Predictable battery power management apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12348073-B2
Application number	US-202117354944-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2021
Priority date	Jun 22, 2021
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

A hardware and/or software (e.g., a controller and/or firmware or software) that monitors a remaining capacity of a battery and adjusts a continuum of system performance settings ranging from best performance to best energy efficiency. The controller starts with best performance setting (at the expense of energy efficiency), and then the controller gradually shifts toward energy efficiency setting (at the expense of performance) when a battery usage exceeds a pre-defined drain rate (e.g., there is a deficit in the battery remaining capacity until the next charge). The controller reverts from energy efficiency setting towards high performance setting when the battery drain rate or discharge rate slows down (e.g., there is a surplus in the battery remaining capacity until the next charge).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory machine-readable storage media having machine-executable instructions that when executed, cause one or more processors to perform a method comprising:
receiving a target battery usage time of a battery;
monitoring a discharge rate of the battery; and
managing performance and energy efficiency of a device according to the target battery usage time and the discharge rate by adjusting performance and energy efficiency in a predictable manner to operate the device without interruption, caused by lack of charge in the battery, till expiration of the target battery usage time, wherein, after an adjustment to the performance and the energy efficiency, a next adjustment to the performance and the energy efficiency is not made until after passage of a predetermined time.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 1 , having machine-executable instructions that when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform the method comprising:
setting begin values when the device is operating on the battery, wherein the begin values include a begin value for state-of-charge and a begin value for time.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 2 , wherein setting the begin values when the device is operating on the battery comprises:
setting the begin value for state-of-charge to a current state-of-charge of the battery; and
setting the begin value for time to a current time.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 3 , having machine-executable instructions that when executed, further cause the one or more processors to perform the method comprising:
in response to determining that a state-of-charge of the battery has changed, setting values for a new time and a new charge to a current time and a current state-of-charge, respectively.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 4 , having machine-executable instructions that when executed, further cause the one or more processors to perform the method comprising:
determining whether a difference between the new time and the begin value for time is greater than a delay to run value, which is the predetermined time.

6. The machine-readable storage media of claim 5 , wherein the delay to run value is set by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), a user, or an operating system.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 5 , having machine-executable instructions that when executed, further cause the one or more processors to perform the method comprising:
calculating a new charge target value based on the begin value for state-of-charge, the target battery usage time, and the difference between the new time and the begin value for time.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 7 , having machine-executable instructions that when executed, further cause the one or more processors to perform the method comprising:
calculating a charge target error value as a difference between the new charge target value and the new charge.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 8 , having machine-executable instructions that when executed, further cause the one or more processors to perform the method comprising:
reducing the charge target error value by adjusting the performance and the energy efficiency.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 8 , having machine-executable instructions that when executed, further cause the one or more processors to perform the method comprising:
applying machine-learning to predict user behavior, and
reducing the charge target error value using the predicted user behavior.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 1 , wherein receiving the target battery usage time comprises reading data from a graphical user interface.

12. A non-transitory machine-readable storage media having machine-executable instructions that when executed, cause one or more processors to perform a method comprising:
monitoring a discharge rate of a battery that powers a device;
applying machine-learning to predict user behavior of using the device having the battery; and
managing performance and energy efficiency of the device according to a target battery usage time of the battery and the predicted user behavior by adjusting performance and energy efficiency in a predictable manner to operate the device without interruption, caused by lack of charge in the battery, till expiration of the target battery usage time, wherein, after an adjustment to the performance and the energy efficiency, a next adjustment to the performance and the energy efficiency is not made until after passage of a predetermined time.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 12 , having machine-executable instructions that when executed, further cause the one or more processors to perform the method comprising:
setting begin values when the device is operating on the battery, wherein the begin values include a begin value for state-of-charge and a begin value for time.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 13 , wherein setting begin values when the device is operating on the battery comprises:
setting the begin value for state-of-charge to a current state-of-charge of the battery; and
setting the begin value for time to a current time.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 14 , having machine-executable instructions that when executed, further cause the one or more processors to perform the method comprising:
in response to determining that a state-of-charge of the battery has changed, setting values for a new time and a new charge to a current time and a current state-of-charge, respectively;
determining whether a difference between the new time and the begin value for time is greater than a delay to run value, which is the predetermined time;
calculating a new charge target value based on the begin value for state-of-charge, the target battery usage time, and the difference between the new time and the begin value for time;
calculating a charge target error value as a difference between the new charge target value and the new charge; and
reducing the charge target error value by adjusting the performance and the energy efficiency.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage media of claim 15 , wherein the delay to run value is set by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), a user, or an operating system.

17. A device comprising:
a display;
a battery to power the display, the battery including a microcontroller; and
a processor circuitry to execute one or more instructions, the processor circuitry powered by the battery, wherein the processor circuitry is to:
receive a target battery usage time of the battery;
monitor a discharge rate of the battery; and
manage performance and energy efficiency of the device according to the target battery usage time and the discharge rate by adjusting performance and energy efficiency in a predictable manner to operate the device without interruption, caused by lack of charge in the battery, till expiration of the target battery usage time, wherein, after an adjustment to the performance and the energy efficiency, a next adjustment to the performance and the energy efficiency is not made until after passage of a predetermined time.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein the microcontroller to:
set begin values when the device is operating on the battery, wherein the begin values inc

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Wang Zhongsheng
• Nge Chee Lim
• Yeap Sze Ling
• Rotem Efraim
• Hermerding Ii James
• Wadaa Ashraf

Classifications

• H02J7/80

  including monitoring or indicating arrangements · CPC title

• H02J7/94 Primary

  in response to battery current · CPC title

• G06F1/3212 Primary

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

• H02J7/0047

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H02J7/00714 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic