First electronic device, a second electronic device, a third electronic device and method for providing extension of function by docking

• US 10,268,239 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2016
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Jin, Yoon, Han-Kil
• Primary Examiner(s): Shyu, Jing-Yih
• Application Number:
  US15/135,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20160313764A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4081 Live connection to bus, e.g. hot-plugging current or voltage limitation during live insertion H02H9/004

Abstract

A first electronic device comprises a body, a docking portion that is provided on the body and is detachably coupled to the second electronic device, a terminal that comes into contact according to the coupling of the second electronic device, and a controller that identifies the coupling to the second electronic device, determines the basic performance of the second electronic device, determines the extended performance that can be provided by the first electronic device based on the basic performance of the second electronic device, and controls the second electronic device according to the basic performance of the second electronic device and the extended performance.

Claims

1. A first electronic device comprising:

a body;

a docking portion that is provided in the body, wherein the docking portion is detachably coupled to a second electronic device;

a terminal configured to come into contact with the second electronic device according to a coupling of the first electronic device to the second electronic device; and

a controller configured to;

identify the coupling of the first electronic device to the second electronic device;

determine a basic performance of the second electronic device;

compare the determined basic performance of the second electronic device with a basic performance of the first electronic device;

determine an extended performance that is provided by the first electronic device based on a result of the comparison, the extended performance being a function of the first electronic device associated with a function of the second electronic device, wherein the function of the first electronic device is performed by at least one of a sensor or camera of the first electronic device, and the function of the second electronic device comprises a driving function of the second electronic device; and

control the second electronic device using the first electronic device according to the basic performance of the second electronic device and the extended performance of the first electronic device.

2. The first electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to identify data that is provided by the terminal that comes into contact with the second electronic device according to the coupling of the first electronic device to the second electronic device.

3. The first electronic device of claim 2, wherein the data contains at least one of type information, identification information, a type of each element, or a performance of each element of the second electronic device.

4. The first electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to perform an authentication for the second electronic device.

5. The first electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

discover one or more applications that are supported according to the basic performance of the second electronic device and the extended performance of the first electronic device;

select one or more applications from the discovered one or more applications; and

control the second electronic device using the selected one or more applications.

6. The first electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

configure a third electronic device that shares a user interface of the first electronic device, and

provide the user interface for controlling the second electronic device to the third electronic device.

7. The first electronic device of claim 6, wherein the user interface is created using at least one of the basic performance of the second electronic device and the extended performance of the first electronic device, information on one or more applications that are selected for controlling the second electronic device, or data information that is obtained from at least one of the first electronic device or the second electronic device.

8. The first electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

an auxiliary structural body that is detachably coupled to the body; and

a docking portion that is provided in the auxiliary structural body, wherein the docking portion is coupled to the body.

9. The first electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device is a wearable electronic device and the second electronic device is a drone device.

10. A second electronic device comprising:

a body;

a docking portion that is provided in the body, wherein the docking portion is detachably coupled to a first electronic device;

a terminal configured to come into contact with the second electronic device according to a coupling of the first electronic device to the second electronic device; and

a controller configured to;

provide data to the first electronic device through the terminal that comes into contact with the second electronic device according to the coupling of the first electronic device to the second electronic device; and

control the second electronic device using the first electronic device according to a basic performance of the second electronic device and an extended performance of the first electronic device, wherein the extended performance that is provided by the first electronic device is determined based on a result of comparing the basic performance of the second electronic device with a basic performance of the first electronic device, the extended performance being a function of the first electronic device associated with a function of the second electronic device, wherein the function of the first electronic device is performed by at least one of a sensor or camera of the first electronic device, and the function of the second electronic device comprises a driving function of the second electronic device.

11. The second electronic device of claim 10, wherein the data contains at least one of type information, identification information, a type of each element, or a performance of each element of the second electronic device.

12. A third electronic device comprising:

a communication interface configured to perform a communication session with a first electronic device for a data communication; and

a controller configured to receive, from the first electronic device, a user interface for controlling a second electronic device according to a basic performance of the second electronic device that is coupled to the first electronic device and an extended performance of the first electronic device, wherein the extended performance that is provided by the first electronic device is determined based on a result of comparing the basic performance of the second electronic device with a basic performance of the first electronic device, the extended performance being a function of the first electronic device associated with a function of the second electronic device, wherein the function of the first electronic device is performed by at least one of a sensor or camera of the first electronic device, and the function of the second electronic device comprises a driving function of the second electronic device.

13. The third electronic device of claim 12, wherein the user interface is created using at least one of information on applications that are selected to control the second electronic device, or data information that is obtained from at least one of the first electronic device or the second electronic device.

14. A method of a first electronic device, the method comprising:

identifying a coupling of the first electronic device to a second electronic device;

determining a basic performance of the second electronic device;

comparing the determined basic performance of the second electronic device with a basic performance of the first electronic device;

determining an extended performance that is provided by the first electronic device based on a result of the comparison, the extended performance being a function of the first electronic device associated with a function of the second electronic device, wherein the function of the first electronic device is performed by at least one of a sensor or camera of the first electronic device, and the function of the second electronic device comprises a driving function of the second electronic device; and

controlling the second electronic device using the first electronic device according to the basic performance of the second electronic device and the extended performance of the first electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising identifying data that is provided by a terminal that comes into contact with the second electronic device according to the coupling of the first electronic device to the second electronic device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the data contains at least one of type information, identification information, a type of each element, or a performance of each element of the second electronic device.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising performing an authentication for the second electronic device.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

discovering one or more applications that are supported according to the basic performance of the second electronic device and the extended performance of the first electronic device;

selecting one or more applications from the discovered one or more applications; and

controlling the second electronic device using the selected one or more applications.