Battery management system and method

• US 7,629,765 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2007
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• 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): Nguyen; Matthew V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang; Jue
• Application Number:
  US11/746,184
• Publication Number:
  US 20070205745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/132, 320/136, 455/404.1, 704/272, 340/7.37
• 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 battery management system for managing a plurality of subsystems of a mobile communication device powered by a battery, comprising:

means for monitoring a present battery condition of the battery;

means for comparing the present battery condition with an enable condition of the plurality of subsystems to determine if a disable condition has been met, wherein the enable condition and the disable condition are set by a user of the mobile communication device; and

means for selectively disabling a subsystem in the plurality of subsystems if the disable condition has been met for the subsystem.

2. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the enable condition is an allocation of battery capacity associated with the subsystems, the present battery condition is the amount of battery capacity depleted by the subsystems, and the disable condition is met when the depleted amount of battery capacity exceeds the allocation of battery capacity for a subsystem.

3. The battery management system of claim 1, wherein the enable condition is a power requirement associated with 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 a subsystem.

4. The battery management system of claim 2, further comprising:

means for displaying a battery allocation indicator for at least one of the plurality of subsystems on a display of the mobile device.

5. The battery management system of claim 2, further comprising:

means for allocating battery capacity associated with the subsystems.

6. The battery management system of claim 5, wherein the means for allocating battery capacity comprises a means for associating a plurality of mobile device functions with the subsystems and a means for hierarchically allocating battery capacity among the mobile device functions.

7. The battery management system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for notifying the user of the mobile communication device that a subsystem is about to be selectively disabled if the disable condition has been met; and

means for enabling the user of the mobile communication device to abort the selective disabling of the subsystem.

8. The battery management system of claim 7, further comprising:

means for modifying the enable condition of the subsystem in response to aborting the selective disabling of the subsystem.

9. The battery management system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for temporarily disabling the selectively disabling of a subsystem in response to the mobile communication device being coupled to an alternate power source than the battery.

10. A method for managing a plurality of subsystems in a mobile communication device having a battery, comprising:

monitoring a present condition of the battery;

comparing the present battery condition with an enable condition of the plurality of subsystems to determine if a disable condition has been met, wherein the enable condition and the disable condition are set by a user of the mobile communication device; and

disabling a subsystem in the plurality of subsystems if the disable condition has been met for the subsystem.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the enable condition is an allocation of battery capacity associated with the subsystems, the present battery condition is the amount of battery capacity depleted by the subsystems, and the disable condition is met when the depleted amount of battery capacity exceeds the allocation of battery capacity for a subsystem.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the enable condition is a power requirement associated with 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 a subsystem.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying a battery allocation indicator for at least one of the plurality of subsystems on a display of the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

allocating battery capacity associated with the subsystems.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the allocating act further comprises associating a plurality of mobile device functions with the subsystems and hierarchically allocating battery capacity among the mobile device functions.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

notifying the user of the mobile communication device that a subsystem is about to be disabled if the disable condition has been met; and

enabling the user of the mobile communication device to abort the disabling of the subsystem.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

modifying the enable condition of the subsystem in response to aborting the disabling of the subsystem.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

temporarily disabling the disabling of a subsystem in response to the mobile communication device being coupled to an alternate power source than the battery.

19. A mobile communication device, comprising

a battery for supplying power to a plurality of subsystems of the mobile communication device;

and

a battery monitoring circuit for monitoring a present battery condition of the battery; and

a battery management module for comparing the present battery condition with an enable condition of the plurality of subsystems to determine if a disable condition has been met, and for selectively disabling a subsystem in the plurality of subsystems if the disable condition has been met for the subsystem, wherein the enable condition and the disable condition are set by a user of the mobile communication device.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 19, further comprising:

a voice subsystem for transmitting and receiving voice calls; and

a data subsystem for transmitting and receiving data calls;

wherein the enable condition for the voice subsystem and the data subsystem is an allocation of battery capacity associated with the subsystems, the present battery condition is the amount of battery capacity depleted by the subsystems, and the disable condition is met when the depleted amount of battery capacity exceeds the allocation of battery capacity for a subsystem.

21. The mobile communication device of claim 20, wherein the allocation of battery capacity for the voice and data subsystems is input to the mobile communication device by a user.