KR20090084541A - Apparatus for power managing/controlling in portable equipment and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for power managing/controlling in portable equipment and a method thereof are provided to limit the electricity supplied to portable equipment by performing in a power saving mode when a actual use of electricity is over a predetermined level. A power status detector(130) determines an electric power supply mode which a system(150) mounting a battery pack(120) is supplied. In case the power source is supplied through an adapter, a processing unit(140) calculates the rate of the used power actually used in system for the supplied power of the power source. If the use power rate is the critical value or greater, the controller(152) controls the power saving mode conversion of the operation of system.

Description

Power management control system and its control method {APPARATUS FOR POWER MANAGING / CONTROLLING IN PORTABLE EQUIPMENT AND METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to power management of a system, and more particularly, to a power management controller and a control method of a system for controlling the operation of the system according to the power supply and the actual power used to the system.

Currently, the need for power saving is emphasized in terms of energy saving, and the power saving effect also has a great effect when a consumer selects a system device. All electronic / electrical system devices must be supplied with a driving power source (AC / DC), and thus, there is a continuous proposal for reducing such driving power as necessary.

Over the past decade, semiconductor technology has evolved dramatically, and semiconductor devices have been developing more powerfully in terms of performance. As a result, computer systems have greater performance and many more advanced peripherals. As a result, the power consumption of computer systems is on the rise. Moreover, as the use of personal computers has become more common, the power usage of computer systems has increased undeniably.

In addition, in the case of a mobile device that relies on a fuel cell or a battery, methods for extending the use time of the fuel cell and the battery continue to be proposed. As a mobile device, a portable device such as a notebook computer is supplied with a DC power supply using an adapter or a power supply required by a product using a fuel cell or a battery pack, and is driven by a fuel cell or a battery pack. In order to minimize its power consumption, it is recognized as important.

Accordingly, various methods have been used to reduce power consumption of computer systems. For example, if the computer system is not used for a predetermined time, the selected hardware device is powered down. Power-down techniques include, for example, reducing the rotation time of hard disk drives, and providing a central processing unit (CPU) to system managemen.

t mode; SMM). In addition, there are various ways to perform power state control, CPU clock throttling, and system-level power state control of BIOS and peripherals in operating systems and applications. There is this.

However, the power management method for such a system suggests only a method for automatically reducing the power consumption of the system by automatically entering the system into a power saving state according to a time setting or performing power management according to a CPU state. That is, power management is performed regardless of the actual power used by the system compared to the supply power supplied to the system.

In addition, the mobile device always activates the charging mode to charge the battery regardless of the actual power used in the system, so even if the system requires a lot of power, Power management is inefficient because of the low power supply.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and compares the power supplied to the system according to the power supply mode with the actual power used to manage the system power management controller and its control method To provide.

Another object of the present invention is to prioritize the charging of the battery when the power supply from the outside.

Still another object of the present invention is to automatically perform a power saving function when the available power is insufficient for the supply power supplied to the system.

According to a feature of the present invention for achieving the above object, a power state detection unit for determining a power supply mode in a system equipped with a battery pack; A processing unit for calculating a ratio of actual power used in the system to power supply of the power when the power is supplied through the adapter as a result of the detection of the power state detection unit; And a control unit which controls to convert the operation mode of the system to a power saving mode when the calculated power consumption ratio of the processing unit is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

The power consumption monitoring unit for monitoring the power consumption of the system is further configured, the power monitoring unit detects the amount of power corresponding to the current consumed in the system.

The controller controls to stop the charging operation of the battery pack that is being supplied with the power when the power consumption ratio is greater than or equal to a threshold.

According to another feature of the invention, the power state detection unit for determining the power supply mode in the system equipped with a battery pack; When the power is supplied through the adapter as a result of the detection of the power state detection unit, a portion of the power to give priority to use as a charging power of the battery pack, and includes a control unit for controlling to supply the remaining power to the drive power of the system It is configured by.

The controller converts the operation mode of the system into a power saving mode when there is insufficient power to be used in the system.

