Information processing device and charging method

Abstract

To charge the battery efficiently. [Solution] The information processing device comprises a power supply control unit that controls the amount of power supplied from an AC adapter, a power supply unit that generates power to be supplied to a secondary battery and a system load based on the power supplied from the AC adapter, and a processor that, when charging the secondary battery, monitors the value of the system power supplied to the system load and the voltage value of the secondary battery, and controls the current value to charge the secondary battery by instructing the power supply control unit to supply a certain amount of power from the AC adapter based on a predetermined charging power value and system power value according to the voltage value of the secondary battery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a charging method.

Background Art

[0002] A portable information processing apparatus such as a notebook-type or tablet-type personal computer generally has a battery and can charge the battery with the power supplied from an AC adapter by connecting the AC adapter. Further, the information processing apparatus not only operates with a system power supply generated from the power supplied from the battery, but can also operate with a system power supply generated from the AC adapter in parallel with charging the battery when the AC adapter is connected.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Conventionally, when charging a battery with the power supplied from an AC adapter, the remaining amount of the battery has been monitored and the charging current has been controlled. However, when the system load fluctuates during charging of the battery, the power loss generated when generating the system power supply fluctuates, so that the power conversion efficiency may deteriorate depending on the remaining amount of the battery.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide an information processing apparatus and a charging method capable of efficiently charging a battery.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises: a power supply control unit that controls the amount of power supplied from an AC adapter; a power supply unit that generates power to be supplied to a secondary battery and a system load based on the power supplied from the AC adapter; and a processor that, when charging the secondary battery, monitors the value of the system power supplied to the system load and the voltage value of the secondary battery, and controls the current value to charge the secondary battery by instructing the power supply control unit to change the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter based on a predetermined charging power value according to the voltage value of the secondary battery and the value of the system power.

[0007] In the above-described information processing device, a target value for the charging current is set in advance for each of several voltage values ​​corresponding to the charge level of the secondary battery, and the value of the charging power predetermined according to the voltage value of the secondary battery may be calculated based on the target value for the charging current set in advance for each of the several voltage values.

[0008] In the above-described information processing device, the processor may, when charging the secondary battery, instruct the power supply control unit to supply the amount of power from the AC adapter based on a value obtained by adding a predetermined charging power value according to the voltage value of the secondary battery and the system power value.

[0009] In the above-described information processing device, the processor may instruct the power supply control unit to set the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter to its maximum value if the sum of the value of the charging power, which is predetermined according to the voltage value of the secondary battery, and the value of the system power exceeds the maximum amount of power that can be supplied from the AC adapter.

[0010] In the above-described information processing device, the processor may switch between the first charging mode and the second charging mode based on user operation on a UI (User Interface) that can switch between a first charging mode, which monitors the system power value and the voltage value of the secondary battery to control the current value for charging the secondary battery, and a second charging mode, which monitors the voltage value of the secondary battery without using the system power value to control the current value for charging the secondary battery.

[0011] In the above-mentioned information processing device, the system load is This may include the processing load performed by the OS (Operating System) or programs running on the OS.

[0012] Furthermore, a method for charging a secondary battery in an information processing apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention, comprising a power supply control unit that controls the amount of power supplied from an AC adapter and a power supply unit that generates power to be supplied to a secondary battery and a system load based on the power supplied from the AC adapter, includes the steps of: when the processor charges the secondary battery, monitoring the value of the system power supplied to the system load and the voltage value of the secondary battery; and controlling the current value for charging the secondary battery by instructing the power supply control unit to charge the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter based on a predetermined charging power value according to the voltage value of the secondary battery and the value of the system power. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the above embodiment of the present invention, the battery can be charged efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] An external view showing an example of the configuration of an information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] A graph showing an example of the relationship between charging current and power conversion efficiency. [Figure 3]This diagram illustrates an example of conventional charging current control when the system load fluctuates. [Figure 4] A diagram illustrating an example of charging current control according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] A schematic block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration related to charge control in an information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] A flowchart showing an example of charge control processing using the high-efficiency charge mode according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, with reference to Figure 1, an overview of the information processing device according to this embodiment will be described. Figure 1 is an external view showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device according to this embodiment.

