JP7148698B2 - Wearable device and its battery and power supply system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to technology for contactless power supply to wearable devices such as head mounted displays (hereinafter referred to as HMDs).

The following techniques are known as contactless power feeding techniques for wearable devices worn by users on their bodies.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-200003 discloses electronic spectacles having a variable focus lens and a charging device for the electronic spectacles. The charging device is fitted in a modern portion of the electronic spectacles, and electric power is supplied from the power transmitting coil of the charging device to the power receiving coil of the electronic spectacles by electromagnetic induction. Disclosed is a configuration for supplying power to charge driving batteries of electronic eyeglasses.

Patent Literature 2 relates to a wearable device having a heating unit that warms the eye front part placed in front of the user's eye, and heats an electric wire wound around the eye front part to heat the eye front part. is a power receiving coil that receives power supply from the power transmitting coil in a contactless manner.

Patent Document 3 relates to a power supply system from a secondary battery module to an electronic device (for example, a spectacle-type device). A configuration is disclosed in which a power transmission unit that performs power transmission and a flexible thermoelectric generator are housed, and power is transmitted from the power transmission unit of the secondary battery module to the power reception unit of the electronic device by contactless power transmission.

JP 2009-251068 A JP 2016-032213 A JP 2016-073196 A

In recent years, HMDs have come to play a role like wearable computers, smart phones, and tablets. In addition, glasses-type transmissive HMDs are augmented reality (AR)
As a core device of VR: Augmented Reality, an immersive HMD is regarded as important as a core device of VR. In some cases, the HMD is used to enjoy movies and games.

However, since the power consumption increases as the functionality of the HMD becomes more sophisticated, the available battery capacity of the conventional battery becomes insufficient, and the HMD cannot be used continuously while attached. In the middle of the process, the HMD must be charged by connecting it to an external power source with a cable, or the user must stop using the HMD to charge the battery, which is an annoyance to the user. In order to continue using the HMD while wearing it, the capacity of the on-board battery should be increased, but the weight increases accordingly. In particular, the eyeglass-type HMD, like ordinary eyeglasses, bears the weight of the device on the user's ears and nose. As with mobile terminals, HMDs have become smaller and thinner, but on the other hand, cable connection during charging or during use is troublesome, and there is an increasing demand from users for a simple charging method. In this way, the ability to continue to use the device while it is worn and the elimination of the troublesomeness of cable connection are important issues for wearable devices that are worn on the body at all times.

In Patent Document 1, in order to charge the driving battery of the electronic spectacles, the user performs an operation of fitting the portable charging device into the end portion of the electronic spectacles. At that time, the electronic spectacles move, or the electronic spectacles have to be temporarily removed from the head, and the use of the electronic spectacles is temporarily interrupted. That is, it seems difficult for the user to continue to use the electronic glasses while wearing them. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-100000 describes a method of charging by connecting a portable charger to an external power source while attached to the end portion of the electronic eyeglasses, but the problem of troublesome cable connection remains. In addition, since the portable charging device is connected to the charger through an external terminal, it has a terminal that is exposed to the outside.

Patent Literature 2 describes that an electric wire wound around the front part of the wearable device serves as a power receiving coil, and receives power from an external power transmitting coil in a contactless manner. At that time, in order to receive desired power supply from the external power transmission coil, the distance between the power transmission coil and the power reception coil must be close. This is to suppress the leakage of radio waves to the surroundings within an allowable value during power transmission. As described in Patent Literature 2, when the electronic glasses are placed on a charging stand or the like and the power transmission coil and the power reception coil are close to each other, desired power transmission is possible. However, when the wearable device is worn by the user, the external power transmission coil must be brought close to the front of the eye (position of the power reception coil), which hinders the user's field of vision. That is, it is expected that sufficient power cannot be supplied when the wearable device is worn by the user.

In Patent Document 3, the electronic device (spectacles-type device) is configured to receive electric power in a non-contact manner from a belt-shaped secondary battery module worn on the waist. In this case as well, considering the distance from the waist to the head of the user, it is expected that it will be difficult to supply the power consumption of a glasses-type device such as an HMD. Further, Patent Document 3 describes that the secondary battery can be charged through a cable from a terminal portion, but as described above, charging through a cable is troublesome for the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a wearable device that can supply the power required to drive the wearable device while the wearable device is worn and that is less troublesome for the user during use.