When the power consumption is insufficient while only the battery power is supplied to the system by the power state detection unit, the controller converts the operation mode of the system into a power saving mode to operate.

The power saving mode shuts off power of devices with low frequency of use among devices provided in the system.

The power saving mode changes the operating speed of the CPU of the system or changes its power supply state.

The power saving mode changes the operating speed of the video controller of the system or changes its power state.

According to another feature of the invention, if the supply power is supplied from the outside to the system equipped with a battery pack, calculating a power consumption ratio of the system to the power supply; And converting the operation mode of the system into a power saving mode when the ratio of the power usage rate is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

The method may further include controlling to stop the charging operation of the battery pack if the power consumption ratio is greater than or equal to the threshold value.

According to another feature of the invention, the step of supplying power supply from the outside to the system equipped with a battery pack; In addition, a part of the supply power is used first as charging power of the battery pack, and the remaining power is supplied to the driving power of the system.

When the driving power is supplied to the system, it is determined whether the power consumption of the system is insufficient, and if the power consumption is insufficient, the operation mode of the system is changed to the power saving mode to drive.

When the power supply from the battery pack is supplied to the system, the power consumption value is compared with the power supply. If the power consumption ratio is greater than or equal to the threshold, the operation mode of the system is converted into a power saving mode to be driven.

The power saving mode may cut off power supplied to a device with low use frequency among devices provided in the system, change an operating speed of a CPU of the system or change a power state of the CPU, or operate a video controller of the system. Changing the speed or changing the power state. In this case, the power saving mode may perform at least one operation together.

The power management control device and control method of the system according to the present invention having such a configuration has the following effects.

First, when supply power is supplied to a portable device equipped with a battery pack from the outside, the supply power and the used power used in the portable device are compared, and when the power consumption exceeds a certain level, the power is automatically driven to a power saving mode. Efficient power management is possible by limiting the power supplied from portable devices.

In addition, even when the external supply power is supplied, the battery charging is interrupted according to the power used, so that appropriate power can always be supplied to the portable device, thereby driving the portable device stably.

In addition, when an external supply power is supplied, the portable device is first driven while charging the battery pack, and when the power supply of the portable device is insufficient, the portable device is driven in a power saving mode, so that the battery charging and the use of the portable device are stable.

In addition, even when only battery power is supplied to a portable device equipped with a battery pack, the battery power is minimized since the operating mode of the portable device is operated in a power saving mode when the battery power is compared with the power used by the portable device. There is an expectation that the use time of the portable device is extended.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a power management control device and a control method of the system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

For convenience of explanation, the following description will be made with reference to a notebook system which is a representative portable device.

1 is a block diagram of a notebook system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The notebook system 100 may use externally supplied power and battery power as driving power. Thus, the AC / DC converter 110, which is an adapter for converting the commercial AC power supplied from the outside into DC power and supplying the notebook system 100, and the battery pack 120 are provided. The battery pack 120 may connect a plurality of batteries in series and in parallel to charge the DC power input from the AC / DC converter 110 and discharge the charged DC power to the system main body 150 which will be described later. It is configured to

However, in addition to the battery pack 120, it is natural that a power supply device developed to prolong the use time of the notebook system 100, for example, a fuel cell that generates power by fuel supply and outputs a voltage, may be applied. Do. For reference, a fuel cell pack includes a DC-DC converter for controlling the output of power (voltage) generated from the fuel cell, and an output request from the outside for the DC-DC converter. And a fuel cell controller for controlling according to the present invention.

A power state detector 130 for detecting power of the AC / DC converter 110 or the battery pack 120 is provided. The power state detection unit 130 may detect whether power is being applied from the outside through the AC / DC converter 110 or whether power is supplied from the battery pack 120.

According to the power supply mode detected by the power state detection unit 120, the supply power is supplied to the system main body 150, where the supply power and the used power used in the system main body 150 are checked, and the supply power The processor 140 is configured to calculate a ratio of the actual power used. The processor 140 receives the used power value from the used power detector 160 that detects the amount of power corresponding to the current consumed by the system main body 150.

