JP2010115064A - Charging system, power-supply apparatus, and charging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a charging system for users to easily take the following countermeasure, in case that an electronic device capable of supplying power cannot supply a required power when a charging operation is performed in between the electronic devices. <P>SOLUTION: The charging system comprises a cellular phone 1101 with a secondary battery equipped therewith, and a digital camera 2101 for supplying power to the portable handy phone 1101. The portable handy phone 1101 determines a charging quantity to the secondary battery, and transmits a power-supply request of the determined charging quantity to the digital camera 2101. On the other hand, the digital camera 2101 receives the power-supply request of the charging quantity transmitted from the cellular phone 1101, and issues a notification to the effect when the power of the required charging quantity cannot be supplied. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a charging system, a power supply device, a charging device, a charging method, a power supply method, a charging device control method, a program, and a storage medium, and particularly to a technique suitable for use in charging between electronic devices.

  In recent years, a charging system for charging between battery-powered electronic devices such as a mobile phone and a digital camera has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a charging system, unlike the case where charging is performed from a commercial power source, the power held by the device on the power supply side is limited, and the power held is not so large. Therefore, it is necessary to determine in advance the amount of power to be charged in order to ensure the remaining battery level of the electronic device that supplies power prior to charging.

JP 2005-151609 A

  However, as described above, a situation may occur in which the amount of power determined prior to charging is an amount that cannot be supplied to the electronic device that supplies power. In such a case, the amount of power determined on the power receiving side cannot be received. Therefore, the user misunderstands that the battery has been fully charged even though there is not enough power, or the remaining battery level of the electronic device that supplies power is lost, and even other functions cannot be used. There is a problem that the inconvenience occurs.

  In the present invention, in view of the above-described problems, when charging is performed between electronic devices, if an electronic device capable of supplying power cannot supply the required amount of power, the user can easily take the following measures. The purpose is to provide a system.

  The charging system of the present invention is a charging system including a first electronic device that charges a secondary battery and a second electronic device that supplies power to the first electronic device, the first electronic device A device that determines a power amount required for the second electronic device, and power supply request information including information on the required power amount determined by the determination unit; First communication means for transmitting to the device, and charging means for charging the secondary battery using the power supplied from the second electronic device, wherein the second electronic device comprises the first electronic device A second communication unit that receives power supply request information transmitted from one electronic device; a power supply unit that supplies power to the first electronic device; and supplies the required amount of power. If it is not possible, add warning information to that effect Characterized in that it comprises a warning means for transmitting to said first electronic device by the second communication means.

  The power supply device of the present invention is a power supply device that supplies power to a charging device that charges a secondary battery, and that receives power supply request information including information on the required power amount from the charging device. And, based on the power supply request information received by the receiving unit, whether or not the required amount of power can be supplied to the charging device. And a warning means for generating warning information to warn when the requested amount of power cannot be supplied.

  The charging device of the present invention is a charging device for charging a secondary battery, and receives the power supplied from the power supply device, and charges the secondary battery using the power received by the power receiving device. A charging means; and a communication means for transmitting power supply request information including information on the amount of power required for the power supply apparatus to the power supply apparatus, and receiving information transmitted from the power supply apparatus; And display means for displaying information for setting the requested amount of power when the communication means receives warning information indicating that the requested amount of power cannot be supplied from the power supply device. And

  The charging method of the present invention is a charging method in a charging system including a first electronic device that charges a secondary battery and a second electronic device that supplies electric power to the first electronic device. Determining a power amount required for the second electronic device, and transmitting power supply request information including information on the required power amount determined in the determining step to the second electronic device A first communication step, a charging step of charging the secondary battery using the power supplied from the second electronic device, and a power supply request information transmitted from the first electronic device A second communication step, a power supply step for supplying power to the first electronic device, and a warning information indicating that when the requested amount of power cannot be supplied. In the communication process, the first electronic Characterized in that it comprises a warning step of sending to the vessel.

  The power supply method of the present invention is a power supply method for supplying power to a charging device for charging a secondary battery, wherein the receiving step receives power supply request information including information on the required power amount from the charging device. And, based on the power supply request information received in the receiving step, the power supply step for supplying power to the charging device, whether the required amount of power can be supplied to the charging device. And a warning step of generating warning information to warn when the requested amount of power cannot be supplied.

  A method for controlling a charging device according to the present invention is a method for controlling a charging device for charging a secondary battery, wherein the power receiving step receives power supplied from a power supply device, and uses the power received in the power receiving step. A charging process for charging a secondary battery and power supply request information including information on the amount of power required for the power supply device are transmitted to the power supply device, and information transmitted from the power supply device is transmitted. A communication step of receiving, and a display step of displaying information for setting the requested amount of power when warning information indicating that the requested amount of power cannot be supplied in the communication step is received from the power supply device It is characterized by providing.

The program according to the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute each step of a power supply method for supplying power to a charging device for charging a secondary battery, the power supply request information including information on the amount of power required. Based on the receiving step of receiving from the charging device, the power supply step of supplying power to the charging device, and the power supply request information received in the receiving step, the charging of the requested amount of power It is determined whether or not it is possible to supply power to the device, and when the requested amount of power cannot be supplied, the computer is caused to execute a warning process for generating warning information to warn to that effect.
Another feature of the program of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to execute each step of a method for controlling a charging device that charges a secondary battery, and that receives power supplied from a power supply device. A power supply request information including a step, a charging step of charging the secondary battery using the power received in the power reception step, and information on an amount of power required for the power supply device. A communication step of transmitting and receiving information transmitted from the power supply device; and when receiving warning information indicating that the requested amount of power cannot be supplied from the power supply device in the communication step, the request And a display step of displaying information for setting the amount of power to be performed.

  A storage medium according to the present invention stores any one of the programs described above.

  According to the present invention, when the amount of power required for the electronic device on the power supply side is an amount that cannot be supplied, the charge amount is updated or charging from another electronic device is attempted, etc. It is easy for the user to take a response.

(First embodiment)
The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an external appearance example of the charging system according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 1, a mobile phone 1101 that is a first electronic device and a digital camera 2101 that is a second electronic device are connected by a cable 3101. Here, it is assumed that the cable 3101 is a cable capable of power transfer and data communication.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration example of the mobile phone 1101 and the digital camera 2101 according to the present embodiment.
In FIG. 2, the mobile phone 1101 includes a display unit 1201, an operation unit 1202, a control unit 1203, a storage unit 1204, a battery 1205, a battery information management unit 1206, and a charge / discharge control unit 1207. Furthermore, a power transmission / reception unit 1208, a data communication unit 1209, a memory 1210, and a timer 1211 are provided.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 2101 includes a display unit 2201, an operation unit 2202, a control unit 2203, a storage unit 2204, a battery 2205, a battery information management unit 2206, and a charge / discharge control unit 2207. Further, a power transmission / reception unit 2208, a data communication unit 2209, a memory 2210, and a timer 2211 are provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 1101 and the digital camera 2101 have the same functional block regarding charge control.

  In addition to the functional blocks shown in FIG. 2, the cellular phone 1101 has known functional blocks such as a telephone function, an e-mail, an Internet connection function, etc., which are omitted in FIG. In addition, the mobile phone 1101 includes a power supply block (not shown) in order to supply power from the battery 1205 to each unit. In addition to the functional blocks shown in FIG. 2, the digital camera 2101 includes known functional blocks such as an image capturing, image recording, and reproducing function, which are omitted in FIG. The digital camera 2101 includes a power supply block (not shown) in order to supply power from the battery 2205 to each unit.

Subsequently, each functional block will be described.
The display units (1201, 2012) are displays and have a function of displaying various information to the user. For example, a determination screen for the amount of power to be charged is displayed. The operation unit (1202, 2202) includes buttons, keys, and the like, and has a function of receiving a user instruction (input signal) by pressing the button and the like and notifying the control unit (1203, 2203).

  The battery information management unit (1206, 2206) has a function of acquiring and holding information such as the remaining capacity and maximum capacity of the battery (1205, 2205). The battery information management unit (1206, 2206) includes, for example, a diode, acquires a voltage value corresponding to the remaining capacity of the battery (1205, 2205), and grasps the remaining battery level.

