COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20090146503A1
• Filed: 03/27/2007
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawabata, Minoru
• Granted Patent: US 7,936,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/23 characterised by the type of transmitting antennas, e.g. directional array antennas or Yagi antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment

Abstract

When a certain period of time has elapsed since a direction retrieval unit received a control signal from an appliance controller, the direction retrieval unit instructs the microwave transmitter to transmit microwaves, and then instructs the microwave transmitter to perform scanning of the microwaves. When a notification signal receiver receives a notification signal from a remote controller, the direction retrieval unit instructs the microwave transmitter to stop the scanning of the microwaves. After this, the direction retrieval unit instructs a power controller to raise a power level of the microwaves. The direction retrieval unit determines whether or not the notification signal receiver receives from the notification signal transmitter of the remote controller at regular time intervals charging-in-progress signals indicating that charging is in progress and whether or not the notification signal receiver receives from the notification signal transmitter a charging-complete signal indicating that the charging is completed.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

an electronic appliance; and

a portable communication device that communicates with said electronic appliance, wherein

said electronic appliance includes

a first communication unit that communicates with said portable communication device,

a direction detector that detects a direction in which said portable communication device exists, and

an electromagnetic wave transmitter that converts power supplied from a power supply into electromagnetic waves while transmitting the converted electromagnetic waves in the direction detected by said direction detector,

said portable communication device includes

a second communication unit that communicates with said electronic appliance,

a secondary cell that supplies power to said second communication unit,

an electromagnetic wave receiver that receives the electromagnetic waves transmitted by said electromagnetic wave transmitter,

a power converter that converts the electromagnetic waves received by said electromagnetic wave receiver into power, and

a charger that charges said secondary cell using the power converted by said power converter.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said portable communication device further includes

a notification signal transmitter that transmits, when the electromagnetic waves are received by said electromagnetic wave receiver, to said electronic appliance a notification signal indicating that the electromagnetic waves are received,

said electronic appliance further includes

a notification signal receiver that receives the notification signal transmitted by said notification signal transmitter,

said electromagnetic wave transmitter includes

a directional antenna that radiates electromagnetic waves having directivity, and

a scanning unit that performs two-dimensional scanning of the electromagnetic waves, radiated by said directional antenna, having directivity, and

said direction detector controls said scanning unit to perform the two-dimensional scanning of the electromagnetic waves having directivity while stopping the scanning by said scanning unit when the notification signal is received by said notification signal receiver.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said portable communication device further includes

a notification signal transmitter that transmits a notification signal for detecting the direction in which the portable communication device exists,

said electronic appliance further includes

a notification signal receiver that receives the notification signal transmitted by said notification signal transmitter,

said electromagnetic wave transmitter includes

a directional antenna that radiates electromagnetic waves having directivity, and

a scanning unit that performs two-dimensional scanning of the electromagnetic waves, radiated by said directional antenna, having directivity, and

said direction detector detects the direction in which said portable communication device exists based on the notification signal received by said notification signal receiver and controls said scanning unit to direct the electromagnetic waves, radiated by said directional antenna, having directivity to the detected direction.

4. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein said notification signal transmitter transmits to said electronic appliance a signal indicating that charging is completed when the charging by said charger is completed, and

said electromagnetic wave transmitter finishes transmission of the electromagnetic waves when the signal indicating that the charging is completed is received by said notification signal receiver.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein

said notification signal transmitter transmits to said electronic appliance a signal indicating that the charging is in progress when the charging by said charger is in progress, and

said direction detector again detects the direction in which said portable communication device exists when the signal indicating that the charging is in progress is not received by said notification signal receiver before the signal indicating that the charging is completed is received by said notification signal receiver.

6. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein said electromagnetic wave transmitter and said notification signal receiver include a common antenna.

7. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said second communication unit of said portable communication device includes

an operation signal generator that generates an operation signal for operating said electronic appliance based on an operation by a user, and

an operation signal transmitter that transmits to said electronic appliance the operation signal generated by said operation signal generator,

said first communication unit of said electronic appliance includes an operation signal receiver that receives the operation signal transmitted from said operation signal transmitter, and

said electromagnetic wave transmitter starts transmission of the electromagnetic waves after a certain period of time has elapsed since said operation signal receiver finished receiving the operation signal.

8. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein

said electronic appliance further includes a storage that stores the direction, detected by said direction detector, in which said portable communication device exists, and

said electromagnetic wave transmitter transmits the electromagnetic waves in the direction, stored in said storage, in which said portable communication device exists.

9. The communication system according to claim 8, wherein

said portable communication device further includes an instruction unit that instructs to store the direction in which the portable communication device exists,

said second communication unit transmits to said electronic appliance an instruction signal indicating an instruction by said instruction unit, and

said storage stores, when said instruction signal is received by said first communication unit, the direction, detected by said direction detector, in which said portable communication device exists.

10. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said electromagnetic waves have a frequency of 1 GHz to GHz and a wavelength of 1 cm to 10 cm.