via a third switch (e.g., transistor QBAT3). In this case, the third switch may be different from the second switch and / or different from the first switch.

[0112] According to some aspects, operation 900 also involves converting the first voltage to a second voltage via a third switching regulator (e.g., CP 312, 314, 318). In this case, the output of the first switching regulator may be coupled to the output of the third switching regulator. According to some aspects, operation 900 also involves converting the first voltage to a fourth voltage via a fourth switching regulator (e.g., CP 308, 310, 316, 320). In some cases, operation 900 may also include charging the first battery from the output of the fourth switching regulator. At block 904, when the first battery is charged from the output of the first switching regulator via the first switch, such charging of the first battery from the output of the fourth switching regulator may occur. In other cases, operation 900 may also include charging the second battery from the output of the fourth switching regulator. At block 906, when the second battery is charged from the output of the first switching regulator via the second switch, such charging of the second battery from the output of the third switching regulator may occur.

[0113] According to some aspects, operation 900 also involves converting the first voltage to a fourth voltage via a third switching regulator (e.g., CP 310, 316) and charging the first battery from the output of the third switching regulator. This charging of the first battery from the output of the third switching regulator can occur when the first battery is charged from the output of the first switching regulator via a first switch. In these cases, the first battery may be a multi-cell series battery. According to some aspects, operation 900 also involves converting the first voltage to a fifth voltage via a fourth switching regulator (e.g., CP 308, 320) and charging the second battery from the output of the fourth switching regulator. This charging of the second battery from the output of the fourth switching regulator can occur when the second battery is charged from the output of the first switching regulator via a first switch.

[0114] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating an example operation 1000 for power supply according to certain aspects of this disclosure. Operation 1000 can be powered by a power supply circuit (e.g., Figures 5-8 The power supply circuits 500, 600, 700A, 700B, and 800 can be connected to power supplies from... Figures 3A to 3F The power supply circuit 300A-300F features a combination of characteristics.

[0115] Operation can begin at block 1002 with a first switching regulator (e.g., SMPS circuit 214 or CP 802) converting a first voltage (e.g., VIN, MID, or VPHx) to a second voltage (e.g., VOUT, VPH1, VPH2, VPHx, or VPHn). At block 1004, a power supply circuit charges a first battery (e.g., first battery 304 and / or second battery 302, first battery pack 860, or second battery pack 870) from the output of the first switching regulator (e.g., output voltage node 216, VPHx, VPHn) via a first switch (e.g., transistor QBAT1, QBATy, or QBATn). The first switch may have terminals connected to the battery (e.g., the source or drain of the transistor implementing the first switch). At block 1006, a second switching regulator (e.g., CP 502, 702, 802, 804) converts the second voltage to a third voltage (e.g., VPH2, VPH1, VPHn, or VPHm). The second switching regulator may include a charge pump. The third voltage may be different from the second voltage. Examples of various aspects

[0116] In addition to the aspects mentioned above, specific combinations of aspects are also within the scope of this disclosure, some of which are detailed below:

[0117] Aspect 1: A power supply circuit comprising: a switching regulator including an output node; a first battery node for coupling to a first battery; a second battery node for coupling to a second battery; a first switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the first battery node; and a second switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the second battery node.

[0118] Aspect 2: The power supply circuit according to aspect 1, wherein the first switch and the second switch are bidirectional switches implemented using transistors.

[0119] Aspect 3: The power supply circuit according to aspect 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the first switch or the second switch includes a back-to-back transistor.

[0120] Aspect 4: The power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the first switch or the second switch includes a bulk switchable transistor.

[0121] Aspect 5: The power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4 further includes a first sensing resistor element for coupling to the first battery.

[0122] Aspect 6: The power supply circuit according to aspect 5 further includes: a reference potential node for the power supply circuit; and a third battery node, wherein the first battery node is used to couple to a first terminal of the first battery, wherein the third battery node is used to couple to a second terminal of the first battery, and wherein the first sensing resistor element is coupled between the third battery node and the reference potential node.

[0123] Aspect 7: The power supply circuit according to aspect 5 or 6 further includes a second sensing resistor element for coupling to the second battery.

