PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE, EXTERNAL BASIC DEVICE, METHOD FOR COUPLING THE PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE TO AN EXTERNAL BASIC DEVICE AND USING THE EXTERNAL BASIC DEVICE FOR COUPLING THE PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20130236192A1
• Filed: 04/25/2013
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: DEICKE, Frank, GRAETZ, Hagen
• Application Number:
  US13/870,730
• Publication Number:
  US 20130236192A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/135
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/50 Transmitters

Abstract

A portable electronic device includes a functional processor for providing an electronic functionality, an optical data transmitter for conductor-less, optical data communication with an external basic device and an energy supplier for an energy absorption by means of an inductive coupling from a magnetic field emitted by the external basic device and for supplying the functional processor and the data transmitter with energy based on the energy absorbed from the external magnetic field.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a functional processor for providing an electronic functionality;

an optical data transmitter for a conductor-less, optical data communication with an external basic device, wherein the optical data transmitter comprises a plurality of optical interface elements for establishing a conductor-less, optical data transmission with the external basic device, and wherein a communication controller is associated with the optical data transmitter, wherein the communication controller is implemented to selectively allocate the data communication with an external basic device associated with an electronic functionality of the functional processor each to an optical interface element of the plurality of optical interface elements; and

an energy supplier for energy absorption by means of an inductive coupling from a magnetic field emitted from the external basic device and for supplying the functional processor and the data transmitter with energy based on the energy taken from the external magnetic field.

2. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the communication controller is implemented, depending on the bandwidth requirement for the communication between the portable electronic device and the external basic device, to activate a group of optical interface elements of the plurality of optical interface elements for a parallel data transmission.

3. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the energy supplier comprises a chargeable charge storage element and is further implemented to charge the chargeable charge storage element based on the energy taken from the external magnetic field.

4. The portable electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the energy supplier is implemented to supply the functional processor with energy from the chargeable charge storage element when the portable electronic device is decoupled from the basic device.

5. The portable electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the charge storage element is implemented as a chargeable battery or as a chargeable capacitor storage.

6. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the energy supplier comprises a communicator which is implemented to execute a data exchange of data relating to the energy transmission from the basis device, with the basic device.

7. The portable electronic device according to claim 6, wherein data relating to the energy transmission comprises control information for the basic device generating the external magnetic field for providing the external magnetic field.

8. The portable electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the communication unit is implemented to execute the data exchange of the data relating to the energy transmission by means of load modulation.

9. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the energy supplier comprises an antenna arrangement or a plurality of antenna arrangements for energy absorption by means of an inductive coupling from the magnetic field provided by the external basic device.

10. The portable electronic device according to claim 9, wherein a controller is associated with the energy supplier, wherein the controller is implemented, depending on the energy demand of the portable electronic device, to connect individual antenna arrangements of the plurality of antenna arrangements, for energy absorption, to the energy supplier or disconnect the same.

11. The portable electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the controller is implemented to determine the antenna arrangement of the plurality of antenna arrangements which comprises an increased degree of coupling with the magnetic field provided by the external basic device as compared to the other antenna arrangements and which is further implemented to connect the antenna arrangement comprising the increased degree of coupling to the energy supplier, for energy absorption by means of inductive coupling from the magnetic field provided by the external basic device.

12. The portable electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of antenna arrangements for energy absorption are arranged distributed at one or at several side surfaces of the portable electronic device.

13. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the communication controller is further implemented to determine the optical interface element of the plurality of optical interface elements which may set up a conductor-less, optical communication connection with the external basic device when coupling the portable electronic device to the external basic device.

14. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of optical interface elements are implemented to execute the conductor-less, optical data transmission to the external basic device in the infrared range.

15. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, which is implemented as a mobile telephone, notebook, tablet PC, E-Reader or digital camera, wherein the functional processor is implemented to execute an application or a service as an electronic functionality.

16. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic functionality provided by the functional processor is an application or service.

17. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, implemented as a portable data storage, wherein the functional processor exclusively comprises a mass storage element to store data and provide the same upon request as an electronic functionality.

18. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, implemented as a telemonitoring device for monitoring persons or patients, wherein the functional processor is implemented to detect medical or physiological data of persons or patients as an electronic functionality and to evaluate the detected data or provide the detected data to the external basic device or to a peripheral device for evaluation connected to the same by an interface.

19. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, which is completely hermetically encapsulated with respect to gaseous or liquid environmental influences.

20. The portable electronic device according to claim 1, comprising further data interfaces and/or an interaction interface for an operator.

21. A basic device for energy and data transmission to a portable electronic device, comprising:

an energy provider for generating a magnetic field for an energy supply of the portable electronic device by means of an inductive coupling from the generated magnetic field; and

an optical, bidirectional data communicator for a conductor-less, optical data communication with the portable electronic device;

wherein the optical, bidirectional data communicator comprises a plurality of optical interface elements for establishing a conductor-less, bidirectional, optical data communication with the portable electronic device, and wherein a communication controller is associated with the optical data communicator, wherein the communication controller is implemented to selectively allocate the data communication with the portable electronic device associated with an electronic functionality of the portable electronic device each to an optical interface element of the plurality of optical interface elements.