The controller 152 converts and drives the operation mode of the notebook system 100 into a power saving mode according to the processing result of the processing unit 140. In the power saving mode, the power supply to the device with low usage frequency is cut off according to the current usage state among the devices provided in the system main body 150, or the operation speed and power state of the CPU 154 are reduced. Or changing the operating speed and power state of the video controller 156. The controller 152 also performs a function of stopping charging of the battery pack 120 according to the processing result. In addition, the control unit 152 processes a portion of the supply power to be used first to charge the battery pack 120 when the supply power is supplied from the outside by the power state detection unit 130, and the remaining power to the system main body 150 It also serves to drive control the notebook system 100 by supplying. At this time, if the system body 150 is difficult to operate normally with only the remaining power, the system main body 150 is converted to the power saving mode described above.

On the other hand, the central processing unit (CPU) 154 is provided to perform the overall control function of the notebook system 100. In addition, the memory 155, the video controller 156, and various peripheral devices 157 are included.

Configurations of the notebook system 100 described above are generally provided and installed in the system body 150. Of course, the battery pack 120 is a removable structure with the system body 150.

Next, a method of controlling power management in the notebook system having the above configuration will be described.

The notebook system 100 uses externally supplied power and battery power as driving power, and has an external power and battery power to be selectively supplied depending on whether the battery pack 120 is mounted. So, in the power management method, since it can be described differently according to the power mode supplied with whether the battery pack 120 is mounted, it will be described separately.

When the battery pack is installed and external power is supplied

2 is a flowchart illustrating a power management method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The battery pack 120 is mounted on the system main body 150 and power supplied from the outside is supplied to the system main body 150.

First, the user manipulates a power button (not shown) to turn on the notebook system 100 (s200).

Then, the power state detection unit 130 checks whether the commercial AC power supplied from the outside is converted into DC power through the AC / DC converter 110 (s202) (s204). The power state detector 130 transmits a signal according to whether power is supplied to the controller 152.

The controller 152 recognizes whether or not a DC power source through the AC / DC converter 110 is input or not based on the output signal of the power state detection unit 130.

If power is input from the outside through the AC / DC converter 110, the controller 152 reads the charging state information of the battery pack 120.

When the state of charge of the battery pack 120 does not reach 100% according to the state of charge information, and the DC power is being input to the system main body 150 through the AC / DC converter 110, the controller. 152 controls the charging operation of the battery pack 120 so that the supplied DC power can be charged in the battery pack 120. In addition, the control unit 152 allows the DC power through the AC / DC converter 110 can be directly supplied to the system main body 150 to be used (s206).

In such a state that the DC power is used as the driving power of the notebook system 100 and is also used as the charging power of the battery pack 120, the processing unit 140 supplies the power supplied from the outside and the system main body 150. Check the actual power used in (S208), and calculates the ratio of the actual power used to the external power supply (S210). At this time, the actual power used in the system body 150 is received from the power monitoring unit 160. That is, the power monitoring unit 160 may know the power used by sensing the amount of power corresponding to the current being consumed by the system main body 150.

When the ratio of the used power to the supply power is calculated by the processing unit 140, the control unit 152 compares it with a threshold value (S212). Thus, if the power consumption is greater than the threshold value (YES in s214), the controller 152 reduces the power consumption by converting the current driving mode of the system main body into a power saving mode (s216). . Here, the threshold refers to a minimum value at which the notebook system 100 can be normally driven using only power compared to supply power. For example, assuming that there is a problem when the notebook system 100 operates normally when the power consumption is 80% or more, the threshold is 80%. Of course, the 80% is an example of a threshold value, the threshold value of the numerical value is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be set differently according to the specification of the notebook system 100 or the like.

Thus, when the mode conversion is performed in the power saving mode, the power consumption is reduced, so that the notebook system 100 can be driven stably.

At this time, the processor 140 continues to process the power consumption ratio, and the controller 152 may convert the power saving mode back to the normal mode and drive the power saving mode according to the processing result of the processor 140.

