Management of finite electrical cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10705583-B2
Application number	US-201615016307-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2016
Priority date	Feb 5, 2016
Publication date	Jul 7, 2020
Grant date	Jul 7, 2020

Abstract

A consumption device may be detected by a processor. At least one property of the consumption device may be determined. Based on that property, a power configuration for the consumption device may be determined. The processor may permit a finite electrical cell associated with the processor to power the consumption device according to that power configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
detecting, by a first processor associated with a finite electrical cell, a first consumption device, a second consumption device, and a third consumption device;
determining, by the first processor, that the first consumption device and the third consumption device each have a first property and that the second consumption device has a second property;
establishing, by the first processor, a first power configuration for the first consumption device and the third consumption device based on the first property, wherein the first power configuration comprises a permission to power the first consumption device and the third consumption device without restriction;
determining that a charge level of the second consumption device is below an established higher charge level;
establishing, by the first processor, a second power configuration for the second consumption device based on the second property;
wherein the second power configuration comprises a restriction from powering the second consumption device past the established higher charge level of the second consumption device when the remaining charge of the finite electrical cell is less than a first reserve limit;
concluding, by the first processor, that the remaining charge of the finite electrical cell is less than the first reserve limit, wherein the first reserve limit is greater than zero;
permitting, by the first processor, the finite electrical cell to power to first consumption device based on the first power configuration;
permitting, by the first processor, the finite electrical cell to power the second consumption device based on the concluding, the second power configuration, and the determining that the charge level is below the established higher charge level;
receiving, by the first processor, an updated charge level of the second consumption device; and
restricting, by the first processor, the finite electrical cell from powering the second consumption device when the established higher charge level is reached based on the concluding and the second power configuration.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first property comprises a first consumption-device profile of the first consumption device and the third consumption device.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first consumption-device profile comprises a priority of the first consumption device and the third consumption device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing a second consumption-device profile based on the second property.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first property comprises a charge level of the first consumption device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first power configuration comprises an apportionment of the finite electrical cell's remaining charge between the first consumption device and the third consumption device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second property comprises a termination condition requested by the second consumption device, under which the first processor is to restrict the finite electrical cell from powering the second consumption device.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the termination condition is only applicable when the remaining charge of the finite electrical cell is below a second reserve limit.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the finite electrical cell comprises a standard form-factor battery and wherein the first processor is coupled to the finite electrical cell through a receptacle for the finite electrical cell.

10. The method of claim 2 , wherein establishing the first consumption device profile comprises setting the first consumption device as a primary device.

11. The method of claim 4 , wherein determining the second consumption device profile comprises setting the second consumption device as a secondary device.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second power configuration comprises a restriction that prohibits the finite electrical cell from powering the secondary device, regardless of the charge level of the secondary device, when the remaining charge of the finite electrical cell is less than the second reserve limit.

13. A power manager apparatus comprising:
a housing with at least one input plug and at least one output port, wherein the input plug is a standard Universal Serial Bus form factor; and
a processor, wherein the processor is configured to perform a method comprising:
detecting a finite electrical cell connected through the at least one input plug;
identifying a charge capacity of the finite electrical cell;
detecting a consumption device inserted into the at least one output port;
determining a power configuration for the consumption device, wherein the power configuration comprises a restriction from powering the consumption device past an established higher charge level of the consumption device when the charge capacity of the finite electrical cell is less than a reserve limit, wherein the reserve limit is less than zero;
concluding, based on identifying the charge capacity, that the charge capacity of the finite electrical cell is greater than the reserve limit;
permitting, based on the concluding, the finite electrical cell to charge the consumption device;
identifying an updated charge capacity of the finite electrical cell;
concluding, based on the identifying the updated charge capacity, that the charge capacity of the finite electrical cell is less than the reserve limit;
detecting that a charge level of the consumption device is below the established higher charge level;
permitting the finite electrical cell to continue to charge the consumption device based on the concluding that the charge capacity is less than the reserve limit and the detecting that the charge level is below the established higher charge level;
detecting that the charge level of the consumption device equals the established higher charge level; and
restricting the finite electrical cell from continuing to charge the consumption device based on the concluding that the charge capacity is less than the reserve limit and the detecting that the charge level equals the established higher charge level.

14. A method comprising:
detecting a first processor associated with a first finite electrical cell and a second processor associated with a second finite electrical cell;
forming a first charge group, wherein the first charge group comprises the first finite electrical cell and the second finite electrical cell;
calculating a first reserve limit of the charge group;
detecting a consumption device interfaced with the first finite electrical cell;
identifying a first charge capacity of the first finite electrical cell and a second charge capacity associated with the second finite electrical cell;
determining, based on the identifying, that the sum of the first charge capacity and the second charge capacity is below the first reserve limit;
restricting, based on the determining, the first finite electrical cell from charging the consumption device;
detecting a third processor associated with a third finite electrical cell;
updating the first charge group to comprise the first finite electrical cell, the second finite electrical cell, and the third finite electrical cell;
identifying a third charge capacity of the third finite electrical cell;
concluding, based on the identifying the first charge capacity and the second charge capacity and the identifying the third charge capacity, that the sum of the first charge capacity, the second charge capacity, and the third charge capacity is above the first reserve limit; and
permitting, based o

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Brewer Derek R
• Crutcher Paul M
• Langford Kerry M
• Wilhelm Robert D

Classifications

• Y02D10/00

  Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management · CPC title

• G06F1/266 Primary

  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 title

• G06F1/3212

  Monitoring battery levels, e.g. power saving mode being initiated when battery voltage goes below a certain level · CPC title

• Y02D10/174

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic