Method and Apparatus for Monitoring Energy Consumption

• US 20160109494A1
• Filed: 10/20/2015
• Published: 04/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ambiq Micro, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ambiq Micro, Inc.
• Inventors: Hanson, Scott, Sheafor, Stephen James, Baker, David Cureton
• Granted Patent: US 10,578,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/127 by using pulse modulation G01R21/133 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique

Abstract

An energy consumption monitor for use in an electronic system comprising an integrated circuit such as a microcontroller. The monitor comprises a counter adapted to accumulate pulses developed by a charge source, each pulse indicative of the delivery of one unit of charge to a load circuit. A monitoring facility monitors the counter to develop an energy consumption record over time.

Claims

1. A method for measuring energy consumption by a load comprising the steps of:

developing a pulse for each of a plurality of predetermined units of charge delivered to the load; and

developing a measure of energy consumption as a function of the predetermined units of charge and a count of the pulses over a selected period of time.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step is further characterized as comprising the steps of:

developing a pulse; and

in response to the pulse, developing from an input voltage a unit of charge at an output voltage.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein step is further characterized as:

developing a pulse as a function of a first voltage; and

in response to the pulse, developing from a second voltage a unit of charge at the first voltage.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step is further characterized as comprising the steps of:

developing from an input voltage a unit of charge at an output voltage; and

in response to developing each unit of charge, developing a pulse.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4 further comprising the steps of:

collecting a plurality of the measures developed over a selected period of time; and

analyzing the collected measures to determine a pattern of energy consumption by the load over the selected period of time.

6. An energy consumption measurement facility configured to perform the method of any preceding claim.

7. An electronic system comprising an energy consumption measurement facility according to claim 6.

8. A computer readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed in a processing system, causes the processing system to perform the steps of a method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.