Power Management for Battery-Powered Devices

• US 20160062429A1
• Filed: 08/31/2015
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cudak, Gary D., Hardee, Christopher J., Rakshit, Sarbajit K., Roberts, Adam
• Granted Patent: US 9,811,133 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• 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 1/266 Arrangements to supply power to external peripherals either directly from the computer or under computer control, e.g. supply of power through the communication port, computer controlled power-strips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4893 taking 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: 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: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method enables the sharing of power between multiple battery-powered electronic devices. A determination is made as to which tasks, from multiple pending tasks on multiple battery-powered electronic devices, are to be selected for completion. A power requirement for each of the tasks that have been selected for completion is determined, and the tasks are prioritized. One or more processors calculates a quantity of amp-hours that are available to charge batteries on the battery-powered electronic devices. A power distribution hardware controller then distributes available amp-hours from the battery source to one or more of the battery-powered electronic devices based on the priority of the tasks.

Claims

1. A method of sharing power between multiple battery-powered electronic devices, the method comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, which tasks, from multiple pending tasks on multiple battery-powered electronic devices, are to be selected for completion;

determining, by one or more processors, a power requirement for each of the tasks that have been selected for completion;

determining, by one or more processors, a priority of the tasks, from the multiple pending tasks on the multiple battery-powered electronic devices, that have been selected for completion;

calculating, by one or more processors, a quantity of amp-hours that are available to charge batteries on the multiple battery-powered electronic devices; and

distributing, by a power distribution hardware controller, available amp-hours from the battery source to one or more of the multiple battery-powered electronic devices based on the priority of the tasks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the available amp-hours are distributed to a specific battery-powered electronic device, wherein the specific battery-powered electronic device is from the multiple battery-powered electronic devices.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, by a hardware receiver, a user-input from a user of the specific battery-powered electronic device, wherein the user-input identifies which tasks, from multiple pending tasks, are to be selected for completion on the specific battery-powered electronic device.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

limiting, by one or more processors, tasks selected to be completed on the specific battery-powered electronic device to tasks that are performed by currently open and running applications on the specific battery-powered electronic device.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

predicting, by one or more processors, tasks to be completed based on a user history of the specific battery-powered electronic device; and

limiting, by one or more processors, tasks selected to be completed on the specific battery-powered electronic device to tasks that are predicted to be completed based on the user history.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

predicting, by one or more processors, tasks to be completed based on a user calendar of upcoming tasks to be performed on the specific battery-powered electronic device; and

limiting, by one or more processors, tasks selected to be completed on the specific battery-powered electronic device to upcoming tasks that are calendared on the user calendar.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, a length of time required to distribute the available amp-hours to a first battery-powered electronic device and to a second battery-powered electronic device; and

selectively distributing, by a power distribution hardware controller, the available amp-hours from the battery source to the first battery-powered electronic device or the second battery-powered electronic device based on the length of time required to distribute the available amp-hours to the first battery-powered electronic device and to the second battery-powered electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, an amount of existing power already present in a first battery-powered electronic device and in a second battery-powered electronic device; and

selectively distributing, by a power distribution hardware controller, the available amp-hours from the battery source to the first battery-powered electronic device or the second battery-powered electronic device based on the amount of existing power already present in the first battery-powered electronic device and in the second battery-powered electronic device, wherein a battery-powered electronic device with a lower amount of existing power as compared with another battery-powered electronic device will receive the available amp-hours before said another battery-powered electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, the priority of the tasks based on completion levels, wherein a task that is closer to completion is allocated available amp-hours before a task that is relatively further from completion.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing, by one or more processors, a level of importance for each of the multiple pending tasks on the multiple battery-powered electronic devices; and

determining, by one or more processors, the priority of the tasks based on the level of importance of each of the multiple pending tasks on the multiple battery-powered electronic devices.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the battery source is a dedicated charging battery.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the battery source is one or more power-supplying battery-powered electronic devices from the multiple battery-powered electronic devices, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, from the one or more power-supplying battery powered electronic devices, a signal describing an amount of remaining available amp-hours and remaining tasks to be completed within each of the one or more power-supplying battery powered electronic devices; and

pulling, by a power distribution hardware controller, amp-hours from the one or more power-supplying battery powered electronic devices based on the amount of remaining available amp-hours and remaining tasks to be completed within each of the one or more power-supplying battery powered electronic devices.