PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10862329-B2
Application Number: US-201715706290-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Electronic device with activity-based power management

Abstract:
An electronic device may have a power system. The power system may receive power such as wireless power or wired power and may use a portion of the received power to charge a battery. Power consumption by control circuitry in the device can be adjusted by deactivating or activating processor cores in the control circuitry and by selectively starting or stopping software activities. By selectively reducing power consumption by circuitry in the electronic device other than battery charging circuitry in the power system that is charging the battery, additional power may be made available to charge the battery and/or battery capacity can be extended. The electronic device may reduce non-battery-charging activities in the device in response to information gathered with sensors such as motion and temperature information, information from the power system, information on device location, information on software settings, and other information.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device, comprising:
 a power system having a battery, wherein the power system is configured to:
 receive power via a wired connection and wirelessly; and 
 use a portion of the received power to charge the battery; and 
 
 control circuitry configured to:
 responsive to determining that the electronic device is receiving power via the wired connection, charging the battery while performing a plurality of code-based processor activities; and 
 responsive to determining that the electronic device is receiving power wirelessly, charging the battery and stopping at least one of the plurality of code-based processor activities. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein stopping the at least one of the plurality of code-based processor activities comprises stopping an activity before the natural termination of the activity. 
     
     
       3. The electronic device of  claim 1  further comprising a satellite navigation system receiver configured to gather geographic location information, wherein the control circuitry is configured to adjust power consumption of the control circuitry by stopping the at least one of the code-based processor activities based on the location information gathered with the satellite navigation system receiver. 
     
     
       4. The electronic device of  claim 3  wherein the control circuitry is configured to gather velocity information using the satellite navigation system receiver and is configured to adjust the power consumption by stopping the at least one of the code-based processor activities based on the velocity information. 
     
     
       5. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the code-based processor activities includes image processing activities and wherein the control circuitry is configured to, responsive to determining that the electronic device is receiving power wirelessly, stop at least one of the image processing activities. 
     
     
       6. The electronic device of  claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to consume power through circuit-based activity including power consumption from multiple processor cores in the control circuitry, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to, responsive to determining that the electronic device is receiving power wirelessly, stop use of at least one of the processor cores. 
     
     
       7. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the control circuitry is configured to determine time of day and is configured to stop at least one of the plurality of code-based processor activities based on the time of day. 
     
     
       8. The electronic device of  claim 1  wherein the control circuitry is configured to maintain charging history information on charging of the battery, and wherein the control circuitry is configured to stop at least one of the plurality of code-based processor activities based on the charging history information. 
     
     
       9. An electronic device, comprising:
 a power system having a battery, wherein the power system is configured to receive power and is configured to use a portion of the power to charge the battery; and 
 control circuitry configured to:
 determine whether the power system is receiving the power; and 
 in response to detecting that the power system has transitioned from a first state in which the power system is not receiving the power to a second state in which the power system is receiving the power, reducing power consuming activities other than charging the battery with the power system to enhance battery charging speed. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The electronic device of  claim 9  wherein the power system comprises a coil and a wireless power receiver configured to use the coil to wirelessly receive the power. 
     
     
       11. The electronic device of  claim 10  further comprising:
 a motion sensor, wherein the control circuitry is configured to adjust power consumption by the control circuitry based on motion information gathered with the motion sensor. 
 
     
     
       12. The electronic device of  claim 10  further comprising a satellite navigation system receiver, wherein the control circuitry is configured to adjust power consumption by the control circuitry based on information gathered with the satellite navigation system receiver. 
     
     
       13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device having a power system with a battery, wherein the power system is configured to receive power via a wired connection and wirelessly, and wherein the power system is configured to use a portion of the received power to charge the battery, the one or more programs including instructions for:
 responsive to determining that the electronic device is receiving power via the wired connection, charging the battery while performing a plurality of code-based processor activities; and 
 responsive to determining that the electronic device is receiving power wirelessly, charging the battery and stopping at least one of the plurality of code-based processor activities. 
 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein stopping the at least one of the plurality of code-based processor activities comprises stopping an activity before the natural termination of the activity. 
     
