Method and apparatus for extending battery life in regulated voltage applications
First Claim
1. A method of extending the battery life of a battery source in a power supply system having voltage regulation, the method comprising:
- providing a battery generated first voltage to voltage regulation circuitry;
utilizing the voltage regulation circuitry to generate a regulated voltage from the battery generated first voltage and to couple the regulated voltage to an output voltage supply terminal;
monitoring a condition of the power supply system, the condition indicative of a state of the battery generated first voltage; and
selectively bypassing at least a portion of the voltage regulation circuitry so as to couple the battery generated first voltage to the output voltage supply terminal, the selectively bypassing being performed in response to the monitoring of the condition of the power supply system, wherein the selectively bypassing enables the battery life of the battery source to be extended.
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Abstract
A technique is disclosed for more fully utilizing the full voltage range of a battery driven battery output voltage when the battery output voltage is provided through voltage regulation circuitry. More particularly, when the battery output voltage drops to a level that is insufficient to support the desired output of the voltage regulation circuitry, the battery output voltage may be coupled to the voltage output in a manner bypassing at least a portion of the voltage regulation circuitry. In this manner additional voltage range of the battery output voltage may be utilized while still maintaining an output voltage within a desired output voltage range. In one embodiment, such a technique may be utilized in an uninterruptible power supply system.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of extending the battery life of a battery source in a power supply system having voltage regulation, the method comprising:
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providing a battery generated first voltage to voltage regulation circuitry;
utilizing the voltage regulation circuitry to generate a regulated voltage from the battery generated first voltage and to couple the regulated voltage to an output voltage supply terminal;
monitoring a condition of the power supply system, the condition indicative of a state of the battery generated first voltage; and
selectively bypassing at least a portion of the voltage regulation circuitry so as to couple the battery generated first voltage to the output voltage supply terminal, the selectively bypassing being performed in response to the monitoring of the condition of the power supply system, wherein the selectively bypassing enables the battery life of the battery source to be extended. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of extending the battery life of a multi-source power supply system having at least one battery source, the method comprising:
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providing a battery output voltage derived from a battery source;
providing at least one other voltage derived from a source other than the battery source;
providing at least one system voltage supply that is derived at least at times from the battery power supply;
coupling the battery power supply to the system voltage supply through at least one voltage drop device which provides a voltage drop;
selectively bypassing the at least one voltage drop device when the voltage of the battery output voltage drops below a first voltage level such that the battery output voltage may be coupled to the system voltage supply via a path that bypasses the voltage drop device, wherein the selectively bypassing of the at least one voltage drop device allows the system voltage supply to be continued to be derived from the battery output voltage in a manner extending the useful charge of the battery. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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- 12. The method of 10 wherein the low dropout voltage regulator is shutdown when the selective bypassing occurs.
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13. An information handling system comprising:
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at least one battery power source;
at least one battery power output voltage derived from the battery power source;
a voltage regulator, the battery power output voltage coupled to an input of the voltage regulator;
a system power supply rail coupled to an output of the voltage regulator;
at least one switch coupled between the battery power output voltage and the system power supply rail, the at least one switch providing a bypass path around at least a portion of the voltage regulator;
switch control circuitry coupled to the at least one switch and the at least one battery power output voltage, the switch control circuitry responsive to a state of the battery power output voltage, wherein utilizing the bypass path extends the battery life of the battery power source. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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14. The information handling system of claim 14 further comprising a plurality of input voltages being coupled to the input of the voltage regulator, the battery power output voltage being one of the plurality of input voltages and at least one other of the plurality of input voltages being generated from an AC power source.
Specification