[0016] The illustrated information processing device 10 is a clamshell-type (notebook-type) PC (Personal Computer). However, the information processing device 10 may also be a tablet PC or a smartphone. The information processing device 10 has an internal battery 20. An AC adapter 30 is also connected to the information processing device 10. The AC adapter 30 converts commercial alternating current (AC) power to direct current (DC) power for input to the information processing device 10.

[0017] The battery 20 is a secondary battery for supplying power to the information processing device 10 and can be repeatedly used by charging from the AC adapter 30. For example, the battery 20 can be an example of a lithium-ion battery. Note that the battery 20 may be charged from a charger in addition to charging from the AC adapter 30. The information processing device 10 can operate with the power supplied from the AC adapter 30 or with the power supplied from the battery 20.

[0018] The information processing device 10 generates the power supplied to the battery 20 and the system load based on the power supplied from the AC adapter 30. The system load is a load that consumes power in system processing executed by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like in the information processing device 10 by an OS (Operating System) and programs operating on the OS. The system load varies depending on the operating state of the system and, for example, becomes smaller when waiting in an idle state.

[0019] The battery 20 is charged by the power supplied from the AC adapter 30. The larger the charging current when charging the battery 20, the shorter the charging time. However, the range of charging current with high power conversion efficiency is not wide, and the efficiency decreases when the charging current is large or small.

[0020] Figure 2 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the charging current and the power conversion efficiency. In this figure, the horizontal axis represents the charging current (Current (A)) and the vertical axis represents the power conversion efficiency (Efficiency (%)). As shown in the figure, the optimal range (Sweet spot) with good power conversion efficiency is only a limited range (for example, about 0.5 to 1.0 A) as indicated by the solid circle 〇. As indicated by the dashed circle 〇, when the charging current deviates from the optimal range and becomes larger or smaller, the power conversion efficiency decreases (that is, the charging efficiency decreases).

[0021] Here, we will explain conventional charging control. Conventionally, when charging the battery 20 with power supplied from the AC adapter 30, the remaining charge of the battery 20 was monitored and the charging current was controlled. However, when the system load fluctuates during battery charging, the power loss that occurs when generating the system power also fluctuates, and depending on the remaining charge of the battery 20, the power conversion efficiency may deteriorate.

[0022] Figure 3 illustrates an example of conventional charging current control when the system load fluctuates. This figure shows the relationship between the power values ​​(Power(W)) of the power supplied from the AC adapter 30 (ADP Power), the system power consumed by the system load (Psys), and the charging power used to charge the battery 20 (Battery charge).

[0023] Conventional charging control does not take into account fluctuations in system load. Therefore, when the system is idle, the system load is small, so less of the power supplied from the AC adapter 30 is used for system power, and more power is used to charge the battery 20. On the other hand, when the system is under a high workload, more of the power supplied from the AC adapter 30 is used for system power, and less power is used to charge the battery 20. In this way, with conventional charging control, the charging power of the battery 20 changes in response to fluctuations in system load, which can cause it to deviate from the optimal range (sweet spot) for power conversion efficiency, resulting in decreased charging efficiency.

[0024] Therefore, in this embodiment, the remaining charge of the battery 20 (for example, the voltage of the battery 20) and the system power value are monitored, and the power supplied from the AC adapter 30 is also monitored, and the charging current for charging the battery 20 is controlled so that it is within the optimal range (sweet spot) for good power conversion efficiency.

[0025] Figure 4 illustrates an example of charging current control according to this embodiment. Similar to Figure 3, this figure shows the relationship between the power values ​​(Power(W)) of the power supplied from the AC adapter 30 (ADP Power), the system power consumed by the system load (Psys), and the charging power used to charge the battery 20 (Battery charge).

