Patent Description:
Currently, mobile terminals (such as smart phones) are increasingly favored by consumers; however, generally, the mobile terminals need to be frequently recharged due to their great power consumption. With the increase of the battery capacity of the mobile terminals, it takes more time to fully charge the battery. Accordingly, how to shorten the charging time has been a major concern to be solved.

In related art, in order to shorten the charging time, it is a common method to directly increase an output current of a power adapter regardless of the capacity of a mobile terminal, such that the mobile terminal may be overloaded to cause overheating or even burning, thereby shortening the life span of the mobile terminal.

<CIT> relates to a mobile terminal, a master data communication device, and mobile terminal charging system and method, in which the mobile terminal making a judgment on a power supply device to determine whether it is a master data communication device, and if yes, finally determining an appropriate charging mode to charge the mobile terminal.

<CIT> relates to a high voltage charging for a portable device. The portable device can communicate with a power supply over a data communication line to determine if the power supply is capable of performing the high voltage charging operation. If yes, the portable device instructs the power supply to provide a specific voltage.

<CIT> relates to a charging apparatus for an electronic device and a power adapter for an electronic device, in which when the output current value of the power adapter falls within a conventional current range for a preset time interval during the process in which the power adapter is charging the battery in a conventional charge mode after the power adapter is powered on or reset, the power adapter performs the quick charge inquiry communication with the electronic device, and after the electronic device sends the quick charge command to the power adapter, the power adapter adjusts the output voltage according to the battery voltage information fed back by the electronic device, and adjusts its output current and output voltage according to the quick charge mode for charging the battery when the output voltage meets the voltage requirements for quick charge predefined by the electronic device, so that the objective of charging the battery quickly for reducing the charging time is achieved.

<CIT> relates to a charging method, a battery pack, and a charger for a battery pack, which permits the time required for charging to be reduced without applying an overvoltage to a secondary battery. <CIT> is another example of prior art document.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a fast charging method executed by a charging system, a fast charging method executed by a power adapter, a power adapter and a mobile terminal, in order to improve the security of fast charging process as defined in the independent claims <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, instead of blindly increasing an output current to fast charge the mobile terminal, the power adapter fast charges the mobile terminal under the fast charging mode only after receiving the first instruction of the mobile terminal, thereby improving the security of the fast charging process, compared to related art.

In order to more clearly illustrate technical solutions according to embodiments of the present disclosure, accompanying drawings configured for the embodiments of the present disclosure will be briefly introduced hereinafter. Apparently, the accompanying drawings described below merely show some embodiments of the present disclosure, and persons skilled in the art may derive other drawings from these accompanying drawings without creative efforts.

In conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure, a clear, complete description for the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure is provided below. Apparently, the described embodiments are a part rather than all of the embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments derived by persons skilled in the art from the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative efforts should fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

<FIG> is a schematic flowchart of a fast charging method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method as shown in <FIG> is executed by a mobile terminal, the mobile terminal is coupled to a power adapter via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface. The USB interface may be an ordinary USB interface, or may be a micro USB interface. A power line located in the USB interface is configured for charging the mobile terminal. The power line in the USB interface may be a VBus line and/or a ground line in the USB interface. A data line located in the USB interface is configured for establishing a communication between the power adapter and the mobile terminal. The data line may be a D+ line and/or a D- line in the USB interface. The so-called bi-directional communication may refer to information exchange between the power adapter and the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal is selectively operable under a common charging mode or a fast charging mode, and a charging current under the fast charging mode is greater than a charging current under the common charging mode. For example, the charging current in the common charging mode is generally less than <NUM>. 5A, and the charging current in the fast charging mode may be greater than 3A.

The method as shown in <FIG> comprises:
Step <NUM>: the mobile terminal sends a first instruction to the power adapter through the data line in the USB interface, the first instruction being configured for instructing the power adapter to be operable under the fast charging mode.

It should be understood that, before step <NUM>, the mobile terminal may determine whether to be fast charged, based on current power, current voltage of a battery, or operating state of the mobile terminal, or the like.

Step <NUM>: the mobile terminal receives a charging current corresponding to the fast charging mode from the power adapter, so as to charge a battery in the mobile terminal.

In at least one embodiment, before receiving, by the mobile terminal, the charging current corresponding to the fast charging mode from the power adapter, so as to charge the battery in the mobile terminal, the method further comprises: sending, by the mobile terminal, a second instruction to the power adapter through the data line in the USB interface, the second instruction being configured for indicating a charging voltage corresponding to the fast charging mode.

It should be understood that, the charging voltage corresponding to the fast charging mode may be a preset charging voltage of the power adapter, or may be a charging voltage indicated through the second instruction by the mobile terminal. In at least one embodiment, the mobile terminal may determine the charging voltage corresponding to the fast charging mode based on its operating parameters, such as battery power, voltage, and temperature and so on.

In at least one embodiment, before receiving, by the mobile terminal, the charging current corresponding to the fast charging mode from the power adapter, so as to charge the battery in the mobile terminal, the method further comprises: sending, by the mobile terminal, a third instruction to the power adapter through the data line in the USB interface, the third instruction being configured for indicating the charging current corresponding to the fast charging mode.

It should be understood that, the charging current corresponding to the fast charging mode may be a preset charging current of the power adapter, or may be a charging current indicated through the third instruction by the mobile terminal. In at least one embodiment, the mobile terminal may determine the charging current corresponding to the fast charging mode based on its operating parameters, such as battery power, voltage, and temperature and so on.

In at least one embodiment, the method as shown in <FIG> may further comprise: sending, by the mobile terminal, a fourth instruction to the power adapter through the data line in the USB interface during a period of charging the mobile terminal by the power adapter under the fast charging mode, the fourth instruction being configured for indicating a current voltage of the battery in the mobile terminal such that the power adapter adjusts the charging current based on the current voltage of the battery, or determines whether there is a poor connection between the power adapter and the mobile terminal based on the charging voltage from the power adapter and the current voltage of the battery.

In at least one embodiment, the power adapter may determine impedance of the whole circuit based on a voltage drop between its output voltage and battery voltage obtained, and determine there is a poor connection between the power adapter and the mobile terminal when the impedance of the circuit is greater than a predetermined threshold.

In the above, in conjunction with <FIG>, from the mobile terminal's perspective, a detailed description for the fast charging method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. Moreover, in conjunction with <FIG>, from the power adapter's perspective, a description for the fast charging method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided hereinafter.

It should be understood that, the interactions, relevant features, functions and so on of the power adapter and the mobile terminal described from the mobile terminal's perspective are corresponding to those described from the power adapter's perspective, and thus repeated description is omitted appropriately for simplicity.

<FIG> is a schematic flowchart of a fast charging method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method as shown in <FIG> is executed by a power adapter, the mobile terminal is coupled to a mobile terminal via a USB interface. A power line located in the USB interface is configured for charging the mobile terminal by the power adapter, and a data line located in the USB interface is configured for establishing a communication between the power adapter and the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal is selectively operable under a common charging mode or a fast charging mode, and a charging current under the fast charging mode is greater than a charging current under the common charging mode. The method as shown in <FIG> comprises:.

Step <NUM>: the power adapter receives a first instruction sent by the mobile terminal through the data line in the USB interface, the first instruction being configured for instructing the power adapter to be operable under the fast charging mode.

Step <NUM>: the power adapter adjusts the charging current to a current corresponding to the fast charging mode, to charge the mobile terminal.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, instead of blindly increasing an output current to fast charge the mobile terminal, the power adapter fast charges the mobile terminal under the fast charging mode only after receiving the first instruction of the mobile terminal, thereby improving the security of the fast charging process, compared to related art.

In at least one embodiment, before the power adapter adjusts the charging current to the current corresponding to the fast charging mode, to charge the mobile terminal, the method as shown in <FIG> may further comprise: receiving, by the power adapter, a second instruction sent by the mobile terminal through the data line in the USB interface, the second instruction being configured for indicating a charging voltage corresponding to the fast charging mode.

In at least one embodiment, before the power adapter adjusts the charging current to the current corresponding to the fast charging mode, to charge the mobile terminal, the method as shown in <FIG> may further comprise: receiving, by the power adapter, a third instruction sent by the mobile terminal through the data line in the USB interface, the third instruction being configured for indicating the charging current corresponding to the fast charging mode.

