Battery Management in a Device with Multiple Batteries

• US 20160291683A1
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Published: 10/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kacker, Karan, Dummer, Daniel Joseph, Cooper, Stephen Clifford, Wilhelmi, Ceceli Ann, Kim, Minsoo, Guo, Wei
• Granted Patent: US 10,591,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 1/3212 Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3062 where the monitored property is the power consumption power management in a computing system G06F1/3203
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/18 The network being internal to a power source or plant
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00032 characterised by data exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0025 Sequential battery discharge in systems with a plurality of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Techniques for battery management of a device having multiple batteries are described herein. In one or more implementations, management for increased battery reliability involves assessing a combination of factors that influence a control policy for multiple batteries in a battery system. Based on the assessment, values of control parameters for power management of the battery system are set to reflect a tradeoff between performance and reliability. Then, at least one of battery utilization or charge current distribution is controlled in dependence upon the values that are set. Control of the battery system can be based in part upon differences in cycle counts for multiple batteries of a battery system for a device, such that cycle counts of the multiple batteries are managed for improved reliability.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a battery system having multiple batteries;

a power management system configured to;

associate a discharge parameter with a particular battery of the multiple batteries, the discharge parameter configured to cause servicing of a system load for the computing device by;

first discharging the particular battery down to a charge level specified by the discharge parameter; and

then switching among using one or more of the multiple batteries at a time to service the load;

expose functionality operable to enable adjustment of the discharge parameter to specify different charge levels and thereby selectively control a tradeoff between device performance and reliability of the multiple batteries for different usage scenarios;

adjust the discharge parameter to adapt to a current usage scenario, responsive to a directive received via the functionality; and

service the system load for the current usage scenario in accordance with the discharge parameter as adjusted.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein discharge parameter specifies the charge level as a percentage of full charge of the particular battery to utilize before a switch to using the multiple batteries is made.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the functionality operable to enable adjustment of the discharge parameter comprises an application programming interface exposed for use by applications of the device to set different values of the discharge parameter.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the functionality operable to enable adjustment of the discharge parameter comprises a user interface configured to provide user-selectable control over the discharge parameter.

5. The computing device of claim 4, wherein the user interface provides an instrumentality to set different values for the discharge parameter corresponding to different levels of balance between device performance and reliability

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the power management system includes a power manager module implemented as a component of an operating system for the computing device and a power controller including distribution circuitry operable under the influence of the power manager module to selectively charge and discharge the multiple batteries.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the distribution circuitry comprises load control elements associated with circuits for each of the multiple batteries that are directed via the power manager module to selectively connect one or more of the multiple batteries at a time to service the system load.

8. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the power management system is further configured to communicate control directives to direct operation of the distribution circuitry to discharge the batteries.

9. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the power manager module is configured to adjust the discharge parameter automatically based on an assessment of a combination of factors that influence a control policy for the battery system.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the factors that influence the control policy include one or more of:

current charge levels, reliability constraints, cycle counts, power requirements to support the current usage scenario, or user preferences for balancing performance and reliability.

11. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the power management system is further configured to associate a charging parameter with at least one battery of the multiple batteries, the charging parameter configured to cause preferential charging of the at least one battery during charging by charging the at least one battery to a charge level specified by the charging parameter before distributing charging current to other batteries.

12. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the discharge parameter is applied to increase reliability by balancing of battery utilization for the multiple batteries over a period of time.

13. A method implemented by a computing device comprising:

acquiring data indicative of cycle counts for multiple batteries of a battery system for a device;

identifying differences in the cycle counts between different batteries of the multiple batteries; and

adjusting a policy used to control charging and discharging of the multiple batteries to account for the identified differences and balance the cycle count differences to within a designated target range.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein adjusting the policy comprises setting values of control parameters for power management of the battery system in dependence upon the identified differences in the cycle counts between different batteries.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein acquiring the data indicative of cycle counts comprise tracking of the cycle counts for battery charges and discharges via an operating system of the computing device.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein acquiring the data indicative of cycle counts comprises obtaining notifications regarding cycle counts from batteries of the multiple batteries configured to maintain information regarding cycle counts and supply the information to facilitate power management decisions.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising establishing multiple modes associated with different tiers of differences in the cycle counts, wherein adjusting the policy comprises recognizing a particular mode the matches the differences in the cycle counts that are identified and selecting the particular mode to control the charging and discharging.

18. A method implemented by a computing device to manage battery usage of the device for increased battery reliability comprising:

assessing a combination of factors that influence a control policy for multiple batteries in a battery system for a device;

setting values of control parameters for power management of the battery system based on the assessment to reflect a tradeoff between performance and reliability of the battery system as indicated by the combination of factors; and

controlling at least one of battery utilization or charge current distribution for the battery system in dependence upon the values that are set for the control parameters.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the combination of factors include at least cycle counts for the batteries, power requirements to support a current usage scenario, and settings for balancing performance and reliability.

20. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein the controlling comprises communicating directives to a power controller to control power paths of distribution circuitry for battery utilization and charge current distribution, such that batteries of the multiple batteries having priority based on the control parameters are discharged or charged to specified charge levels prior to discharging or charging of other batteries of the multiple batteries that do not have priority.