DYNAMIC SLEEP MODE BASED UPON BATTERY CHARGE

• US 20160014700A1
• Filed: 07/11/2014
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Taha, Ali, Kashyap, Rahul, Corleto, Hector Freires
• Granted Patent: US 9,426,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/32 Means for saving power
• 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 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/00 Circuit arrangements for dc mains or dc distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/36 Means for starting or stopping converters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• 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

A power management technique is provided that operates with regard to a dynamic sleep threshold voltage. If a device'"'"'s battery voltage is greater than the dynamic sleep threshold voltage, a voltage rail for the device is collapsed during a sleep mode for the device. Conversely, if the battery voltage is less than the dynamic sleep threshold voltage, the voltage rail is sourced during the sleep mode for the device.

Claims

1. A power management integrated circuit (PMIC), comprising:

a first power regulator; and

a control logic circuit configured to control the first power regulator to source a corresponding power rail while a battery voltage is less than a dynamic sleep threshold voltage when a device powered by the corresponding power rail is in the sleep mode and to power collapse the corresponding power rail while the battery voltage is greater than the dynamic sleep threshold voltage when the device is in the sleep mode.

2. The PMIC of claim 1, wherein the first power regulator comprises a plurality of first power regulators.

3. The PMIC of claim 1, wherein the first power regulator comprises a linear dropout regulator.

4. The PMIC of claim 1, wherein the first power regulator comprises a switching power regulator.

5. The PMIC of claim 4, wherein the switching power regulator comprises a buck converter.

6. The PMIC of claim 1, further comprising:

a second power regulator configured to source a second power rail for the device, wherein the control logic circuit is further configured to control the second power regulator to source the second power rail according to a first voltage stepping rate while the battery voltage is greater than the dynamic sleep threshold voltage when the device transitions from the sleep mode to an active mode and to source the second power rail according to a second voltage stepping rate while the battery voltage is less than the dynamic sleep threshold voltage when the device transitions from the sleep mode to the active mode, and wherein the first voltage stepping rate is greater than the second voltage stepping rate.

7. The PMIC of claim 6, wherein the first voltage stepping rate is approximately 40 millivolts per microsecond and the second voltage stepping rate is approximately 5 millivolts per microsecond.

8. The PMIC of claim 1, wherein the dynamic sleep threshold is approximately 3.5 volts.

9. The PMIC of claim 1, further comprising a second power regulator configured to source a second power rail for the device, wherein the control logic circuit is configured to control the second power regulator independently from the dynamic sleep threshold voltage.

10. A method, comprising:

responsive to a device transitioning to a sleep mode of operation, shutting off a first power regulator for a first voltage rail for the device when a battery voltage for a battery supplying the first power regulator is greater than a dynamic sleep threshold voltage; and

responsive to the device transitioning to the sleep mode of operation, driving the first power regulator to source the first voltage rail when the battery voltage is less than the dynamic sleep threshold voltage.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein shutting off a first power regulator comprises shutting off a linear dropout regulator.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein driving the power regulator comprises driving the power regulator to source the voltage rail to a voltage that is less than an active mode of operation voltage for the device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

responsive to the device transitioning from the sleep mode to an active mode of operation, sourcing a second voltage rail for the device according to a first voltage stepping rate when the battery voltage is greater than the dynamic sleep threshold voltage.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

responsive to the device transitioning from the sleep mode to the active mode of operation, sourcing the second voltage rail for the device according to a second voltage stepping rate when the battery voltage is less than the dynamic sleep threshold voltage, wherein the second voltage stepping rate is less than the first voltage stepping rate.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the device is a cellular telephone, the method further comprising:

responsive to the cellular telephone transitioning to a sleep mode of operation when the battery voltage is less than the dynamic sleep threshold voltage, shutting off a second power regulator for a second voltage rail, wherein the second voltage rail supplies circuitry in the cellular telephone that is not essential for supporting voice calls and wherein the first voltage rail supplies circuitry in the cellular telephone that is essential for supporting voice calls.

16. A system, comprising:

a battery;

a system-on-a-chip (SOC) including at least a first power domain supplied by a first power rail; and

means for managing the first power rail so that the first power rail is collapsed during a sleep mode for the SOC when a battery voltage for the battery is greater than a dynamic sleep threshold voltage and so that the first power rail is sourced during the sleep mode for the SOC when the battery voltage is less than the dynamic sleep threshold voltage.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the SOC further includes a second power domain supplied by a second power rail, and wherein the means for managing the first power rail is further configured to manage the second power rail so that the second power rail is collapsed during the sleep mode for the SOC regardless of a magnitude for the battery voltage with regard to the dynamic sleep threshold voltage.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the SOC is configured to shut down if the battery voltage is less than a cutoff threshold voltage.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the cutoff threshold voltage is approximately 3.4 volts and the dynamic sleep threshold is approximately 3.5 volts.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the system comprises a cellular telephone.