[0124] Aspect 8: The power supply circuit according to Aspect 7 further includes: a reference potential node for the power supply circuit; a third battery node, wherein the first battery node is coupled to a first terminal of the first battery, wherein the third battery node is coupled to a second terminal of the first battery, and wherein the first sensing resistor element is coupled between the third battery node and the reference potential node; and a fourth battery node, wherein the second battery node is coupled to a first terminal of the second battery, wherein the fourth battery node is coupled to a second terminal of the second battery, and wherein the second sensing resistor element is coupled between the fourth battery node and the reference potential node.

[0125] Aspect 9: The power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 1 to 8 further includes a resistive element coupled between the first battery node and the second battery node.

[0126] Aspect 10: A power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 1 to 9, wherein the power supply circuit lacks a current-limiting switch coupled between the first battery node and the second battery node.

[0127] Aspect 11: The power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10 further includes a first charge pump, the first charge pump including a first terminal coupled to an input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to an output node of the switching regulator.

[0128] Aspect 12: The power supply circuit according to aspect 11 further includes a second charge pump, the second charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the first battery port.

[0129] Aspect 13: The power supply circuit according to aspect 11 further includes a second charge pump, the second charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the second battery port.

[0130] Aspect 14: The power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 1 to 10 further includes a first charge pump, the first charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the first battery port.

[0131] Aspect 15: The power supply circuit according to aspect 14 further includes a second charge pump, the second charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the second battery port.

[0132] Aspect 16: A power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 1 to 15, wherein the switching regulator includes a three-level buck converter that can be selectively configured as a bi-charge pump.

[0133] Aspect 17: The power supply circuit according to aspect 16, wherein: the three-level buck converter includes an inductor coupled to the output node of the switching regulator and a switch coupled in parallel with the inductor; the three-level buck converter is configured to operate in buck converter mode when the switch is open; and the three-level buck converter is configured to operate in charge pump mode when the switch is closed.

[0134] Aspect 18: A power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 1 to 15, wherein the switching regulator comprises a two-level buck converter.

[0135] Aspect 19: The power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 1 to 18 further includes a charge pump, the charge pump including an input coupled to the output node of the switching regulator and an output coupled to the power supply node.

[0136] Aspect 20: The power supply circuit according to aspect 19, wherein the charge pump includes a multiplied-two (X2) charge pump.

[0137] Aspect 21: The power supply circuit according to aspect 19 or 20, wherein the power supply node is configured to have a higher voltage than the output node of the switching regulator.

[0138] Aspect 22: An integrated circuit (IC) for power management, said IC including a power supply circuit of any one of aspects 1 to 21.

[0139] Aspect 23: The IC according to aspect 22 further includes: a first port coupled to the first battery node, the first port being configured to be coupled to the first battery; and a second port coupled to the second battery node, the second port being configured to be coupled to the second battery.

[0140] Aspect 24: The IC according to aspect 22 or 23, wherein the first switch and the second switch are inside the IC.

[0141] Aspect 25: An apparatus comprising: a switching regulator including an output node; a first battery; a second battery; a first switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the first battery; and a second switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the second battery.

[0142] Aspect 26: The device according to aspect 25, wherein the device is foldable, wherein a first portion of the device is coupled to a second portion of the device via a hinge, wherein the first battery is disposed in the first portion, and wherein the second battery is disposed in the second portion.

[0143] Aspect 27: The device according to aspect 25 or 26 further includes a resistive element coupled between the first battery and the second battery.

[0144] Aspect 28: The device according to aspect 27, wherein at least a portion of the switch regulator, the first switch and the second switch are implemented in an integrated circuit (IC), and wherein the resistive element is external to the IC.

[0145] Aspect 29: The device according to any one of aspects 25 to 28, wherein the capacity of the first battery is different from the capacity of the second battery.

[0146] Aspect 30: The device according to any one of Aspects 25 to 29, wherein the second switch is configured to control the charging of the second battery independently of the charging control of the first battery by the first switch.

[0147] Aspect 31: A method of power supply, comprising: converting a first voltage to a second voltage via a first switching regulator; charging a first battery from an output of the first switching regulator via a first switch; and charging a second battery from the output of the first switching regulator via a second switch, the second switch being different from the first switch.

[0148] Aspect 32: The method according to aspect 31 further includes charging a third battery from the output of the first switch regulator via a third switch, the third switch being different from the second switch and the first switch.

