METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING INFORMATION ABOUT WIRELESS CHARGING PAD IN ELECTRONIC DEVICE

• US 20140194099A1
• Filed: 01/08/2014
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PARK, Ji-Hyun, NAMGOONG, Bo-Ram, CHOI, Bo-Kun, KIM, Jung-Hyung, PARK, Samg-Mi, YANG, Sung-Kwang
• Granted Patent: US 9,564,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.3
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3883 Arrangements for mounting batteries or battery chargers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing information about a plurality of wireless charging pads to an electronic device such that the electronic device performs wireless charging efficiently is provided. The method includes receiving information about the plurality of wireless charging pads and displaying the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads on a screen of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method of displaying information about a plurality of wireless charging pads in an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving information about the plurality of wireless charging pads; and

displaying the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads on a screen of the electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, where the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads includes at least one or more of a position of each of the plurality of wireless charging pads, a number of electronic devices which are connected with the plurality of wireless charging pads and are wirelessly charged, a title of each of the plurality of wireless charging pads, a charging efficiency of each of the plurality of wireless charging pads, and a wireless charging range of each of the plurality of wireless charging pads.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the display of the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads comprises:

executing a specific application; and

displaying the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads through the specific application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the specific application is a map application.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reception of the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads comprises:

transmitting a request message of the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads to a specific server; and

receiving the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads from the specific server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the request message includes position information of the electronic device when requesting the specific server to transmit the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads and wherein the plurality of wireless charging pads are wireless charging pads which exist in proximity to the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reception of the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads comprises scanning wireless charging pads which exist in proximity to the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the scanning of the wireless charging pads which exist in proximity to the electronic device comprises:

setting Peer to Peer (P2P) communication with each of the wireless charging pads; and

acquiring information about the wireless charging pads through the set P2P communication.

9. A method of displaying information about a wireless charging pad in an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving information about a first direction for which one side surface of the wireless charging pad heads from a specific device; and

comparing the first direction of the wireless charging pad with a second direction for which one side surface of the electronic device heads and displaying a third direction of the electronic device such that the third direction is a direction that obtains a maximum wireless charging efficiency.

10. The method of claim 9, where the specific device is a server or the wireless charging pad.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising measuring the second direction for which a front or rear surface of the electronic device heads.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the third direction of the electronic device is a direction in which the one side surface of the wireless charging pad and the one side surface of the electronic device are horizontal with each other.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the display of the third direction of the electronic device is performed when a wireless charging efficiency of the electronic device is currently lower than a threshold value or when the electronic device starts initial wireless charging.

14. A method displaying information about a wireless charging pad in an electronic device, the method comprising:

connecting to the wireless charging pad and starting wireless charging;

calculating a wireless charging efficiency while starting the wireless charging; and

outputting a result corresponding to the calculated wireless charging efficiency.

15. The method of claim 14, where the wireless charging efficiency is determined by difference between an entire wireless charging efficiency and a battery consumption amount of the electronic device and wherein the entire wireless charging efficiency is determined by a ratio of an output power and an input power of the wireless charging pad.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the output of the result corresponding to the calculated wireless charging efficiency comprises:

determining a lamp color according to the wireless charging efficiency; and

operating a lamp to emit the lamp color.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the output of the result corresponding to the calculated wireless charging efficiency comprises:

converting the result corresponding to the calculated wireless charging efficiency into an indicator, a text, or a voice; and

outputting the converted indicator, the text, or the voice.

18. An electronic device comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory; and

one or more programs, each of the one or more programs which is stored in the memory and is configured to be executed by the one or more processors,

wherein each of the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, includes an instruction that receives information about a plurality of wireless charging pads and displays the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads on a screen of the electronic device.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, where the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads includes at least one or more of a position of each of the plurality of wireless charging pads, a number of electronic devices which are connected with the plurality of wireless charging pads and are wirelessly charged, a title of each of the wireless charging pads, a charging efficiency of each of the plurality of wireless charging pads, and a wireless charging range of each of the wireless charging pads.

20. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the instruction that displays the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads includes an instruction that executes a specific application and displays the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads through the specific application.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the specific application is a map application.

22. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the instruction that receives the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads includes an instruction that transmits a request message of the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads to a specific server and receives the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads from the specific server.

23. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the request message includes position information of the electronic device when requesting the specific server to transmit the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads and wherein the plurality of wireless charging pads are wireless charging pads which exist in proximity to the electronic device.

24. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the instruction that receives the information about the plurality of wireless charging pads includes an instruction that scans wireless charging pads which exist in proximity to the electronic device.

25. The electronic device of claim 24, wherein the instruction that scans the wireless charging pads which exist in proximity to the electronic device includes an instruction that sets Peer to Peer (P2P) communication with each of the wireless charging pads and acquires information about the wireless charging pads through the set P2P communication.

26. An electronic device comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory; and

one or more programs, each of the one or more programs which is stored in the memory and is configured to be executed by the one or more processors,

wherein each of the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, includes an instruction that receives information about a first direction for which one side surface of the wireless charging pad heads from a specific device, compares the first direction of the wireless charging pad with a second direction for which one side surface of the electronic device heads, and displays a third direction of the electronic device such that the third direction is a direction that obtains a maximum wireless charging efficiency.

27. The electronic device of claim 26, where the specific device is a server or the wireless charging pad.

28. The electronic device of claim 26, further comprising an instruction that measures the second direction for which a front or rear surface of the electronic device heads.

29. The electronic device of claim 26, wherein the third direction of the electronic device is a direction in which the one side surface of the wireless charging pad and the one side surface of the electronic device are horizontal with each other.

30. The electronic device of claim 26, wherein the instruction that displays the third direction of the electronic device is executed when a wireless charging efficiency of the electronic device is currently lower than a threshold value or when the electronic device starts initial wireless charging.

31. An electronic device comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory; and

one or more programs, each of the one or more programs which is stored in the memory and is configured to be executed by the one or more processors, wherein each of the one or more programs, when executed by the one or more processors, includes an instruction that connects to the wireless charging pad, calculates a wireless charging efficiency while the electronic device performs wireless charging, and outputs a result corresponding to the calculated wireless charging efficiency.

32. The electronic device of claim 31, where the wireless charging efficiency is determined by difference between an entire wireless charging efficiency and a battery consumption amount of the electronic device and wherein the entire wireless charging efficiency is determined by a ratio of an output power and an input power of the wireless charging pad.

33. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the instruction that outputs the result corresponding to the calculated wireless charging efficiency includes an instruction that determines a lamp color according to the wireless charging efficiency and operates a lamp to emit the lamp color.

34. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the instruction that outputs the result corresponding to the calculated wireless charging efficiency includes an instruction that converts the result corresponding to the calculated wireless charging efficiency into an indicator, a text, or a voice and outputs the converted indicator, the text, or the voice.

35. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the instruction that outputs the result corresponding to the calculated wireless charging efficiency includes an instruction that displays on the screen of the electronic device a graphic of an orientation of the electronic device in correspondence to an orientation of the wireless charging pad.