[0026] In the charging current control according to this embodiment, even if the system power fluctuates in response to fluctuations in the system load, the charging power of the battery 20 is not changed accordingly. Instead, the charging current supplied to the battery 20 is controlled to be within the optimal range (sweet spot) for good power conversion efficiency. For example, as shown in Figure 4, when the system is under a high workload, the charging power is reduced because there is an upper limit to the power that can be supplied from the AC adapter 30. However, when the system load is low, such as in an idle state, the charging current is controlled to be within the optimal range (sweet spot) for good power conversion efficiency, even if there is still headroom before reaching the upper limit of the power that can be supplied from the AC adapter 30.

[0027] In other words, the information processing device 10 controls the AC adapter 30 so that the sum of the system power (Psys) value and the charging power value when the charging current is within the optimal range (sweet spot) for good power conversion efficiency equals the value of the power supplied (energy). This allows the information processing device 10 to efficiently charge the battery 20.

[0028] For example, if applied to charging a 57Wh battery to 80%, the power conversion efficiency would improve from approximately 91% to 95%. This would improve the power consumption per charge from "(57Wh × 0.8) / 0.91 = 50.1Wh" to "(57Wh × 0.8) / 0.95 = 48Wh", resulting in an expected improvement of 2.1Wh.

[0029] The configuration of the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment will be described in detail below. Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment. The information processing device 10 is composed of a display unit 110, a USB connector 120, an input device 130, a communication unit 140, a storage unit 150, an EC (Embedded Controller) 160, a system processing unit 170, a power supply circuit 180, and a PD controller 185.

[0030] The display unit 110 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an electroluminescent (EL) display, among others. The display unit 110 displays an image based on display data generated by system processing performed by the system processing unit 170.

[0031] The USB connector 120 is a connector for connecting peripheral devices that utilize USB (Universal Serial Bus). For example, the USB connector 120 is a USB Type-C connector. By connecting the AC adapter 30 to the USB connector 120, power can be supplied from the AC adapter 30. The information processing device 10 may also be equipped with a USB Type-A connector as part of the USB connector 120.

[0032] The input device 130 is an input unit that receives user input and includes, for example, a keyboard 131 and a touchpad 133. In response to receiving operations on the keyboard 131 and the touchpad 133, the input device 130 outputs an operation signal indicating the content of the operation to the EC160.

[0033] The communication unit 140 connects to other devices via a wireless or wired communication network and transmits and receives various types of data. For example, the communication unit 140 is configured to include communication devices such as a wired LAN interface such as Ethernet® or a wireless LAN interface such as Wi-Fi®. The communication unit 140 may also be configured to include a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface or a Bluetooth® interface.

[0034] The storage unit 150 is comprised of storage media such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), RAM (Random Access Memory), and ROM (Read Only Memory). The HDD or SSD stores various programs such as the OS, device drivers, and applications, as well as various data acquired through the operation of these programs.

[0035] The EC160 is a microcomputer comprising a CPU, RAM, ROM, and I / O (Input / Output) logic circuits. The EC160's CPU reads control programs pre-stored in its ROM, executes the read control programs, and performs its functions. For example, the EC160 operates independently of the system processing unit 170, giving instructions for transitions in the system's operating state (such as startup and transition to standby), and managing its operating state. The EC160 is also connected to the input device 130 and the power supply circuit 180. Based on the operation information input to the input device 130 in response to user operations, the EC160 transmits operation information corresponding to the operation to the system processing unit 170 and other components.

[0036] Furthermore, the EC160 communicates with the power supply circuit 180 to obtain information about the state of the battery 20 (remaining charge, voltage, etc.) from the power supply circuit 180, and controls the charging of the battery 20 when the power supply circuit 180 charges the battery 20 using the power supplied from the AC adapter 30. The EC160 also outputs control signals to the power supply circuit 180 to control the supply of system power according to the operating state of the system.

