BCID Chip USB Plug Detection Power Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Systems supporting USB charge functionality face high power consumption due to continuously powered battery charger identification chips and current limit switches, leading to reduced battery life, especially when in deep sleep modes.
Innovation Solution
A Battery Charger Identification (BCID) chip with a dedicated pin to monitor Vbus current/voltage perturbations, enabling smart USB plug detection, powers the current limit switch only when a USB device is connected, and operates in low power standby mode to conserve energy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the battery charger identification chip and current limit switch are continuously powered on to support USB charge functionality, then USB charging capability is ensured, but system power consumption increases and battery life is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic detection of USB plug presence using a dedicated detection pin that monitors Vbus current/voltage perturbations at intervals, rather than continuous monitoring. The BCID chip transitions between active detection states and low-power standby modes, activating the current limit switch only when a USB device is detected. This periodic action maintains USB charging capability while significantly reducing power consumption during idle periods.
2Reliability
If the battery charger identification chip and current limit switch are continuously powered on to ensure USB charging capability, then charging functionality is always available, but battery life is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs periodic detection of USB plug presence through the BCID chip's detection pin, which monitors Vbus current/voltage at scheduled intervals. When no USB device is detected, the current limit switch is powered off to conserve battery life. Upon detection of a USB device through current/voltage perturbations, the system activates the current limit switch to enable charging. This approach ensures charging functionality is always available when needed while extending battery life during idle periods.
3Use of energy by moving object
If smart USB plug detection is implemented with periodic monitoring, then power consumption is reduced, but detection response time may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The BCID chip is configured to detect USB plug presence by monitoring Vbus current/voltage perturbations in advance, before full charging operations commence. The detection pin continuously monitors for changes in electrical characteristics that indicate plug insertion, allowing the system to prepare for charging immediately upon detection. This preliminary detection action reduces the effective response time while maintaining periodic low-power operation between detections.
Data Source
AI summary
Smart USB plug detection is disclosed. In some embodiments, a battery charger identification chip includes circuitry configured to determine whether an external USB device has been plugged into a USB port of an associated system while the system is in a sleep mode and includes a pin configured to output a control signal indicating whether an external USB device is plugged into the system, wherein when an external USB device is plugged into the system the control signal facilitates powering on a current limit switch that is otherwise powered off during the sleep mode and wherein the current limit switch facilitates regulated delivery of current to the plugged in external USB device.