WIRELESS BATTERY CHARGING

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media are disclosed for improved wireless battery charging. The device may include a battery, and may be configured to determine that the battery is de-coupled from a wireless charger at a first time, determine that the battery is coupled to the wireless charger at a second time, determine that a first elapsed time between the first time and the second time is equal to or less than a first threshold, and cause charging of the battery to be disabled for a first time duration.

BACKGROUND

Electronic devices may include batteries that can be charged wirelessly. Certain batteries may be subject to swelling, expanding, or otherwise changing form over time. For example, batteries can react to thermal events, age, corrosion, damage to components of the batteries, and other factors. Such factors may be impacted by a number of charge cycles completed by the battery. Noise due to changes in current and other issues during wireless charging may cause batteries to experience unnecessary charge cycles. Accordingly, improved wireless battery charging may be desired.

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict example embodiments of the disclosure. The drawings are provided to facilitate understanding of the disclosure and shall not be deemed to limit the breadth, scope, or applicability of the disclosure. The use of the same reference numerals indicates similar, but not necessarily the same or identical components. Different reference numerals may be used to identify similar components. Various embodiments may utilize elements or components other than those illustrated in the drawings, and some elements and/or components may not be present in various embodiments. The use of singular terminology to describe a component or element may, depending on the context, encompass a plural number of such components or elements and vice versa.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

Electronic devices may be configured for wireless charging. For example, devices may include rechargeable batteries that can be charged wirelessly, such as via inductive charging, magnetic charging, near field communication protocol charging, and other wireless charging methods. During wireless charging, devices and/or batteries of the devices may establish wireless charging connections with a wireless charger for energy transfer. At times, such wireless charging connections may be disrupted due to electrical noise, which may be caused by sudden changes in current or other factors. Using a device to playback video or audio content, causing a device to present haptic feedback, and other actions during wireless charging may increase the likelihood of electrical noise, and may therefore increase the likelihood of the wireless charging connection being disrupted. If the wireless charging connection is disrupted, the wireless charging connection may be disconnected or de-coupled, and then may reconnect or may otherwise be reestablished within a time interval or duration, such as within 10 seconds. Such disconnecting and reconnecting may be undesirable for a number of reasons. For example, such disconnecting and reconnecting may increase a likelihood of damage to the battery due to thermal events, increase in a number of charge cycles completed by the battery, and the like. In addition, such disconnecting and reconnecting may negatively impact a user experience, as the user may be presented with audio or visual notifications of the charging and not charging statuses of the battery within a short timeframe, which may be particularly undesirable during playback of audio or video-based content.

Embodiments of the disclosure reduce the likelihood of disconnections during wireless charging by allowing for determinations as to whether a disconnection was due to electrical noise, and by allowing for suppression or cancelation of unnecessary notifications to users where disconnection and/or reconnection of wireless charging occurs within a certain timeframe. Certain embodiments may decrease the likelihood of damage to batteries by preventing reconnection of wireless charging where unnecessary, such as when a battery is fully charged and/or when the battery has not been discharged a certain amount before the reconnection occurs. Some embodiments include time-based metrics that can be used to determine whether to enable or disable wireless charging, as well as to determine whether to trigger a charging protection sequence.

This disclosure relates to, among other things, systems, methods, computer-readable media, techniques, and methodologies for improved wireless charging that results in a reduced likelihood of battery damage, and increases battery longevity by filtering out unnecessary wireless charging events. Embodiments may improve a user experience with a device by managing notifications of “charger coupled” and/or “charger de-coupled” notifications presented to users.

Referring toFIG.1, an example use case of improved wireless battery charging is depicted in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. A device100may include a rechargeable battery configured to be wirelessly charged, and may be any suitable portable device, such as a mobile device, a docked tablet device, an e-reader, a tablet, an audio or video streaming device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a product ordering button or device, a home sensor, an aging in place device, an earphone, a speaker device, or another device. In the example ofFIG.1, the device100may be a tablet with a rechargeable battery. The battery may be any suitable type of battery, such as a lithium-ion battery, and the like. The battery may power the device. The battery120may be recharged via a connection to a wireless charging device or wireless charger110.