  The batteries (1205, 2205) are chargeable / dischargeable secondary batteries. A battery 1205 on the mobile phone 1101 side supplies power to each part of the mobile phone 1101, and a battery 2205 on the digital camera 2101 side supplies power to each part of the digital camera 2101.

  The charge / discharge control unit (1207, 2207) has a charge control function of storing the power input from the power transmission / reception unit (1208, 2208) in the battery (1205, 2205). Furthermore, it has a discharge control function for supplying the power stored in the battery (1205, 2205) to the outside via the power transmission / reception unit (1208, 2208).

  The charge control function and the discharge control function operate exclusively and are switched by the control units (1203, 2203). In this embodiment, the digital camera 2101 will be described as the power supply side and the mobile phone 1101 as the power receiving side. Therefore, the charge / discharge control unit 1207 on the mobile phone 1101 side is set to the charge control function, and the charge / discharge control unit 2207 on the digital camera 2101 side is set to the charge control function. Note that power can be supplied from the mobile phone 1101 to the digital camera 2101 if the reverse setting is made.

  The data communication unit (1209, 2209) has a function of transmitting and receiving information. Information communication such as a power supply request and warning in this embodiment is performed by the data communication unit (1209, 2209).

  The control units (1203, 2203) are configured with a CPU or the like, and store information in the memory (1210, 2210). Further, all functional blocks shown in FIG. 2 are controlled. The storage units (1204, 2204) have a function of storing various information, and are configured by, for example, a flash memory or a hard disk. The timers (1211, 2121) are hardware timers having a function of counting time.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an input screen for updating the charge amount in the present embodiment. When the requested charge amount exceeds the power amount that can be supplied by the counterpart device as the device on the charge side of inter-device charge, the screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed and the charge amount is updated by the user's operation. be able to.

  Next, in this embodiment, referring to FIGS. 3, 5, and 6, the operation when the digital camera 2101 supplies power to the mobile phone 1101 to charge the battery 1205 of the mobile phone 1101. While explaining. When charging from the battery 2205 of the digital camera 2101 to the battery 1205 of the mobile phone 1101 having a low remaining battery level, the user first connects the mobile phone 1101 and the digital camera 2101 using the cable 3101.

  Next, the operation unit 1202 of the mobile phone 1101 is operated by the user, and “inter-device charging mode” is selected from the menu screen displayed on the display unit 1201. At this time, the operation unit 1202 notifies the control unit 1203 that the inter-device charging mode has been selected. Upon receiving the notification, the control unit 1203 displays on the display unit 1201 that it is on the charging side in the inter-device charging mode.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a charging process procedure according to the present embodiment. Note that the processing shown in FIG. 3 is performed when the display unit 1201 displays that the mobile phone 1101 and the digital camera 2101 are connected and the charging device side of the “inter-device charging mode” is displayed. Start.

  First, the control unit 1203 on the mobile phone 1101 side transmits a power supply availability confirmation command to the digital camera 2101 via the data communication unit 1209 and further activates the timer 1211 to monitor the presence or absence of a response (step S1300).

  Then, the control unit 2203 on the digital camera 2101 side that has received the notification that the power supply availability confirmation command has been received from the data communication unit 2209 returns a supply enable response from the data communication unit 2209 to the mobile phone 1101. Furthermore, the control unit 2203 displays on the display unit 2201 that the power supply side of the “inter-device charging mode” has been set (step S2300).

  When the control unit 1203 on the mobile phone 1101 side receives a notification from the data communication unit 1209 that a supply enable response to the power supply availability confirmation command has been received, the charge request amount determination for determining the amount of power required to supply power is determined. Processing is executed (step 1301).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation procedure of the required charge amount determination process in step S1301 of FIG.
Here, the charge request amount determination mode in the present embodiment will be described.
In the present embodiment, when charging the battery, an amount of power desired to be transmitted to the device on the power supply side, here, the digital camera 2101 is requested. And in this embodiment, the charge request amount determination mode in which the determination procedure of the requested | required electric energy differs is provided.
That is, it has the 1st charge mode (mode 2) which determines the charge amount input by the user's operation, and the 2nd charge mode which determines charge amount irrespective of a user's operation. The second charge mode further includes a third charge mode (mode 1) for arbitrarily determining the amount of power requested by the user, and a charge amount that is the same as the charge amount previously determined in the first charge mode. And a fourth charging mode to be determined (mode 3).

