METHOD AND SYSTEM TO CONTROL EARLY BATTERY END OF LIFE EVENTS ON MULTI-TRANSCEIVER SYSTEMS

• US 20080058883A1
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: CHERRY, F. W., RODRIGUEZ, JOSE F., YOUNG, JASON T., GAUTIER, ROBERTO, STEFANOV, STEFAN PETKOV P., LAWRIE, ASHLEY JAMES J., HEESCHEN, DAVID R.
• Application Number:
  US11/468,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20080058883A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile device (102) and method (500) for handling early end of life (EOL) battery indications is provided. The method can include receiving (502) an indication for an end of life (EOL) event, determining (504) an operating mode (704/706) in view of the EOL event (708), determining (506) whether the mobile device is in multiple transmit communication (710), evaluating (508) a battery level of the mobile device, and performing (510) an action (714) in response to the EOL event for mitigating an early shutdown of the mobile device. An action can include masking a low battery alert corresponding to the EOL event, limiting at least one service associated the operating mode, or shutting down the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method to handle early end of life (EOL) battery indications on a mobile device, comprising:

receiving an indication for an end of life (EOL) event;

determining an operating mode in view of the EOL event;

determining whether the mobile device is in muliple transmit communication;

evaluating a battery level of the mobile device; and

performing an action in response to the EOL event for mitigating an early shutdown of the mobile device based on the operating mode, the battery level, or the multiple transmit communication for allowing continued current drain on the battery and prolonging a use of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein an operating mode is at least one of an idle mode, an active mode, or an airplane mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating a battery level includes:

comparing a battery voltage to at least one threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an action includes:

masking a low battery alert corresponding to the EOL event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an action includes:

limiting at least one service associated with the operating mode.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an action includes:

shutting down the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein performing an action further comprises:

determining a service associated with the EOL event; and

limiting the service by changing at least one operating mode during the multiple transmit communication.

8. A method for handling low battery conditions on a mobile device, comprising:

monitoring the mobile device for an end of life (EOL) event;

determining an operating mode of at least one transceiver associated with the EOL event;

determining whether the EOL event is due to a multi-transceiver configuration;

evaluating a battery level of the mobile device; and

performing an action in response to the EOL event for mitigating an early shutdown of the mobile device based on the operating mode, the multi-transceiver configuration, or the battery level.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein performing an action includes,

if the device is operating in a multi-transceiver configuration:

measuring a battery capacity;

comparing the battery capacity to at least one threshold, and

changing an operating mode of the mobile device if the battery capacity exceeds at least one threshold in response to the EOL event.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the changing an operating mode includes:

masking a low battery alert corresponding to the EOL event.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the changing an operating mode includes:

limiting at least one service associated the operating mode.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the changing an operating mode includes shutting down the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the measuring the battery capacity further comprises averaging multiple software readings of a voltage of the battery.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein a service is an active session or a network mobility update.

15. A mobile device to control early battery end of life events, comprising:

a battery for providing power to the mobile device;

at least one transceiver cooperatively coupled to the battery for providing communications; and

a processor coupled to the at least one transceiver and the battery for

monitoring an end of life (EOL) event due to multiple transmit activity of the at least one transceiver;

determining an operating mode of the at least one transceiver associated with the EOL event; and

masking the EOL event in view of the operating mode.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, further comprising:

a battery indicator for measuring a voltage of the battery,

wherein the processor compares the battery voltage to at least one threshold, and controls an operating mode of the mobile device if the battery voltage falls below at least one threshold.

17. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the at least one transceiver generates an interrupt in response to current drain on the battery, wherein the interrupt is handled by the processor.

18. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein determining an operating mode includes determining whether the EOL event is due to activity of a multi-transceiver operation.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein a first and second transceiver transmit concurrently over one of a CDMA, iDEN, WLAN, WiMax, WiDEN, or Bluetooth communication.

20. The mobile device of claim 18, further comprising:

a hardware detector cooperatively coupled to the processor to latch a state of the at least one transceiver, wherein the processor determines if at least two transceivers are concurrently active and causing the EOL event.