To give an example of the present invention, a wearable device is equipped with at least first and second batteries, a plurality of power receiving units that receive power from the first and second batteries by wireless transmission, and a power supply management unit that monitors the states of the first and second batteries that are attached, a communication unit that performs wireless communication with the first and second batteries that are attached, and a display that provides information to the user and a plurality of limiting units that limit power received by the plurality of power receiving units, and a control unit that controls the power receiving unit, the power management unit, the communication unit, the display, and the limiting unit. . The control unit limits power supplied to the load via the limiter according to the power usage status of the load in the wearable device, and the power management unit controls the wearable device via the communication unit. information on the remaining amount of power stored in the first and second batteries is obtained, and the obtained information on the remaining amount of power is displayed on the display.

Further, the plurality of limiting units have a function of preventing reverse current flow to the first and second batteries, and the power management unit controls the amount of charge remaining in the first battery during use. When it is determined that the current is smaller than the threshold value, the controller controls the reverse current prevention function of the limiter to prevent the power receiving system from the first battery in use to the second battery on standby. and display a warning on the display prompting the user to replace the first battery in use.

The battery of the present invention can be attached to a wearable device to supply power and can be charged by a charger, and includes a storage battery unit that stores power and transmits power from the storage battery unit to the wearable device by wireless transmission. a power transmitting/receiving unit that receives power from the charger to charge the storage battery unit; a conversion unit that converts between a direct current and an alternating current between the storage battery unit and the power transmitting/receiving unit; A power storage state recognition unit that detects and holds the remaining power amount or power storage state information of the storage battery unit, a communication unit that performs wireless communication between the wearable device and the charger, the power transmission/reception unit, and the power storage state recognition unit. and a control unit that controls the communication unit, wherein the power storage state recognition unit transmits information on the remaining power storage amount of the storage battery unit to the wearable device via the communication unit, and the charging device, and when the control unit receives a control command from the wearable device via the communication unit, the control unit instructs to stop power transmission from the storage battery unit to the wearable device. Characterized by

Further, the power supply system of the present invention includes a wearable device, a battery for powering the wearable device, and a charger for charging the battery. The wearable device is equipped with at least first and second batteries, a plurality of power receiving units that receive power from the first and second batteries by wireless transmission, and the first and second mounted batteries. a power management unit that monitors the state of the battery and a third battery being charged by the charger; and a communication unit that performs wireless communication between the first and second batteries and the charger. , a display for providing information to a user. The first to third batteries include a first storage battery unit that stores electric power, transmit power from the first storage battery unit to the wearable device by wireless transmission, and charge the first storage battery unit. a power transmitting/receiving unit that receives power from the charger to perform charging; a power storage state recognition unit that detects and holds information about the remaining power storage amount of the first storage battery unit or power storage state information during charging; and a communication unit that performs wireless communication with the charger. The charger includes a second storage battery unit that stores electric power, a power transmission unit that transmits electric power from the second storage battery unit to the third battery that is being charged by wireless transmission, and the third battery that is being charged. and a communication unit that performs wireless communication between the wearable device and the third battery. The wearable device displays, on the display, information on the remaining amount of charge obtained from the first and second batteries attached and information on the state of charge of the third battery being charged obtained from the charger. and switching the power receiving system from the first battery in use to the second battery in standby when it is determined that the remaining power storage amount of the first battery in use is smaller than the threshold value. In addition, a warning is displayed on the display to prompt the user to replace the first battery in use.

According to the present invention, the user can replenish necessary power while wearing the wearable device, and can continue to use the device. For example, even when the user watches a movie for a long time, the feeling of wearing the wearable device can be improved by increasing the number of batteries installed. Improve usability.

