TWI793724B - Multi-port power supply device and operation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a multi-port power supply device and an operation method thereof. The multi-port power supply device includes a power converter, a power switch, a current detection circuit, a voltage detection circuit, a control circuit and multiple USB ports. The power converter supplies power to the USB port through a current path. The control circuit determines whether the USB port is connected to a USB apparatus according to the actual voltage of the current path. When the USB port is not connected to the USB apparatus, the control circuit turns off the current path. When the USB port is connected to the USB apparatus, after a part of the power of the other USB ports is dynamically transferred to the USB port, the control circuit determines whether to turn on the current path according to the actual current of the current path.

Description

Multi-port power supply device and method of operation thereof

The present invention relates to a power supply device, in particular to a power supply device with multiple connection ports and an operation method thereof.

Generally speaking, when the power supply device provides power to an external USB device through a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, the power supply device needs to perform a voltage conversion operation according to the rated specification of the USB device. For example, the power supply device may include a controller supporting the Power Delivery (PD) protocol. Based on the PD protocol, the power supply device can send a Power Data Object (PDO) or an Augmented Power Data Object (APDO) to an external USB device to determine the protocol power. The PDO (or APDO) contains the information of the candidate output voltage and the candidate output current of the source. The power supply device can send multiple PDOs (or APDOs) to the external USB device when establishing a new connection through the USB port. These PDOs (or APDOs) are screened by the external USB device to work with the power supply to determine the proper voltage and current to establish a power agreement (determining the power agreement). Based on the determination of the protocol power (PDO or APDO), the output voltage (output power) of the power supply device can meet the requirements of the external USB device.

The power supply device may have multiple USB ports and multiple voltage converters corresponding to these USB ports, so as to simultaneously provide different output voltages (output power) to multiple external USB devices with different requirements. In any case, once the protocol power between the power supply device and a certain external USB device is determined, the traditional power supply device will not change the protocol power (PDO or APDO) until the power supply between the external USB device and the power supply device is determined. The connection was severed. If the protocol power (PDO or APDO) cannot be dynamically changed while the external USB device is connected to the power supply, the power utilization efficiency of the power supply cannot be optimized.

Again, this external USB device may have a minimum charging power rating. When the protocol power is less than the rated minimum charging power, the charging operation of this external USB device will stop. In practical applications, the cessation of the charging operation is undesirable.

It should be noted that the content of the "Prior Art" paragraph is used to help understand the present invention. Some (or all) of the content disclosed in the "Prior Art" paragraph may not be known to those with ordinary skill in the art. The content disclosed in the "Prior Art" paragraph does not mean that the content has been known to those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field before the application of the present application.

The present invention provides a multi-port power supply device and its operation method to manage the power supply to Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection ports.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned multi-port power supply device includes a power converter, a power switch, a current detection circuit, a voltage detection circuit, a control circuit, and a plurality of USB ports. These USB ports include the first USB port. The power converter is configured to supply power to the first USB port through the current path. The power switch and the current detection circuit are arranged in the current path. The current detection circuit is configured to detect the actual current of the current path. The voltage detection circuit is configured to detect the actual voltage of the current path between the power switch and the first USB connection port. The control circuit is configured to control the power switch. The control circuit judges whether the first USB port is electrically connected to the USB device according to the actual voltage. When the control circuit determines that the first USB connection port is not electrically connected to the USB device, the control circuit turns off the power switch. When the control circuit judges that the first USB port is electrically connected to the USB device, after a portion of the power of at least one other USB port among the USB ports is dynamically transferred to the first USB port, the control circuit according to The actual current determines whether to turn on the power switch.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned operation method includes: detecting the actual current of the current path by the current detection circuit; detecting the actual current of the current path between the power switch and the first USB connection port by the voltage detection circuit voltage; the control circuit determines whether the first USB connection port is electrically connected to the USB device according to the actual voltage; when the control circuit determines that the first USB connection port is not electrically connected to the USB device, the control circuit cuts off the power switch; and in the control When the circuit judges that the first USB connection port is electrically connected to the USB device, after a part of the power of at least one other USB connection port in these USB connection ports is dynamically transferred to the first USB connection port, the control circuit according to the actual The current determines whether to turn on the power switch.

Based on the above, the multi-port power supply device according to the embodiments of the present invention can decide whether to turn on the power switch according to the actual current after a part (or all) of the power of other USB ports is dynamically transferred to the first USB port. Therefore, the multi-port power supply device can manage the power supply to the USB ports, so as to avoid overcurrent and/or overvoltage of the multi-port power supply device.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail together with the accompanying drawings.

The term "coupled (or connected)" used throughout the specification of this case (including the patent claims) may refer to any direct or indirect means of connection. For example, if it is described in the text that a first device is coupled (or connected) to a second device, it should be interpreted that the first device can be directly connected to the second device, or the first device can be connected to the second device through other devices or certain A connection means indirectly connected to the second device. The terms "first" and "second" mentioned in the entire description of this case (including the scope of the patent application) are used to name elements (elements), or to distinguish different embodiments or ranges, and are not used to limit the number of elements The upper or lower limit of , nor is it used to limit the order of the elements. In addition, wherever possible, elements/components/steps using the same reference numerals in the drawings and embodiments represent the same or similar parts. Elements/components/steps using the same symbols or using the same terms in different embodiments can refer to related descriptions.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a circuit block of a multi-port power supply device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multi-port power supply device 100 includes a common control circuit 110, a plurality of power converters (power converters, such as power converters 130_1 and 130_2 shown in FIG. 1 ), and a plurality of Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports ( For example, the USB ports 140_1 and 140_2 shown in FIG. 1). The number of power converters 130_1˜130_2 and the number of USB ports 140_1˜140_2 can be adjusted/set according to the actual design. According to actual design, any one of the power converters 130_1 - 130_2 may include a DC to DC converter.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the common control circuit 110 is coupled to the control terminals of the power converters 130_1 - 130_2 . The common control circuit 110 can support multiple USB protocols according to the actual design, so as to meet the transmission requirements of the USB ports 140_1˜140_2 with different specifications. For example, when any one of the USB ports 140_1-140_2 is a USB Type-C port, the common control circuit 110 may include a USB Type-C port controller (Type -C Port Controller, TCPC) or USB Type-C Port Manager (Type-C Port Manager, TCPM). For another example, if any one of the USB ports 140_1 - 140_2 is a USB Type-A port, the common control circuit 110 may include a USB Type-A port manager supporting the QC (Quick Charge) protocol. For another example, when any one of the USB ports 140_1 - 140_2 is connected to a USB device with a programmable power supply (PPS) function, the common control circuit 110 may include a USB controller supporting the PPS protocol.

The common control circuit 110 can obtain configuration information (power requirements) from different USB devices (not shown) through different USB ports 140_1 - 140_2 . According to the configuration information, the common control circuit 110 can learn the power requirements of these USB devices (not shown). For example, any one of the USB ports 140_1 - 140_2 may be a USB Type-C (USB Type-C, also called USB-C) port or a USB Type-A (USB Type-A) port. Taking the USB port 140_1 as an example, in some embodiments, the common control circuit 110 can obtain configuration information of a USB device (not shown) through a configuration channel (CC) pin of the USB port 140_1 . The common control circuit 110 can know the voltage requirement, current requirement and/or power requirement of the USB port 140_1 from the configuration information.

The power converters 130_1 - 130_2 are respectively coupled to the USB ports 140_1 - 140_2 in a one-to-one manner. That is, the output end of the power converter 130_1 is coupled to the power pin (power bus pin) VBUS of the USB port 140_1 , and the output end of the power converter 130_2 is coupled to the power pin VBUS of the USB port 140_2 . The common control circuit 110 is coupled to the power converters 130_1 - 130_2 . According to the control of the common control circuit 110 , the power converters 130_1 - 130_2 can supply power to different USB devices (not shown) through the power pins VBUS of different USB ports 140_1 - 140_2 .

For example, the common control circuit 110 may include a controller supporting the PD protocol. Based on the PD protocol, the common control circuit 110 can send a power data object (Power Data Object, PDO) or an enhanced power data object (Augmented Power Data Object, APDO) to a USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 140_1 , to determine the protocol power. Based on the determination of the protocol power (PDO or APDO), the common control circuit 110 can control the output voltage (output power) of the power converters 130_1~130_2, so the output voltage (output power) of the USB port 140_1 can meet the requirements of the USB device (not shown). shown) requirements. The USB connection port 140_2 and the power converter 130_2 can be deduced by referring to the related descriptions of the USB connection port 140_1 and the power converter 130_1 , so the details will not be repeated.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of an operating method of a multi-port power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 at the same time. In step S210 , the common control circuit 110 obtains the power requirements and actual power changes of the USB ports 140_1 - 140_2 . For example, in some embodiments, the common control circuit 110 can know the power requirement of the USB port 140_1 through the CC pin of the USB port 140_1 . In some other embodiments, the common control circuit 110 can know the power requirement of the USB port 140_1 through the differential data pins (not shown, generally marked as D+ and D−) of the USB port 140_1 . In step S220 , the common control circuit 110 can correspondingly control the power converters 130_1 - 130_2 according to the power demands of the USB ports 140_1 - 140_2 .

