System and method for battery load management in a portable computing device

• US 8,977,874 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Rabii, Khosro M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abbaszadeh, Jaweed A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mazyad, Alyaa T
• Application Number:
  US13/428,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20130198541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 713/320, 713/321, 713/323
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• 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 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3062 where the monitored property is the power consumption power management in a computing system G06F1/3203
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Various embodiments of methods and systems for managing battery load in a portable computing device (“PCD”) are disclosed. One such method includes tracking an active load on a battery attributable to one or more active power consuming components. Measurements associated with the battery and indicative of the battery'"'"'s state of health may also be monitored. When a call for additional load on the battery is recognized, such as a user request for provision of additional functionality in the PCD, a future load on the battery that considers the newly called load can be calculated. Based on an analysis of the impact on the battery'"'"'s state of health, existing, lower priority loads may be scaled or suspended to create battery load capacity for the newly called load. In this way, quality of service and user experience may be optimized while minimizing conditions that could be detrimental to the battery.

Claims

1. A method for managing battery load in a portable computing device (“

PCD”

), the method comprising;

tracking an active load on a battery in the PCD, wherein the active load is associated with one or more active power consuming components within the PCD;

monitoring a state of health of the battery, wherein the state of health is quantified by one or more measurements associated with the battery;

storing data in a battery load database that identifies the one or more active power consuming components, the state of health quantified by the one or more measurements associated with the battery, a pre-defined battery load state, and historical power consumption levels mapped to particular use cases;

recognizing a call for additional load on the battery, wherein the call for additional load is associated with a request for functionality of the PCD that requires activation of an inactive component within the PCD;

calculating a future active load on the battery that would result from accepting the call for additional load by querying the battery load database; and

responding to the call for additional load on the battery based on an analysis of an impact that the future active load would have on the state of health of the battery stored in the battery load database and on the pre-defined battery load state stored in the battery load database compared with the future active load, wherein responding to the call for additional load further comprises reducing power to one or more of the active power consuming components within the PCD identified as thermal aggressors, the PCD includes a plurality of cores and responding to the call for additional load further comprises reallocating at least one processing load among at least some of the plurality of cores.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein responding to the call for additional load comprises allowing the call for additional load.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein responding to the call for additional load further comprises reducing power to one or more of the active power consuming components within the PCD.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein responding to the call for additional load further comprises suspending power to one or more of the active power consuming components within the PCD.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein responding to the call for additional load comprises rejecting the call for additional load.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein measurements associated with the battery and used to quantify the state of health comprise a state of voltage measurement.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein measurements associated with the battery and used to quantify the state of health comprise a state of charge measurement.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein measurements associated with the battery and used to quantify the state of health comprise a rate of discharge measurement.

9. A computer system for managing battery load in a portable computing device (“

PCD”

), the system comprising;

a monitor module for;

tracking an active load on a battery in the PCD, wherein the active load is associated with one or more active power consuming components within the PCD; and

monitoring a state of health of the battery, wherein the state of health is quantified by one or more measurements associated with the battery;

a battery load database for;

storing data that identifies the one or more active power consuming components, the state of health quantified by the one or more measurements associated with the battery, a pre-defined battery load state, and historical power consumption levels mapped to particular use cases; and

a battery load management module for;

recognizing a call for additional load on the battery, wherein the call for additional load is associated with a request for functionality of the PCD that requires activation of an inactive component within the PCD;

calculating a future active load on the battery that would result from accepting the call for additional load by querying the battery load database; and

responding to the call for additional load on the battery based on an analysis of an impact that the future active load would have on the state of health of the battery stored in the battery load database and on the pre-defined battery load state stored in the battery load database compared with the future active load, wherein responding to the call for additional load further comprises reducing power to one or more of the active power consuming components within the PCD identified as thermal aggressors, the PCD includes a plurality of cores and responding to the call for additional load further comprises reallocating at least one processing load among at least some of the plurality of cores.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the battery load management module responding to the call for additional load comprises allowing the call for additional load.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the battery load management module responding to the call for additional load further comprises reducing power to one or more of the active power consuming components within the PCD.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the battery load management module responding to the call for additional load further comprises suspending power to one or more of the active power consuming components within the PCD.