The device100may include a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) and a charger integrated circuit, the rechargeable battery, and a wireless receiver configured to facilitate wireless charging in conjunction with the wireless charger110. The battery may be wirelessly charged via wireless charging connection120. However, at times, the wireless charging connection120may be disrupted. For example, if the device100is being used to present video and/or audio content130during wireless charging, noise due to the audio and/or video presentation may interrupt the wireless charging connection120. In the event of such disruption, embodiments of the disclosure may implement one or more processes to manage subsequent reconnection and/or wireless charging, as well as actively manage notifications of such disruption as presented to a user (e.g., audible sounds, popup or other visual notifications, etc.).

Embodiments may therefore detect abnormal battery charger behavior, such as when the battery has completed charging when coupled to a wireless charger to enhance battery safety, reliability, and performance Embodiments may detect intermittent disconnects in the wireless charging protocol or connection120, and may determine factors such as a state of charge of the battery, a length of time the battery has spent on the wireless charger, and/or other factors to determine whether the battery is experiencing events that negatively impact the battery health. Using these different detection methods inputs, actions can be automatically implemented to modify the battery charge algorithm and reduce stress on the battery and reduce or eliminate the possibility of generating gaseous swell.

When a battery operated device is coupled to a wireless charger, the device negotiates power transfer capability periodically to continue providing power to the device under charge. The battery operated device can provide user functionality (e.g., playing video and audio, etc.) while it is coupled to a wireless charger. This user functionality causes power draw from the wireless charger in addition to the power draw to charge the battery of the device. Interference between these two power draws from the same wireless charging source on the device can cause packet corruption in the periodic negotiation protocol or wireless charging connection120between the wireless charger and the device. This interference can reset the wireless charging protocol, resulting in a momentary drop of power to the battery operated device, until the power transfer capability is renegotiated. Unlike with wired charging, wireless charging removes the charging voltage from the device during interference. This momentary disconnect of power to the battery operated device can result in a new charging cycle to the battery, where the battery charging algorithm resets, and can initiate a number of processes, such as a constant current, constant voltage, and charge termination battery charging processes or stages. Such momentary disconnects may not be a result of user-induced wireless charger removal, and can result in a fully charged battery continuing to remain at a high state of charge.

An example process flow140is illustrated inFIG.1. At a first operation150, a determination may be made as to whether a device is being wirelessly charged. For example, the device may determine whether the wireless charging protocol or wireless charging connection120is active. If a wireless charging connection is established, the device may determine that the batter is being wirelessly charged. At a second operation160, the device and/or a remote server may determine that the wireless charging was de-coupled due to interference. To make such a determination, the device may consider a number of factors, such as whether audio or visual content is being presented at the device, whether the device has been physically moved as indicated by accelerometer data, historical disconnection events associated with the particular wireless charger, and/or other factors such as those discussed with respect toFIGS.2-5. At a third operation170, the device and/or a remote server may determine whether to enable wireless charging when a connection is reestablished. For example, the device may determine that a wireless charging connection is reestablished. The device may determine whether to enable wireless charging based at least in part on a number of factors, such as an elapsed time since the most recent disconnection, a present state of charge of the battery, whether the device has been physically moved, how long the device has been charging at the wireless charger, and/or other factors. At a fourth operation180, the device may determine whether to suppress a notification of the battery charging and/or discharging. For example, regardless of whether the wireless charging is enabled or disabled, the device may or may not delay and/or suppress a notification indicative of the charging or discharging/disconnection of a charger so as to avoid negative impact to a user experience of the device.

As a result, the battery may be charged when needed regardless of interruption or disruption to a wireless charging protocol or connection. Device runtime and/or longevity of usage may be increased. By managing and/or configuring the wireless charging, thermal events and/or swelling or other undesired occurrences may be reduced or avoided.

In one example embodiment, a device may include a battery and a controller. The controller may be configured to determine that the battery is coupled to a wireless charger, where the wireless charger charges the battery wirelessly, and to determine that the battery is de-coupled from the wireless charger at a first time. The controller may determine that the battery is re-connected to the wireless charger at a second time, and may determine that the device was presenting audio and video at the second time. The controller may determine that a first elapsed time between the first time and the second time is less than a first threshold, such as less than one minute. The controller may determine that a first state of charge of the battery at the second time is at least equal to a second threshold, such as 95% of maximum capacity, after the battery was fully charged as indicated by a state of charge indication during a previous time interval and/or during a present charging session. The controller may cause wireless charging and/or charging by any power source, including wired charging, of the battery to be disabled while the device is coupled to the wireless charger for a time interval, such as for a number of minutes, or until the battery is discharged by a certain amount. The device may cause presentation of a battery charging notification to be disabled during the time interval.

