Electronic device comprising power management circuit, operating method therefor, and recording medium

Abstract

This electronic device may comprise a load, and a power management circuit configured to manage power provided to the load. The load may comprise a memory for storing instructions and at least one processor. The instructions, when executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, may instruct the electronic device to identify a minimum mode to be applied to the operation of the power management circuit from among a plurality of operation modes of the power management circuit. The minimum mode may be a mode having the lowest maximum power from among at least one operation mode to be applied to the power management circuit while the power is provided from the power management circuit to the load. The instructions, when executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, may instruct the electronic device to provide the power from the power management circuit to the load by applying a mode greater than or equal to the minimum mode. The instructions, when executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, may instruct the electronic device to count the number of occurrences of an overpower protection event detected by the power management circuit. The instructions, when executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, may instruct the electronic device to identify whether the minimum mode of the power management circuit can be increased on the basis of the number of occurrences being greater than or equal to a reference value. The instructions, when executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, may instruct the electronic device to increase the minimum mode of the power management circuit by determining a mode higher than a current minimum mode as the minimum mode on the basis of identifying that the minimum mode can be increased. Various other embodiments are also possible.

Description

Electronic device including a power management circuit, method of operation thereof, and recording medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device including a power management circuit according to one embodiment, a method of operation thereof, and a recording medium.

[0002] As digital devices consume increasingly more power, using power more efficiently is becoming crucial. Consequently, there is a growing need for functions within electronic device power management circuits (e.g., PMICs (Power Management Integrated Circuits)) designed to minimize power consumption.

[0003] The information described above may be provided as related art for the purpose of aiding understanding of the present disclosure. No claim or determination is made as to whether any of the foregoing may be applied as prior art related to the present disclosure.

[0004] According to one embodiment, an electronic device may include a load and a power management circuit configured to manage power provided to the load. The load may include a memory for storing instructions and at least one processor. When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor, the electronic device may cause the power management circuit to identify a minimum mode to be applied to the operation of the power management circuit among a plurality of operating modes of the power management circuit. The minimum mode may be a mode having the lowest maximum power among at least one operating mode to be applied to the power management circuit while providing the power to the load in the power management circuit. When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor, the electronic device may cause the power management circuit to provide the power to the load by applying a mode greater than or equal to the minimum mode. When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor, they may cause the electronic device to count the number of occurrences of an overpower protection event detected by the power management circuit. When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor, they may cause the electronic device to determine whether the lowest mode of the power management circuit can be raised based on the fact that the number of occurrences is greater than or equal to a reference value. When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor, they may cause the electronic device to raise the lowest mode of the power management circuit by determining a mode higher than the current lowest mode as the lowest mode based on the fact that the lowest mode can be raised.

[0005] According to one embodiment, a method for operating an electronic device may include an operation of identifying a minimum mode to be applied to the operation of a power management circuit among a plurality of operation modes of the power management circuit of the electronic device. The minimum mode may be a mode having the lowest maximum power among at least one operation mode to be applied to the power management circuit while the power management circuit provides power to the load of the electronic device. The method may include an operation of providing power to the load from the power management circuit by applying a mode greater than or equal to the minimum mode. The method may include an operation of counting the number of occurrences of an overpower protection event detected by the power management circuit. The method may include an operation of identifying whether the minimum mode of the power management circuit can be raised based on the fact that the number of occurrences is greater than or equal to a reference value. The method may include an operation of raising the minimum mode of the power management circuit by determining a mode higher than the current minimum mode as the minimum mode based on the finding that the minimum mode can be raised.

[0006] According to one embodiment, in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for storing instructions, the instructions may cause the electronic device to perform at least one operation when executed individually or collectively by at least one processor of the electronic device. The at least one operation may include an operation of identifying a minimum mode to be applied to the operation of the power management circuit among a plurality of operation modes of the power management circuit of the electronic device. The minimum mode may be a mode having the lowest maximum power among at least one operation mode to be applied to the power management circuit while providing power to the load of the electronic device by the power management circuit. The at least one operation may include an operation of providing power to the load by the power management circuit by applying a mode greater than or equal to the minimum mode. The at least one operation may include an operation of counting the number of occurrences of an overpower protection event detected by the power management circuit. The above at least one operation may include an operation to check whether the lowest mode of the power management circuit can be raised based on the occurrence count being greater than or equal to a reference value. The above at least one operation may include an operation to raise the lowest mode of the power management circuit by determining a mode higher than the current lowest mode as the lowest mode based on the confirmation that the lowest mode can be raised.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment according to one embodiment.

[0008] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0009] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0010] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0011] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method of operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0012] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method of operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0014] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device (101) in a network environment (100) according to one embodiment.

[0016] Referring to FIG. 1, in a network environment (100), an electronic device (101) may communicate with an electronic device (102) through a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network) or with at least one of an electronic device (104) or a server (108) through a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) through a server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), memory (130), input module (150), sound output module (155), display module (160), audio module (170), sensor module (176), interface (177), connection terminal (178), haptic module (179), camera module (180), power management module (188), battery (189), communication module (190), subscriber identification module (196), or antenna module (197). In some embodiments, at least one of these components (e.g., connection terminal (178)) may be omitted from the electronic device (101), or one or more other components may be added. In some embodiments, some of these components (e.g., sensor module (176), camera module (180), or antenna module (197)) may be integrated into a single component (e.g., display module (160)).

[0017] The processor (120) can control at least one other component (e.g., hardware or software component) of the electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) by executing software (e.g., program (140)), and can perform various data processing or operations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or operations, the processor (120) can store commands or data received from other components (e.g., sensor module (176) or communication module (190)) in volatile memory (132), process the commands or data stored in volatile memory (132), and store the resulting data in non-volatile memory (134). According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., central processing unit or application processor) or an auxiliary processor (123) that can operate independently or together with it (e.g., graphics processing unit, neural processing unit (NPU), image signal processor, sensor hub processor, or communication processor). For example, if the electronic device (101) includes a main processor (121) and an auxiliary processor (123), the auxiliary processor (123) may be configured to use lower power than the main processor (121) or to be specialized for a designated function. The auxiliary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121) or as part thereof.

[0018] The auxiliary processor (123) may control at least some of the functions or states associated with at least one component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., display module (160), sensor module (176), or communication module (190)) on behalf of the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. According to one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., image signal processor or communication processor) may be implemented as part of another functionally related component (e.g., camera module (180) or communication module (190)). According to one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., neural network processing unit) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing an artificial intelligence model. The artificial intelligence model may be generated through machine learning. Such learning may be performed, for example, on the electronic device (101) itself where the artificial intelligence model is executed, or through a separate server (e.g., server (108)). The learning algorithm may include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but is not limited to the examples described above. The artificial intelligence model may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers.An artificial neural network may be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more of the above, but is not limited to the examples described above. In addition to the hardware structure, the artificial intelligence model may include a software structure, either additionally or substantially.

[0019] The memory (130) can store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120) or sensor module (176)). The data may include, for example, input data or output data for software (e.g., program (140)) and related commands. The memory (130) may include volatile memory (132) or non-volatile memory (134).

[0020] The program (140) may be stored as software in memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

[0021] The input module (150) can receive commands or data to be used for a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120)) from outside the electronic device (101) (e.g., user). The input module (150) may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

[0022] The sound output module (155) can output a sound signal to the outside of the electronic device (101). The sound output module (155) may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver may be used to receive incoming calls. According to one embodiment, the receiver may be implemented separately from the speaker or as part thereof.

[0023] The display module (160) can visually provide information to an external (e.g., user) of the electronic device (101). The display module (160) may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling said device. According to one embodiment, the display module (160) may include a touch sensor configured to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of the force generated by said touch.

[0024] The audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal or, conversely, convert an electrical signal into sound. According to one embodiment, the audio module (170) can acquire sound through the input module (150) or output sound through the sound output module (155) or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)) (e.g., speaker or headphones) connected directly or wirelessly to the electronic device (101).

[0025] The sensor module (176) can detect the operating state of the electronic device (101) (e.g., power or temperature) or the external environmental state (e.g., user state) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an accelerometer sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biosensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor. In one embodiment, the sensor module (176) may include sensor circuitry. In one embodiment, the sensor module (176) may include a first sensor, a second sensor, and / or a third sensor. In one embodiment, the sensor circuitry may include a first sensor, a second sensor, and / or a third sensor.

[0026] The interface (177) may support one or more specified protocols that can be used for the electronic device (101) to be connected directly or wirelessly to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the interface (177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

[0027] The connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) can be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0028] The haptic module (179) can convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., vibration or movement) or an electrical stimulus that the user can perceive through tactile or kinesthetic senses. According to one embodiment, the haptic module (179) may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electric stimulation device.