     
       15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13  further comprising instructions for:
 adjusting power consumption in the electronic device by stopping the at least one of the code-based processor activities based on location information gathered with a satellite navigation system receiver in the electronic device. 
 
     
     
       16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 15  further comprising instructions for:
 gathering velocity information using the satellite navigation system receiver and adjusting the power consumption by stopping the at least one of the code-based processor activities based on the velocity information. 
 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the code-based processor activities includes image processing activities, further comprising instructions for:
 responsive to determining that the electronic device is receiving power wirelessly, stopping at least one of the image processing activities. 
 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , further comprising instructions for:
 consuming power through circuit-based activity including power consumption from multiple processor cores in the control circuitry; and 
 responsive to determining that the electronic device is receiving power wirelessly, stopping use of at least one of the processor cores. 
 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , further comprising instructions for:
 determining time of day; and 
 stopping at least one of the plurality of code-based processor activities based on the time of day. 
 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , further comprising instructions for:
 maintaining charging history information on charging of the battery; and 
 stopping at least one of the plurality of code-based processor activities based on the charging history information.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 62/513,883, filed Jun. 1, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     This relates generally to electronic devices, and, more particularly, to power management in electronic devices. 
     Portable electronic devices such as cellular telephones have batteries. If care is not taken, battery charging operations may not be managed satisfactorily. As a result, devices may not be fully charged when needed, charging may interfere with other device operations, or charging operations may take longer than desired. 
     SUMMARY 
     An electronic device such as a portable electronic device may have a power system with a battery. The power system receives power such as wireless power or wired power and uses a portion of the received power to charge the battery as needed. 
     Control circuitry in the portable electronic device is used to execute code. For example, software running on the control circuitry handles background activities such as image processing tasks, data synchronization tasks (e.g., downloading email), indexing, and other background activities. Power consumption by the control circuitry can be adjusted by deactivating or activating processor cores in the control circuitry, by adjusting other hardware settings, and/or by selectively starting or stopping software activities. 
     By selectively throttling power consumption by circuitry other than battery charging circuitry, additional power may be made available to charge the battery. The electronic device may prioritize charging of the battery in the device in this way in response to information gathered with sensors such as motion and temperature information, information from the power system, information on device location, information on software settings, and other information. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram of an illustrative system including an electronic device with a rechargeable battery in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a graph illustrating how device activities other than battery charging activities can be adjusted during use of a device to accommodate battery charging in accordance with an embodiment. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart of illustrative operations involved in using equipment of the type shown in  FIG. 1  in accordance with an embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Electronic devices with batteries may be charged using wireless (e.g., inductive) charging equipment and wired power sources. As electronic devices are used by a user, information on usage patterns can be collected. Sensors and other components can also gather information on the operating environment of an electronic device. Based on this information, battery charging operations can be optimized. In some arrangements, for example, an electronic device may make reductions to software and hardware activity to give priority to battery charging operations. 
     An illustrative system that includes an electronic device with a rechargeable battery is shown in  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , system  8  includes electronic devices such as electronic device  10 . Electronic device  10  has battery  38 . Electronic device  10  may be a cellular telephone, a computer (e.g., a tablet computer or laptop computer), a wristwatch device or other wearable equipment, and so forth. Illustrative configurations in which electronic device  10  is a portable electronic device, may sometimes be described herein as an example. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , exemplary electronic device  10  has control circuitry  12 . Control circuitry  12  may include storage and processing circuitry such as processing circuitry associated with microprocessors, power management units, baseband processors, digital signal processors, microcontrollers, and/or application-specific integrated circuits with processing circuits. Control circuitry  12  implements desired control and communications features in device  10 . For example, control circuitry  12  may be used in determining power transmission levels, processing sensor data, processing user input, and processing other information and in using this information to adjust the operation of device  10  (e.g., to adjust parameters influencing battery charging). Control circuitry  12  may be configured to perform these operations using hardware (e.g., dedicated hardware or circuitry), firmware, and/or software. Software code for performing these activities is stored on non-transitory computer readable storage media (e.g., tangible computer readable storage media). The software code may sometimes be referred to as software, data, program instructions, instructions, or code. The non-transitory computer readable storage media may include non-volatile memory such as non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM), one or more hard drives (e.g., magnetic drives or solid state drives), one or more removable flash drives or other removable media, or the like. Software stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage media may be executed on the processing circuitry of control circuitry  12 . The processing circuitry may include application-specific integrated circuits with processing circuitry, one or more microprocessors, or other processing circuitry. 
     The processing circuitry of control circuitry  12  may have adjustable hardware resources. For example, control circuitry  12  may include multiple processing cores  14  that can be selectively switched into or out of use. Control circuitry  12  may also have clock circuitry such as clock circuitry  16 . Clock circuitry  16  may supply an adjustable processor clock (e.g., a processor clock with a frequency that can be adjusted between a low frequency f 1  to conserve power and a high frequency f 2  to enhance processing speed). Clock circuitry  16  may also maintain information on the current time of day and date for device  10 . 
     Device  10  has communications circuitry  18 . Communications circuitry  18  may include wired communications circuitry (e.g., circuitry for transmitting and/or receiving digital and/or analog signals via a port associated with a connector  40 ) and may include wireless communications circuitry  20  (e.g., radio-frequency transceivers and antennas) for supporting communications with wireless equipment. Wireless communications circuitry  20  may include wireless local area network circuitry (e.g., WiFi® circuitry), cellular telephone transceiver circuitry, satellite positioning system receiver circuitry (e.g., a Global Positioning System receiver for determining location, velocity, etc.), near-field communications circuitry and/or other wireless communications circuitry. 
     Device  10  may use input-output devices  22  to receive input from a user and the operating environment of device  10  and to provide output. Input-output devices  22  may include one or more visual output devices such as display  24  (e.g., a liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode display, or other display). Input-output devices  22  may also include buttons, joysticks, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, microphones, speakers, displays (e.g., touch screen displays), tone generators, vibrators (e.g., piezoelectric vibrating components, etc.), cameras, sensors, light-emitting diodes and other status indicators, data ports, etc. Sensors  26  in input-output devices  22  may include force sensors, touch sensors, capacitive proximity sensors, optical proximity sensors, ambient light sensors, temperature sensors, air pressure sensors, gas sensors, particulate sensors, magnetic sensors, motion and orientation sensors (e.g., inertial measurement units based on one or more sensors such as accelerometer, gyroscopes, and magnetometers), strain gauges, etc. 
     Electronic device  10  may interact with equipment such as charging system  42  (sometimes referred to as a charging mat, charging puck, power adapter, etc.). Electronic device  10  may also interact with other external equipment  44  (e.g., an accessory battery case, earphones, network equipment, etc.). Charging system  42  may include wired power circuitry and/or wireless power circuitry. For example, charging system  42  may include a wired power source that provides direct-current power to device  10  from a mains power supply (e.g., system  42  may include an alternating-current-to-direct current adapter, etc.). Direct-current power may also be supplied to device  10  from a battery case or other external equipment  44  plugged into a port associated with a connector such as one of connectors  40  in device  10  or other equipment for supplying power such as direct-current power over a cable or other wired link coupled to connector  40 . If desired, charging system  42  may include wireless power transmitting circuitry for supplying wireless power to electronic device  10 . Wireless power transmitting circuitry in system  42  may, for example, include an oscillator and inverter circuitry that drives a signal into a coil and thereby causes the coil to produce electromagnetic fields that are received by a corresponding coil in device  10  (see, e.g., coil  32  and associated wireless power receiver  34  in wireless power receiver circuitry  30 ). Configurations in which wireless power is transmitted using capacitive coupling arrangements, near-field wireless power transmissions, and/or other wireless power arrangements may also be used. The use of an inductive wireless power arrangement in which system  42  and device  10  support inductive power transfer is merely illustrative. 
     Using communications circuitry  18 , device  10  can communicate with external equipment such as equipment  44 . Equipment  44  may include accessories that can be communicatively coupled to device  10  (e.g., ear buds, covers, keyboards, mice, displays, etc.), may include wireless local area network equipment and/or other computing equipment that interacts with device  10 , may include peer devices (e.g., other devices such as device  10 ), may include covers, cases, and other accessories with optional supplemental batteries, and/or may include other electronic equipment. 
     Device  10  may include power circuitry such as power system  28  (sometimes referred to as control circuitry). Power system  28  may include a battery such as battery  38 . Battery  38  of device  10  may be used to power device  10  when device  10  is not receiving wired or wireless power from another source. In some configurations, device  10  may use battery power associated with an accessory (e.g., external equipment  44 ). System  42  may also power device  10  using wired or wireless power. 
     Power system  28  may be used in receiving wired power from an external source (e.g., system  42  or a battery case) and/or may include wireless power receiving circuitry  30  for receiving wirelessly transmitted power from a corresponding wireless power transmitting circuit in system  42 . Wireless power receiving circuitry  30  may, as an example, include a coil such as coil  32  and an associated wireless power receiver  34  (e.g., a rectifier). During operation, coil  32  may receive wirelessly transmitted power signals and wireless power receiver  34  may convert these received signals into direct-current power for device  10 . Power management circuit  36  may be used in managing the power from wireless power receiver  34 . Power management circuitry  36  may be formed from one or more power management unit integrated circuits and may form part of control circuitry  12  of  FIG. 1 . During operation, power management circuitry  36  may distribute received power to internal circuitry in device  10  and/or to battery  38  (e.g., to charge battery  38 ). 
     The operation of power system  28  may be controlled based on the status of battery  38  (e.g., the current level of charge in battery  38 ), based on nature and quantity of power available from external sources (e.g., a battery in an accessory case, wired or wireless power from a power source such as system  42 , etc.), and based on other factors. For example, if battery  38  is depleted, charging of battery  38  may be prioritized over powering internal components in device  10 . Battery charging can also be prioritized based on current and/or historical factors related to the user&#39;s usage of device  10 , measured temperature information, whether device  10  is in motion or is stationary, based on position information (e.g., satellite navigation system data indicating where device  10  is currently located), information on the speed of device  10  relative to the Earth (e.g., whether or not device  10  is moving in a vehicle), information in a software program such as a calendar or other program, user settings, and/or other information. 
     In some situations, the amount of power received by device  10  from external source(s) such as system  42  will be limited to a maximum amount (e.g., an amount dictated by the capabilities of a wireless charging mat or other equipment that is being used to supply device  10  with power). A wireless charger may, for example, be capable of supplying device  10  with a maximum of 5 W of wireless power. The internal power circuitry in device  10  may also have a maximum capacity (e.g., a limit to avoid excess currents, etc.). As a result, the amount of power that can be received by power system  28  and distributed to: 1) internal circuitry in device  10  such as control circuitry  12 , communications circuitry  18 , and other non-battery-charging circuitry and 2) battery  38  is constrained. In these circumstances, device  10  benefits from intelligently allocating power between internal circuitry and battery  38 . This helps ensure that battery  38  is charged at appropriate times at a suitably rapid pace. 
     If, as an example, the amount of power being received from system  42  at a given point in time is large, both the internal circuitry of device  10  and battery  38  can receive essentially unlimited amounts of power so long as the inherent limitations on the circuitry of device  10  are observed (e.g., thermal limits, current limits for safety, etc.). This allows battery  38  to be charged as rapidly as desired and simultaneously allows control circuitry  12  and/or other hardware in device  10  to draw as much power as desired to accomplish desired software and/or hardware processing objectives such as gaming and/or video playback. 
     In many circumstances, however, available power is more limited. As an example, wireless power transmission may be somewhat limited due to the wireless power delivery capabilities of system  42 , due to suboptimal coupling between system  42  and device  10 , and/or due to the presence of competing devices (e.g., other devices that are being simultaneously charged by system  42  and that are therefore competing for the wireless power being delivered by system  42 ). Particularly in power-limited circumstances, device  10  (e.g., control circuitry  12 ) analyzes current and historical operating conditions and other information to determine a satisfactory allocation between using power to power control circuitry  12  and other non-battery components in device  10  and using power to charge battery  38 . Once a desired allocation has been determined, control circuitry  12  can adjust the operation of device  10  so that non-battery components receive a first amount of power and so that battery  38  receives a second amount of power in an appropriate ratio (e.g., in an appropriate ratio between the first and second amounts). With one illustrative configuration, control circuitry  12  can make adjustments to the software that is running on device  10  and the hardware of device that either increase or decrease the amount of power consumed by the non-battery-charging circuitry of device  10 . Power management circuit  36  (e.g., a battery charging circuit in circuit  36 ) may then automatically use all remaining power in charging battery  38 . If it is desired to charge battery  38  rapidly, for example, non-critical software and/or hardware functions can be temporarily deactivated. This will result in an increase in the amount of power available for charging battery  38 . 