1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a power supply system including an HMD, a battery, and a charger (Example 1); FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the HMD 100; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the battery 200; 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of charger 300. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing power transmission between the HMD 100 and batteries 200a and 200b in use. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing power transfer between a battery 200c being charged and a charger 300; Fig. 3 shows the communication between the HMD, the battery in use and the charger; Fig. 3 shows the communication between the HMD, the charging battery and the charger; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of displaying various function menus of the HMD on the display; The figure which shows the example which displayed the condition of the battery on the display. The figure which shows the data transmission of an electric power feeding system and a cloud. The figure which shows the control of the electric power transmission between HMD and a battery (Example 2). 4 is a flowchart showing processing for removing a battery in use from the HMD; 4 is a flowchart showing a process of switching a battery in use to a battery in standby; 4 is a flowchart showing processing when the battery is removed from the HMD; The figure which shows the operation|movement which mount|wears HMD and a charger with a battery (Example 3). FIG. 2 shows an example of a power system circuit within a battery; The figure which shows an example of the internal structure of a battery. The figure which shows the state when mounting|wearing HMD with a battery. The figure which shows the other example of a battery internal structure. The figure which shows the modification of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of a charger 400 that charges a battery attached to an HMD; The figure which shows the structure of the electric power feeding system which supplies electric power not only from a battery but from the charger 500 to HMD (Example 4). FIG. 20B is a diagram showing a specific application example of the power supply system of FIG. 20A;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the description of the embodiments shown below. Those skilled in the art will easily understand that the specific configuration can be changed without departing from the idea or gist of the present invention. In the configuration of the invention described below, the same reference numerals may be used in common for the same parts or parts having similar functions between different drawings, and redundant description may be omitted.

Embodiment 1 describes the basic configuration of power supply to the wearable device in the present invention. As an example of a wearable device worn on the body by a user, a glasses-type head-mounted display (hereinafter referred to as HMD) will be taken up. The HMD is equipped with a plurality of batteries, and when the remaining amount of the battery in use runs short, it is removed from the HMD and charged with a charger. While the battery is being charged, another standby battery is switched to supply power to the HMD, so the user can continue to use the HMD. At this time, the HMD and the battery, and the battery and the charger, are configured to transmit power wirelessly (non-contact), and to mutually transmit information such as the remaining amount of the battery and the amount of charge.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a power supply system including HMD 100, battery 200 and charger 300. As shown in FIG. First, the basic operation will be explained. The spectacles-type HMD 100 has power receiving units 102a and 102b on the symmetrical temple portions (temple portions 114) of the spectacles, to which two batteries 200a and 200b are attached. Electric power is supplied from the batteries 200a and 200b to the power receiving units 102a and 102b via power transmitting/receiving coils. Although two batteries are mounted here, it is of course possible to mount two or more batteries.

When the HMD 100 is used and one of the batteries 200a runs out of remaining power, the display 119 of the HMD 100 displays a warning of the remaining power shortage. The user removes the battery 200a from the power receiving unit 102a and inserts it into the charging slots 311 of the charger 300 (four slots 311a to 311d in this example). In the meantime, the HMD 100 switches to the other standby battery 200b and continues its operation.

The charging operation from the charger 300 to the battery 200a also supplies power through the power transmitting/receiving coil. When the charging of the battery 200a is completed, the display section of the HMD 100 informs the completion of charging, and the user removes the battery 200a and attaches it to the power receiving section 102a of the HMD 100. FIG. In this manner, a plurality of batteries are attached to the HMD 100 and alternately switched for use, so that the user can continue to use the HMD 100 . However, since the replacement work of the battery 200 for the HMD 100 and the work of inserting the battery 200 into the charger 300 are performed while the user is wearing the HMD 100, the following measures are taken.

In the HMD 100, an infrared sensor 115a is installed toward the outside of the temple portion immediately behind the power receiving portion 102a to which the battery 200 is attached. Similarly, an infrared sensor 115b is installed in the power receiving unit 102b on the opposite side. When the user removes the battery 200a attached to the power receiving unit 102a, the user can easily remove the battery 200a by inserting a finger into the recess at the rear end of the power receiving unit 102a. At that time, infrared sensor 115a near the rear end of power receiving unit 102a detects that a hand approaches to remove battery 200a. If the user mistakenly removes battery 200b (right eye side) instead of battery 200a (left eye side), infrared sensor 115b installed near power receiving unit 102b on the right eye side detects the approach of the user's hand. By detecting and issuing a warning that the battery to be replaced now is not the battery for the right eye but the battery for the left eye, erroneous operations by the user can be prevented.

