ELECTRONIC APPARATUS, POWER SUPPLY DEVICE, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS

• US 20170344358A1
• Filed: 06/27/2017
• Published: 11/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: KANO, Goro
• Granted Patent: US 9,996,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A power supply device is caused to execute a new program. An electronic apparatus that receives power from a power supply device in a non-contact manner includes: an intra-apparatus circuit that operates with power received via a power transmission path from the power supply device to the electronic apparatus; a program acquiring unit that acquires a program to be executed by the power supply device from outside, and stores the program; and an apparatus-side communicating unit that transmits the program to the power supply device via the power transmission path.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus that is configured to perform non-contact charging, the electronic apparatus comprising:

a memory;

a battery;

a non-contact type power receiving unit that receives power via a power transmission path of non-contact charging from a power supply device to the electronic apparatus;

a power charge control unit that causes the power that the power receiving unit has received from the power supply device to be supplied to and stored in the battery;

a program acquiring unit that acquires, from over a network or via an external memory, a program to be executed by the power supply device, and that stores the acquired program in the memory of the electronic apparatus; and

an apparatus-side communicating unit that controls the power receiving unit to modulate a current of power flowing through the power transmission path of non-contact charging such that;

(i) the stored program is transmitted, via the modulation, from the electronic apparatus to the power supply device via the power transmission path of non-contact charging, and (ii) a control processor of the power supply device is updated via the power transmission path of non-contact charging.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the acquired program is an updating program that updates a current program to be executed by the power supply device to a new program to be executed by the power supply device, and

the apparatus-side communicating unit controls the power receiving unit to transmit the updating program to the power supply device via the power transmission path, which causes the control processor of the power supply device to execute the updating program.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the apparatus-side communicating unit:

transmits an inquiry, via the power transmission path, to the power supply device, the inquiry inquiring whether to update the current program of the power supply device; and

upon receipt of a response indicating that the current program of the power supply device is to be updated, transmits the stored updating program to the power supply device via the power transmission path.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the apparatus-side communicating unit:

acquires identification information identifying the power supply device from the power supply device via the power transmission path; and

transmits, to the power supply device via the power transmission path, a program to be executed by an apparatus corresponding to the identification information as the updating program.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the apparatus-side communicating unit:

registers a request for a program update received from the power supply device via the power transmission path;

acquires the updating program from the network or external memory and stores the updating program, after the request for the program update is registered; and

transmits the stored updating program via the power transmission path to the power supply device that issued the request for the program update, after the updating program is stored.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus-side communicating unit controls the power receiving unit to transmit the stored program to the power supply device via the power transmission path of non-contact charging, under a condition that power is not being supplied from the power supply device to the electronic apparatus.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus-side communicating unit controls the power receiving unit to transmit the stored program after stopping the supply of the received power to the battery.

15. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power supply device supplies power to the electronic apparatus by at least one of the following types of power supply:

electric field, magnetic resonance, and electromagnetic induction.

18. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic apparatus can be charged merely by being placed on the power supply device without requiring special attachment and detachment operations with respect to electrical terminal contacts.

20. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquired program is an updating program for updating a scheme to authenticate an ID between the power supply device and the electronic apparatus.

21. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acquired program is an updating program for causing a program that is currently executed by the power supply device to support a new type of the electronic apparatus.

22. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic apparatus downloads and acquires the program from a server.

8. A method comprising:

receiving, by a non-contact power receiving interface of an electronic apparatus, power via a power transmission path of non-contact charging from a power supply device to the electronic apparatus;

causing, by the electronic apparatus, power that the power receiving unit has received from the power supply device to be supplied to and stored in a battery of the electronic apparatus;

acquiring, by the electronic apparatus, from over a network or via an external memory, a program to be executed by the power supply device;

storing, by the electronic apparatus in a memory of the electronic apparatus, the acquired program; and

controlling, by the electronic apparatus, the non-contact power receiving interface to modulate a current of power flowing through the power transmission path of non-contact charging such that;

(i) the stored program is transmitted, via the modulation, from the electronic apparatus to the power supply device via the power transmission path of non-contact charging, and (ii) a control processor of the power supply device is updated via the power transmission path of non-contact charging.

