Wearable Device Load Balancing for Battery Life
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable devices face power management challenges due to increased power drain, limiting device functionality and battery life, especially when one device with similar sensor sets consumes more energy than its counterpart, leading to uneven battery depletion.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system with two devices that share load by powering down sensors on the device with lower battery life and shifting functions to the other device with higher remaining power, utilizing intelligent control and transceivers for communication within a personal area network to maintain efficient operation and extend battery life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensors are powered continuously to maintain high-quality measurements and responsiveness, then measurement precision and device functionality are improved, but power consumption increases and battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple devices with similar sensor sets into a coordinated system where devices share the sensing workload. By merging the functional capabilities of multiple devices, the system maintains continuous high-quality measurements while individual devices can enter low-power states, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement precision and power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts sensor power states based on real-time battery levels and operational needs. When one device has sufficient power, its sensors remain active; when battery drops below a threshold, the system dynamically shifts sensing responsibilities to another device. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain measurement quality while optimizing power consumption.
2Adaptability or versatility
If all devices in the network maintain full functionality with all sensors active, then device versatility and functionality are improved, but overall system power consumption increases and reduces operational duration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sensing functionality across multiple devices rather than requiring all sensors in all devices to remain active simultaneously. Each device maintains full sensing capabilities when needed, but the system divides the operational workload so that not all devices operate at full capacity at the same time, thereby extending overall system battery life while preserving versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system temporarily discards sensing functionality on devices with low battery life by powering down their sensors, while recovering and maintaining sensing coverage through other devices in the network. When battery levels are restored or workloads shift, the previously discarded functionality is recovered, ensuring continuous system versatility without sustained high power consumption.
3Power
If one device consumes more energy than its counterpart, then that device can provide more computational resources and processing power, but battery depletes faster and creates load imbalance in the network
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous feedback monitoring of battery levels across all devices in the network. Each device reports its power status to the network, and the system uses this feedback to dynamically reallocate sensing tasks. When a device's battery drops below a threshold, the feedback mechanism triggers a load shift to another device, preventing load imbalance and ensuring reliable distributed operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces asymmetry in the operational roles of devices based on their real-time power status. Instead of treating all devices symmetrically, the system assigns active sensing roles to devices with sufficient power while placing low-power devices in standby or reduced-functionality modes. This asymmetric allocation balances the load across the network while maintaining overall system capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes a first device comprising a housing, a battery disposed within the housing, an intelligent control disposed within the housing, a transceiver disposed within the housing and operatively connected to the intelligent control, and a plurality of sensors operatively connected to the intelligent control. The system further includes a second device comprising a housing, a battery disposed within the housing, an intelligent control disposed within the housing, a transceiver disposed within the housing and operatively connected to the intelligent control, and a plurality of sensors operatively connected to the intelligent control. The first device and the second device provide for balancing load by powering one or more of the biosensors in one of the first device or the second device and shifting functions to the other of the first device and the second device.