[0029] The camera module (180) can capture still images and video. According to one embodiment, the camera module (180) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0030] The power management module (188) can manage the power supplied to the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (188) can be implemented, for example, as at least part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0031] The battery (189) can supply power to at least one component of the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the battery (189) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0032] The communication module (190) can support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between an electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102), electronic device (104), or server (108)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (190) may include one or more communication processors that operate independently of the processor (120) (e.g., application processor) and support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may include a wireless communication module (192) (e.g., cellular communication module, short-range wireless communication module, or GNSS (global navigation satellite system) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., LAN (local area network) communication module, or power line communication module). The corresponding communication module among these communication modules can communicate with an external electronic device (104) through a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, WiFi (wireless fidelity) direct, or IrDA (infrared data association)) or a second network (199) (e.g., a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These various types of communication modules may be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module (192) can identify or authenticate the electronic device (101) within a communication network such as the first network (198) or the second network (199) using subscriber information (e.g., International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (196).

[0033] The wireless communication module (192) can support 5G networks and next-generation communication technologies following 4G networks, for example, new radio access technology. NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)), minimization of terminal power and connection of multiple terminals (massive machine type communications (mMTC)), or high reliability and low latency (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC)). The wireless communication module (192) can support a high-frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate, for example. The wireless communication module (192) can support various technologies for securing performance in the high-frequency band, such as beamforming, massive MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large-scale antenna. The wireless communication module (192) can support various requirements specified in the electronic device (101), external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (104)), or network system (e.g., second network (199)). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module (192) can support a Peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for realizing eMBB, loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for realizing mMTC, or U-plane latency (e.g., downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) each 0.5 ms or less, or round trip 1 ms or less) for realizing URLLC.

[0034] An antenna module (197) can transmit a signal or power to or from an external source (e.g., an external electronic device). According to one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include an antenna comprising a radiator made of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). According to one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as a first network (198) or a second network (199), may be selected from the plurality of antennas, for example, by a communication module (190). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and an external electronic device through the selected at least one antenna. According to some embodiments, in addition to the radiator, other components (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module (197).

[0035] According to one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may form a mmWave antenna module. According to one embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on or adjacent to a first surface (e.g., bottom surface) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a specified high frequency band (e.g., mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas) disposed on or adjacent to a second surface (e.g., top surface or side surface) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving a signal of the specified high frequency band.

[0036] At least some of the above components can be connected to each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., bus, GPIO (general purpose input and output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), or MIPI (mobile industry processor interface)) and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other.

[0037] According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) through a server (108) connected to a second network (199). Each of the external electronic devices (102, or 104) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations performed on the electronic device (101) may be performed on one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, if the electronic device (101) needs to perform a function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may request one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or service instead of performing the function or service itself or additionally. One or more external electronic devices that receive the above request may execute at least part of the requested function or service, or additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) may provide the result as is or additionally processed as at least part of the response to the request. For this purpose, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used. The electronic device (101) may provide ultra-low latency services using, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In another embodiment, the external electronic device (104) may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server (108) may be an intelligent server using machine learning and / or neural networks. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) or the server (108) may be included within a second network (199).The electronic device (101) can be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

[0038] The operations of the electronic device (101) can be described in detail with reference to the embodiments described above (e.g., embodiments of FIG. 1) and the embodiments described below (e.g., embodiments of FIG. 2 to 8). Each embodiment is disclosed in a separate drawing and a separate paragraph, but this is for convenience of explanation only, and at least some of the embodiments described above and at least some of the embodiments described below may be applied together. At least some of the embodiments described above and at least some of the embodiments described below may be omitted.

[0039] In this document, the electronic device (101) performing a specific operation may mean that a processor (120), such as a microcontrolling unit (MCU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor, or an application processor (AP), performs a specific operation. According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a processing circuit. The electronic device (101) performing a specific operation may mean that the processor (120) controls other hardware to perform a specific operation. The electronic device (101) performing a specific operation may mean that the processor (120) or other hardware is caused to perform a specific operation as at least one instruction for performing a specific operation, which was stored in the storage circuit (e.g., memory (130)) of the electronic device (101), is executed. The at least one instruction stored in the memory (130) of the electronic device (101) may cause the electronic device (101) to perform at least one operation, either individually or collectively, when executed by the processor (120).

[0040] Functions related to artificial intelligence according to the present disclosure may be operated through a processor (120) and a memory (130). The processor (120) may be composed of one or more processors (120). In this case, the one or more processors (120) may be general-purpose processors such as a CPU, AP, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), graphics-dedicated processors such as a GPU, VPU (Vision Processing Unit), or artificial intelligence-dedicated processors such as an NPU. The one or more processors (120) control input data to be processed according to predefined operation rules or artificial intelligence models stored in the memory (130). Alternatively, if the one or more processors (120) are artificial intelligence-dedicated processors, the artificial intelligence-dedicated processors may be designed with a hardware structure specialized for processing a specific artificial intelligence model.

[0041] The predefined operating rules or artificial intelligence model are characterized by being created through learning. Here, being created through learning means that a predefined operating rules or artificial intelligence model is created by a basic artificial intelligence model being trained using multiple learning data by a learning algorithm to perform a desired characteristic (or purpose). The artificial intelligence model may be composed of multiple neural network layers. Each of the multiple neural network layers has multiple weight values ​​and performs neural network operations through operations between the results of operations of the previous layer and the multiple weights. Such learning may be performed on the device itself where the artificial intelligence according to the present disclosure is performed, or it may be performed through a separate server (e.g., server (108) of FIG. 1) and / or system. Examples of learning algorithms include supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but are not limited to the examples described above.

[0042] An artificial intelligence model may be composed of multiple neural network layers. Each of the multiple neural network layers has multiple weight values ​​and performs neural network operations through operations between the results of previous layers and the multiple weights. The multiple weights possessed by the multiple neural network layers can be optimized based on the learning results of the artificial intelligence model. For example, the multiple weights may be updated so that the loss value or cost value obtained from the artificial intelligence model during the learning process is reduced or minimized. Artificial neural networks may include deep neural networks (DNNs), such as Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Deep Neural Networks (DNNs), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs), Deep Belief Networks (DBNs), Bidirectional Recurrent Deep Neural Networks (BRDNNs), or Deep Q-Networks, but are not limited to the examples mentioned above.

[0043] In the method of operation of an electronic device (101) according to the present disclosure, the electronic device (101) can recognize speech. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can recognize a user's speech by receiving a voice signal, which is an analog signal, through an input module (150) (e.g., a microphone), and can interpret the intent of the utterance included in the recognized speech. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can recognize audio included in a video and interpret the intent of the speech included in the recognized audio. The electronic device (101) can convert a portion of the speech into computer-readable text using an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) model. It can obtain the intent of the utterance by interpreting the converted text using a Natural Language Understanding (NLU) model. Here, the ASR model or the NLU model may be an artificial intelligence model. The artificial intelligence model may be processed by a processor (120) (e.g., an artificial intelligence dedicated processor) designed with a hardware structure specialized for processing the artificial intelligence model. The artificial intelligence model may be created through learning. Linguistic understanding is a technology that recognizes, applies, and processes human language and text, and includes Natural Language Processing, Machine Translation, Dialog Systems, Question Answering, and Speech Recognition / Synthesis.

[0044] In the method of operation of an electronic device (101) according to the present disclosure, the electronic device (101) can recognize an image. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can obtain output data that recognizes an image by using image data as input data for an artificial intelligence model. The artificial intelligence model can be created through learning. Visual understanding is a technology that recognizes and processes objects like human vision, and includes object recognition, object tracking, image retrieval, human recognition, scene recognition, 3D reconstruction / localization, image enhancement, etc.

[0045] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 may be described based on the embodiments of FIG. 1, the embodiments of FIG. 3, and the embodiments described below. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0046] As described above, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120) and a memory (130).

[0047] Referring to FIG. 2, according to one embodiment, an electronic device (101) may include a load (220) and a power management circuit (210) (e.g., a PMIC of the power management module (188) of FIG. 1). According to one embodiment, the power management circuit (210) may include at least one converter (e.g., a low dropout (LDO) regulator, a buck converter, a boost converter, a buck-boost converter) configured to convert power. There are no limitations on the implementation method of the power management circuit (210). According to one embodiment, the power management circuit (210) may be configured to manage power provided to the load (220). For example, the electronic device (101) may provide power to the load (220) through the power management circuit (210). For example, the electronic device (101) may provide power to the load (220) by converting power using the power management circuit (210). For example, a power management circuit (210) may be configured to provide output power to a load (220) based on input power. According to one embodiment, the load (220) may be configured to operate based on power (e.g., output power provided through the power management circuit (210)). Components of a power-consuming electronic device (101), including a memory (130), at least one processor (120), a camera (e.g., a camera of the camera module (180) of FIG. 1), audio (e.g., audio of the audio module (170) of FIG. 1), and a display (160), may be referred to as the load (220). For example, the load (220) may include components of a power-consuming electronic device (101), such as memory (130), at least one processor (120), a camera (e.g., the camera of the camera module (180) of FIG. 1), audio (e.g., the audio of the audio module (170) of FIG. 1), and a display (160). There is no limit to the number of loads (220).The electronic device (101) can operate the load (220) based on the output power provided through the power management circuit (210).