In addition, when the power used compared to the supply power is greater than or equal to the threshold in step 214, the controller 152 controls to stop charging of the battery pack 120 as in step 216. This is to use the charging power as the driving power of the system body 150.

On the other hand, if only the battery power is supplied in accordance with the power state detection from step 202 (s220), the control unit 152 controls to supply the power charged in the battery pack 120 to the system body 150.

According to the control operation, the battery power is supplied from the battery pack 120 to the system main body 150 (s222).

The following process is performed in the same manner as in the above-described steps 208 to 216.

That is, in the state where the battery power is being supplied to the system main body 150, the use power monitoring unit 160 monitors the use power of the system main body 150, and transmits it to the processing unit 140.

Then, the processor 140 checks the external power supply and the actual power used in the system main body 150, and calculates the ratio of the actual power to the external power supply.

When the ratio of the used power is calculated by the processor 150, the controller 152 compares the ratio of the used power to the supplied power with a threshold value. Thus, if the power consumption is greater than the threshold value, that is, the power consumption is insufficient, the control unit 152 reduces the power consumption by converting the driving mode of the current system main body 150 to the power saving mode. At this time, the function related to the charging of the battery pack 120 is not performed. That is, the charging stop operation of the battery pack 120 in operation 216 refers to an operation state when DC power is supplied through the AC / DC converter 110.

3 is a flowchart of a power management method according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 3 illustrates a process of precharging the battery pack 120 and supplying the system main body 150 using a power source other than charging power as a driving power source.

Referring to FIG. 3, first, when a user operates a power button to turn on the notebook system 100 (s300), the notebook system 100 is first supplied with DC power converted through the AC / DC connector 110. To start.

Accordingly, the power state detection unit 130 transmits the AC / DC connector 110 to the control unit 152 that the DC power is being applied (S302).

Then, the controller 152 allocates and supplies a part of the power of the DC power to the charging power for charging the battery pack 120. Then, the remaining power not being used for the charging power is supplied to the system main body 150 (s304). In this case, one end of the charging of the battery pack 120 is prioritized, and only the remaining power except the power required for charging the battery pack 120 is used as the driving power of the system main body 150.

In the state where the notebook system 100 is being driven, the power monitoring unit 160 detects the power used by the system body 150 and transmits the power to the processor 140.

The processor 140 checks the external power supply and the actual power used in the system main body 150 (s306), and calculates the ratio of the actual power consumption to the external power supply (s308).

When the ratio of the used power is calculated by the processor 140, the controller 152 compares the ratio of the used power to the supply power with a threshold value (S310). Thus, if the power consumption is greater than the threshold value (Yes in S312), that is, if the power consumption is insufficient, the controller 152 converts the driving mode of the current system main body into a power saving mode and uses power. To reduce (s314).

In this operation, even when the power consumption of the system main body 150 is insufficient, it can be seen that only the power consumed by the system main body 150 is minimized while supplying the power supplied to the battery pack 120 as it is.

Battery pack is not installed

The user operates the power button to turn on the notebook system 100.

Then, the controller 152 first checks whether the battery pack 120 is mounted. That is, when the power button is operated, the control unit 152 exchanges the charging state information with the battery pack 120 when the battery pack 120 is mounted. Thus, if the battery pack 120 is not installed, the process is performed. Not performed, and thus, the controller 152 may know that the battery pack 120 is not mounted.

In this state, the power state detection unit 130 confirms that the DC power converted through the AC / DC connector 110 is input. The power state detection unit 130 transmits to the control unit 152 that the DC power is being input.

Then, the controller 152 confirms that the DC power is supplied from the outside only based on the output signal of the power state detection unit 130. Therefore, the controller 152 controls the DC power to be supplied to the driving power of the system main body 150, and the charging function of the battery pack 120 is not performed.

Even in this case, the processor 140 checks the used power value and the power supplied from the power monitoring unit 160, and calculates a ratio thereof.

Therefore, when the ratio of the power used to the power supply is greater than or equal to the threshold, the controller 152 controls the power saving function to reduce the power used.

