JP2001102974A - Electronic equipment and control method for electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow two electronic devices which are separated from each other to operate normally by carrying on charging or communication through the same system while maintaining response to user's operation. SOLUTION: When the start of charging operation is indicated in communication operation, the indication is made ineffective and two electronic devices are made to carry on the communication operation. Or, when the start of the communication operation is indicated during charging operation, the charging operation is interrupted, the communication operation is started, and after the communication operation ends, the interrupted charging operation is restarted. Further, it is decided whether or not communication is possible according to the storage quantity of a storage device and when it is decided that the communication is possible, the communication operation is started, but when not, the charging operation is started and carried on until predetermined conditions are satisfied and after the predetermined conditions are satisfied, the communication operation is started.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic device and a control method of the electronic device, and more particularly to an electronic device capable of performing communication and charging with another electronic device via the same system and its electronic device. It relates to a control method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, small portable electronic devices such as portable terminals and electronic watches have been housed in chargers called stations, and data transfer and the like have been performed together with charging of the portable electronic devices. Here, if charging and data transfer are performed via electrical contacts, these contacts are exposed, which causes a problem in terms of waterproofness. For this reason, it is desirable that charging, signal transfer, and the like be performed in a non-contact manner by electromagnetic coupling of coils disposed in both the station and the portable electronic device or optical coupling such as infrared communication.

[0003]

In such a configuration, if the charging and the communication are performed sequentially, if the other operation is instructed by the user during the charging operation or the communication operation, the operation before the instruction is performed. Control is performed so as to shift to a newly instructed operation regardless of the operation state.
According to such control, the response to the operation of the user is improved, but the following problems occur. More specifically, if the charging operation is instructed during the communication operation, the communication will be forcibly terminated during the communication, and the program or data will not be completely transferred, which will hinder the operation. There was a defect that would.

[0004] Further, when the control is performed so as to ignore the charging, the charging start instruction must be issued again after the communication operation is completed, which causes a problem that the operation becomes complicated. Furthermore, if a communication operation is instructed during the charging operation,
When the battery capacity is small, if the operation shifts to the communication operation, the lower limit voltage of the system drive is interrupted during the communication, and the operation of the system itself becomes unstable. Alternatively, even if the communication is completed, the operation is completed in a state where the battery capacity is low, so that use in a state where the battery capacity is low is inevitable, or a problem that the charging operation has to be performed again occurs. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile communication device such as a portable electronic device or a station, which is separated from each other.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic device and a control method of an electronic device that can continue to charge or communicate via the same system and operate normally while maintaining a response to a user operation among the above devices. is there.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus capable of performing communication and charging with another electronic apparatus via the same system. In addition, when the start of the charging operation is instructed during the communication operation, the operation control unit is configured to invalidate the instruction and continue the communication operation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the operation control unit issues the charge start instruction after the end of the communication operation which was performed when the instruction to start the charging operation was issued. The charging operation is started on the basis of

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the second aspect, an instruction storage means for storing the charging start instruction is provided.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus capable of performing communication and charging with another electronic apparatus via the same system, and instructing the start of the communication operation during the charging operation. In the case where the charging operation is performed, the charging operation is temporarily stopped, the communication operation is started, and after the communication operation is completed, an operation control unit is provided for restarting the interrupted charging operation.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is the configuration according to the fourth aspect, further comprising power storage means for storing the electric power by the charging, and wherein the operation control means can perform communication based on the amount of power stored in the power storage means. Communication availability determination means for determining whether or not
If communication is possible based on the determination result of the communication availability determination means, the charging operation is temporarily suspended, the communication operation is started, and the charging operation that has been interrupted after the communication operation is completed is resumed. And if communication is not possible,
The charging operation is continued until a predetermined condition is satisfied, the communication operation is started after the predetermined condition is satisfied, and the charging operation is restarted after the communication operation is completed.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device capable of performing communication and charging with another electronic device via the same system, wherein the power storage means stores power by the charging; A communication enable / disable determining unit that determines whether communication is possible based on the charged amount of the power storage unit, and a communication operation is started when communication is possible based on a determination result of the communication enable / disable determination unit; When communication is not possible, an operation control unit that starts a charging operation, continues the charging operation until a predetermined condition is satisfied, and starts the communication operation after satisfying the condition. It is characterized by:

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the fifth or sixth aspect, the predetermined condition is:
It is characterized by whether or not a predetermined period has elapsed.

[0012] According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the fifth or sixth aspect, the predetermined condition is:
It is characterized by whether or not the storage voltage of the storage means has exceeded a predetermined voltage.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the same system is an optical system, an electromagnetic coupling system, or an electromagnetic induction system. .