[0048] Referring to FIG. 2, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a rail (230) that electrically connects a power management circuit (210) and a load (220). For example, the rail (230) may be a passage (e.g., circuit) through which power is supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220). Power may be supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) through the rail (230). For example, the rail (230) may be a wire, but there are no limitations on the configuration of the rail (230).

[0049] Referring to FIG. 3, according to one embodiment, an electronic device (101) may include a control module (310). According to one embodiment, the control module (310) may be included in a processor (120). For example, the control module (310) may be software (e.g., a program) for driving the electronic device (101). For example, the control module (310) may be software (e.g., a program) executed by the processor (120). For example, the operation of the electronic device (101) by the control module (310) can be understood as the operation of the electronic device (101) by the processor (120). According to one embodiment, an electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120)) can check the state of the electronic device (101) (e.g., power demand of a load (220), overheating state of the electronic device (101), low temperature state of the electronic device (101), state of the battery (189) of the electronic device (101), and / or current power consumption of the electronic device (101) by using a control module (310) (e.g., aggregation module (311)). For example, the electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120)) can check the power demand of the load (220) by using a control module (310) (e.g., aggregation module (311)). For example, the electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120)) can check the power demand of the processor (120) by using a control module (310) (e.g., aggregation module (311)). For example, when the electronic device (101) in FIG. 3 includes a first load (321), a second load (322), and a third load (323), the electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120)) can determine the first required power of the first load (321), the second required power of the second load (322), the third required power of the third load (323), and the fourth required power of the processor (120) by using a control module (310) (e.g., aggregation module (311)).For example, the first load (321), the second load (322), and the third load (323) may each be one of the components of an electronic device (101) that consumes power, including a memory (130), a camera (e.g., the camera of the camera module (180) of FIG. 1), audio (e.g., the audio of the audio module (170) of FIG. 1), and a display (160).

[0050] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120)) can count the number of occurrences of overpower protection events using a control module (310) (e.g., count module (312)). Overpower protection events will be described later in FIG. 4. According to one embodiment, an electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120)) can determine how to control the power to be supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) (e.g., first load (321), second load (322), third load (323), and processor (120) in FIG. 3) using a control module (310) (e.g., power limit module (313)). According to one embodiment, an electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120)) can set the output power (e.g., current and / or voltage) and operating mode of a power management circuit (210) using a control module (310) (e.g., hardware mapping module (314)). For example, the electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120)) can control the power management circuit (210) using the control module (310). For example, the electronic device (101) can control the output power (e.g., current and / or voltage) and operating mode of the power management circuit (210). For example, the electronic device (101) can control the power management circuit (210) to provide a first power corresponding to a first demand power of a first load (321) to the first load (321), provide a second power corresponding to a second demand power of a second load (322) to the second load (322), provide a third power corresponding to a third demand power of a third load (323) to the third load (323), and provide a fourth power corresponding to a fourth demand power of a processor (120) to the processor (120).For example, the electronic device (101) may include a first rail (331) corresponding to a first load (321), a second rail (332) corresponding to a second load (322), a third rail (333) corresponding to a third load (323), and a fourth rail (334) corresponding to a processor (120). For example, power may be supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the first load (321) through the first rail (331). For example, power may be supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the second load (322) through the second rail (332). For example, power may be supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the third load (323) through the third rail (333). For example, power may be supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the processor (120) through the fourth rail (334). The passage through which power is supplied to the first load (321) can be called the first rail (331), the passage through which power is supplied to the second load (322) can be called the second rail (332), the passage through which power is supplied to the third load (323) can be called the third rail (333), and the passage through which power is supplied to the processor (120) can be called the fourth rail (334). For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the first rail (331), the second rail (332), the third rail (333), and the fourth rail (334) may each be separate passages, and as shown in FIG. 7 described later, there may be multiple rails (e.g., 734 (732), 735) of FIG. 7) for providing power to a single load (e.g., 723 of FIG. 7), or there may be a common rail (e.g., 732 of FIG. 7) for providing power to multiple loads (e.g., 722, 723 of FIG. 7). For example, the first rail (331) of FIG. 3 may include 731 of FIG. 7. For example, the second rail (332) of FIG. 3 may include 732 and 733 of FIG. 7. For example, the third rail (333) of FIG. 3 may include 732, 734, and 735 of FIG. 7.For example, the fourth rail (334) of FIG. 3 may include 736 of FIG. 7.

[0051] The following drawings are separated into individual drawings for the convenience of explanation, and those skilled in the art will understand that at least some of the embodiments of the following drawings may be applied in conjunction with each other.

[0052] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 can be explained based on the embodiments of FIG. 1 to 3 and the embodiments described below.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 4, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may increase the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) or output a notification based on the number of occurrences of an overpower protection event. The overpower protection event and the lowest mode may be applied respectively to a plurality of rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7), and this will be described later with reference to the embodiments of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. First, with reference to FIG. 4, an embodiment for a load (220) and a rail (230) will be described, thereby describing one load (e.g., 220) and one rail (e.g., 230). Those skilled in the art will understand that this description may be applied to a plurality of rods (e.g., 321, 322, 323, 120 of FIG. 3 or 721, 722, 723, 120 of FIG. 7) and a plurality of rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3 or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7).

[0054] At least some of the operations of FIG. 4 may be omitted. The order of the operations of FIG. 4 may be changed. Operations other than those of FIG. 4 may be performed before, during, or after the operations of FIG. 4.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 4, in operation 401, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can identify the minimum mode of the power management circuit (210). The electronic device (101) can identify the minimum mode to be applied to the operation of the power management circuit (210) among a plurality of operation modes of the power management circuit (210). For example, the minimum mode may be a mode having the lowest maximum power (e.g., maximum current and / or maximum voltage) among at least one operation mode to be applied to the power management circuit (210) while providing power from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220). According to one embodiment, the operation mode and minimum mode of the power management circuit (210) may be set corresponding to the rail (230). For example, the electronic device (101) can determine the minimum mode and operation mode of the power management circuit (210) corresponding to the rail (230). For example, if the electronic device (101) includes one rail (e.g., 230), the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) may include one lowest mode corresponding to one rail (e.g., 230), and as described later in FIGS. 6 and 7, if the electronic device (101) includes a plurality of rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7), the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) may include a plurality of lowest modes corresponding to each of the plurality of rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7). The operating mode and lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) can be described as follows.

[0056] For example, the operating mode of the power management circuit (210) may define a maximum value or range of power (e.g., current and / or voltage) output from the power management circuit (210). For example, the power management circuit (210) may, based on the operating mode, provide power (e.g., current and / or voltage) to the load (220) at a value less than or equal to the maximum value corresponding to the operating mode. For example, the power management circuit (210) may, based on the operating mode, provide power (e.g., current and / or voltage) to the load (220) at a range corresponding to the operating mode. For example, the electronic device (101) may control the power management circuit (210) to provide power (e.g., current and / or voltage) to the load (220) at a value less than or equal to the maximum value corresponding to the operating mode, based on the operating mode of the power management circuit (210). For example, the electronic device (101) can control the power management circuit (210) to provide a range of power (e.g., current and / or voltage) corresponding to the operating mode to the load (220) based on the operating mode of the power management circuit (210). There is no limit to the number of operating modes of the power management circuit (210).

[0057] For example, the operating mode of the power management circuit (210) may include a current limiting mode that limits the maximum value of the current provided from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220). In the current limiting mode, the maximum value of the current provided from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) may be referred to as the maximum current. For example, the first current limiting mode may be a mode that limits the current provided from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) to a value less than or equal to a first value. For example, in the first current limiting mode, the maximum current may be the first value. For example, the second current limiting mode may be a mode that limits the current provided from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) to a value less than or equal to a second value greater than the first value. For example, in the second current limiting mode, the maximum current may be the second value. Based on the fact that the second value, which is the maximum current of the second current limiting mode, is greater than the first value, which is the maximum current of the first current limiting mode, the second current limiting mode may be described as a higher mode than the first current limiting mode. For example, the third current limiting mode may be a mode that limits the current provided from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) to a third value greater than the second value. For example, in the third current limiting mode, the maximum current may be the third value. Based on the fact that the third value, which is the maximum current of the third current limiting mode, is greater than the second value, which is the maximum current of the second current limiting mode (or the first value, which is the maximum current of the first current limiting mode), the third current limiting mode may be described as a higher mode than the second current limiting mode (or the first current limiting mode). There is no limit to the number of current limiting modes and the limit value (e.g., the value of the maximum current) corresponding to each current limiting mode.

[0058] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may set one of a plurality of current limiting modes to a minimum mode. For example, when the operating mode of the power management circuit (210) includes a first current limiting mode, a second current limiting mode, and a third current limiting mode, as described above, the maximum current of the first current limiting mode may be a first value, the maximum current of the second current limiting mode may be a second value greater than the first value, and the maximum current of the third current limiting mode may be a third value greater than the second value. Based on determining the first current limiting mode as the minimum mode, the electronic device (101) may apply modes greater than the first current limiting mode (e.g., the first current limiting mode, the second current limiting mode, and the third current limiting mode) to the operation of the power management circuit (210). The electronic device (101) may apply a mode greater than the second current limit mode (e.g., the second current limit mode and the third current limit mode) to the operation of the power management circuit (210) based on determining the second current limit mode as the lowest mode. While the second current limit mode is the lowest mode, the first current limit mode may not be applied to the operation of the power management circuit (210). The electronic device (101) may apply a mode greater than the third current limit mode (e.g., the third current limit mode) to the operation of the power management circuit (210) based on determining the third current limit mode as the lowest mode. While the third current limit mode is the lowest mode, the first current limit mode and the second current limit mode may not be applied to the operation of the power management circuit (210).

[0059] For example, the operating mode of the power management circuit (210) may include a voltage limiting mode that limits the range of voltage provided from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220). In the voltage limiting mode, the range of voltage provided from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) may be referred to as an allowable range. For example, the first voltage limiting mode may be a mode that limits the voltage provided from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) to a first range (e.g., between a first voltage and a second voltage). For example, in the first voltage limiting mode, the allowable range may be the first range. For example, the second voltage limiting mode may be a mode that limits the voltage provided from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) to a second range (e.g., between a second voltage and a third voltage). For example, in the second voltage limiting mode, the allowable range may be the second range. Based on the fact that the third voltage, which is the maximum value of the allowable range of the second current-voltage mode, is greater than the second voltage, which is the maximum value of the allowable range of the first voltage limiting mode, the second voltage limiting mode may be described as a higher mode than the first voltage limiting mode. For example, the third voltage limiting mode may be a mode that limits the voltage provided from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) to a third range (e.g., between the third voltage and the fourth voltage). For example, in the third voltage limiting mode, the allowable range may be the third range. Based on the fact that the fourth voltage, which is the maximum value of the allowable range of the third current-voltage mode, is greater than the third voltage (or the second voltage, which is the maximum value of the allowable range of the first voltage limiting mode), the third voltage limiting mode may be described as a higher mode than the second voltage limiting mode (or the first voltage limiting mode). There is no limit to the number of voltage limiting modes and the range (e.g., allowable range) corresponding to each voltage limiting mode.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may set one of a plurality of voltage limiting modes to a minimum mode. For example, when the operating mode of the power management circuit (210) includes a first voltage limiting mode, a second voltage limiting mode, and a third voltage limiting mode, as described above, the allowable range of the first voltage limiting mode may be from the first voltage to the second voltage, the allowable range of the second voltage limiting mode may be from the second voltage to the third voltage, and the allowable range of the third voltage limiting mode may be from the third voltage to the fourth voltage. Based on determining the first voltage limiting mode as the minimum mode, the electronic device (101) may apply modes greater than or equal to the first voltage limiting mode (e.g., the first voltage limiting mode, the second voltage limiting mode, and the third voltage limiting mode) to the operation of the power management circuit (210). The electronic device (101) may apply a mode greater than the second voltage limit mode (e.g., the second voltage limit mode and the third voltage limit mode) to the operation of the power management circuit (210) based on determining the second voltage limit mode as the lowest mode. While the second voltage limit mode is the lowest mode, the first voltage limit mode may not be applied to the operation of the power management circuit (210). The electronic device (101) may apply a mode greater than the third voltage limit mode (e.g., the third voltage limit mode) to the operation of the power management circuit (210) based on determining the third voltage limit mode as the lowest mode. While the third voltage limit mode is the lowest mode, the first voltage limit mode and the second voltage limit mode may not be applied to the operation of the power management circuit (210).

[0061] 403 In operation, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may provide power to the load (220). The electronic device (101) may provide power to the load (220) from the power management circuit (210) by applying a mode greater than or equal to the lowest mode. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may provide power to the load (220) from the power management circuit (210) based on the lowest mode and the required power. "Required power" may be the power required by the load (220). For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the electronic device (101) may determine the magnitude of the required power required by the load (220) (e.g., 321, 322, 323 in FIG. 3). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can provide power corresponding to the required power from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) by applying a mode greater than the minimum mode to the power management circuit (210) based on the magnitude of the required power. For example, if there is only one rail (e.g., 230) which is a passage for providing power to the load (e.g., 220), the electronic device (101) can provide power corresponding to the required power from the power management circuit (210) to the load (e.g., 220) by applying a mode greater than the minimum mode corresponding to the rail (e.g., 230) to the power management circuit (210) based on the magnitude of the required power of the load (e.g., 220).For example, in the case where there are multiple rails (e.g., 230) which are passages providing power to a load (e.g., 220) (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7), the electronic device (101) identifies a minimum mode corresponding to each of the multiple rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7), and based on the magnitude of the power required by the load (e.g., 220), a mode greater than or equal to the minimum mode is provided for the multiple rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733 of FIG. 7), By applying to the power management circuit (210) for each of the 734, 735, 736), the power management circuit (210) can provide power corresponding to the required power to the load (e.g., 220). Multiple rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7) will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7.

[0062] In operation 405, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can detect an overpower protection event. For example, the overpower protection event may include an overcurrent protection event (e.g., OCP (over current protection)) and / or an overvoltage protection event (e.g., OVP (over voltage protection)). Overcurrent may be a current flowing in the rail (230) that is greater than a reference current. For example, the electronic device (101) can detect that a current greater than a reference current is flowing in the rail (230). For example, the electronic device (101) can detect that a current greater than a reference current is flowing in the rail (230) by using a power management circuit (210). There is no limitation on the method by which the electronic device (101) detects the overcurrent of the rail (230). If the electronic device (101) includes a plurality of rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7), the electronic device (101) can check whether an overcurrent occurs for each of the plurality of rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7). Based on checking for an overcurrent in the rail (230), the electronic device (101) can perform an overcurrent protection operation (e.g., an overcurrent protection event). For example, the electronic device (101) may cut off power provided by the power management circuit (210) based on detecting an overcurrent of the rail (230). For example, power may not be provided by the power management circuit (210) based on detecting an overcurrent of the rail (230). The operation of detecting an overcurrent protection event may be to detect the occurrence of an overcurrent or to detect the performance of an overcurrent protection operation. Overvoltage may be a voltage greater than the reference voltage applied to the rail (230).For example, the electronic device (101) can detect that a voltage greater than the reference voltage is applied to the rail (230). For example, the electronic device (101) can detect that a voltage greater than the reference voltage is applied to the rail (230) by using the power management circuit (210). There is no limitation on the method by which the electronic device (101) detects overvoltage of the rail (230). If the electronic device (101) includes a plurality of rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7), the electronic device (101) can check whether an overvoltage occurs for each of the plurality of rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7). Based on checking for an overvoltage of the rail (230), the electronic device (101) can perform an overvoltage protection operation (e.g., an overvoltage protection event). For example, the electronic device (101) may cut off power provided by the power management circuit (210) based on detecting an overvoltage of the rail (230). For example, power may not be provided by the power management circuit (210) based on detecting an overvoltage of the rail (230). An operation to detect an overvoltage protection event may be to detect the occurrence of an overvoltage or to detect the performance of an overvoltage protection operation.

[0063] In operation 407, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can count the number of occurrences of overpower protection events (e.g., overcurrent protection events and / or overvoltage protection events). For example, the electronic device (101) can count the number of occurrences of overpower protection events (e.g., overcurrent protection events and / or overvoltage protection events). For example, the electronic device (101) can count the number of occurrences of overpower protection events (e.g., overcurrent protection events and / or overvoltage protection events) detected by the power management circuit (210). For example, the electronic device (101) can add 1 to the number of occurrences of overpower protection events (e.g., overcurrent protection events) based on the fact that a current greater than the reference current flows through the rail (230). For example, the electronic device (101) can add 1 to the number of occurrences of an overpower protection event (e.g., an overvoltage protection event) based on the fact that a voltage greater than the reference voltage is applied to the rail (230).

