Electronic device

• US 6,721,540 B1
• Filed: 11/17/2000
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 138 East LCD Advancements Limited (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Hayakawa, Motomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tuan A
• Application Number:
  US09/700,854
• Time in Patent Office: 1,243 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/572, 455/573, 455/558, 340/870.31, 375/258
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 10/00 Arrangements of electric power supplies in time pieces circuits G04G19/00; mounting, assembling of components of electromechanical watches G04C3/008, of electronic watches G04G17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• 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 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

An electronic device in which electrical power transfer and data transfer are performed by exchanging physical energy between a station and an electronic watch. In the station, a packet creating circuit creates either a charging packet or a data packet. The station transmits the created packet to the electronic watch using electromagnetic coupling. In the electronic watch, a packet determining circuit determines the format of the transmitted packet. The charging operation of a secondary battery and the writing operation of the transferred data to a memory are switched in accordance with the determination result of the packet determination circuit.

Claims

1. An electronic device in which electrical power transfer and data transfer are performed by exchanging physical energy with an opposing device, said electronic device comprising:

a packet creating unit for creating a packet having a format corresponding to the electrical transfer or the data transfer,

a superposing unit for superposing the created packet created by said packet creating unit onto said physical energy, and

an instructing unit for selectively instructing either said electrical power transfer or the data transfer, wherein said packet creating unit creates the packet having the format corresponding to the transfer instructed by said instructing unit.

2. An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, in a case in which an electrical power transfer request is transmitted from said opposing device, said instructing unit gives an electrical power transfer instruction.

3. An electronic device in which electrical power transfer and data transfer are performed by exchanging physical energy with an opposing device, said electronic device comprising:

a packet creating unit for creating a packet having a format corresponding to the electrical transfer or the data transfer, and

a superposing unit for superposing the created packet created by said packet creating unit onto said physical energy,

wherein said packet creating unit creates a data transfer format packet by storing an appropriate error detection code in a region for storing an error detection code provided in the packet when the data transfer format packet is created, and creates an electrical power transfer format packet by storing an inappropriate error detection code therein when the electrical power transfer format data is created.

4. An electronic device in which electrical power transfer and data transfer are performed by exchanging physical energy with an opposing device, said electronic device comprising:

an extracting unit for extracting a packet superposed on said physical energy generated from said opposing device,

a packet determining unit for determining a packet format extracted by said extracting unit, and

a control unit for performing either electrical power reception or data reception based on the determination result by said packet determining unit;

a converting unit for converting said physical energy generated from said opposing device into electrical energy, and

a secondary battery, and

in a case in which said packet format determined by said packet determining unit is an electrical power transfer format, said control unit comprises a charging control unit for charging said secondary battery using said electrical energy.

5. An electronic device according to claim 4, further comprising:

a voltage detecting unit for detecting the voltage of said secondary battery when said packet is received, and

a charging-request transmission unit for, in a case in which the voltage of said secondary battery is a predetermined value or less, transmitting a request for charging to the first device.

6. An electronic device in which electrical power transfer and data transfer are performed by exchanging physical energy with an opposing device, said electronic device comprising:

an extracting unit for extracting a packet superposed on said physical energy generated from said opposing device,

a packet determining unit for determining a packet format extracted by said extracting unit, and

a control unit for performing either electrical power reception or data reception based on the determination result by said packet determining unit;

wherein said packet determining unit error-detects the packet extracted by said extracting unit and determines said packet format based on the result of the error detection.

7. An electronic device in which a first device and a second device are provided, and electrical power transfer and data transfer are performed by exchanging physical energy between said first device and said second device, said electronic device being further configured such that:

said first device is provided with a packet creating unit for creating a packet having a format corresponding to electrical power transfer or data transfer and a superposing unit for superposing said packet created by said packet creating unit onto said physical energy,

said second device is provided with an extracting unit for extracting said packet superposed on said physical energy, a packet determining unit for determining a packet format extracted by said extracting unit, and a control unit for performing either electrical power reception or data reception based on the determination result by said packet determining unit,

said first device is provided with an instructing unit for selectively instructing either said electrical power transfer or said data transfer, and

said packet creating unit creates the packet having the format corresponding to the transfer instructed by said instructing unit.