For example, based on the PD protocol, the common control circuit 110 can send PDO or APDO to the USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 140_1 to determine the protocol power. Based on the determination of the protocol power (PDO or APDO), the common control circuit 110 can control the output voltage (output power) of the power converter 130_1, so the output voltage (output power) of the USB port 140_1 can conform to the USB device (not shown) demand. The USB connection port 140_2 and the power converter 130_2 can be deduced by referring to the related descriptions of the USB connection port 140_1 and the power converter 130_1 , so the details will not be repeated.

Next, in step S230, the common control circuit 110 can resend PDO (or APDO) to the USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 140_1 according to the power variation of the USB ports 140_1~140_2, so as to adjust protocol power. For example, in some embodiments, the common control circuit 110 can detect the actual voltage and current of the USB port 140_1 to know the power variation of the USB port 140_1 . The common control circuit 110 can reduce the protocol power of the USB port 140_1 from the first protocol power to the second protocol power. In step S240, the common control circuit 110 may dynamically transfer the power difference between the first protocol power of the USB port 140_1 at the first time and the second protocol power at a second time later than the first time to other USB ports 140_1. USB port (eg USB port 140_2). The USB connection port 140_2 can be deduced by referring to the relevant description of the USB connection port 140_1 , so it will not be repeated here.

3 to 6 are schematic flow charts illustrating the operation method of the multi-port power supply device according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the common control circuit 110 obtains the rated power TP of the multi-port power supply device 100 in step S310 shown in FIG. 3 . The common control circuit 110 determines whether the USB ports 140_1 - 140_2 are connected to USB devices in step S320 of FIG. 3 . In this embodiment, the USB port 140_1 may be, for example, a USB Type-C port, and the USB port 140_2 may be, for example, a USB Type-A port. If the common control circuit 110 determines that only the USB Type-C port is connected to the USB device, go to step node C.

Next, in step S410 of FIG. 4 , the common control circuit 110 can obtain the reserved value T1 corresponding to the USB Type-C port when the USB Type-C port is connected to the USB device, and by using the multi-port power The residual power REM is calculated from the rated power TP and the total power H of the supply device 100 . The reserved value T1 of the USB Type-C port is a real number. In this embodiment, the reserved value T1 is the product of the minimum rated voltage of the USB Type-C port and the maximum rated current of the USB Type-C port. For example, the minimum rated voltage of the USB Type-C port is 5V, and the maximum rated current of the USB Type-C port is 3A, so the reserved value T1 is equal to 15. The common control circuit 110 can calculate the total power H according to the power requirements of the USB ports 140_1 - 140_2 . The total power H may be the sum of the power requirements (maximum power) of the USB ports 140_1 - 140_2 . The surplus power REM is the difference obtained by subtracting the power of the USB port connected to the USB device from the rated power TP of the multi-port power supply device 100 .

In step S420, the common control circuit 110 determines whether the powers of the USB Type-C ports connected to the USB devices are the same. If they are the same, it means that the output power of the USB Type-C port does not need to be transferred, so it will go to step S430. In step S430, the common control circuit 110 waits. For example, the common control circuit 110 waits (but not limited to) 10 minutes before returning to step S420.

In some embodiments, the common control circuit 110 further determines in step S420 whether the power of the USB Type-C port is greater than the minimum rated power of the USB Type-C port. If the common control circuit 110 determines that the power of the USB Type-C port is less than or equal to the minimum rated power of the USB Type-C port, no subsequent operations are performed. If the common control circuit 110 determines that the power of the USB Type-C port is greater than the minimum rated power of the USB Type-C port, subsequent operations can be performed.

In step S420, if the common control circuit 110 determines that the powers of the USB Type-C ports connected with the USB devices are different, then go to step S440. In step S440 , the common control circuit 110 determines whether the power of the USB Type-C port with the highest power (for example, the first USB port) is greater than the reserved value T1 corresponding to the USB Type-C port. If the common control circuit 110 determines that the power of the first USB port is greater than the reserved value T1 corresponding to the USB Type-C port, go to step S450. In step S450, the common control circuit 110 waits. For example, the common control circuit 110 waits (but not limited to) 10 minutes before returning to step S440. If the common control circuit 110 determines that the power of the first USB port is less than or equal to the reserved value T1 corresponding to the USB Type-C port, it means that the power of the first USB port has been reduced. Therefore, enter step S460 to start transferring the power difference of the first USB port to other USB ports (the second USB port). Once the transfer is completed, go to step S470. In step S470, the common control circuit 110 waits. For example, the common control circuit 110 waits (but not limited to) 10 minutes before returning to step S410.

In step S460, the common control circuit 110 can also use the power of the first USB port at the first time, the reserved value T1, the original power of the second USB port at the first time and the remaining power REM to calculate the new output power The voltage value and current value of P3. The common control circuit 110 controls the power converters 130_1 - 130_2 to allocate new power to the second USB port after a second time. In detail, the common control circuit 110 obtains the first reference value N1 according to formula (1). Wherein, P1 is the power of the first USB port at the first time, P3 is the original power of the second USB port at the first time, and IP is the maximum rated current value. The first reference value N1 may be a positive integer or a positive real number. N1 = (P1 - T1 + P3 + REM) / IP Formula (1)

The common control circuit 110 provides corresponding voltage values to the Type-C ports that receive the power difference after the second time in different intervals according to the first reference value N1. For example, when the common control circuit 110 determines that the first reference value N1 is less than or equal to 5, the common control circuit 110 controls the power converters 130_1˜130_2 to configure a voltage value of 5 volts to the second USB port. When the common control circuit 110 determines that the first reference value N1 is greater than 5 and less than or equal to 9, the common control circuit 110 controls the power converters 130_1 - 130_2 to configure a voltage value of 5V or 9V to the second USB port. When the common control circuit 110 judges that the first reference value N1 is greater than 9 and less than or equal to 12, the common control circuit 110 will control the power converters 130_1-130_2 to configure the voltage value of 5 volts, 9 volts or 12 volts for the second USB connection port. When the common control circuit 110 determines that the first reference value N1 is greater than 12 and less than or equal to 15, the common control circuit 110 controls the power converters 130_1-130_2 to configure a voltage value of 5 volts, 9 volts, 12 volts or 15 volts for the first reference value N1. Two USB ports. When the common control circuit 110 judges that the first reference value N1 is greater than 15, the common control circuit 110 controls the power converters 130_1-130_2 to configure the voltage value of 5 volts, 9 volts, 12 volts, 15 volts or 20 volts to the second USB port.

Table 1 is a power supply comparison table of a multi-port power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. CC1, CC2 and CC3 shown in Table 1 represent configuration information of different USB ports. Regarding configurations 12-1 and 12-2 shown in Table 1, in step S420, the common control circuit 110 can determine from the configuration information CC1~CC3 of the configuration 12-1 the configuration of the USB Type-C port connected to the USB device. Power is the same. Therefore, after entering the 12-2 configuration, there will be no power difference transfer. Table 1: Power supply comparison table for multi-port power supply devices configuration CC1 CC2 CC3 residual power 12-1 5V/3A 5V/3A 5V/3A 15W 12-2 5V/3A 5V/3A 5V/3A 15W 13-1 9V/3A 9V/2.67A 9V/1A 0W 13-2 5V/3A 9V/2.67A 9V/2.3A 0W 14-1 5V/3A 9V/2.67A 9V/2.3A 0W 14-2 5V/3A 5V/3A 12V/2.5A 0W 15-1 15V/3A 9V/1.5A 1.5W 15-2 5V/3A 15V/3A 0W 16-1 20V/2.25A 9V/1.5A 1.5W 16-2 5V/3A 15V/3A 0W

