Power management in an activity monitoring device

• US 10,369,413 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2016
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Henderson, Kristofer, Lapinsky, Michael, Lowe, Jr., Edward S., Noone, Michael, Zipperer, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Paul D
• Application Number:
  US15/388,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20170100634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 702 63
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0065 Evaluating the fitness, e.g. fitness level or fitness index
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0062 Monitoring athletic performances, e.g. for determining the work of a user on an exercise apparatus, the completed jogging or cycling distance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0619 Displays, user interfaces and indicating devices, specially adapted for sport equipment, e.g. display mounted on treadmills
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/36 Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/367 Software therefor, e.g. for battery testing using modelling or look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation

Abstract

Batteries for an athletic activity monitoring device may be managed in both charged and discharged state to provide more accurate state information and/or expected charge times. Additionally or alternatively, various power management processes may be executed to maximize an amount of battery charge remaining.

Claims

1. An athletic activity monitoring device comprising:

one or more activity sensors;

at least one battery;

a processor; and

memory storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the athletic activity monitoring device to;

read a voltage level from the at least one battery;

determine a current amount of charge of the at least one battery based on the read voltage level and a look-up table storing an association between the read voltage level and a corresponding amount of charge;

determine whether the current amount of charge meets a first predefined charge threshold and a second predefined charge threshold;

in response to determining that the current amount of charge meets the first predefined charge threshold but not the second predefined charge threshold, deactivate at least one of;

a first activity monitoring process and a first hardware device of the athletic activity monitoring device;

in response to determining that the current amount of charge meets both the first and second predefined charge thresholds;

deactivate the at least one of;

the first activity monitoring process and the first hardware device of the athletic activity monitoring device; and

deactivate at least one of;

a second activity monitoring process and a second hardware device of the athletic activity monitoring device.

2. The athletic activity monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of:

the first activity monitoring process and the first hardware device of the athletic activity monitoring device includes an activity metric calculation process.

3. The athletic activity monitoring device of claim 2, wherein the at least one of:

the second activity monitoring process and the second hardware device of the athletic activity monitoring device includes at least one of the one or more activity sensors.

4. The athletic activity monitoring device of claim 3, wherein the at least one of:

the second activity monitoring process and the second hardware device of the athletic activity monitoring device further includes at least one and less than all of a plurality of displays of the athletic activity monitoring device.

5. The athletic activity monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a wireless communication device.

6. The athletic activity monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a charging unit.

7. The athletic activity monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the memory stores further computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the athletic activity monitoring device to:

determine a process being performed by the athletic activity monitoring device;

determine a predefined amount of charge lost corresponding to the process being performed by the athletic activity monitoring device, wherein the predefined amount of charge lost is defined prior to determining the process being performed by the athletic activity monitoring device; and

determine an updated amount of charge of the battery by subtracting the predefined amount of charge lost from the predefined amount of charge.

8. The athletic activity monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of batteries.

9. A method comprising:

reading a voltage level of at least one battery of an activity monitoring device;

determining a current amount of charge of the at least one battery based on the read voltage level and a look-up table storing an association between the read voltage level and a corresponding amount of charge;

determining whether the current amount of charge meets a first predefined charge threshold and a second predefined charge threshold;

in response to determining that the current amount of charge meets the first predefined charge threshold, deactivating a first activity monitoring process;

determining whether the current amount of charge meets a second predefined charge threshold that is higher than the first predefined charge threshold; and

in response to determining that the current amount of charge meets the second predefined charge threshold, deactivating the first activity monitoring process and a first hardware device of the activity monitoring device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a low battery indicator to a display of the activity monitoring device upon determining that the current amount of charge meets the first predefined charge threshold.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a charge indicator to a display of the activity monitoring device upon determining that the current amount of charge meets the second predefined charge threshold.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the current amount of charge meets a third predefined charge threshold that is higher than the second predefined charge threshold; and

in response to determining that the current amount of charge meets the third predefined charge threshold, activating a sleep mode of the activity monitoring device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein activating the sleep mode includes at least one of:

deactivating one or more activity sensors of the activity monitoring device, deactivating user input interrupts, disabling one or more displays, and deactivation of active activity monitoring processes.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining an expected remaining battery time based on the current amount of charge.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the first activity monitoring process includes an activity metric calculation process.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the first hardware device of the activity monitoring device includes an activity sensor.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a process being performed by the activity monitoring device;

determining a predefined amount of charge lost corresponding to the process being performed by the activity monitoring device, wherein the predefined amount of charge lost is defined prior to determining the process being performed by the activity monitoring device; and

determining an updated amount of charge of the battery by subtracting the predefined amount of charge lost from the predefined amount of charge.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising an expected remaining battery time based on the updated amount of charge of the battery.

19. A device comprising:

at least one activity sensor;

at least one display;

at least one battery;

a processor; and

memory storing computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the device to;

determine a current amount of charge of the at least one battery;

determine whether the current amount of charge meets a first predefined charge threshold and a second predefined charge threshold;

in response to determining that the current amount of charge meets the first predefined charge threshold but not the second predefined charge threshold, deactivate a first activity sensor of the at least one activity sensor;

in response to determining that the current amount of charge meets both the first and second predefined charge thresholds;

deactivate a first activity sensor of the at least one activity sensor; and

deactivate a display of the at least one display.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein determining the current amount of charge of the at least one battery is based on a read voltage level and a look-up table storing an association between the read voltage level and a corresponding amount of charge.