8. An electronic device in which a first device and a second device are provided, and electrical power transfer and data transfer are performed by exchanging physical energy between said first device and said second device, said electronic device being further configured such that:

said first device is provided with a packet creating unit for creating a packet having a format corresponding to electrical power transfer or data transfer and a superposing unit for superposing said packet created by said packet creating unit onto said physical energy,

said second device is provided with an extracting unit for extracting said packet superposed on said physical energy, a packet determining unit for determining a packet format extracted by said extracting unit, and a control unit for performing either electrical power reception or data reception based on the determination result by said packet determining unit,

said second device is provided with a converting unit for converting said physical energy into electrical energy and a secondary battery, and

said control unit comprises a charging control unit for charging said secondary battery using said electrical energy in a case in which said packet format determined by said packet determining unit is an electrical power transfer format.

9. An electronic device according to claim 8, wherein:

said second device is provided with a voltage detecting unit for detecting the voltage of said secondary battery when said packet is received and a charging-request transmission unit for transmitting a request for charging to said first device in a case in which the voltage of said secondary battery is at a predetermined value or lower, and

said instructing unit of said first device gives an instruction so that the charging packet is created in a case in which said charging-request is transmitted.

10. An electronic device in which a first device and a second device are provided, and electrical power transfer and data transfer are performed by exchanging physical energy between said first device and said second device, said electronic device being further configured such that:

said first device is provided with a packet creating unit for creating a packet having a format corresponding to electrical power transfer or data transfer and a superposing unit for superposing said packet created by said packet creating unit onto said physical energy,

said second device is provided with an extracting unit for extracting said packet superposed on said physical energy, a packet determining unit for determining a packet format extracted by said extracting unit, and a control unit for performing either electrical power reception or data reception based on the determination result by said packet determining unit,

said packet creating unit creates a data transfer format packet by storing an appropriate error detection code in a region for storing an error detection code provided in the packet when the data transfer format packet is created, and creates an electrical power transfer format packet by storing an inappropriate error detection code therein when the electrical power transfer format data is created, and

said packet determining unit error-detects the packet extracted by said extracting unit and determines said packet format based on the result of the error detection.

11. An electronic device in which electrical power transfer and data transfer are performed by exchanging physical energy with an opposing device, said electronic device comprising:

a packet creating unit configured to create a charging packet corresponding to a packet of electrical power to be transferred and to create a data packet corresponding to packet of data to be transferred,

a superposing unit configured to superpose the packet created by the packet creating unit onto the physical energy for transfer, and

an input unit configured to control the packet creating unit and the superposing unit to create and transfer charging and data packets in any desired sequence based on user input.

12. An electronic device in which electrical power transfer and data transfer are performed by exchanging physical energy with an opposing device, said electronic device comprising:

an extracting unit configured to extract a packet superposed on the physical energy received from the opposing device,

a packet determining unit configured to determine whether the packet extracted by the extracting unit is a charging packet or a data packet, and

a control unit configured to perform electrical power reception and data reception, whereby the control unit is adapted to switch between electrical power reception and data reception in response to the result of the packet determining unit which can receive and process charging and data packets in any sequence.

13. An electronic device according to claim 12, further comprising:

a storing unit configured to store data, and

a storage control unit configured to allow received data to be stored in the storing unit, in a case in which the received packet is determined by the packet determining unit to be a data packet.

14. An electronic device in which a first device and a second device are provided, and electrical power transfer and data transfer are performed by exchanging physical energy between the first and second devices, said electronic device being further configured such that:

the first device includes a packet creating unit configured to create a charging packet corresponding to a packet of electrical power to be transferred and to create a data packet corresponding to packet of data to be transferred, and a superposing unit configured to superpose the packet created by the packet creating unit onto the physical energy for transfer, and an input unit configured to control the packet creating unit and the superposing unit to create and transfer charging and data packets in any desired sequence based on user input; and

the second device includes an extracting unit configured to extract a packet superposed on the physical energy received from the opposing device, a packet determining unit configured to determine whether the packet extracted by the extracting unit is a charging packet or a data packet, and a control unit configured to perform electrical power reception and data reception, whereby the control unit is adapted to switch between electrical power reception and data reception in response to the result of the packet determining unit which can receive and process charging and data packets in any sequence.

15. An electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the second device includes a storing unit, and a storage control unit configured to allow received data to be stored in the storing unit, in a case in which the received packet is determined by the packet determining unit to be a data packet.