Providing overload protection in battery operation

• US 7,197,656 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2002
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Nguyen, Don J., Lenehan, Dan J., Deignan, John
• Primary Examiner(s): DU, THUAN N
• Application Number:
  US10/155,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20030221133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• Field of Search: 713/300, 713/320, 713/321, 713/323, 713/324, 713/340, 320/134, 320/136
• US Class Current: 713/340
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

For a battery-operable device, an overload protector may prevent a catastrophic malfunction. Using the overload protector, a power source may enable controlled delivery of power to the battery-operable device as a result of a timely intervention. More particularly, in mobile devices or systems with variable power consumption components and/or operational modes, the frequency of the occurrence of tripping in a battery may be reduced or even eliminated in some cases. In one embodiment, a battery overload protector may continuously monitor available power from a power delivery unit and alert a processor-based system before a threshold of available power is reached by tracking power consumption against the threshold. The battery overload protector may issue a warning to the processor-based system in order to avoid exceeding the threshold. Responsive to the warning, one or more power conserving tasks may be initiated in the processor-based system, controllably consuming available power without reaching the threshold.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

monitoring available power from a power source, said power source to provide power to a computing system;

predicting an overload condition of the power source based on the available power, said power source to disable itself upon the overload condition, predicting to include;

determining a rate of present power consumption of the available power from said power source by the computing system,

estimating a rate of decline for the available power, and

projecting when the overload condition will occur based on the rate of decline for the available power; and

initiating one or more power conserving tasks in the computing system prior to the predicted overload condition and prior to the computing system being shut down.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

monitoring the available power comprises tracking power consumption by the computing system; and

initiating the one or more power conserving tasks includes issuing a warning to the system in order to avoid the predicted overload condition.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein initiating the one or more power conserving tasks comprises:

dynamically modifying a rate of present power consumption of the available power.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring the available power comprises:

continuously sensing a real-time power transient in said power source.

5. A method comprising:

providing a power delivery source to energize a processor-based device including one or more components, said power delivery source to disable itself upon an overload condition;

tracking power consumption by said processor-based device against a predetermined power drain level to predict the overload condition, predict the overload condition to include;

determining a rate of present power consumption of the available power from said power source by the computing system,

estimating a rate of decline for the available power, and

projecting when the overload condition will occur based on the rate of decline for the available power; and

in response to the power consumption reaching the predetermined power drain level, performing at least one power conserving task, before the processor-based device is shut down, in order to adjust the power consumption for said processor-based device to at least temporarily avoid the predicted overload condition.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein tracking the power consumption comprises:

monitoring a current and a voltage of the power delivery source;

multiplying the current and the voltage to derive a power usage indication for the one or more components of said processor-based device; and

comparing the power usage indication with the predetermined power drain level.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein performing the at least one power conserving task comprises:

placing at least one component of said processor-based device into a lower-power consuming state with respect to other components before the power usage indication exceeds the predetermined power drain level.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the processor-based device comprises a mobile device including a processor and a display.

24. The method of claim 8, wherein performing the at least one power conserving task comprises slowing down the processor and dimming the display in the mobile device.

9. An apparatus comprising:

a power source with a battery threshold associated with an overload condition, said power source to disable itself upon the overload condition and said power source to energize a processor-based device including one or more components; and

a monitor to track a power drain by said processor-based device against the battery threshold to predict the overload condition and initiate one or more power conserving tasks in the processor-based device before the predicted overload condition is reached and before the processor-based device is shut down, wherein to predict the overload condition includes;

determining a rate of present power consumption of the available power from said power source by the processor-based device,

estimating a rate of decline for the available power, and

projecting when the overload condition will occur based on the rate of decline for the available power.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said monitor comprises:

a current monitor to sense the current at said power source;

a voltage monitor to sense the voltage at said power source;

a multiplier coupled to said current monitor and said voltage monitor to multiply the current and voltage to derive a power usage indication for the one or more components of said processor-based device; and

a comparator coupled to said multiplier to compare the power usage indication to the battery threshold.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said monitor comprises:

a memory to store a control logic to place the at least one component into a lower-power state with respect to other components of said processor-based device before the predicted overload condition.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the one or more components comprise a processor and a display, and wherein the one or more power conserving tasks comprise at least one of slowing down the processor or dimming the display.

13. A power delivery device to controllably energize a processor-based system including one or more components comprising:

a battery;

power supply circuitry to supply a DC power signal to said processor-based system from the battery, said battery to disable itself upon an overload condition; and

a battery overload protector operably coupled to both said power supply circuitry and said battery to predict the overload condition and initiate a selective deenergization of said one or more components of the processor-based system, wherein to predict the overload condition includes;

determining a rate of present power consumption of the available power from said power source by the processor-based system,

estimating a rate of decline for the available power, and

Projecting when the overload condition will occur based on the rate of decline for the available power.

14. The power delivery device of claim 13 wherein the power supply circuit comprises:

a voltage regulator.

15. The power delivery device of claim 13 wherein said battery overload protector to:

continuously sense a real-time power transient in said power supply circuitry and battery.

16. A system comprising:

a processor-based unit including one or more components; and

a power delivery unit operably couplable to said processor-based unit to deliver available power, said power delivery unit including;

battery,

power supply circuitry to supply a DC power signal to said processor-based system from the battery, said battery to disable itself upon an overload condition, and

a battery overload protector operably coupled to both said power supply circuitry and said battery to predict the overload condition and initiate a selective deenergization of said one or more components of the processor-based system, wherein to predict the overload condition includes;

determining a rate of present power consumption of the available power from said power delivery unit by said processor-based unit,

estimating a rate of decline for the available power; and

projecting when the overload condition will occur based on the rate of decline for the available power.

17. The system of claim 16 is a mobile system.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said battery overload protector comprises:

a current-voltage monitor to sense a current and a voltage at said battery; and

a controller coupled to said current-voltage monitor to manage power distribution based on the current and sensed at said battery.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said controller comprises a memory to store a control logic to estimate when the overload condition will occur for said battery, and to prepare said processor-based unit for a shutdown before the occurrence of said overload condition.

20. A machine readable medium having stored thereon machine executable instruction that when executed implement a method comprising:

monitoring available power from a power source, said power source to provide power to a computing system;

predicting an overload condition of the power source based on the available power, said power source to disable itself upon the overload condition, predicting to include;

determining a rate of present power consumption of the available power from said power source by the computing system,

estimating a rate of decline for the available power, and

projecting when the overload condition will occur based on the rate of decline for the available power; and

initiating one or more power conserving tasks in the computing system prior to the predicted overload condition and prior to the computing system being shut down.

21. The machine readable medium of claim 20 wherein:

monitoring the available power comprises tracking power consumption by the computing system; and

initiating the one or more power conserving tasks includes issuing a warning to the system in order to avoid the predicted overload condition.

22. The machine readable medium of claim 20 wherein initiating the one or more power conserving tasks comprises:

dynamically modifying a rate of present power consumption of the available power.

23. The machine readable medium of claim 20 monitoring the available power comprises:

continuously sensing a real-time power transient in said power source.