Multi-port charging method and charging equipment

Abstract

According to the multi-port charging method and the charging equipment provided by the invention, when the plurality of charging ports are connected with the electronic equipment, the charging protocol chip corresponding to the corresponding electronic equipment sends the state information of the corresponding electronic equipment to the main control chip, and the state information of the electronic equipment comprises the protocol type of the electronic equipment; the main control chip sends corresponding information (power distribution information or state information of other electronic equipment) to the corresponding protocol control chips, and each protocol control chip controls the corresponding charging circuit to charge the corresponding electronic equipment at preset power; in other words, the distribution of the preset power includes consideration of the protocol type of each electronic device, and each protocol chip supports multiple protocol types, so that when different electronic devices are charged, the preset power can be compatible with the electronic devices, and the problem that in the prior art, the distributed power is not compatible with the electronic devices, and the charging efficiency is low is solved. And the charging cannot be carried out or the charging is very slow.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of multi-port charging technology, and more specifically to a multi-port charging method and charging device. Background Technology

[0002] With the widespread use of smartphones, tablets, wireless headphones, and other electronic devices, users often need to charge multiple devices simultaneously, creating a market demand for multi-port fast charging. Many multi-port charging technologies already exist, and various power allocation schemes exist to improve charging efficiency. For example, one scheme adjusts the power output of each port based on the real-time needs of the connected devices by monitoring voltage and current. While this approach allows for intelligent power adjustment and improves charging efficiency, it requires complex control algorithms due to the need for real-time voltage and current monitoring. Furthermore, because different electronic devices may use different protocols, the allocated power may be incompatible with the device, leading to charging failures or slow charging speeds. Therefore, it is necessary to propose a new charging solution to address the problems existing in current technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a multi-port charging method and charging device.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a multi-port charging method is provided, having multiple charging ports, characterized in that the method includes,

[0005] Each charging port is equipped with a charging circuit and a charging protocol chip, and each charging protocol chip integrates multiple charging protocols.

[0006] Each charging protocol chip is used to identify the protocol type of the electronic device connected to its corresponding charging port, and periodically send the status information of the electronic device connected to its corresponding charging port to the main control chip, and receive the information sent by the main control chip. Based on the protocol type of the connected electronic device and the received information, it controls the corresponding charging circuit to charge the corresponding electronic device at a preset power.

[0007] The information sent by the main control chip includes status information of other electronic devices connected to the charging port, or the information sent by the main control chip includes power allocation information;

[0008] The status information of the electronic device includes the protocol type.

[0009] Furthermore, when the information sent by the main control chip includes status information of other electronic devices connected to the charging ports,

[0010] Each charging protocol chip, based on the protocol type of the electronic device it is connected to and the status information received from other electronic devices connected to its charging ports, charges the corresponding electronic device according to a preset power allocation table and a preset power control with its corresponding charging circuit.

[0011] Furthermore, when the information sent by the main control chip includes power allocation information,

[0012] The main control chip sends power allocation information to the corresponding charging protocol chip according to the preset power allocation table based on the received information. The corresponding charging protocol chip controls its corresponding charging circuit to charge the corresponding electronic device based on the power information it receives. The power information is the preset power.

[0013] Furthermore, one of the charging protocol chips is set as the main control chip.

[0014] Furthermore, the power allocation table is set based on the priority of the protocol type.

[0015] Furthermore, when multiple charging port protocol types have equal priority, power allocation is performed based on the actual charging power of those multiple charging ports.

[0016] Furthermore, the power allocation table allocates more power to higher priority protocol types than to lower priority protocol types.

[0017] Furthermore, the status information of the electronic device also includes one or more of voltage, current, power, and temperature.

[0018] Furthermore, the charging protocol chip communicates with the main control chip via IIC.

[0019] Furthermore, multiple power levels are set for each protocol type;

[0020] When an electronic device is connected to two or more charging ports, after a certain charging time, if the actual charging power of the corresponding charging port is less than the minimum power requirement of its assigned power level, and the actual charging power of the corresponding charging port is within the power range of its assigned power level, and the duration exceeds a first time, then the power level of the corresponding charging port will be lowered by one level for charging, and the power level of the other corresponding charging port will be raised by one level for charging.

