Battery Charging Windows Using Forecast Cooling and Throttling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lithium-ion batteries face challenges in safe charging during high ambient temperatures, as they can only charge up to a certain temperature threshold while discharging until depletion or triggering a shutdown state when temperatures are too high, leading to a poor user experience.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device checks future ambient temperatures and adjusts device-performance throttling to estimate when the battery temperature will be low enough to safely charge, using local-weather-forecast data and device-performance modes to identify suitable charging windows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the battery charging temperature limit is strictly enforced to ensure safe charging, then battery safety is improved, but device runtime is reduced due to inability to charge during high ambient temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary cooling actions before charging by activating cooling mechanisms (fans, heat sinks, throttling device operations) to reduce battery temperature below the charging threshold in advance. This allows charging to proceed safely while extending device runtime, as the battery can be charged during periods when cooling can be effectively applied.
2Ease of operation
If device performance is maintained at full capacity during high ambient temperatures, then user experience is improved, but battery temperature remains too high for safe charging
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts device performance based on real-time battery temperature conditions. When battery temperature exceeds safe thresholds, the system automatically throttles device operations (reducing CPU frequency, disabling non-essential functions) to reduce heat generation. This dynamic adaptation allows the device to maintain optimal performance during normal operation while enabling safe charging when temperature conditions require intervention.
3Duration of action of moving object
If the battery charging threshold is lowered to enable charging at higher temperatures, then device runtime is extended, but battery safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors battery temperature and uses this feedback to control charging operations. Temperature sensors provide real-time data to the power management system, which adjusts charging parameters or initiates cooling measures when temperature approaches unsafe levels. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures charging only occurs when safe, preventing battery damage while maximizing runtime opportunities.
Data Source
AI summary
The present document describes techniques for safe battery charging during high ambient temperatures. These techniques extend device runtime during peak use periods when ambient temperature is high by increasing the possibility for battery charging during high ambient temperature conditions. In an example, a device, during high ambient temperatures, checks future ambient temperatures over a network to identify if the minimum future ambient temperature over a block of time within the next N number of days is predicted to be sufficiently low that, when combined with device-performance throttling, is estimated to reduce the temperature of the battery to below the maximum charge temperature to enable the battery to be safely charged. The device can also use the future ambient temperatures to budget current battery usage by implementing and/or adjusting device-performance throttling.