Regarding configurations 13-1 and 13-2, in step S420, the common control circuit 110 can determine from the configuration information CC1~CC3 of configuration 13-1 that the powers of the USB Type-C ports connected to the USB devices are different. . The configuration information CC1 indicates that the USB port 140_1 is a USB Type-C port with the maximum power (27 watts), so the common control circuit 110 uses the USB port 140_1 as the first USB port. Configuration information CC3 indicates that the other USB port (not shown) is a USB Type-C port with minimum power (9 watts). The common control circuit 110 uses another USB port (not shown) as the second USB port. The common control circuit 110 determines in step S440 whether the power of the USB port 140_1 is reduced from greater than the reserved value T1 corresponding to the Type-C port to less than or equal to the reserved value T1. If the power of the USB port 140_1 during the transition from the 13-1 configuration to the 13-2 configuration (second time) is reduced to less than or equal to the reserved value T1 (ie, the configuration information CC1 in the 13-2 configuration), then Enter step S460 to transfer the power difference to the second USB port. In step S460 , the common control circuit 110 determines that the power of the USB port 140_1 (the first USB port) is reduced from 27 watts to 15 watts. That is to say, the charging (or power supply) of the USB device by the first USB port has ended or is about to end. Hence the change in reducing power from 27 watts to 15 watts (that is, 12 watts) as stated power difference. Next, the common control circuit 110 calculates a new power by using the power difference (12 watts) and the original power of the second USB port at the second time (ie, 9 watts), that is, 9 + 12 = 21 watts. Therefore, the power of the second USB port increases from 9 watts to 21 watts. The voltage value of the first USB port is adjusted to 5 volts, and the current value is adjusted to 3 amperes. In configurations 13-1 and 13-2, it can be obtained that the first reference value N1 is equal to 7 according to formula (1). Therefore, the voltage value of the second USB port can be 9 volts. And the current value of the second USB connection port is the quotient of the new power and the voltage value, which is 2.3 amperes.

Regarding configurations 14-1 and 14-2, in step S420, the common control circuit 110 can determine from the configuration information CC1~CC3 of configuration 14-1 that the powers of the USB Type-C ports connected to the USB devices are different. of. The configuration information CC2 indicates that the USB port 140_2 is a USB Type-C port with maximum power (24 watts). Here, it is assumed that the common control circuit 110 uses the USB port 140_2 as the first USB port, and uses another USB port (not shown) as the second USB port.

The common control circuit 110 will determine in step S440 that the power of the first USB connection port in the 14-1 configuration to the 14-2 configuration (second time) is reduced to less than or equal to the reserved value T1, and then proceed to step S460 To divert power differential to a second USB port. In step S460, the common control circuit 110 determines that the power of the first USB port is reduced from 24 watts to 15 watts. That is to say, the charging (or power supply) of the USB device by the first USB port has ended or is about to end. Thus for a change in power reduction of 24 watts to 15 watts, that is 9 watts, as the stated power difference. Next, the common control circuit 110 calculates a new power by using the power difference (9 watts) and the original power of the second USB port at the second time (21 watts), that is, 21 + 9 = 30 watts. Therefore, the power of the second USB port is increased from 21 watts to 30 watts. The voltage value of the first USB port is adjusted to 5 volts, and the current value is adjusted to 3 amperes. In configurations 14-1 and 14-2, it can be obtained that the first reference value N1 is equal to 10 according to formula (1). Therefore, in configuration 14-2, the voltage value of the second USB port can be 12 volts. And the current value of the second USB connection port is the quotient of the new power and the voltage value, that is, 2.5 amperes.

Regarding configurations 15-1 and 15-2, in step S420, the common control circuit 110 can determine from the configuration information CC1~CC3 of configuration 15-1 that the powers of the USB Type-C ports connected to USB devices are different. . The configuration information CC1 indicates that the USB port 140_1 is a USB Type-C port with maximum power (45W). Here, it is assumed that the common control circuit 110 uses the USB port 140_1 as the first USB port, and uses the USB port 140_2 as the second USB port.

The common control circuit 110 will determine in step S440 that the power of the first USB connection port in the 15-1 configuration to the 15-2 configuration (second time) is reduced to less than or equal to the reserved value T1, and then proceed to step S460 To divert power differential to a second USB port. In step S460, the common control circuit 110 determines that the power of the first USB port is reduced from 45 watts to 15 watts. That is to say, the charging (or power supply) of the USB device by the first USB port has ended or is about to end. Hence the change in reducing the power from 45 watts to 15 watts (ie 30 watts) as said power difference. Next, the common control circuit 110 will calculate the new power by using the power difference (30 watts), the original power (13.5 watts) and the surplus power (1.5 watts) of the second USB port at the second time, which is 30+ 13.5 + 1.5 = 45 watts. Therefore, the power of the second USB port increases from 13.5 watts to 45 watts. The voltage value of the first USB port is adjusted to 5 volts, and the current value is adjusted to 3 amperes. In configurations 15-1 and 15-2, it can be obtained that the first reference value N1 is equal to 15 according to formula (1). Therefore, in configuration 15-2, the voltage value of the second USB port can be 15 volts. And the current value of the second USB connection port is the quotient of the new power and the voltage value, which is 3 amperes.

Regarding configurations 16-1 and 16-2, sufficient teaching can be obtained from the description of configurations 15-1 and 15-2, so it will not be repeated here.

Please refer to Figure 1, Figure 3 to Figure 6. If the common control circuit 110 determines in step S320 that the USB Type-C ports and the USB Type-A ports of the USB ports 140_1˜140_2 are respectively connected to different USB devices, then go to step S330. In step S330, the common control circuit 110 determines whether at least one of the USB Type-C ports is connected to the USB device first. If the common control circuit 110 determines that at least one of the USB Type-C ports is connected to the USB device first, go to step node D.

Next, in step S502 in FIG. 5 , the common control circuit 110 obtains the reserved value T1 corresponding to the USB Type-C port when the USB Type-C port is connected to the USB device. The common control circuit 110 judges whether the USB Type-A port is connected to a USB device through the USB Type-A port. It should be understood that in step S502, the common control circuit 110 may also perform the operations of steps S410-S470. In step S503, the USB Type-A port is connected to the USB device. The common control circuit 110 obtains the maximum reserved value T2 and the minimum reserved value T3 corresponding to the USB Type-A port when the USB Type-A port is connected to the USB device, and obtains the remaining power REM.

In this embodiment, the above-mentioned maximum reserved value T2 is the product of the minimum rated voltage of the USB Type-A port and the maximum rated current of the USB Type-A port. The aforementioned minimum reserved value T3 is the product of the minimum rated voltage of the USB Type-A port and the minimum rated current of the USB Type-A port. In this embodiment, the minimum rated voltage of the USB Type-A port is 5V, the maximum rated current of the USB Type-A port is 2.4A, and the minimum rated current of the USB Type-A port is 1A. Therefore, the maximum reserved value T2 is equal to 12, and the minimum reserved value T3 is equal to 5. The residual power REM is the difference obtained by subtracting the rated power TP from the power of USB ports (including USB Type-C and USB Type-A ports) connected to USB devices.

In addition, in step S503 , when the USB Type-A port is connected to a USB device, the current of the USB Type-A port is limited, and the value of the current limit flag is set to 0. In this embodiment, the current of the USB Type-A port can be limited to be less than or equal to the minimum rated current of the USB Type-A port, such as 0.5 ampere, but not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the delay time length for setting the current limit flag value to 0 must be greater than a hold time length (for example, 3 seconds). The aforementioned maintenance time is the shortest time between steps S504 to S507 , that is, the shortest time required to perform power difference conversion.

Next, the common control circuit 110 will determine whether the sum of the power of the USB Type-C ports is less than or equal to the difference between the rated power TP and the reserved value T1 in step S504 . If the common control circuit 110 determines that the sum of the power of the USB Type-C ports is less than or equal to the difference between the rated power TP and the reserved value T1. This means that the USB Type-A port can receive enough power of the output power P4, and the output power does not need to be transferred. Therefore, the common control circuit 110 waits in step S505. For example, the common control circuit 110 waits (but not limited to) 10 minutes before returning to step S504. Conversely, if the common control circuit 110 determines that the sum of the power of the USB Type-C ports is greater than the difference between the rated power TP and the reserved value T1, it means that the output power needs to be transferred. Therefore, the common control circuit 110 will determine in step S506 whether the power of the USB Type-C port with the highest power is greater than the reserved value T1, and the current limit flag value of the USB Type-A port=0. If the judgment result is "Yes", it means that the USB Type-A port is in the state of current limiting, and the USB Type-C port with the maximum power has enough power to transfer to the USB Type-A port. Therefore, the common control circuit 110 will remove the current limit of the USB Type-A port in step S507, transfer the power difference of the USB Type-C port with the maximum power to the USB Type-A port, and transfer the USB Type-C port to the USB Type-A port. -A port current limit flag value changed to 1. Once the transfer is completed, enter step S508 and wait. For example, the common control circuit 110 waits (but not limited to) 10 minutes before returning to step S502. In an embodiment, the value of the current limit flag can also be changed from 1 to 0.

