Methods, systems and products for managing energy consumption

• US 8,188,704 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2009
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reese, Kevin, Jones, Alfonso, McDonald, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US12/430,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20100270968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 320103-105, 307/10.1
• US Class Current: 320/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/10 for monitoring or controlling batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0236 for economical driving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/84 Data processing systems or methods, management, administration

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for managing energy consumption. Electrical power from an auxiliary battery system is received. The electrical power is shared with peripheral devices. A characteristic of a vehicle battery is received from an interface to an on board diagnostic system. When the electrical power received from the auxiliary battery system is less than a threshold value, then the auxiliary battery system is charged from a connection to the vehicle battery. The charging of the auxiliary battery system is disabled when the characteristic of the vehicle battery is less than the minimum value.

Claims

1. A method of managing energy consumption, comprising:

interfacing with a vehicle'"'"'s on-board diagnostic system;

receiving electrical power from an auxiliary battery system;

receiving a characteristic of a vehicle battery from the on board diagnostic system;

retrieving a driver-configurable minimum power level of the vehicle battery at which a driver establishes when conservation begins;

comparing the electrical power received from the auxiliary battery system to a threshold value;

charging the auxiliary battery system with power received from the vehicle battery when the electrical power received from the auxiliary battery system is less than the threshold value;

comparing the characteristic of the vehicle battery to the driver-configurable minimum power level; and

disabling the charging of the auxiliary battery system when the characteristic of the vehicle battery is less than the driver-configurable minimum power level.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising disabling a sharing of the electrical power from the auxiliary battery system.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising disabling a peripheral device that shares the electrical power from the auxiliary battery system.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising disabling a peripheral device that shares the electrical power from the auxiliary battery system according to a hierarchy.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising shutting down a software application to conserve the electrical power from the auxiliary battery system.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising disabling a port to conserve the electrical power from the auxiliary battery system.

7. A system for managing energy consumption, comprising:

a processor executing code stored in memory that causes the processor to;

interface with a vehicle'"'"'s on-board diagnostic system;

receive electrical power from a battery in a laptop computer;

interface a peripheral device with the laptop computer;

share the electrical power received from the battery in the laptop computer with the peripheral device;

receive a characteristic of a vehicle battery from the on board diagnostic system;

retrieve a driver-configurable minimum power level of the vehicle battery at which a driver establishes when conservation begins;

compare the electrical power from the battery in the laptop computer to a threshold value;

charge the battery in the laptop computer from a connection to the vehicle battery when the electrical power received from the battery in the laptop computer is less than the threshold value;

compare the characteristic of the vehicle battery to the driver-configurable minimum power level; and

disable the charging of the battery in the laptop computer when the characteristic of the vehicle battery is less than the driver-configurable minimum power level.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the code further causes the processor to disable the sharing of the electrical power from the battery in the laptop computer.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the code further causes the processor to disable a peripheral device that shares the electrical power from the battery in the laptop computer.

10. The system according to claim 7, wherein the code further causes the processor to disable a peripheral device that shares the electrical power from the battery in the laptop computer according to a hierarchy.

11. The system according to claim 7, wherein the code further causes the processor to shut down a software application running on a peripheral device to conserve the electrical power from the battery in the laptop computer.

12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the code further causes the processor to disabling a port connected to a peripheral device to conserve the electrical power from the battery in the laptop computer.

13. The system according to claim 7, wherein the code further causes the processor to retrieve a user-defined hierarchy that specifies an order in which peripheral devices connected to the laptop computer are shut down to reduce consumption of electrical power.

14. The system according to claim 7, wherein the code further causes the processor to disable a peripheral device that shares the electrical power from the battery in the laptop computer according to the user-defined hierarchy.

15. The system according to claim 7, wherein the code further causes the processor to retrieve a user-defined hierarchy that specifies an order in which the peripheral devices connected to the laptop computer are powered on to receive electrical power from the battery in the laptop computer.

16. A computer readable medium storing processor executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

interfacing with a vehicle'"'"'s on-board diagnostic system;

receiving electrical power from a battery in a laptop computer;

sharing the electrical power received from the battery in the laptop computer with peripheral devices that interface with the laptop;

receiving a characteristic of a vehicle battery from the on board diagnostic system;

retrieving a driver-configurable minimum power level of the vehicle battery at which a driver establishes when conservation begins;

comparing the electrical power received from the battery in the laptop computer to a threshold value;

charging the battery in the laptop computer from a connection to the vehicle battery when the electrical power received from the battery in the laptop computer is less than the threshold value;

receiving an error code from the on board diagnostic system that indicates the characteristic of the vehicle battery is equal to or less than the driver-configurable minimum power level; and

disabling the charging of the battery in the laptop computer when the characteristic of the vehicle battery is less than the driver-configurable minimum power level.

17. The computer readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising instructions for disabling the sharing of the electrical power from the battery in the laptop computer.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising instructions for disabling a peripheral device that shares the electrical power from the battery in the laptop computer.

19. The computer readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising instructions for retrieving a user-defined hierarchy that specifies an order in which the peripheral devices connected to the laptop computer are shut down to reduce consumption of electrical power.

20. The computer readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising instructions for retrieving a user-defined hierarchy that specifies an order in which the peripheral devices connected to the laptop computer are powered on to receive electrical power from the battery in the laptop computer.