[0064] 409 In operation, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can compare the number of occurrences of overpower protection events (e.g., overcurrent protection events and / or overvoltage protection events) with a reference value.

[0065] In operation 411, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can determine whether the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) can be raised based on whether the number of occurrences of overpower protection events (e.g., overcurrent protection events and / or overvoltage protection events) is greater than or equal to a reference value. For example, the operation of determining whether the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) can be raised may include the operation of determining whether there exists an operation mode higher than the current lowest mode of the power management circuit (210). For example, when the operation modes of the power management circuit (210) include a first operation mode, a second operation mode, and a third operation mode, if the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) is the first operation mode, the second operation mode or the third operation mode higher than the first operation mode can be set as the lowest mode, so the electronic device (101) can determine that the lowest mode can be raised. For example, when the operating modes of the power management circuit (210) include a first operating mode, a second operating mode, and a third operating mode, if the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) is the third operating mode, it can be confirmed that the electronic device (101) cannot increase the lowest mode because there is no operating mode higher than the third operating mode. Higher operating modes have been described in operation 401.

[0066] In operation 413, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can raise the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) by determining a mode higher than the current lowest mode as the lowest mode based on confirming that the lowest mode can be raised. The operation after raising the lowest mode will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can reset the number of occurrences of overpower protection events based on raising the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210).

[0067] In operation 415, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may output a notification indicating a defect in the electronic device (101) based on confirmation that the lowest mode cannot be raised. There is no limitation on the type of notification. For example, the electronic device (101) may control a display (e.g., 160) to display a screen that outputs a notification indicating a defect in the electronic device (101) (e.g., a screen containing text corresponding to "There have been several power failures, please visit a nearby service center." and / or "Faulty rail information: AAAA"). For example, the electronic device (101) may control a speaker (e.g., sound output module (155)) to output a notification indicating a defect in the electronic device (101) (e.g., sound). For example, the electronic device (101) may control a haptic module (179) to output a notification indicating a defect in the electronic device (101) (e.g., vibration). For example, the electronic device (101) can control a light-emitting element to output a notification (e.g., a light) indicating a defect in the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can reset the number of occurrences of an overpower protection event based on outputting a notification indicating a defect in the electronic device (101).

[0068] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method of operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 5 can be explained based on the embodiments of FIG. 1 to 4 and the embodiments described below.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 5, a specific example of the embodiment of FIG. 4 can be described. Parts of the description in FIG. 5 that overlap with the description in FIG. 4 may be omitted.

[0070] At least some of the operations of FIG. 5 may be omitted. The order of the operations of FIG. 5 may be changed. Operations other than the operations of FIG. 5 may be performed before, during, or after the operations of FIG. 5.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 5, in operation 501, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can identify a first mode as the lowest mode among a plurality of operating modes of the power management circuit (210). For example, the first mode may be a mode in which the power supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) is controlled to be less than or equal to a first value. For example, the electronic device (101) can identify a first current limiting mode as the lowest mode among a plurality of operating modes of the power management circuit (210). For example, the first current limiting mode may be a mode in which the current supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) is controlled to be less than or equal to a first maximum current. For example, the electronic device (101) can identify a first voltage limiting mode as the lowest mode among a plurality of operating modes of the power management circuit (210). For example, the first voltage limiting mode may be a mode in which the allowable range of voltage provided from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) is controlled between the first voltage and the second voltage.

[0072] In operation 503, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may apply a mode greater than the first mode among a plurality of operation modes while providing power from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) based on identifying the first mode as the lowest mode. For example, the electronic device (101) may apply a mode greater than the first current limit mode (e.g., first current limit mode, second current limit mode, and third current limit mode) among a plurality of operation modes while providing power from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) based on identifying the first current limit mode as the lowest mode. For example, the electronic device (101) may apply a mode greater than the first voltage limit mode (e.g., first voltage limit mode, second voltage limit mode, and third voltage limit mode) among a plurality of operation modes while providing power from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) based on identifying the first voltage limit mode as the lowest mode. For example, the electronic device (101) may provide power to the load (220) with a value less than or equal to a first value corresponding to the first mode in the first mode, or provide power to the load (220) with a value less than or equal to a second value corresponding to the second mode in the second mode, or provide power to the load (220) with a value less than or equal to a third value corresponding to the third mode in the third mode, by applying one of the modes above the first mode while applying the first mode as the lowest mode.

[0073] In operation 505, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can count the number of occurrences of overpower protection events while providing power from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220). For example, the electronic device (101) can count only the number of occurrences of overcurrent protection events. For example, the electronic device (101) can count only the number of occurrences of overvoltage protection events. For example, the electronic device (101) can count the number of occurrences of overcurrent protection events and the number of occurrences of overvoltage protection events, respectively. For example, the electronic device (101) can count the number of occurrences of overpower protection events including the number of occurrences of overcurrent protection events and the number of occurrences of overvoltage protection events.

[0074] In operation 507, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can determine whether an operation mode higher than the first mode can be applied as the lowest mode based on the occurrence of an overpower protection event (e.g., an overcurrent protection event and / or an overvoltage protection event) being greater than or equal to a reference value. An operation mode higher than the first mode may be a mode in which the maximum value of power provided to the load (220) from the power management circuit (210) is greater than the first value of the first mode. An operation mode higher than the first mode has been described in operation 401 of FIG. 4.

[0075] In operation 509, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may change the lowest mode from the first mode to the second mode based on confirming that a second mode higher than the first mode is applicable as the lowest mode. The second mode may be a mode in which the power provided to the load (220) from the power management circuit (210) is controlled to be lower than or equal to a second value higher than the first value of the first mode. For example, the electronic device (101) may change the lowest mode from the first current limit mode to the second current limit mode based on confirming that a second current limit mode higher than the first current limit mode is applicable as the lowest mode. For example, the electronic device (101) may change the lowest mode from the first voltage limit mode to the second voltage limit mode based on confirming that a second voltage limit mode higher than the first voltage limit mode is applicable as the lowest mode. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may apply a mode greater than or equal to the second mode among a plurality of operating modes while providing power from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) based on changing the lowest mode from the first mode to the second mode. The electronic device (101) may apply a mode greater than or equal to the second mode among a plurality of operating modes while providing power from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220) based on identifying the second mode as the lowest mode. For example, while applying the second mode as the lowest mode, the electronic device (101) may apply one of the modes greater than or equal to the second mode (e.g., the second mode and the third mode) without applying the first mode, thereby providing power less than or equal to the second value corresponding to the second mode in the second mode to the load (220), or providing power less than or equal to the third value corresponding to the third mode in the third mode to the load (220).

[0076] In operation 511, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may reset the number of occurrences of overpower protection events (e.g., overcurrent protection events and / or overvoltage protection events) based on changing the lowest mode.

[0077] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method of operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 can be explained based on the embodiments of FIG. 1 to 5, the embodiments of FIG. 7, and embodiments described below. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic device.

[0078] Referring to FIGS. 6 and FIGS. 7, according to one embodiment, an electronic device (101) may raise the lowest mode of a power management circuit (210) or output a notification based on the number of occurrences of an overpower protection event for each of the plurality of rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7). Descriptions of operations in FIG. 6 that overlap with operations in FIG. 4 may be omitted. For example, descriptions of operations other than raising the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) based on the number of occurrences of an overpower protection event in FIG. 6 may be omitted, and the omitted descriptions may be understood by referring to the description of the operation in FIG. 4.

[0079] At least some of the operations of FIG. 6 may be omitted. The order of the operations of FIG. 6 may be changed. Operations other than those of FIG. 6 may be performed before, during, or after the operations of FIG. 6.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 6, in operation 601, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) can count the number of occurrences of rail-specific overpower protection events. For example, the electronic device (101) may include a plurality of rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7). The electronic device (101) can provide power to a load (220) (e.g., a plurality of loads (e.g., 321, 322, 323, 120 in FIG. 3, or 721, 722, 723, 120 in FIG. 7)) through a plurality of rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 in FIG. 3, or 731, 735, 736 in FIG. 7). For example, in FIG. 7, the electronic device (101) may include a first rail (731) corresponding to a first load (721). For example, in FIG. 7, the electronic device (101) may include a second rail (732) and a third rail (733) corresponding to a second load (722). For example, in FIG. 7, the electronic device (101) may include a second rail (732), a fourth rail (734), and a fifth rail (735) corresponding to a third load (723). For example, in FIG. 7, the electronic device (101) may include a sixth rail (736) corresponding to a processor (120). For example, the first rail (731) may be a passage through which power is supplied to the first load (721). For example, the second rail (732) may be a common passage through which power is supplied to the second load (722) and the third load (723). For example, the third rail (733) may be a passage through which power is supplied to the second load (722) by branching off from the common passage of the second rail (732). For example, the fourth rail (734) may be a passage that branches off from the second rail (732), which is a common passage, and supplies power to the third load (723). For example, the fifth rail (735) may be a passage that supplies power to the third load (723).For example, the sixth rail (736) may be a passage through which power is supplied to the processor (120). According to one embodiment, in FIG. 7, the electronic device (101) may separately count the number of occurrences of overpower protection events for each of the plurality of rails (e.g., 331, 332, 333, 334 of FIG. 3, or 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736 of FIG. 7). For example, the electronic device (101) may count the first number of occurrences of overpower protection events occurring in the first rail (731) corresponding to the first load (721). For example, the electronic device (101) may count the second number of occurrences of overpower protection events occurring in the second rail (732) (e.g., a common rail) corresponding to the second load (722) and the third load (723). For example, the electronic device (101) can count the third occurrence of an overpower protection event occurring in the third rail (733) corresponding to the second load (722). For example, the electronic device (101) can count the fourth occurrence of an overpower protection event occurring in the fourth rail (734) corresponding to the third load (723). For example, the electronic device (101) can count the fifth occurrence of an overpower protection event occurring in the fifth rail (735) corresponding to the third load (723). For example, the electronic device (101) can count the sixth occurrence of an overpower protection event occurring in the sixth rail (736) corresponding to the processor (120). For example, the electronic device (101) can count the number of occurrences (e.g., first occurrence, second occurrence, third occurrence, fourth occurrence, fifth occurrence, and / or sixth occurrence) separately.

[0081] In operation 603, according to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may set a minimum mode per rail. According to one embodiment, the minimum mode per rail of the power management circuit (210) initially set may be the same or different. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may count the number of occurrences of overpower protection events per rail and set a minimum mode per rail according to the number of occurrences of overpower protection events. For example, for a rail where the number of occurrences of overpower protection events is greater than or equal to a reference value, the minimum mode may be raised or a notification indicating a defect in the electronic device (101) may be output, as described in the embodiments above. When outputting a notification indicating a defect in the electronic device (101), the notification may include information about which rail is the rail where the defect occurred (e.g., a rail where multiple overpower protection events occurred). For example, the electronic device (101) can separately count the first occurrence of an overpower protection event occurring on the first rail (e.g., 731) and the second occurrence of an overpower protection event occurring on the second rail (e.g., 732), and determine whether the first occurrence is greater than or equal to a reference value and the second occurrence is less than or equal to a reference value, based on which it can determine whether the first minimum mode corresponding to the first rail (e.g., 731) can be increased. Based on which it determines that the first minimum mode corresponding to the first rail (e.g., 731) can be increased, the electronic device (101) can increase the first minimum mode corresponding to the first rail (e.g., 731) and maintain the second minimum mode corresponding to the second rail (e.g., 732). The electronic device (101) can reset the occurrence of an overpower protection event (e.g., the first occurrence) corresponding to the rail where the minimum mode was changed (e.g., the first rail (e.g., 731)). The electronic device (101) can maintain the number of occurrences of overpower protection events (e.g., second occurrences) corresponding to the rail that maintains the lowest mode (e.g., second rail (e.g., 732)).

[0082] FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating the operation of an electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 8 can be described based on the embodiments of FIG. 1 to 7 and the embodiments described below.

[0083] Referring to FIG. 8, according to one embodiment, an electronic device (101) may control a display (160) to display a screen (810) for selecting whether to apply the operations of the aforementioned embodiments. For example, in FIG. 8, the electronic device (101) may display a screen (810) including an object (811) for selecting whether to apply operations corresponding to "power circuit protection" (e.g., operations of the embodiments of FIG. 4 to 7). For example, the screen (810) may include text corresponding to "power circuit protection" and "can prevent sudden power off. However, current consumption may increase." For example, current consumption may be the current consumed by the power management circuit (210) in the minimum mode as the minimum mode of the power management circuit (210) is determined. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may perform the operations of the embodiments of FIGS. 4 to 7 based on a user input selecting to apply operations corresponding to "power circuit protection" (e.g., operations of the embodiments of FIGS. 4 to 7) on the screen (810). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may not perform the operations of the embodiments of FIGS. 4 to 7 based on a user input selecting not to apply operations corresponding to "power circuit protection" (e.g., operations of the embodiments of FIGS. 4 to 7) on the screen (810).

[0084] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may perform an operation to increase the aforementioned minimum mode or perform a power management operation learned by an artificial intelligence model. For example, the electronic device (101) may learn a power management operation other than the operation to increase the minimum mode by using the artificial intelligence model of the electronic device (101) or the artificial intelligence model of the server (108). For example, the electronic device (101) may increase the maximum current of each operation mode, increase the maximum voltage of each operation mode, or increase both the maximum current and the maximum voltage simultaneously, based on the fact that the number of occurrences of an overpower protection event is greater than or equal to a reference value. For example, the electronic device (101) may increase the maximum current and decrease the maximum voltage based on the fact that the number of occurrences of an overpower protection event is greater than or equal to a reference value. For example, the electronic device (101) may modify settings for minimum voltage, maximum voltage, always on option, up time, down time, hold time violation, under-voltage lockout (UVLO), and / or over-voltage lockout (OVLO) (e.g., overvoltage protection event) based on power circuit protection operation.

[0085] Those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments described herein may be applied interchangeably to the extent applicable. For example, those skilled in the art will understand that at least some operations of an embodiment described herein may be omitted, and at least some operations of the embodiments may be applied interchangeably.

[0086] The present disclosure is not limited to the foregoing, and other unmentioned variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure.

[0087] The effects obtainable from the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs from the description below.

[0088] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723), and a power management circuit (210) configured to manage power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723). The load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) may include a memory (130) for storing instructions and at least one processor (120). When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may cause the power management circuit (210) to identify a minimum mode to be applied to the operation of the power management circuit (210) among a plurality of operation modes of the power management circuit (210). The lowest mode may be a mode having the lowest maximum power among at least one operating mode applied to the power management circuit (210) while providing the power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the power management circuit (210). When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), they may cause the electronic device (101) to provide the power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the power management circuit (210) by applying a mode greater than the lowest mode. When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), they may cause the electronic device (101) to count the number of occurrences of overpower protection events detected by the power management circuit (210).When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), they may cause the electronic device (101) to determine whether the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) can be raised based on the occurrence count being greater than or equal to a reference value. When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), they may cause the electronic device (101) to raise the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) by determining a mode higher than the current lowest mode as the lowest mode based on the determination that the lowest mode can be raised.

[0089] According to one embodiment, when the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may cause the first mode among the plurality of operating modes of the power management circuit (210) to be identified as the lowest mode. The first mode may be a mode in which the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the power management circuit (210) is controlled to be less than or equal to a first value. When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may be caused to apply a mode higher than the first mode among the plurality of operating modes while providing power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the power management circuit (210), based on identifying the first mode as the lowest mode. When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may be caused to determine whether an operating mode higher than the first mode can be applied as the lowest mode, based on the fact that the number of occurrences of the overpower protection event is greater than the reference value. An operation mode higher than the first mode may be a mode in which the maximum value of the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the power management circuit (210) is greater than the first value. When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may cause the lowest mode to change from the first mode to the second mode based on confirming that the second mode higher than the first mode is applicable to the lowest mode.The second mode may be a mode in which the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) is controlled to be higher than the first value and lower than the second value. When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may cause the application of a mode greater than the second mode among the plurality of operation modes while providing power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210), based on identifying the second mode as the lowest mode.

[0090] According to one embodiment, when the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may be caused to provide the power below the first value corresponding to the first mode in the first mode to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) by applying one of the modes above the first mode, including the first mode and the second mode, while applying the first mode to the lowest mode, or to provide the power below the second value corresponding to the second mode to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the second mode. When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may be caused to provide the power of the second value or less corresponding to the second mode to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the second mode without applying the first mode while applying the second mode to the lowest mode.

[0091] According to one embodiment, when the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may be caused to output a notification indicating a defect in the electronic device (101) based on the confirmation that the lowest mode cannot be raised.

[0092] According to one embodiment, when the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may cause the number of occurrences of the overpower protection event to be reset based on raising the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210).

[0093] According to one embodiment, when the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may cause 1 to be added to the number of occurrences of the overpower protection event based on the fact that a current greater than the reference current flows in the rail to which the power is supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723).