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed on the display unit (1201, 2011) when setting these required charging amount determination modes in the present embodiment. When the user operates the operation unit (1202, 2202) and requests setting of the charge request amount determination mode, the control unit (1203, 2203) displays the screen shown in FIG. 7 on the display unit (1201, 2201). The user can select the charge request amount determination mode number by operating the operation unit (1202, 2202). In this way, how to determine the amount of charge as a device on the charging side of inter-device charging is set in advance by a user operation. Information on the set mode is stored in the storage unit (1204, 2204).

  In FIG. 5, first, the control unit 1203 refers to the charge request amount determination mode number stored in advance in the storage unit 1204 (step S1401). Then, the currently set mode is determined (step S1402).

  As a result of the determination, when the charge request amount determination mode number is “mode 1” (first mode) in which full charge is performed, the control unit 1203 determines the current remaining battery level of the battery 1205 and the maximum from the battery information management unit 1206. Information on the battery capacity is acquired (step S1411). Then, the amount of power required to fully charge the battery 1205 calculated based on the remaining battery capacity and the maximum battery capacity is determined as the charge request amount (step S1412).

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination in step S1402, if the charge request amount determination mode number is “mode 2” (second mode) in which the charge amount is manually input, the control unit 1203 displays the charge request amount input screen on the display unit 1201. Is displayed to prompt the user to set the required charging amount (step S1421). And the numerical value calculated based on the information input from the user by the operation part 1202 is determined as a charge requirement amount (step S1422). At this time, the control unit 1203 stores the determined charge request amount in the storage unit 1204.

  If it is determined in step S1402 that the charge request amount determination mode number is “mode 3” (third mode) using the previous charge amount, the process proceeds to step S1431. Then, the control unit 1203 checks whether or not the information on the requested charge amount input last time is stored in the storage unit 1204 (step S1431). As a result of this check, if information on the requested charge amount is stored, the value is determined as the requested charge amount (step S1432). On the other hand, as a result of the check in step S1431, if the information on the required charge amount is not stored, the required charge amount is determined for the first time in mode 3. In this case, the process proceeds to step S1421, and the requested charge amount is determined by the same method as in mode 2.

  The control unit 1203 of the mobile phone 1101 sets the information on the charge request amount determined by the charge request amount determination process shown in FIG. 5 as described above in the power supply request command (request information). And it transmits to the digital camera 2101 via the data communication part 1209 which is a 1st communication means (step S1302).

  On the other hand, when the control unit 2203 of the digital camera 2101 receives a notification that the power supply request command is received from the data communication unit 2209 as the second communication means, the control request amount set in the power supply request command is set. A determination process is performed (step S2301).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation procedure of the required charge amount determination process in step S2301 of FIG.
The control unit 2203 acquires current battery remaining amount information of the battery 2205 from the battery information management unit 2206. Then, a difference from the charge request amount set in the power supply request command is calculated and set as the remaining battery level of the battery 2205 (step S1500).

  Next, the battery remaining amount after charging is compared with the unrechargeable battery remaining amount setting value input in advance by the user and stored in the storage unit 2204 (step S1501).

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for setting a remaining battery level that is a reference for disabling supply in the present embodiment.
In the present embodiment, the user can set the remaining amount of the battery (1205, 2205) for permitting power supply when there is a request for power from the device on the power receiving side.
That is, when the user operates the operation unit (1202, 2202) and requests setting of the remaining battery level for permitting power supply, the control unit (1203, 2203) displays the screen shown in FIG. 2201) display. The user can operate the operation unit (1202, 2202) to input a threshold value of the remaining electric power necessary for supplying power in the blank space 8100. In this way, when the remaining battery level of the device on the power supply side for inter-device charging is less than the value input by the user's operation, the power supply is set not to be performed. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the set content is stored in the storage unit (1204, 2204).