Next, the user inserts and installs the removed battery 200 a into one of the plurality of charging slots 311 a to 311 d of the charger 300 . The slot number portions 312a to 312d corresponding to each charging slot have a convex structure in the form of a number, and the user can recognize the slot number and orientation of the charger by touching them with a finger. In the slot number portion 312, a red LED is lit when battery charging is started, and a green LED is lit when charging is completed. The same is true for the battery 200 inserted in the charging slot 311. When charging is started, the red LED 215 is lit, and when charging is completed, the green LED 215 is lit.

Further, the glasses-type HMD 100 can be attached to and detached from the head by widening the temple portion. Strain sensors 116a and 116b are provided at the end of the temple section on the display section side, and by detecting the spread when the HMD is worn by the strain sensors 116a and 116b, it can be understood that the head is detached. If the detection signals of the strain sensors 116a and 116b do not change for a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute), the HMD 100 automatically enters the standby mode, and when the detection signals change again, the HMD operation is started. Thereby, power consumption of the HMD 100 can be saved. A camera 120 and an infrared sensor 115c are provided on the front side of the HMD 100 .
Next, respective configurations of the HMD 100, the battery 200, and the charger 300 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the HMD 100. As shown in FIG. The HMD 100 comprises a control section 101 , a memory section 105 , a power management section 106 , a sensor section 107 , a communication section 108 , a data output section 109 and a data input section 110 . A control unit 101 controls the overall operation of the HMD 100 .

The memory unit 105 stores information on the internal state of the HMD 100 and information on the state of charge of the battery 200, and stores image data to be displayed on the HMD. The power management unit 106 includes a power receiving unit 102, a converting unit 103, and a limiting unit 104 for receiving power from the battery 200 in use, and supplies power to each unit within the HMD 100. FIG. The power receiving unit 102 has a power receiving coil for wirelessly receiving power. The power management unit 106 also monitors the state of the battery 200 being used by the HMD 100, the battery 200 being charged by the charger 300, and the internal battery. The frequency counter 121 detects that the battery 200 in use is disconnected. Details of these operations will be described later.

The sensor unit 107 includes an infrared sensor 115 and a strain sensor 116, and may also include an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a magnetic sensor, a temperature sensor, an electrostatic sensor, a tactile sensor, and the like as necessary. The communication unit 108 may be equipped with a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark) for wirelessly communicating with the battery 200 and the charger 300, and may also be equipped with a GPS (Global Positioning System) positional information acquisition function and a One Seg function.

The data output unit 109 includes a display 119 that displays images and information to be provided to the user at the lens portion of the glasses, a speaker (earphone) that outputs sound, a light emitting element, and the like. The data input unit 110 includes a camera 120 that captures the scenery in front of the HMD 100, a microphone that inputs voice, an operation input unit from the user, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of battery 200. As shown in FIG. The battery 200 includes a control unit 204 , a communication unit 205 , a memory unit 206 , a power storage state recognition unit 207 , a power storage unit 208 and a display unit 209 . Control unit 204 controls the overall operation of battery 200 .

The communication unit 205 includes a wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark) for wirelessly communicating with the HMD 100 and the charger 300 . The memory unit 206 can store information on the internal state of the battery 200 and can store image data to be displayed on the HMD 100 .

A power storage state recognition unit 207 detects the remaining power storage amount or the charge amount of the battery and holds the information. The power storage unit 208 includes a power storage unit 201 made up of power storage elements, and a power transmission/reception unit 203 that transmits power to or receives power from the conversion unit 202 , the HMD 100 , or the charger 300 . The power transmission/reception unit 203 has a power transmission/reception coil for wirelessly transmitting and receiving power. The display unit 209 is an LED 215 that displays the charge amount of the battery in different colors.

In the following description, the battery 200 will be distinguished as 200a to 200d (the same applies to the internal elements of the battery) according to its state of use (in use with an HMD, while being charged with a charger).

