CHARGING APPARATUS, AND CHARGE CONTROL METHOD

• US 20120007565A1
• Filed: 06/24/2011
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kawashima, Hiroshi, Yamashita, Kei, Ono, Tomoyuki, Tanaka, Kayoko, Noma, Hideki, Honjo, Ryoki, Kawakami, Itaru, Saito, Junko, Kimura, Masaya, Pan, Jin, Hirose, Yukiyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,941,362 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/155
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries

Abstract

There is provided a charging apparatus including a connection unit to which a device is to be connected, a charging unit for charging the device connected to the connection unit, a history acquisition unit for acquiring a history of content use stored in the device, a timing prediction unit for predicting a timing of use of the device based on the history of content use acquired by the history acquisition unit, and a charge control unit for controlling the charging unit such that the device connected to the connection unit becomes fully charged at a timing suitable for the timing predicted by the timing prediction unit.

Claims

1. A charging apparatus comprising:

a connection unit to which a device is to be connected;

a charging unit for charging the device connected to the connection unit;

a history acquisition unit for acquiring a history of content use stored in the device;

a timing prediction unit for predicting a timing of use of the device based on the history of content use acquired by the history acquisition unit; and

a charge control unit for controlling the charging unit such that the device connected to the connection unit becomes fully charged at a timing suitable for the timing predicted by the timing prediction unit.

2. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a removal time range holding unit for holding a time range during which the device connected to the connection unit is removed,

wherein the timing prediction unit predicts a timing of removal of the device from the connection unit, based on a history of time range held by the removal time range holding unit.

3. The charging apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the charge control unit controls the charging unit to achieve full charge at a timing suitable for an earlier timing of the timings predicted by the timing prediction unit based on the history of content use and based on the time range of removal of the device.

4. The charging apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the charge control unit controls, when the device is connected to the connection unit, the charging unit to charge the device to a predetermined amount of charge that is less than full charge, regardless of the timings predicted by the timing prediction unit.

5. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an information acquisition unit for acquiring information from an information source on a network,

wherein, when information related to a timing of use of the device is acquired by the information acquisition unit, the timing prediction unit predicts the timing of use of the device based on the information related to a timing.

6. The charging apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising:

an image capturing device determination unit for determining whether the device connected to the connection unit is an image capturing device or not,

wherein the information acquisition unit acquires information on a weather forecast, and

wherein, when the device is determined by the image capturing device determination unit to be the image capturing device and a weather of a day corresponding to the timing predicted by the timing prediction unit is predicted to be rain based on the information on a weather forecast acquired by the information acquisition unit, the charge control unit cancels a process of controlling the charging unit, the process being for achieving full charge at a timing suitable for the timing predicted by the timing prediction unit.

7. The charging apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the information acquisition unit acquires information on an event schedule of a user owning the device, and

wherein the timing prediction unit predicts, as the timing of use of the device, a timing that is a predetermined time before a start time of the event schedule, based on the information on an event schedule acquired by the information acquisition unit.

8. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a demand prediction acquisition unit for acquiring a power demand prediction,

wherein the timing prediction unit sets a timing when a demand for power is low as the timing when the device will become fully charged, based on the power demand prediction acquired by the demand prediction acquisition unit, and

wherein the charge control unit controls the charging unit such that the device connected to the connection unit becomes fully charged at a timing suitable for the timing set by the timing prediction unit.

9. A charge control method comprising:

connecting a device;

acquiring a history of content use stored in the device;

predicting a timing of use of the device based on the acquired history of content use; and

controlling charging such that the device becomes fully charged at a timing suitable for the predicted timing.