  As a result of the comparison in step S1501, if the remaining battery level after charging is equal to or greater than the unsuppliable battery level setting value, the control unit 2203 determines that power can be supplied, ends the subroutine, and proceeds to the next step S2302. Then, an acknowledgment response is returned to the mobile phone 1101 via the data communication unit 2209 (step S2302). As a result, a standby state for receiving a charge start command via the data communication unit 2209 is entered.

  On the other hand, when the control unit 1203 on the mobile phone 1101 side receives the notification that the acknowledgment response has been received from the data communication unit 1209, the control unit 1203 transmits the power received via the power transmission / reception unit 1208 to the charge / discharge control unit 1207. A command is issued to charge 1205. Then, a charge start command is transmitted to the digital camera 2101 via the data communication unit 1209 (step S1303).

  When the control unit 2203 on the digital camera 2101 side receives a notification that the charge start command has been received from the data communication unit 2209, it returns an acknowledgment response to the mobile phone 1101 via the data communication unit 2209. Then, it instructs the charge / discharge control unit 2207 to transmit the required amount of charge from the battery 2205 via the power transmission / reception unit 2208 (step S2303). Thereby, charging is performed.

  Next, the charge / discharge control unit 2207 monitors the supply amount of power and determines whether or not the required charge amount has been reached (step S2304). As a result of this determination, if the requested charge amount has not been reached, the process waits as it is, and if the requested charge amount has been reached, the charge / discharge control unit 2207 stops power transmission and notifies the control unit 2203 that power transmission has been completed. To do. Upon receiving the notification, the control unit 2203 transmits a power supply completion notification to the mobile phone 1101 via the data communication unit 2209, and displays a message indicating that the power supply has been completed on the display unit 2201 (step S2305). .

  Upon receiving notification from the data communication unit 1209 that the power supply completion notification has been received, the control unit 1203 on the mobile phone 1101 side instructs the charge / discharge control unit 1207 to end charging. Further, a message indicating that the charging is completed is displayed on the display unit 1201, and an inter-device charging end command is transmitted from the data communication unit 1209 to the digital camera 2101 to end the inter-device charging mode (step S1304).

  Next, the processing in the case where it is determined in the charging request amount determination processing in step S2301 in FIG. 3 that it is impossible to supply the required amount of power will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a charging process procedure according to the present embodiment. Although not shown in FIG. 4, the processing up to step S2301 in FIG. 4 is the same as the processing up to step S2301 in FIG.

  In the charge request amount determination process (step S2301) shown in FIG. 6, if the battery remaining amount after charging is less than the unsupplyable battery remaining value as a result of the comparison in step S1501, it is determined that power supply is impossible. To do. Therefore, the control unit 2203 sets the difference between the current remaining battery level and the unusable battery remaining value as the current maximum power amount that can be supplied (hereinafter, “suppliable power amount”) (step S1511), and ends the subroutine. Proceed to the next Step S2600. If the current remaining battery level is less than the unrechargeable battery level, the suppliable power amount is set to zero.

  Next, the control unit 2203 generates a charge request amount abnormality response including warning information indicating that the requested power amount cannot be supplied together with the suppliable power amount, and returns the response to the mobile phone 1101 via the data communication unit 2209. (Step S2600). Further, the control unit 2203 displays a warning message on the display unit 2201 indicating that a charge amount that cannot be supplied is requested (step S2601).

  On the other hand, the control unit 1203 on the mobile phone 1101 side receives a notification from the data communication unit 1209 that a charge request amount abnormality response has been received as a warning. Then, a warning message indicating that the partner device cannot supply the requested amount of power is displayed on the display unit 1201 (step S1600).