In at least one embodiment, the method as shown in <FIG> may further comprise: receiving, by the power adapter, a fourth instruction sent by the mobile terminal through the data line in the USB interface during a period of charging the mobile terminal by the power adapter under the fast charging mode, the fourth instruction being configured for indicating a current voltage of the battery in the mobile terminal; and adjusting, by the power adapter, the charging current based on the current voltage of the battery in the mobile terminal.

In at least one embodiment, adjusting, by the power adapter, the charging current based on the current voltage of the battery in the mobile terminal comprises: adjusting, by the power adapter, the charging current of the power adapter to the charging current corresponding to the current voltage of the battery, based on the current voltage of the battery, and the preset correspondence between the battery voltage and the charging current.

In at least one embodiment, the method as shown in <FIG> may further comprise: receiving, by the power adapter, a fourth instruction sent by the mobile terminal through the data line in the USB interface during a period of charging the mobile terminal by the power adapter under the fast charging mode, the fourth instruction being configured for indicating a current voltage of the battery in the mobile terminal; and determining, by the power adapter, whether there is a poor connection between the power adapter and the mobile terminal based on the charging voltage from the power adapter and the current voltage of the battery.

In the above, in conjunction with <FIG>, a detailed description for the fast charging method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. Moreover, in conjunction with <FIG> and <FIG>, a detailed description for a mobile terminal and a power adapter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided hereinafter. It should be understood that, the mobile terminal as shown in <FIG> may realize each of the steps as shown in <FIG> performed by a mobile terminal, and the power adapter as shown in <FIG> may realize each of the steps as shown in <FIG> performed by a power adapter, which is not described in detail to avoid repetition.

<FIG> is a schematic block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. A mobile terminal <NUM> as shown in <FIG> is configured for coupling with a power adapter via a USB interface. A power line located in the USB interface is configured for charging the mobile terminal <NUM>, and a data line located in the USB interface is configured for establishing a communication between the power adapter and the mobile terminal <NUM>. The mobile terminal <NUM> is selectively operable under a common charging mode or a fast charging mode, and a charging current under the fast charging mode is greater than a charging current under the common charging mode.

In at least one embodiment, the communication circuit <NUM> is further configured for sending a second instruction to the power adapter through the data line in the USB interface, the second instruction being configured for indicating a charging voltage corresponding to the fast charging mode.

In at least one embodiment, the communication circuit <NUM> is further configured for sending a third instruction to the power adapter through the data line in the USB interface, the third instruction being configured for indicating the charging current corresponding to the fast charging mode.

In at least one embodiment, the communication circuit <NUM> is further configured for sending a fourth instruction to the power adapter through the data line in the USB interface during a period of charging the mobile terminal <NUM> by the power adapter under the fast charging mode, the fourth instruction being configured for indicating a current voltage of the battery in the mobile terminal <NUM> such that the power adapter adjusts the charging current based on the current voltage of the battery, or determines whether there is a poor connection between the power adapter and the mobile terminal based on the charging voltage from the power adapter and the current voltage of the battery.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram of a power adapter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The power adapter <NUM> as shown in <FIG> is configured for coupling with a mobile terminal via a USB interface. A power line located in the USB interface is configured for charging the mobile terminal by the power adapter <NUM>, and a data line located in the USB interface is configured for establishing a communication between the power adapter <NUM> and the mobile terminal. The power adapter <NUM> is selectively operable under a common charging mode or a fast charging mode, and a charging current under the fast charging mode is greater than a charging current under the common charging mode.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, instead of blindly increasing an output current to fast charge the mobile terminal, the power adapter fast charges the mobile terminal under the fast charging mode only after receiving the first instruction of the mobile terminal, thereby improving the security of the fast charging process, compared to the related art.

In at least one embodiment, the communication circuit <NUM> is further configured for receiving a second instruction sent by the mobile terminal through the data line in the USB interface, the second instruction being configured for indicating a charging voltage corresponding to the fast charging mode.

In at least one embodiment, the communication circuit <NUM> is further configured for receiving a third instruction sent by the mobile terminal through the data line in the USB interface, the third instruction being configured for indicating the charging current corresponding to the fast charging mode.

