BATTERY DETECTION AND USER EXPERIENCE

• US 20090292487A1
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Published: 11/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: DUNCAN, RICHARD JENNINGS, KIRTANE, LATIKA, LUENGEN, ROSS NATHANIEL
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/63
• 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 31/3646 for indicating electrical conditions or variables, e.g. visual or audible indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3647 for determining the ability of a battery to perform a critical function, e.g. cranking
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm

Abstract

A method and medium are provided for enabling reliable indication of the amount of time a battery will provide sufficient charge to power a computing device. In one embodiment, the time interval that lapses from the charge draining from the battery between two thresholds is determined, and the thresholds are adjusted based on the time interval. Other embodiments provide for classifying a battery as no longer capable of maintaining sufficient charge by comparing the maximum amount of charge the battery could store to the current maximum amount of charge the battery can currently store. Another embodiment determines how long a battery will provide sufficient charge to power a computing device based on profiles of user activity and associated battery drain rates. The current amount of charge stored in the battery is divided by the profile drain rate to determine how long the battery will provide sufficient charge to power the computing device.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of reliably indicating remaining operating time of a computer based on battery level, the method comprising:

providing two charge thresholds associated with two levels of battery charge, wherein a first threshold is associated with a first threshold level, and a second threshold is associated with a second threshold level;

for a given computer-usage level, determining a time interval that lapses between a battery level draining from said first threshold level to said second threshold level;

determining when charge remaining in the battery reaches the first threshold level and presenting a first low-battery notification based on said determining;

determining when the charge remaining in the battery decreases to the second threshold level and presenting a second low-battery notification based on said determining; and

adjusting the first and second threshold levels based on said time interval, thereby providing a more accurate indication of remaining battery than if said time interval had not been accounted for.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the adjusting of the first threshold level comprises increasing the level of battery charge associated with the first threshold level and the adjusting of the second threshold level comprises increasing the level of battery charge associated with the second threshold level.

3. The media of claim 1, further comprising, in response to the determining that the charge remaining in the battery has reached the first threshold level, altering a calculated rate at which the computer drains charge from the battery.

4. The media of claim 3, wherein the altering of the calculated rate at which the computer drains charge from the battery is accomplished by deactivating components or processes of the computer.

5. The media of claim 1, further comprising, receiving a desired time interval that defines an amount of time that is requested to elapse between the first low-battery notification and the second low-battery notification.

6. The media of claim 5, further comprising, adjusting the first and second threshold levels based on the desired time interval.

7. The media of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information that includes criteria useable to identify a defective battery,

automatically inspecting the battery to determine whether it satisfies said criteria; and

automatically providing a notification that said battery is defective if the battery satisfies said criteria.

8. The media of claim 1, further comprising monitoring a temperature of the battery, and providing a temperature-warning notification if the battery temperature exceeds a temperature threshold.

9. A method of indicating battery level of a battery in a computing device, the method comprising:

determining a prior maximum amount of charge that the battery was initially capable of storing;

determining a current maximum amount of charge that the battery is capable of storing;

comparing the current maximum amount of charge to the prior maximum amount of charge;

classifying the battery as no longer capable of maintaining sufficient charge based on said comparing; and

indicating that the battery is no longer capable of maintaining sufficient charge when the battery is classified as no longer capable of maintaining sufficient charge.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the prior maximum amount of charge that the battery was initially capable of storing is the maximum amount of charge that the battery was capable of storing at the time it was manufactured.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein comparing the current maximum amount of charge to the prior maximum amount of charge comprises calculating the ratio of the current maximum amount of charge to the maximum amount of charge at the time of manufacture.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the battery is classified as no longer capable of maintaining sufficient charge when the calculated ratio is below a predefined value.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein based on said indication, displaying a graphical notification to a user of the computing device signifying that the battery is no longer capable of maintaining sufficient charge.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising presenting a user with an opportunity to purchase a replacement battery when the battery is no longer capable of maintaining sufficient charge.

15. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of determining the period of time that a battery will provide sufficient charge to power a computing device, the method comprising:

automatically creating a profile for one or more types of user activity on the computing device;

determining a drain rate for each profile of user activity, where the drain rate is a rate at which charge is drained from the battery;

storing a drain rate that indicates a rate at which charge is drained from the battery for each profile of user activity;

determining an amount of remaining charge stored in the battery;

analyzing the user activity being engaged in by the user of the computing device;

determining a profile of user activity that describes the user activity being engaged in by the user of the computing device; and

determining the period of time that the battery will provide sufficient power to the computing device based on the amount of remaining charge and on the drain rate at which charge is drained from the battery for the determined profile of user activity.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein the created profile of user activity comprises information describing usage of internal and external hardware components of the computing device and software processes employed on the computing device.

17. The media of claim 15, wherein the determining of the period of time that the battery will provide sufficient power to the computing device further comprises:

dividing the amount of remaining charge by the drain rate at which charge is drained from the battery for the determined profile of user activity, thereby resulting in the period of time that the battery will provide sufficient power to the computing device.

18. The media of claim 15, further comprising:

creating a system profile, where the system profile comprises activities executed on the computing device regardless of any additional user activity;

determining a drain rate for the system profile, wherein the drain rate is a rate at which charge is drained from the battery; and

storing the determined drain rate of the system profile.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein determining a profile of user activity that describes the user activity being engaged in by the user of the computing device further comprises:

analyzing the user activity to determine if a single profile describes the user activity; and

when the user activity is described by more than one profile, conducting a process that includes,

(1) for each of the profiles that describes a portion of the user activity, subtracting the drain rate of the system profile from each drain rate of the profiles that describes a portion of the user activity, resulting in a net drain rate for each profile,

(2) summing each of the net drain rates calculated in (1), resulting in sum net profile drain rate,

(3) adding the drain of the system profile to the sum net profile drain rate, resulting in a gross profile drain rate at which charge is drained from the battery for the activity being engaged in by the user of the computing device, and

(4) storing said gross profile drain rate in a memory component.

20. The media of claim 19, further comprising determining the period of time that the battery will provide sufficient power to the computing device based on the remaining charge and on the gross profile drain rate at which charge is drained from the battery.