[0037] The power supply circuit 180 generates power to be supplied to each part of the information processing device 10 based on the power supplied from the AC adapter 30 or the battery 20. For example, the power supply circuit 180 includes a DC / DC converter and other components to convert the voltage of the power supplied from the AC adapter 30 or the battery 20 to a specified voltage, thereby generating system power to be supplied to the system processing unit 170 and other components. The power supply circuit 180 also includes a charging circuit and generates charging power to be supplied to the battery 20 based on the power supplied from the AC adapter 30.

[0038] The PD controller 185 performs control compatible with USB PD (Power Delivery). When the AC adapter 30 is connected to the USB connector 120, the PD controller 185 manages the external power supply function that is powered via the USB VBUS (power line) terminal. The PD controller 185 also determines, for example, whether the AC adapter 30 is connected to the USB connector 120 and controls the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter 30.

[0039] The system processing unit 170 consists of a CPU 171, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) 172, a memory controller 173, an I / O (Input-Output) controller 174, and system memory 175. Through system processing by the operating system (OS), it is possible to execute various application software on the OS. The CPU 171 and GPU 172 are sometimes collectively referred to as the processor.

[0040] The CPU 171 controls the operating state, such as system startup and transitions to standby (sleep) states, based on instruction information from the EC 160. For example, if the system is in standby mode and the EC 160 inputs a startup instruction in response to user input, the CPU 171 transitions from standby to normal operation. For example, during startup, when power is supplied from the power supply circuit 180 and startup instruction is received from the EC 160, the CPU 171 starts the startup process. In the startup process, the CPU 171 detects and initializes a minimum number of devices, such as the system memory 175 and the storage unit 150 (preboot). The CPU 171 loads the system firmware from the storage unit 150 into the system memory 175 and detects and initializes other devices, such as the communication unit 140 and the display unit 110 (post-processing). Initialization includes processes such as setting initial parameters. Note that some post-processing may be omitted when transitioning from standby (sleep) to normal operation (resume). After the boot process is complete, CPU171 begins executing system processes performed by the OS.

[0041] The GPU 172 is connected to the display unit 110. The GPU 172 performs image processing based on the control of the CPU 171 and generates display data. The GPU 172 outputs the generated display data to the display unit 110. The CPU 171 and GPU 172 may be integrated and formed as a single core, or the load may be shared between the CPU 171 and GPU 172 which are formed as individual cores. The number of processors is not limited to one, but may be multiple.

[0042] The memory controller 173 controls the reading and writing of data from the system memory 175, storage unit 150, etc., by the CPU 171 and GPU 172. The I / O controller 174 controls the input and output of data from the communication unit 140, the display unit 110, and the EC160. System memory 175 is used as a loading area for the processor's executable program and as a working area for writing processing data.

[0043] Next, with reference to Figure 6, the configuration related to charge control in the information processing device 10 will be described in detail. In Figure 6, the components corresponding to each part in Figure 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration related to charge control in the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment.

[0044] When charging the battery 20, the EC160 monitors the value of the system power supplied to the system load (system power value) and the remaining charge of the battery 20 (battery voltage value). For example, the EC160 obtains system power value information from the power supply circuit 180. The EC160 also obtains battery voltage value information from the battery 20.

[0045] Furthermore, the EC160 is equipped with a charging control table TB1 that associates multiple battery voltage values ​​and charging current setting values ​​corresponding to the charge level (remaining charge) of the battery 20. The charging current setting value is a target value for the charging current that provides good power conversion efficiency for each battery voltage value. By multiplying the battery voltage value associated with each battery voltage value by the charging current setting value, it is possible to calculate the charging power that provides good power conversion efficiency when charging the battery 20. In other words, the charging control table TB1 pre-determines the value of the charging power that provides good power conversion efficiency for each battery voltage value.

