APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANAGING POWER IN AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM

• US 20140006807A1
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Koertzen, Henry W., OGLESBY, Jane, Fenwick, Stephen C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,966,295 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence

Abstract

A power manager includes a converter and a controller. The converter is coupled between first and second energy storage devices, and the controller controls transfer of power between the first and second energy storage devices through the converter. The first energy storage device is to supply power to a first power subsystem of an electronic device, and the second energy storage device is to supply power to a second power subsystem of the electronic device. The subsystem may have different operating voltage requirements. When a level of the second battery falls below a first reference value, the controller controls the transfer of power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device. A transfer of power in a reverse direction may occur when a level of the first energy storage device falls below a second reference value.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a converter to be coupled between first and second energy storage devices; and

a controller to control transfer of power between the first energy storage device and the second energy storage device through the converter, wherein the first energy storage device is to supply power to a first power subsystem that is to operate in a first voltage range, the second energy storage device is to supply power to a second power subsystem that is to operate in a second voltage range, and the controller is to control the transfer of power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device in response to a level of the second energy storage device being below a first reference value.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is to control the transfer of power from the second energy storage device to the first battery in response to a level of the first energy storage device being below a second reference value.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first reference value is different from the second reference value.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined voltage range does not overlap the second predetermined voltage range.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is to control the transfer of power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device for a fixed time.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller is to control the transfer of power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device for a first fixed time in response to the level of the second energy storage device being in a first voltage range and is to control the transfer of power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device for a second fixed time in response to the level of the second energy storage device being in a second voltage range.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is to prevent the transfer of power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device in response to a level of the first energy storage device falling below a second reference value.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second reference value is different from the first reference value.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is to:

determine a first difference value based on a difference between the level of the second energy storage device and the first reference value;

determine a second difference value based on a difference between a level of the first energy storage device and a second reference value; and

control transfer of power based on the first difference value and the second difference value.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is to control transfer of power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device for a first predetermined time in response to a relative difference value being in a first difference range and is to control transfer of power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device for a second predetermined time in response to the relative difference value being in a second difference range, and wherein the relative difference value is to be based on a difference between the first and second difference values.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is to control the transfer of power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device based on a level of power in the first energy storage device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is to control the transfer of power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device for a time taken to reduce power in the first energy storage device by a predetermined amount.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is to control the transfer of power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device for a time taken to reduce power in the first energy storage device to a predetermined level.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first energy storage device is one of a carbon-anode lithium-ion battery or a silicon-anode battery and the second energy storage device is the other one of the carbon-anode lithium ion battery or the silicon-anode battery.

15. A converter comprising:

a first node coupled to a first energy storage device;

a second node coupled to a second energy storage device; and

a circuit to transfer power between the first and second energy storage devices,

wherein the circuit is to convert power from the first energy storage device to a form compatible for input into the second energy storage device in response to a power level of the second energy storage device being below a first reference value and wherein the circuit is to convert power from the second energy storage device to a form compatible for input into the first energy storage device in response to a power level of the first energy storage device being below a second reference value.

16. The converter of claim 15, wherein the first reference value is different from the second reference value.

17. The converter of claim 15, wherein the circuit is to transfer converted power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device for a fixed time.

18. The converter of claim 17, wherein the circuit is to transfer converted power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device for a first fixed time in response to a level of the second energy storage device being in a first voltage range and is to transfer converted power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device for a second fixed time in response to a level of the second energy storage device being in a second voltage range.

19. The converter of claim 15, wherein the circuit is to transfer converted power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device based on a level of power in the first energy storage device.

20. The converter of claim 15, wherein the first energy storage device is one of a carbon-anode lithium-ion battery or a silicon-anode battery and the second energy storage device is the other one of the carbon-anode lithium ion battery or the silicon-anode battery.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a controller to control transfer of power between a first energy storage device and a second energy storage device through a converter, wherein;

the first energy storage device is to supply power to a first power subsystem that is to operate in a first voltage range,

the second energy storage device is to supply power to a second power subsystem that is to operate in a second voltage range, and

the controller is to control the transfer of power from the first energy storage device to the second energy storage device in response to a level of the second energy storage device being below a first reference value.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the controller is to control the transfer of power from the second energy storage device to the first battery in response to a level of the first energy storage device being below a second reference value.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first reference value is different from the second reference value.