Method and device with enhanced battery capacity savings

• US 9,419,457 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2012
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Robinson, James C., Hanley, Michael G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen, Xuxing
• Application Number:
  US13/477,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20140068288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 713/320
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An enhanced battery saving capacity device (200) and method (300) is disclosed. In its simplest form, the method (300) includes the steps of: detecting (310) an off state by detecting a load current below a threshold; and entering (320) a battery saver mode including a duty cycle test period, by: providing a periodic test signal; disconnecting a battery for a first interval of time; and reconnecting the battery for a second interval in synchronization with the periodic test signal, to determine whether the load current exceeds the threshold. The method (300) can reduce power drain when an electronic device is off or stored for an extended period of time. It can also extend the shelf life and minimize the possibility of damage to the life cycle of a battery, by lowering the possibility of severe discharge of a battery.

Claims

1. An enhanced battery saving method of an electronic device including a battery, the method comprising:

detecting an off state of a host associated with the electronic device by detecting a load current below a threshold while the electronic device is not connected to an external power source; and

entering a battery saver mode including a duty cycle test period having a plurality of first time intervals and a plurality of second time intervals, by;

providing a periodic test signal;

disconnecting the battery from the host for a first interval of time of the plurality of first time intervals; and

reconnecting the battery to the host for a second interval of time of the plurality of second time intervals in synchronization with the periodic test signal to determine whether the load current exceeds the threshold.

2. The battery saving method of claim 1, further comprising exiting the battery saver mode in the event the load current exceeds the threshold.

3. The battery saving method of claim 1, wherein the entering of the battery saver mode is initiated as a result of the electronic device being turned to the off state.

4. The battery saving method of claim 1, wherein the entering of the battery saver mode is initiated after a predetermined period of time.

5. The battery saving method of claim 1, wherein the first interval of time is free from having a signal and the second interval of time is generally a current waveform less than the threshold.

6. The battery saving method of claim 1, wherein the periodic test signal of the second interval of time is sampled after an inrush period.

7. The battery saving method of claim 1, wherein the first interval of time is longer than the test signal of the second interval of time.

8. The battery saving method of claim 1, wherein the periodic test signal comprises a frequency range configured to:

reduce a power drain of the battery; and

minimize a power on sequence latency when the battery saver mode is exited for the frequency range associated with reducing the power drain.

9. The battery saving method of claim 1, wherein the periodic test signal includes a signal below the threshold.

10. The battery saving method of claim 1, wherein the threshold is below an on state level current level and above an off state current level.

11. The battery saving method of claim 1, wherein the duty cycle test period is based off of a ten-second duty cycle and the periodic test signal operates at a duty cycle having rate based off of 10% of the duty cycle test period.

12. An enhanced battery saving device comprising:

an electronic device including an actuator and a battery;

a controller coupled to the electronic device, the controller configured to control the operations of the electronic device; and

a power management module configured to detect an off state of the electronic device by detecting a load current below a threshold and enter a battery saver mode including a duty cycle test period having a plurality of first time intervals and a plurality of second time intervals, while the electronic device is not connected to an external power source, the battery saver mode configured to;

provide a periodic test signal;

disconnect a battery from the electronic device for a first interval of time of the plurality of first time intervals; and

reconnect the battery to the electronic device for a second interval of time of the plurality of second time intervals in synchronization with the periodic test signal to determine whether the load current exceeds the threshold.

13. The enhanced battery saving device of claim 12, wherein the power management module is configured to exit the battery saver mode in the event the load current exceeds the threshold.

14. The enhanced battery saving device of claim 12, wherein the power management module is configured to enter the battery saver mode upon the actuator being actuated to the off state.

15. The enhanced battery saving device of claim 12, wherein the power management module is configured to enter the battery saver mode after a predetermined period of time after the actuator is placed in the off state.

16. The enhanced battery saving device of claim 12, wherein the first interval of time is free from having a signal and the second interval of time is generally a current waveform less than the threshold.

17. The enhanced battery saving device of claim 12, wherein the periodic test signal of the second interval of time is sampled after an inrush period.

18. The enhanced battery saving device of claim 12, wherein the first interval of time is longer than the test signal of the second interval of time.

19. The enhanced battery saving device of claim 12, wherein the periodic test signal comprises a frequency range configured to:

reduce a power drain associated with the battery; and

minimize a power on sequence latency when the battery saver mode is exited for the frequency range associated with reducing the power drain.

20. The enhanced battery saving device of claim 12, wherein the periodic test signal includes a signal below the threshold.

21. The enhanced battery saving device of claim 12, wherein the threshold is below an on state level current level and above an off state current level.

22. The enhanced battery saving device of claim 12, wherein the duty cycle test period is based off of a ten-second duty cycle and the periodic test signal operates at a duty cycle having a rate based off of 10% of the duty cycle test period.