CN111835096A

CN111835096A - Portable charger and satellite telephone

Info

Publication number: CN111835096A
Application number: CN201910309934.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王航; 张珍瑜; 王元哲; 李宗祐
Original assignee: Nanjing Core Singularity Semiconductor Co ltd
Current assignee: Nanjing Core Singularity Semiconductor Co ltd
Priority date: 2019-04-17
Filing date: 2019-04-17
Publication date: 2020-10-27

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to portable chargers and satellite phones. A portable charger includes a battery; a satellite antenna adapted for communication by means of a satellite; a modem powered by a battery and capable of communicating with a satellite antenna; and a charging interface adapted to be coupled to the mobile device, the charging interface being powered by the battery and communicatively coupled with the modulation modulator to allow satellite communication by the mobile device via the satellite antenna.

Description

Portable charger and satellite telephone

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to satellite communications, and more particularly to portable chargers and satellite phones.

Background

Currently, there are two main types of satellite phones, the first is a single-function satellite phone, and the other is a multi-mode phone integrating the satellite phone and the fourth generation mobile communication technology (4G) function. Single function satellite phones have very large batteries and antennas and are very bulky and clumsy to look at. The multi-mode phone also has a very large battery and antenna, but is functionally incompatible with the common 4G smart phone. In addition, both satellite phones are relatively expensive to manufacture and difficult to use widely.

Disclosure of Invention

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a portable charger and a satellite phone are provided.

In a first aspect, a portable charger is provided. The portable charger includes: a battery; a satellite antenna adapted for communication by means of a satellite; a modem powered by the battery and capable of communicating with the satellite antenna; and a charging interface adapted to couple to a mobile device, the charging interface being powered by the battery and communicatively coupled with the modulation modulator to allow satellite communication by the mobile device via the satellite antenna.

In a second aspect, a satellite phone is provided. The satellite telephone includes: a mobile device; and a portable charger according to the first aspect, the portable charger being coupled to the mobile device.

It should be understood that the statements herein reciting aspects are not intended to limit the critical or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The above and other features, advantages and aspects of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like or similar reference characters designate like or similar elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary environment in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented; and

fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a satellite phone according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein, but rather are provided for a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the disclosure are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.

As mentioned above, the conventional satellite phone is generally relatively high in cost, large in size, heavy, single in function, and relatively low in practicability. Unlike other mobile telephones, satellite telephones are often used as emergency services. For example, when other communication infrastructure is damaged due to a disaster or the like, a satellite phone may be used. Alternatively, in remote areas or mountainous areas, other communication infrastructure may not be deployed at all, and satellite telephony may be used. Therefore, satellite phones require strong usability. Very serious consequences can result if the satellite phone is not sufficiently charged for use in an emergency situation.

In response to the above problems, and possibly other potential problems, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a portable charger and satellite phone. The portable charger includes a satellite communication module capable of communicating with a satellite, and the portable charger can also be coupled with a mobile device for satellite communication using the mobile device. In this way, the satellite phone does not need to be separately developed, but can be adapted to other mobile devices, thereby reducing the cost of the satellite phone and improving the usability of the satellite phone.

A portable charger and a satellite phone of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to fig. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary environment 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.

As shown in fig. 1, the portable charger 104 not only has a charging function, but also performs satellite communication with the satellite 102. In addition, the portable charger 104 may also communicate with the mobile device 106, receive audio data or the like from the user from the mobile device 106, and provide the mobile device 106 with communication data from the satellite 102. For example, the mobile device 106 may be a cellular phone, a smart phone, and the like. By embedding the satellite communication module in the portable charger 104 (also known as a charger baby), the portable charger 106 and the mobile device 106 may together form a satellite phone.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a satellite phone according to an embodiment of the disclosure. As shown in fig. 2, the portable charger 104 includes a battery 122, and the battery 122 may be used to charge an external device and also to power circuitry within the portable charger 104. The battery 122 may be a rechargeable battery and may be implemented by any charge storage technology now known or later developed, as the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The portable charger 104 also includes a satellite antenna 124 that can communicate by way of the satellite 102 as shown in fig. 1. For example, the satellite 102 may be a geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite, which is located 36,000km above the earth's equator. With such long distances, satellite phones require the use of antennas with very large gains, the transmission power of which is at least ten times that of conventional mobile phones. Satellite phones are battery powered devices that require the use of large capacity batteries and large size antennas.