Some embodiments may account for disruption to wireless charging because a user removed the device from the wireless charger. For example, the controller may determine that the battery is coupled to the wireless charger at a third time, and may determine that the battery is de-coupled from the wireless charger at a fourth time. The controller may determine that a first value indicative of a likelihood that the device was removed from the wireless charger is greater than a threshold, and may determine that the battery is coupled to the wireless charger at a fifth time. The controller may cause wireless charging of the battery to be enabled.

Nonetheless, the device may limit wireless charging to a threshold amount, such as one hour, or 20 hours in any given timeframe, such as a 24 hour period. For example, the controller may determine that the battery is coupled to the wireless charger at a third time, and may determine that the battery is de-coupled from the wireless charger at a fourth time. The controller may determine that a second elapsed time between the third time and the fourth time is greater than 20 hours, and may determine that the battery is coupled to the wireless charger at a fifth time. The controller may determine that a third elapsed time between the fourth time and the fifth time is less than one minute, and may cause wireless and/or wired charging of the battery to be disabled.

Example embodiments of the disclosure provide a number of technical features or technical effects. For example, in accordance with example embodiments of the disclosure, certain embodiments of the disclosure may include batteries that can be wirelessly charged without interruption when a device is being used for presentation of content and/or there is additional power draw from the wireless charger while the device is coupled to the wireless charger. Some embodiments may include devices configured to determine device usage metrics, battery usage metrics, lengths of elapsed time, and other metrics. The above examples of technical features and/or technical effects of example embodiments of the disclosure are merely illustrative and not exhaustive.

One or more illustrative embodiments of the disclosure have been described above. The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of the scope of this disclosure and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Accordingly, variations, modifications, and equivalents of the embodiments disclosed herein are also within the scope of this disclosure. The above-described embodiments and additional and/or alternative embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail hereinafter through reference to the accompanying drawings.

Illustrative Embodiments and Use Cases

FIG.2is an example process flow200for improved wireless battery charging in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. One or more of the operations ofFIG.2may be performed at a client device and/or remote server in some embodiments. One or more of the operations of the process flow200may be optional and may be performed in any order or at least partially concurrently in some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the process flow200may be executed at a device that is coupled to a wireless charger and/or a device with a battery that is being wirelessly charged. The device may include a battery, memory configured to store computer-executable instructions, and at least one computer processor configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to perform one or more of the operations presented inFIG.2.

At block210of the process flow200, the device may determine that the battery of the device is de-coupled from a wireless charger at a first time. For example, one or more computer processors may execute one or more modules having computer-executable instructions to determine that the battery of the device is de-coupled from a wireless charger at a first time. The device may determine that the device is no longer coupled to the wireless charger and/or that wireless charging of the battery has ceased. In some instances, negotiation of the wireless charging protocol may be restarted and/or an attempt to reestablish a wireless charging connection may be signals used to determine whether a battery is de-coupled from the wireless charger.

At block220of the process flow200, it may be determined that the battery is coupled to the wireless charger at a second time. For example, one or more computer processors may execute one or more modules having computer-executable instructions to determine that the battery is coupled to the wireless charger at a second time. The device may determine that the wireless charging protocol has been renegotiated and/or the wireless charging connection has been reestablished or otherwise established. In some embodiments, the device may determine that the wireless charger is the same wireless charger that the device was de-coupled from at block210, such as by comparing a device identifier of the charger to the device identifier of the wireless charger at block210.

At optional block230of the process flow200it may be determined that the disconnection was a result of noise, such as electrical noise and/or a sudden change in current. For example, one or more computer processors may execute one or more modules having computer-executable instructions to determine that the disconnection was a result of noise, such as electrical noise and/or a sudden change in current. In some embodiment, the device may determine a likelihood that the disconnection was due to noise, and may compare the likelihood or corresponding representative value to a threshold to determine whether or not the disconnection was the result of noise. Other factors, such as historical disconnection data associated with a particular battery and/or particular wireless charger, whether or not the device was physically moved as evidenced by accelerometer data (e.g., the device may receive, from a remote server, an indication of device movement associated with user motion based on the accelerometer data, or an indication the accelerometer data corresponds to user motion, etc.), a length of elapsed time during which the device was de-coupled from the charger, and/or other factors may be used to determine a probability value or likelihood that the disconnection was a result of noise.