[0149] Aspect 33: The method according to aspect 31 or 32 further includes converting the first voltage to the second voltage via a second switching regulator, wherein the output of the first switching regulator is coupled to the output of the second switching regulator.

[0150] Aspect 34: The method according to aspect 33 further includes: converting the first voltage to a third voltage via a third switching regulator; and charging the first battery from the output of the third switching regulator, while simultaneously charging the first battery from the output of the first switching regulator via the first switch.

[0151] Aspect 35: The method according to aspect 33 further includes: converting the first voltage to a third voltage via a third switching regulator; and charging the second battery from the output of the third switching regulator, while simultaneously charging the second battery from the output of the first switching regulator via the second switch.

[0152] Aspect 36: The method according to aspect 31 or 32 further includes: converting the first voltage to a third voltage via a second switching regulator; and charging the first battery from the output of the second switching regulator, while simultaneously charging the first battery from the output of the first switching regulator via the first switch.

[0153] Aspect 37: The method according to aspect 36 further includes: converting the first voltage to a third voltage via a third switching regulator; and charging the second battery from the output of the third switching regulator, while simultaneously charging the second battery from the output of the first switching regulator via the second switch.

[0154] Aspect 38: A power supply circuit comprising: a switching regulator including an output node; a first power node coupled to the output node of the switching regulator; a first charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the first power node and a second terminal coupled to a second power node; a first battery node for coupling to a first battery; and a first switch including a first terminal coupled to the first power node and a second terminal connected to the first battery node.

[0155] Aspect 39: The power supply circuit according to aspect 38, wherein the first charge pump includes a multiplied-two (X2) charge pump.

[0156] Aspect 40: The power supply circuit according to aspect 38 or 39, wherein the second power node is configured to have a higher voltage than the first power node.

[0157] Aspect 41: The power supply circuit according to any one of aspects 38 to 40 further includes: a second battery node for coupling to a second battery; and a second switch coupled between the second power supply node and the second battery node.

[0158] Aspect 42: The power supply circuit according to aspect 41, wherein the first battery is a multi-cell series battery, and wherein the second battery node is used to couple to a tap of the multi-cell series battery.

[0159] Aspect 43: The power supply circuit according to aspect 41 or 42 further includes: a third switch coupled between the second power node and the output node of the switching regulator; and a fourth switch coupled between the first power node and the output node of the switching regulator.

[0160] Aspect 44: The power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 38 to 43 further includes a second charge pump, the second charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the second power node and including a second terminal coupled to a third power node, the third power node being different from the first power node and the second power node.

[0161] Aspect 45: The power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 38 to 43 further includes a second charge pump, the second charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the first power node and including a second terminal coupled to a third power node, the third power node being different from the first power node and the second power node.

[0162] Aspect 46: The power supply circuit according to any one of aspects 38 to 43 further includes a second charge pump, the first charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the first battery node.

[0163] Aspect 47: An integrated circuit (IC) for power management, said IC including a power supply circuit of any one of aspects 38-46.

[0164] Aspect 48: A power supply circuit comprising: a switching regulator including an output node; a first battery node for coupling to a first battery; a second battery node for coupling to a second battery; a first switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the first battery node; a second switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the second battery node; and a first charge pump including an input coupled to the output node of the switching regulator and an output coupled to a power supply node.

[0165] Aspect 49: The power supply circuit according to aspect 48, wherein the first charge pump includes a multiplied-two (X2) charge pump.

[0166] Aspect 50: The power supply circuit according to aspect 48 or 49, wherein the power supply node is configured to have a higher voltage than the output node of the switching regulator.

[0167] Aspect 51: The power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 48-50, wherein the first switch and the second switch are bidirectional switches implemented using transistors.

[0168] Aspect 52: A power supply circuit according to any one of aspects 48-50, wherein at least one of the first switch or the second switch includes a back-to-back transistor.

[0169] Aspect 53: A power supply circuit according to any one of aspects 48-50, wherein at least one of the first switch or the second switch includes a bulk switchable transistor.

[0170] Aspect 54: The power supply circuit according to any one of aspects 48-53 further includes a first sensing resistor element for coupling to the first battery.

