Extended battery cycle life through smart charging of rechargeable batteries

• US 9,847,661 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2016
• Issued: 12/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Nilles, Gerald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US15/295,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20170033584A1
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 320114
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0069 Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule

Abstract

A rechargeable mobile terminal is provided that provides a maximum charge rate of a rechargeable battery during active user hours of the day and provides the potential for applying a decreased charge rate of the rechargeable battery when the mobile terminal determines that the user has set the alarm clock function of the mobile terminal and that the time between the present time and the set alarm time (the delta time) is greater than an amount of time required to charge the rechargeable battery at a maximum charge rate.

Claims

1. A user device comprising:

a charging circuit configured to charge a battery at a maximum charge rate or a decreased charge rate; and

a processor, connected to the charging circuit, the processor configured to;

sense that the charging circuit is receiving power from an external power source; and

determine whether a user set alarm clock event will occur more than a minimum charge time of the battery in the future; and

responsive to a determination that the user set alarm clock event is set to occur more than the minimum charge time of the battery in the future, charge the battery by the charging circuit at a reduced charge rate, the reduced charge rate being from 1 to 99 percent of the maximum charge rate.

2. The user device of claim 1, wherein, prior to the determination, the battery is being charged by the charging circuit at the maximum charge rate.

3. The user device of claim 1, wherein the determination by the processor further comprises a determination that the user device has been stationary for a non-movement time, and wherein the charge of the battery at the reduced charge rate is also responsive to the user device being stationary for at least the non-movement time.

4. The user device of claim 1, wherein the determination by the processor further comprises a determination that sound about the user device has been below a predetermined decibel level for a predetermined quiet time, and wherein the charge of the battery at the reduced charge rate is also responsive to the sound about the user device being below the predetermined decibel level for at least the predetermined quiet time.

5. The user device of claim 1, wherein the determination by the processor further comprises a determination that the light level about the user device is below a predetermined lumen level for at least a predetermined low lumen time, and wherein the charge of the battery at the reduced charge rate is also responsive to the ambient light about the user device being below the predetermined lumen level for at least the predetermined low lumen time.

6. The user device of claim 1, wherein the charge of the battery charges the battery at the reduced rate such that the battery will be fully charged after the minimum charge time and before the alarm time.

7. One or more memory having instructions thereon that, responsive to the instructions being run by a processor, perform operations comprising:

sensing that a charging circuit of a device is receiving power from an external power source;

determining that a user set alarm clock event will occur more than a minimum charge time of a battery associated with the device; and

when the user set alarm clock event is determined to occur more than the minimum charge time of the battery, charging the battery by the charging circuit at a reduced charge rate, the reduced charge rate being from 1 to 99 percent of a maximum charge rate, otherwise charging the battery at the maximum charge rate.

8. The memory of claim 7, wherein prior to determining whether the user set alarm clock event will occur more than the minimum charge time, the operations further comprise charging, by the charging circuit, the battery at the maximum charge rate.

9. The memory of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether the device has been stationary for a non-movement time; and

when the user set alarm clock event is determined to occur more than the minimum charge time and the device has been stationary for at least the non-movement time, charging the battery by the charging circuit at the reduced charge rate.

10. The memory of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether sound about the device has been below a predetermined decibel level for a predetermined quiet time; and

when the user set alarm clock event is determined to occur more than the minimum charge time and the sound about the device has been below the predetermined decibel level for at least the predetermined quiet time, charging the battery by the charging circuit at the reduced charge rate.

11. The memory of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining whether a light level about the device is below a predetermined lumen level for at least a predetermined low lumen time; and

when the user set alarm clock event is determined to occur more than the predetermined time and the light level about the device has been below the predetermined lumen level for at least the predetermined low lumen time, charging the battery by the charging circuit at the reduced charge rate.

12. A rechargeable user equipment comprising:

a charging circuit configured to charge a battery at a maximum charge rate or a decreased charge rate, the charging circuit comprising an input adapted for connection to a charging device;

a motion sensing circuit for sensing non-movement of the rechargeable user equipment;

an audio sensing circuit for sensing a sound level about the rechargeable user equipment;

a processor, connected to the charging circuit, the motion sensing circuit, and the audio sensing circuit, the processor configured to;

determine whether the charging circuit is receiving power at the input;

determine whether the motion sensing circuit has sensed non-movement for a predetermined non-movement time;

determine whether the audio sensing device has sensed that the sound level has been below a predetermined decibel level for a predetermined quiet time; and

responsive to the charging circuit receiving power at the input, the motion sensing circuit having sensed non-movement for the predetermined non-movement time, and the audio sensing device having sensed that the sound level has been below the predetermined decibel level for the predetermined quiet time, provide a decreased charge rate signal to the charging circuit.

13. The rechargeable user equipment of claim 12, further comprising a light sensing circuit for sensing ambient light about the rechargeable user equipment, the processor further configured to provide the decreased charge rate signal to the charging circuit responsive to determining that the ambient light about the rechargeable user equipment is below a predetermined lumen level.

14. The rechargeable user equipment of claim 12, wherein the charging circuit is configured to charge the battery at the decreased charge rate when receiving the decreased charge rate signal.

15. The rechargeable user equipment, of claim 12, wherein the decreased charge rate signal is configured to set the charge rate of the charging circuit to a variable charge rate that is below the maximum charge rate, the variable charge rate based on a user set alarm clock event.

16. The rechargeable user equipment of claim 15, wherein the processor determines the variable charge rate based on a maximum mAh of the battery, a present charge of the battery, and an amount of time between the present time and the user set alarm clock event.

17. A mobile communication device comprising:

a light sensor for sensing ambient light;

a sound sensor for sensing sound;

a battery;

a charging circuit configured to charge the battery and adapted for connection to a power source;

a processor connected to the light sensor, the sound sensor, and the charging circuit, the processor configured to;

determine whether the charging circuit is receiving power from the power source;

determine whether the light sensor has sensed that the ambient light is below a predetermined lumen level;

determine whether the sound sensor has sensed that the sound has been below a predetermined decibel level for a predetermined quiet time; and

responsive to determining that the charging circuit is receiving power, the light sensor has sensed that the ambient light is below the predetermined lumen level, and the sound sensor has sensed that the sound has been below the predetermined decibel level for the predetermined quiet time, provide a decreased charge rate signal to the charging circuit.

18. The mobile communication device of claim 17, further comprising a user interface, and wherein the processor further determines whether an input has been received through the user interface, the input indicating that the mobile communication device will continue to receive power from the power source for a delta time, and wherein the processor is further configured to provide the decreased rate signal to the charging circuit responsive to the determination that the delta time is greater than an amount of time to charge the rechargeable battery at a maximum charge rate.

19. The mobile communication device of claim 18, wherein the input is a user set alarm clock event.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a motion signal from a motion sensor and determine whether the mobile communication device has been stationary for at least a stationary time period, the processor further configured to provide the decreased rate signal to the charging circuit responsive to the determination that the mobile communication device has been stationary for at least the stationary time period.