[0021] The present invention also provides a multi-port charging device, which includes multiple charging ports, each charging port being provided with a charging circuit and a charging protocol chip, and each charging protocol chip controlling the corresponding charging circuit to charge the electronic device connected to the corresponding charging port; the multi-port charging device is characterized in that it is used to implement the method described above.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the present invention include at least the following:

[0023] The multi-port charging method and charging device provided by this invention, when multiple charging ports are connected to electronic devices, the charging protocol chip corresponding to each electronic device sends the status information of the corresponding electronic device to the main control chip. The status information of the electronic device includes its protocol type. The main control chip then sends corresponding information (power allocation information or status information of other electronic devices) to the corresponding protocol control chip. Each protocol control chip then controls its corresponding charging circuit to charge the corresponding electronic device at a preset power. That is, the preset power allocation takes into account the protocol type of each electronic device, and each protocol chip supports multiple protocol types. Therefore, when charging different electronic devices, the preset power can achieve compatibility with the electronic devices, avoiding the problem in the prior art where the allocated power is incompatible with the electronic devices, resulting in no charging or very slow charging.

[0024] Furthermore, the present invention can also dynamically adjust the power based on the actual charging power demand of the electronic device, based on the original power allocation, in order to further improve charging efficiency and achieve optimal charging power performance.

[0025] It should be noted that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and explanatory, and do not limit the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This invention provides a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of a multi-port charging method.

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a multi-port charging device provided by the present invention is shown.

[0028] Figure 3 Another schematic diagram of the multi-port charging device provided by the present invention is shown;

[0029] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a power allocation table provided by the present invention is shown;

[0030] Figure 5 This invention provides a schematic diagram of a power dynamic adjustment mechanism.

[0031] Figure 6 Another schematic diagram of the multi-port charging device provided by the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in various forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of the invention.

[0033] To address the problems existing in the prior art, this invention proposes a multi-port charging method and charging device, which can be implemented using a combination of hardware and / or software. Specifically, the multi-port charging device includes multiple charging ports, i.e., it has two or more charging ports, and the specific number of charging ports can be set according to actual application requirements. Each charging port is equipped with a charging circuit and a charging protocol chip, and each charging protocol chip integrates multiple charging protocols (such as existing PD, SCP, UFCS, QC, etc.). Figure 1 As shown, the multi-port charging method is as follows: After detecting the insertion of an electronic device, each charging protocol chip identifies the protocol type of the electronic device connected to its corresponding charging port, and periodically sends the status information of the electronic device connected to its corresponding charging port to the main control chip, and receives the information sent by the main control chip. Based on the protocol type of the connected electronic device and the received information, it controls the corresponding charging circuit to charge the corresponding electronic device at a preset power. The information sent by the main control chip includes the status information of the electronic devices connected to other charging ports, or the information sent by the main control chip includes power allocation information. The status information of the electronic device includes the protocol type. In this invention, when two or more charging ports are connected to electronic devices, the main control chip receives the status information of these electronic devices (including the protocol type of each device). The main control chip then sends corresponding information (power allocation information or status information of other electronic devices) to the corresponding protocol control chip. Each protocol control chip then controls its corresponding charging circuit to charge the corresponding electronic device at a preset power. That is, the preset power allocation takes into account the protocol type of each electronic device and supports multiple protocol types. Therefore, when charging different electronic devices, the preset power can achieve compatibility with the electronic devices, avoiding the problem of incompatibility between the allocated power and the electronic devices in the prior art, which leads to the inability to charge or very slow charging.

[0034] In one embodiment of the present invention, when the information sent by the main control chip includes the status information of electronic devices connected to other charging ports, each charging protocol chip, based on the protocol type of the electronic device it is connected to and the received status information of the electronic devices connected to other charging ports, controls the corresponding charging circuit to charge the corresponding electronic device according to a preset power allocation table and a preset power control.

[0035] In another embodiment of the present invention, when the information sent by the main control chip includes power allocation information, the main control chip sends the power allocation information to the corresponding charging protocol chip according to the preset power allocation table based on the received information. The corresponding charging protocol chip controls its corresponding charging circuit to charge the corresponding electronic device based on the power information it receives; the power information is the preset power.

[0036] In the two embodiments described above, the power allocation table is set based on the priority of protocol types. Higher priority protocol types are allocated higher charging power, while lower priority protocol types are allocated lower charging power, allowing even lower priority electronic devices to be charged. When multiple charging ports have equal protocol type priorities, power allocation is performed based on the actual charging power of those ports. This invention allocates power based on the priority of different electronic device protocol types, avoiding the increased complexity of control logic algorithms caused by real-time voltage and current monitoring for power adjustment in existing technologies.