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling an electronic device capable of performing communication and charging with another electronic device via the same system, wherein the charging operation is performed during the communication operation. When the start is instructed, the instruction is invalidated and the communication operation is continued.

An eleventh aspect of the present invention is a method for controlling an electronic device capable of performing communication and charging with another electronic device via the same system, wherein the communication operation is performed during the charging operation. When the start is instructed, the charging operation is temporarily suspended,
The communication operation is started, and after the communication operation is completed, the interrupted charging operation is restarted.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling an electronic device having a power storage device for storing power by charging, and enabling communication and charging with another electronic device via the same system. It is determined whether or not communication is possible based on the amount of power stored in the power storage device, and based on the determination result, if communication is possible, a communication operation is started, and communication is not possible. In this case, a charging operation is started, the charging operation is continued until a predetermined condition is satisfied, and the communication operation is started after the condition is satisfied.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the twelfth aspect, the predetermined condition is whether or not a predetermined period has elapsed.

According to a fourteenth aspect, in the configuration of the twelfth aspect, the predetermined condition is whether or not the storage voltage exceeds a predetermined voltage. .

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below. In the present embodiment, a station will be described as an example of the first device, and an electronic timepiece charged by the station will be described as an example of the second device. However, the present invention is not limited to these. <Mechanical Configuration> FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a station and an electronic timepiece according to the embodiment. As shown in this figure, the electronic timepiece 200 is housed in the recess 101 of the station 100 when performing charging, data transfer, or the like. Since the recess 101 is formed in a slightly larger shape than the main body 201 and the band 202 of the electronic timepiece 200, the timepiece main body 201 is accommodated in a state positioned with respect to the station 100. In addition, the station 100, the charging and start button 103 ₁ for instructing the start of charging, with various input unit such as the communication start button 103 ₂ for instructing the start of data transfer, for performing various displays A display unit 104 is provided.
Note that the electronic timepiece 200 according to the present embodiment is worn on the user's arm in a normal use state, and it is needless to say that the date and time and the like are displayed on the display unit 204. It is configured to detect and store biological information such as heart rate at regular intervals.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. As shown in the figure, a watch side coil 210 for data transfer and charging is provided on a lower back cover 212 of a main body 201 of an electronic timepiece via a cover glass 211. Further, the watch main body 201 is provided with a circuit board 221 connected to the secondary battery 220, the watch side coil 210, and the like. On the other hand, in the recess 101 of the station 100, a station-side coil 110 is provided via a cover glass 111 at a position facing the clock-side coil 210. Also, the station 100 has a coil 110, a charge start button 103 ₁ , a communication start button 10 ₁
3 _2, the display unit 104, a circuit board 121 that is connected to such primary source (not shown) is provided. in this way,
In a state where the electronic timepiece 200 is housed in the station 100, the station-side coil 110 and the watch-side coil 210 are not physically in contact with each other due to the cover glasses 111 and 211. In effect, they are in a connected state.

The station-side coil 110 and the clock-side coil 210 are respectively formed with a magnetic core for reasons such as avoiding magnetization of the clock mechanism, increasing the weight of the clock, and exposing the magnetic metal. It has no air core. Therefore, when applied to an electronic device in which such a problem does not occur, a coil having a magnetic core may be employed. However, if the signal frequency given to the coil is sufficiently high, the air-core type is sufficient.

<Electrical Configuration> Next, the station 100
The electrical configuration of the electronic timepiece 200 will be described. <Station> First, the configuration of the station 100 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in this figure,
One terminal of the station side coil 110 is pulled up to the power supply voltage Vcc, while the other terminal D is
Connected to the drain of transistor 153. here,
The gate of the transistor 153 is connected to the output of the AND gate 152 which receives the clock signal CLK at one input terminal, while the source of the transistor 153 is grounded. Here, the clock signal CLK is a signal for synchronizing the operation of each unit, and is generated by the oscillation circuit 140.

Now, when the charge start button 103 ₁ and the communication start button 103 ₂ are pressed by the user,
Each outputs a one-shot pulse signal. Here, the pulse signals output by both buttons, for convenience of explanation, the case will be the STR collectively, to distinguish whether any button is pressed, the charging start button 103 ₁ is pressed Is assumed to output a pulse signal CS. Next, when the timer A141 receives the supply of the pulse signal STR, the timer A141 counts down the preset value m with the clock signal CLK, and outputs a signal a which becomes H level during the counting operation. Here, the preset value m is set to a value such that the H level period of the signal a is, for example, 10 hours. That is, the timer A141 is configured to output a signal a as a charging start button 103 ₁ or the communication start button 103 ₂ only 10 hours after it is depressed H level by the user. This signal a is output to the inverting circuit 14
3 and is supplied to the second input terminal of the OR gate 157 and the processing circuit 130. Further, when the timer B142 receives the supply of the pulse signal STR, the timer B142 counts down the preset value n with the clock signal CLK, and outputs a signal b which becomes H level during the counting operation. Here, the preset value n is set sufficiently smaller than m, and is set to a value such that the H level period of the signal b is, for example, 30 minutes. That is, the timer B142 from being pressed one of the charging start button 103 ₁ or the communication start button 103 ₂ by the user, and is configured to output a signal b which becomes H level only 30 minutes.

