ELECTRONIC APPARATUS, CHARGING CONTROL METHOD, CHARGING SYSTEM, AND DATA TRANSMISSION SYSTEM

• US 20140245036A1
• Filed: 09/06/2012
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Oishi, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 10,122,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/28 Supervision thereof, e.g. detecting power-supply failure by out of limits supervision
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging 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 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• 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 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 40/00 Technologies aiming at improving the efficiency of home appliances, e.g. induction cooking or efficient technologies for refrigerators, freezers or dish washers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Even in a state in which the remaining capacity of a battery decreases, an apparatus operation is appropriately executed while charging efficiency of the battery is maintained.

A processing unit 103 has a first operation mode in which an operation is enabled using only external power from a feeding device 120 and a second operation mode in which the operation is enabled by feeding from a battery 102 in addition to the external power from the feeding device 120. When the remaining capacity of the battery 102 is sufficient, the processing unit 103 executes an apparatus operation in the second operation mode. However, when the remaining capacity of the battery 102 decreases, the processing unit 103 changes an operation mode to the first operation mode and executes charging of the battery 102 while continuously executing the apparatus operation.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a battery;

a processing unit that executes an apparatus operation; and

a charging/discharging control unit that controls feeding to the processing unit and charging of the battery using external power and feeding from the battery to the processing unit,

wherein the processing unit has a first operation mode in which the apparatus operation is executed using power equal to or less than the external power and a second operation mode in which the apparatus operation is executed using power more than the external power, an operation mode of the processing unit is switched into the first operation mode or the second operation mode according to the remaining capacity of the battery, and the apparatus operation is executed.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the charging/discharging control unit supplies the external power preferentially to the processing unit and executes the charging of the battery using surplus power.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when the processing unit executes the apparatus operation in the first operation mode, the charging/discharging control unit executes the charging of the battery using surplus power of the external power consumed by the processing unit.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when the processing unit executes the apparatus operation in the second operation mode, the charging/discharging control unit supplies the power more than the external power from the battery to the processing unit.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when the remaining capacity of the battery is large, the processing unit executes the apparatus operation in the second operation mode, and when the remaining capacity of the battery is small, the processing unit executes the apparatus operation in the first operation mode.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when the remaining capacity of the battery becomes a first threshold value or less while the processing unit executes the apparatus operation in the second operation mode, the operation mode changes to the first operation mode and the charging of the battery is executed using surplus power of the external power, and

when the remaining capacity of the battery becomes equal to or more than a second threshold value more than the first threshold value while the processing unit executes the apparatus operation in the first operation mode, the operation mode changes to the second operation mode.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the electronic apparatus is a digital camera or other portable apparatus and the external power is supplied from a cradle USB-connected to a USB host.

8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the processing unit executes communication with a communication partner other than the apparatus using short-distance high-speed wireless communication of a weak UWB method.

9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein the processing unit sets a duty of a section, in which data transmission is actually executed in a time in which the short-distance high-speed wireless communication is enabled, to be low in the first operation mode and sets the duty to be higher than the duty of the first operation mode in the second operation mode.

10. A charging control method comprising:

a remaining capacity detection step of detecting the remaining capacity of a battery in an electronic apparatus to which external power is supplied;

a second apparatus operation step of executing an apparatus operation by a second operation mode in which power more than the external power is consumed, using the external power and discharging power of the battery in the electronic apparatus, when the remaining capacity of the battery is equal to or more than a first threshold value; and

a first apparatus operation step of executing an apparatus operation by a first operation mode in which power equal to or less than the external power is consumed, in the electronic apparatus, when the remaining capacity of the battery is less than the first threshold value.

11. The charging control method according to claim 10, further comprising:

a charging step of charging the battery using surplus power of the external power, when the apparatus operation by the first operation mode is executed in the electronic apparatus; and

an operation mode change step of switching the apparatus operation of the electronic apparatus into the second operation mode, in response to that the remaining capacity of the battery has become a second threshold value or more while the apparatus operation by the first operation mode is executed in the electronic apparatus.

12. A charging system comprising:

an electronic apparatus; and

a feeding device that supplies power to the electronic apparatus,

wherein the electronic apparatus includes a battery and a processing unit having a first operation mode in which an apparatus operation is executed using power equal to or less than external power supplied from the feeding device and a second operation mode in which the apparatus operation consuming power more than the external power is executed and the electronic apparatus switches an operation mode of the processing unit into the first operation mode or the second operation mode according to the remaining capacity of the battery and executes the apparatus operation.

13. A data transmission system comprising:

an electronic apparatus; and

a cradle on which the electronic apparatus is arranged and which is USB-connected,

wherein the cradle transmits power obtained via a USB cable to the electronic apparatus by contactless communication, and

the electronic apparatus includes a battery and a short-distance communication control unit having a first operation mode in which a data transmission operation of a low duty is executed using power equal to or less than external power supplied from the cradle and a second operation mode in which power more than the external power is consumed and the data transmission operation of a high duty is executed and the electronic apparatus switches an operation mode of the processing unit into the first operation mode or the second operation mode according to the remaining capacity of the battery and executes a short-distance high-speed wireless communication operation.