At block240of the process flow200, it may be determined that a first elapsed time between the first time and the second time is equal to or less than a first threshold. For example, one or more computer processors may execute one or more modules having computer-executable instructions to determine that a first elapsed time between the first time and the second time is equal to or less than a first threshold. The first elapsed time may be a difference between the first time and the second time. The first threshold may be a value that, if the difference is less than the first threshold, it is likely the disconnection was due to noise, whereas if the difference is greater than the first threshold, the disconnection may likely not be due to noise. In some embodiments, the first threshold may be one minute, whereas in other embodiments, the first threshold may be 20 seconds, 40 seconds, 80 seconds, 100 seconds, or another value.

At optional block250of the process flow200, it may be determined that a first state of charge of the battery at the second time is equal to or greater than a second threshold. For example, one or more computer processors may execute one or more modules having computer-executable instructions may be executed to determine that after the battery was fully charged during a preceding charging session and/or within a certain time interval, a first state of charge of the battery at the second time is equal to or greater than a second threshold. The state of charge of the battery may be the present charge relative to a maximum capacity of the battery. The second threshold may be represented by a percentage of maximum capacity of the battery in some embodiments, such as 85%, 90%, 95%, and so forth. The second threshold may be such that if the state of charge is equal to or greater than the second threshold, immediate recharging of the battery may not be necessary and can be delayed, such as in the event wireless charging of the battery was disrupted due to noise. In some embodiments, prior to causing wireless and/or wired charging of the battery to be disabled, the device may determine that a first state of charge of the battery at the second time is equal to or greater than a second threshold.

At block260of the process flow200, wireless charging of the battery may be caused to be disabled for a first time interval. For example, one or more computer processors may execute one or more modules having computer-executable instructions may be executed to cause wireless and/or wired charging of the battery to be disabled for a first time interval. Because the elapsed time between the disconnection and reconnection events was less than the first threshold, and optionally because (i) the disconnection of the wireless charging was due to noise, and/or (ii) the first state of charge of the battery was equal to or greater than the second threshold, wireless and/or wired charging of the battery may be disabled temporarily for a first time interval. As a result, risk of damage to the battery due to thermal events is decreased, and battery longevity is improved. In addition, notifications regarding charger coupled or de-coupled may be suppressed or canceled so as to avoid impacting a user experience, as discussed in more detail with respect toFIG.4.

FIG.3is an example hybrid data and process flow300for determining probability values and improving wireless battery charging in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. One or more of the operations ofFIG.3may be performed at a client device and/or remote server in some embodiments. One or more of the operations of the process flow300may be optional and may be performed in any order or at least partially concurrently in some embodiments.

The data and process flow300may be used to determine a probability value indicative of whether a certain disconnection or reconnection event associated with a wireless charger was due to noise. Based at least in part on the probability value, one or more actions of the process flow can be implemented to improve a user experience and/or reduce a likelihood of damage to the battery.

A charging anomaly model for the battery310may be used to output a probability value320indicative of a charging anomaly, such as electrical noise or other anomalies. The charging anomaly model may be a battery charging algorithm configured to output the probability value, and may be a standalone algorithm and/or may be integrated with a battery charging algorithm that sends instructions to a PMIC or charger circuit of a device to control battery charging. One or more inputs302may be used by the charging anomaly model for the battery310. For example, the charging anomaly model for the battery310may receive present wireless charging disconnect data, which may be indicative of a number of disconnect and/or reconnect events that have occurred in a preceding time interval, such as the last hour, or another metric, such as the number of disconnects or reconnect events that have occurred during a charging session. The charging anomaly model for the battery310may receive an input of historical wireless charging disconnect data, which may be specific to a particular wireless charger and/or may be specific to the device itself. The charging anomaly model for the battery310may receive an input of accelerometer data, which may be used to determine whether a disconnect event was due to a physical movement of the device, in which case notifications should not be suppressed. The charging anomaly model for the battery310may receive an optional input of ambient environment data, such as ambient light levels, presence of one or more users (e.g., as determined using a camera, microphone, etc.), whether the device is presenting audio and/or video content, and so forth, where if there are no users present notifications may not have to be suppressed as the notifications may not interrupt a user using the device. Based at least in part on one or more of these inputs, the charging anomaly model for the battery310may output the probability value320.