22. The basic device according to claim 21, wherein the energy provider comprises a basic communicator which is implemented to execute a data exchange of data relating to energy transmission from the basic device to the portable electronic device with the portable electronic device.

23. The basic device according to claim 21, wherein the energy provider comprises an antenna arrangement or a plurality of antenna arrangements for generating the magnetic field for an energy supply of the portable electronic device by means of an inductive coupling from the generated magnetic field.

24. The basic device according to claim 23, wherein an antenna arrangement controller is associated with the energy provider, wherein the antenna arrangement controller is implemented, depending on the energy demand of the portable electronic device, to connect individual antenna arrangements of the plurality of antenna arrangements for energy supply to the energy provider or disconnect them from the same.

25. The basic device according to claim 23, wherein the antenna arrangement controller is implemented to determine the antenna arrangement of the plurality of antenna arrangements which comprises an increased degree of coupling to the portable electronic device at least as compared to one of the other antenna arrangements and which is further implemented to connect the antenna arrangement comprising the increased degree of coupling to the energy provider for generating a magnetic field for an energy supply of the portable electronic device.

26. The basic device according to claim 25, wherein the communication controller is implemented, depending on the bandwidth requirement for the communication between the basic device and the portable electronic device, to activate a group of optical interface elements of the plurality of optical interface elements for a parallel data transmission to the optical data transmitter.

27. The basic device according to claim 21, wherein the communication controller is further implemented to determine the optical interface element of the plurality of optical interface elements which may set up an optical, conductor-less communication connection with the portable electronic device when coupling the basic device to a portable electronic device.

28. The basic device according to claim 27, wherein the optical interface element or the plurality of optical interface elements are implemented to execute an optical, conductor-less data transmission in the infrared range.

29. The basic device according to claim 21, further comprising:

a fixator for fixing and/or mounting the portable, electronic device in a given position, aligned for energy and data transmission, at the basic device.

30. The basic device according to claim 32, wherein the fixator comprises mechanical and/or magnetic fixing elements.

31. The basic device according to claim 21, further comprising:

a port replicator for providing a plurality of data interfaces for a plurality of peripheral devices.

32. The basic device according to claim 31, wherein the port replicator comprises a signal processor and/or a multiplexor arrangement for a data connection to the plurality of peripheral devices via an interface.

33. The basic device according to claim 21, further comprising:

a controller for controlling the energy provider and the data communicator.

34. A portable data storage in the form of an external hard disk or a memory stick with a conductor-less energy supply and data communication, comprising:

a functional processor with a non-volatile memory element for providing an electronic functionality in the form of storing data and providing stored data upon request;

an optical, bidirectional data transmitter for a conductor-less, optical data communication with an external basic device; and

an energy supplier for energy absorption by means of an inductive coupling from a magnetic field emitted by the external basic device and for supplying the functional processor and the data transmitter with energy based on the energy taken from the external magnetic field;

wherein the energy supplier comprises a chargeable charge storage element and is further implemented to charge the chargeable charge storage element based on the energy taken from the external magnetic field.

35. The portable electronic data storage according to claim 34, wherein the charge storage element is implemented as a chargeable capacitor storage in the form of a bridging or short-term energy storage, and wherein the energy supplier is implemented to supply the functional processor with energy from the chargeable charge storage element when the portable electronic device is decoupled from the basic device.

36. The portable electronic data storage according to claim 34, wherein the data storage is implemented plugless.

37. A method for coupling a portable electronic device to an external basic device, wherein the optical data transmitter comprises a functional processor for providing a plurality of electronic functionalities and further a plurality of optical interface elements for establishing a conductor-less, optical data transmission with the external basic device, comprising:

determining a portable electronic device which is present in a coupling area of the external basic device;

establishing a conductor-less energy and data transmission between the portable electronic device and the external basic device; and

selectively allocating the data communication with the external basic device associated with an electronic functionality of the functional processor each to an optical interface element of the plurality of optical interface elements.

38. The method according to claim 37, further comprising:

activating a group of optical interface elements from the plurality of optical interface elements of the portable electronic device depending on the determined bandwidth requirement for a parallel data transmission between the portable electronic device and the external basic device.

39. The method according to claim 37, further comprising:

determining an antenna arrangement from a plurality of antenna arrangements of the portable electronic device comprising an increased degree of coupling to the magnetic field provided by the external basic device as compared to at least one of the other antenna arrangements, and

switching in the antenna arrangement with the increased degree of coupling for energy absorption by means of an inductive coupling from the magnetic field provided by the external basic device.

40. The method according to claim 37, further comprising:

determining an antenna arrangement from a plurality of antenna arrangements of the external basic device which comprises an increased degree of coupling with the portable electronic device at least compared to one of the other antenna arrangements, and

switching in the antenna arrangement with the increased degree of coupling to the energy provider for generating a magnetic field for an energy supply of the portable electronic device.