APPLIANCE MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND APPLIANCE MANAGEMENT METHOD

• US 20130211606A1
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Takemura, Kazuyoshi, Hayashi, Kuniya, Washiro, Takanori, Soma, Isao, Tanaka, Kayoko, Sako, Yoichiro, Serita, Kazutoshi, Higano, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,581,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/286
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 11/01 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5454 Adapter and plugs
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5491 using filtering and bypassing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines

Abstract

There is provided an appliance management apparatus including a connection state acquiring unit acquiring information generated due to an appliance terminal of an electronic appliance being positioned close to or connected to a power supplying terminal that supplies power, and a connection state management unit managing a connection state of the appliance terminal to the power supplying terminal using the information acquired by the connection state acquiring unit.

Claims

1. An appliance management apparatus comprising:

a connection state acquiring unit acquiring information generated due to an appliance terminal of an electronic appliance being positioned close to or connected to a power supplying terminal that supplies power; and

a connection state management unit managing a connection state of the appliance terminal to the power supplying terminal using the information acquired by the connection state acquiring unit.

2. The appliance management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a management information recording unit recording information about correspondence between the power supplying terminal and the appliance terminal,

wherein the connection state management unit manages the connection state of the appliance terminal to the power supplying terminal using the information recorded in the management information recording unit.

3. The appliance management apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the connection state management unit is operable to output predetermined information when a result of referring to the information recorded in the management information recording unit confirms that the appliance terminal is not connected to a correct power supplying terminal.

4. The appliance management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the connection state management unit uses the information acquired by the connection state acquiring unit to estimate a battery state of the electronic appliance.

5. The appliance management apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein the connection state management unit generates information indicating the battery state of each electronic appliance connected to the power supplying terminal.

6. The appliance management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the connection state management unit judges, based on the acquired information, whether each electronic appliance connected to the power supplying terminal is in a predetermined area.

7. The appliance management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the connection state management unit changes a function of the electronic appliance using the information acquired by the connection state acquiring unit.

8. The appliance management apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the connection state acquiring unit acquires information generated as a result of information being transferred and received between the power supplying terminal and the appliance terminal by load modulation carried out in accordance with a connection between the power supplying terminal and the appliance terminal.

9. An appliance management method comprising:

acquiring information generated due to an appliance terminal of an electronic appliance being positioned close or and connected to a power supplying terminal that supplies power; and

managing a connection state of the appliance terminal to the power supplying terminal using the acquired information.

10. A computer program for causing a computer to execute:

acquiring information generated due to an appliance terminal of an electronic appliance being positioned close to or connected to a power supplying terminal that supplies power; and

managing a connection state of the appliance terminal to the power supplying terminal using the acquired information.