The position of the GEO satellite may be considered stationary or deterministic. In this case, satellite antenna 124 may be implemented using a directional antenna instead of an omni-directional antenna. The directional antenna is more efficient, which results in lower power consumption and/or higher sensitivity. Satellite communication conditions are more affected by weather, and when communication conditions are better, system power can be reduced while maintaining higher sensitivity. When the communication conditions are poor, system power may not be reduced but higher sensitivity may be achieved.

In some embodiments, the satellite antenna 124 may be disposed or integrated on the housing of the portable charger 104. For example, a metal antenna may be embedded in a plastic housing, or a slot antenna may be formed in a metal housing. In this way, not only the appearance of the device can be improved, but also the directionality of the antenna can be made easier to achieve.

The portable charger 104 also includes a modem 126, which is powered by the battery 122 and communicates with the satellite antenna 124. It should be appreciated that modem 126 may be implemented using any known or later developed technology, and the disclosure is not limited thereto.

In addition, the portable charger 104 further includes a charging interface 128 for charging an external device. The charging interface 128 may be powered by the battery 122 for operation. As shown in fig. 2, charging interface 128 may be communicatively coupled to modem 126 and further communicatively coupled to satellite antenna 124. Mobile device 106 may be coupled to charging interface 128, for example, by a data line, for satellite communication via satellite antenna 124.

In some embodiments, charging interface 128 may be a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, and portable charger 104 may be coupled to mobile device 106 through a USB data line. In this manner, the portable charger 104 and the mobile device 106 may be connected using the existing USB charging cable without adding additional hardware. In addition, the end user does not need to change the usage habit of the mobile device 106, thereby enhancing the user experience.

In some embodiments, portable charger 104 may include charge controller 130, and charge controller 130 may disable the charging function of charging interface 128 if the charge level of battery 122 falls below a predetermined level. In this manner, the charge controller 130 may maintain the charge of the battery 122 above a predetermined level, thereby ensuring that satellite communication can be conducted for a sufficiently long time in an emergency. For example, the portable charger 104 may provide a user interface to allow a user to set a predetermined level of power to meet different needs.

As shown in fig. 2, the mobile device 106 further comprises a communication interface 144, which may be a charging interface of the mobile device 106, such as a USB interface or a Lighting interface. The communication interface 144 may communicate with the charging interface 128 of the portable charger 104 to enable satellite communication of the mobile device 106 via the portable charger 104.

Mobile device 106 may have installed thereon a dialing application (App)142 for invoking a communication interface 144 for satellite communication. The user can use the dial App 142 to implement satellite phone functionality. The dialing App 142 may be integrated into the dialing application of the mobile device 106 or may be a dialing application designed solely for satellite communications.

According to the embodiment of the disclosure, the complexity of satellite phone development can be reduced remarkably, and at least 10 times of cost reduction can be caused, so that the price of a product is reduced. In addition, the satellite communication function can be used by installing application software on the smart phone. Thus, smart phones can continue to evolve to the next generation while the satellite communication module remains unchanged. In this case, the satellite phone according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can extend the satellite communication function using both the wireless communication technology such as cellular communication of the latest technology and the satellite communication module in the portable charger 104.

The block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of devices and systems according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Note that each block of the block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen in order to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or improvements made to the technology in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A portable charger, comprising:

a battery;

a satellite antenna adapted for communication by means of a satellite;

a modem powered by the battery and capable of communicating with the satellite antenna; and

a charging interface adapted to couple to a mobile device, the charging interface being powered by the battery and communicatively coupled with the modulation modulator to allow satellite communication by the mobile device via the satellite antenna.

2. The portable charger of claim 1, wherein the satellite antenna comprises a directional satellite antenna.

3. The portable charger of claim 1, further comprising:

a charge controller configured to disable a charging function of the charging interface in response to a charge of the battery decreasing below a predetermined level.

4. The portable charger of claim 1, wherein the satellite antenna is integrated on a housing of the portable charger.

5. The portable charger of claim 1, wherein the charging interface comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface.

6. The portable charger of claim 1, wherein the battery is configured to charge with the mobile device via the charging interface pair.

7. The portable charger of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a cellular telephone.

8. A satellite phone, comprising:

a mobile device; and

the portable charger of any of claims 1-7, coupled to the mobile device.

9. The satellite phone of claim 8, wherein the mobile device comprises a communication interface configured to communicate with a charging interface of the portable charger to cause the mobile device to satellite communicate via the portable charger.

10. The satellite phone of claim 9, wherein the mobile device includes a dialing application configured to invoke the communication interface for satellite communication.