     Consider, as an example, the graph of system operation that is shown in  FIG. 2 . In the graph of  FIG. 2 , illustrative curve  50  represents that amount of power as a function of time t that is being used to power control circuitry  12  and other internal circuitry in device  10  other than the circuitry that charges battery  38 . Illustrative curve  52  represents the amount of remaining power available in device  10  to charge battery  38 . Initially, at times t between time t 0  and time t 1 , software and hardware activities in device  10  take precedence over battery charging. As a result, curve  50  is larger than curve  52  between t 0  and t 1 . This indicates that battery charging is being allowed to proceed at only a relatively modest rate. This mode of operation may be appropriate, for example, in a scenario in which device  10  is being used at home in the evening, where there is ample time to charge device  10  before device  10  is removed from the home. The relatively large amount of processing power that is being used between times t 0  and t 1  may be used, for example, for housekeeping activities such as image processing activities for organizing photographs, for other indexing activities, and for on-line database synchronization services and other cloud services. 
     At time t 1 , the user of device  10  may remove device  10  from the home (e.g., to take device  10  to the airport). While in the user&#39;s automobile, device  10  may be charged using a wired or wireless charging system in the user&#39;s automobile. At time t 1 , device  10  can detect that the device is moving and optionally detect that it is located in an automobile and can conclude that the user may soon be mobile outside of the automobile and unable to receive further charging. As a result, from time t 1  to time t 2 , control circuitry  12  reduces the amount of power (curve  50 ) being drawn by non-battery circuitry in device  10 , thereby enhancing the charging rate of battery  38  (curve  52 ) by directing available incoming power towards battery charging. At time t 2 , before reaching the user&#39;s destination, the charge state of battery  38  rises to a nearly full state. At this point, control circuitry  12  can allow the non-battery circuitry of device  10  to draw more power (e.g., curve  50  may rise between time t 2  and time t 3 ). Due to the increase in non-battery circuit power consumption, the charging of battery  52  will be somewhat reduced (curve  52  drops at time t 2 ), but still results in an enhanced user experience as the battery has accumulated charge to support mobile use should the user do so. 
     In other scenarios, the detection of the presence of device  10  in an automobile may be different and/or device  10  may control the ratio between non-battery and battery charging power consumption amounts by controlling the battery charger circuit in system  28 . For example, if battery  38  is nearly charged when a user takes device  10  into the automobile, control circuitry  12  may reduce the amount of power flowing to battery  38  to charge battery  38  to allow headroom for the processing circuitry in device  10  (e.g., to allow power for circuitry  12  to handle a sudden increase in processing power when performing complex navigation tasks). 
       FIG. 3  is a flow chart of illustrative operations of system  8 . In particular, the flow chart of  FIG. 3  shows illustrative information that may be gathered by device  10  during operation in order to determine how to adjust power allocation between battery and non-battery resources. During the operations of  FIG. 3 , device  10  may gather information from sensors and other sources and may use this information in controlling the supply of power for battery charging of battery  38  and the supply of power to run control circuitry  12  (and other non-battery circuitry in device  10 ). 
     During the operations of blocks  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  68 , and  70 , device  10  (e.g., control circuitry  12 ) may gather information on which to base a decision on power allocation. In some embodiments, during the operations of block  66 , device  10  (e.g., control circuitry  12 ) makes corresponding adjustments to the operation of device  10 , so that battery  38  and the remaining components in device  10  can receive appropriate respective portions of the available power. As an example, if additional power is desired for charging battery  38 , device  10 , during the operations of block  66 , reduces software activity (e.g., by terminating, temporarily stopping, or partially curtailing the execution of code on processor  12  using a scheduling management subsystem or other resources on device  10 ) and/or reduces hardware activity (e.g., by halting code execution by one or more cores  14  in processor  12 , by reducing the processor clock for control circuitry  12 , and/or by selectively depowering power consuming components in device  10 ). When curtailing software activity, the activity that is curtailed can span one or more processes and/or may involve one or more tasks associated with those processes. In an environment in which multiple software activities are being performed, one or more of these activities can be stopped to curtail activity. Hardware throttling may involve reducing the number of cores  14  that are in use and/or other adjustments to the circuitry of device  10  that affect how much power is being consumed by device  10  (e.g., clock settings, processor options, hardware accelerator options, wireless communications settings and/or other communications circuit settings, display brightness settings, display refresh rate settings, display resolution settings, etc.). 