The probability value320may be used at determination block330, at which a determination may be made as to whether the probability value is greater that a first threshold. For example, the device may compare the probability value to the first threshold to determine whether the disconnection or connection event was due to a charging anomaly. If it is determined at determination block330that the probability value is not greater than the first threshold, the process flow may end at block340, at which wireless charging may be enabled.

If it is determined at determination block330that the probability value is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the process flow may proceed to block350, at which wireless and/or wired charging may be disabled for a time interval (e.g., temporarily disabled, etc.). At block360, a wireless charging disconnect counter may be incremented, where the wireless charging disconnect counter may represent the number of disconnections that have occurred during a time interval and/or during a charging session. At optional block370, the device may determine that the wireless charging disconnect counter is equal to or greater than a second threshold, which may indicate that the battery may be damaged if charging continues. At optional block380, the device may cause a maximum charging voltage associated with the battery to be reduced for a second time interval (e.g., 24 hours or less, etc.), such as for a temporary time period so as to avoid overcharging of the battery and to provide additional time to avoid occurrence of a thermal event.

In some embodiments, the device may determine that the battery is coupled to the wireless charger at a third time, determine that the battery is de-coupled from the wireless charger at a fourth time, determine that a first value indicative of a likelihood that the device was removed from the wireless charger is greater than a threshold, and may determine that the battery is coupled to the wireless charger at a fifth time. The device may cause wireless charging of the battery to be enabled. The device may optionally determine accelerometer data associated with the device, where the first value is determined based at least in part on the accelerometer data. The device may optionally determine a device identifier associated with the wireless charger, and may determine a historical disconnect rate associated with the device identifier, where the first value is determined based at least in part on the historical disconnect rate. In some embodiments, prior to causing wireless and/or wired charging of the battery to be disabled, the device may determine that an ambient light level at the second time is equal to or greater than a second threshold. The historical disconnect rate may indicate a tendency for disconnections or de-coupling of wireless charging when a particular device is being charged by a particular charger. Due to different charging configurations, component placement, and so forth, charging disruptions may be different for different chargers when used with different devices. Accordingly, by tracking de-coupling rates for particular chargers, such historical data can be used to increase accuracy of determinations of whether a de-coupling was due to electrical noise.

FIG.4is a schematic drawing of an example process flow400and use case440for handling charging connection notifications in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. One or more of the operations ofFIG.4may be performed at a client device and/or remote server in some embodiments. One or more of the operations of the process flow400may be optional and may be performed in any order or at least partially concurrently in some embodiments.

InFIG.4, notifications may be presented to a user indicative of whether a charger is coupled to, or has been de-coupled from, a device. Such notifications may be audible or visual notifications. However, when disruptions to wireless charging occur and then wireless charging is reestablished, the user may be presented a number of notifications in succession, which may be undesirable. Accordingly, embodiments may cause certain notifications to be canceled or delayed for a certain amount of time.

An example of a delayed notification is presented in use case440, where a device is reconnected to a wireless charger at t=0, and instead of a notification being presented at t=1 as it typically would be, the notification is presented at t=3 or at another delayed time. In this example, the notification is delayed, and may be presented because the reconnection was not due to noise, but was instead due to a user physically moving the device resulting in the disruption to wireless charging. In other embodiments, if the disruption was due to noise, the notification may be canceled or otherwise suppressed.

At block410of the process flow400, it may be determined that the wireless charging was de-coupled and reconnected within a time interval. For example, one or more computer processors may execute one or more modules having computer-executable instructions to determine that the wireless charging was de-coupled and reconnected within a time interval, such as one minute or another value.

At block420of the process flow400, it may be determined that a probability value that the wireless charging disconnection was due to noise is greater than a threshold. For example, one or more computer processors may execute one or more modules having computer-executable instructions to determine that a probability value that the wireless charging disconnection was due to noise is greater than a threshold, where the probability value may be determined as discussed at least with respect toFIG.3. In the example process flow ofFIG.4, the probability value may indicate that the disconnection and reconnection was due to electrical noise.

At block430of the process flow400, a notification of the connection to the wireless charger may be caused to be delayed or suppressed. For example, one or more computer processors may execute one or more modules having computer-executable instructions to cause a notification of the connection to the wireless charger to be delayed or suppressed. In the example process flow ofFIG.4, the presentation of the notification may be delayed as depicted in the use case440. In other embodiments, notifications may be presented without audio and/or may be canceled.