13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the battery load management module responding to the call for additional load comprises rejecting the call for additional load.

14. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the monitor module monitoring the state of health of the battery comprises monitoring a state of voltage measurement.

15. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the monitor module monitoring the state of health of the battery comprises monitoring a state of charge measurement.

16. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the monitor module monitoring the state of health of the battery comprises monitoring a rate of discharge measurement.

17. A computer system for managing battery load in a portable computing device (“

PCD”

), the system comprising;

means for tracking an active load on a battery in the PCD, wherein the active load is associated with one or more active power consuming components within the PCD;

means for monitoring a state of health of the battery, wherein the state of health is quantified by one or more measurements associated with the battery;

means for storing data in a battery load database that identifies the one or more active power consuming components, the state of health quantified by the one or more measurements associated with the battery, a pre-defined battery load state, and historical power consumption levels mapped to particular use cases;

means for recognizing a call for additional load on the battery, wherein the call for additional load is associated with a request for functionality of the PCD that requires activation of an inactive component within the PCD;

means for calculating a future active load on the battery that would result from accepting the call for additional load by querying the battery load database; and

means for responding to the call for additional load on the battery based on an analysis of an impact that the future active load would have on the state of health of the battery stored in the battery load database and on the pre-defined battery load state stored in the battery load database compared with the future active load, wherein the means for responding to the call for additional load further comprises means for reducing power to one or more of the active power consuming components within the PCD identified as thermal aggressors, the PCD includes a plurality of cores, and the means for responding to the call for additional load further comprises means for reallocating at least one processing load among at least some of the plurality of cores.

18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the means for responding to the call for additional load comprises means for allowing the call for additional load.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the means for responding to the call for additional load further comprises means for reducing power to one or more of the active power consuming components within the PCD.

20. The computer system of claim 18, wherein the means for responding to the call for additional load further comprises means for suspending power to one or more of the active power consuming components within the PCD.

21. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the means for responding to the call for additional load comprises means for rejecting the call for additional load.

22. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the means for monitoring the state of health of the battery comprises means for monitoring a state of voltage.

23. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the means for monitoring the state of health of the battery comprises means for monitoring a state of charge.

24. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the means for monitoring the state of health of the battery comprises means for monitoring a rate of discharge.

25. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for managing battery load in a portable computing device (“

PCD”

), said method comprising;

tracking an active load on a battery in the PCD, wherein the active load is associated with one or more active power consuming components within the PCD;

monitoring a state of health of the battery, wherein the state of health is quantified by one or more measurements associated with the battery;

storing data in a battery load database that identifies the one or more active power consuming components, the state of health quantified by the one or more measurements associated with the battery, a pre-defined battery load state, and historical power consumption levels mapped to particular use cases;

recognizing a call for additional load on the battery, wherein the call for additional load is associated with a request for functionality of the PCD that requires activation of an inactive component within the PCD;

calculating a future active load on the battery that would result from accepting the call for additional load by querying the battery load database; and

responding to the call for additional load on the battery based on an analysis of an impact that the future active load would have on the state of health of the battery stored in the battery load database and on the pre-defined battery load state stored in the battery load database compared with the future active load, wherein responding to the call for additional load further comprises reducing power to one or more of the active power consuming components within the PCD identified as thermal aggressors, the PCD includes a plurality of cores and responding to the call for additional load further comprises reallocating at least one processing load among at least some of the plurality of cores.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein responding to the call for additional load comprises allowing the call for additional load.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein responding to the call for additional load further comprises reducing power to one or more of the active power consuming components within the PCD.

28. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein responding to the call for additional load further comprises suspending power to one or more of the active power consuming components within the PCD.

29. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein responding to the call for additional load comprises rejecting the call for additional load.

30. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein measurements associated with the battery and used to quantify the state of health comprise a state of voltage measurement.

31. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein measurements associated with the battery and used to quantify the state of health comprise a state of charge measurement.

32. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein measurements associated with the battery and used to quantify the state of health comprise a rate of discharge measurement.