[0046] The charging control table TB1 has multiple battery voltage values ​​set according to the charge level (remaining charge) of the battery 20, which are battery voltage values ​​within a range that divides the range from 0% remaining charge to full charge into multiple segments. The number of segments within the range from 0% remaining charge to full charge can be arbitrarily determined.

[0047] When the EC160 obtains information on the system power value and the battery voltage value, it instructs the PD controller 185 on the amount of adapter power supplied from the AC adapter 30, based on the charging power predetermined according to the system power value and the battery voltage value. Here, the value of the charging power predetermined according to the battery voltage value is calculated based on the charging current setting value (target value) that is predetermined for each of the multiple battery voltage values ​​in the charging control table TB1, as described above.

[0048] For example, as explained with reference to Figure 4, the EC160 instructs the PD controller 185 on the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter 30 based on a value obtained by adding a predetermined charging power value and a system power value according to the battery voltage value.

[0049] Furthermore, if the sum of the predetermined charging power value and the system power value, which are determined according to the battery voltage value, exceeds the maximum amount of power that can be supplied from the AC adapter 30, the EC160 instructs the PD controller 185 to set the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter 30 to its maximum value.

[0050] The PD controller 185 controls the power supplied to the AC adapter 30 in response to instructions from the EC160. This allows the EC160 to control the current value that charges the battery 20 (i.e., control the charging power).

[0051] As described above, the charging control according to this embodiment monitors the system power value and the battery voltage value (battery level) to control the current value used to charge the battery 20. This charging control is more efficient than conventional charging control and will therefore be referred to as the "high-efficiency charging mode" below. On the other hand, conventional charging control that monitors the battery voltage value (battery level) without using the system power value to control the current value used to charge the battery 20 will be referred to as the "normal charging mode" below.

[0052] The EC160 switches between normal charging mode and high-efficiency charging mode based on user interaction with its UI (User Interface). For example, the system processing unit 170 executes a specific application program to display a UI on the display unit 110 that accepts the operation to switch the charging mode. This UI allows the user to switch between enabling and disabling a function that controls charging in high-efficiency charging mode, and is displayed as an icon that includes the function name and a switch SW for switching between Enable and Disable.

[0053] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the charging control process using the high-efficiency charging mode according to this embodiment.

[0054] (Step S101) EC160 obtains system power value information from power supply circuit 180. EC160 also obtains battery voltage value information from battery 20. Then, the process proceeds to step S103.

[0055] (Step S103) EC160 refers to the charge control table TB1 (Figure 6) and selects a set value (target value) for the charging current based on the battery voltage value obtained in step S101, and calculates the value of the charging power based on the battery voltage value and the set value (target value) for the charging current. Then it proceeds to the process in step S105.

[0056] (Step S105) EC160 calculates the amount of adapter power supplied from the AC adapter 30 based on the sum of the system power value obtained in step S101 and the charging power value calculated in step S103, and instructs the PD controller 185.

[0057] The PD controller 185 controls the power supplied to the AC adapter 30 in response to instructions from the EC160. This allows the EC160 to control the current value that charges the battery 20 (i.e., control the charging power).

[0058] As described above, the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment includes a PD controller 185 (an example of a power supply control unit), a power supply circuit 180 (an example of a power supply unit), and an EC160 (an example of a processor). The PD controller 185 controls the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter 30. The power supply circuit 180 generates power to be supplied to the battery 20 (an example of a secondary battery) and the system load based on the power supplied from the AC adapter 30. When charging the battery 20, the EC160 monitors the value of the system power supplied to the system load and the voltage value of the battery 20. The EC160 then controls the current value for charging the battery 20 by instructing the PD controller 185 to specify the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter 30 based on a predetermined charging power value and the system power value according to the battery voltage value of the battery 20.

