Portable device charging system

• US 9,496,736 B1
• Filed: 03/18/2014
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patil, Sandeep Sanjay, Jones, Alun Mark, Johansson, Jesper Mikael, Stathakopoulos, George Nikolaos
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Paul
• Application Number:
  US14/218,943
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 320/103, 320/112, 320/114
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034

Abstract

An accessory device or rechargeable energy pack includes a rechargeable battery or other energy storage that is rechargeable by way of an external source. Energy stored within the accessory device may be used recharge one or more other load devices, such as portable computers, smart phones, or other apparatus. The accessory device may be configured to estimate operating times for such various load devices based on their own respective, stored energy levels, and to communicate those estimates to the load devices or other entities. The accessory device may control an amount of energy delivered to a load device based on estimated energy consumption for a future period of time. Operating times for respective load devices may be increased or managed by way of operations and resources of the accessory device.

Claims

1. A method performed at least in part by a hardware processor of a rechargeable energy pack including one or more energy storage devices, the method comprising:

in response to the rechargeable energy pack being coupled to a load device, determining a present energy level of an energy storage device of the load device;

estimating an energy consumption of the load device for a future time span;

using the hardware processor, determining, based on the estimated energy consumption, a projected energy level for the energy storage device, wherein the projected energy level is greater than the present energy level; and

providing energy from the one or more energy storage devices of the rechargeable energy pack to the energy storage device of the load device until the energy storage device of the load device reaches the projected energy level.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating, from the rechargeable energy pack to the load device, the projected energy level, wherein the communicating is performed using a wireless communication interface of the rechargeable energy pack; and

presenting, using an output device associated with the load device, the projected energy level.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based at least in part on the projected energy level, a quantity of energy to be stored in the one or more energy storage devices of the rechargeable energy pack; and

charging, by way of power received from an external energy source, the one or more energy storage devices of the rechargeable energy pack in accordance with the quantity of energy.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

estimating, based on one or more of the present energy level of the energy storage device of the load device or an energy level stored within the one or more of the energy storage devices of the rechargeable energy pack, an operating time for the load device; and

presenting, using an output device associated with the rechargeable energy pack, the estimated operating time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

charging, by way of power received from an energy source coupled to the rechargeable energy pack, the one or more energy storage devices of the rechargeable energy pack, wherein the charging is controlled by way of the hardware processor; and

providing, during the charging of the one or more energy storage devices of the rechargeable energy pack, energy from the one or more energy storage devices of the rechargeable energy pack to the energy storage device of the load device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

charging the one or more energy storage devices of the rechargeable energy pack by way of a communications port of the rechargeable energy pack; and

communicating, by way of the communications port, data regarding the rechargeable energy pack to another entity during the charging of the one or more energy storage devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the load device is a first load device, the method further comprising:

determining an energy level for an energy storage device of a second load device; and

providing, during the providing energy to the first load device, energy from the rechargeable energy pack to the energy storage device of the second load device to charge the energy storage device of the second load device to the determined energy level.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disabling a communications line of a port of the rechargeable energy pack, wherein the port is configured to be electrically coupled to an external energy source; and

charging, by way of power received from the external energy source through the port, the one or more energy storage devices of the rechargeable energy pack.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing, within a memory of the rechargeable energy pack, a power profile for the load device; and

estimating, using the power profile, the energy consumption of the load device for the future time span.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing, within a memory of the rechargeable energy pack, historic usage data corresponding to the load device;

generating, based on the historic usage data, a power profile for the load device, wherein the generating is performed by operation of the hardware processor; and

storing, within at least one memory, the power profile.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the load device is a first load device, the method further comprising:

allocating, based on one or more corresponding power profiles, respective quantities of energy to be provided to the first load device and a second load device; and

providing, from the rechargeable energy pack, the respective quantities of energy to the first load device and the second load device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining calendar data associated with the load device;

wherein the estimating the energy consumption of the load device for the future time span is based at least in part on the calendar data.

13. A system comprising:

a rechargeable energy pack including a first energy storage device;

one or more memories storing computer-executable instructions; and

one or more hardware processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

determine a present energy level associated with a second energy storage device of a load device;

access a power profile associated with the load device, wherein the power profile is based on usage data for the load device;

estimate, based at least in part on the power profile, a future energy consumption of the load device; and

provide a quantity of energy from the first energy storage device of the rechargeable energy pack to the second energy storage device of the load device, wherein the quantity is determined based at least in part on the future energy consumption.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising computer-executable instructions to:

measure the usage data for the load device;

generate, based at least in part on the usage data, the power profile for the load device; and

store the power profile in the one or more memories.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising computer-executable instructions to:

determine an energy level associated with the first energy storage device of the rechargeable energy pack;

estimate, based at least in part on the present energy level associated with the second energy storage device and the energy level associated with the first energy storage device of the rechargeable energy pack, an operating time for the load device; and

present, using an output device, the operating time.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising computer-executable instructions to:

determine, based on the future energy consumption, a projected energy level for the second energy storage device; and

determine the quantity of energy based on a difference between the projected energy level and the present energy level.

17. A method comprising:

electrically coupling a rechargeable battery pack having a first battery to an electronic device having a second battery;

determining, using a processor of the rechargeable battery pack, a present energy level of the second battery of the electronic device;

determining, using the processor, a greater energy level of the second battery to operate the electronic device for a future time span;

determining, using the processor, a time period to charge the second battery from the present energy level to the greater energy level;

communicating to the electronic device, using the processor, data indicating one or more of the present energy level, the greater energy level, or the time period to charge the second battery; and

providing electrical energy from the first battery of the rechargeable battery pack to the second battery of the electronic device to charge the second battery to the greater energy level in accordance with the time period.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining, using the processor, usage data for the electronic device; and

wherein one or more of the time period, the greater energy level, or the future time span is determined based at least in part on the present energy level and the usage data.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

communicating, using the processor, information regarding charging of the second battery to an entity; and

receiving, from the entity, usage data for the electronic device.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining calendar data for the electronic device;

determining, based on the calendar data, a level of future use for the electronic device; and

determining, based on the level of future use, one or more of the time period, the greater energy level, or the future time span.