Battery Power Spike Suppression via Component State Adjustment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Mobile devices often experience premature shutdown due to power spikes, which can occur when the battery's state-of-charge is low, leading to unused battery power and reduced device runtime.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that monitor the available battery power and adjust the power states of device components to reduce power consumption, preventing spikes that could trigger shutdowns, by determining the requisite power needed for tasks and altering component power states to stay within the battery's capacity, thereby maintaining a prescribed voltage level.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the device allows high power consumption to maintain performance, then the device can execute tasks efficiently, but the battery voltage may drop below the shutdown threshold causing premature shutdown

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetask execution efficiencyVSAvoiddevice shutdown stability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The power management module performs preliminary assessment of available battery power before task execution. It determines the requisite power for upcoming tasks and proactively adjusts component power states in advance to prevent power spikes that would cause voltage drops and shutdowns, thereby maintaining both productivity and reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts the power states of device components based on real-time battery conditions. When available power is insufficient for required tasks, the system alters power states to reduce consumption, enabling flexible adaptation that maintains device operation within safe voltage boundaries while maximizing task execution

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the device reduces power consumption to prevent voltage drops, then the battery can maintain voltage level, but the device runtime is reduced due to lower power utilization

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevoltage level stabilityVSAvoiddevice runtime
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The power management module continuously monitors available battery power and compares it with the requisite power for scheduled tasks. This feedback mechanism enables the system to make informed decisions about power state adjustments, reducing power consumption only when necessary to maintain voltage stability, thereby optimizing both reliability and runtime

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the operational parameters of device components by adjusting their power states. Rather than maintaining a fixed low power state, the system dynamically modifies power consumption parameters based on battery conditions, allowing components to operate at optimal power levels that extend runtime while preventing voltage drops

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Speed

If the device operates at high power states to maximize performance, then tasks execute faster, but power spikes occur that trigger premature shutdown at low battery capacity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetask execution speedVSAvoidshutdown threshold stability
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Before executing tasks that would cause high power consumption, the system performs preliminary assessment of available battery power. It determines whether the battery can support the required power demand and proactively adjusts component power states to prevent power spikes, thereby maintaining task execution speed while avoiding premature shutdowns

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

When battery power is insufficient, the system skips or delays non-critical tasks rather than executing them at high power states that would cause shutdowns. This selective task execution approach maintains reliability by avoiding power spikes while still progressing essential tasks at acceptable speeds

Inventive Principle:
Principle #21Skipping (Rushing through)

Data Source

PatentEP3256927B1Suppressing power spikes
Publication Date: 2020.10.28 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3256927B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3256927B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3256927B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

This document describes techniques and apparatuses for suppressing power spikes. In some embodiments, these techniques and apparatuses determine an available amount of power that a battery is capable of providing while maintaining a particular voltage level and a requisite amount of power that components will consume to perform a task. When the requisite amount of power exceeds the available amount of power, power states of the components are altered effective to enable the battery to maintain the particular voltage level.