Electronic device capable of performing wireless communication, method of controlling the electronic device, and program

• US 10,355,748 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2016
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Tanabe, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Warmflash, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/212,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20170026087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10158 methods and means used by the interrogation device for reliably powering the wireless record carriers using an electromagnetic interrogation field
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

An electronic device that communicates with a communication apparatus includes a connection unit that connects to a battery, a storage unit accessible from an external apparatus via a close proximity wireless communication, a control unit that performs control such that information used in executing one of a plurality of functions including a wireless power transmission function is stored in the storage unit, wherein the control unit performs the control such that information associated with the wireless power transmission function is stored in the storage unit depending on a charge status of the battery.

Claims

1. An electronic device configured to communicate with a communication apparatus, the electronic device comprising:

a connection interface that connects to a battery;

a memory accessible from an external apparatus via a close proximity wireless communication;

at least one processor; and

instructions memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor,

cause the electronic device to perform control such that information used in executing one of a plurality of functions including a wireless power receiving function and an application function, is stored in the memory, wherein the wireless power receiving function is a function for receiving power from the external apparatus wirelessly, and wherein the application is a function that consumes power of the battery and requires a remaining battery capacity,

wherein, in a case where the remaining capacity of the battery is lower than a predetermined amount, control is performed to store information for executing the wireless power receiving function into the memory and to store information indicating that the electronic device has the application function into the memory,

wherein, in a case where the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or higher than the predetermined amount, control is performed to store information for executing the application function into the memory and to store information indicating that the electronic device has the wireless power receiving function into the memory,

wherein an information amount of the information for executing the wireless power receiving function is larger than an information amount of the information indicating that the electronic device has the wireless power receiving function, and

wherein an information amount of the information for executing the application function is larger than an information amount of the information indicating that the electronic device has the application function.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein in a case where information associated with a function different from the wireless power receiving function is stored in the memory, control is performed such that additional information is also stored to indicate that a function different from the wireless power receiving function is supported, and

wherein use of only the additional information does not allow the external apparatus to execute the supported function different from the wireless power receiving function although the additional information allows the external apparatus to recognize that the function different from the wireless power receiving function is supported.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein in a case where the external apparatus issues a request to execute the function different from the wireless power receiving function, the control unit rewrites information in the memory such that information associated with the function different from the wireless power receiving function is stored in the memory.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein in a case where the information associated with the function different from the wireless power receiving function is stored in the memory, control is performed such that additional information is also stored to indicate that the wireless power receiving function is supported, and

wherein use of only the additional information does not allow the external apparatus to execute the wireless power receiving function although the additional information allows the external apparatus to recognize that the wireless power receiving function is supported.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein in a case where the external apparatus issues a request to execute the wireless power receiving function, the control unit rewrites information in the memory such that information associated with the wireless power receiving function is stored in the memory.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein in a case where power of the electronic device is turned off, control is performed such that the information associated with the wireless power receiving function is stored in the memory before the power is turned off.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein in a case where power of the electronic device was turned on, control is performed such that the information associated with a function different from the wireless power receiving function is stored in the memory.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a communication interface configured to connect to the external apparatus via wireless communication different from the close proximity wireless communication,

wherein functions from among the plurality of functions that are different from the wireless power receiving function include a communication function using the communication interface, and

wherein in a case where information associated with the communication function is stored in the memory, control is performed such that a communication parameter used by the communication interface is stored in the memory.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein in a case where the communication function is executed, control of the communication interface is performed such that a network is generated using the communication parameter shared with the external apparatus via the memory.

10. The electronic device according to claim 8, further comprising an image capture device, wherein control is performed such that image data captured by the image capture device is transmitted to the external apparatus via the communication interface.

11. A method of controlling an electronic device including a battery and a memory accessible from an external apparatus via close proximity wireless communication, the method comprising:

performing control such that information used in executing one of a plurality of functions including a wireless power receiving function and an application function is stored in the memory, wherein the wireless power receiving function is a function of receiving power from the external apparatus wirelessly, and wherein the application function is a function that consumes power of the battery and requires a remaining battery capacity; and

detecting a charge status of the battery,

wherein, in a case where the remaining capacity of the battery is lower than a predetermined amount, control is performed to store information for executing the wireless power receiving function into the memory and to store information indicating that the electronic device has the application function into the memory,

wherein, in a case where the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or higher than the predetermined amount, control is performed to store information for executing the application function into the memory and to store information indicating that the electronic device has the wireless power receiving function into the memory,

wherein an information amount of the information for executing the wireless power receiving function is larger than an information amount of the information indicating that the electronic device has the wireless power receiving function, and

wherein an information amount of the information for executing the application function is larger than an information amount of the information indicating that the electronic device has the application function.

12. The method of controlling the electronic device according to claim 11, wherein control is performed differently depending on the charge status of the battery such that the information associated with the wireless power receiving function is stored in the memory or information associated with a function different from the wireless power receiving function is stored depending on the charge status of the battery.

13. The method of controlling the electronic device according to claim 12, wherein in a case where information associated with a function different from the wireless power receiving function is stored in the memory, control is performed such that additional information is also stored to indicate that a function different from the wireless power receiving function is supported, and

wherein use of only the additional information does not allow the external apparatus to execute the supported function different from the wireless power receiving function although the additional information allows the external apparatus to recognize that the function different from the wireless power receiving function is supported.

14. The method of controlling the electronic device according to claim 13, wherein in a case where the external apparatus issues a request to execute the function different from the wireless power receiving function, information is rewritten in the memory such that information associated with the function different from the wireless power receiving function is stored in the memory.

15. The method of controlling the electronic device according to claim 12, wherein in a case where the information associated with the function different from the wireless power receiving function is stored in the memory, control is performed such that additional information is also stored to indicate that the wireless power receiving function is supported, and

wherein use of only the additional information does not allow the external apparatus to execute the wireless power receiving function although the additional information allows the external apparatus to recognize that the wireless power receiving function is supported.

16. The method of controlling the electronic device according to claim 15, wherein in a case where the external apparatus issues a request to execute the wireless power receiving function, information is rewritten in the memory such that information associated with the wireless power receiving function is stored in the memory.

17. The method of controlling the electronic device according to claim 11, wherein in a case where power of the electronic device is turned off, control is performed such that the information associated with the wireless power receiving function is stored in the memory before the power is turned off.

18. The method of controlling the electronic device according to claim 11, wherein in a case where power of the electronic device was turned on, control is performed such that the information associated with a function different from the wireless power receiving function is stored in the memory.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a program for causing an electronic device to execute a method, the electronic device including a battery and a memory accessible from an external apparatus via close proximity wireless communication, the method comprising:

performing control such that information used in executing one of a plurality of functions including a wireless power receiving function and an application function is stored in the memory, wherein the wireless power receiving function is a function of receiving power from the external apparatus wirelessly, and wherein the application function is a function that consumes power of the battery and requires a remaining battery capacity; and

detecting a charge status of the battery,

wherein, in a case where the remaining capacity of the battery is lower than a predetermined amount, control is performed to store information for executing the wireless power receiving function into the memory and to store information indicating that the electronic device has the application function into the memory,

wherein, in a case where the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or higher than the predetermined amount, control is performed to store information for executing the application function into the memory and to store information indicating that the electronic device has the wireless power receiving function into the memory,

wherein an information amount of the information for executing the wireless power receiving function is larger than an information amount of the information indicating that the electronic device has the wireless power receiving function, and

wherein an information amount of the information for executing the application function is larger than an information amount of the information indicating that the electronic device has the application function.