ACCESSORY AND HOST BATTERY SYNCHRONIZATION

• US 20130103965A1
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Golembeski, Gregg J. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,015,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/340
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A portable electronic device that can receive power from an internal power source (such as a battery) and/or a second portable electronic device is described. In order to coordinate the power availability in these portable electronic devices, a power-management mechanism in the portable electronic device (which may be implemented in hardware and/or software) may determine a power state of an internal power source in the second portable electronic device, and may accordingly adjust a power consumption by circuits in the portable electronic device and/or the power received from the second portable electronic device. In this way, the power-management mechanism may approximately synchronize the power consumption in the portable electronic devices and/or the power states of the internal power sources in the portable electronic devices. This approximate synchronization may facilitate concurrent operation of the portable electronic devices.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a power source configured to supply power to circuits in the portable electronic device;

an interface circuit configured to receive power from a second portable electronic device via the interface circuit; and

a power-management mechanism configured to;

monitor a power state of the power source;

manage power consumption by the circuits;

determine a second power state of a second power source in the second portable electronic device; and

adjust at least one of the power consumption by the circuits and the power received from the second portable electronic device based on the power state and the second power state.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the power-management mechanism approximately synchronizes power consumption of the portable electronic device and the second portable electronic device.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein the approximate synchronization facilitates concurrent operation of the portable electronic device and the second portable electronic device.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the power state includes available power from the power source and the second power state includes available power from the second power source.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 4, wherein the power-management mechanism approximately synchronizes the power state and the second power state.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the power-management mechanism determines the second power state based on an electrical signal provided by a second power-management mechanism in the second portable electronic device, which is conveyed via the interface circuit.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the power-management mechanism determines the second power state by communicating, via the interface circuit, a power-state query to the second portable electronic device and receiving, via the interface circuit, an answer to the power-state query from the second portable electronic device.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the interface circuit is configured to provide power to the second portable electronic device from the portable electronic device;

and

wherein the power-management mechanism is configured to provide the power to the second portable electronic device based on the power state and the second power state.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the power-management mechanism is configured to determine a second power consumption of second circuits in the second portable electronic device and to adjust the second power consumption by the second circuits based on the power state and the second power state.

10. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a power source configured to supply power to circuits in the portable electronic device;

an interface circuit configured to receive power from a second portable electronic device via the interface circuit; and

control logic configured to;

monitor a power state of the power source;

manage power consumption by the circuits;

determine a second power state of a second power source in the second portable electronic device; and

adjust at least one of the power consumption by the circuits and the power received from the second portable electronic device based on the power state and the second power state.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the control logic approximately synchronizes power consumption of the portable electronic device and the second portable electronic device.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the power state includes available power from the power source and the second power state includes available power from the second power source.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 12, wherein the control logic approximately synchronizes the power state and the second power state.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the interface circuit is configured to provide power to the second portable electronic device from the portable electronic device;

and

wherein the control logic is configured to provide the power to the second portable electronic device based on the power state and the second power state.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the control logic is configured to determine a second power consumption of second circuits in the second portable electronic device and to adjust the second power consumption by the second circuits based on the power state and the second power state.

16. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a power source configured to supply power to circuits in the portable electronic device;

an interface circuit configured to receive power from a second portable electronic device via the interface circuit;

a processor;

memory; and

a program module, wherein the program module is stored in the memory and configurable to be executed by the processor to perform power management, the program module including;

instructions for monitoring a power state of the power source;

instructions for managing power consumption by the circuits;

instructions for determining a second power state of a second power source in a second portable electronic device that provides power to the portable electronic device via an interface circuit; and

instructions for adjusting at least one of the power consumption by the circuits and the power received from the second portable electronic device based on the power state and the second power state.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the adjusting approximately synchronizes power consumption of the portable electronic device and the second portable electronic device.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the power state includes available power from the power source and the second power state includes available power from the second power source.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 18, wherein the adjusting approximately synchronizes the power state and the second power state.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the interface circuit provides power to the second portable electronic device from the portable electronic device;

and

wherein the program module includes instructions for providing the power to the second portable electronic device based on the power state and the second power state.

21. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the program module includes instructions for determining a second power consumption of second circuits in the second portable electronic device and to adjust the second power consumption by the second circuits based on the power state and the second power state.

22. A computer-program product for use in conjunction with a portable electronic device, the computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and a computer-program mechanism embedded therein, to perform power management, the computer-program mechanism including:

instructions for monitoring a power state of a power source in the portable electronic device that supplies power to circuits in the portable electronic device;

instructions for managing power consumption by the circuits;

instructions for determining a second power state of a second power source in a second portable electronic device that provides power to the portable electronic device via an interface circuit; and

instructions for adjusting at least one of the power consumption by the circuits and the power received from the second portable electronic device based on the power state and the second power state.

23. A method for performing power management, the method comprising:

monitoring a power state of a power source in the portable electronic device that supplies power to circuits in the portable electronic device;

managing power consumption by the circuits;

determining a second power state of a second power source in a second portable electronic device that provides power to the portable electronic device via an interface circuit; and

adjusting at least one of the power consumption by the circuits and the power received from the second portable electronic device based on the power state and the second power state.