Accessory and host battery synchronization

• US 9,015,512 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2011
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Golembeski, Gregg J. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): MISIURA, BRIAN THOMAS
• Application Number:
  US13/278,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20130103965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103, 320/137, 713/340
• US Class Current: 713/340
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A portable electronic device that can receive power from an internal power source (such as a battery) and/or a second portable electronic device is described. In order to coordinate the power availability in these portable electronic devices, a power-management mechanism in the portable electronic device (which may be implemented in hardware and/or software) may determine a power state of an internal power source in the second portable electronic device, and may accordingly adjust a power consumption by circuits in the portable electronic device and/or the power received from the second portable electronic device. In this way, the power-management mechanism may approximately synchronize the power consumption in the portable electronic devices and/or the power states of the internal power sources in the portable electronic devices. This approximate synchronization may facilitate concurrent operation of the portable electronic devices.

Claims

1. A first portable electronic device, comprising:

a first power source configured to supply power to circuits in the first portable electronic device;

an interface circuit configured to communicate with and receive power from a second portable electronic device; and

a power-management mechanism configured to;

monitor a power state of the first power source;

manage power consumption by the circuits in the first portable electronic device;

determine, via the power-management mechanism in the first portable electronic device, a second power state of a second power source in the second portable electronic device; and

via the power-management mechanism, separately adjust based on the first and second power states,

a power consumption of circuits in the first portable electronic device,

a power consumption of circuits in the second portable electronic device,

a power received by the first portable electronic device from the second portable electronic device, and

a power sent from the first portable electronic device to the second portable electronic device.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the power-management mechanism approximately synchronizes power consumption of the first and second portable electronic devices.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 2, wherein the approximate synchronization facilitates concurrent operation of the first and second portable electronic devices.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first power state includes available power from the first power source and the second power state includes available power from the second power source.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 4, wherein the power-management mechanism approximately synchronizes the first and second power state.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the power-management mechanism determines the second power state based on an electrical signal provided by a second power-management mechanism in the second portable electronic device, which is conveyed via the interface circuit.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the power-management mechanism determines the second power state by communicating, via the interface circuit, a power-state query to the second portable electronic device and receiving, via the interface circuit, an answer to the power-state query from the second portable electronic device.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the interface circuit is configured to provide power to the second portable electronic device from the portable electronic device;

and

wherein the power-management mechanism is configured to provide the power to the second portable electronic device based on the first and second power states.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the power-management mechanism is configured to determine a second power consumption of second circuits in the second portable electronic device and to adjust the second power consumption by the second circuits based on the first and second power states.

10. A first portable electronic device, comprising:

a first power source configured to supply power to circuits in the first portable electronic device;

an interface circuit configured to communicate with and receive power from a second portable electronic device; and

control logic configured to;

monitor a first power state of the first power source;

manage power consumption by the circuits in the first portable electronic device;

determine, via a power-management mechanism in the first portable electronic device, a second power state of a second power source in the second portable electronic device; and

via the power-management mechanism, separately adjust based on the first and second power states,

a power consumption of circuits in the first portable electronic device,

a power consumption of circuits in the second portable electronic device,

a power received by the first portable electronic device from the second portable electronic device, and

a power sent from the first portable electronic device to the second portable electronic device.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the control logic approximately synchronizes power consumption of the first and second portable electronic devices.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the first power state includes available power from the first power source and the second power state includes available power from the second power source.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 12, wherein the control logic approximately synchronizes the first and second power states.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the interface circuit is configured to provide power to the second portable electronic device from the first portable electronic device;

and

wherein the control logic is configured to provide the power to the second portable electronic device based on the first and second power states.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 10, wherein the control logic is configured to determine a second power consumption of second circuits in the second portable electronic device and to adjust the second power consumption by the second circuits based on the first and second power states.

16. A first portable electronic device, comprising:

a first power source configured to supply power to circuits in the first portable electronic device;

an interface circuit configured to communicate with and receive power from a second portable electronic device;

a processor;

memory; and

a program module, wherein the program module is stored in the memory and configurable to be executed by the processor to perform power management operations, the program module including;

instructions for monitoring a first power state of the first power source;

instructions for managing power consumption by the circuits in the first portable electronic device;

instructions for determining, via a power-management mechanism in the first portable electronic device, a second power state of a second power source in a second portable electronic device that provides power to the first portable electronic device via an interface circuit; and

instructions for separately adjusting based on the first and second power states and via the power-management mechanism,

a power consumption of circuits in the first portable electronic device,

a power consumption of circuits in the second portable electronic device,

a power received by the first portable electronic device from the second portable electronic device, and

a power sent from the first portable electronic device to the second portable electronic device.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the adjusting approximately synchronizes power consumption of the first and second portable electronic devices.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the first power state includes available power from the first power source and the second power state includes available power from the second power source.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 18, wherein the adjusting approximately synchronizes the first and second power states.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the interface circuit provides power to the second portable electronic device from the first portable electronic device;

and

wherein the program module includes instructions for providing the power to the second portable electronic device based on the power state and the second power state.

21. The portable electronic device of claim 16, wherein the program module includes instructions for determining a second power consumption of second circuits in the second portable electronic device and to adjust the second power consumption by the second circuits based on the power state and the second power state.

22. A computer-program product for use in conjunction with a first portable electronic device, the computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and a computer-program mechanism embedded therein, to perform power management, the computer-program mechanism including:

instructions for monitoring a first power state of a first power source in the first portable electronic device that supplies power to circuits in the first portable electronic device;

instructions for managing power consumption by the circuits in the first portable electronic device;

instructions for determining, via a power-management mechanism in the first portable electronic device, a second power state of a second power source in a second portable electronic device that provides power to the first portable electronic device via an interface circuit; and

instructions for separately adjusting based on the first and second power states and via the power-management mechanism,

a power consumption of circuits in the first portable electronic device,

a power consumption of circuits in the second portable electronic device,

a power received by the first portable electronic device from the second portable electronic device, and

a power sent from the first portable electronic device to the second portable electronic device.

23. A method for performing power management, the method comprising:

monitoring a first power state of a first power source in a first portable electronic device that supplies power to circuits in the first portable electronic device;

managing power consumption by the circuits in the first portable electronic device;

determining, via a power-management mechanism in the first portable electronic device, a second power state of a second power source in a second portable electronic device that provides power to the first portable electronic device via an interface circuit; and

separately adjusting, via the power-management mechanism and based on the first and second power states,

a power consumption of circuits in the first portable electronic device,

a power consumption of circuits in the second portable electronic device,

a power received by the first portable electronic device from the second portable electronic device, and

a power sent from the first portable electronic device to the second portable electronic device.