Power supply control apparatus and method suitable for use in an electronic device

Claim 2

A power supply control apparatus for an electronic device, the apparatus comprising: a supply terminal to provide power to the electronic device; a battery terminal to couple to a battery; an accessory connector to couple to an accessory, the accessory connector having a plurality of pins, one of the plurality of pins being an external power supply pin coupled to the supply terminal, the external power supply pin supplied with external power when the accessory is coupled to the accessory connector; a switch circuit coupled to the supply terminal, the external power supply pin and the battery terminal, the switch circuit to connect the battery terminal to the supply terminal when the external power is not present on the external power supply pin so as to supply the supply terminal with a voltage level of the battery, and the switch circuit to disconnect the battery terminal from the supply terminal when the external power is present on the external power supply pin so as to supply the supply terminal with a voltage level of the external power; and a controller coupled to the switch circuit and the external power supply pin, the controller, when the external power is present on the external power supply pin, to further control the switch circuit to provide a current path between the external power supply pin and the battery terminal so as to charge the battery with a current of the external power, thereby, using the external power supply pin to provide a voltage level for powering the electronic device and provide a current for charging the battery.

Claim 3

A power supply control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of pins further include an audio in pin, an audio out pin, an analog ground pin, at least one data pin and a logic ground pin.

Claim 4

A power supply control apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a diode coupled between the external power supply pin and the supply terminal.

Claim 5

A power supply control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the accessory is a mid rate charger or a fast rate charger, and the plurality of pins includes an identification pin coupled to the controller, the identification pin supplied with identification information when the accessory is coupled to the accessory connector, the identification information being a voltage level; and further comprising a memory coupled to the controller, the memory containing an accessory lookup table, the accessory lookup table including a first voltage level range associated with the mid rate charger and a second voltage level range associated with the fast rate charger.

Claim 6

A power supply control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the voltage level of the battery is lower than the voltage level of the external power.

Claim 7

A power supply control apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the switch circuit includes a first switch, the first switch including a transistor and a diode, the transistor having first, second and third terminals, the first terminal coupled to the supply terminal and the external power supply pin, the second terminal coupled to the battery terminal, and the diode coupled between the first and second terminals.

Claim 8

A power supply control apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the first switch is a MOSFET (metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) device, the first terminal is a drain terminal, the second terminal is a source terminal, the third terminal is a gate terminal, and the diode is intrinsic to the MOSFET device.

Claim 9

A power supply control apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the switch circuit further includes a second switch to control the first switch, the second switch including a transistor coupled to the third terminal of the transistor of the first switch and the controller.

Claim 10

A power supply control apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the second switch is a BJT (bipolar junction transistor) having a collector terminal, a base terminal and an emitter terminal, the collector terminal coupled to the third terminal of the transistor of the first switch, and the base terminal coupled to the controller.

Claim 11

An electronic device comprising: an antenna; a receiver coupled to the antenna; a transmitter coupled to the antenna: a supply terminal to provide power to the electronic device; an accessory connector to couple to an accessory, the accessory connector having a plurality of pins, only one of the plurality of pins being an external power supply pin, the external power supply pin coupled to the supply terminal, the external power supply pin supplied with external power when the accessory is coupled to the accessory connector; a battery terminal to couple to a battery; a switch circuit coupled to the supply terminal, the external power supply pin and the battery terminal, the switch circuit to connect the supply terminal to the battery terminal when the external power is not present on the external power supply pin so as to supply the supply terminal with a voltage level of the battery, and the switch circuit to disconnect the supply terminal from the battery terminal when the external power is present on the external power supply pin so as to supply the supply terminal with a voltage level of the external supply, the voltage level of the external supply greater than the voltage level of the battery; and a controller coupled to the receiver, the transmitter, the battery terminal, the external power supply pin and the switch circuit, the controller, when the external power is present on the external power supply pin, to further control the switch circuit to provide a current path between the external power supply pin and the battery terminal so as to charge the battery with a current of the external power, thereby, using the external power supply pin to provide a voltage level for powering the electronic the electronic device and provide a current for charging the battery.