[0037] Furthermore, the status information of electronic devices also includes one or more of voltage, current, power, and temperature.

[0038] Furthermore, as one embodiment of the present invention, one of the charging protocol chips can be set as the main control chip. Of course, the main control chip can also be a separate chip.

[0039] Furthermore, in this invention, each protocol type is configured with multiple power levels. When two or more charging ports are connected to electronic devices, after a certain charging time (which can be set according to actual application), if the actual charging power of a corresponding charging port is less than the minimum power requirement of its assigned power level, but the actual charging power of the corresponding charging port is within the power range of its assigned power level, and the duration exceeds a first time, then the power level of the corresponding charging port is lowered by one level for charging, and the power level of the other corresponding charging port is raised by one level for charging. This configuration improves the utilization of charging power, thereby enhancing overall charging efficiency.

[0040] The present invention will now be described in detail using a multi-port charging device with two charging ports as an example. Figure 2 The diagram shown is a schematic of a multi-port charging device provided by the present invention. The device has two charging ports: a first charging port and a second charging port. A first charging circuit and a first charging protocol chip are provided corresponding to the first charging port, and a second charging circuit and a second charging protocol chip are provided corresponding to the second charging port. The first and second charging protocol chips integrate multiple charging protocols, such as existing PD, SCP, UFCS, and QC protocols. The specific integrated charging protocol type can be set according to the actual application. The first charging protocol chip can identify the protocol type of the electronic device connected to the first charging port, and similarly, the second charging protocol chip can identify the protocol type of the electronic device connected to the second charging port. The first and second charging circuits are powered by a power module, which can be implemented using existing structures in the prior art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0041] In this embodiment, either the first charging protocol chip or the second charging protocol chip can be used as the main control chip. Taking the first charging protocol chip as the main control chip as an example, when an electronic device is connected to the second charging port, the second charging protocol chip identifies the protocol type of the electronic device and sends the status information of the electronic device to the first charging protocol chip (i.e., the main control chip). Similarly, when an electronic device is connected to the first charging port, the first charging protocol chip identifies the protocol type of the electronic device and sends the status information of the electronic device to the second charging protocol chip (i.e., the main control chip sends the status information of other charging port electronic devices (here, other charging ports refer to charging ports different from the second charging port) to the second charging protocol chip). The first and second charging protocol chips control their corresponding charging circuits to charge the corresponding electronic devices at a preset power based on their identified protocol types and the received status information of other port electronic devices. The status information of the electronic devices includes the protocol type. In this embodiment, the two charging protocol chips charge the electronic devices at a preset power according to a preset power allocation table based on their respective identified protocol types and the status information of other port electronic devices.

[0042] In another embodiment, taking the first charging protocol chip as the main control chip, after receiving the status information of the corresponding electronic device sent by the second charging protocol chip, and combining it with the status information of the electronic device connected to the first charging port that it has identified, it can send power allocation information to the second charging protocol chip according to the preset power allocation table. It will also allocate corresponding power allocation information itself. The first charging protocol chip and the second charging protocol chip control the corresponding charging circuit to charge the corresponding electronic device based on the power information.

[0043] In this invention, there are no restrictions on the communication method for sending and receiving information between the charging protocol chip and the main control chip. Existing communication methods can be used, such as communication via IIC, or other methods.

[0044] As other extended embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, a separate main control chip can also be set up. In this case, the main control chip is connected to both the first charging protocol chip and the second charging protocol chip. The first protocol chip sends the status information of the electronic device connected to the first charging port to the main control chip, and the second charging protocol chip sends the status information of the electronic device connected to the second charging port to the main control chip. The main control chip can send power allocation information to the first and second charging protocol chips according to a preset power allocation table. The two charging protocol chips control the corresponding charging circuits to charge the corresponding electronic devices based on the power information they receive. Figure 3 In another embodiment of the present invention, the main control chip can act as an intermediary, sending the status information of the electronic device connected to the first charging port sent by the first charging protocol chip to the second charging protocol chip, and sending the status information of the electronic device connected to the second charging port sent by the second charging protocol chip to the first charging protocol chip. The two charging protocol chips then control their corresponding charging circuits to charge the corresponding electronic devices at a preset power according to a preset power allocation table based on the protocol type they have identified and the status information of other port electronic devices they have received.

