MONITORING A BATTERY IN A PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20160172879A1
• Filed: 02/19/2016
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Valentine, Val
• Granted Patent: US 9,831,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3646 for indicating electrical conditions or variables, e.g. visual or audible indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• 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: H04B 1/3827 Portable transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• 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

The disclosed embodiments provide a system that monitors a battery in a portable electronic device. During operation, the system monitors a state of charge of the battery while the battery is powering the portable electronic device. Next, when the state of charge of the battery reaches a predetermined reserve capacity, the system monitors a voltage of the battery. Then, when the monitored voltage of the battery reaches a predetermined termination voltage, the system puts the portable electronic device into a low power usage state.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a battery of an electronic device, the method comprising:

monitoring a voltage of a battery powering an electronic device, the electronic device having a brownout voltage;

reducing power drawn by the electronic device, in event a first criteria is satisfied, the first criteria comprising whether one or more first transient voltage-dips below a predetermined threshold voltage are measured; and

further reducing power drawn by the electronic device in event a second criteria is satisfied, the second criteria comprising at least one of whether a frequency of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined threshold voltage exceeds a predetermined frequency, whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined threshold voltage exceeds a predetermined number, or whether a duration of at least one transient voltage-dip below the predetermined threshold voltage exceeds a predetermined duration,

wherein the predetermined threshold voltage is greater than the brownout voltage of the electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a predetermined termination voltage of the battery has been reached, in event a third criteria is satisfied, the third criteria comprising at least one of, whether a steady state voltage below the predetermined threshold voltage has been measured, or whether a persistence voltage below the predetermined threshold voltage has been measured; and

upon such determination, placing the electronic device into at least one of a shutdown state or a hibernation state,

wherein the predetermined termination voltage is greater than the brownout voltage of the electronic device.

3. The method of claim 2, the third criteria further comprising whether a frequency of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined termination voltage exceeds a predetermined frequency, whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined termination voltage exceeds a predetermined number, or whether a duration of at least one transient voltage-dip below the predetermined threshold voltage exceeds a predetermined duration.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined threshold voltage is equal to the predetermined termination voltage.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined termination voltage is user-selectable.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein reducing power drawn by the electronic device comprises at least one of reducing a brightness of a screen, reducing a volume of a speaker, or shutting down a wireless communication device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein further reducing power drawn by the electronic device comprises at least one of further reducing the brightness of the screen, further reducing the volume of the speaker, or shutting down one or more other resources of the electronic device.

8. A system for monitoring a battery powering an electronic device, the system comprising a voltage monitoring mechanism coupled to the battery, the voltage monitoring mechanism configured to:

monitor a voltage of the battery;

reduce power drawn by the electronic device, in event a first criteria is satisfied, the first criteria comprising whether one or more first transient voltage-dips below a predetermined threshold voltage are detected; and

further reduce power drawn by the electronic device, in event a second criteria is satisfied, the second criteria comprising at least one of whether a frequency of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined threshold voltage exceeds a predetermined frequency, whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined threshold voltage exceeds a predetermined number, or whether a duration of at least one transient voltage-dip below the predetermined threshold voltage exceeds a predetermined duration,

wherein the predetermined threshold voltage is greater than a brownout voltage of the electronic device.

9. The system of claim 8, the voltage monitoring mechanism further configured to:

determine that a predetermined termination voltage of the battery has been reached, in event a third criteria is satisfied, the third criteria comprising at least one of, whether a steady state voltage below the predetermined threshold voltage has been detected, or whether a persistence voltage below the predetermined threshold voltage has been detected; and

upon such determination, place the electronic device into one of a shutdown state and a hibernation state,

wherein the predetermined termination voltage is greater than the brownout voltage of the electronic device.

10. The system of claim 9, the third criteria further comprising whether a frequency of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined termination voltage exceeds a predetermined frequency, whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined termination voltage exceeds a predetermined number, or whether a duration of at least one transient voltage-dip below the predetermined threshold voltage exceeds a predetermined duration.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the predetermined threshold voltage is equal to the predetermined termination voltage.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined termination voltage is user-selectable.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein reducing power drawn by the electronic device comprises at least one of reducing a brightness of a screen, reducing a volume of a speaker, or shutting down a wireless communication device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein further reducing power drawn by the electronic device comprises at least one of further reducing the brightness of the screen, further reducing the volume of the speaker, or shutting down one or more other resources of the electronic device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to control a voltage monitoring mechanism to:

monitor a voltage of a battery powering an electronic device, the electronic device having a brownout voltage;

reduce power drawn by the electronic device, in event a first criteria is satisfied, the first criteria comprising whether one or more first transient voltage-dips below a predetermined threshold voltage are measured; and

further reduce power drawn the electronic device, in event a second criteria is satisfied, the second criteria comprising at least one of whether a frequency of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined threshold voltage exceeds a predetermined frequency, whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined threshold voltage exceeds a predetermined number, or whether a duration of at least one transient voltage-dip below the predetermined threshold voltage exceeds a predetermined duration,

wherein the predetermined threshold voltage is greater than the brownout voltage of the electronic device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further storing instructions that when executed by the processor further control the voltage monitoring mechanism to:

determine that a predetermined termination voltage of the battery has been reached, in event a third criteria is satisfied, the second criteria comprising at least one of, whether a steady state voltage below the predetermined threshold voltage has been measured, or whether a persistence voltage below the predetermined threshold voltage has been measured; and

upon such determination, place the electronic device into one of a shutdown state and a hibernation state,

wherein the predetermined termination voltage is greater than the brownout voltage of the electronic device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the second third further comprising whether a frequency of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined termination voltage exceeds a predetermined frequency, whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined termination voltage exceeds a predetermined number, or whether a duration of at least one transient voltage-dip below the predetermined threshold voltage exceeds a predetermined duration.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of 17, wherein the predetermined threshold voltage is equal to the predetermined termination voltage.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the predetermined termination voltage is user-selectable.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of 15, wherein reducing power drawn by the electronic device comprises at least one of reducing a brightness of a screen, reducing a volume of a speaker, or shutting down a wireless communication device.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of 20, wherein further reducing power drawn by the electronic device comprises at least one of further reducing the brightness of the screen, further reducing the volume of the speaker, or shutting down one or more other resources of the electronic device.