LOGICAL BATTERY PARTITIONS

• US 20110099406A1
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Zetta Research, LLC
• Inventors: BELL, Jory
• Granted Patent: US 8,356,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/340
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5094 where the allocation takes into account power or heat criteria power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/965 for process control and configuration

Abstract

A logical battery partitioning approach is disclosed. In one embodiment, a power management system in a portable computing device having a plurality of subsystems can include: (i) a battery coupled to a plurality of subsystems; (ii) a first battery variable provided to a first subsystem to indicate a characteristic of a first logical battery partition; and (iii) a second battery variable provided to a second subsystem to indicate a characteristic of a second logical battery partition. A battery variable can include an accessibility control, or a percent of battery power available, for example.

Claims

1. A power management system in a portable computing device, the portable computing device including a plurality of subsystems, the power management system comprising:

a battery coupled to the plurality of subsystems;

a first battery variable provided to a first subsystem to indicate a characteristic of a first logical battery partition; and

a second battery variable provided to a second subsystem to indicate a characteristic of a second logical battery partition.