On the other hand, the power saving function described in the above embodiments may cut off the power supplied to a device with low use frequency, change the operating speed and power state of the CPU 154, or operate and power the video controller 156. A task such as changing a state. This operation alone reduces power consumption. The power saving function may be executed by selecting only one function or two or more functions according to the control function of the controller 152.

The scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but is defined by the claims, and various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the claims. It is self evident.

That is, in the present embodiment, a battery pack detachably attached to the system body is described as an example. However, the present invention may be applied as long as it can supply power instead of a battery such as a fuel cell.

In addition, although commercial AC power, which is a power applied to the notebook system, is described as being supplied by being converted into DC power through an AC / DC adapter, external power applied to the notebook system may be directly supplied as DC power. However, it does not necessarily have to be a DC power source.

It is also applicable to general computer systems as well as portable devices such as notebook systems.

1 is a block diagram of a notebook system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a flow chart showing a power management method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flow chart showing a power management method according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

100: notebook system 110: AC / DC converter

120: battery pack 130: power state detector

140: processor 150: system body

152 control unit 160 power monitoring unit

Claims (15)

A power state detector for determining a power supply mode supplied to a system in which a battery pack is mounted; A processing unit for calculating a ratio of actual power used in the system to power supply of the power when the power is supplied through the adapter as a result of the detection of the power state detection unit; And, And a control unit for controlling to convert the operation mode of the system into a power saving mode when the calculated power usage ratio of the processing unit is equal to or greater than a threshold value. The method of claim 1, It further comprises a power monitoring unit for monitoring the power used of the system, The power monitoring unit for power management control system, characterized in that for detecting the amount of power corresponding to the current consumed in the system. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And the control unit controls to stop the charging operation of the battery pack being supplied with the power and charging when the ratio of the used power is greater than or equal to a threshold value. A power state detector for determining a power supply mode supplied to a system in which a battery pack is mounted; And, When the power is supplied through the adapter as a result of the detection of the power state detection unit, a portion of the power is configured to include a control unit for controlling to supply the remaining power to the drive power of the system by using as a battery charging power first Power management controller of the system, characterized in that. The method of claim 4, wherein And the controller is configured to operate the operation mode of the system in a power saving mode when there is not enough power to be used in the system. The method of claim 4, wherein And when the power consumption is insufficient in the state where only battery power is supplied to the system by the power state detection unit, the control unit operates the operation mode of the system in a power saving mode. The method according to any one of claims 1, 5 or 6, The power saving mode, the power management controller of the system, characterized in that to cut off the power supplied to the device of low usage among the devices provided in the system. The method according to any one of claims 1, 5 or 6, The power saving mode is a power management control device of the system, characterized in that for changing the operating speed of the CPU of the system, or changing the power state. The method according to any one of claims 1, 5 or 6, The power saving mode is a power management control device of the system, characterized in that for changing the operating speed of the video controller of the system, or the power supply state. Calculating a power consumption ratio of the system to the power supply when the power supply is supplied to the system in which the battery pack is mounted; And, And converting the operation mode into the power saving mode of the system if the ratio of the used power is greater than or equal to a threshold value. The method of claim 10, And controlling to stop the charging operation of the battery pack if the power consumption ratio is equal to or greater than the threshold value. Supplying supply power from the outside to the system in which the battery pack is mounted; And, And using a portion of the power supply as a charging power of the battery pack first, and supplying the remaining power to the system as a driving power supply. The method of claim 12, When the driving power is supplied to the system, it is determined whether the power consumption of the system is insufficient, and if the power consumption is insufficient, the operation mode of the system is changed to the power saving mode to drive the system. Power management control method. The method of claim 12, When the supply power is supplied from the battery pack to the system, the ratio of the power consumption to the supply power is compared, and if the ratio of the power consumption is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the operation mode of the system is converted into a power saving mode. Power management control method of the system characterized by. The method according to any one of claims 10, 13 or 14, The power saving mode may cut off power supplied to a device with low use frequency among devices provided in the system, change an operating speed of a CPU of the system or change a power state of the CPU, or operate a video controller of the system. A method of controlling power management of a system, characterized by changing a speed or changing a power state.

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