CONTROL APPARATUS, METHOD AND COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20150039482A1
• Filed: 07/15/2014
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Fujinaga, Seiya
• Granted Patent: US 9,438,316 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/12 Billing, invoicing, buying or selling transactions or other related activities, e.g. cost or usage evaluation

Abstract

In the first state in which the position of an external device is included in the first area where a power supply unit executes wireless power supply and is included in the second area wider than the first area where a communication portion performs communication, the power supply unit is controlled to execute wireless power supply. It is determined whether the state of the external device has transited from the first state to the second state in which the position of the external device is included in the second area and is outside the first area. If it is determined that the state has transited from the first state to the second state, information based on the power supply executed in the first state is communicated with the external device via the communication portion.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a power supply unit configured to wirelessly supply power to an external device, and a communication portion capable of wirelessly communicating with the external device, comprising:

a control unit configured to control the power supply unit to execute wireless power supply in a first state in which a position of the external device is included in a first area where the power supply unit executes wireless power supply and is included in a second area wider than the first area where the communication portion performs communication;

a determination unit configured to determine whether a state of the external device has transited from the first state to a second state in which the position of the external device is included in the second area and is outside the first area; and

a communication unit configured to, if said determination unit determines that the state has transited from the first state to the second state, communicate, with the external device via the communication portion, information based on the power supply executed by said control unit in the first state.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said determination unit performs the determination based on wireless communication with the external device via the communication portion.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said determination unit performs the determination based on wireless communication about a power supply amount by the power supply unit with the external device via the communication portion.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the power supply unit wirelessly supplies power to the external device specified by a wireless communication session established with the external device, and

when the communication session is disconnected, said determination unit determines that the state of the external device has transited from the first state to the second state.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said communication unit further communicates the information with the external device by using a full charge state of the external device or a predetermined notification from the external device as a condition under which the power supply ends.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if said communication unit cannot communicate the information with the external device via the communication portion, said communication unit communicates the information with the external device via another communication portion.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising

an acquisition unit configured to acquire communication setting information for communicating with the other communication portion via the communication portion,

wherein said communication unit communicates the information with the external device via the other communication portion according to the communication setting information.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said acquisition unit executes the acquisition processing before the position of the external device transits to the second state.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein if said acquisition unit does not acquire the communication setting information by the processing, said control unit controls a wireless power suppliable area of the power supply unit to be narrower than that when the communication setting information is acquired.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said communication unit communicates billing information based on the power supply as the information.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said communication unit communicates, as the billing information, a billing fee for an amount of power based on an amount of charge of the external device by the power supply by said control unit and power consumption of the external device during the power supply.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a billing fee based on a decrease in amount of power of the external device while the power supply by said control unit stops in the first state is communicated.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a transmission unit transmits the billing information including billing for the use of a billing target function to a function provided by said apparatus.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the communication portion is used for communication for another processing different from transmission of billing information when the state transits from the first state to the second state, the communication for the other processing is canceled to switch the communication to transmission of the billing information.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the external device sends a charging end notification during the power supply, said control unit stops the power supply by the power supply unit.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein if it is determined that the charge state of the external device is a full charge state, said control unit stops the power supply by the power supply unit according to stop setting information for instructing to stop the power supply by the power supply unit.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication portion communicates with the external device by NFC communication.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication portion communicates with the external device serving as a target in a passive mode by NFC communication.

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as each unit of an apparatus according to claim 1.

19. A method of controlling a power supply unit configured to wirelessly supply power to an external device, and a communication portion capable of wirelessly communicating with the external device, comprising:

a control step of controlling the power supply unit to execute wireless power supply in a first state in which a position of the external device is included in a first area where the power supply unit executes wireless power supply and is included in a second area wider than the first area where the communication portion performs communication;

a determination step of determining whether a state of the external device has transited from the first state to a second state in which the position of the external device is included in the second area and is outside the first area; and

a communication step of, if it is determined in the determination step that the state has transited from the first state to the second state, communicating, with the external device via the communication portion, information based on the power supply executed in the control step in the first state.