[0171] Aspect 55: The power supply circuit according to aspect 54 further includes: a reference potential node for the power supply circuit; and a third battery node, wherein the first battery node is used to couple to a first terminal of the first battery, wherein the third battery node is used to couple to a second terminal of the first battery, and wherein the first sensing resistor element is coupled between the third battery node and the reference potential node.

[0172] Aspect 56: The power supply circuit according to aspect 54 or 55 further includes a second sensing resistor element for coupling to the second battery.

[0173] Aspect 57: The power supply circuit according to aspect 56 further includes: a reference potential node for the power supply circuit; a third battery node, wherein the first battery node is coupled to a first terminal of the first battery, wherein the third battery node is coupled to a second terminal of the first battery, and wherein the first sensing resistor element is coupled between the third battery node and the reference potential node; and a fourth battery node, wherein the second battery node is coupled to a first terminal of the second battery, wherein the fourth battery node is coupled to a second terminal of the second battery, and wherein the second sensing resistor element is coupled between the fourth battery node and the reference potential node.

[0174] Aspect 58: The power supply circuit according to any one of aspects 48-57 further includes a resistive element coupled between the first battery node and the second battery node.

[0175] Aspect 59: A power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 48-58, wherein the power supply circuit lacks a current-limiting switch coupled between the first battery node and the second battery node.

[0176] Aspect 60: The power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 48-59 further includes a second charge pump, the second charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the output node of the switching regulator.

[0177] Aspect 61: The power supply circuit according to aspect 60 further includes a third charge pump, the second charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the first battery node.

[0178] Aspect 62: The power supply circuit according to aspect 60 further includes a third charge pump, the third charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the second battery node, wherein the second battery node is used to couple to the first terminal of the second battery, and wherein the first battery node is used to couple to the second terminal of the second battery and the first terminal of the first battery.

[0179] Aspect 63: The power supply circuit according to any one of Aspects 48-59 further includes a second charge pump, the first charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the first battery node.

[0180] Aspect 64: The power supply circuit according to aspect 63 further includes a third charge pump, the third charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the second battery node.

[0181] Aspect 65: An integrated circuit (IC) for power management, the IC including a power supply circuit according to any one of aspects 48-64, and further comprising: a first port coupled to a first battery node, the first port being configured to be coupled to the first battery; and a second port coupled to a second battery node, the second port being configured to be coupled to the second battery.

[0182] Aspect 66: The IC according to aspect 65, wherein the first switch and the second switch are internal to the IC, and wherein the power node is configured to have a higher voltage than the output node of the switch regulator.

[0183] Aspect 67: An apparatus comprising: a switching regulator including an output node; a first battery; a second battery; a first switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the first battery; a second switch coupled between the output node of the switching regulator and the second battery; and a charge pump including an input coupled to the output node of the switching regulator and an output coupled to a power node.

[0184] Aspect 68: A method of power supply, comprising: converting a first voltage to a second voltage via a first switching regulator; charging a first battery from an output of the first switching regulator via a first switch; charging a second battery from the output of the first switching regulator via a second switch, the second switch being different from the first switch; and converting the second voltage to a third voltage via a second switching regulator, the second switching regulator including a charge pump, and the third voltage being different from the second voltage.

[0185] Aspect 69: The method according to aspect 69 further includes charging a third battery from the output of the first switch regulator via a third switch, the third switch being different from the second switch and the first switch.

[0186] Aspect 70: The method according to aspect 68 or 69 further includes converting the first voltage to the second voltage via a third switching regulator, wherein the output of the first switching regulator is coupled to the output of the third switching regulator.

[0187] Aspect 71: The method according to aspect 70 further includes: converting the first voltage to a fourth voltage via a fourth switching regulator; and charging the first battery from the output of the fourth switching regulator, while simultaneously charging the first battery from the output of the first switching regulator via the first switch.

[0188] Aspect 72: The method according to aspect 70 further includes: converting the first voltage to a fourth voltage via a fourth switching regulator; and charging the second battery from the output of the fourth switching regulator, while simultaneously charging the second battery from the output of the first switching regulator via the second switch, wherein the first battery and the second battery are coupled in series to form a multi-cell series battery.

[0189] Aspect 73: The method according to any one of aspects 68-70 further includes: converting the first voltage to a fourth voltage via a third switching regulator; and charging the first battery from the output of the third switching regulator, while simultaneously charging the first battery from the output of the first switching regulator via the first switch.

[0190] Aspect 74: The method according to aspect 73 further includes: converting the first voltage to a fifth voltage via a fourth switching regulator; and charging the second battery from the output of the fourth switching regulator, while simultaneously charging the second battery from the output of the first switching regulator via the second switch.

[0191] Aspect 75: A method of supplying power, comprising: converting a first voltage to a second voltage via a first switching regulator; charging a first battery from an output of the first switching regulator via a first switch; and converting the second voltage to a third voltage via a second switching regulator, the second switching regulator including a charge pump, and the third voltage being different from the second voltage.

[0192] Aspect 76: The method according to aspect 75, wherein the first switch has a terminal connected to the battery. Other considerations

[0193] The various operations of the methods described above can be performed by any suitable unit capable of performing the corresponding function. This unit may include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or processors. Typically, in the presence of operations shown in the accompanying drawings, those operations may have corresponding paired functional unit components with similar numbering.

[0194] As used herein, the term "determine" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determine" can include calculation, operation, processing, derivation, investigation, lookup (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertainment, etc. Furthermore, "determine" can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), etc. Additionally, "determine" can include parsing, selecting, choosing, building, etc.

[0195] As used in this article, the phrase “at least one of the items” refers to any combination of these items, including a single member. As an example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination with multiples of the same element (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbb, cc, and ccc, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0196] The methods disclosed herein include one or more steps or actions for implementing the described methods. Method steps and / or actions may be interchanged without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is specified, the order and / or use of particular steps and / or actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0197] It should be understood that the claims are not limited to the precise configurations and components shown above. Various modifications, alterations, and variations may be made to the arrangement, operation, and details of the methods and apparatus described above without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A power supply circuit, comprising: Including the switching regulator of the output node; A first power supply node, which is coupled to the output node of the switching regulator; A first charge pump includes a first terminal coupled to the first power node and a second terminal coupled to the second power node; First battery node for coupling to the first battery; as well as A first switch includes a first terminal coupled to the first power node and a second terminal connected to the first battery node.

2. The power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein, The first charge pump includes a multiplied-two (X2) charge pump.

3. The power supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein, The second power node is configured to have a higher voltage than the first power node.

4. The power supply circuit according to claim 1 further includes: Second battery node used for coupling to the second battery; as well as A second switch is coupled between the second power node and the second battery node.

5. The power supply circuit according to claim 4, wherein, The first battery is a multi-cell series battery, and the second battery node is used to couple to a tap of the multi-cell series battery.

6. The power supply circuit according to claim 4 further includes: A third switch is coupled between the second power node and the output node of the switching regulator; as well as A fourth switch is coupled between the first power node and the output node of the switching regulator.

7. The power supply circuit of claim 1 further includes a second charge pump, the second charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the second power node and a second terminal coupled to a third power node, the third power node being different from the first power node and the second power node.

8. The power supply circuit of claim 1 further includes a second charge pump, the second charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the first power node and a second terminal coupled to a third power node, the third power node being different from the first power node and the second power node.

9. The power supply circuit of claim 1 further includes a second charge pump, the second charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the first battery node.

10. An integrated circuit (IC) for power management, the IC comprising the power supply circuit of claim 1.

11. A power supply circuit, comprising: Including the switching regulator of the output node; First battery node for coupling to the first battery; Second battery node used for coupling to the second battery; A first switch is coupled between the output node of the switch regulator and the first battery node; A second switch is coupled between the output node of the switch regulator and the second battery node; as well as A first charge pump includes an input coupled to the output node of the switching regulator and an output coupled to the power node.

12. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein, The first charge pump includes a multiplied-two (X2) charge pump.

13. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein, The power node is configured to have a higher voltage than the output node of the switching regulator.

14. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein, The first switch and the second switch are bidirectional switches implemented using transistors.

15. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein, At least one of the first switch or the second switch includes a back-to-back transistor.

16. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein, At least one of the first switch or the second switch includes a bulk switchable transistor.

17. The power supply circuit of claim 11, further comprising a first sensing resistor element for coupling to the first battery.

18. The power supply circuit according to claim 17, further comprising: The reference potential node for the power supply circuit; as well as A third battery node, wherein the first battery node is used to couple to a first terminal of the first battery, wherein the third battery node is used to couple to a second terminal of the first battery, and wherein the first sensing resistor element is coupled between the third battery node and the reference potential node.

