Portable electronic device having automatic low temperature battery charging capability

• US 8,350,533 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2009
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Tam, Ching Yu John, Patel, Parin
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Allgood, Alesa
• Application Number:
  US12/434,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20100277128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 320/150, 320/153, 320/144
• US Class Current: 320/150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007192 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage

Abstract

A controller detects the temperature of a portable electronic device as being below a battery charging threshold, and in response signals one or more of the electronic circuit components that make up the device to enter an increased power consumption state so as to generate more heat in the device for warming up the battery. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method for operating a portable electronic device having therein a data processing component and a battery, comprising:

(a) detecting that the device is coupled to an external power source to charge the battery;

(b) detecting that a temperature of the device is below a battery charging threshold below which charge rate of the battery is reduced; and

(c) signaling an increase in data processing activity of the data processing component based on (a) and (b), to cause the data processing component to generate heat in the device to raise the temperature of the device to above the battery charging threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

increasing the charge rate of the battery in response to the temperature having risen.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

continuing to signal an increase in activity, so long as the device is coupled to the external power source to charge the battery, wherein the increase in data processing activity of the data processing component is powered by the external power source.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

comparing the sum of (a) charge rate of the battery and (b) power consumption by the rest of the device, with (b) available power from the external power source; and

signaling a decrease in activity of the data processing component, based on the comparison.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adjusting the increase in activity so that power consumption by the rest of the device remains less than available power from the external power source.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

adjusting the increase in activity so that the battery receives a net positive charge, despite increased power consumption by the data processing component.

7. The machine implemented method of claim 1, wherein the increased data processing activity includes forcing a data processor to execute the previously programmed digital data subroutine or application that is particularly power consumption intensive, forcing an RF transmission amplifier to transmit digital data, forcing an audio amplifier to exercise digital data amplification, or forcing a DC-DC power convertor to operate inefficiently to generate the sufficient amount of heat that raises the temperature of the device to above the battery charging threshold.

8. The machine implemented method of claim 1, wherein the increased data processing activity includes:

interrupting the data processing component; and

forcing the data processing component to execute a previously programmed application that is particularly power consumption intensive.

22. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein signaling comprises continuing to signal so long as a temperature of the device remains below the threshold.

23. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein signaling comprises continuing to signal for the increase in activity to persist so long as the temperature of the device remains below the threshold, and so long as the device is coupled to the external power source for a purpose of charging the battery.

24. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein signaling an increase in activity of the data processing component is also based on the proximity of the battery to the data processing component and heat generated by the data processing component is sufficient to cause the temperature of the device to increase to above the threshold.

9. A portable electronic device comprising:

a battery;

a plurality of components coupled to be powered by the battery, said plurality of components include a digital data signal processing component, a digital data information signal storage component, a digital data information signal transmission component, a digital data amplification component, and a dc-dc power converter component;

an interface to be coupled to, and thereby obtain available power from, an external power source; and

a controller to detect temperature of the device as being below a battery charging threshold while the interface is coupled to the external power source, and in response signal one of the plurality of components to increase its digital data processing or power conversion activity to produce a sufficient amount of heat that can raise the temperature of the device to above the battery charging threshold.

10. The device of claim 9 further comprising a charging circuit that can provide charge current to the battery, wherein the controller is to signal the charging circuit to increase the charge current as the temperature of the device increases.

11. The device of claim 9 wherein the controller is to diminish the increase in activity as the temperature of the device increases.

12. The device of claim 9 wherein the controller is to vary how much of said available power is used in the increase in activity and how much is diverted to charge the battery, based on having detected a temperature of the device, wherein the increase in activity of the component is powered by the external power source.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the controller is to (a) divert more of said available power to power the plurality of components than to charge the battery, to generate more heat in the device through the increase in activity, then (b) detect that a temperature of the device has increased above the battery charging threshold, and then (c) in response to (b), divert more of said available power to charge the battery than to power the plurality of components.

14. A portable electronic device comprising:

a battery;

a plurality of electronic circuit components coupled to be powered by the battery, said plurality of electronic circuit components include a digital data information signal storage component, a digital data information signal transmission component, a digital data amplification component, and a dc-dc power converter component; and

a controller to detect temperature of the device as being below a battery charging threshold, and in response signal one of the electronic circuit components to enter an increased processing or power conversion power consumption state to produce a sufficient amount of heat that can raise the temperature of the device to above the battery charging threshold.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 14 wherein the controller is to detect temperature of the device as being above the battery charging threshold and in response signal the one of the components to enter a decreased power consumption state.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 14 wherein the controller is to signal more than one of the plurality of components to enter their increased power consumption states.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 14 wherein the components are an application processor and a voltage regulator or voltage converter.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 14, wherein signaling comprises continuing to signal so long as a temperature of the device remains below the threshold.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 14, wherein signaling comprises continuing to signal for the increase power consumption state to persist so long as the temperature of the device remains below the threshold, and so long as the device is coupled to an external power source for a purpose of charging the battery.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 14, wherein signaling an increase in activity of one of the electronic circuit components is also based on the proximity of the battery to the one of the electronic circuit components and heat generated by the data processing component is sufficient to cause the temperature of the device to increase to above the threshold.

21. A portable electronic device comprising:

a controller to charge a battery of the device using available power from an external power source, the controller to control a process for charging the battery by alternating between a heating phase and a charging phase, wherein in the heating phase the available power is mostly used to increase processing or power conversion activity of an electronic circuit component of the device and not charge the battery, said electronic circuit component being one of the group consisting of an information signal storage component, an information signal transmission component, an amplification component, and a power supply component, and in the charging phase the available power is mostly used to charge the battery and not increase activity of said electronic circuit component to produce a sufficient amount of heat that can raise the temperature of the device to above a battery charging threshold.

25. The portable electronic device of claim 21, further comprising continuing to signal the heating phase so long as a temperature of the device remains below the threshold.

26. The portable electronic device of claim 25, wherein signaling comprises continuing to signal for the increase power consumption state to persist so long as the temperature of the device remains below the threshold, and so long as the device is coupled to an external power source for a purpose of charging the battery.

27. The portable electronic device of claim 25, wherein signaling an increase in activity of one of the electronic circuit components is also based on the proximity of the battery to the one of the electronic circuit components and heat generated by the data processing component is sufficient to cause the temperature of the device to increase to above the threshold.