Charging support method, management device, and support system for performing wireless charging among plurality of devices

• US 9,496,747 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2015
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujita, Koudai, Itou, Ryousuke, Hayashi, Junji, Asano, Masanari, Misawa, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Application Number:
  US14/593,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20150123607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• 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: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/266 One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

A system includes a plurality of electronic apparatuses which have a function of feeding power of a battery to other electronic apparatuses and a function of receiving power from other electronic apparatuses and charging the battery, a management server, and a database. The management server records, in the database, positional information of power feedable electronic apparatuses which permit a power feed to other electronic apparatuses, acquires positional information of a power feed-desiring electronic apparatus which desires a power feed from other electronic apparatuses, specifies a power feedable electronic apparatus in the periphery of the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus using the acquired positional information and the positional information of the power feedable electronic apparatuses in the database, and transmits the positional information of the specified electronic apparatus to the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus.

Claims

1. A charging support method comprising:

a step of allowing a computer to acquire from a power feed-permitting electronic apparatus, positional information of the power feed-permitting electronic apparatus, which is an electronic apparatus equipped with a battery and having a power feed function of feeding power of the battery to other electronic apparatuses in a wireless manner, and permits a wireless power feed to the other electronic apparatuses;

a step of allowing the computer to receive from a power feed-desiring electronic apparatus, positional information of the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus, which is an electronic apparatus equipped with a battery and having a power reception function of charging the battery with power transmitted in a wireless manner from the other electronic apparatuses and a display unit, and desires a wireless power feed from the other electronic apparatuses;

a step of allowing the computer to specify the power feed-permitting electronic apparatus in a periphery of the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus using the positional information received from the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus and the acquired positional information of the power feed-permitting electronic apparatus;

a reply information transmission step of allowing the computer to generate reply information including the positional information of the specified power feed-permitting electronic apparatus and to transmit the reply information to the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus;

a step of allowing the computer to acquire power feedable range information representing a power feed range for a wireless power feed of the power feed-permitting electronic apparatus from the power feed-permitting electronic apparatus selected by the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus; and

a step of allowing the computer to transmit the acquired power feedable range information to the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus.

2. The charging support method according to claim 1,

wherein the computer classifies power feed-permitting electronic apparatuses having the power feed function into a plurality of types according to battery capacity,

the method further comprises:

a step of allowing the computer to acquire information representing the type of the power feed-permitting electronic apparatus from the power feed-permitting electronic apparatus, and

in the reply information transmission step, the computer transmits the reply information including information representing the type of the specified power feed-permitting electronic apparatus to the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus.

3. The charging support method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step of allowing the computer to acquire feedable power amount information set by the power feed-permitting electronic apparatus from the power feed-permitting electronic apparatus,

wherein, in the reply information transmission step, the computer transmits the reply information including the power amount information acquired from the specified power feed-permitting electronic apparatus to the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus.

4. The charging support method according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step of, when the power feed is stopped during a power feed from the power feed-permitting electronic apparatus to the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus, allowing the computer to search for another power feed-permitting electronic apparatus having a power feed range based on the power feedable range information where there is the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus; and

a step of allowing the computer to issue a power feed request to another searched power feed-permitting electronic apparatus.

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

a step of allowing the computer to acquire IDs of the respective electronic apparatuses including the electronic apparatus having the power feed function and the electronic apparatus having the power reception function from the respective electronic apparatuses;

a step of allowing the computer to acquire a received power amount or a transmitted power amount from the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus or an electronic apparatus feeding power to the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus;

a step of recording the acquired power amount in correlation with an ID of the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus and an ID of the electronic apparatus feeding power to the power feed-desiring electronic apparatus;

a step of allowing the computer to generate information for charging a charging fee to an owner of an electronic apparatus with the ID in a state where a cumulative value of a received power amount corresponding to the ID reaches a value determined in advance; and

a step of allowing the computer to generate information for paying price to an owner of an electronic apparatus with the ID in a state where a cumulative value of a transmitted power amount corresponding to the ID reaches a value determined in advance.

6. A charging support management device comprising:

a control unit which executes the respective steps of the charging support method according to claim 1.

7. A charging support system comprising:

the charging support management device according to claim 6;

the at least one electronic apparatus which is equipped with the battery, has the power feed function of feeding power of the battery to other electronic apparatuses in the wireless manner, and is communicable with the charging support management device; and

the at least one electronic apparatus which is equipped with the battery, has the power reception function of charging the battery with power transmitted in the wireless manner from other electronic apparatuses and the display unit, and is communicable with the charging support management device.