In step S507, for example, the voltage value of the USB Type-A port is fixed at 5V, and the current value is adjusted from the limited 0.5A to 2.4A. In step S507, the common control circuit 110 can also use the power of the USB Type-C port with the maximum power at the second time, the maximum reserved value T2 and the remaining power REM to calculate the voltage value and current value of the new output power P3 . The common control circuit 110 controls the power converters 130_1 - 130_2 to allocate new power to the second USB port after a second time. In detail, the common control circuit 110 obtains the second reference value N2 according to formula (2). Wherein, P3 is the power of the USB Type-C port with the maximum power at the second time. The second reference value N2 may be a positive integer or a positive real number. N2 = (P3 – T2 + REM) / IP Formula (2)

The common control circuit 110 provides corresponding voltage values to the Type-C port with the maximum power before the second time in different intervals according to the second reference value N2. In one embodiment, the common control circuit 110 provides corresponding voltage values to other arbitrary Type-C ports in different intervals according to the second reference value N2. The implementation details of the second reference value N2 providing corresponding voltage values in different intervals can be sufficiently taught in the implementation details of the first reference value N1 mentioned above, so it will not be repeated here.

If the judgment result of step S506 is "No", go to step S509. In step S509, the common control circuit 110 determines whether the power of the USB Type-A port is less than or equal to the minimum reserved value T3, and the current limit flag value of the USB Type-A port is equal to 1. If the judgment result is "Yes", it means that the current limit of the USB Type-A port has been released, and the power of the USB Type-A port has dropped to be less than or equal to the minimum reserved value T3. That is to say, the charging (or power supply) of the USB device by the USB Type-A port has ended or will end soon. The common control circuit 110 transfers the power difference of the USB Type-A ports to one of the USB Type-C ports in step S510 , and changes the value of the current limit flag of the USB Type-A port to 0. Once the transfer is completed, go to step S508.

In step S510, for example, the voltage value of the USB Type-A port is fixed at 5V, and the current value is adjusted from 2.4A to 1A. In step S510, the common control circuit 110 can also use the power of the USB Type-C port with the maximum power at the second time, the maximum reserved value T2 and the remaining power REM to calculate the voltage value and current value of the new output power P3 . The common control circuit 110 controls the power converters 130_1 - 130_2 to allocate new power to the second USB port after a second time. In detail, the common control circuit 110 obtains the third reference value N3 according to formula (3). Wherein, P4 is the power of the USB Type-A port at the second time. The third reference value N3 may be a positive integer or a positive real number. N3 = (P3 + T2 – P4+ REM) / IP Formula (3)

The common control circuit 110 provides corresponding voltage values to the USB Type-C port having the maximum power before the second time in different intervals according to the third reference value N3. In one embodiment, the common control circuit 110 provides corresponding voltage values to any other USB Type-C ports in different intervals according to the third reference value N3. The implementation details about the third reference value N3 providing corresponding voltage values in different intervals can be sufficiently taught in the aforementioned implementation details of the first reference value N1 , so it will not be repeated here.

If the judgment result of step S509 is "No", then enter step S511 and wait. For example, the common control circuit 110 waits (but not limited to) 10 minutes before returning to step S509. Table 2 is a power supply comparison table of a multi-port power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. CC1, CC2, CC3 and CC4 shown in Table 2 represent the configuration information of different USB ports. Table 2: Power supply comparison table for multi-port power supply devices configuration CC1 (Type-C) CC2 (Type-C) CC3 (Type-C) CC4 (Type-A) current limit flag value 17 5V/3A 5V/3A 5V/3A 5V/2.4A 0 18 9V/3A to 5V/3A 9V/2A 5V/3A 5V/0.5A to 5V/2.4A 1 19 12V/3A to 9V/2.6A 9V/1A 5V/3A 5V/0.5A to 5V/2.4A 1 20 15V/3A to 12V/2.7A 5V/3A 5V/0.5A to 5V/2.4A 1 twenty one 20V/2.5A to 15V/2.6A 9V/1A 5V/0.5A to 5V/2.4A 1 twenty two 20V/3A to 20V/2.4A 5V/0.5A to 5V/2.4A 1 twenty three 5V/3A 9V/2A to 9V/2.7A 5V/3A 5V/2.4A to 5V/1A 0 twenty four 9V/2.6A to 12V/2.6A 9V/1A 5V/3A 5V/2.4A to 5V/1A 0 25 12V/2.7A to 15V/2.6A 5V/3A 5V/2.4A to 5V/1A 0 26 15V/2.6A to 20V/2.3A 9V/1A 5V/2.4A to 5V/1A 0 27 20V/2.4A to 20V/2.75A 5V/2.4A to 5V/1A 0

Please refer to Figure 1, Figure 5 and Table 2 at the same time. In this example, the time point when the USB Type-C port is connected to the USB device will be earlier than the time point when the USB Type-A port is connected to the USB device. When the USB Type-A port is connected to a USB device, the USB Type-A port will be current limited. Therefore, a USB Type-A port has a voltage value of 5 volts and a current value of 0.5 amps. The USB Type-A port draws 2.5 watts. And at this point, the current limit flag value of the USB Type-A port is set to 0.

Regarding the seventeenth configuration, the common control circuit 110 determines in step S504 that the sum of the power of the USB Type-C ports (45 watts) is equal to the difference between the rated power TP and the reserved value T1 (45 watts). Therefore, the output power of the power converters 130_1 - 130_2 does not need to be transferred.

Regarding the eighteenth configuration, the common control circuit 110 determines in step S504 that the sum of the power of the USB Type-C ports (60 watts) is greater than the difference between the rated power TP and the reserved value T1 (45 watts). So go to step S506. In step S506 , the common control circuit 110 determines that the power of the USB Type-C port with the maximum power (27 watts) is greater than the reserved value T1 (15 watts), and determines that the current limit flag value is equal to 0. Therefore, enter step S507. In step S507, the common control circuit 110 controls the power converters 130_1~130_2 to release the current limit of the USB Type-A ports, and controls the power converters 130_1~130_2 to transfer the power difference of the USB Type-C ports to the USB Type-A port. Specifically, the power of the USB Type-C port will be reduced by 12 watts from 27 watts to reduce the power to 15 watts (new power). The 12 watts subtracted is the stated power difference. The power difference will be allocated to the USB Type-A port, so that the current value of the USB Type-A port is increased from 0.5A to 2.4A. Next, set the current limit flag value to 1.

In addition, the eighteenth configuration can obtain the second reference value N2 equal to 5 according to formula (2). Therefore, the voltage value of the USB port 140_1 can be adjusted to 5 volts. And the current value of the USB connection port 140_1 is the quotient of the new power and the voltage value, that is, 3 amperes. Regarding the 19th to 22nd configurations, the process of the 19th to 22nd configurations can be sufficiently taught from the description of the 18th configuration, so it will not be repeated here.

Regarding the twenty-third configuration, the common control circuit 110 determines in step S504 that the sum of the power of the USB Type-C ports (48 watts) is greater than the difference between the rated power TP and the reserved value T1 (45 watts). So go to step S506. In step S506 , the common control circuit 110 determines that the power of the USB Type-C port with the maximum power (18 watts) is greater than the reserved value T1 (15 watts), and determines that the current limit flag value is equal to 1. Therefore, enter step S509. In step S509, the common control circuit 110 judges that the power of the USB Type-A port drops to 5 watts, which is already equal to the minimum reserved value T3, and also judges that the current limit flag value of the USB Type-A port is equal to 1 . Therefore, enter step S510. In step S510, the voltage value of the USB Type-A port is fixed at 5V, and the current value is adjusted from 2.4A to 1A. Therefore, the power of the USB Type-A port will be reduced from 12 watts to 5 watts, resulting in a power difference of 7 watts. So the aforementioned 7 Watt difference in power is, for example but not limited to, diverted to the USB Type-C port. Therefore, the power of the USB Type-C port will increase from 18 watts to 25 watts. In addition, the 23rd configuration can obtain the third reference value N3 equal to 12.3 according to the formula (3). Therefore, the voltage value of the USB port 140_2 can be adjusted to 9 volts. And the current value of the USB connection port 140_2 is the quotient of the new power and the voltage value, which is 2.7 amperes.

Regarding the 24th to 27th configurations, the process of the 24th to 27th configurations can be sufficiently taught from the description of the 23rd configuration, so it will not be repeated here. It is worth mentioning that in configurations 23~27, the power difference of the USB Type-A port will be transferred to the USB Type-C port with the highest power. In this way, the charging of USB devices with high power requirements can be accelerated. In other embodiments, the power difference is shifted to the USB Type-C port with the least power, but is not limited thereto.

In step S330 shown in FIG. 3 , the common control circuit 110 determines whether at least one of the USB Type-C ports is connected to the USB device first. If the common control circuit 110 determines that the USB Type-A port is connected to the USB device first, go to step node E.

Next, in step S610 in FIG. 6 , the common control circuit 110 will obtain the maximum reserved value T2 and the minimum reserved value corresponding to the USB Type-A port when the USB Type-A port is connected to the USB device. T3. In step S620, the USB Type-C port is connected to the USB device. The common control circuit 110 will obtain the reserved value T1 corresponding to the USB Type-C port and the remaining power REM when the USB Type-C port is connected to the USB device. In addition, in step S610 , since the USB Type-A port will not be limited, the value of the current limit flag is set to 1.

In step S630, the common control circuit 110 determines whether the power of the Type-C ports is the same, and whether the power of the USB Type-A port is greater than the minimum reserved value T3. If the result of the judgment is "Yes", it means that the power of the USB Type-A port is still in use, and the power of these USB Type-C ports connected to the USB device is the same, so the output power does not need to be transferred. Therefore, it will enter step S640. In step S640, the common control circuit 110 waits. For example, the common control circuit 110 waits (but not limited to) 10 minutes before returning to step S630.

In step S630, if the judgment result is "No", it means that the power of the USB Type-A port has dropped to less than or equal to the minimum reserved value T3, or at least one of the USB Type-C port The power has changed (or not exactly the same). That is to say, the charging (or power supply) of the USB device by the USB Type-A port has ended or is about to end, and the USB Type-A port can transfer the power difference to one of the USB Type-C ports. The common control circuit 110 will set the current value of the USB Type-A connection port from the maximum rated current (such as 2.4 amperes) to the minimum rated current (such as 1 ampere) in step S650, and set the current value of the USB Type-A connection port to The power difference is diverted to one of the USB Type-C ports, for example, the USB Type-C port with the highest power. The implementation details in step S650 can be sufficiently taught in step S510, so they will not be repeated here. In addition, in step S650, since the USB Type-A port can be regarded as being limited to the minimum rated current, the current limiting flag value is set to 0. Once the transfer is completed, go to step S660. In step S660, the common control circuit 110 waits. For example, the common control circuit 110 waits (but not limited to) 10 minutes before returning to step S610.

Table 3 is a power supply comparison table of a multi-port power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. CC1, CC2, CC3 and CC4 shown in Table 3 indicate the configuration information of different USB ports. In the example shown in Table 3, the time point when the USB Type-A port is connected to the USB device is earlier than the time point when the USB Type-C port is connected to the USB device. Table 3: Power supply comparison table for multi-port power supply devices configuration CC1 (Type-C) CC2 (Type-C) CC3 (Type-C) CC4 (Type-A) 28 5V/3A 5V/3A 5V/3A 5V/2.4A 29 9V/2A to 9V/2.9A 9V/1.5A 5V/3A 5V/2.4A to 5V/1A 30 9V/2.6A to 12V/2.6A 9V/1A 5V/3A 5V/2.4A to 5V/1A 31 12V/2.7A to 15V/2.7A 5V/3A 5V/2.4A to 5V/1A 32 15V/2.6A to 20V/2.3A 9V/1A 5V/2.4A to 5V/1A 33 20V/2.4A to 20V/2.7A 5V/2.4A to 5V/1A

Regarding the twenty-eighth configuration shown in Table 3, the common control circuit 110 determines in step S630 that the powers of the USB Type-C ports are the same, and the powers of the USB Type-A ports are greater than the minimum reserved value T3. The output electric energy of the power converters 130_1 - 130_2 will not be transferred. Regarding the twenty-ninth configuration shown in Table 3, the common control circuit 110 determines in step S630 that the powers of the USB Type-C ports are different. When the power of the USB Type-A port drops from 12 watts to 5 watts. So a power difference of 7 watts can be diverted to one of the USB Type-C ports. After the USB Type-C port receives the power difference, the power of the USB Type-C port will increase from 18 watts to 26.5 watts according to the power difference and the remaining power (1.5 watts). In addition, the twenty-ninth configuration can obtain the third reference value N3 equal to 8.8 according to formula (3). Therefore, the voltage value of the USB Type-C port can be adjusted to 9 volts. And the current value of the USB Type-C port is the quotient of the new power and the voltage value, which is 2.9 amperes. Regarding the 30th to 33rd configurations shown in Table 3, the process of the 30th to 33rd configurations can be sufficiently taught from the description of the 29th configuration, so it will not be repeated here.

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart illustrating an operation method of a multi-port power supply device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 7. The common control circuit 110 may determine in step S710 whether the USB port 140_1 is connected to a USB device. Although the present embodiment takes the USB connection port 140_1 as an example for illustration, other USB connection ports (such as the USB connection port 140_2 ) of the multi-port power supply device 100 can be analogized with reference to the related description of the USB connection port 140_1 .

When the common control circuit 110 determines that the USB port 140_1 is connected to a USB device (the determination result of step S710 is “Yes”), the common control circuit 110 executes step S720 . In step S720 , the common control circuit 110 can correspondingly control the power converter 130_1 according to the power requirement of the USB port 140_1 to supply power to the USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 140_1 . Step S720 shown in FIG. 7 can be deduced by referring to related descriptions of steps S210 and S220 shown in FIG. 2 , so details are not repeated here. Based on the PD protocol, the common control circuit 110 can send a PDO (or APDO) to the USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 140_1 in step S720 to determine the protocol power. The common control circuit 110 can correspondingly control the power converter 130_1 according to the protocol power to supply power to the USB port 140_1 .

In step S730, the common control circuit 110 can check the adjustment trend of the protocol power of the USB port. For example, the power converter 130_1 can supply power to the USB port 140_1 through a current path, and the common control circuit 110 can pass a current detection circuit (not shown in FIG. 1 ) and a voltage detection circuit (not shown in FIG. 1 ). ) to detect the actual current and actual voltage of the current path. The common control circuit 110 can obtain the actual output power of the USB port 140_1 based on the actual current and the actual voltage. The common control circuit 110 can determine whether the current PDO or APDO (protocol power) matches the actual output power of the USB port 140_1 . If the actual output power is lower than the agreed power, it means that the adjustment trend of the agreed power is "downward adjustment". If the actual output power is higher than the agreed power, it means that the adjustment trend of the agreed power is "upward adjustment".

In step S740 , the common control circuit 110 may check the rated minimum charging power of the USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 140_1 . USB devices (not shown) may have a minimum charging power rating. When the PDO or APDO (protocol power) is less than the rated minimum charging power, the charging operation of the USB device (not shown) will stop. In practical applications, the cessation of the charging operation is undesirable. The common control circuit 110 can obtain the rated minimum charging power of the USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 140_1 . This embodiment does not limit the specific implementation of "the common control circuit 110 obtains the rated minimum charging power".

For example, in some embodiments, when a USB device (not shown) is connected to the USB port 140_1 , the common control circuit 110 may send an inquiry command to the USB device to obtain the rated minimum charging power of the USB device. The inquiry command may be a vendor command (vendor command) conforming to the USB specification.

In other embodiments, when a USB device (not shown) is connected to the USB port 140_1 , the common control circuit 110 may obtain the rated minimum charging power of the USB device (not shown) from a lookup table. This embodiment does not limit the specific implementation manner of the lookup table. For example, the lookup table may be the lookup table shown in Table 4 or Table 5 below. Table 4: Lookup Table PIDs VID P min Table 5: Lookup Table PIDs VID protocol power P min V min Imin

When a USB device (not shown) is connected to the USB port 140_1, the common control circuit 110 can obtain the identification (identification, ID) information of the USB device (not shown), such as product identification (Product ID, PID) information and supply Vendor ID (VID) information. In some embodiments, the common control circuit 110 can obtain the rated minimum charging power Pmin of the USB device (not shown) from the lookup table shown in Table 4 according to the PID information and the VID information. In some other embodiments, the common control circuit 110 can obtain the rated minimum charging power Pmin, the rated minimum charging voltage Vmin and the rated minimum charging current of the USB device (not shown) from the lookup table shown in Table 5 according to the PID information and VID information Imin.

When the look-up table does not have the rated minimum charging power of the USB device (not shown), the common control circuit 110 can send an inquiry command to the USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 140_1 to obtain the USB device (not shown) Shown) the rated minimum charging power. The common control circuit 110 can record the rated minimum charging power provided by the USB device (not shown) in a lookup table for future use.

When the lookup table does not have the rated minimum charging power of the USB device (not shown), or the common control circuit 110 can send an inquiry command to the USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 140_1, the USB device can only reply A rated charging power is sent to the common control circuit 110. This rated charging power is only sent according to the USB PD protocol, and it does not mean that it is the rated minimum charging power of the USB device. At this time, the common control circuit 110 needs to use the following method to find out the rated minimum charging power of the USB device.

When the common control circuit 110 receives the rated charging power, it can first provide the corresponding protocol power to the USB device. The common control circuit 110 can detect the actual current of the current path through a current detection circuit (not shown in FIG. 1 ). The common control circuit 110 can know whether the USB port 140_1 is charging based on the actual current. The common control circuit 110 can determine whether the actual current is greater than a predetermined value. If the actual current is greater than the custom value, then the protocol power will be reduced by 15W (step by step), and then the actual current of the current path will be detected. By analogy, until the actual current is less than the custom value, it means that the reduced protocol power at that time is the rated minimum charging power of the USB device. The common control circuit 110 can record the rated minimum charging power provided by the USB device (not shown) in a lookup table for future use.

If the actual current is less than the custom value, then the protocol power will be increased by 15W (step by step), and then the actual current of the current path will be detected. By analogy, until the actual current is greater than the custom value, it means that the increased protocol power at that time is the rated minimum charging power of the USB device. The common control circuit 110 can record the rated minimum charging power provided by the USB device (not shown) in a lookup table for future use.

In step S740 , the common control circuit 110 may check the protocol power and the rated minimum charging power of the USB device (not shown). When the adjustment trend of the protocol power of the USB port 140_1 will make the protocol power greater than the rated minimum charging power of the USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 140_1 (the judgment result of step S740 is "No"), jointly The control circuit 110 may proceed to step S750. Alternatively, when the USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 140_1 does not have an operating limit of the rated minimum charging power (the determination result of step S740 is "No"), the common control circuit 110 may proceed to step S750.

In step S750, the common control circuit 110 can dynamically change the protocol power of the USB connection port 140_1 according to the actual output power of the USB connection port 140_1. That is, the common control circuit 110 can dynamically change the PDO (or APDO) according to the actual output power in step S750, and the common control circuit 110 can compare the protocol power of the USB port 140_1 at the first time with the power of the USB port 140_1 at the second time. The power difference between the protocol power at two times is dynamically transferred to other USB ports of the multi-port power supply device 100 (such as the USB port 140_2 ). Step S750 shown in FIG. 7 can be deduced by referring to the related descriptions of steps S210-S240 shown in FIG. 2, or referring to the related descriptions in FIG.

When the adjustment trend of the protocol power of the USB port 140_1 will make the protocol power less than the rated minimum charging power of the USB device (not shown) (the judgment result of step S740 is “Yes”), the common control circuit 110 can perform the steps S760. In step S760 , even if the actual power of the USB port 140_1 is lower than the protocol power of the USB port 140_1 , the common control circuit 110 still does not change the PDO or APDO (protocol power) of the USB port 140_1 . The purpose of step S760 is to prevent the protocol power (PDO or APDO) from being lower than the rated minimum charging power of the USB device (not shown), thereby avoiding stopping the charging operation of the USB device (not shown).

During the period when the protocol power is kept constant, the actual power of the USB port 140_1 is lower than the protocol power, and even the actual power of the USB port 140_1 may decrease all the time. The common control circuit 110 can dynamically transfer the power difference between the protocol power and the actual output power to other USB ports (such as the USB port 140_2 ) in step S770 . When a USB device (not shown) is disconnected from the USB port 140_1 , the common control circuit 110 can transfer the protocol power of the USB port 140_1 to other USB ports (such as the USB port 140_2 ).

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the common control circuit 110 includes a power distribution circuit 111 and a plurality of control circuits (such as the control circuits 112_1 and 112_2 shown in FIG. 1 ). The control circuits 112_1-112_2 are respectively coupled to the USB ports 140_1-140_2 in a one-to-one manner, so as to obtain the actual output power of the USB ports 140_1-140_2, and respectively control the power converters 130_1-130_2 to supply power to the USB ports 140_1 ~140_2. For example, the control circuit 112_1 can detect the actual current and the actual voltage of the USB port 140_1 through a current detection circuit (not shown in FIG. 1 ) and a voltage detection circuit (not shown in FIG. 1 ), and based on The actual current and actual voltage of the USB port 140_1 are used to obtain the actual output power of the USB port 140_1. By analogy, the control circuit 112_2 can detect the actual current and actual voltage of the USB port 140_2 through the current detection circuit (not shown in FIG. 1 ) and the voltage detection circuit (not shown in FIG. 1 ), and based on The actual current and actual voltage of the USB port 140_2 are used to obtain the actual output power of the USB port 140_2.

The power distribution circuit 111 is coupled to the control circuits 112_1 - 112_2 to obtain the actual output power of the USB ports 140_1 - 140_2 . In step S730 , the power distribution circuit 111 can check/determine the adjustment trend of the protocol power of the USB ports 140_1 - 140_2 based on the actual output power. For example, the power distribution circuit 111 can determine whether the current PDO or APDO (protocol power) matches the actual output power of the USB port 140_1 . When the adjustment trend of the protocol power of the USB port 140_1 makes the protocol power of the USB port 140_1 greater than the rated minimum charging power of the USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 140_1, the power distribution circuit 111 can be based on the USB port. The actual output power of 140_1 dynamically changes the protocol power of USB port 140_1 (refer to the relevant description of step S750 shown in FIG. 7 for details).

When the adjustment trend of the protocol power of the USB port 140_1 makes the protocol power less than the rated minimum charging power of the USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 140_1, the power distribution circuit 111 does not change the protocol of the USB port 140_1 The power, and the power distribution circuit 111 dynamically transfers the power difference between the protocol power of the USB port 140_1 and the actual output power to other USB ports (such as the USB port 140_2 ).

FIG. 8 is a schematic circuit block diagram illustrating a multi-port power supply device 800 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 , the multi-port power supply device 800 includes a plurality of USB ports, such as a USB port 840_1 . The multi-port power supply device 800 further includes a control circuit 812_1 , a power converter 830_1 , a current detection circuit 850_1 , a power switch 860_1 and a voltage detection circuit 870_1 . The multi-port power supply device 800, control circuit 812_1, power converter 830_1 and USB connection port 840_1 shown in FIG. 8 can refer to the multi-port power supply device 100, control circuit 112_1, power converter 130_1 and USB connection port 140_1 shown in FIG. Relevant instructions are analogized, so I won’t repeat them here. Based on practical design considerations, in some embodiments, the multi-port power supply device 100, the control circuit 112_1, the power converter 130_1 and the USB connection port 140_1 shown in FIG. 1 can refer to the multi-port power supply device 800 and the control circuit shown in FIG. Instructions for 812_1, power adapter 830_1 and USB port 840_1.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 , the power converter 830_1 can supply power to the USB port 840_1 through the current path. The current detection circuit 850_1 and the power switch 860_1 are configured in the current path between the power converter 830_1 and the USB port 840_1 . Based on the control of the control circuit 812_1 , the power switch 860_1 can turn off (turn off) or turn on (turn on) the current path. The current detection circuit 850_1 can detect the actual current I1 of the current path. The voltage detection circuit 870_1 can detect the actual voltage V1 of the current path between the power switch 860_1 and the USB port 840_1 .

FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart illustrating an operation method of a multi-port power supply device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 . In step S910, the current detection circuit 850_1 can detect the actual current I1 of the current path between the power converter 830_1 and the USB port 840_1, and the voltage detection circuit 870_1 can detect the power switch 860_1 to the USB port The actual voltage V1 of the current path between 840_1. In step S920, the control circuit 812_1 can determine whether the USB port 840_1 (the first USB port) is electrically connected to a USB device (not shown) according to the actual voltage V1.

The control circuit 812_1 can control the power switch 860_1. When the control circuit 812_1 determines that the USB port 840_1 is not electrically connected to the USB device (the determination result of step S920 is “none”), the control circuit 812_1 may proceed to step S930 . In step S930 , the control circuit 812_1 can turn off the power switch 860_1 of the USB port 840_1 , and the control circuit 812_1 can disable the power converter 830_1 .

When the control circuit 812_1 determines that the USB connection port 840_1 is electrically connected to a USB device (not shown) (the determination result of step S920 is “Yes”), the control circuit 812_1 may proceed to step S940 . In step S940, the control circuit 812_1 can enable the power converter 830_1, and part (or all) of the power of other USB ports (not shown) of the multi-port power supply device 800 can be dynamically transferred to USB port 840_1.

For example, the multi-port power supply device 800 further includes a power distribution circuit 811 . The power distribution circuit 811 shown in FIG. 8 can be deduced with reference to the related description of the power distribution circuit 111 shown in FIG. 1 , so details are not repeated here. The power distribution circuit 811 is coupled to the control circuit 812_1. When the control circuit 812_1 determines that the USB port 840_1 is electrically connected to a USB device (not shown), the control circuit 812_1 can notify the power distribution circuit 811 so that the power distribution circuit 811 connects the other USB ports of the multi-port power supply device 800 A part of the protocol power (not shown) is dynamically transferred to the USB port 840_1.

For example, assume that the rated output power of the multi-port power supply device 800 is 100 watts, and the 100 watts has been allocated to other USB ports (not shown) of the multi-port power supply device 800 . It is also assumed that the USB port 840_1 is a USB Type-A port. When the control circuit 812_1 notifies the power distribution circuit 811 that "the USB port 840_1 is electrically connected to a USB device", the power distribution circuit 811 can transfer the protocol power (a total of 100 watts) of other USB ports (not shown) in step S940 Part of (for example, 12 watts, determined according to the actual design) is dynamically transferred to the USB port 840_1. After the transfer is completed, the protocol power of other USB ports (not shown) is 88W, and the protocol power of USB port 840_1 is 12W.

After part of the protocol power of other USB ports (not shown) of the multi-port power supply device 800 is dynamically transferred to the USB port 840_1, the control circuit 812_1 can determine whether to turn on the USB connection according to the actual current I1 in step S950. Power switch 860_1 for port 840_1 (first USB port). For example, when the actual current I1 is less than the threshold (for example, 100mA, determined according to the actual design), the control circuit 812_1 can turn off the power switch 860_1, and the power converter 830_1 can pass the body diode (body diode) of the power switch 860_1 ) to supply power to the power pin VBUS of the USB port 840_1. When the actual current I1 is greater than the threshold (eg, 100mA), the control circuit 812_1 can turn on the power switch 860_1 , so that the power converter 830_1 supplies power to the USB port 840_1 through the power switch 860_1 .

The power distribution circuit 811 can correspondingly control the power converter 830_1 according to the power requirement of the USB port 840_1 to supply power to a USB device (not shown) connected to the USB port 840_1 . That is, the power allocation circuit 811 can determine the protocol power according to the power requirement of the USB port 840_1 . The control circuit 812_1 can also notify the power distribution circuit 811 of the actual voltage V1 and the actual current I1. The power distribution circuit 811 can obtain the actual output power of the USB port 840_1 based on the actual voltage V1 and the actual current I1. The power allocation circuit 811 can dynamically transfer the power difference between the actual output power of the USB port 840_1 at the first time (first power) and the actual output power of the USB port 840_1 at the second time (second power) to Other USB ports (not shown) of the multi-port power supply device 800 . For example, the power distribution circuit 811 can dynamically transfer the power difference of the USB port 840_1 to other USB ports (not shown) of the multi-port power supply device 800 by referring to the relevant description of step S750 shown in FIG. 7 . .

FIG. 10 is a schematic circuit block diagram illustrating the voltage detection circuit 870_1 shown in FIG. 8 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 , the voltage detection circuit 870_1 includes a resistor 871 , a current source 872 and a voltage comparator 873 . The resistance value of the resistor 871 can be determined according to the actual design. For example, the resistance value of the resistor 871 can be 1.3KΩ or other resistance values. The first end of the resistor 871 is coupled to the current path between the power switch 860_1 and the USB port 840_1 to receive the actual voltage V1. The first terminal of the current source 872 is coupled to the second terminal of the resistor 871 to provide a reference current (for example, 300uA, determined according to actual design). The second terminal of the current source 872 is coupled to the reference voltage VREF (for example, 5.5V, determined according to actual design). A first input terminal (such as an inverting input terminal) and a second input terminal (such as a non-inverting input terminal) of the voltage comparator 873 are respectively coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal of the resistor 871 . The output terminal of the voltage comparator 873 outputs the voltage comparison result DET to the control circuit 812_1 . According to actual design considerations, the voltage comparator 873 may include a Schmitt trigger or other voltage comparison circuits/elements.

When the USB port 840_1 is not electrically connected to a USB device (not shown), the reference voltage VREF will pull up the actual voltage V1 so that the actual voltage V1 is greater than 5 volts. In addition, because no current flows through the resistor 871 , the voltage comparison result DET output by the voltage comparator 873 is at a low logic level.

When the USB port 840_1 is electrically connected to a USB device (not shown), the USB device pulls down the actual voltage V1 , so that the actual voltage V1 is lower than 5 volts, thereby causing current to flow through the resistor 871 . The current flows through the resistor 871, so the voltage comparison result DET output by the voltage comparator 873 is at a high logic level. Therefore, the control circuit 812_1 can notify the power distribution circuit 811 so that the power distribution circuit 811 dynamically transfers part of the protocol power of other USB ports (not shown) of the multi-port power supply device 800 to the USB port 840_1 .

After the power distribution circuit 811 transfers the power to the USB port 840_1, the control circuit 812_1 can decide whether to turn on the power switch 860_1 according to the actual current I1. For example, when the actual current I1 falls within the range of 1mA to 100mA, the control circuit 812_1 can turn off the power switch 860_1, and at this time the power converter 830_1 can supply power to the USB port 840_1 through the body diode of the power switch 860_1 Power pin VBUS. When the actual current I1 falls within the range of 100mA to 2.4A, the control circuit 812_1 can turn on the power switch 860_1, so that the power converter 830_1 supplies power to the USB port 840_1 through the power switch 860_1.

FIG. 11 is a schematic circuit block diagram illustrating a multi-port power supply device 1100 according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 , the multi-port power supply device 1100 includes a plurality of USB ports, such as a USB port 1140_1 . The multi-port power supply device 1100 further includes a power distribution circuit 1111 , a control circuit 1112_1 , a power converter 1130_1 , a current detection circuit 1150_1 , a power switch 1160_1 and a voltage detection circuit 1170_1 . The multi-port power supply device 1100, power distribution circuit 1111, control circuit 1112_1, power converter 1130_1, USB port 1140_1, current detection circuit 1150_1, power switch 1160_1 and voltage detection circuit 1170_1 shown in FIG. The relevant descriptions of the multi-port power supply device 800, the power distribution circuit 811, the control circuit 812_1, the power converter 830_1, the USB connection port 840_1, the current detection circuit 850_1, the power switch 860_1 and the voltage detection circuit 870_1 are deduced by analogy. Let me repeat. The difference from the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is that the current detection circuit 1150_1 shown in FIG. 11 is configured in the current path between the power switch 1160_1 and the voltage detection circuit 1170_1 .

FIG. 12 is a schematic circuit block diagram illustrating a multi-port power supply device 1200 according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 , the multi-port power supply device 1200 includes multiple USB ports, such as the USB port 1240_1 . The multi-port power supply device 1200 further includes a power distribution circuit 1211 , a control circuit 1212_1 , a power converter 1230_1 , a current detection circuit 1250_1 , a power switch 1260_1 and a voltage detection circuit 1270_1 . The multi-port power supply device 1200, power distribution circuit 1211, control circuit 1212_1, power converter 1230_1, USB connection port 1240_1, current detection circuit 1250_1, power switch 1260_1 and voltage detection circuit 1270_1 shown in FIG. The relevant descriptions of the multi-port power supply device 800, the power distribution circuit 811, the control circuit 812_1, the power converter 830_1, the USB connection port 840_1, the current detection circuit 850_1, the power switch 860_1 and the voltage detection circuit 870_1 are deduced by analogy. Let me repeat. The difference from the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is that the current detection circuit 1250_1 shown in FIG. 12 is configured in the current path between the voltage detection circuit 1270_1 and the USB port 1240_1 .

According to different design requirements, the common control circuit 110, power distribution circuit 111, control circuit 112_1, control circuit 112_2, power distribution circuit 811, control circuit 812_1, power distribution circuit 1111, control circuit 1112_1, power distribution circuit 1211 and (or Yes) The control circuit 1212_1 can be implemented in the form of hardware, firmware, software (program), or a combination of the above three. In terms of hardware form, the above-mentioned common control circuit 110, power distribution circuit 111, control circuit 112_1, control circuit 112_2, power distribution circuit 811, control circuit 812_1, power distribution circuit 1111, control circuit 1112_1, power distribution circuit 1211 and ( Or) the control circuit 1212_1 may be implemented as a logic circuit on an integrated circuit (integrated circuit). The above common control circuit 110, power distribution circuit 111, control circuit 112_1, control circuit 112_2, power distribution circuit 811, control circuit 812_1, power distribution circuit 1111, control circuit 1112_1, power distribution circuit 1211 and (or) control circuit 1212_1 Related functions can be implemented as hardware by using hardware description languages (hardware description languages, such as Verilog HDL or VHDL) or other suitable programming languages. For example, the above-mentioned common control circuit 110, power distribution circuit 111, control circuit 112_1, control circuit 112_2, power distribution circuit 811, control circuit 812_1, power distribution circuit 1111, control circuit 1112_1, power distribution circuit 1211 and (or) Related functions of the control circuit 1212_1 may be implemented in one or more controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (Application-specific integrated circuit, ASIC), digital signal processors (digital signal processor, DSP) ), Field Programmable Gate Array (Field Programmable Gate Array, FPGA) and/or various logic blocks, modules and circuits in other processing units.