  Next, it is determined whether or not there is power that can be supplied with reference to information on the power supply that can be supplied included in the charge request amount abnormality response (step S1601). As a result of this determination, if there is power that can be supplied (not 0), information on the amount of power that can be supplied is further displayed on the display unit 1201 (step S1602).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the current mode is mode 2 (step S1603). If the result of this determination is mode 1 or mode 3, the charge request amount determination mode number stored in the storage unit 1204 is set to mode 2 in order to prompt the user to reset and update the charge amount. Switching (step S1604). Then, similarly to the charge request amount determination process (step S1301), the process shown in FIG. 5 is performed again (step S1605). At this time, since the mode is switched to mode 2, an input screen for updating the charge amount shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. On the other hand, if the result of determination in step S1603 is mode 2, in order to maintain the current mode, the process proceeds directly to step S1605 and the process shown in FIG. 5 is performed again (step S1605).

  Then, the charging request amount information determined in step S1605 is set in the power supply request command, and is transmitted again to the digital camera 2101 via the data communication unit 1209 (step S1606). As a result, the charge request amount determination process is performed again in the digital camera 2101. If it is possible to supply as a result of performing the charge request amount determination process again, charging is performed by the same process as step S2302 and subsequent steps in FIG. If the supply is impossible, the process returns to step S2600 in FIG. 4 and the same processing is repeated.

  If the suppliable power amount is 0 as a result of the determination in step S1601, the control unit 1203 transmits an inter-device charge end command from the data communication unit 1209 to the digital camera 2101 to end the inter-device charge mode. (Step S1304).

  In addition, after the process of step S1300, when the notification that the rejection response to the power supply availability confirmation command is received from the data communication unit 1209 is received, or the notification that the timer 1211 started to monitor the response has timed out There is a case to receive. In this case, the control unit 1203 displays a warning on the display unit 1201 that the presence of a chargeable counterpart device cannot be confirmed, and ends the inter-device charge mode.

  Although the charging system according to the present embodiment has been described above, the embodiment is not necessarily limited to the above, and may be partially changed. For example, in the present embodiment, charging is performed using the cable 3101 as shown in FIG. 1, but charging may be performed wirelessly. That is, a configuration in which charging is performed wirelessly using a known electromagnetic induction method may be provided.

  Further, in the present embodiment, charging is terminated by supplying predetermined power. However, for example, the charging may be terminated by detaching the cable 3101 or an operation from the user. In this embodiment, only one-way charging from the digital camera 2101 to the mobile phone 1101 is shown. However, electronic devices that can perform both charging and power transmission can be charged with each other. . Furthermore, in this embodiment, both the mobile phone 1101 and the digital camera 2101 include a secondary battery. However, the digital camera 2101 that is the second electronic device may be a device that is capable of only power transmission including a primary battery. Good.

  In this embodiment, it is determined whether charging is possible on the digital camera 2101 side, which is the second electronic device, but it may also be determined on the mobile phone 1101 side, which is the first electronic device. In this case, the digital camera 2101 returns the suppliable power amount in response to the charge start command, and determines whether or not charging is possible at the timing when the required power amount for charging is determined on the mobile phone 1101 side.

  Further, in the present embodiment, mAh (milliampere hour) is adopted as a setting unit when performing screen input of the charge amount and the remaining battery level that cannot be supplied, but this is not restrictive. It may be a unit specific to a device that can be converted into a power amount, such as a percentage with respect to the battery capacity, a standby time in the mobile phone 1101, or a number of shots in the digital camera 2101.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the remaining battery level after charging is less than the unsupplyable battery level value, a charge request amount abnormality response is transmitted to the mobile phone 1101 together with information on the suppliable power amount. I made it. Accordingly, the user can easily take measures such as updating the charge amount with reference to the suppliable power amount or trying to charge from another electronic device.

(Other embodiments according to the present invention)
Each step of the charging system, the power supply device, the charging device, the charging device, the charging method, the power supply method, and the charging device control method in the embodiment of the present invention described above is stored in a RAM or a ROM of a computer. It can be realized by running the program. This program and a computer-readable storage medium storing the program are included in the present invention.

  In addition, the present invention can be implemented as, for example, a system, apparatus, method, program, storage medium, or the like. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system including a plurality of devices. The present invention may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device.

