COMPUTER SYSTEM AND POWER MANAGEMENT METHOD THEREOF

• US 20150293569A1
• Filed: 06/11/2014
• Published: 10/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Original Assignee: Quanta Computer
• Inventors: YU, Chun-Jie, CHEN, Yu-Hui, LIN, Kuang-Peng
• Granted Patent: US 9,304,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• 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: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3243 Power saving in microcontroller unit
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A computer system and a power management method thereof are disclosed. The computer system comprises a smart charger and an embedded controller (EC). The smart charger has a voltage turbo boost (VTB) function. The EC enables or disables the VTB function to protect a battery from damage according to a current remaining capacity and a battery decline ratio of the battery.

Claims

1. A power management method of a computer system, comprising:

capturing a current remaining capacity of a battery and reading a previous remaining capacity of the battery from a register;

determining whether the current remaining capacity is equal to the previous remaining capacity;

determining whether a voltage turbo boost (VTB) function of a smart charger is enabled if the current remaining capacity is not equal to the previous remaining capacity, wherein the VTB function controls the battery to provide power;

determining whether the current remaining capacity is smaller than a disabling threshold if the VTB function is enabled; and

disabling the VTB function and enabling a system constant power protection function if the current remaining capacity is smaller than the disabling threshold, wherein after the system constant power protection function is enabled, and if a total power consumption of the computer system is smaller than the system constant power protection point, a system constant power protection point is set to be smaller than a constant power of an AC adapter and the battery performs charging.

2. The power management method according to claim 1, further comprising:

using the current remaining capacity as the previous remaining capacity and recording the current remaining capacity to the register after the VTB function is disabled and the system constant power protection function is enabled.

3. The power management method according to claim 2, further comprising:

setting a timing value of a wait stable timer to be equal to a predetermined waiting time if the current remaining capacity is smaller than the disabling threshold.

4. The power management method according to claim 3, further comprising:

calculating a battery decline ratio which is equal to the previous remaining capacity subtracted by the current remaining capacity; and

determining whether the battery decline ratio is larger than a declining threshold;

wherein the timing value of the wait stable timer is set to be equal to the predetermined waiting time if the battery decline ratio is larger than the declining threshold.

5. The power management method according to claim 4, wherein if the battery decline ratio is not larger than the declining threshold, the current remaining capacity is used as the previous remaining capacity and recorded to the register.

6. The power management method according to claim 4, further comprising:

activating a frequency reduction selection procedure when the VTB function is disabled;

determining whether the current remaining capacity is larger than an enabling threshold smaller than the disabling threshold after the frequency reduction selection procedure is activated;

determining whether the timing value of the wait stable timer is equal to 0 if the current remaining capacity is larger than the enabling threshold;

enabling the VTB function and disabling the system constant power protection function if the timing value is equal to 0, and setting the system constant power protection point to be equal to the constant power of the AC adapter after the system constant power protection function is disabled.

7. The power management method according to claim 6, further comprising:

using the current remaining capacity as the previous remaining capacity and recording the current remaining capacity to the register after the VTB function is enabled and the system constant power protection function is disabled.

8. The power management method according to claim 6, further comprising:

progressively decreasing the timing value if the timing value is not equal to 0.

9. The power management method according to claim 6, further comprising:

using the current remaining capacity as the previous remaining capacity and recording the current remaining capacity to the register if the current remaining capacity is not larger than the enabling threshold.

10. A computer system, comprising:

a smart charger having a voltage turbo boost (VTB) function, wherein the VTB function controls a battery to provide power;

a system load, comprising;

a register;

an embedded controller (EC) for capturing a current remaining capacity of the battery and reading a previous remaining capacity of the battery from the register, wherein the EC determines whether the current remaining capacity is equal to the previous remaining capacity, if the current remaining capacity is not equal to the previous remaining capacity, the EC determines whether the VTB function is enabled, if the VTB function is enabled, the EC determines whether the current remaining capacity is smaller than a disabling threshold, if the current remaining capacity is smaller than the disabling threshold, the EC disable the VTB function enables a system constant power protection function, and after the system constant power protection function is enabled, a system constant power protection point is set to be smaller than a constant power of an AC adapter, and the battery performs charging if the computer system has a total power consumption is smaller than the system constant power protection point.

11. The computer system according to claim 10, wherein after the VTB function is disabled and the system constant power protection function is enabled, the EC uses the current remaining capacity as the previous remaining capacity and records the current remaining capacity to the register.

12. The computer system according to claim 11, wherein if the current remaining capacity is smaller than the disabling threshold, the EC sets a timing value of a wait stable timer to be equal to a predetermined waiting time.

13. The computer system according to claim 12, wherein the EC calculates a battery decline ratio which is equal to the previous remaining capacity subtracted by the current remaining capacity, the EC determines whether the battery decline ratio is larger than a declining threshold, and if the battery decline ratio is larger than the declining threshold, the EC sets the timing value of the wait stable timer to be equal to the predetermined waiting time.

14. The computer system according to claim 13, wherein if the battery decline ratio is not larger than the declining threshold, the EC uses the current remaining capacity as the previous remaining capacity and records the current remaining capacity to the register.

15. The computer system according to claim 13, further comprising a central processor and a graphics processor, wherein when the VTB function is disabled, the central processor and the graphics processor are controlled to activate a frequency reduction selection procedure, and after the frequency reduction selection procedure is activated, the EC determines whether the current remaining capacity is larger than an enabling threshold smaller than the disabling threshold, if the current remaining capacity is larger than the enabling threshold, the EC determines whether the timing value of the wait stable timer is equal to 0, if the timing value is equal to 0, the EC enables the VTB function and disables the system constant power protection function, and after the system constant power protection function is disabled, the EC sets the system constant power protection point to be equal to the constant power of the AC adapter.

16. The computer system according to claim 15, wherein after the VTB function is enabled and the system constant power protection function is disabled, the EC uses the current remaining capacity as the previous remaining capacity and records the current remaining capacity to the register.

17. The computer system according to claim 15, wherein if the timing value is not equal to 0, the EC progressively decreases the timing value.

18. The computer system according to claim 15, wherein if the current remaining capacity is not larger than the enabling threshold, the EC uses the current remaining capacity as the previous remaining capacity and records the current remaining capacity to the register.