     In some embodiments, the operations of block  66  involve reducing software activity in device  10 . For example, the amount of code-based processor activity (e.g., processor activity involved in executing computer code) is reduced by terminating software tasks/processes. The software that is terminated is, for example, associated with operating system functions. In one illustrative example, an operating system function is used to cluster photographs by performing scene and/or facial recognition on a library of images. This function may be processing intensive and may slow down device  10  by 25% or more when active. When it is desired to free up more power in device  10  for charging battery  38 , the image clustering function or other image processing activities performed by device  10  is stopped (or reduced in speed/intensity) before these activities reach their natural termination. As additional examples, email downloading activities and/or email attachment downloading activities can be suspended, maintenance tasks associated with operating system functions may be terminated (e.g., tasks associated with compressing files, indexing files, uploading information to cloud servers, downloading and/or installing updates, executing training algorithms (e.g., training algorithms involving processing of location data to determine if a user is at home or at work), and/or other power-intensive code-based processor activities can be selectively suspended/terminated. 
     Hardware adjustments that can be made during the operations of block  66  involve reducing processor clock speeds, limiting the maximum clock speed associated with clock speed bursts, reducing the number of processor cores that are active, turning off or otherwise adjusting components that consume larger amounts of power (e.g., turning off a satellite navigation system receiver or reducing satellite navigation system receiver power consumption when not needed, turning off image-based sensors, lowering maximum permitted screen brightness in a display, lowering display refresh rates, lowering display resolution, etc.). 
     Changes to software activity and/or hardware activity may be made based on any suitable information gathered by device  10  and/or received by device  10  from remote equipment. For example, non-battery charging power consuming activities (code-based and/or hardware-based) may be adjusted based on information gathered during operations of device  10  such as the operations of blocks  60 ,  62 ,  64 ,  68 , and  70 . 
     During the illustrative operations of block  60 , device  10  may determine the current time of day (e.g., using clock  16 ) and may update historical information on the usage of device  10 . For example, information on when device  10  is being used by a user and which components are being used and other status information may be maintained in a database in device  10  and/or on a remote server. Whenever device  10  is used, additional usage information may be stored in the database. In this way, device  10  may be provided with a user profile of popular and unpopular usage times. 
     The usage history information maintained by device  10  may allow device  10  to determine how to allocate power between non-battery-charging operations and battery charging operations. For example, usage history information may indicate when a fully charged battery is desirable. If, as an illustrative example, a user&#39;s usage history indicates that a user&#39;s device is mobile for four hours every Thursday starting at 11 AM and is never charged during this time period (because charging is not available or is not convenient), device  10  can make adjustments during the operations of block  66  in advance of that time to ensure that battery  38  is fully charged by Thursday at 11 AM. As another example, battery charge state preservation may be prioritized during the middle of the day, when a user is generally away from charging locations and is most likely in need of extended battery power. Late at night, when a user is likely sleeping, battery charging is expected to complete over a period of many hours (e.g., overnight), so device  10  need not prioritize battery charging (e.g., background software tasks and other discretionary activities in device  10  can be allowed to take place as expected in an environment without power constraints). 
     Information from power system  28  may be gathered during the operations of block  62 . During the operations of block  62 , device  10  may, for example, gather information on whether charging system  42  is being used to supply power to device  10 , whether power is being provided wirelessly or through a wired connection, etc. For example, device  10  can determine whether power is being supplied from a wireless charging device. Information may be gathered on the charge state of battery  38 , the amount of power being received by power system  28  from external equipment such as system  42 , the amount of power being requested by power management circuit  36  to charge battery  38  (which may be comparable to the amount of delivered power or which may be significantly less than the amount of power that system  42  is able to deliver), the maximum rating of system  42 , and/or other information on the power delivery environment and capabilities of system  8 . 
