Schedule-based energy storage device selection

• US 10,061,366 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2015
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Badam, Anirudh, Chandra, Ranveer, Priyantha, Nissanka Arachchige Bodhi, Dutra, Jonathan Alan, Meinershagen, Julia L., Hodges, Stephen E., Moscibroda, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): JOHNSON, TERRELL S
• Application Number:
  US14/943,967
• Publication Number:
  US 20170139459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/263 Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC G06F1/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Schedule-based energy storage device selection is described for a device having an energy storage device system with heterogeneous energy storage devices, such as heterogeneous battery cells. The techniques discussed herein use information regarding a user'"'"'s schedule (e.g., the user'"'"'s calendar) to predict future workload patterns for a computing device and reserve energy storage device capacities across multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices to improve efficiency of the energy storage devices. For example, if a user is expected to attend a video conference call later in the day (e.g., due to the video conference call being on the user'"'"'s calendar), then energy in an energy storage device that is better capable of handling such a workload (providing power during the video conference call) more efficiently is preserved so that the energy is available when the video conference call occurs.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a computing device having multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices, the method comprising:

predicting usage behavior of the computing device over a period of time;

determining, based on the predicted usage behavior of the computing device over the period of time, a predicted amount of energy use for each of multiple epochs in the period of time;

determining, based on the predicted amount of energy use for subsequent epochs of the multiple epochs relative to one or more threshold values, an energy ratio, the energy ratio indicating an amount of energy to draw from one of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices relative to at least one other of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices; and

drawing energy, during each of the multiple epochs, from each of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices in accordance with the determined energy ratio for the epoch.

2. The method of claim 1, the predicting usage behavior comprising predicting the usage behavior of the computing device based on past usage behavior of the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, the predicting usage behavior comprising predicting the usage behavior of the computing device based on scheduled future usage behavior of the computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, the scheduled future usage behavior of the computing device comprising at least one future meeting or appointment of a user of the computing device as indicated in a calendar of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, the period of time comprising a day.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a charging mode for at least one of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices based on the predicted usage behavior of the computing device over the period of time.

7. The method of claim 1, the drawing energy during an epoch comprising drawing energy from each of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices simultaneously during the epoch.

8. The method of claim 1, the drawing energy during an epoch comprising cycling between the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices during the epoch.

9. The method of claim 1, the determining the energy ratio for an epoch comprising using a first energy ratio in response to the predicted amount of energy being less than a first threshold amount, using a second energy ratio in response to the predicted amount of energy being greater than a second threshold amount, and using a third energy ratio in response to the predicted amount of energy being between the first threshold amount and the second threshold amount, the first threshold amount and the second threshold amount being different amounts, and the first energy ratio, the second energy ratio, and the third energy ratio being different energy ratios.

10. A computing device comprising:

an energy storage device system including multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices;

an energy storage device selection system configured to communicate, to the energy storage device system, an energy ratio for drawing energy from ones of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices, the energy storage device selection system including;

a device usage prediction module configured to predict usage behavior of the computing device over a period of time;

an estimation module configured to determine, based on the predicted usage behavior of the computing device over the period of time, a predicted amount of energy use for each of multiple epochs in the period of time; and

a power ratio estimator module configured to determine the energy ratio based on the predicted amount of energy use for each of the multiple epochs in the period of time, the energy ratio indicating an amount of energy to draw from each of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices relative to at least one other of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices during each of the multiple epochs in the period of time; and

the energy storage device system further configured to draw energy, during each of the multiple epochs in the period of time, from each of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices in accordance with the energy ratio for the epoch.

11. The computing device of claim 10, the predicted usage behavior comprising usage behavior of the computing device predicted based on past usage behavior of the computing device.

12. The computing device of claim 10, the predicted usage behavior comprising usage behavior of the computing device predicted based on scheduled future usage behavior of the computing device.

13. The computing device of claim 10, the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices comprising multiple heterogeneous battery cells.

14. The computing device of claim 10, the energy storage device selection system being further configured to select a charging mode for at least one of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices based on the predicted usage behavior of the computing device over the period of time.

15. The computing device of claim 10, the predicted amount of energy use comprising an average predicted amount of energy use for subsequent epochs of the multiple epochs.

16. A computing device comprising:

an energy storage device system including multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon multiple instructions that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts including;

predicting usage behavior of the computing device over a period of time;

determining, based on the predicted usage of the computing device over the period of time, a predicted amount of energy use for each of multiple epochs in the period of time;

determining, based on the predicted amount of energy use for subsequent epochs of the multiple epochs, an energy ratio indicating an amount of energy to draw from one of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices relative to at least one other of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices for each of the multiple epochs; and

communicating an indication of the energy ratio to the energy storage device system for the energy storage device system to draw energy from each of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices during each of the multiple epochs in accordance with the energy ratio.

17. The computing device of claim 16, the predicted usage behavior comprising usage behavior of the computing device predicted based on past usage behavior of the computing device.

18. The computing device of claim 16, the predicted usage behavior comprising usage behavior of the computing device predicted based on scheduled future usage behavior of the computing device.

19. The computing device of claim 16, the energy ratio comprising a power ratio.

20. The computing device of claim 16, the acts further comprising selecting a charging mode for at least one of the multiple heterogeneous energy storage devices based on the predicted usage behavior of the computing device over the period of time.