Communication terminal apparatus and method for supplying terminal power source

• US 8,853,889 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2011
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kuniharu, Suzuki, Katsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mourad, Rasem
• Application Number:
  US13/050,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20120056497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104, 320/108, 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/50 using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• 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 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

A communication terminal that includes a wireless communication unit used to communicate with another communication terminal, a power transmitting unit that transmits contactless electric power to the another communication terminal, and a control unit that controls the wireless communication unit to transmit, to the another communication terminal, an instruction for receiving the contactless electric power transmitted from the power transmitting unit.

Claims

1. A communication terminal comprising:

a wireless communication interface configured to communicate with another communication terminal;

a battery;

a display;

a contactless power transmitting coil; and

circuitry configured to

control the display to display at least one of a phone number or registered name of a user corresponding to the another communication terminal together with an amount of power to be transmitted to the another communication terminal;

control the display to display a notice when an amount of power remaining in the battery is below a predetermined threshold, the notice prompting a user input confirming that power should still be transmitted to the another communication terminal even though the amount of power remaining in the battery is below the predetermined threshold;

control transmission of contactless electric power to the another communication terminal by the contactless power transmitting coil at a predetermined resonance frequency; and

control the wireless communication interface to transmit, to the another communication terminal, an instruction indicating the predetermined resonance frequency for receiving the contactless electric power transmitted from the contactless power transmitting coil.

2. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication interface is configured to communicate with the another communication terminal via a base station of a wireless communication network.

3. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication interface is configured to communicate with the another communication terminal via a short-range wireless link.

4. The communication terminal of claim 3, wherein the short range wireless link is a wireless local area network (LAN) link, a near field communications (NFC) link, a Bluetooth link or an infrared link.

5. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the contactless power transmitting coil is configured to transmit the contactless electric power at a plurality of resonance frequencies that vary in multiple stages over time.

6. The communication terminal of claim 5, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the wireless communication interface to transmit information indicating the plurality of resonance frequencies and the timing at which they vary in multiple stages over time as the instruction.

7. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the contactless power transmitting coil is configured to transmit the contactless electric power at a plurality of resonance frequencies that vary continuously over time.

8. The communication terminal of claim 7, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the wireless communication interface to transmit information indicating the plurality of resonance frequencies and the timing at which they continuously vary over time as the instruction.

9. The communication terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a power receiving unit configured to receive contactless electric power.

10. The communication terminal of claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to control a resonance frequency of the power receiving unit based on an instruction received via the wireless communication interface.

11. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the another terminal is one of a mobile telephone, a wireless headset and a notebook personal computer (PC).

16. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the display to display the phone number corresponding to the another communication terminal together with the amount of power to be transmitted to the another communication terminal.

17. The communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to control the display to display the registered name of the user corresponding to the another communication terminal together with the amount of power to be transmitted to the another communication terminal.

12. A power transfer method performed by a communication terminal, the method comprising:

displaying at least one of a phone number or registered name of a user corresponding to another communication terminal to which power is transmitted from the communication terminal together with an amount of power to be transmitted to the another communication terminal;

displaying a notice when an amount of power remaining in a battery of the communication terminal is below a predetermined threshold, the notice prompting a user input confirming that power should still be transmitted to the another communication terminal even though the amount of power remaining in the battery is below the predetermined threshold;

transmitting, from a wireless communication interface of the communication terminal to another communication terminal, an instruction indicating a predetermined resonance frequency for receiving contactless electric power transmitted from a contactless power transmitting coil of the communication terminal; and

transmitting, by the contactless power transmitting coil of the communication terminal, contactless electric power to the another terminal at the predetermined resonance frequency in accordance with the instruction.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the contactless power is transmitted from the contactless power transmitting coil at a plurality of resonance frequencies that vary in multiple stages over time.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the contactless power is transmitted from the contactless power transmitting coil at a plurality of resonance frequencies that vary continuously over time.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, at a power reception unit of the communication terminal, contactless electric power.