Systems and methods to increase and decrease charging current to battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015188324-A1
Application number	US-201314143429-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 30, 2013
Priority date	Dec 30, 2013
Publication date	Jul 2, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

In one aspect, a device includes a battery charger, a processor, and a memory accessible to the processor. The memory bears instructions executable by the processor to access a history of at least one previous battery charge by the battery charger of a battery powering the device, access calendar information of a user of the device, determine an approximate time available to charge the battery based on the history, the calendar information, and a current charge level of a battery to be charged by the battery charger, and regulate current from the battery charger to the battery to charge the battery to a predetermined capacity to within at least a threshold time of the approximate time available.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A device comprising:
a battery charger; a processor; a memory accessible to the processor and bearing instructions executable by the processor to: access a history of at least one previous battery charge by the battery charger; access calendar information associated with a user of the device; based on the history, the calendar information, and a current charge level of a battery to be charged by the battery charger, determine an approximate time available to charge the battery, wherein the battery provides power to the device; and regulate current from the battery charger to the battery to charge the battery to a predetermined capacity to within at least a threshold time of the approximate time available.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the current is regulated to charge the battery continuously until the predetermined capacity to within the threshold time.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to regulate current from the battery to at least one component of the device other than the battery charger.

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to determine the approximate time available based at least in part on a determination that an event indicated in the calendar information is upcoming and that the battery will not be available for charging during the event.

5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to determine the approximate time available based on the history at least in part based on a determination that the battery was previously not available for charging at a particular time of day.

6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to determine the approximate time available based on the history at least in part based on a determination that the battery was previously not available for charging at a particular time of day on a particular day of the week.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined capacity is a full capacity of the battery, and wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to determine the approximate time based at least in part on an estimation of the time to charge the battery to the full capacity from the current charge level of the battery.

8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the current is regulated by increasing or decreasing the current from the battery charger to the battery.

9 . The device of claim 8 , wherein the current is increased or decreased at least in part using a circuit in the battery charger.

10 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the history of at least one previous battery charge by the battery charger pertains to at least one previous battery charge of the battery.

11 . A method, comprising:
initiating charging of a battery; determining a time available to charge the battery; and based at least partially on the time available, increasing or decreasing current to the battery from an initial current, the initial current being used at the initiating of the charging of the battery.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the current is increased or decreased at least in part using a circuit in a battery charger, and wherein the battery charger charges the battery.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the initiating charging of the battery includes charging the battery at the initial current for a threshold time.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the determining a time available to charge the battery is based on information selected from the group consisting of: calendar information from a calendar of a user of a device, and a history of previous charges of the battery.

15 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
based on the time available, reducing power from the battery to at least one component of a device powered by the battery, the reducing being for at least until the battery charges to a threshold level, the component not being a battery charger charging the battery.

16 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
charging the battery at the increased or decreased current until the battery is fully charged, the battery being charged to fully charged prior to the conclusion of the time available; discharging the battery a threshold amount; and at a threshold time before the conclusion of the time available, charging the battery until the battery is fully charged.

17 . A system, comprising:
an information handling system to be powered; and a battery charger for charging at least one battery, wherein the battery powers the information handling system; wherein the information handling system includes: a processor; a memory accessible to the processor and bearing instructions executable by the processor to: access information to determine a current time available for charging the battery from its current charge level to a fully charged level; determine the current time available for charging the battery from its current charge level to the fully charged level at least partially based on the information; modulate current from the battery charger to the battery to charge the battery to a threshold charge amount below the fully charged level prior to a threshold time, the threshold time being a time before the end of the current time available for charging the battery; and modulate current from the battery charger to the battery to charge the battery to the fully charged level after the threshold time.

18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the information includes history information for at least one previous charging instance of the battery, wherein the history information includes a duration at which the information handling system was previously at a particular location.

19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to determine the current time available for charging the battery from its current charge level to the fully charged level at least in part based on the information handling system being proximate to the location.

20 . The system of claim 17 , wherein the information includes history information for at least one previous charging instance of the battery, wherein the history information includes a previous time to charge the battery from a previous charge level to the fully charged level; and
wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to: determine a temporal value for charging the battery a charge increment based on the history information, wherein the temporal value is determined by taking the fully charged level and subtracting the previous charge level therefrom to render a first number, and dividing the previous time to charge the battery by the first number to render a second number, wherein the second number is the temporal value; and determine an approximate total time to charge the battery from its current charge level to the fully charged level by determining a current number of charge increments the battery is from the fully charged level and multiplying it by the temporal value, wherein current from the battery charger is modulated to charge the battery to the threshold charge amount based on the current time available and the approximate total time.

Assignees

• Lenovo Singapore Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Nicholson John Weldon
• Ramirez Flores Axel
• Locker Howard Jeffrey
• Kelso Scott Edwards
• Hunt John Miles
• Seethaler Kenneth Scott
• Estes Larry Glenn
• Carlson Jeremy Robert

Classifications

• H02J7/875

  Charging or discharging for charge maintenance, battery initiation or rejuvenation · CPC title

• H02J7/971

  the charge cycle being controlled or terminated in response to non-electric parameters · CPC title

• H02J7/933 Primary

  the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters · CPC title

• H02J7/007 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic