Adaptive Voltage Selection for Clamshell Power Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Clamshell computing devices with Lithium Ion batteries face inefficiencies in power delivery due to higher cross-over losses in legacy power-delivery implementations, affecting battery life in low power workloads, while higher series cell configurations like 4S offer better performance but at the cost of reduced efficiency and shorter battery life in light workloads.
Innovation Solution
A computing system with a high-performance battery pack (3S or 4S) coupled to a switched capacitor voltage regulator (SCVR) that dynamically adjusts its operation based on user context and battery state, bypassing or dividing the voltage to optimize power delivery for performance or battery life, reducing area and cost by more than 50% compared to a straightforward SCVR solution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a 4S battery pack configuration is used, then performance and charge rate are improved, but efficiency and battery life are reduced due to higher cross-over losses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic voltage selection by switching between different battery configurations (2S/4S) based on real-time system state and workload requirements. The controller dynamically reconfigures the battery pack connections to match the optimal configuration for current operating conditions, thereby minimizing energy losses while maintaining performance capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the electrical parameters (voltage and current) by reconfiguring the battery pack between 2S and 4S modes. This parameter change allows the system to adapt to different workload requirements, using 4S mode for high-performance tasks and 2S mode for low-power tasks, thus optimizing the balance between performance and energy efficiency.
2Loss of energy
If a 2S battery pack configuration is used, then efficiency and battery life are improved for low power workloads, but performance is reduced due to small voltage gap to Vsysmin
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between 2S and 4S battery configurations based on the required performance level and system state. When high performance is needed, the system transitions to 4S mode to provide sufficient voltage headroom above Vsysmin. When performance requirements are low, the system switches to 2S mode to maximize efficiency and battery life.
Solution Approach 2:
The same battery pack hardware is designed to serve multiple functions by reconfiguring its internal connections. The battery pack can operate in both 2S mode (for efficiency) and 4S mode (for performance), making a single hardware configuration universally applicable to different operating scenarios without requiring separate battery packs.
3Device complexity
If direct voltage conversion from battery to core voltages is used, then device complexity is reduced, but energy loss increases due to higher cross-over losses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic reconfiguration capability that allows the system to switch between different power delivery paths. The controller dynamically selects whether to use direct battery-to-core voltage conversion or to route through intermediate voltage regulation stages, depending on the operating conditions. This dynamic approach adds control complexity but significantly reduces energy losses.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary control mechanism (the controller and switching network) that mediates between the battery pack and the core voltage rails. This intermediary layer enables intelligent routing of power, selecting the optimal conversion path based on real-time conditions, thereby reducing cross-over losses while maintaining acceptable system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach achieves higher voltage regulation efficiency during battery life workloads and higher performance during performance workloads, extending battery life and reducing charger losses, while maintaining performance capabilities with quick charging features.
Implementation Method 1
dynamically engages devices of the voltage regulator to provide a divided voltage to the system components
Implementation Method 2
voltage regulator and logic to control an input supply of the voltage regulator
Data Source
AI summary
A computing system having a high-performance battery pack (e.g., 3S, 4S battery packs) coupled to a voltage regulator and logic to control an input supply of the voltage regulator. The logic determines the context of usage of the computing device (or user attentiveness) and either dynamically bypasses the voltage regulator to provide the voltage from the high-performance battery pack directly to various components of the computing system, or dynamically engages devices of the voltage regulator to provide a lower supply voltage to the various components of the computing system.