Battery management system and method

• US 7,233,127 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2006
• Issued: 06/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Chen, Joseph C., Malton, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): TIBBITS, PIA FLORENCE
• Application Number:
  US11/445,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20060214638A1
• Time in Patent Office: 382 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106
• US Class Current: 320/106
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 1/14 Balancing the load in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/002 in which a reserve is maintained in an energy source by disconnecting non-critical loads, e.g. maintaining a reserve of charge in a vehicle battery for starting an engine

Abstract

A battery management system for managing a plurality of subsystem circuits and functions of a mobile communication device powered by a battery is disclosed. The battery management system includes a battery monitoring circuit, a user interface, and a battery management module. The battery monitoring circuit is operable to monitor a present battery capacity and generate a battery capacity signal based on the present battery capacity. The user interface is operable to receive a user-input allocation of battery capacity among the subsystem circuits and functions. The battery management module is operable to receive the user-input allocation and the battery capacity signal, and to selectively disable each subsystem circuit or function when each subsystem circuit or function has depleted its allocation of battery capacity.

Claims

1. A mobile device having a battery that supplies power to a plurality of subsystem functions, comprising:

a battery monitoring circuit that generates a battery capacity signal based on a present capacity measurement of the battery;

an interface that receives an input allocation of battery capacity among the subsystem functions; and

a battery management module responsive to the input allocation and the battery capacity signal, the battery management module operable to selectively disables each subsystem function when each subsystem function has depleted its allocation of battery capacity.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the battery management module monitors the percentage of full battery charge expended by each subsystem function.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the battery management module monitors the milliamp-hours expended by each subsystem function.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the battery monitoring circuit comprises digital monitoring circuitry.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the battery management module comprises battery monitoring software code operable to compare the input allocation to the amount of battery capacity depleted by each subsystem function and to determine whether to selectively disable each subsystem function.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises:

a display circuit operable to display a status of subsystem functions; and

a keyboard circuit operable to receive input for allocation of battery capacity among the subsystem functions.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the subsystem functions comprise a voice function and a data function, and the battery management module is operable to receive the input allocation and the battery capacity signal, and to selectively disable the voice function or the data function when the voice function or the data function has depleted its corresponding allocation of battery capacity.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein:

the battery monitoring circuit is operable to monitor a present battery temperature; and

the battery management module is operable to assign to each subsystem function a corresponding enable temperature, and to selectively disable the subsystem functions having corresponding enable temperatures greater than the present battery temperature.

9. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the battery is a smart battery, and the battery monitoring circuit is included in the smart battery.

10. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein prior to selectively disabling each subsystem function, the mobile device notifies a user thereof that the subsystem function is about to be disabled.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the user is able to override the disabling function in response to the notification that the subsystem function is about to be disabled.

12. The mobile device of claim 1, further comprising a display that presents a plurality of battery indicators, each of the plurality of battery indicators displaying the remaining allocated battery capacity for a subsystem function.

13. A method for managing a plurality of subsystems of a mobile communication device powered by a battery, comprising:

associating an enable condition with each of the subsystems;

monitoring a present battery condition of the battery;

comparing the present battery condition with the enable conditions of each of the subsystems to determine if a disable condition has been met for each subsystem; and

selectively disabling each subsystem by the mobile communication device if the disable condition has been met for the subsystem.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the enable condition is an allocation of battery capacity associated with each of the subsystems, the present battery condition is the amount of battery capacity depleted by each of the subsystems, and the disable condition is met when the depleted amount of battery capacity exceeds the allocation of battery capacity for each subsystem.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the enable condition is a power requirement associated with each of the subsystems, the present battery condition is a battery capacity measurement, and the disable condition is met when the power requirement exceeds the measured battery capacity for each subsystem.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the enable condition is a threshold temperature associated with each of the subsystems, the present battery condition is a battery temperature measurement, and the disable condition is met when the battery temperature is less than the threshold temperature for each subsystem.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a battery chemistry indicator; and

associating the threshold temperature enable conditions with each of the subsystems as a function of the received battery chemistry indicator.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying a battery allocation indicator for each of the subsytems on a display of the mobile device.