[0045] The power allocation table mentioned above can be set based on the priority of the protocol type. Figure 4 The following is based on Figure 2 or Figure 3 This diagram illustrates the power allocation for a charging device with two charging ports. Taking an example of a chip integrating four charging protocols, it shows how different power can be allocated to each port based on the different protocols used for the first and last ports. When protocol 1 has a higher priority than protocol 2, more power can be allocated to the electronic device associated with protocol 1; that is, power 1 can be set to be greater than power 2. This diagram is for illustrative purposes only. Different power can be configured depending on the combination of protocol types for the two ports. The specific power allocation method can be set according to the actual application. Additionally, there may be cases where electronic devices do not have a charging protocol. In this case, power can also be allocated to electronic devices without a charging protocol (protocol 4 can be used to represent electronic devices without a charging protocol).

[0046] In this invention, when the protocol type priorities of two charging ports are equal, power allocation can be performed based on the actual charging power of the multiple charging ports. For example, if the first charging port requires a larger actual power, a larger power can be allocated to the first charging port. The detection of the actual charging power of the electronic device connected to the charging port can employ existing technologies, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0047] Furthermore, as another embodiment of the present invention, the status information of the electronic device also includes one or more of voltage, current, power, and temperature. This is to enable power allocation based on the actual operating state of different charging ports to improve charging efficiency.

[0048] Furthermore, in this invention, each protocol type is provided with multiple power levels; such as... Figure 5 As shown, the following explanation uses four power levels as an example. These power levels are P1, P2, P3, and P4, with power values ​​increasing sequentially. The corresponding power ranges are level 1 (power in [0, P1]), level 2 (power in [P1, P2]), level 3 (power in [P2, P3]), and level 4 (power in [P3, P4]). Each power level represents the maximum power value that can be used to charge electronic devices. For example, when the allocated power is level P3, electronic devices can be charged with a power value less than or equal to P3. To further improve charging efficiency, this invention can also dynamically allocate power to different charging ports. The following is based on... Figure 2 or Figure 3 Taking a charging device with two charging ports as an example, combined with Figure 5To explain, when both the first and second charging ports are connected to electronic devices, based on the power allocation principle described above (based on the protocol types of the two ports), an initial power is allocated to the first and second charging ports. For example, the first charging port is allocated power level P3 and the second charging port is allocated power level P1. However, during actual charging, the actual charging power required by the electronic device changes. Therefore, redistributing power during charging can improve charging efficiency. Specifically, if the actual charging power of the first charging port is less than the minimum power requirement P2 for power level P3, and the actual charging power of the second charging port remains at level 1 (i.e., [0, P1]) for more than a first time interval T1, then the power level of the first charging port is lowered by one level to P2 (i.e., its maximum charging power decreases from P3 to P2), and the power level of the second charging port is raised by one level to P2 (i.e., its maximum charging power increases from P1 to P2). This invention, through this setting, can improve the utilization of charging power, thereby improving overall charging efficiency. In this embodiment, a dynamic power adjustment is performed based on the actual charging power of the electronic device. However, in other embodiments, the number of dynamic power adjustments can be set according to the actual application. Figure 5 The illustration is for informational purposes only, and the invention does not impose any specific limitations on this. Furthermore, the specific duration of the first time step T1 can be set according to the actual application.

[0049] The above description uses a charging device with two charging ports as an example. As other embodiments of the present invention, the multi-port charging device may also have other numbers of charging ports, such as... Figure 6 The image shows a multi-port charging device with three charging ports; however, other numbers of charging ports can be configured according to actual application needs. Figure 6As shown in the diagram, three charging circuits and three charging protocol chips are respectively set for the three charging ports. Taking the first charging protocol chip as the main control chip, the second and third charging protocol chips are connected to the first charging protocol chip and can communicate bidirectionally. When an electronic device is connected to the corresponding charging port, the charging protocol chip corresponding to that charging port will send the status information of the electronic device to the first charging protocol chip. Taking the case where all three charging ports are connected to electronic devices, the second and third charging protocol chips will send the status information of their respective electronic devices to the first charging protocol chip. The first charging protocol chip can also identify the status information of the electronic device connected to the first charging port. The first charging protocol chip can send power allocation information to the first and second charging protocol chips according to a preset power allocation table. It will also allocate corresponding power allocation information itself. The three charging protocol chips control the corresponding charging circuit to charge the corresponding electronic device based on the power information. As described above, the first charging protocol chip can also act as an intermediary, sending information received from the second charging protocol chip and its own information to the third charging protocol chip, and sending information received from the third charging protocol chip and its own information to the second charging protocol chip. These three charging protocol chips then control the corresponding charging circuits to charge the corresponding electronic devices according to a preset power allocation table and a preset power. Similarly, as another embodiment of the present invention, a separate main control chip can also be provided.

