Embedded Controller Fake Battery Capacity Low Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic devices in low-temperature environments struggle to accurately measure battery capacity, leading to incorrect judgments about remaining energy, causing devices to shut down or enter sleep mode prematurely, even when the battery is full, due to slower chemical activation responses in batteries with unsatisfactory properties.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with an embedded controller that generates a fake battery capacity during boot-up in low-temperature conditions, allowing the device to operate temporarily until the battery activation response recovers, enabling accurate capacity measurement and preventing premature shutdown.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a battery with satisfactory chemical properties and fast activation response is used, then the battery capacity can be correctly measured in low-temperature environment, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The embedded controller performs preliminary detection of battery temperature and capacity before the operating system makes operational decisions. By detecting the low-temperature condition and generating a fake capacity value in advance, the system prevents premature shutdown without requiring special batteries
Solution Approach 2:
The embedded controller acts as an intermediary between the battery and the operating system. It intercepts the inaccurate capacity readings caused by low-temperature effects, processes this information along with temperature data, and provides corrected capacity information to the OS, thereby resolving the measurement accuracy issue
2Device complexity
If the electronic device uses standard battery monitoring, then the device structure remains simple, but the device shuts down prematurely in low-temperature environment due to incorrect capacity measurement
Solution Approach 1:
The embedded controller continuously monitors battery temperature and capacity, and provides feedback to the operating system. When low-temperature conditions are detected, the system adjusts the capacity reporting accordingly, ensuring reliable operation decisions are made based on corrected information rather than inaccurate raw readings
Solution Approach 2:
The embedded controller autonomously detects low-temperature conditions and self-corrects the battery capacity information without requiring external intervention or complex additional hardware. The system serves itself by internally processing the temperature-capacity relationship and adjusting operations accordingly
3Productivity
If the operating system trusts the reported battery capacity in low-temperature environment, then the system operates simply, but the throughput decreases due to premature shutdown or sleep mode entry
Solution Approach 1:
The embedded controller performs preliminary correction of battery capacity information before the operating system uses it for decision-making. By pre-detecting low-temperature conditions and preparing corrected capacity values in advance, the system ensures accurate information is available when the OS needs it, preventing premature shutdown and maintaining throughput
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device including a control unit, an embedded controller and a battery module is provided. During a booting procedure of the electronic device, the embedded controller reads a reported battery capacity and a battery temperature of the battery module. The embedded controller determines whether the reported battery capacity is lower than a minimum capacity, and further determines whether the battery temperature is lower than a minimum temperature when the reported battery capacity is lower than the minimum capacity. When the reported capacity is lower than the minimum capacity and the battery temperature is also lower than the minimum temperature, the embedded controller generates a fake battery capacity, according to which an operating system of the electronic device performs various operations. In this application, the battery module of the electronic device remains working even when the electronic device is in a low-temperature and low-battery activation environment.