System and method for power management of mobile devices

• US 9,618,993 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2015
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vocollect, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Vocollect, Inc. (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Murawski, Mark David, Russell, Philip E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin
• Application Number:
  US14/682,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20150212565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• 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 1/329 by task scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0277 according to available power supply, e.g. switching off when a low battery condition is detected
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and system of managing power usage of devices including selectively executing a program application on a plurality of battery powered devices. Battery usage data is generated for a battery in one or more of the devices during execution of the work application. The battery usage data includes the run-time of the battery for the work application being executed. The data is aggregated and stored for the plurality of devices in memory. An application specific battery profile is generated using the stored battery usage data. The application specific battery profile is associated with the work application being run by the client devices.

Claims

1. A method of managing power usage of a device, comprising:

selectively executing a work application on a plurality of the devices having rechargeable batteries, the work application corresponding to a set of tasks to be performed in a work environment by a user of the device;

generating battery usage data for a rechargeable battery in one or more of the plurality of the devices during execution of the work application, the battery usage data including battery ID information for a specific rechargeable battery in the device of the plurality of the devices and the run-time of the specific rechargeable battery for the work application being executed by the device;

storing in non-transitory memory the battery usage data for a plurality of specific battery IDs and for the plurality of the devices; and

generating an application specific battery profile associated with a specific battery ID of the plurality of specific battery IDs using the stored battery usage data, the application specific battery profile being associated with the work application being run by the device;

adjusting the application specific battery profile associated with the specific battery ID to account for the unique characteristics of the specific rechargeable battery associated with the specific battery ID, wherein the unique characteristics are determined at least in part by the age and number of usage cycles associated with the specific rechargeable battery associated with the specific battery ID;

in response to loading of the work application on the device, determining the battery ID of a replacement battery in the device and transmitting data from the application specific battery profile for that battery ID to the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the battery usage data includes changes in an operating parameter of the battery during execution of the work application, the operating parameter data being used in generating the application specific battery profile.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein operating parameters of the battery comprise a current parameter, a voltage parameter, a temperature parameter, an accumulated current parameter, and/or a cell impedance parameter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the battery usage data includes environmental parameters associated with the device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the environmental parameters associated with the device include a device ID and/or a user ID.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising transceiving the battery usage data from the device to a management system for aggregating and storing the battery usage data.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising using the data from the application specific battery profile on the device when the work application is executed by the device.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising generating additional battery usage data for the device when the work application is executed, and updating the application specific battery profile using the additional battery usage data.

9. A system, comprising:

a device comprising a rechargeable battery and processing circuitry configured to;

selectively execute a work application, the work application corresponding to a set of tasks to be performed in a work environment by a user of the device;

generate battery usage data for the rechargeable battery during execution of the work application, the battery usage data including battery ID information for the specific rechargeable battery in the device and the run-time of the rechargeable battery for the work application being executed by the device; and

transmit the battery usage data; and

a management computer comprising a non-transitory memory and processing circuitry configured to;

receive battery usage data from a plurality of the devices;

store the received battery usage data in memory for a plurality of the rechargeable batteries with specific battery IDs;

generate an application specific battery profile associated with a specific battery ID using the stored battery usage data, the application specific battery profile being associated with the work application being run by the device;

adjust the application specific battery profile associated with the specific battery ID to account for the unique characteristics of the rechargeable battery associated with the specific battery ID, wherein the unique characteristics are determined at least in part by the age and number of usage cycles associated with the rechargeable battery associated with the specific battery ID; and

load a work application on the device to determine the specific battery ID of the rechargeable battery in the device and to transmit data from the application specific battery profile associated with that specific battery ID to the device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the processing circuitry of the device is configured to generate battery usage data comprising changes in at least one of the operating parameters of the rechargeable battery during execution of the work application; and

the processing circuitry of the management computer is configured to use the operating parameter data to generate the application specific battery profile.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the operating parameters of the rechargeable battery comprise a current parameter, a voltage parameter, a temperature parameter, an accumulated current parameter, and/or a cell impedance parameter.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the processing circuitry of the device is configured to generate battery usage data that includes environmental parameters associated with the device; and

the processing circuitry of the management computer is configured to use the environmental parameter data to generate the application specific battery profile.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the environmental parameters associated with the device comprise a device ID and/or a user ID.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the device processing circuitry is configured to use the data from the application specific battery profile when the work application is executed by the device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the device processing circuitry is configured for:

generating additional battery usage data for the device when the work application is executed; and

transmitting the additional data to the management computer.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the management computer processing circuitry is configured for updating the application specific battery profile using the additional battery usage data.

17. A method of creating a battery profile, by a management computer comprising a non-transitory memory and processing circuitry for:

generating an application specific battery profile associated with (i) a specific battery ID and (ii) a work application being run by a device using battery usage data generated by the device during execution of the work application; and

adjusting the application specific battery profile associated with the specific battery ID to account for the unique characteristics of a battery associated with the specific battery ID, wherein the unique characteristics are determined at least in part by the age and number of usage cycles associated with the battery associated with the specific battery ID.

18. The method claim 17, wherein the battery usage data comprises data generated by a plurality of the devices for a plurality of the specific battery IDs.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising transmitting data from the application specific battery profile for the specific battery ID to the device in response to loading of the work application on the device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the battery usage data includes changes in an operating parameter of the battery during execution of the work application, the operating parameter data being used in generating the application specific battery profile.