Report updated threshold level based on parameter

• US 9,360,917 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2011
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Rogers, Keith A, Atkinson, Lee Warren, Marquez, Ricardo, Walrath, Craig A
• Primary Examiner(s): Du, Thuan
• Application Number:
  US14/354,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20140304542A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• 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 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4418 Suspend and resume; Hibernate and awake

Abstract

Example embodiments disclosed herein relate to reporting a first updated threshold level related to a battery. A parameter related to power to be drawn by the computing device for the first OS to enter a hibernate state is monitored. The first updated threshold level are set based on the parameter. The first updated threshold level is reported to the first OS. The first OS is to vary the first battery level threshold based on the first updated threshold level.

Claims

1. A method for indicating battery power, comprising:

monitoring a parameter related to power to be drawn by a computing device if a first operating system (OS) running on the computing device is to enter a hibernate state, the parameter to vary with operation of the computing device;

setting at least one of a first modified remaining battery capacity and a first updated threshold level based on the monitored parameter; and

reporting to the first OS at least one of the first modified remaining battery capacity in place of the actual remaining battery capacity and the first updated threshold level to replace the first battery level threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the first battery level threshold from the first OS; and

determining an actual remaining battery capacity of a battery powering the computing device, wherein

the setting sets the first modified remaining battery capacity based on the received first battery level threshold and the determined actual remaining battery capacity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein,

the first OS is to enter a sleep state if the first OS receives a sleep command, and

the setting sets at least one of the first modified remaining battery capacity and the first updated threshold level such that a reserve of the battery is enough to power the first OS to enter sleep state and wake from the sleep state before entering the hibernate state.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

monitoring an amount of information from a memory to be saved, and

setting at least one of the first modified remaining battery capacity and the first updated threshold level based on the amount of information to be saved.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

monitoring priorities of redundant and non-redundant types of the information to be saved, and

setting at least one of the first modified remaining battery capacity and the first updated threshold level based on an amount of the non-redundant type of the information having a greater priority than that of the redundant type of information.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining at least one of an age, power capacity and number of refresh cycles of the battery, and

setting at least one of the first modified remaining battery capacity and the first updated threshold level based on at least one of the age, power capacity and number of refresh cycles of the battery.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining at least one of a temperature, processing speed, and power utilization of a component of the computing device, the power utilization to vary based on at least one of complexity of software running on the computing device and a usage pattern of the computing device, and

setting at least one of the first modified remaining battery capacity and the first updated threshold level based on at least one of the temperature, the processing speed and the power utilization of the component of the computing device.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining at least one of a time and a power consumption to power down a peripheral device connected to the computing device, the time to power down including a time to save information of the peripheral device, and

setting at least one of the first modified remaining battery capacity and the first updated threshold level based at least one of the time and power consumption to power down the peripheral device.

9. The method of claim 2, further comprising,

receiving a second battery level threshold from a second OS running on the computing device,

monitoring a parameter of the second OS related to power to be drawn by the computing device for the second OS to enter the hibernate state, the parameter of the second OS to vary with operation of the computing device,

setting at least one of a second modified remaining battery capacity and a second updated threshold level based on the monitored parameter of the second OS, and

reporting to the second OS at least one of the second modified remaining battery capacity in place of the actual remaining battery capacity and the second updated threshold level to replace the second battery level threshold, the second OS to enter the hibernate state if the second modified remaining battery capacity is less than a second battery level threshold and the second OS to vary the second battery level threshold based on the second updated threshold level.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving the second battery level threshold from the second OS,

determining at least one of runtime percentage and user activity of the first and second OSs,

splitting the determined actual remaining battery capacity into a first power portion and a second power portion based on the monitoring,

setting the second modified remaining battery capacity based on the received second battery level threshold and one of the first and second power portions, and

setting the first modified remaining battery capacity based on another of the first and second power portions.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising,

setting the first modified remaining battery capacity to be greater than the second modified remaining battery capacity if the first OS has at least one of a greater runtime percentage and user activity than that of the second OS,

setting the second modified remaining battery capacity to be greater than the first modified remaining battery capacity if the second OS has at least one of a greater runtime percentage and user activity than that of the first OS,

setting the first updated threshold level to be lower than the second updated threshold level if the first OS has at least one of a greater runtime percentage and user activity than that of the second OS, and

setting the second updated threshold level to be lower than the first updated threshold level if the second OS has at least one of a greater runtime percentage and user activity than that of the first OS.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining first and second warnings based on the monitoring;

sending the first warning value to the first OS, the first warning value to indicate the actual remaining battery capacity at which the first OS is to warn the user that the battery is low; and

sending the second warning value to the second OS, the second warning value to indicate the actual remaining battery capacity at which the second OS is to warn the user that the battery is low.

14. The computing device of claim 12, further comprising:

a first memory storing information to be saved before entering the hibernate state;

a second memory; and

a processor to store the information to the second memory, wherein

the parameter monitored by the monitor module relates to at least one of a size and type of the information, a speed and reliability of at least one of the first and second memories, a speed and temperature of the processor, and a capacity and age of the battery.

13. A computing device, comprising:

an interface module to receive a first battery level threshold from a first operating system (OS) running on a computing device powered by a battery;

a monitor module to monitor an actual remaining battery capacity of the battery and a parameter related to power to be drawn by the computing device for the first OS to enter a hibernate state, the parameter to vary with operation of the computing device; and

a level module to set a first updated threshold level, the first updated threshold level to be set based on the parameter, wherein

the interface module is to report the first updated threshold level to the first OS, the first OS to enter the hibernate state if the actual remain battery capacity is less than the first battery level threshold and the first OS is to vary the first battery level threshold based on the first updated threshold level.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, if executed by a processor of a device, cause the processor to:

determine a first battery level threshold from a first operating system (OS) running on the device powered by a battery;

monitor an actual remaining battery capacity of the battery and a parameter related to power drawn by the computing device for the first OS to transition to a hibernate state, the parameter to vary with operation of the computing device;

set at least one of a first modified remaining battery capacity and a first updated threshold level, the first modified remaining battery capacity to be set based on the determined first battery level threshold, the monitored actual remaining battery capacity and the parameter and the first updated threshold level to be set based on the parameter; and

report at least one of the first modified remaining battery capacity and the first updated threshold level to the first OS, the first OS to enter the hibernate state if the first modified remaining battery capacity is less than the first battery level threshold and the first OS to vary the first battery level threshold based on the first updated threshold level.