[0094] According to one embodiment, the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) includes a first load and a second load, and the rail may include a first rail corresponding to the first load and a second rail corresponding to the second load. When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may cause separately counting the first occurrence of the overpower protection event occurring on the first rail and the second occurrence of the overpower protection event occurring on the second rail. When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may cause checking whether the first minimum mode corresponding to the first rail can be raised based on confirming that the first occurrence is greater than or equal to the reference value and the second occurrence is less than the reference value. When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may cause the first lowest mode corresponding to the first rail to be raised and the second lowest mode corresponding to the second rail to be maintained, based on confirming that the first lowest mode can be raised.

[0095] According to one embodiment, when the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may cause the electronic device (101) to determine the magnitude of the required power required by the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723). When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) may cause the power management circuit (210) to control the power management circuit (210) to provide the power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) based on the lowest mode and the required power.

[0096] According to one embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device (101) may include an operation of identifying a minimum mode to be applied to the operation of a power management circuit (210) among a plurality of operation modes of a power management circuit (210) of the electronic device (101). The minimum mode may be a mode having the lowest maximum power among at least one operation mode to be applied to the power management circuit (210) while providing power to a load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) of the electronic device (101) from the power management circuit (210). The method may include an operation of providing power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) by applying a mode greater than or equal to the minimum mode. The above method may include an operation of counting the number of occurrences of an overpower protection event detected by the power management circuit (210). The above method may include an operation of checking whether the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) can be raised based on whether the number of occurrences is greater than or equal to a reference value. The above method may cause the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) to be raised by determining a mode higher than the current lowest mode as the lowest mode based on the confirmation that the lowest mode can be raised.

[0097] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation of identifying a first mode as the lowest mode among the plurality of operating modes of the power management circuit (210). The first mode may be a mode in which the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) is controlled to be less than or equal to a first value. Based on identifying the first mode as the lowest mode, the method may include an operation of applying a mode higher than the first mode among the plurality of operating modes while providing the power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210). The method may include an operation of identifying whether an operating mode higher than the first mode can be applied as the lowest mode based on the fact that the number of occurrences of the overpower protection event is greater than or equal to the reference value. An operation mode higher than the first mode may be a mode in which the maximum value of the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) is greater than the first value. The method may cause the lowest mode to change from the first mode to the second mode based on confirming that the second mode higher than the first mode is applicable to the lowest mode. The second mode may be a mode in which the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) is controlled to be lower than or equal to a second value higher than the first value. The above method may include an operation of applying a mode greater than the second mode among the plurality of operation modes while providing power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) based on identifying the second mode as the lowest mode.

[0098] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation of providing power of less than or equal to the first value corresponding to the first mode in the first mode to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) by applying one of the modes greater than or equal to the first mode, including the first mode and the second mode, while applying the first mode as the lowest mode, or providing power of less than or equal to the second value corresponding to the second mode in the second mode to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723). The method may include an operation of providing power of less than or equal to the second value corresponding to the second mode in the second mode to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) by applying one of the modes greater than or equal to the second mode without applying the first mode while applying the second mode as the lowest mode.

[0099] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation of outputting a notification indicating a defect in the electronic device (101) based on confirmation that the lowest mode cannot be raised.

[0100] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation to reset the number of occurrences of the overpower protection event based on raising the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210).

[0101] According to one embodiment, the method may include adding 1 to the number of occurrences of the overpower protection event based on the fact that a current greater than a reference current flows in the rail to which the power is supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723).

[0102] According to one embodiment, the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) includes a first load and a second load, and the rail may include a first rail corresponding to the first load and a second rail corresponding to the second load. The method may include an operation of separately counting the first occurrence of the overpower protection event occurring in the first rail and the second occurrence of the overpower protection event occurring in the second rail. The method may include an operation of checking whether the first minimum mode corresponding to the first rail can be raised based on confirming that the first occurrence is greater than or equal to the reference value and the second occurrence is less than the reference value. The method may include an operation of raising the first minimum mode corresponding to the first rail and maintaining the second minimum mode corresponding to the second rail based on confirming that the first minimum mode can be raised.

[0103] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation to determine the magnitude of the required power required by the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723). The method may include an operation to control the power management circuit (210) to provide the power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) based on the lowest mode and the required power.

[0104] According to one embodiment, in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for storing instructions, the instructions may cause the electronic device (101) to perform at least one operation when executed individually or collectively by at least one processor of the electronic device (101). The at least one operation may include an operation of identifying a minimum mode to be applied to the operation of the power management circuit (210) among a plurality of operation modes of the power management circuit (210) of the electronic device (101). The minimum mode may be a mode having the lowest maximum power among at least one operation mode to be applied to the power management circuit (210) while providing power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) of the electronic device (101) in the power management circuit (210). The at least one operation may include an operation of providing power from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) by applying a mode greater than or equal to the lowest mode. The at least one operation may include an operation of counting the number of occurrences of an overpower protection event detected by the power management circuit (210). The at least one operation may include an operation of checking whether the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) can be raised based on the fact that the number of occurrences is greater than or equal to a reference value. The at least one operation may cause the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) to be raised by determining a mode higher than the current lowest mode as the lowest mode based on the confirmation that the lowest mode can be raised.

[0105] According to one embodiment, in the recording medium, the at least one operation may include an operation of identifying a first mode among the plurality of operation modes of the power management circuit (210) as the lowest mode. The first mode may be a mode in which the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) is controlled to be less than or equal to a first value. The at least one operation may include an operation of applying a mode higher than the first mode among the plurality of operation modes while providing the power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) based on identifying the first mode as the lowest mode. The at least one operation may include an operation of identifying whether an operation mode higher than the first mode can be applied as the lowest mode based on the fact that the number of occurrences of the overpower protection event is greater than or equal to the reference value. The operation mode higher than the first mode may be a mode in which the maximum value of the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) is greater than the first value. The at least one operation may cause the lowest mode to change from the first mode to the second mode based on confirming that the second mode higher than the first mode is applicable to the lowest mode. The second mode may be a mode in which the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) is controlled to be less than or equal to a second value higher than the first value.The above at least one operation may include applying a mode greater than the second mode among the plurality of operation modes while providing power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) based on identifying the second mode as the lowest mode.

[0106] According to one embodiment, in the recording medium, the at least one operation may include, while applying the first mode as the lowest mode, applying one of the modes above the first mode including the first mode and the second mode, providing the power below the first value corresponding to the first mode in the first mode to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723), or providing the power below the second value corresponding to the second mode in the second mode to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723). The above at least one operation may include an operation of providing the power of the second value or less corresponding to the second mode to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the second mode without applying the first mode while applying the second mode to the lowest mode.

[0107] According to one embodiment, in the recording medium, the at least one operation may include an operation of outputting a notification indicating a defect in the electronic device (101) based on confirmation that the lowest mode cannot be raised.

[0108] According to one embodiment, in the recording medium, the at least one operation may include an operation to reset the number of occurrences of the overpower protection event based on raising the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210).

[0109] According to one embodiment, in the recording medium, the at least one operation may include adding 1 to the number of occurrences of the overpower protection event based on the fact that a current greater than a reference current flows in the rail to which the power is supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723).

[0110] According to one embodiment, in the recording medium, the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) includes a first load and a second load, and the rail may include a first rail corresponding to the first load and a second rail corresponding to the second load. The at least one operation may include an operation of separately counting the first occurrence of the overpower protection event occurring in the first rail and the second occurrence of the overpower protection event occurring in the second rail. The at least one operation may include an operation of checking whether the first minimum mode corresponding to the first rail can be raised based on confirming that the first occurrence count is greater than or equal to the reference value and the second occurrence count is less than the reference value. The at least one operation may include an operation of raising the first minimum mode corresponding to the first rail and maintaining the second minimum mode corresponding to the second rail based on confirming that the first minimum mode can be raised.

[0111] According to one embodiment, in the recording medium, the at least one operation may include an operation of determining the magnitude of the required power required by the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723). The at least one operation may include an operation of controlling the power management circuit (210) to provide the power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) based on the lowest mode and the required power.

[0112] The electronic device according to the various embodiments disclosed in this document may be of various forms. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a consumer electronics device. The electronic device according to the embodiments of this document is not limited to the devices described above.

[0113] The various embodiments of this document and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutions of said embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of said items unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, phrases such as "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B or C," "at least one of A, B and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C" may each include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used simply to distinguish said components from other said components and do not limit said components in any other aspect (e.g., importance or order). Where any (e.g., 1st) component is referred to as “coupled” or “connected” to another (e.g., 2nd) component, with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicationly,” it means that said any component may be connected to said other component directly (e.g., via a wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0114] The term “module” as used in the various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit, for example. A module may be a component formed integrally, or a minimum unit of said component or a part thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0115] Various embodiments of this document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program) comprising one or more instructions stored on a storage medium readable by a machine (e.g., an electronic device). For example, a processor (e.g., a controller) of the machine may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one called instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code that can be executed by an interpreter. The storage medium readable by the machine may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, "non-transitory" simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and this term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently and cases where it is stored temporarily in the storage medium.