[0050] Similarly, in this embodiment, when two or more charging ports are connected to an electronic device, power can be dynamically allocated after charging for a certain period of time to improve charging efficiency. That is, if the actual charging power of a corresponding charging port is less than the minimum power requirement of its allocated power level, and the actual charging power of the corresponding charging port is within the power range of its allocated power level, and the duration exceeds a first time, then the power level of the corresponding charging port will be lowered by one level for charging, and the power level of the other corresponding charging port will be raised by one level for charging.

[0051] In summary, the multi-port charging method and charging device provided by this invention, when multiple charging ports are connected to electronic devices, the charging protocol chip corresponding to each electronic device sends the status information of that electronic device to the main control chip. This status information includes the protocol type of the electronic device. The main control chip then sends corresponding information (power allocation information or status information of other electronic devices) to the corresponding protocol control chip. Each protocol control chip then controls its corresponding charging circuit to charge the corresponding electronic device at a preset power. That is, the preset power allocation takes into account the protocol type of each electronic device, and each protocol chip supports multiple protocol types. Therefore, when charging different electronic devices, the preset power can achieve compatibility with the electronic devices, avoiding the problem in the prior art where the allocated power is incompatible with the electronic devices, resulting in no charging or very slow charging.

[0052] Furthermore, the present invention can also dynamically adjust the power based on the actual charging power demand of the electronic device after allocating the initial power, so as to further improve charging efficiency and achieve optimal charging power performance.

[0053] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention and are not intended to limit the implementation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all possible implementations. However, obvious variations or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A multi-port charging method, comprising multiple charging ports, characterized in that, The method includes, Each charging port is equipped with a charging circuit and a charging protocol chip, and each charging protocol chip integrates multiple charging protocols. Each charging protocol chip is used to identify the protocol type of the electronic device connected to its corresponding charging port, and periodically send the status information of the electronic device connected to its corresponding charging port to the main control chip, and receive the information sent by the main control chip. Based on the protocol type of the connected electronic device and the received information, it controls the corresponding charging circuit to charge the corresponding electronic device at a preset power. The information sent by the main control chip includes status information of other electronic devices connected to the charging port, or the information sent by the main control chip includes power allocation information; The status information of the electronic device includes the protocol type.

2. The charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the information sent by the main control chip includes status information of other electronic devices connected to the charging ports... Each charging protocol chip, based on the protocol type of the electronic device it is connected to and the status information received from other electronic devices connected to its charging ports, charges the corresponding electronic device according to a preset power allocation table and a preset power control with its corresponding charging circuit.

3. The charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the information sent by the main control chip includes power allocation information... The main control chip sends power allocation information to the corresponding charging protocol chip according to the preset power allocation table based on the received information. The corresponding charging protocol chip controls its corresponding charging circuit to charge the corresponding electronic device based on the power information it receives. The power information is the preset power.

4. The charging method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, Set one of the charging protocol chips as the main control chip.

5. The charging method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The power allocation table is set based on the priority of the protocol type.

6. The charging method according to claim 5, characterized in that, When multiple charging port protocol types have equal priority, power allocation is performed based on the actual charging power of those multiple charging ports.

7. The charging method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The power allocation table allocates more power to protocol types with higher priority than to protocol types with lower priority.

8. The charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The status information of the electronic device also includes one or more of voltage, current, power, and temperature.

9. The charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The charging protocol chip communicates with the main control chip via IIC.

10. The charging method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, Each protocol type can be configured with multiple power levels; When an electronic device is connected to two or more charging ports, after a certain charging time, if the actual charging power of the corresponding charging port is less than the minimum power requirement of its assigned power level, and the actual charging power of the corresponding charging port is within the power range of its assigned power level, and the duration exceeds a first time, then the power level of the corresponding charging port will be lowered by one level for charging, and the power level of the other corresponding charging port will be raised by one level for charging.

11. A multi-port charging device, the multi-port charging device comprising multiple charging ports, each charging port being provided with a charging circuit and a charging protocol chip corresponding to it, each charging protocol chip controlling its corresponding charging circuit to charge the electronic device connected to its corresponding charging port; characterized in that, The multi-port charging device is used to implement the method described in any one of claims 1-10.

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