     When it is determined that device  10  is in a location with ample charging power, device  10  may increase non-battery-charging activities during the operations of block  66 . If, however, it is determined that device  10  is running off of battery power in an accessory case (whether from information device  10  receives during charging on the identity of the charging device or from additional information such as motion sensor information indicating that device  10  is not currently likely to be receiving power from a power adapter plugged into a mains power supply), non-battery-charging activities can be throttled (reduced) to preserve battery power in device  10  and in the external case. 
     In some situations, device  10  may sense that a user is charging device  10  at an unusual time of day (e.g. at a time of day that is not typically associated with the user&#39;s normal charging routine). If abnormal charging patterns are detected, it can be assumed that the user has an urgent charging need and battery charging activities can be given precedence over non-battery-charging activities. Device  10  may also conclude that charging needs are urgent and can prioritize charging accordingly in response to detecting that the charge level of battery  38  has dipped below the user&#39;s normal lowest levels. In yet another illustrative arrangement, charging can be prioritized immediately upon detecting that device  10  has been coupled to a system  42  and is receiving power. For example, device  10  may be disconnected from system  42  (e.g., because a user is traveling away from the user&#39;s home or office). When the user arrives at the user&#39;s home or office, device  10  may be coupled to system  42  (with a cable or wirelessly) and may start receiving power from system  42 . In response to detecting that device  10  (power system  28 ) has transitioned from a first mode of operation in which power was not being received by device  10  and system  28  to a second mode of operation in which power is being received by device  10  and system  28 , device  10  can (at least temporarily) reduce the amount of power that is being consumed by non-battery-charging operations, thereby favoring battery charging and ensuring that battery  38  will be charged expeditiously. 
     During the operations of block  64 , device  10  may gather sensor information from sensors  26  in device  10 . As an example, device  10  can gather information from a temperature sensor and/or an ambient light sensor. Temperature and/or ambient light information may be used to determine whether device  10  is in an environment with elevated temperatures (e.g., a bright and hot outdoors environment, etc.). Information on the operating environment of device  10  may also be gathered from on-line weather sources, from location information, etc. In operating environments with an elevated temperature and/or an elevated light exposure, there is an elevated sensitivity to operating device  10  with high amounts of software and/or hardware activity. As a result, when it is determined that device  10  is operating in a thermally challenging environment, device  10  can proactively reduce software and/or hardware activity at block  66  to maintain device  10  below its thermal limits and thereby maintain sufficient thermal headroom for dynamically demanded activities and battery charging. 
     As another example, device  10  (e.g., control circuitry  12 ) may gather motion sensor information from an inertial measurement unit (accelerometer, compass, and/or magnetometer) during the operations of block  64 . If desired, motion information can also be gathered from a satellite navigation system receiver in circuitry  20  during the operations of block  70  (e.g., by gathering velocity information from the satellite navigation system receiver and/or by comparing satellite navigation system receiver location measurements over a known period of time). By analyzing the speed of the user and other attributes of a user&#39;s motion (e.g., average and peak accelerometer values, accelerometer output trends, etc.), device  10  can determine whether device  10  is stationary, whether device  10  is in motion in a vehicle such as an automobile, whether device  10  is in motion in a user&#39;s pocket or hand, whether a user of device  10  is walking or jogging, and/or other attributes of the usage of device  10  related to device motion and/or orientation. 
     During the operations of block  66 , device  10  can take appropriate action in response to measured motion sensor information. If device  10  is being carried in the pocket of a user and is far away from a wireless charging mat or other wireless power source, the power source will not be able to deliver power to device  10 . Accordingly, if device  10  determines from motion sensor data that device  10  is in motion in the pocket of a user, device  10  may conclude that wireless power for device  10  is not available. Device  10  may therefore take appropriate action at block  66  such as reducing software and/or hardware activity to preserve battery charge while device  10  is away from external power source  42 . If, as another example, a user is determined to be in motion in an automobile, device  10  can make power allocation adjustments suitable for use of device  10  in an automobile environment. As one example, usage history information or other information may indicate that the user&#39;s automobile is an environment in which the power delivery capacity of system  42  is weaker than in other environments. In this type of situation, device  10  may reduce background software activity and/or other non-essential activity to help prioritize battery charging while maintain desired processing headroom for navigation activities performed by device  10 . As another example, if usage history information or other information indicates that the user&#39;s automobile has readily available power, device  10  may allow more background software activities to be performed. 