In embodiments, at periodic intervals, the device may monitor battery voltage and battery state of charge. Once the device determines that the battery is fully charged, charging may be disabled. Each time the wireless charger disconnects, the device may initiate a timer to estimate the wireless charger disconnect duration. The device may also determine a likelihood or probability value the battery experienced a power transfer capability re-negotiation event with the wireless charger. The device compares this probability to a pre-defined threshold, and if the probability is equal to or greater than the threshold, the device disables charging and does not notify the user that there was a momentary disconnect. As the device ages, once a pre-defined threshold is exceeded, the device reduces the maximum battery voltage to improve battery reliability.

In some embodiments, the device may determine that the battery is coupled to the wireless charger at a third time, and may determine that the battery is de-coupled from the wireless charger at a fourth time. The device may determine that a second elapsed time between the third time and the fourth time is equal to or greater than a second threshold, such as a certain number of hours or relative hours (e.g., 20 hours in a 24 hour period, etc.) in a time interval, and may determine that the battery is coupled to the wireless charger at a fifth time. The device may determine that a third elapsed time between the fourth time and the fifth time is less than a third threshold (e.g., one hour, etc.) and cause wireless and/or wired charging of the battery to be disabled. For example, the third threshold may be used to reset a charging time counter (e.g., the second threshold, etc.). If the device is not de-coupled from the wireless charger for the third threshold length of time, the counter or timer may not be reset and wireless charging may remain disabled. In addition, the device may cause presentation of a battery charging notification to be disabled during the first time interval.

FIG.5is an example process flow500for determining whether to trigger charging protection during wireless battery charging in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. One or more of the operations ofFIG.5may be performed at a client device and/or remote server in some embodiments. One or more of the operations of the process flow500may be optional and may be performed in any order or at least partially concurrently in some embodiments.

InFIG.5, at block510, a device may determine a wireless charger is coupled to the device and/or a battery of the device. At determination block520, the device may determine whether charging protection has been triggered. For example, charging protection may be triggered if a certain number of disconnect and/or reconnections between a wireless charger and the device or its battery have occurred within a time interval. If charging protection has not been triggered, the process flow500may proceed to determination block530, at which a determination may be made as to whether the battery is fully charged. For example, the device may determine a present state of charge of the battery and may use the state of charge to determine that the battery is fully charged. If the determination at determination block530is negative in that the battery is not fully charged, the process flow500may end at block540, at which the battery may be charged. If the determination at determination block530is positive in that the battery is fully charged, the process flow500may proceed to block550, at which charging protection is enabled, and then may end at block540at which the battery is charged. However, if a subsequent wireless charger connection event is detected, the determination at determination block520will be positive as a result of block550.

If the determination at determination block520is positive in that charging protection has been triggered, the process flow500may proceed to determination block560, at which a determination may be made as to whether the battery has discharged by a first threshold amount. For example, the device may determine whether the battery has discharged by a first threshold amount, which may be represented as a relative percentage (e.g., 5% of a maximum, etc.), a certain voltage (e.g., 100 mV, etc.), or another value. If the determination at determination block560is positive in that the battery has discharged by the first threshold amount, the process flow500may proceed to block570at which charging protection is disabled. As a result, if a subsequent wireless charger connection event is detected, the determination at determination block520will be negative. The process flow500may continue to block540at which the battery may be charged.

If the determination at determination block560is negative in that the battery has not been discharged by a first threshold amount, the process flow500may proceed to determination block580at which a determination may be made as to whether the battery has been de-coupled for a second threshold length of time. For example, the device may determine how long or an elapsed time since the battery has been de-coupled from a wireless charger. If the determination at determination block580is positive in that the battery has been de-coupled for the second threshold length of time, the process flow500may proceed to block570at which charging protection is disabled, and then to block540at which the battery is charged. If the determination at determination block580is negative in that the battery has not been de-coupled for the second threshold length of time, the process flow500may proceed to block540at which the battery is charged and charging protection remains enabled.

Illustrative Computer Architecture

FIG.6is a schematic block diagram of one or more illustrative electronic device(s)600in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the disclosure. The electronic device(s)600may include any suitable computing device including, but not limited to, a server system, a mobile device such as a smartphone, a tablet, an e-reader, a wearable device, or the like; a desktop computer; a laptop computer; a content streaming device; a set-top box; a scanning device; a doorbell; a garden light; a spotlight; or the like. The electronic device(s)600may correspond to an illustrative device configuration for the device(s) ofFIGS.1-5.