[0116] According to one embodiment, the method according to the various embodiments disclosed herein may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or distributed online (e.g., download or upload) through an application store (e.g., Play Store™) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily created on a device-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server.

[0117] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., module or program) of the components described above may include a singular or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Generally or additionally, multiple components (e.g., module or program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as those performed by the corresponding component among the multiple components prior to integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by the module, program, or other components may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Claims

1. In an electronic device (101), Load(220; 321;322;323; 721;722;723); and It includes a power management circuit (210) configured to manage power provided to the above loads (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723), and The above load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) includes a memory (130) for storing instructions and at least one processor (120), and When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) is enabled, Among the plurality of operating modes of the power management circuit (210), a minimum mode to be applied to the operation of the power management circuit (210) is identified, wherein the minimum mode is a mode having the lowest maximum power among at least one operating mode to be applied to the power management circuit (210) while the power is provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the power management circuit (210). By applying a mode greater than or equal to the minimum mode above, the power management circuit (210) provides the power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723), and Count the number of occurrences of overpower protection events detected by the power management circuit (210), and Based on the fact that the above occurrence count is greater than or equal to a reference value, check whether the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) can be increased, and Based on confirming that the above-mentioned minimum mode can be raised, by determining a mode higher than the current minimum mode as the above-mentioned minimum mode, thereby causing the above-mentioned minimum mode of the power management circuit (210) to be raised, Electronic device (101).

2. In Paragraph 1, When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) is enabled, Among the plurality of operating modes of the power management circuit (210), the first mode is identified as the lowest mode, wherein the first mode is a mode in which the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the power management circuit (210) is controlled to be less than or equal to a first value, and Based on identifying the first mode as the lowest mode, while providing power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the power management circuit (210), a mode greater than or equal to the first mode among the plurality of operating modes is applied, and Based on the fact that the number of occurrences of the above overpower protection event is greater than or equal to the reference value, it is determined whether an operating mode higher than the first mode can be applied as the lowest mode, wherein the operating mode higher than the first mode is a mode in which the maximum value of the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) is greater than the first value, and Based on confirming that a second mode higher than the first mode is applicable as the lowest mode, the lowest mode is changed from the first mode to the second mode, wherein the second mode is a mode in which the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) is controlled to be lower than or equal to a second value higher than the first value, and Based on identifying the second mode as the lowest mode, while providing power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the power management circuit (210), causing to apply a mode greater than the second mode among the plurality of operating modes, Electronic device (101).

3. In Paragraph 1 or 2, When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) is enabled, While applying the first mode as the lowest mode, by applying one of the modes greater than or equal to the first mode, including the first mode and the second mode, the power less than or equal to the first value corresponding to the first mode in the first mode is provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723), or the power less than or equal to the second value corresponding to the second mode in the second mode is provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723), and While applying the second mode as the lowest mode, by applying one of the modes greater than or equal to the second mode without applying the first mode, causing the power less than or equal to the second value corresponding to the second mode in the second mode to be provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723), Electronic device (101).

4. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 3, When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) is enabled, Based on the confirmation that the above lowest mode cannot be raised, causing to output a notification indicating a defect in the electronic device (101), Electronic device (101).

5. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) is enabled, Based on raising the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210), causing the number of occurrences of the overpower protection event to be reset, Electronic device (101).

6. In any one of paragraphs 1 through 5, When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) is enabled, Based on the fact that a current greater than the reference current flows in the rail through which power is supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723), causing 1 to be added to the number of occurrences of the overpower protection event, Electronic device (101).

7. In any one of paragraphs 1 through 6, The above rods (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) include a first rod and a second rod, and The above rail includes a first rail corresponding to the first rod and a second rail corresponding to the second rod, and When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) is enabled, The first occurrence of the overpower protection event occurring on the first rail and the second occurrence of the overpower protection event occurring on the second rail are counted separately, Based on confirming that the first occurrence count is greater than or equal to the reference value and the second occurrence count is less than the reference value, it is determined whether the first minimum mode corresponding to the first rail can be increased, and Based on confirming that the above-mentioned first minimum mode can be raised, causing the above-mentioned first minimum mode corresponding to the first rail to be raised and the above-mentioned second minimum mode corresponding to the second rail to be maintained, Electronic device (101).

8. In any one of paragraphs 1 through 7, When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), the electronic device (101) is enabled, Check the magnitude of the required power required by the above load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723), and Causing the power management circuit (210) to control the power to provide the power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) based on the above minimum mode and the above required power, Electronic device (101).

9. In the method of operating the electronic device (101), An operation of identifying a minimum mode to be applied to the operation of the power management circuit (210) among a plurality of operation modes of the power management circuit (210) of the electronic device (101), wherein the minimum mode is a mode having the lowest maximum power among at least one operation mode to be applied to the power management circuit (210) while the power management circuit (210) provides power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) of the electronic device (101). The operation of providing power from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) by applying a mode greater than or equal to the lowest mode, and The operation of counting the number of occurrences of overpower protection events detected by the power management circuit (210), and An operation to determine whether the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) can be increased based on the fact that the above occurrence count is greater than or equal to a reference value, and Based on confirming that the above-mentioned minimum mode can be raised, the operation of raising the above-mentioned minimum mode of the power management circuit (210) by determining a mode higher than the current minimum mode as the above-mentioned minimum mode, the operation of raising the above-mentioned minimum mode of the power management circuit (210), method.

10. In Paragraph 9, An operation of identifying a first mode as the lowest mode among the plurality of operating modes of the power management circuit (210), wherein the first mode is a mode in which the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the power management circuit (210) is controlled to be less than or equal to a first value, and Based on confirming the first mode as the lowest mode, while providing power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the power management circuit (210), an operation of applying a mode greater than or equal to the first mode among the plurality of operation modes, and An operation to determine whether an operation mode higher than the first mode can be applied as the lowest mode based on the fact that the number of occurrences of the above overpower protection event is greater than or equal to the reference value, wherein the operation mode higher than the first mode is a mode in which the maximum value of the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) is greater than the first value, and Based on confirming that a second mode higher than the first mode is applicable to the lowest mode, an operation to change the lowest mode from the first mode to the second mode, wherein the second mode is a mode in which the power provided to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) from the power management circuit (210) is controlled to be lower than or equal to a second value higher than the first value, and Based on identifying the second mode as the lowest mode, the operation includes applying a mode greater than or equal to the second mode among the plurality of operation modes while providing power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) in the power management circuit (210). method.

11. In Paragraph 9 or 10, While applying the first mode as the lowest mode, by applying one of the modes greater than or equal to the first mode, including the first mode and the second mode, the operation of providing the power less than or equal to the first value corresponding to the first mode in the first mode to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723), or providing the power less than or equal to the second value corresponding to the second mode in the second mode to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723), and While applying the second mode as the lowest mode, by applying one of the modes greater than or equal to the second mode without applying the first mode, the operation of providing the power less than or equal to the second value corresponding to the second mode in the second mode to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) method.

12. In any one of paragraphs 9 through 11, Based on the confirmation that the above lowest mode cannot be raised, the operation of outputting a notification indicating a defect in the electronic device (101) method.

13. In any one of paragraphs 9 through 12, Based on raising the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210), the operation of resetting the number of occurrences of the overpower protection event is included. method.

14. In any one of paragraphs 9 through 13, The operation of counting the number of occurrences of the above overpower protection event is, The operation of adding 1 to the number of occurrences of the overpower protection event based on the fact that a current greater than the reference current flows in the rail to which the power is supplied from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723), method.

15. In a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for storing instructions, the instructions cause the electronic device (101) to perform at least one operation when executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120) of the electronic device (101), and The above at least one operation is, An operation of identifying a minimum mode to be applied to the operation of the power management circuit (210) among a plurality of operation modes of the power management circuit (210) of the electronic device (101), wherein the minimum mode is a mode having the lowest maximum power among at least one operation mode to be applied to the power management circuit (210) while the power management circuit (210) provides power to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) of the electronic device (101). The operation of providing power from the power management circuit (210) to the load (220; 321; 322; 323; 721; 722; 723) by applying a mode greater than or equal to the lowest mode, and The operation of counting the number of occurrences of overpower protection events detected by the power management circuit (210), and An operation to determine whether the lowest mode of the power management circuit (210) can be increased based on the fact that the above occurrence count is greater than or equal to a reference value, and Based on confirming that the above-mentioned minimum mode can be raised, the operation of raising the above-mentioned minimum mode of the power management circuit (210) by determining a mode higher than the current minimum mode as the above-mentioned minimum mode, the operation of raising the above-mentioned minimum mode of the power management circuit (210), Recording media.

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