     In some situations, device  10  may not be able to determine from power system  28  whether device  10  is obtaining power from a power adapter plugged into a wall outlet or whether device  10  is receiving supplemental battery power from an accessory battery case. By using motion information, device  10  can determine whether device  10  is stationary or is in motion. In situations in which device  10  is in motion, device  10  can conclude that the user is away from a wall outlet and is therefore in need of preserving battery charge. Device  10  can therefore reduce software and hardware activity during the operations of block  66  to help preserve the charge on battery  38  and the battery in the accessory case. 
     Information on device motion may, if desired, be stored with other usage data in a usage database (e.g., with time/date stamps obtained from the current time readings of block  60 ). This allows device  10  to build a histogram of a user&#39;s stationary and mobile uses of device  10  and allows device  10  to proactively adjust activities during block  66  (e.g., to prioritize battery charging over other operations at times just in advance of the user&#39;s most prevalent mobile device usage times, etc.). 
     If desired, activity (one or more code-based processor activities and/or one or more hardware activities, etc.) can be stopped or otherwise adjusted based on the type of power being delivered to device  10 . If, for example, wireless power reception is detected at block  62 , one or more activities performed during wired power reception may be stopped (e.g., before their natural termination due to task completion, etc.). 
     The operations of block  70  may be used in gathering user position information (e.g., geographic location information such as information on whether a user is at home, is at work, is at frequently-visited public location such as a gym, a coffee shop, etc.). Information on a user&#39;s location and daily activities can also be gathered from calendar entries and/or other software settings during the operations of block  68 . This information can be used to help prioritize battery charging before time periods in which charging is not convenient or possible. 
     If, as an example, device  10  determines from a calendar entry in a user&#39;s calendar that a user is taking a plane flight from 1-4 PM on Wednesday or is otherwise planning to participate in an activity in which wireless and/or wired charging from system  42  is not possible or inconvenient, device  10  can reduce activity for non-battery-charging functions in advance. For example, device  10  can reduce software and hardware activity on Wednesday morning to reduce non-battery-charging power consumption and thereby prioritize battery charging. In this way, device  10  can ensure that battery  38  is fully charged before the user&#39;s flight. 
     A user&#39;s charging history and other usage history can include location data (e.g., usage location) so that device  10  can predict when charging is likely to occur and when charging is likely to be inconvenient based on location. When a user is at a convenient charging location or is expected to be arriving at a convenient charging location before battery  38  has been depleted excessively, battery charge may be allowed to drop in favor of appropriate software and/or hardware activity. When a user is at an inconvenient charging location or is expected to be travelling to a location that is inconvenient for charging, battery charging can be prioritized to ensure that the user will have adequate battery reserves while at the inconvenient charging location. When a user is away from any previously known locations, it may be assumed that the user is traveling and suitable actions taken to help extend battery power by reducing non-battery-charging activities during the operations of block  66 . 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative and various modifications can be made to the described embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented individually or in any combination.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20170915
Publication Date: 20201208
Grant Date: 20201208
Priority Date: 20170601
Inventors: VENKATRAMAN, KARTIK R.
MANGADE, SHARDUL S.
PELOSI, Alessandro
DE LA CROPTE DE CHANTERAC, Cyril
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H02J50/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01S19/01", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J50/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/0037", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/0075", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J50/10", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H02J7/025", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G01S19/01", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/24", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/24", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/79", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04B5/79", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 64456468