In at least one embodiment, the communication circuit <NUM> is further configured for receiving a fourth instruction sent by the mobile terminal through the data line in the USB interface during a period of charging the mobile terminal by the power adapter <NUM> under the fast charging mode, the fourth instruction being configured for indicating a current voltage of the battery in the mobile terminal; and the current adjusting circuit <NUM> is configured for adjusting the charging current based on the current voltage of the battery in the mobile terminal.

In at least one embodiment, the current adjusting circuit <NUM> is configured for adjusting the charging current of the power adapter <NUM> to the charging current corresponding to the current voltage of the battery, based on the current voltage of the battery, and the preset correspondence between the battery voltage and the charging current.

In at least one embodiment, the communication circuit <NUM> is further configured for receiving a fourth instruction sent by the mobile terminal through the data line in the USB interface during a period of charging the mobile terminal by the power adapter <NUM> under the fast charging mode, the fourth instruction being configured for indicating a current voltage of the battery in the mobile terminal; the power adapter <NUM> determines whether there is a poor connection between the power adapter <NUM> and the mobile terminal based on the charging voltage from the power adapter and the current voltage of the battery.

Persons skilled in the art should appreciate that units and programming steps of various examples described in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are realized by hardware or software depends on particular applications and design constraint conditions of technical solutions. For each particular application, persons skilled in the art can employ different methods to realize described functions, but this realization should fall into the scope of the present disclosure.

Persons skilled in the art can clearly understand that specific operating processes of the above described systems, devices, and units may be understood by referring to the corresponding processes of the above process embodiments which will not be repeated herein for convenience and simplicity.

In several embodiments provided by the present disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. The apparatus embodiments described above are only illustrative. For example, a division into the units is only a division based on logic functions, and may be a division in other ways when actually implementing. For example, several units or assemblies may be combined or may be integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored, or not executed. On the other hand, mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection illustrated or discussed herein may be indirect coupling or communication connection through certain interfaces, devices, or units, and may be in a form of electricity, machine, or the like.

The units described as separate units may be or may not be physically separated, and components shown as units may be or may not be physical units, that is to say, may be in one place, or may be distributed in several network units. A part or all of the units may be selected according to actual requirements to achieve the purpose of the solution of the present embodiments.

Additionally, various functional units in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be integrated into one processing unit, or various functional units each may exist physically separately or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

If the functions are realized in a form of functional software units and may be sold or configured as stand-alone products, they may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such understanding part of the technical solution that contributes to related art or a certain part of the technical solution may be embodied in a form of software product. The computer software product may be stored in a storage medium, and comprise a plurality of instructions configured to instruct a computer device (personal computer, server, or network device) to execute all or a part of steps of various embodiments of the present disclosure. The storage medium described above comprises various medium storing program codes, such as a U-disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a disc, a compact disc and so on.

Claim 1:
A fast charging method, wherein the method is executed by a charging system, the charging system comprising a mobile terminal, a power adapter, and a Universal Serial Bus, USB, interface, the mobile terminal is configured to be coupled to the power adapter via the USB interface; a power line located in the USB interface is configured for charging the mobile terminal, a data line located in the USB interface is configured for establishing a communication between the power adapter and the mobile terminal; the mobile terminal is selectively operable under a common charging mode or a fast charging mode, and a charging current under the fast charging mode is greater than a charging current under the common charging mode; the method comprises:
sending, by the mobile terminal, a first instruction to the power adapter through the data line in the USB interface, the first instruction being configured for instructing the power adapter to be operable under the fast charging mode (<NUM>); and
receiving, by the mobile terminal, a charging current corresponding to the fast charging mode from the power adapter, so as to charge a battery in the mobile terminal (<NUM>);
sending, by the mobile terminal, a fourth instruction to the power adapter through the data line in the USB interface during a period of charging the mobile terminal by the power adapter under the fast charging mode, the fourth instruction being configured for indicating a current voltage of the battery in the mobile terminal,
the method being characterized by further comprising:
the current voltage of the battery is used as a basis for the power adapter to determine that a connection between the power adapter and the mobile terminal is abnormal when an impedance determined based on a voltage drop between an output voltage of the power adaptor and the current voltage of the battery is greater than a predetermined threshold.