The electronic device(s)600may be configured to communicate with one or more servers, user devices, or the like. The electronic device(s)600may be any suitable device, such as a mobile device, that is configured for wireless charging. The electronic device(s)600may be optionally configured to present content, detect sound, output digital content, and other functionality In some embodiments, a single remote server or a single group of remote servers may be configured to perform more than one type of functionality in conjunction with an electronic device.

In an illustrative configuration, the electronic device(s)600may include one or more processors (processor(s))602, one or more memory devices604(also referred to herein as memory604), one or more input/output (I/O) interface(s)606, one or more network interface(s)608, one or more sensor(s) or sensor interface(s)610, one or more transceiver(s)612, one or more optional camera(s) and/or microphone(s)614, one or more optional rechargeable batteries616, and data storage620. The electronic device(s)600may further include one or more bus(es)618that functionally couple various components of the electronic device(s)600. The electronic device(s)600may further include one or more antenna(s)634that may include, without limitation, a cellular antenna for transmitting or receiving signals to/from a cellular network infrastructure, an antenna for transmitting or receiving Wi-Fi signals to/from an access point (AP), a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna for receiving GNSS signals from a GNSS satellite, a Bluetooth antenna for transmitting or receiving Bluetooth signals, a Near Field Communication (NFC) antenna for transmitting or receiving NFC signals, and so forth. These various components will be described in more detail hereinafter.

The data storage620may include removable storage and/or non-removable storage including, but not limited to, magnetic storage, optical disk storage, and/or tape storage. The data storage620may provide non-volatile storage of computer-executable instructions and other data. The memory604and the data storage620, removable and/or non-removable, are examples of computer-readable storage media (CRSM) as that term is used herein.

The data storage620may store computer-executable code, instructions, or the like that may be loadable into the memory604and executable by the processor(s)602to cause the processor(s)602to perform or initiate various operations. The data storage620may additionally store data that may be copied to the memory604for use by the processor(s)602during the execution of the computer-executable instructions. Moreover, output data generated as a result of execution of the computer-executable instructions by the processor(s)602may be stored initially in the memory604, and may ultimately be copied to the data storage620for non-volatile storage.

More specifically, the data storage620may store one or more operating systems (O/S)622; one or more database management systems (DBMS)624; and one or more program module(s), applications, engines, computer-executable code, scripts, or the like such as, for example, one or more update module(s)626, one or more communication module(s)628, and/or one or more battery and charging module(s)630. Some or all of these module(s) may be sub-module(s). Any of the components depicted as being stored in the data storage620may include any combination of software, firmware, and/or hardware. The software and/or firmware may include computer-executable code, instructions, or the like that may be loaded into the memory604for execution by one or more of the processor(s)602. Any of the components depicted as being stored in the data storage620may support functionality described in reference to corresponding components named earlier in this disclosure.

The data storage620may further store various types of data utilized by the components of the electronic device(s)600. Any data stored in the data storage620may be loaded into the memory604for use by the processor(s)602in executing computer-executable code. In addition, any data depicted as being stored in the data storage620may potentially be stored in one or more datastore(s) and may be accessed via the DBMS624and loaded in the memory604for use by the processor(s)602in executing computer-executable code. The datastore(s) may include, but are not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.), file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is stored on more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer network datastores, or the like. InFIG.6, an example datastore(s) may include, for example, historical data for previously identified products, purchase or order history, user profile information, and/or other information.

Referring now to functionality supported by the various program module(s) depicted inFIG.6, the update module(s)626may include computer-executable instructions, code, or the like that responsive to execution by one or more of the processor(s)602may perform functions including, but not limited to, requesting and/or receiving software updates, such as over-the-air updates, requesting battery voltage data, storing data, modifying charging rate values at integrated circuits, such as at a Power Management Integrated Circuit, controlling charging schemes and/or charging parameters, and the like.

The communication module(s)628may include computer-executable instructions, code, or the like that responsive to execution by one or more of the processor(s)602may perform functions including, but not limited to, sending and/or receiving data, including content, sending and/or receiving instructions and commands, and the like.

The battery and charging module(s)630may include computer-executable instructions, code, or the like that responsive to execution by one or more of the processor(s)602may perform functions including, but not limited to, determining a charging voltage or other charging parameter, determining a charging rate, calculating elapsed time, calculating battery environment values, adjusting charging voltages or charging rates, determining predicted usage, determining voltage and/or temperature data, and the like.