9. A power supply device that is configured to perform non-contact power supply, the power supply device comprising:

a power supply unit that supplies power to an electronic apparatus via a power transmission path of non-contact charging from the power supply device to the electronic apparatus;

a supply-side communicating unit that controls the power supply unit to demodulate a current of power flowing through the power transmission path of non-contact charging such that a program to be executed by the power supply device is acquired by the demodulated current of power flowing through the power transmission path of non-contact charging; and

a control processor that executes the program received by the power supply unit.

10. The power supply device according to claim 9, wherein the acquired program is an updating program that updates a current program to be executed by the power supply device to a new program to be executed by the power supply device.

11. The power supply device according to claim 9, further comprising a display that displays a transfer status of the transmission of the program from the electronic apparatus to the power supply device via the power transmission path of non-contact charging.

12. The power supply device according to claim 9, wherein

the power supply device is able to supply power to a plurality of electronic apparatuses concurrently,

when the electronic apparatus is located at a position where the electronic apparatus is able to receive power from the power supply device, the supply-side communicating unit controls the power supply unit to communicate with the electronic apparatus via the power transmission path to acquire a maximum power consumption value of the electronic apparatus, and

the power supply device further comprises a power control unit that limits a total supplied power amount to be less than a predetermined value based on a respective maximum power consumption value of each of the plurality of electronic apparatuses when the power supply device supplies power to the plurality of electronic apparatuses concurrently.

13. The power supply device according to claim 9, further comprising a display that displays the total supplied power amount.

16. The power supply device according to claim 9, wherein the power supply device supplies power to the electronic apparatus by at least one of the following types of power supply:

electric field, magnetic resonance, and electromagnetic induction.

17. The power supply device according to claim 9, wherein the power supply device is tabular, and supplies power to the electronic apparatus in a state that the electronic apparatus is placed on a surface of the power supply device.

19. The power supply device according to claim 9, wherein the electronic apparatus can be charged merely by being placed on the power supply device without requiring special attachment and detachment operations with respect to electrical terminal contacts.

14. A method comprising:

supplying power, by a non-contact power supply interface of a power supply device, to an electronic apparatus via a power transmission path of non-contact charging from the power supply device to the electronic apparatus;

controlling, by the power supply device, the non-contact power supply interface to demodulate a current of power flowing through the power transmission path of non-contact charging such that a program to be executed by the power supply device is acquired by the demodulated current of power flowing through the power transmission path of non-contact charging; and

executing, by a control processor of the power supply device, the program received by the non-contact power supply interface.

23. An electronic apparatus that is configured to perform non-contact charging, the electronic apparatus comprising:

a memory;

a battery; and

a non-contact type power receiving unit that;

(1) exchanges power with another apparatus in a non-contact manner via a power transmission path between the power receiving unit and the other apparatus, and

(2) performs at least one of;

(A) modulates a current of power flowing through the power transmission path of non-contact charging such that;

(i) the stored program is transmitted, via the modulation, from the electronic apparatus to the power supply device via the power transmission path of non-contact charging, and (ii) a control processor of the power supply device is updated via the power transmission path of non-contact charging; and

(B) demodulates a current of power flowing through the power transmission path of non-contact charging such that a program to be executed by the electronic apparatus is acquired by the demodulated current of power flowing through the power transmission path of non-contact charging and a processor of the electronic apparatus executes the program received by the power receiving unit to control the electronic apparatus.

24. An electronic apparatus that is configured to perform non-contact charging, the electronic apparatus comprising:

a memory;

a battery;

a non-contact type power receiving unit that receives power via a power transmission path of non-contact charging from a power supply device to the electronic apparatus;

a power charge control unit that causes the power that the power receiving unit has received from the power supply device to be supplied to and stored in the battery;

an apparatus-side communicating unit that controls the power receiving unit to demodulate a current of power flowing through the power transmission path of non-contact charging such that a program to be executed by the electronic apparatus is acquired by the demodulated current of power flowing through the power transmission path of non-contact charging; and

a processor that executes the program received by the power receiving unit to control the electronic apparatus.

25. A power supply device that is configured to perform non-contact power supply, the power supply device comprising:

a power supply unit that supplies power to an electronic apparatus via a power transmission path of non-contact charging from the power supply device to the electronic apparatus; and

a supply-side communicating unit that controls the power supply unit to modulate a current of power flowing through the power transmission path of non-contact charging such that a program to be executed by the power supply device is transmitted by the modulated current of power flowing through the power transmission path of non-contact charging such that the electronic apparatus executes the transmitted program.