Monitoring a battery in a portable electronic device

• US 9,831,701 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2016
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Valentine, Val
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodas, Richard Isla
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henze-Gongola, David V
• Application Number:
  US15/048,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20160172879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 320134-136, 324429, 324432, 324433
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3646 for indicating electrical conditions or variables, e.g. visual or audible indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• 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 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3827 Portable transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments provide a system that monitors a battery in a portable electronic device. During operation, the system monitors a state of charge of the battery while the battery is powering the portable electronic device. Next, when the state of charge of the battery reaches a predetermined reserve capacity, the system monitors a voltage of the battery. Then, when the monitored voltage of the battery reaches a predetermined termination voltage, the system puts the portable electronic device into a low power usage state.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a battery of an electronic device, the method comprising:

monitoring a voltage of a battery powering an electronic device;

reducing power drawn by the electronic device responsive to satisfaction of a first criteria, the first criteria comprising whether a plurality of transient voltage-dips below a predetermined threshold voltage are detected; and

further reducing power drawn by the electronic device responsive to satisfaction of a second criteria, the second criteria comprising whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined threshold voltage per unit time exceeds a predetermined value,

wherein the predetermined threshold voltage is greater than a brownout voltage.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a predetermined termination voltage of the battery has been reached responsive to satisfaction of a third criteria, the third criteria comprising at least one of, whether a steady state voltage below the predetermined termination voltage has been measured, and whether a persistence voltage below the predetermined termination voltage has been measured; and

upon such determination, placing the electronic device into at least one of a shutdown state and a hibernation state,

wherein the predetermined termination voltage is greater than the brownout voltage.

3. The method of claim 2, the third criteria further comprising at least one of whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined termination voltage per unit time exceeds a predetermined value, whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined termination voltage exceeds a predetermined number, and whether a duration of at least one transient voltage-dip below the predetermined termination voltage exceeds a predetermined duration.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined termination voltage is equal to the predetermined threshold voltage.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined termination voltage is user selectable.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein reducing power drawn by the electronic device comprises at least one of reducing a brightness of a screen, reducing a volume of a speaker, or shutting down a wireless communication device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein further reducing power drawn by the electronic device comprises at least one of further reducing the brightness of the screen, further reducing the volume of the speaker, and shutting down one or more other resources of the electronic device.

8. A system for monitoring a battery powering an electronic device, the system comprising a voltage monitoring mechanism coupled to the battery, the voltage monitoring mechanism configured to:

monitor a voltage of a battery powering an electronic device;

reduce power drawn by the electronic device responsive to satisfaction of a first criteria, the first criteria comprising whether a plurality of transient voltage-dips below a predetermined threshold voltage are detected; and

further reduce power drawn by the electronic device responsive to satisfaction of a second criteria, the second criteria comprising whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined threshold voltage per unit time exceeds a predetermined value,

wherein the predetermined threshold voltage is greater than a brownout voltage.

9. The system of claim 8, the voltage monitoring mechanism further configured to:

determine that a predetermined termination voltage of the battery has been reached responsive to satisfaction of a third criteria, the third criteria comprising at least one of, whether a steady state voltage below the predetermined termination voltage has been detected, and whether a persistence voltage below the predetermined termination voltage has been detected; and

upon such determination, place the electronic device into one of a shutdown state and a hibernation state,

wherein the predetermined termination voltage is greater than the brownout voltage.

10. The system of claim 9, the third criteria further comprising at least one of whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined termination voltage per unit time exceeds a predetermined value, whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined termination voltage exceeds a predetermined number, and whether a duration of at least one transient voltage-dip below the predetermined termination voltage exceeds a predetermined duration.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the predetermined termination voltage is equal to the predetermined threshold voltage.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined termination voltage is user selectable.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein reducing power drawn by the electronic device comprises at least one of reducing a brightness of a screen, reducing a volume of a speaker, or shutting down a wireless communication device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein further reducing power drawn by the electronic device comprises at least one of further reducing the brightness of the screen, further reducing the volume of the speaker, and shutting down one or more other resources of the electronic device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by an electronic device cause the electronic device to:

monitor a voltage of a battery powering an electronic device;

reduce power drawn by the electronic device responsive to satisfaction of a first criteria, the first criteria comprising whether a plurality of transient voltage-dips below a predetermined threshold voltage are detected; and

further reduce power drawn by the electronic device responsive to satisfaction of a second criteria, the second criteria comprising whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined threshold voltage per unit time exceeds a predetermined value,

wherein the predetermined threshold voltage is greater than a brownout voltage.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further storing instructions to:

determine that a predetermined termination voltage of the battery has been reached responsive to satisfaction of a third criteria, the third criteria comprising at least one of, whether a steady state voltage below the predetermined termination voltage has been measured, and whether a persistence voltage below the predetermined termination voltage has been measured; and

upon such determination, place the electronic device into one of a shutdown state and a hibernation state,

wherein the predetermined termination voltage is greater than the brownout voltage.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, the third criteria further comprising at least one of whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined termination voltage per unit time exceeds a predetermined value, whether a number of transient voltage-dips below the predetermined termination voltage exceeds a predetermined number, and whether a duration of at least one transient voltage-dip below the predetermined termination voltage exceeds a predetermined duration.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of 17, wherein the predetermined termination voltage is equal to the predetermined threshold voltage.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the predetermined termination voltage is user selectable.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of 15, wherein reducing power drawn by the electronic device comprises at least one of reducing a brightness of a screen, reducing a volume of a speaker, or shutting down a wireless communication device.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of 20, wherein further reducing power drawn by the electronic device comprises at least one of further reducing the brightness of the screen, further reducing the volume of the speaker, and shutting down one or more other resources of the electronic device.