Here, the time set by the timer A 141 is a time sufficient to charge the battery to the capacity corresponding to the fully charged state, and after the charge start button 103 ₁ or the transfer start button 103 ₂ is pressed, Even if a command com3 described later is not transmitted from the electronic timepiece 200 for a reason, the setting is made for the purpose of terminating charging. The time set by the timer B 142 is the time required to charge the battery from the state where the battery capacity is zero to the state where the data can be transferred (the system activation state). The electronic timepiece 200 is housed in the station 100. This is set for the purpose of determining whether the battery capacity is not sufficient and the data transfer is not possible or the electronic timepiece 200 is not accommodated in the station 100. . Next, after receiving the supply of the pulse signal STR, the command detector 160 outputs a command co, which will be described later, from the electronic timepiece 200 for a certain period of 30 minutes when the signal b becomes H level.
A signal d which becomes H level when m1 to com3 are not received.
Is output. The signal d is supplied to the first input terminal of the OR gate 157 and the processing circuit 130. The detailed configuration of the command detector 160 will be described later.

After receiving the supply of the pulse signal STR, the charge / transfer switch 170 converts the first charge signal as shown in FIG. 4A into a pulse signal during a period in which the signal OFF is at the L level. while output as e, a pulse signal C by the charging start button 103 ₁ is pressed
When receiving the supply of S and receiving the command com1 described later from the electronic timepiece 200 side and receiving the supply of the signal com1,
As shown in FIG. 4B, the second charging signal having the increased duty ratio is output as the signal e. However, when the signal OFF transitions to the H level, the charge / transfer switch 170 keeps the signal e at the L level. The charge / transfer switch 170 allows the transistor 153
Is configured to switch between the drain and the source according to the level of the clock signal CLK during a period in which the signal e is at the H level after receiving the supply of the pulse signal STR. Therefore, the station side coil 110
Is applied with a pulse signal obtained by switching the power supply voltage Vcc with the clock signal CLK, so that an external magnetic field is generated and the electronic timepiece 200 is charged. On the other hand, while the signal e is at the L level, the AND gate 1
Since 52 is closed, the station side coil 110 includes:
It is pulled up by the power supply voltage Vcc. In this state, when an external magnetic field is generated by the clock-side coil 210, a signal S2 is induced at the terminal D of the station-side coil 110. This signal S2 is supplied to the receiving circuit 154. The receiving circuit 154 outputs the signal S2
Is demodulated using the clock signal CLK, and its detailed configuration will be described later. Next, the decoder 155 decodes the demodulation result by the receiving circuit 154 during the period when the signal e is at the L level.

Therefore, the electronic timepiece 200 is charged during the period when the signal e is at the H level, while data is transferred during the period when the signal e is at the L level. For this reason, the charge / transfer switch 170 is
Depending on the level of the signal e, it has significance to switch between charging and data transfer. The signal from the electronic timepiece 200 is biological information (data) such as a pulse rate and a heart rate in addition to commands com1 to com3 described later. The decoder 155 supplies the biological information to the processing circuit 130. On the other hand, the reception of the commands com1 to com3 is notified to each unit by setting the output signals com1 to com3 to the H level. The OR gate 156 outputs signals com1 to com3.
Is output as a signal c. Therefore, the signal c is transmitted from the electronic timepiece 200 to the commands com1 to com3.
Has a significance as a signal indicating a state of receiving any of the above. Here, the signal com1 indicating that the decoding result is the command com1 is supplied to the charge / transfer switch 170. The signal com2 indicating that the decoding result is the command com2 is supplied to the processing circuit 130 via the latch circuit 158.

