Distributed Power Source System for Mobile Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery systems in mobile computing devices, such as laptops, suffer from inefficiencies due to energy loss from parasitic distribution resistance and conversion losses when high battery voltages are converted to lower voltages required by semiconductor devices, limiting battery life without increasing size or weight.
Innovation Solution
A distributed power source system for mobile computing devices, where multiple Lithium Ion batteries are connected in parallel, each powering distinct load centers with DC/DC converters maintaining a conversion ratio less than or equal to 4:1, and a motherboard connects these batteries with metal stiffeners to optimize power distribution and prevent short circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If additional batteries are connected in series to increase voltage, then operating current and I2R loss decrease, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single complex series battery configuration, the patent segments the power system into multiple independent battery packs that can be separately managed, connected, and replaced. This reduces system complexity while maintaining efficient power delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple battery packs are combined in parallel configurations where each pack independently powers specific loads. This merging approach simplifies the overall system architecture compared to series connections, as each battery pack operates independently without requiring complex voltage balancing.
2Duration of action of moving object
If battery size and weight are increased to extend battery life, then energy capacity increases, but portability and device weight constraints are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The battery system is divided into multiple smaller battery packs rather than one large battery. This segmentation allows the same total energy capacity to be distributed across multiple compact units, improving portability and allowing flexible placement within the device while maintaining extended battery life.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing battery capacity in a single dimension (one large battery), the patent distributes capacity across multiple dimensions (multiple smaller packs), enabling better spatial utilization and weight distribution throughout the device structure.
3Device complexity
If conventional centralized battery systems are used, then power distribution is simplified, but efficiency is reduced due to parasitic distribution resistance and conversion losses
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized power distribution system is segmented into multiple distributed battery packs, each directly connected to specific load centers. This eliminates long distribution traces and reduces parasitic resistance losses while maintaining manageable complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces distributed load centers as intermediaries between battery packs and final loads. Each load center acts as a local power distribution point, reducing the distance current must travel through parasitic resistance and improving overall distribution efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile computing device comprises a central processing unit (CPU), memory that communicates with said CPU, an interface that communicates with said memory and said CPU and a display that communicates with said interface. A first distributed load center has first and second load terminals and includes at least a first distributed load. A second distributed load center has first and second load terminals and includes at least a second distributed load. A first distributed power source includes a first battery that is directly connected and primarily supplies power to the first and second load terminals of the first distributed load center. A second distributed power source includes a second battery that is directly connected and primarily supplies power to the first and second load terminals of the second distributed load center.