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of charger 300. As shown in FIG. The charger 300 includes a control section 301 , a communication section 302 , a memory section 303 , a battery monitoring section 304 during charging, a display section 305 and a power supply section 306 . Control unit 301 controls the overall operation of charger 300 .

The communication unit 302 includes a wireless LAN and Bluetooth (registered trademark) for wirelessly communicating with the HMD 100 and the battery 200 . Furthermore, it may have a function of acquiring location information by GPS and a one-segment function.

The memory unit 303 can store information on the internal state of the charger 300 and information on the state of charge of the battery 200 , and can store image data to be displayed on the HMD 100 .

The charging battery monitoring unit 304 acquires information on the charge amount of the battery 200 being charged. A display unit 305 is an LED that displays the start and completion of battery charging in different colors.

A power supply unit 306 includes a storage battery unit 307 that supplies power to the battery 200 , a conversion unit 308 , and a power transmission unit 309 . The power transmission unit 309 has a power transmission coil for wirelessly transmitting power. Note that the display unit 305 and the power supply unit 306 are provided in the same number as the charging slots 311 .

Here, the storage battery unit 307 of the power supply unit 306 can be charged by an external power supply. Then, an external power supply is used in combination according to the usage status of the HMD 100 . For example, when the user sits in one place and uses the HMD 100 for a long time like watching a movie, the power supply unit 306 is connected to an external power supply such as a commercial power supply. On the other hand, when the HMD 100 is carried around, the battery 200 of the HMD is charged by the charged storage battery unit 307 .

In FIGS. 2 to 4, the power transmission unit/power reception unit is equipped with a power transmission coil/power reception coil, and the communication unit is equipped with an antenna, but these are omitted in the drawings for simplification.

5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating power transmission among the HMD 100, battery 200, and charger 300. FIG. 5A shows power transfer between the HMD 100 and the batteries 200a and 200b in use, and FIG. 5B shows power transfer between the battery 200c and the charger 300 during charging.

In FIG. 5A, a plurality (here, two) of batteries 200a and 200b can be attached to the HMD 100, and electric power can be supplied from each of the batteries 200a and 200b. DC currents flow out from the storage battery units 201a and 201b of the battery, and are converted into AC currents of 150 kHz, for example, by the conversion units 202a and 202b. Then, power is wirelessly transmitted to the HMD 100 from the power transmission units 203a and 203b (power transmission coils).

The HMD 100 has a plurality of power receiving units 102a and 102b (power receiving coils), which receive power wirelessly transmitted at, for example, 150 kHz from the batteries 200a and 200b. The converters 103a and 103b convert the received AC current into a predetermined DC current. The limiting units 104a and 104b supply DC current to the control unit 101, but limit the power to be supplied according to the power usage status of the load in the HMD 100. FIG. Therefore, the control unit 101 sends a control signal for power limitation to the limiter 104 based on the state of power consumption of the load, but this is omitted in the drawing.

How to use the plurality of batteries 200a and 200b in the HMD 100 can be set by selecting the control sequence performed by the control unit 101, such as preferentially using the battery with the smaller remaining charge amount. Further, by enabling the power receiving units 102a and 102b and the converting units 103a and 103b to perform bidirectional power transmission and power conversion, one power receiving unit, for example 102a, is always equipped with the battery 200a, and the other power receiving unit is equipped with the battery 200a. 102b can be set for replacement only. As a result, the battery 200b attached to the power receiving unit 102b can be set to provide power necessary for operating the HMD 100 and to store power in the battery 200a. In this case, even if one hand cannot be used for some reason, it is possible to continue using the HMD 100 for a long time exceeding the usage time with a single battery capacity while wearing the HMD 100 .

By providing a plurality of batteries in this way, the other battery works as a power source for the HMD 100 when the battery is replaced, so the HMD can be used continuously even when the battery is replaced. Furthermore, a built-in battery provided in the power management unit 106 of the HMD 100 can also be used. Although the built-in battery has a smaller battery capacity than the batteries 200a and 200b to be mounted, the HMD can be used continuously even when the battery is replaced by making the battery capacity sufficient to operate the HMD 100 during the battery replacement time. . However, if the battery is not replaced for a predetermined time, the HMD 100 itself is shut down for data preservation.