Further, a signal com3 indicating that the decoding result is the command com3 is supplied to a third input terminal of the OR gate 157. Then, the logical sum by the OR gate 157 is supplied to the charge / transfer switch 170 as a signal OFF. Here, the signals supplied to the first to third input terminals of the OR gate 157 are, first, the command detector 160
Second, a signal obtained by inverting the level of the signal a of the timer A141, and thirdly, a decoding result
Since the signal is the signal com3 indicating that the signal is com3, the charge / transfer switch 170 is configured to terminate the output of the signal e when any of the following conditions is satisfied. That is,
The case where the charge / transfer switch 170 holds the signal e at the L level and terminates the charging means that the charging start button 103 ₁ or the communication start button 1
03 ₂ after signal STR is output by pressing ₂
A case where the commands com1 to com3 are not received from the electronic timepiece 200 until the 0 minute period elapses, a case where 10 hours have elapsed since the start of charging,
And when the signal received from the electronic timepiece 200 is the command com3. The processing circuit 130 is for causing the display unit 104 to execute various displays such as an input signal and decoded biological information.

<Command Detector> Next, the configuration of the command detector 160 will be described with reference to FIG. First,
AND gate 1601 outputs the logical product of signal b and signal c. Next, an RS flip-flop including NOR gates 1603 and 1604 is connected to an AND gate 1601.
And the signal STR
As an S signal. The inverter circuit 1605 is
The output of the NOR gate 1604 is inverted as a signal U1,
It is supplied to the D input terminal of the D flip-flop 1606. The D flip-flop 1606 is reset by the signal STR and outputs the level of the input terminal D immediately before the falling of the signal b as the signal d. Now, the charge start button 103 _{1 is selected} by the user.
Or when the communication start button 103 ₂ is depressed, one-shot pulse signal STR is, for example, is output as shown in Figure 6 (a). Because of the signal STR, the output of the NOR gate 1604 goes to L level, so that the signal U1
Is at the H level, while the timer B142 (see FIG. 3) performs the counting operation, so that the signal b is at the H level for a certain period as shown in FIG. 6A. here,
When the decoder 155 in FIG. 3 receives commands com1 to com3 from the electronic timepiece 200, these commands are:
The signal e is output as a pulse during the L level period.

In such a case, when signal b and signal c both become H level and the logical product thereof becomes H level, the output of NOR gate 1604 becomes H level, so that signal U1 changes to L level. Thereafter, this state is maintained. Therefore, one-shot pulse signal ST
At a point in time when the signal b has fallen after a certain time has elapsed since R was output (precisely, immediately before), the signal d output from the output terminal Q of the D flip-flop 1606 becomes L
Remains at the level. On the other hand, when the decoder 155 does not receive the commands com1 to com3 from the electronic timepiece 200, the signal c remains at the L level as shown in FIG. Therefore, the signal U1 is held at the H level,
At a point in time when the signal b falls after a certain time has passed since the signal STR was output, the D flip-flop 160
The signal d output from the output terminal Q of the No. 6 transitions to the H level. As described above, if the command detector 160 receives at least the commands com1 to com3 from the electronic timepiece 200 for a certain period from the supply of the pulse signal STR to the elapse of 30 minutes, the command detector 160 outputs the signal d after the elapse of the period. The signal d is held at the L level when no command is received while changing to the H level.

<Receiving Circuit> Next, the configuration of the receiving circuit 154 will be described with reference to FIG. It should be noted that the configuration shown is merely an example, and is originally determined by a modulation method in data transfer. First, as shown in FIG. 7, the signal S2 induced at the other terminal D of the station-side coil 110 is inverted in level and waveform-shaped by the inverter circuit 1541 to form the signal of the oscillation circuit 140 (see FIG. 3). Clock signal C
D flip-flops 1542, 1543 synchronized with LK
Is supplied as a reset signal RST. Here, the input terminal D of the D flip-flop 1542 is connected to the power supply voltage Vcc.
, While its output terminal Q is connected to the input terminal D of the next-stage D flip-flop 1543. And D
The output terminal Q of the flip-flop 1543 is output as a signal S3 as a demodulation result.

Next, the waveform of each part in the receiving circuit 154 having the above configuration will be examined. When data is received from electronic timepiece 200, transistor 153 (FIG. 3)
) Does not switch, so that the other terminal D of the station-side coil 110 that has been pulled up has a pull-up level unless an external magnetic field is generated by the clock-side coil 210, while if the external magnetic field is generated, At the level induced accordingly. Therefore, the signal S2 induced at the terminal D is, for example, as shown in FIG.
The result is as shown in FIG. In response to such a signal S2, a signal RST output from the inverter circuit 1541 is output.
Goes high when the voltage of the signal S2 falls below the threshold value Vth, as shown in FIG. 8B, and resets the D flip-flops 1542 and 1543. At this time, the D flip-flops 1542 and 1543 output the level of the input terminal D immediately before the rising edge of the clock signal CLK.
42 and the output of D flip-flop 1542
Are as shown in FIGS. 8D and 8E, respectively. That is, the output signal S3 of the receiving circuit 154
Is a signal which becomes L level during a period when the external magnetic field is generated by the clock side coil 210. Here, the period during which the external magnetic field is generated by the clock side coil 210 is a period during which data transferred from the electronic timepiece 200 to the station 100 is at the L level, as described later. It can be seen that the data and command from the clock 200 are demodulated.

