# US 2014/0157034 A1 · Power management method for electro-chemical batteries in low capacity state > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0157034 A1 - Document ID: US20140157034A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/174,472 - Filed: 2014-02-06 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2010-11-25 - Assignees: Industrial Technology Research Institute - Applicants: Industrial Technology Research Institute - Inventors: Tzi-Cker CHIUEH; Chia-Ming CHANG; Shou-Hung LING; Shih-Hao LIANG - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140157034A1 ## CPC - G06F 1/26: Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) - H01M 10/42: Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells (H01M10/60 takes precedence) - G01R 31/367: Software therefor, e.g. for battery testing using modelling or look-up tables - G01R 31/3835: involving only voltage measurements - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract A power management method for electro-chemical batteries in low capacity state is provided, including: obtaining battery information based on device hardware, to know in advance the maximum allowable current and maximum allowable power when the battery power is low; by detecting the changes in the voltage versus current, updating BCC curve; using BCC curve as power budget to control the ON/OFF of device function thread; and determining whether the minimum battery capacity and the control restriction are reached, and when the minimum battery capacity and the control restriction are reached, turn off the battery through normal shutdown process; otherwise, return to the step of obtaining battery information. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A power management method, applicable to for electro-chemical batteries of a electronic device in a low capacity state of a discharging process, the electronic device able to running a plurality of function threads, at least one electro-chemical battery having a minimum battery capacity, comprising: obtaining a plurality of battery information, the plurality of battery information comprising at least a maximum allowable current and a maximum allowable power when the at least one electro-chemical battery being in the low capacity state; updating a battery characteristic curve (BCC) by detecting changes in voltage versus current; using the BCC curve to determine whether any function thread of a plurality of function threads being eligible for termination and controlling to terminate or continue the plurality of function threads running on the electronic device; and when reaching the minimum battery capacity and no function thread determined eligible for termination, turning off the at least one electro-chemical battery; otherwise, returning to the step of obtaining the plurality of battery information. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power consumption of each of the plurality of function threads is expressed with a function thread peak power, for a highest power usage during executing the function thread, at least one occasional surge power, for a plurality of occasional peaks during executing the function thread execution, and an offset power, referring to the power offset when the function thread being terminated. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the BCC curve is expressed in a voltage versus discharge capacity domain, a current versus discharge capacity domain and a power versus discharge capacity domain. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of function threads has a priority, and the method terminates a running function thread with a lower priority to release power for starting a function thread with a higher priority. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of using the BCC curve to determine whether any function thread of the plurality of function threads being eligible for termination and controlling to terminate or continue the plurality of function threads running on the electronic device further comprises: determining whether a current power capacity being sufficient to start a first function thread with a priority; when the current power capacity being sufficient, starting the first function thread; otherwise, searching for a second function thread with lower priority than the first function thread and terminating the second function thread to release power; and repeating the above step until the current power capacity being sufficient to start the first function thread, or all function threads with priority lower than the first function thread being terminated. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detecting changes in voltage versus current in the step of updating the battery characteristic curve (BCC) further comprises finding a knee point, wherein the finding the knee point further comprises: finding the changes in voltage versus current at a middle capacity region during the discharging process; and finding a point corresponding to the changes in voltage versus current exceeding a threshold, wherein the point becoming a currently found knee point. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the middle capacity region is between 20%-80% of a state of charge of battery. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the threshold is at least 10%. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the currently found knee point is connected to a previously found knee point to update the BCC curve for subsequently controlling the plurality of function threads. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a budget for current is determined based on the BCC curve connecting the currently found knee point connected to the previously found knee point. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a budget for power is determined based on the BCC curve connecting the currently found knee point connected to the previously found knee point. ### Claim 12 A non-transitory computer readable recording medium for storing one or more programs, the one or more programs causing a processing unit to perform: obtaining a plurality of battery information of at least one electro-chemical battery, the plurality of battery information comprising at least a maximum allowable current and a maximum allowable power when the at least one battery being in a low capacity state; updating a battery characteristic curve (BCC) by detecting changes in voltage versus current; using the BCC curve to determine whether any function thread of a plurality of function threads being eligible for termination and controlling to terminate or continue the plurality of function threads running on a electronic device; and when reaching the minimum battery capacity and no function thread determined eligible for termination, turning off the at least one electro-chemical battery; otherwise, returning to the step of obtaining the plurality of battery information. ### Claim 13 An apparatus for power management, comprising a processing unit and a memory, the processing unit being configured to perform: obtaining a plurality of battery information of at least one electro-chemical battery, the plurality of battery information comprising at least a maximum allowable current and a maximum allowable power when the at least one battery being in a low capacity state; updating a battery characteristic curve (BCC) by detecting changes in voltage versus current; using the BCC curve to determine whether any function thread of a plurality of function threads being eligible for termination and controlling to terminate or continue the plurality of function threads running on a electronic device; and when reaching the minimum battery capacity and no function thread determined eligible for termination, turning off the at least one electro-chemical battery; otherwise, returning to the step of obtaining the plurality of battery information. ### Claim 14 A chip for power management, comprising one or more integrated circuits, the one or more integrated circuits being configured to process: obtaining a plurality of battery information of at least one electro-chemical battery, the plurality of battery information comprising at least a maximum allowable current and a maximum allowable power when the at least one battery being in a low capacity state; updating a battery characteristic curve (BCC) by detecting changes in voltage versus current; using the BCC curve to determine whether any function thread of a plurality of function threads being eligible for termination and controlling to terminate or continue the plurality of function threads running on a electronic device; and when reaching the minimum battery capacity and no function thread determined eligible for termination, turning off the at least one electro-chemical battery; otherwise, returning to the step of obtaining the plurality of battery information.