Managing energy usage in mobile devices

• US 10,306,051 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Parikh, Chirant, Ehler, Michael, Howe, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Diao, M Baye
• Application Number:
  US15/613,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20170358940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 320136
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3842 combining voltage and current measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/44 Testing lamps
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• 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 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0025 Sequential battery discharge in systems with a plurality of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00711 with introduction of pulses during the charging process
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0264 for a camera module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/028 switching on or off only a part of the equipment circuit blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0227 Applications
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/84 Heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas, e.g. for demisting or de-icing windows, mirrors or vehicle windshields
• 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

A battery powered mobile device has battery monitoring circuit that measures one or more parameters indicative of a current state of the battery. A plurality of operational systems and processes form a part of the mobile device. A programmed processor is programmed to carry out a process that includes: determining a current state of the battery by receiving data representing the one or more parameters from the battery monitoring circuit indicative of the current state of the battery; calculating a battery power factor as a function of the parameter; comparing the battery power factor to a threshold; when the battery power factor exceeds the threshold, identifying a system or process within the mobile device whose power consumption can be reduced; and reducing the power consumption by altering or disabling the identified system or process.

Claims

1. A method of managing power in a battery powered mobile device, comprising:

measuring, with a battery monitoring circuit, one or more parameters indicative of a current state of a battery;

determining, with a processor, the current state of the battery by receiving data representing the measured one or more parameters;

calculating, with the processor, a battery power factor as a function of the received data;

comparing, with the processor, the battery power factor to a threshold;

when the battery power factor exceeds the threshold, identifying, with the processor, a system or process within the mobile device whose power consumption can be reduced; and

altering or disabling, with the processor, the identified system or process to reduce power consumption.

2. The method according to claim 1, where the identifying is carried out on the basis of an assigned priority of a plurality of systems or processes and selecting a lowest priority system or process that can be converted to a lower power consumption state as the identified system or process.

3. The method according to claim 1, where the determining measuring comprises measuring a battery temperature, battery terminal voltage, and battery current draw.

4. The method according to claim 3, where the battery power factor is calculated by:

assigning a value to each of the current state of the battery temperature as T;

assigning a value to the terminal voltage as V;

assigning a value to the current draw as I; and

computing the battery power factor as the sum of T, V and I.

5. The method according to claim 1, where the identified system or process comprises a heater element, and where the power consumption is reduced by either deactivating the heater element or causing the heater element to operate at less than 100% heat generation.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

repeating the determining, calculating, and comparing;

identifying a further system or process within the mobile device whose power consumption can be reduced; and

further reducing the power consumption by altering or disabling the further system or process.

7. The method according to claim 6, where identifying a system and identifying a further system are carried out on the basis of an assigned priority of a plurality of systems or processes and selecting a lowest priority system or process that can be converted to a lower power consumption state as the identified system or process and further identified system or process.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the current battery factor is lower than a prior battery factor by a prescribed amount;

and upon determining that the current battery factor is lower than the prior battery factor by the prescribed amount, selecting a system or process for restoration to a higher power consumption state; and

restoring the system or process to a higher power consumption state.

9. The method according to claim 8, where the selecting is carried out on the basis of an assigned priority of a plurality of systems or processes and selecting a higher priority system or process that can be converted to a higher power consumption state as the selected system or process.

10. A battery powered mobile device, comprising:

a battery;

a battery monitoring circuit that measures one or more parameters indicative of a current state of the battery;

a plurality of operational systems and processes forming a part of the mobile device;

a programmed processor programmed to carry out a process comprising;

determining a current state of the battery by receiving data representing the one or more parameters from the battery monitoring circuit indicative of the current state of the battery;

calculating a battery power factor as a function of the received data;

comparing the battery power factor to a threshold;

when the battery power factor exceeds the threshold, identifying a system or process within the mobile device whose power consumption can be reduced; and

altering or disabling the identified system or process to reduce power consumption.

11. The battery powered mobile device according to claim 10, where the identifying is carried out by the processor on the basis of an assigned priority of the plurality of systems or processes and selecting a lowest priority system or process that can be converted to a lower power consumption state as the identified system or process.

12. The battery powered mobile device according to claim 10, where the determining is carried out by the processor on the basis of a battery temperature, battery terminal voltage, and battery current draw as measured by the battery monitor circuit.

13. The battery powered mobile device according to claim 12, where the processor calculates the battery power factor by:

assigning a value to each of the current state of the battery temperature as T;

assigning a value to the terminal voltage as V;

assigning a value to the current draw as I; and

computing the battery power factor as the sum of T, V and I.

14. The battery powered mobile device according to claim 10, where the identified system or process comprises a heater element, and where the processor reduces the power consumption by either deactivating the heater element or causing the heater element to operate at less than 100% heat generation.

15. The battery powered mobile device according to claim 10, where the processor is further programmed to:

repeat the determining, calculating, and comparing;

identify a further system or process within the mobile device whose power consumption can be reduced; and

further reduce the power consumption by altering or disabling the further system or process.

16. The battery powered mobile device according to claim 15, where identifying a system or process and identifying a further system or process are carried out by the processor on the basis of an assigned priority of a plurality of systems or processes and selecting a lowest priority system or process that can be converted to a lower power consumption state as the identified system or process and further identified system or process.

17. The battery powered mobile device according to claim 10, where the processor is further programmed to:

determine that the current battery factor is lower than a prior battery factor by a prescribed amount;

and upon determining that the current battery factor is lower than the prior battery factor by the prescribed amount, select a system or process for restoration to a higher power consumption state; and

restore the selected system or process to a higher power consumption state.

18. The battery powered mobile device according to claim 17, where the selecting is carried out on the basis of an assigned priority of a plurality of systems or processes and selecting a higher priority system or process that can be converted to a higher power consumption state as the selected system or process.

19. A battery powered mobile device, comprising:

a battery;

a battery monitoring circuit that measures battery temperature, battery terminal voltage and battery current draw as an indication of a current state of the battery;

a plurality of operational systems and processes forming a part of the mobile device;

a stored priority table that tabulates an assigned priority of the plurality of systems or processes that can be converted to a lower power consumption state;

a programmed processor programmed to carry out a process comprising;

determining a current state of the battery by receiving data representing the battery temperature, battery terminal voltage, and battery current draw;

calculating a battery power factor by assigning a value to the current state of the battery temperature as T, assigning a value to the terminal voltage as V, assigning a value to the current draw as I, and computing the battery power factor as the sum of T, V and I;

comparing the battery power factor to a threshold;

when the battery power factor exceeds the threshold, identifying a system or process within the mobile device whose power consumption can be reduced by reference to the priority table and selecting a lowest priority system or process that can be converted to a lower power consumption state; and

altering or disabling the identified system or process to reduce power consumption.

20. The battery powered mobile device according to claim 19, where the processor is further programmed to:

determine that the current battery factor is lower than a prior battery factor by a prescribed amount;

and upon determining that the current battery factor is lower than the prior battery factor by the prescribed amount, select a system or process that is operating in a lower power state or disabled for restoration to a higher power consumption state;

where the selecting is carried out by referring to the priority table and selecting a highest priority system or process that can be converted to a higher power consumption state as the selected system or process; and

restore the selected highest priority system or process to the higher power consumption state.