METHOD FOR CONTROLLING FUNCTION BASED ON BATTERY INFORMATION AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE THEREFOR

• US 20160183009A1
• Filed: 12/11/2015
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: HAN, Jong-Hee, KIM, Sang-Wook, CHOI, Young-Joon
• Granted Patent: US 10,149,067 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/30 Monitoring or testing of hearing aids, e.g. functioning, settings, battery power
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/552 Binaural
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/558 Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency

Abstract

A method and apparatus for operating an electronic device may include: acquiring the battery status information of two or more element devices, and determining whether the battery status information satisfies a reference condition. A function of at least one device among the two or more element devices is controlled based on the information such as the battery status information.

Claims

1. A method for operating an electronic device, the method comprising:

acquiring battery status information of two or more element devices communicatively coupled to the electronic device;

determining whether the battery status information satisfies a reference condition; and

controlling a function of at least one device among the two or more element devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the battery status information comprises at least one status selected from among information regarding a remaining amount of charge of a battery, information regarding an amount of consumption of the battery, information regarding a difference between the amounts of battery remaining when two or more batteries are provided, and information regarding a battery lifetime.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining if the battery status information satisfies a reference condition comprises:

checking that a remaining amount of at least one battery has a value lower than a predetermined value, or checking that a difference between the remaining amounts of the batteries have a value higher than a predetermined value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling of the function of at least one device among the two or more element devices comprises changing the function being performed by a first element device to a second element device of the two or more element devices.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the function being performed by the first element device comprises performing at least one operation from among encoding an audio input through at least one microphone, transmitting the encoded audio data to another electronic device, and reproducing the audio data and outputting the audio received from the other electronic device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein transmitting the encoded audio data to the other electronic device corresponds to transmitting the data using a communication protocol of short-range wireless communication connected with the other electronic device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring of the battery status information further comprises acquiring the device status information, the acquiring of the device status information comprises checking a predetermined user'"'"'s voice based on a user'"'"'s profile, and the controlling of the at least function further comprises stopping the audio being output through an element device of the two or more element devices.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the audio output through the element device corresponds to audio received from another electronic device connected through a short distance wireless communication or by audio stored in a memory.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the acquired battery status information to another electronic device connected through a short-distance wireless communication;

receiving a control message from the other electronic device; and

controlling at least one function of the other electronic device based on the control message.

10. An electronic device comprising:

two or more element devices;

a battery included in the element devices; and

a processor that acquires battery status information of two or more element devices, determines whether the battery status information satisfies a reference condition; and

controls a function of at least one device among the two or more element devices.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor includes, in the battery status information, at least one information from among information on remaining amounts of a charge of the battery, information on an amount of consumption of the battery, information on a difference between remaining amounts when two or more batteries are provided, and information on battery lifetimes.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor checks that a remaining amount of charge of at least one battery has a value lower than a predetermined value, or checks that a difference between the remaining amounts of the batteries has a value higher than a predetermined value.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor changes a function being performed by a first element device of the two or more element devices to be performed by a second element device of the two or more element devices.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the electronic device further comprises at least one microphone, and wherein the processor performs at least one operation from among encoding audio input through the microphone, transmitting the encoded audio data to another electronic device, and reproducing the audio data and outputting the audio received from the other electronic device.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor transmits data using a communication protocol of a short-range wireless communication connected with another electronic device.

16. The device of claim 10, wherein, when checking a predetermined user'"'"'s voice based on a user'"'"'s profile, the processor stops an audio being output through the element device.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein an audio being output through the element device corresponds to audio received from another electronic device connected through a short distance wireless communication or audio stored in a memory.

18. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor transmits the acquired battery status information to another electronic device connected through short-distance wireless communication, receives a control message from the other electronic device, and controls at least one function based on the control message.

19. The device of claim 10, wherein the electronic device is a hearing aid device.

20. The device of claim 10, wherein, when performing a call function using another electronic device connected through a short-range wireless communication, the processor operates as a hands-free device for assisting the call function.