Power management for battery-powered devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9811133-B2
Application number	US-201514840385-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2015
Priority date	Aug 26, 2014
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A method enables the sharing of power between multiple battery-powered electronic devices. A determination is made as to which tasks, from multiple pending tasks on multiple battery-powered electronic devices, are to be selected for completion. A power requirement for each of the tasks that have been selected for completion is determined, and the tasks are prioritized. One or more processors calculates a quantity of amp-hours that are available to charge batteries on the battery-powered electronic devices. A power distribution hardware controller then distributes available amp-hours from the battery source to one or more of the battery-powered electronic devices based on the priority of the tasks.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of sharing power between multiple battery-powered electronic devices, the method comprising:
determining, by one or more processors, which tasks, from multiple pending tasks being performed on different battery-powered electronic devices from multiple battery-powered electronic devices, are to be selected for completion;
determining, by one or more processors, a power requirement for each of the tasks that have been selected for completion;
determining, by one or more processors, a priority of the tasks, from the multiple pending tasks on the multiple battery-powered electronic devices, that have been selected for completion;
calculating, by one or more processors, a quantity of amp-hours that are available to charge batteries on the multiple battery-powered electronic devices; and
distributing, by a power distribution hardware controller, available amp-hours from a battery source in a first battery-powered electronic device from the multiple battery-powered electronic devices to a second battery-powered electronic device from the multiple battery-powered electronic devices based on the priority of the tasks via a user selection on a graphical user interface (GUI) on the first battery-powered electronic device, wherein the second battery-powered electronic device is capable of transferring power to the first battery-powered electronic device, wherein the tasks selected for completion include a first task currently running on the first battery-powered electronic device and a second task currently running on the second battery-powered electronic device, wherein the second task is assigned a higher priority than the first task in response to a determination that the second task is closer to completion than the first task, wherein the user provides a signal on the GUI for cessation of execution of the first task to transfer an amount of power that was remaining from an initial power allocation for the first task from the first battery-powered electronic device to the second battery-powered electronic device in order to complete the second task.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the available amp-hours are distributed to a specific battery-powered electronic device, wherein the specific battery-powered electronic device is from the multiple battery-powered electronic devices.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving, by a hardware receiver, a user-input from a user of the specific battery-powered electronic device, wherein the user-input identifies which tasks, from multiple pending tasks, are to be selected for completion on the specific battery-powered electronic device.

4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
limiting, by one or more processors, tasks selected to be completed on the specific battery-powered electronic device to tasks that are performed by currently open and running applications on the specific battery-powered electronic device.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
predicting, by one or more processors, tasks to be completed based on a user history of the specific battery-powered electronic device; and
limiting, by one or more processors, tasks selected to be completed on the specific battery-powered electronic device to tasks that are predicted to be completed based on the user history.

6. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
predicting, by one or more processors, tasks to be completed based on a user calendar of upcoming tasks to be performed on the specific battery-powered electronic device; and
limiting, by one or more processors, tasks selected to be completed on the specific battery-powered electronic device to upcoming tasks that are calendared on the user calendar.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by one or more processors, a length of time required to distribute the available amp-hours from the first battery-powered electronic device to the second battery-powered electronic device and a third battery-powered electronic device from the multiple battery-powered electronic devices; and
selectively distributing, by the power distribution hardware controller, the available amp-hours from the battery source in the first battery-powered electronic device to the second battery-powered electronic device or the third battery-powered electronic device based on the length of time required to distribute the available amp-hours from the first battery-powered electronic device to the second battery-powered electronic device or the third battery-powered electronic device, wherein the length of time required is based on power-transfer physical limitations of physical power connections and bandwidth limitations from the first battery-powered electronic device to the second battery-powered electronic device and the third battery-powered electronic device, wherein a power connection to the second battery-powered electronic device has greater power-transfer physical limitations than a power connection to the third battery-powered electronic device, wherein the second battery-powered electronic device and the third battery-powered electronic device are both capable of receiving the available amp-hours, and wherein the third battery-powered electronic device receives the available amp-hours before the second battery-powered electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by one or more processors, an amount of existing power already present in the second battery-powered electronic device and in a third battery-powered electronic device from the multiple devices; and
selectively distributing, by the power distribution hardware controller, the available amp-hours from the battery source in the first battery-powered electronic device to the second battery-powered electronic device or the third battery-powered electronic device based on the amount of existing power already present in the second battery-powered electronic device and in the third battery-powered electronic device, wherein a battery-powered electronic device with a lower amount of existing power as compared with another battery-powered electronic device will receive the available amp-hours before said another battery-powered electronic device.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, by one or more processors, the priority of the tasks based on completion levels, wherein a task that is closer to completion is allocated available amp-hours before a task that is relatively further from completion.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
establishing, by one or more processors, a level of importance for each of the multiple pending tasks on the multiple battery-powered electronic devices; and
determining, by one or more processors, the priority of the tasks based on the level of importance of each of the multiple pending tasks on the multiple battery-powered electronic devices.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a battery source is from one or more power-supplying battery-powered electronic devices from the multiple battery-powered electronic devices, and wherein the method further comprises:
receiving, from the one or more power-supplying battery powered electronic devices, a signal describing an amount of remaining available amp-hours and remaining tasks to be completed within each of the one or more power-supplying battery powered electronic devices; and
pulling, by the power distribution hardware controller, amp-hours from the one or more power-supplying battery powered electronic devices based on the amount of remaining available amp-hours and the remaining tasks to be completed within each of the one or more power-supplying battery powered electronic devices.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Cudak Gary D
• Hardee Christopher J
• Rakshit Sarbajit K
• Roberts Adam

Classifications

• G06F1/266

  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

• G06F9/4893

  taking into account power or heat criteria (power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206) · CPC title

• G06F1/30

  Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations (for resetting only G06F1/24) · CPC title

• G06F1/28

  Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision · CPC title

• G06F1/263

  Arrangements for using multiple switchable power supplies, e.g. battery and AC (G06F1/30 takes precedence) · CPC title