  In the present invention, a software program (in the embodiment, a program corresponding to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 3 to 6) for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments may be directly or remotely supplied to the system or apparatus. Including. This includes the case where the system or the computer of the apparatus is also achieved by reading and executing the supplied program code.

  Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention are implemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer also implements the present invention. In other words, the present invention includes a computer program itself for realizing the functional processing of the present invention.

  In that case, as long as it has the function of a program, it may be in the form of object code, a program executed by an interpreter, script data supplied to the OS, and the like.

  Examples of the storage medium for supplying the program include a flexible disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, and a magneto-optical disk. Further, there are MO, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, DVD (DVD-ROM, DVD-R) and the like.

  As another program supply method, there is a method of connecting to a homepage on the Internet using a browser of a client computer. It can also be supplied by downloading the computer program itself of the present invention or a compressed file including an automatic installation function from a homepage to a storage medium such as a hard disk.

  It can also be realized by dividing the program code constituting the program of the present invention into a plurality of files and downloading each file from a different homepage. That is, a WWW server that allows a plurality of users to download a program file for realizing the functional processing of the present invention on a computer is also included in the present invention.

  As another method, the program of the present invention is encrypted, stored in a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, distributed to users, and encrypted from a homepage via the Internet to users who have cleared predetermined conditions. Download the key information to be solved. It is also possible to execute the encrypted program by using the key information and install the program on a computer.

  Further, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the computer executing the read program. Furthermore, based on the instructions of the program, an OS or the like running on the computer performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments can be realized by the processing.

  As another method, a program read from a storage medium is first written in a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. Then, based on the instructions of the program, the CPU or the like provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are also realized by the processing.

It is a figure which shows the example of an external appearance of the charging system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the example of schematic structure of the mobile telephone and digital camera which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the charge process sequence in case the charge in the charging system which concerns on embodiment of this invention is possible. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the charge process sequence in case the electric power of the charge requirement amount in the charging system which concerns on embodiment of this invention cannot be supplied. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement procedure of the charge requirement amount determination process in FIG.3 S1301. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the operation | movement procedure of the charge requirement amount determination process in FIG.3 S2301. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen which sets the charge requirement amount determination mode number in embodiment of this invention. In embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows an example of the screen for setting the battery remaining charge used as the reference | standard which makes supply impossible. In embodiment of this invention, it is a figure which shows an example of the input screen for updating charge amount.

Explanation of symbols

1101 Mobile phone 1201 Display unit 1202 Operation unit 1203 Control unit 1204 Storage unit 1205 Battery 1206 Battery information management unit 1207 Charge / discharge control unit 1208 Power transmission / reception unit 1209 Data communication unit 1210 Memory 1211 Timer 2101 Digital camera 2201 Display unit 2202 Operation unit 2203 Control Unit 2204 storage unit 2205 battery 2206 battery information management unit 2207 charge / discharge control unit 2208 power transmission / reception unit 2209 data communication unit 2210 memory 2211 timer

Claims (16)