Referring now to other illustrative components depicted as being stored in the data storage620, the0/S622may be loaded from the data storage620into the memory604and may provide an interface between other application software executing on the electronic device(s)600and the hardware resources of the electronic device(s)600. More specifically, the0/S622may include a set of computer-executable instructions for managing the hardware resources of the electronic device(s)600and for providing common services to other application programs (e.g., managing memory allocation among various application programs). In certain example embodiments, the0/S622may control execution of the other program module(s). The O/S622may include any operating system now known or which may be developed in the future including, but not limited to, any server operating system, any mainframe operating system, or any other proprietary or non-proprietary operating system.

The DBMS624may be loaded into the memory604and may support functionality for accessing, retrieving, storing, and/or manipulating data stored in the memory604and/or data stored in the data storage620. The DBMS624may use any of a variety of database models (e.g., relational model, object model, etc.) and may support any of a variety of query languages. The DBMS624may access data represented in one or more data schemas and stored in any suitable data repository including, but not limited to, databases (e.g., relational, object-oriented, etc.), file systems, flat files, distributed datastores in which data is stored on more than one node of a computer network, peer-to-peer network datastores, or the like. In those example embodiments in which the electronic device(s)600is a mobile device, the DBMS624may be any suitable lightweight DBMS optimized for performance on a mobile device.

Referring now to other illustrative components of the electronic device(s)600, the input/output (I/O) interface(s)606may facilitate the receipt of input information by the electronic device(s)600from one or more I/O devices as well as the output of information from the electronic device(s)600to the one or more I/O devices. The I/O devices may include any of a variety of components such as a display or display screen having a touch surface or touchscreen; an audio output device for producing sound, such as a speaker; an audio capture device, such as a microphone; an image and/or video capture device, such as a camera; a haptic unit; and so forth. Any of these components may be integrated into the electronic device(s)600or may be separate. The I/O devices may further include, for example, any number of peripheral devices such as data storage devices, printing devices, and so forth.

The electronic device(s)600may further include one or more network interface(s)608via which the electronic device(s)600may communicate with any of a variety of other systems, platforms, networks, devices, and so forth. The network interface(s)608may enable communication, for example, with one or more wireless routers, one or more host servers, one or more web servers, and the like via one or more networks.

The antenna(s)634may include any suitable type of antenna depending, for example, on the communications protocols used to transmit or receive signals via the antenna(s)634. Non-limiting examples of suitable antennas may include directional antennas, non-directional antennas, dipole antennas, folded dipole antennas, patch antennas, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, or the like. The antenna(s)634may be communicatively coupled to one or more transceivers612or radio components to which or from which signals may be transmitted or received.

The antenna(s)634may additionally, or alternatively, include a Wi-Fi antenna configured to transmit or receive signals in accordance with established standards and protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, including via 2.4 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n), 5 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11n, 802.11ac), or 60 GHz channels (e.g., 802.11ad). In alternative example embodiments, the antenna(s)634may be configured to transmit or receive radio frequency signals within any suitable frequency range forming part of the unlicensed portion of the radio spectrum.

The transceiver(s)612may include any suitable radio component(s) for—in cooperation with the antenna(s)634— transmitting or receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in the bandwidth and/or channels corresponding to the communications protocols utilized by the electronic device(s)600to communicate with other devices. The transceiver(s)612may include hardware, software, and/or firmware for modulating, transmitting, or receiving—potentially in cooperation with any of antenna(s)634— communications signals according to any of the communications protocols discussed above including, but not limited to, one or more Wi-Fi and/or Wi-Fi direct protocols, as standardized by the IEEE 802.11 standards, one or more non-Wi-Fi protocols, or one or more cellular communications protocols or standards. The transceiver(s)612may further include hardware, firmware, or software for receiving GNSS signals. The transceiver(s)612may include any known receiver and baseband suitable for communicating via the communications protocols utilized by the electronic device(s)600. The transceiver(s)612may further include a low noise amplifier (LNA), additional signal amplifiers, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, one or more buffers, a digital baseband, or the like.

The camera(s)614may be any device configured to capture ambient light or images. The microphone(s)614may be any device configured to receive analog sound input or voice data. The rechargeable batter(ies)616may be any suitable power storage device, such as a lithium ion battery and may be in various form factors, such as pouch form factors, cylindrical form factors, and the like.