SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DYNAMIC BATTERY CURRENT LOAD MANAGEMENT IN A PORTABLE COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20130311794A1
• Filed: 05/21/2012
• Published: 11/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Stewart, Richard A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,984,307 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• 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: H04W 52/0264 by selectively disabling software applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Various embodiments of methods and systems for managing battery capacity in a portable computing device (“PCD”) are disclosed. One such method includes leveraging a request/grant algorithm that receives a request from an offline component to come online. If battery capacity is available to accommodate the offline component, the request is granted. If battery capacity is not available to accommodate the offline component, the request is authorized at a reduced power level or capacity is created by reducing power to online components. Another method polls a battery to monitor demand on its capacity by active components. Offline components likely to come online concurrently with the active components are identified and ranked based on power consumption. A target current margin is adjusted based on the highest power consumption associated with an identified block of offline components.

Claims

1. A method for managing battery capacity in a portable computing device (“

PCD”

), the method comprising;

polling a battery in the PCD to determine an active demand on its capacity, wherein the active demand is associated with an aggregate power consumption of one or more online components within the PCD;

recognizing a request from one or more offline components within the PCD to come online;

querying a database to identify a power consumption associated with the one or more offline components;

calculating a future active demand on the battery that would result from an authorization for the offline components to come online, wherein the future active demand is calculated based on the aggregate power consumption of the one or more online components and the power consumption associated with the one or more offline components;

determining whether the future active demand would cause a target current margin to be encroached, wherein the target current margin corresponds to a portion of the battery capacity held in reserve; and

based on determining whether the future active demand would cause a target current margin to be encroached, responding to the request of the one or more offline components to come online.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the future active demand would not cause the target current margin to be encroached, responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises authorizing the one or more components to come online.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the future active demand would cause the target current margin to be encroached, responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises authorizing the one or more offline components to come online at a reduced power level.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising dictating that one or more online components reduce power consumption, wherein:

the future active demand would cause the target current margin to be encroached; and

responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises authorizing the one or more components to come online.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising dictating that one or more online components reduce power consumption, wherein:

the future active demand would cause the target current margin to be encroached; and

responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises authorizing the one or more components to come online at a reduced power level.

6. A computer system for managing battery capacity in a portable computing device (“

PCD”

), the system comprising;

a monitor module configured for;

polling a battery in the PCD to determine an active demand on its capacity, wherein the active demand is associated with an aggregate power consumption of one or more online components within the PCD; and

a battery current limiting (“

BCL”

) module configured for;

recognizing a request from one or more offline components within the PCD to come online;

querying a database to identify a power consumption associated with the one or more offline components;

calculating a future active demand on the battery that would result from an authorization for the offline components to come online, wherein the future active demand is calculated based on the aggregate power consumption of the one or more online components and the power consumption associated with the one or more offline components;

determining whether the future active demand would cause a target current margin to be encroached, wherein the target current margin corresponds to a portion of the battery capacity held in reserve; and

based on determining whether the future active demand would cause a target current margin to be encroached, responding to the request of the one or more offline components to come online.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein, if the future active demand would not cause the target current margin to be encroached, the BCL module responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises authorizing the one or more components to come online.

8. The computer system of claim 6, wherein, if the future active demand would cause the target current margin to be encroached, the BCL module responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises authorizing the one or more offline components to come online at a reduced power level.

9. The computer system of claim 6, the BCL module further configured for dictating that one or more online components reduce power consumption, wherein:

the future active demand would cause the target current margin to be encroached; and

responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises authorizing the one or more components to come online.

10. The computer system of claim 6, the BCL module further configured for dictating that one or more online components reduce power consumption, wherein:

the future active demand would cause the target current margin to be encroached; and

responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises authorizing the one or more components to come online at a reduced power level.

11. A computer system for managing battery capacity in a portable computing device (“

PCD”

), the system comprising;

means for polling a battery in the PCD to determine an active demand on its capacity, wherein the active demand is associated with an aggregate power consumption of one or more online components within the PCD;

means for recognizing a request from one or more offline components within the PCD to come online;

means for querying a database to identify a power consumption associated with the one or more offline components;

means for calculating a future active demand on the battery that would result from an authorization for the offline components to come online, wherein the future active demand is calculated based on the aggregate power consumption of the one or more online components and the power consumption associated with the one or more offline components;

means for determining whether the future active demand would cause a target current margin to be encroached, wherein the target current margin corresponds to a portion of the battery capacity held in reserve; and

based on determining whether the future active demand would cause a target current margin to be encroached, means for responding to the request of the one or more offline components to come online.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein, if the future active demand would not cause the target current margin to be encroached, the means for responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises means for authorizing the one or more components to come online.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein, if the future active demand would cause the target current margin to be encroached, the means for responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises means for authorizing the one or more offline components to come online at a reduced power level.

14. The computer system of claim 11 further comprising means for dictating that one or more online components reduce power consumption, wherein:

the future active demand would cause the target current margin to be encroached; and

the means for responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises means for authorizing the one or more components to come online.

15. The computer system of claim 11 further comprising means for dictating that one or more online components reduce power consumption, wherein:

the future active demand would cause the target current margin to be encroached; and

the means for responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises means for authorizing the one or more components to come online at a reduced power level.

16. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for managing battery capacity in a portable computing device (“

PCD”

), said method comprising;

polling a battery in the PCD to determine an active demand on its capacity, wherein the active demand is associated with an aggregate power consumption of one or more online components within the PCD;

recognizing a request from one or more offline components within the PCD to come online;

querying a database to identify a power consumption associated with the one or more offline components;

calculating a future active demand on the battery that would result from an authorization for the offline components to come online, wherein the future active demand is calculated based on the aggregate power consumption of the one or more online components and the power consumption associated with the one or more offline components;

determining whether the future active demand would cause a target current margin to be encroached, wherein the target current margin corresponds to a portion of the battery capacity held in reserve; and

based on determining whether the future active demand would cause a target current margin to be encroached, responding to the request of the one or more offline components to come online.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein, if the future active demand would not cause the target current margin to be encroached, responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises authorizing the one or more components to come online.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein, if the future active demand would cause the target current margin to be encroached, responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises authorizing the one or more offline components to come online at a reduced power level.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, the method further comprising dictating that one or more online components reduce power consumption, wherein:

the future active demand would cause the target current margin to be encroached; and

responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises authorizing the one or more components to come online.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, the method further comprising dictating that one or more online components reduce power consumption, wherein:

the future active demand would cause the target current margin to be encroached; and

responding to the request of the one or more offline components comprises authorizing the one or more components to come online at a reduced power level.

21. A method for managing battery capacity in a portable computing device (“

PCD”

), the method comprising;

polling a battery in the PCD to determine an active demand on its capacity, wherein the active demand comprises the identification of one or more online components within the PCD and an aggregate power consumption associated with the one or more online components;

querying a database to identify an iWORST block of one or more offline components, wherein identification of the iWORST block of offline components;

is based on a likelihood that the block of offline components could be brought online concurrently with one or more online components; and

is based on a power consumption associated with the one or more offline components;

comparing the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components to a target current margin, wherein the target current margin corresponds to a portion of the battery capacity held in reserve; and

adjusting the target current margin based on the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components is less than the target current margin and adjusting the target current margin comprises reducing the target current margin.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising authorizing the one or more online components to increase power consumption.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components exceeds the target current margin and adjusting the target current margin comprises expanding the target current margin.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising dictating that one or more online components reduce power consumption.

26. A computer system for managing battery capacity in a portable computing device (“

PCD”

), the system comprising;

a monitor module configured for;

polling a battery in the PCD to determine an active demand on its capacity, wherein the active demand comprises the identification of one or more online components within the PCD and an aggregate power consumption associated with the one or more online components; and

a battery current limiting (“

BCL”

) module configured for;

querying a database to identify an iWORST block of one or more offline components, wherein identification of the iWORST block of offline components;

is based on a likelihood that the block of offline components could be brought online concurrently with one or more online components; and

is based on a power consumption associated with the one or more offline components;

comparing the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components to a target current margin, wherein the target current margin corresponds to a portion of the battery capacity held in reserve; and

adjusting the target current margin based on the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components.

27. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components is less than the target current margin and adjusting the target current margin comprises reducing the target current margin.

28. The computer system of claim 27, wherein the BCL module is further configured for authorizing the one or more online components to increase power consumption.

29. The computer system of claim 26, wherein the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components exceeds the target current margin and adjusting the target current margin comprises expanding the target current margin.

30. The computer system of claim 29, wherein the BCL module is further configured for dictating that one or more online components reduce power consumption.

31. A computer system for managing battery capacity in a portable computing device (“

PCD”

), the system comprising;

means for polling a battery in the PCD to determine an active demand on its capacity, wherein the active demand comprises the identification of one or more online components within the PCD and an aggregate power consumption associated with the one or more online components;

means for querying a database to identify an iWORST block of one or more offline components, wherein identification of the iWORST block of offline components;

is based on a likelihood that the block of offline components could be brought online concurrently with one or more online components; and

is based on a power consumption associated with the one or more offline components;

means for comparing the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components to a target current margin, wherein the target current margin corresponds to a portion of the battery capacity held in reserve; and

means for adjusting the target current margin based on the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components.

32. The computer system of claim 31, wherein the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components is less than the target current margin and the means for adjusting the target current margin comprises means for reducing the target current margin.

33. The computer system of claim 32, further comprising means for authorizing the one or more online components to increase power consumption.

34. The computer system of claim 31, wherein the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components exceeds the target current margin and the means for adjusting the target current margin comprises means for expanding the target current margin.

35. The computer system of claim 34, further comprising means for dictating that one or more online components reduce power consumption.

36. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for managing battery capacity in a portable computing device (“

PCD”

), said method comprising;

polling a battery in the PCD to determine an active demand on its capacity, wherein the active demand comprises the identification of one or more online components within the PCD and an aggregate power consumption associated with the one or more online components;

querying a database to identify an iWORST block of one or more offline components, wherein identification of the iWORST block of offline components;

is based on a likelihood that the block of offline components could be brought online concurrently with one or more online components; and

is based on a power consumption associated with the one or more offline components;

comparing the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components to a target current margin, wherein the target current margin corresponds to a portion of the battery capacity held in reserve; and

adjusting the target current margin based on the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components.

37. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components is less than the target current margin and adjusting the target current margin comprises reducing the target current margin.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the method further comprises authorizing the one or more online components to increase power consumption.

39. The computer program product of claim 36, wherein the power consumption associated with the iWORST block of offline components exceeds the target current margin and adjusting the target current margin comprises expanding the target current margin.

40. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein the method further comprises dictating that one or more online components reduce power consumption.