A charging system comprising: a first electronic device that charges a secondary battery; and a second electronic device that supplies power to the first electronic device,
The first electronic device includes:
Determining means for determining the amount of power required for the second electronic device;
First communication means for transmitting power supply request information including information on the requested power amount determined by the determining means to the second electronic device;
Charging means for charging the secondary battery using electric power supplied from the second electronic device,
The second electronic device is
Second communication means for receiving power supply request information transmitted from the first electronic device;
Power supply means for supplying power to the first electronic device;
A charging system comprising: warning means for sending warning information indicating the fact to the first electronic device by the second communication means when the requested amount of power cannot be supplied.   The determining means switches between a first charging mode for determining the requested electric energy by a user operation and a second charging mode for determining the requested electric energy regardless of a user operation. The charging system according to claim 1.   The first communication unit receives the warning information transmitted from the second communication unit, and the determination unit charges the user when the first communication unit receives the warning information. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein the amount is promptly reset.   The warning device further displays a warning message on the display unit of the second electronic device when the requested amount of power cannot be supplied. The charging system described.   The first communication unit receives the warning information transmitted from the second communication unit, and the first electronic device responds to the fact that the first communication unit receives the warning information. The charging system according to claim 1, further comprising warning display means for displaying a warning message on a display unit of the first electronic device. It further comprises operation means for inputting an input signal based on a user operation,
The determination means sets a mode for starting charging by the charging means to the first charging mode or the second charging mode according to an input signal from the operating means. 2. The charging system according to 2.   The determination means includes a first mode for determining the required power amount so that the secondary battery is fully charged, a second mode for determining the required power amount by a user operation, and a previous charge. 2. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein the mode is switched to one of the third modes in which the same amount of power as requested at the time is set as the requested amount of power.   2. The charging system according to claim 1, wherein the warning unit further transmits information on an amount of power that can be supplied by the second electronic device together with the warning information. A power supply device that supplies power to a charging device that charges a secondary battery,
Receiving means for receiving, from the charging device, power supply request information including information on the amount of power to be requested;
Power supply means for supplying power to the charging device;
When determining whether or not the requested amount of power can be supplied to the charging device based on the power supply request information received by the receiving unit, and cannot supply the requested amount of power And a warning means for generating warning information to warn to that effect. A charging device for charging a secondary battery,
Power receiving means for receiving power supplied from a power supply device;
Charging means for charging the secondary battery using the power received by the power receiving means;
Communication means for transmitting power supply request information including information on the amount of power requested to the power supply device to the power supply device, and receiving information transmitted from the power supply device;
And display means for displaying information for setting the requested amount of power when the communication means receives warning information indicating that the requested amount of power cannot be supplied from the power supply device. And charging equipment. A charging method in a charging system comprising: a first electronic device that charges a secondary battery; and a second electronic device that supplies power to the first electronic device,
A determining step of determining an amount of power required for the second electronic device;
A first communication step of transmitting, to the second electronic device, power supply request information including information on the requested power amount determined in the determination step;
A charging step of charging the secondary battery using electric power supplied from the second electronic device;
A second communication step of receiving power supply request information transmitted from the first electronic device;
A power supply step of supplying power to the first electronic device;
A charging method comprising: a warning step of transmitting warning information indicating the fact to the first electronic device in the second communication step when the requested amount of power cannot be supplied. A power supply method for supplying power to a charging device for charging a secondary battery,
A receiving step of receiving, from the charging device, power supply request information including information on the amount of power to be requested;
A power supply step for supplying power to the charging device;
When determining whether or not the requested amount of power can be supplied to the charging device based on the power supply request information received in the receiving step, and cannot supply the requested amount of power And a warning process for generating warning information to warn to that effect. A method of controlling a charging device for charging a secondary battery,
A power receiving process for receiving power supplied from a power supply device;
A charging step of charging the secondary battery using the power received in the power receiving step;
A communication step of transmitting request information for power supply including information on the amount of power required for the power supply device to the power supply device, and receiving information transmitted from the power supply device;
A display step of displaying information for setting the requested amount of power when warning information indicating that the requested amount of power cannot be supplied from the power supply device is received in the communication step. The control method of the charging device. A program for causing a computer to execute each step of a power supply method for supplying power to a charging device for charging a secondary battery,
A receiving step of receiving, from the charging device, power supply request information including information on the amount of power to be requested;
A power supply step for supplying power to the charging device;
When determining whether or not the requested amount of power can be supplied to the charging device based on the power supply request information received in the receiving step, and cannot supply the requested amount of power And causing a computer to execute a warning process for generating warning information to warn to that effect. A program for causing a computer to execute each step of a control method of a charging device for charging a secondary battery,
A power receiving process for receiving power supplied from a power supply device;
A charging step of charging the secondary battery using the power received in the power receiving step;
A communication step of transmitting request information for power supply including information on the amount of power required for the power supply device to the power supply device, and receiving information transmitted from the power supply device;
When warning information indicating that the requested amount of power cannot be supplied in the communication step is received from the power supply device, the computer is caused to execute a display step for displaying information for setting the requested amount of power. A program characterized by that.   A computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to claim 14 or 15.

Images