<Electronic Watch> Next, the electrical configuration of the electronic watch 200 will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration. As shown in the figure, one terminal P of the clock side coil 210 is connected to the positive terminal of the secondary battery 220 via the diode 245, while the coil 21
The other terminal of 0 is connected to the negative terminal of the secondary battery 220. Therefore, when a pulse signal is applied to the station-side coil 110 (see FIG. 3) and an external magnetic field is generated, a signal is induced at one terminal P of the clock-side coil 210 by the external magnetic field. Then, the induced signal is generated by the diode 24 when the transistor 253 is turned off.
5, the secondary battery 220 is charged. Here, the voltage Vcc of the secondary battery 220
Is used as a power source for each part of the electronic timepiece 200.

Next, the charging period detection circuit 261
In FIG. 10 (a), when a signal is induced at the terminal P as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the signal is shown in FIG. 10 (b). Thus, the signal CHR attaining the H level is output. Further, the timing generation circuit 271 generates a pulse having a constant width at regular intervals and supplies the pulse to one input terminal of the AND gate 272. The other input terminal of the AND gate 272 has a signal CHR output from the charging period detection circuit 261.
Is supplied, the AND gate 272 is connected to the terminal P
When the signal is induced by the external magnetic field, the signal is closed. Therefore, the signal CK of the AND gate 272
As shown in FIG. 10C, when a signal is induced at the terminal P, T has a form in which a pulse having a certain width is output at certain intervals. This signal CKT is supplied to the base of the transistor 253. The collector of the transistor 253 is connected to the terminal P via the resistor 254, while the emitter is grounded. Therefore, when the signal CKT is at the H level, the transistor 253 is configured to turn on between the collector and the emitter.

Here, when the transistor 253 is turned on, the potential of the collector fluctuates according to the current flowing through the clock side coil 210 due to the voltage drop by the resistor 254. That is, the higher the current flowing through the clock-side coil 210, the lower the potential level of the collector. Charging current determination circuit 263 compares the potential level of the collector with the reference level, and outputs a signal at H level if the current flowing through clock side coil 210 is equal to or greater than a threshold current corresponding to the reference level. Things. The latch circuit 264
The one that latches the output signal of the charging current determination circuit 263 at the falling edge of the signal CKT, that is, the transistor 25
The comparison result of the charging current determined in the ON period of No. 3 is output. Next, the AND gate 281 is connected to the signal CHR of the charging period detection circuit 261 and the latch circuit 26.
A logical product with the latch result of No. 4 is obtained and output as a signal com1. The AND gate 282 obtains the logical product of the signal CHR of the charging period detection circuit 261 and the inversion result of the latch result by the latch circuit 264, and outputs the signal com2
Is output.

Further, the battery voltage detection circuit 265 detects the terminal voltage of the secondary battery 220 during a period when the signal CKT is at the L level (a period during which the transistor 253 is turned off), and completes the operation of the secondary battery 220. It detects whether the battery is in a fully charged state (full charge state), and if the result of the detection is affirmative, outputs a signal com3 that goes high. Here, the case where the signal com1 is at the H level is a case where a signal is induced at the terminal P and a case where the current flowing through the clock side coil 210 is equal to or higher than the threshold value. A side coil 110;
This means a state in which the watch-side coil 210 faces each other at a correct position. The case where the signal com2 is at the H level is a case where a signal is induced at the terminal P and a case where the current flowing through the clock side coil 210 is less than the threshold value. Coil 1
10 and the clock side coil 210 do not face each other at a correct position, that is, a state in which they are misaligned. Further, when the signal com3 is at the H level,
This means that the secondary battery 220 is fully charged and does not need to be charged any more.

Next, the control circuit 230 is a kind of central processing control device having a timekeeping function, and mainly executes the following processing. That is, the control circuit 230
Normally, a function of causing the display unit 204 to execute display (for example, current time display) according to the mode set by the input unit 203 (not shown in FIG. 1), and secondly, to the terminal P When the signal is induced and the signal CHR transits to the H level, the states indicated by the signals com1 to com3 are recognized, the commands com1 to com3 corresponding to these states are created, and the signal CHR is set to the L level. Thirdly, it has a function of transmitting digital data to be transmitted to the station 100 after transmitting the commands com1 to com3, and a function of transmitting digital data to be transmitted to the station 100 after transmitting the commands com1 to com3. Here, the control circuit 230 executes the command co
m1 to com3 and digital data are supplied to the transmission circuit 250 as W1. As digital data to be transmitted to the station 100, biological information such as a pulse rate and a heart rate measured by a sensor (not shown) or the like is assumed. The transmission circuit 250 serializes data and commands to be transmitted to the station 100 and outputs a switching signal obtained by bursting a signal of a constant frequency during a period in which the serial data is at the L level. The switching signal from the transmission circuit 250 is supplied to the base of the transistor 252 via the resistor 251. Further, the collector of the transistor is connected to the positive terminal of the secondary battery 220, while the emitter of the transistor is connected to one terminal P of the coil 210.