In terms of software form and/or firmware form, the above-mentioned common control circuit 110, power distribution circuit 111, control circuit 112_1, control circuit 112_2, power distribution circuit 811, control circuit 812_1, power distribution circuit 1111, control circuit 1112_1, power Related functions of the distribution circuit 1211 and (or) the control circuit 1212_1 may be implemented as programming codes. For example, the common control circuit 110, the power distribution circuit 111, the control circuit 112_1, the control circuit 112_2, and the power distribution circuit 811 are implemented using general programming languages (programming languages, such as C, C++ or combination language) or other suitable programming languages. , the control circuit 812_1 , the power distribution circuit 1111 , the control circuit 1112_1 , the power distribution circuit 1211 and (or) the control circuit 1212_1 . The programming code may be recorded/stored in a "non-transitory computer readable medium". In some embodiments, the non-transitory computer readable medium includes, for example, a read only memory (Read Only Memory, ROM) and/or a storage device. The storage device includes a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD) or other storage devices. A central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), a controller, a microcontroller or a microprocessor can read and execute the programming code from the non-transitory computer-readable medium, thereby realizing the above-mentioned common control circuit 110 , power distribution circuit 111, control circuit 112_1, control circuit 112_2, power distribution circuit 811, control circuit 812_1, power distribution circuit 1111, control circuit 1112_1, power distribution circuit 1211 and (or) related functions of the control circuit 1212_1.

To sum up, in some embodiments, the multi-port power supply device can check the adjustment trend of the protocol power of the USB ports. When the protocol power is greater than the rated minimum charging power of the USB device, the common control circuit can dynamically change the protocol power according to the actual power demand of the USB device. In the case that the protocol power may be less than the rated minimum charging power of the USB device, the common control circuit may not change the protocol power, and dynamically transfer the power difference between the protocol power and the actual output power to at least one other USB port. Therefore, the power utilization efficiency of the multi-port power supply device can be optimized. In some embodiments, the multi-port power supply device may decide whether to turn on the power switch according to the actual current after a part (or all) of the power of other USB ports is dynamically transferred to the first USB port. Therefore, the multi-port power supply device can manage the power supply to the USB ports, so as to avoid overcurrent and/or overvoltage of the multi-port power supply device.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above with the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field may make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the scope of the appended patent application.

100, 800, 1100, 1200: multi-port power supply unit 110: common control circuit 111, 811, 1111, 1211: power distribution circuit 112_1, 112_2, 812_1, 1112_1, 1212_1: control circuit 130_1, 130_2, 830_1, 1130_1, 1230_1: power converter 140_1, 140_2, 840_1, 1140_1, 1240_1: USB ports 850_1, 1150_1, 1250_1: current detection circuit 860_1, 1160_1, 1260_1: power switch 870_1, 1170_1, 1270_1: voltage detection circuit 871: resistance 872: Current source 873:Voltage Comparator DET: voltage comparison result I1: actual current S210～S240, S310～S330, S410～S470, S502～S511, S610～S660, S710～S770, S910～S950: steps V1: actual voltage VREF: reference voltage

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a circuit block of a multi-port power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of an operating method of a multi-port power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 to 6 are schematic flow charts illustrating the operation method of the multi-port power supply device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart illustrating an operation method of a multi-port power supply device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic circuit block diagram illustrating a multi-port power supply device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart illustrating an operation method of a multi-port power supply device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic circuit block diagram illustrating the voltage detection circuit shown in FIG. 8 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a schematic circuit block diagram illustrating a multi-port power supply device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a schematic circuit block diagram illustrating a multi-port power supply device according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

812_1: control circuit

840_1: USB port

860_1: Power switch

870_1: voltage detection circuit

871: resistance

872: Current source

873:Voltage Comparator

DET: voltage comparison result

V1: actual voltage

VREF: reference voltage

Claims (14)

A multi-port power supply device, comprising: a plurality of USB connection ports, including a first USB connection port; a power converter configured to supply power to the first USB connection port through a current path; a power switch configured on In the current path; a current detection circuit, configured in the current path, configured to detect an actual current in the current path; a voltage detection circuit, configured to detect the power switch to the first USB an actual voltage of the current path between the ports; and a control circuit configured to control the power switch, wherein the control circuit determines whether the first USB port is electrically connected to a USB device according to the actual voltage, and in When the control circuit determines that the first USB connection port is not electrically connected to the USB device, the control circuit turns off the power switch, and when the control circuit determines that the first USB connection port is electrically connected to the USB device After a portion of a protocol power of at least one other USB port among the USB ports is dynamically transferred to the first USB port, the control circuit determines whether to turn on the power switch according to the actual current. The multi-port power supply device as described in claim 1, wherein, when the actual current is less than a threshold, the control circuit turns off the power switch, and the power converter supplies power to the power switch through a body diode of the power switch a first USB port; and When the actual current is greater than the threshold, the control circuit turns on the power switch, so that the power converter supplies power to the first USB port through the power switch. The multi-port power supply device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when the control circuit determines that the first USB port is not electrically connected to the USB device, the control circuit disables the power converter; and When the control circuit determines that the first USB port is electrically connected to the USB device, the control circuit enables the power converter. The multi-port power supply device as described in claim 1, further comprising: a power distribution circuit coupled to the control circuit; wherein when the control circuit determines that the first USB port is electrically connected to the USB device, The control circuit notifies the power distribution circuit to dynamically transfer a portion of the protocol power of the at least one other USB port of the multi-port power supply device to the first USB port. The multi-port power supply device as described in claim 4, wherein the control circuit notifies the power distribution circuit of the actual voltage and the actual current, and the power distribution circuit uses the first USB connection port at a first time at a first time A power difference between a power and a second power of the first USB port at a second time is dynamically transferred to the at least one other USB port. The multi-port power supply device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power converter comprises a DC-DC converter. The multi-port power supply device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the voltage detection circuit includes: A resistor having a first end coupled to the current path to receive the actual voltage; a current source coupled to a second end of the resistor to provide a reference current, wherein the current source is coupled to a reference voltage and a voltage comparator having a first input terminal and a second input terminal respectively coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal of the resistor, wherein an output terminal of the voltage comparator outputs a voltage comparison result . The multi-port power supply device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the voltage comparator includes a Schmitt trigger. A method for operating a multi-port power supply device, wherein the multi-port power supply device includes multiple USB ports, a power converter, a power switch, a current detection circuit, a voltage detection circuit and a control circuit, the The USB ports include a first USB port, the power converter is adapted to supply power to the first USB port through a current path, the power switch is configured in the current path, and the method of operation includes: using the current path The detection circuit detects an actual current of the current path; the voltage detection circuit detects an actual voltage of the current path between the power switch and the first USB connection port; the control circuit according to the actual voltage judging whether the first USB connection port is electrically connected to a USB device; when the control circuit judges that the first USB connection port is not electrically connected to the USB device, the control circuit turns off the power switch; and The circuit judges that the first USB port is electrically connected to the USB device In this case, after a part of a protocol power of the at least one other USB port among the USB ports is dynamically transferred to the first USB port, the control circuit decides whether to turn on the USB port according to the actual current. power switch. The operation method as described in claim 9, further comprising: when the actual current is less than a threshold, the control circuit turns off the power switch, and the power converter supplies power to the power switch through a body diode of the power switch the first USB connection port; and when the actual current is greater than the threshold, the control circuit turns on the power switch so that the power converter supplies power to the first USB connection port through the power switch. The operation method as described in claim 9, further comprising: when the control circuit judges that the first USB port is not electrically connected to the USB device, disabling the power converter by the control circuit; and When the circuit judges that the first USB connection port is electrically connected to the USB device, the control circuit enables the power converter. The operation method as described in claim 9, further comprising: when the control circuit judges that the first USB port is electrically connected to the USB device, the control circuit notifies a power distribution circuit of the multi-port power supply device to dynamically transfer a portion of a protocol power of at least one other USB port of the multi-port power supply device to the first USB port. The operation method according to claim 12, further comprising: notifying the power distribution circuit of the actual voltage and the actual current by the control circuit; and A power difference between a first power of the first USB connection port at a first time and a second power of the first USB connection port at a second time is dynamically transferred to the power distribution circuit by the power distribution circuit At least one other USB port. The operating method according to claim 9, wherein the power converter comprises a DC-DC converter.

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