[0059] As a result, the information processing device 10 can control the charging of the battery 20 with a charging current that has good power conversion efficiency even when the system load fluctuates, thus enabling efficient charging of the battery 20. In addition, by efficiently charging the battery 20, the information processing device 10 can reduce heat generation and suppress unnecessary power demands on the AC adapter 30, thus making it an environmentally friendly product.

[0060] Here, target values ​​for the charging current are pre-set for each of several battery voltage values ​​corresponding to the charge level of the battery 20 (see Figure 4). The predetermined value of the charging power, which corresponds to the battery voltage of the battery 20, is calculated based on the target values ​​for the charging current that are pre-set for each of the several battery voltage values.

[0061] As a result, when the information processing device 10 charges the battery 20, it can efficiently charge the battery 20 by changing the charging current to an efficient one in accordance with the change in the remaining charge of the battery 20.

[0062] For example, when charging the battery 20, the EC160 instructs the PD controller 185 on the amount of power to be supplied from the AC adapter 30, based on a value obtained by adding a predetermined charging power value according to the battery voltage value and the system power value.

[0063] As a result, the information processing device 10 controls the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter 30 in accordance with fluctuations in the system load (fluctuations in the system power value) so that the charging current is efficient when charging the battery 20 even when the system load fluctuates, thereby enabling efficient charging of the battery 20.

[0064] Furthermore, if the sum of the predetermined charging power value and the system power value, which are determined according to the battery voltage value, exceeds the maximum amount of power that can be supplied from the AC adapter 30, the EC160 instructs the PD controller 185 to set the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter 30 to its maximum value.

[0065] As a result, the information processing device 10 can charge the battery 20 within the range of power that can be supplied from the AC adapter 30, even when the system load is high.

[0066] The EC160 switches between a high-efficiency charging mode (an example of a first charging mode) and a normal charging mode (an example of a second charging mode) based on user interaction with a UI that allows switching between a high-efficiency charging mode (an example of a first charging mode) that monitors the system power value and the battery voltage value of the battery 20 to control the current value used to charge the battery 20, and a normal charging mode (an example of a second charging mode) that monitors the battery voltage value of the battery 20 without using the system power value to control the current value used to charge the battery 20.

[0067] This allows the user to easily choose whether to prioritize efficient charging of the battery 20 or charging in a short time using the information processing device 10.

[0068] Furthermore, system load includes the processing load performed by the OS or programs running on the OS.

[0069] As a result, the information processing device 10 can control the charging of the battery 20 with a charging current that has good power conversion efficiency, even when the processing load executed by the OS or programs running on the OS by the user fluctuates, thus enabling efficient charging of the battery 20.

[0070] Furthermore, the method for charging the battery 20 in the information processing device 10 according to this embodiment includes the steps of: when the EC160 charges the battery 20, monitoring the value of the system power supplied to the system load and the voltage value of the battery 20; and controlling the current value for charging the battery 20 by instructing the PD controller 185 to charge the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter 30 based on a predetermined charging power value according to the battery voltage value of the battery 20 and the system power value.

[0071] As a result, the charging method for the battery 20 in the information processing device 10 can be controlled to charge the battery 20 with a charging current that has good power conversion efficiency even when the system load fluctuates, thus enabling efficient charging of the battery 20. Furthermore, by efficiently charging the battery 20 in the information processing device 10, heat generation can be reduced, and unnecessary power demands on the AC adapter 30 can be suppressed, thus enabling the provision of an environmentally friendly product.

[0072] Although embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to the embodiments described above, and include designs and the like that do not depart from the spirit of this invention. For example, the configurations described in the embodiments described above can be combined in any way.

[0073] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the AC adapter 30 is connected to the information processing device 10 via a USB connector 120 (USB Type-C connector), but the connection method is not limited to this.