Therefore, in such an electronic timepiece 200, when a signal is induced at the terminal P as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the signal is induced as shown in FIG. 10 (b). During this period, the signal CHR becomes H level, and the signal CKT is output as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG.
The case where a signal is induced at the terminal P, and the signal CK
When T is at the L level, the rechargeable battery 220 is charged, while the signal is induced at the terminal P, as shown in FIG. If, the transistor 253 is turned on and the charging current to the secondary battery 220 is checked. further,
As shown in FIG. 10 (f), when no signal is induced at the terminal P and the signal CHR becomes L level, the command
com1 to com3 and digital data are transferred.

<Transfer Operation of Commands and Digital Data> Next, the transfer operation of commands and digital data in the station 100 and the electronic timepiece 200 will be described. As described above, the charging operation of the electronic timepiece 200 is performed during the period when the signal e is at the H level.
The transfer operation is performed when the signal e is at the L level. First, no pulse signal is applied to the station-side coil 110 during the period when the signal e is at the L level.
For this reason, since no external magnetic field is generated by the station-side coil 110, no signal is induced at the terminal P of the clock-side coil 210, and the signal CHR becomes L level.
When the signal CHR becomes L level, the control circuit 230 starts transmitting signals from the electronic timepiece 200 to the station 100 to supply data to be transmitted to the station 100 to the transmission circuit 250 following transmission of the commands com1 to com3. Will be done. Here, if the data to be transmitted to the station 100 is at the H level, the transmission circuit 250 sets the output to the H level, and if the data is at the L level, the pulse signal of a constant frequency is burst. The transistor 252 switches during a period in which data to be transmitted is at the H level.
Therefore, the clock side coil 210 includes the station 1
During a period in which the data to be transmitted to 00 is at the L level, a pulse signal is applied, thereby generating an external magnetic field. Due to this external magnetic field, a signal having the same cycle as the pulse signal is induced at the terminal D of the station side coil 110. Here, during the period in which the signal is induced, the signal S3 is at the L level by the receiving circuit 154 having the above configuration, and otherwise is at the H level. A signal S3 obtained by demodulating W1 is obtained. Then, the decoder 155 decodes the signal S3 and supplies the result to the processing circuit 130 if the result is digital data such as biological information, and outputs the corresponding signals com1 to com3 if the command is com1 to com3. I do. In this way, the station 100 can obtain commands and digital data from the electronic timepiece 200.

<Charge / Data Transfer Operation> Next, the charge / data transfer operation of the station 100 and the electronic timepiece 200 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 11 together with the block diagrams of FIGS. First, the user causes the electronic timepiece 200 to be housed in the recess 101 of the station 100. As a result, the station-side coil 110 and the watch-side coil 210 face each other as shown in FIG. After this, the charge start button 103 ₁ is operated by the user.
When is pressed, it is determined whether or not communication is in progress (step S1). If it is determined in step S1 that communication is being performed (step S1; Yes), the system temporarily enters a charging standby state (step S2). Next, it is determined whether or not the communication has been completed (step S3). If it is determined in step S3 that the communication has not been completed (step S3; N
o), the process returns to step S2 to continue the charging standby state. If it is determined in step S1 that communication is not being performed (step S1; No), or if communication has been completed in step S3 (step S3; Yes), the timer A141 is output by the pulse signal STR. And the timer B142 starts the count operation (step S4). Further, in response to the pulse signal STR, the charge / transfer switch 170 outputs a first charge signal as shown in FIG. 4A as a signal e to perform charging (step S5).