19. The power supply circuit of claim 17, further comprising a second sensing resistor element for coupling to the second battery.

20. The power supply circuit according to claim 19, further comprising: The reference potential node for the power supply circuit; A third battery node, wherein the first battery node is used to couple to a first terminal of the first battery, wherein the third battery node is used to couple to a second terminal of the first battery, and wherein the first sensing resistor element is coupled between the third battery node and the reference potential node; and A fourth battery node, wherein the second battery node is used to couple to a first terminal of the second battery, wherein the fourth battery node is used to couple to a second terminal of the second battery, and wherein the second sensing resistor element is coupled between the fourth battery node and the reference potential node.

21. The power supply circuit of claim 11 further includes a resistive element coupled between the first battery node and the second battery node.

22. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein, The power supply circuit lacks a current-limiting switch coupled between the first battery node and the second battery node.

23. The power supply circuit of claim 11 further includes a second charge pump, the second charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the output node of the switching regulator.

24. The power supply circuit of claim 23 further includes a third charge pump, the third charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the first battery node.

25. The power supply circuit of claim 23, further comprising a third charge pump, the third charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the second battery node, wherein, The second battery node is used to couple to the first terminal of the second battery, and wherein the first battery node is used to couple to the second terminal of the second battery and the first terminal of the first battery.

26. The power supply circuit of claim 11 further includes a second charge pump, the second charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the first battery node.

27. The power supply circuit of claim 26 further includes a third charge pump, the third charge pump including a first terminal coupled to the input node of the switching regulator and a second terminal coupled to the second battery node.

28. An integrated circuit (IC) for power management, the IC comprising the power supply circuit of claim 11, and further comprising: A first port coupled to the first battery node, the first port being configured to couple to the first battery; as well as A second port is coupled to the second battery node, and the second port is configured to be coupled to the second battery.

29. The IC according to claim 28, wherein, The first switch and the second switch are located inside the IC, and the power node is configured to have a higher voltage than the output node of the switch regulator.

30. An apparatus comprising: Including the switching regulator of the output node; First battery; Second battery; A first switch is coupled between the output node of the switch regulator and the first battery; A second switch is coupled between the output node of the switch regulator and the second battery; as well as A charge pump includes an input coupled to the output node of the switching regulator and an output coupled to the power node.

31. A method of supplying power, comprising: The first voltage is converted into a second voltage via a first switching regulator; The first battery is charged from the output of the first switch regulator via the first switch; The second battery is charged from the output of the first switch regulator via a second switch, which is different from the first switch. as well as The second voltage is converted into a third voltage via a second switching regulator, the second switching regulator including a charge pump, and the third voltage is different from the second voltage.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising charging a third battery from the output of the first switch regulator via a third switch, the third switch being different from the second switch and the first switch.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising converting the first voltage to the second voltage via a third switching regulator, wherein, The output of the first switching regulator is coupled to the output of the third switching regulator.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising: The first voltage is converted into a fourth voltage via a fourth switching regulator; as well as The first battery is charged from the output of the fourth switch regulator, and simultaneously the first battery is charged from the output of the first switch regulator via the first switch.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising: The first voltage is converted into a fourth voltage via a fourth switching regulator; as well as The second battery is charged from the output of the fourth switch regulator, and simultaneously charged from the output of the first switch regulator via the second switch, wherein the first battery and the second battery are coupled in series to form a multi-cell series battery.

36. The method of claim 31, further comprising: The first voltage is converted into a fourth voltage via a third switching regulator; as well as The first battery is charged from the output of the third switch regulator, and simultaneously the first battery is charged from the output of the first switch regulator via the first switch.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising: The first voltage is converted into a fifth voltage via a fourth switching regulator; as well as The second battery is charged from the output of the fourth switch regulator, and simultaneously charged from the output of the first switch regulator via the second switch.

38. A method of supplying power, comprising: The first voltage is converted into a second voltage via a first switching regulator; The battery is charged from the output of the first switch regulator via the first switch; as well as The second voltage is converted into a third voltage via a second switching regulator, the second switching regulator including a charge pump, and the third voltage is different from the second voltage.

39. The method according to claim 38, wherein, The first switch has a terminal connected to the battery.

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