[0074] The information processing device 10 described above has a computer system inside. The processing in each configuration of the information processing device 10 may be performed by recording a program for realizing the functions of each configuration of the information processing device 10 onto a computer-readable recording medium, loading the program recorded on this recording medium into the computer system, and executing it. Here, "loading the program recorded on the recording medium into the computer system and executing it" includes installing the program into the computer system. Here, "computer system" includes hardware such as the OS and peripheral devices. Furthermore, "computer system" may include multiple computer devices connected via a network including communication lines such as the Internet, WAN, LAN, and dedicated lines. Also, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into the computer system. Thus, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transient recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

[0075] Furthermore, the recording medium also includes internal or external recording media accessible from the distribution server for distributing the program. The program may be divided into multiple parts, downloaded at different times, and then combined in each configuration of the information processing device 10. The distribution servers for each of the divided programs may also be different. Moreover, "computer-readable recording media" includes volatile memory (RAM) within computer systems that act as servers or clients when a program is transmitted over a network, which retains the program for a certain period of time. The program itself may also be intended to implement some of the functions described above. Furthermore, the program may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can implement the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

[0076] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the information processing device 10 in the above-described embodiment may be implemented as an integrated circuit such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration). Each function may be individually processorized, or some or all of them may be integrated into a single processor. In addition, the method of implementing the integrated circuit is not limited to LSIs; it may also be implemented using dedicated circuits or general-purpose processors. Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSIs emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology, an integrated circuit using that technology may be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 10 Information processing unit, 20 Battery, 30 AC adapter, 110 Display unit, 120 USB connector, 130 Input device, 131 Keyboard, 133 Touchpad, 140 Communication unit, 150 Memory unit, 160 EC, 170 System processing unit, 171 CPU, 172 GPU, 173 Memory controller, 174 I / O controller, 175 System memory, 180 Power supply circuit, 185 PD controller

Claims

1. A power supply control unit that controls the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter, A power supply unit that generates power to supply a secondary battery and a system load based on the power supplied from the AC adapter, A processor that, when charging the secondary battery, monitors the value of the system power supplied to the system load and the voltage value of the secondary battery, and controls the current value to charge the secondary battery by instructing the power supply control unit to supply the amount of power from the AC adapter based on a predetermined charging power value according to the voltage value of the secondary battery and the value of the system power, An information processing device equipped with the following features.

2. A target value for the charging current is predetermined for each of several voltage values ​​corresponding to the charge level of the secondary battery. The predetermined charging power value, which is determined according to the voltage value of the secondary battery, is calculated based on a predetermined target value of charging current for each of several voltage values. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned processor, When charging the secondary battery, the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter is instructed to the power supply control unit based on a value obtained by adding a predetermined charging power value according to the voltage value of the secondary battery and the system power value. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned processor, If the sum of the charging power value, which is predetermined according to the voltage value of the secondary battery, and the system power value exceeds the maximum amount of power that can be supplied from the AC adapter, the power supply control unit is instructed to set the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter to its maximum value. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The aforementioned processor, The system switches between a first charging mode, which monitors the system power value and the voltage value of the secondary battery to control the current value used to charge the secondary battery, and a second charging mode, which monitors the voltage value of the secondary battery without using the system power value to control the current value used to charge the secondary battery, based on user operation on a UI (User Interface) that allows switching between the first charging mode and the second charging mode. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned system load is This includes the load of processing performed by the OS (Operating System) or programs running on the OS. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

7. A method for charging a secondary battery in an information processing device comprising a power supply control unit that controls the amount of power supplied from an AC adapter, and a power supply unit that generates power to be supplied to a secondary battery and a system load based on the power supplied from the AC adapter, The processor, The steps include monitoring the value of the system power supplied to the system load and the voltage value of the secondary battery when charging the secondary battery, The steps include controlling the current value for charging the secondary battery by instructing the power supply control unit to specify the amount of power supplied from the AC adapter based on a predetermined charging power value and the system power value according to the voltage value of the secondary battery, Charging methods including [specific methods].

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