Next, whether or not the timer A 141 has completed the counting operation is determined by the inverted signal of the signal a (step S6). If it is determined in step S6 that the counting operation has been completed (step S6; Yes),
It means that the charging start button 103 ₁ or the communication start button 103 ₂ has passed 10 hours or more after it is depressed. As described above, the time set by the timer A141 is a time sufficient to charge the secondary battery 220 to the capacity corresponding to the fully charged state. Therefore, before the set time elapses, normally, the full charge is performed. Charging should be completed by receiving the command com3 indicating that the charging is completed. Nevertheless, elapse of the time set by the timer A141 means that an abnormality such as a failure of the secondary battery 220 has occurred. Therefore, the processing circuit 1
The control unit 30 causes the display unit 104 to perform a display as shown in FIG. 12C, for example, and notifies the user of the display (step S7). Further, since the signal OFF becomes H level due to the inverted signal of the signal a, the charge / transfer switch 1
70 holds the signal e at the L level. Therefore, when an abnormality has occurred, the charging of the electronic timepiece 200 ends (step S8). On the other hand, timer A
If the counting operation has not been completed (step S6; No), it is determined whether communication is possible with the current battery capacity (step S9). If it is determined in step S9 that communication is not possible with the current battery capacity, the process returns to step S5, and the charge / transfer switch 170
Performs charging by outputting a first charging signal as shown in FIG. 4A as a signal e according to the pulse signal STR (step S5), and continues charging until communication is possible with the current battery capacity. .

If it is determined in step S9 that communication is possible with the current battery capacity (step S9; Yes)
s), whether or not the secondary battery 220 is fully charged,
The determination is made by the battery voltage detection circuit 265 (step S10). If it is determined in step S10 that the battery is fully charged (step S10; Yes), the signal com3 goes high.
This corresponds to the level, and as described above, there is no need to charge any more. Therefore, the control circuit 23
0 sends a command com3 to notify this state to the station 100 (step S11), and ends the charging process (step S12). Also, in the determination in step S10, if the battery is not fully charged (step S1).
0; No), which corresponds to the case where the signal com1 is at the H level. Therefore, as described above, the station-side coil 110 and the clock-side coil 210 face each other at the correct position, and charging proceeds favorably. It is in the state that it is. Therefore,
The control circuit 230 sends a command com1 to notify the station 100 of this state (step S1).
3). The communication start button 103 ₂ determines whether the depressed (step S14). If it is determined in step S14 that communication has not been started (step S14).
14; No), the process returns to step S6, and the same process is repeated.

[0042] In the determination of step S14, if the communication start button 103 ₂ is depressed (step S14;
Yes), the charging is temporarily stopped (step S15), and the digital data transmitted following the command com1 is received by the receiving circuit 154, decoded by the decoder 155, and transferred to the processing circuit 130 (step S16). . When the data transfer is completed (step S17), it is determined whether or not the charging is temporarily stopped (step S18). If it is determined in step S18 that the charging is temporarily stopped (step S18; Ye
s) The process returns to step S6, and the same process is repeated. If it is determined in step S18 that the charging is not temporarily stopped (step S18; No), and the transfer is completed, the processing circuit 130 proceeds to, for example, FIG.
The display as shown in (d) is performed on the display unit 104 (step S19), and the display based on the received digital data is performed on the display unit 104, and the process ends (step S20). If the station-side coil 110 and the clock-side coil 210 are not correctly opposed to each other and are out of position, this is detected and a warning to that effect is shown in FIG. Will be displayed. In addition, the electronic timepiece 200 is
If the start of charging or the data transfer is instructed even though it is not accommodated in 0, it is detected and a warning to that effect is displayed as shown in FIG.

<Modifications> In the above embodiment, the following modifications are possible. That is, the data transfer in the embodiment is performed from the electronic timepiece 200 to the station 100.
However, the direction may be from the station 100 to the electronic timepiece 200. When data is transferred to the electronic timepiece 200, the station 100 modulates the data according to the data to be transferred, while the electronic timepiece 200 performs demodulation in accordance with the modulation method. At this time, a known technique may be applied to modulation and demodulation.

In the above embodiment, the station 100 is used as the first device, and the electronic timepiece 200 is used as the second device or the other device. However, in the present application, these distinctions are essentially meaningless. The present invention is applicable to all electronic devices that perform power transfer and signal transfer. For example, electric toothbrush, electric shaving, cordless phone,
The present invention is applicable to a device to be charged including a secondary battery such as a mobile phone, a personal handyphone, a mobile personal computer, and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), and the charging device.

In the above embodiment, the charging control is performed based on the remaining battery charge (storage voltage). However, the control may be performed based on the charging time. In this case, if the battery is charged for a predetermined time or more, it may be determined that communication is possible.

In the above embodiment, an electromagnetic induction system and an electromagnetic coupling system are used as a system for performing communication and charging. However, an optical system using light such as infrared light may be used. It is.