Claim 12

An electronic device comprising: an antenna; a receiver coupled to the antenna; a transmitter coupled to the antenna: a supply terminal to provide power to the electronic device; an accessory connector to couple to an accessory, the accessory connector having a plurality of pins, only one of the plurality of pins being an external power supply pin, the external power supply pin coupled to the supply terminal, the external power supply pin supplied with external power when the accessory is coupled to the accessory connector; a battery terminal to couple to a battery; a switch circuit coupled to the supply terminal, the external power supply pin and the battery terminal, the switch circuit to connect the supply terminal to the battery terminal when the external power is not present on the external power supply pin so as to supply the supply terminal with a voltage level of the battery, and the switch circuit to disconnect the supply terminal from the battery terminal when the external power is present on the external power supply pin so as to supply the supply terminal with a voltage level of the external supply, the voltage level of the external supply greater than the voltage level of the battery; and a controller coupled to the receiver, the transmitter, the battery terminal, the external power supply pin and the switch circuit, the controller, when the external power is present on the external power supply pin, to further control the switch circuit to provide a current path between the external power supply pin and the battery terminal so as to charge the battery with a current of the external power, thereby, using the external power supply pin to provide a voltage level for powering the electronic the electronic device and provide a current for charging the battery.

Claim 13

An electronic device according to claim 10 wherein the switch circuit includes first and second transistors and a diode, the first transistor having first, second and third terminals, the first terminal coupled to the supply terminal and the external power supply pin, the second terminal coupled to the battery terminal, the second transistor coupled to the third terminal and the controller, and the diode coupled across the first and second terminals.

Claim 14

An electronic device according to claim 10 further comprising a diode coupled between the external power supply pin and the supply terminal.

Claim 15

An electronic device according to claim 10 wherein the accessory is a mid rate charger or a fast rate charger, and the plurality of pins includes an identification pin coupled to the controller, the identification pin supplied with identification information when the accessory is coupled to the accessory connector, the identification information being a voltage level; and further comprising a memory coupled to the controller, the memory containing an accessory lookup table, the accessory lookup table including a first voltage level range associated with the mid rate charger and a second voltage level range associated with the fast rate charger.

Claim 16

An electronic device according to claim 10 wherein the switch circuit includes a MOSFET (metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) device, the MOSFET device having gate, drain and source terminals and an intrinsic diode, the gate and drain terminals coupled to the supply terminal and the external power supply pin, the source terminal coupled to the battery terminal, and the diode coupled across the drain and source terminals.

Claim 17

An electronic device according to claim 14 wherein the switch circuit further includes a BJT (bipolar junction transistor) having a collector terminal, a base terminal and an emitter terminal, the collector terminal coupled to the gate terminal of the MOSFET, and the base terminal coupled to the controller.

Claim 18

A power supply control method for an electronic device having a battery terminal and an accessory connector, the method comprising the steps of: detecting attachment of a battery to the battery terminal; powering the electronic device from a voltage level of the battery; detecting attachment of an accessory to the accessory connector from the presence of external power supplied by the accessory on an external power supply pin of the accessory connector; powering the electronic device from a voltage level of the external power on the external power supply pin; halting powering of the electronic device from the voltage level of the battery; coupling current of the external power on the external power supply pin to the battery terminal for charging of the battery.

Claim 19

A power supply control method for an electronic device having a battery terminal and an accessory connector, the method comprising the steps of: detecting attachment of a battery to the battery terminal; powering the electronic device from a voltage level of the battery; detecting attachment of an accessory to the accessory connector from the presence of external power supplied by the accessory on an external power supply pin of the accessory connector; powering the electronic device from a voltage level of the external power on the external power supply pin; halting powering of the electronic device from the voltage level of the battery; coupling current of the external power on the external power supply pin to the battery terminal for charging of the battery.

Claim 20

A power supply control method according to claim 16 wherein the step of coupling comprises the step of: coupling a mid rate charging current of the external power on the external power supply pin to the battery terminal.

Claim 21

A power supply control method according to claim 16 wherein the step of coupling comprises the step of: coupling a fast rate charging current of the external power on the external power supply pin to the battery terminal.

Claim 22

A power supply control method according to claim 16 further comprising the steps of: determining if a voltage level of the battery is within a predetermined voltage range; and determining if a temperature level of the battery is within a predetermined temperature range.

Claim 23

A power supply control method according to claim 16 further comprising the steps of: reading a voltage level from an identification pin of the accessory connector, the identification pin supplied with identification information when the accessory is coupled to the accessory connector; accessing an accessory lookup table stored in a memory, the accessory lookup table including a first voltage level range associated with a mid rate charger and a second voltage level range associated with a fast rate charger; determining if the voltage level read from the identification pin falls within the first voltage range; identifying, when the voltage level read from the identification pin falls within the first voltage range, the accessory as a mid rate charger; determining, when the voltage level read from the identification pin does not fall within the first voltage range, if the voltage level read from the identification pin falls within the second voltage range; and identifying, when the voltage level read from the identification pin falls within the second voltage range, the accessory as a fast rate charger.