[0047]

As described above, according to the present invention, when charging and communication are performed between two electronic devices via the same system, such as a portable electronic device or a charging device thereof, a communication is performed. When the start of the charging operation is instructed during the operation, the charging can be performed without hindering the communication operation and without requiring the user to perform a troublesome operation. In addition, when the start of the communication operation is instructed during the charging operation, the communication can be performed while ensuring the stability of the system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of a station and an electronic timepiece according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a configuration of the station and the electronic watch.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the station.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing waveforms of a first charging signal and a second charging signal, respectively, which are signals e in the same station.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a command detector in the station.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are timing charts for explaining the operation of the command detector.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing an example of a receiving circuit of the station.

FIGS. 8A to 8E are timing charts for explaining the operation of the receiving circuit;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the electronic timepiece.

FIGS. 10A to 10F are timing charts for explaining operations of the electronic timepiece.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation of charging and data transfer between the station and the electronic watch.

FIGS. 12A to 12D are diagrams illustrating examples of display on a display unit in the same station, respectively.

[Explanation of symbols]

 100: Station, 104: Display unit, 110: Station side coil, 130: Processing circuit, 153: Transistor, 154: Receiving circuit, 200: Electronic clock, 210: Clock side coil, 220: ... Rechargeable battery, 245 ... Diode, 250 ... Transmission circuit, 254 ... Resistance

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Satoru Hayakawa 3-3-5 Yamato, Suwa City, Nagano Prefecture Seiko Epson Corporation F-term (reference) 5G003 AA01 BA01 CA01 CA11 CB06 DA07 EA02 EA05 FA08 GB08 GC05 5H030 AA03 AA08 AS16 BB01 DD18 FF43 FF51 5K012 AB03 AB07 AE02 AE13 BA02

Claims (14)

[Claims] An electronic device capable of performing communication and charging with another electronic device via the same system, wherein when a start of a charging operation is instructed during a communication operation, the instruction is issued. An electronic device comprising an operation control means for disabling the communication and continuing the communication operation. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the operation control unit performs the charging operation based on the charging start instruction after the end of the communication operation performed when the instruction to start the charging operation is issued. An electronic device characterized in that the electronic device is started. 3. The electronic device according to claim 2, further comprising an instruction storage unit that stores the charging start instruction. 4. An electronic device capable of performing communication and charging with another electronic device via the same system, wherein the charging is performed when an instruction to start a communication operation is given during the charging operation. An electronic apparatus, comprising: an operation control unit for temporarily suspending an operation, starting the communication operation, and resuming the interrupted charging operation after the communication operation is completed. 5. The electronic device according to claim 4, further comprising: a power storage unit that stores the power by the charging, wherein the operation control unit determines whether communication is possible based on a power storage amount of the power storage unit. Based on the determination result of the communication availability determination means, if communication is possible, temporarily suspending the charging operation, starting the communication operation, and interrupting after the communication operation is completed Resumes the charging operation, if communication is not possible,
An electronic device, wherein the charging operation is continued until a predetermined condition is satisfied, the communication operation is started after the condition is satisfied, and the charging operation is restarted after the communication operation is completed. 6. An electronic device capable of performing communication and charging with another electronic device via the same system, comprising: a power storage unit for storing power by the charging; and a storage amount of the power storage unit. A communication availability determining unit that determines whether communication is possible or not based on the determination result of the communication availability determination unit based on the determination result of the communication availability determination unit. In this case, the electronic control device includes: an operation control unit that starts a charging operation, continues the charging operation until a predetermined condition is satisfied, and starts the communication operation after the condition is satisfied. machine. 7. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined condition is whether or not a predetermined period has elapsed. 8. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined condition is whether or not a storage voltage of the power storage unit has exceeded a predetermined voltage. And electronic equipment. 9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the same system is an optical system, an electromagnetic coupling system, or an electromagnetic induction system. 10. A method for controlling an electronic device capable of performing communication and charging with another electronic device via the same system, wherein a start of a charging operation is instructed during a communication operation. Wherein the instruction is invalidated and the communication operation is continued. 11. A method for controlling an electronic device capable of performing communication and charging with another electronic device via the same system, wherein a start of a communication operation is instructed during a charging operation. A method of controlling an electronic device, comprising: temporarily suspending the charging operation, starting the communication operation, and resuming the interrupted charging operation after the communication operation ends. 12. A control method for an electronic device, comprising: a power storage device for storing electric power by charging, wherein communication and charging with another electronic device can be performed via the same system. It is determined whether or not communication is possible based on the charged amount of the device. Based on the result of the determination, a communication operation is started when communication is possible, and a charging operation is performed when communication is not possible. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: starting the charging operation until the predetermined condition is satisfied, and starting the communication operation after the condition is satisfied. 13. The control method for an electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined condition is whether a predetermined period has elapsed. 14. The electronic device control method according to claim 12, wherein the predetermined condition is whether or not the storage voltage has exceeded a predetermined voltage. Control method.