FIG. 5B shows power transfer (charging operation) from charger 300 to battery 200c. In the power supply unit 306 of the charger 300, the DC current generated from the storage battery unit 307 is converted into AC current by the conversion unit 308, and is wirelessly transmitted from the power transmission unit 309 (power transmission coil) to the battery 200c being charged. . Electric power transmitted from charger 300 is received by power receiving unit 203c (power receiving coil) in power storage unit 208 of battery 200c, converted to direct current by conversion unit 202c, and stored in storage battery unit 201c.

6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating communication among HMD 100, battery 200, and charger 300. FIG. Among them, FIG. 6A shows communication regarding the battery 200a (200b) in use, and FIG. 6B shows communication regarding the battery 200c during charging.

In FIG. 6A, the communication unit 108 of the HMD 100 performs wireless communication with the communication unit 205a of the battery 200a (200b) in use, and the remaining charge amount of the battery obtained by the charge state recognition unit 207a of the battery 200a (200b) in use. information is acquired by the power management unit 106 of the HMD 100 . Further, the communication unit 108 of the HMD 100 wirelessly communicates with the communication unit 302 of the charger 300, and transmits the information of the remaining charge amount of the batteries 200a and 200b in use obtained by the HMD 100. FIG. Also, the communication unit 108 of the HMD 100 transmits a control command such as stopping power transmission from the control unit 101 to the batteries 200a and 200b in use based on the power usage status of the loads in the HMD 100. FIG.

In FIG. 6B, the communication unit 302 of the charger 300 performs wireless communication with the communication unit 205c of the battery 200c that is being charged, and the information (charge amount) on the state of charge of the battery 200c obtained by the state of charge recognition unit 207 of the battery 200c. is acquired by the charging battery monitoring unit 304 of the charger 300 . Further, the communication unit 108 of the HMD 100 wirelessly communicates with the communication unit 302 of the charger 300, and the power management unit 106 of the HMD 100 acquires information on the state of charge of the battery 200c being charged. In addition, the communication unit 108 of the HMD 100 transmits a control command such as a charging start/stop from the control unit 101 to the charger 300 based on the remaining charge amount of the batteries 200a and 200b in use and the power usage status of the load in the HMD 100. and the charger 300 controls the charging battery 200c accordingly.

In this way, the HMD 100 and the charger 300 communicate with each other the remaining charge of the batteries 200a and 200b in use and the charge state information of the battery 200c being charged, and store them in the memory units 105 and 303, respectively.

7A and 7B show display examples of the battery status on the display 119 of the HMD 100. FIG.

FIG. 7A shows an example of various HMD function menus displayed on the display 119 . The user selects a battery-related menu 701 from this menu palette. To check the status of the battery, activate this menu 701 or keep it activated.

FIG. 7B is an example of displaying the battery status on the display 119 . The left display 119a displays a warning prompting replacement of the battery, and the right display 119b displays information on the amount of charge of the battery in each charging slot. When the remaining amount of the battery decreases, a warning message "The left battery is running low" is automatically displayed on the display 119a of the left eye of the HMD 100, prompting the user to replace the battery. At this time, in order to eliminate the misunderstanding of the user, it is displayed on the side of the battery with the low battery level. When this is displayed, the user will replace the left battery.

At that time, the display 119b for the right eye, which is on the opposite side, displays the amount of charge of the battery during charging in each slot as a bar. In this display example, it is shown that the battery in slot number 2 has the maximum amount of charge, and the number of slot 2 and the bar blink. At the same time, in the charger 300, the number 312b (number 2) of the battery charging slot 311b blinks in green, and the LED of the battery 200 also blinks in green. When this is displayed, the user should take out the battery being charged from the charging slot 311b and attach it to the HMD.

As described above, according to the configuration of the first embodiment, the user can replenish power by replacing the battery while wearing the HMD 100, and can continue to use the HMD without interruption. Thus, when replacing the battery of a device, if the battery can be replaced while the device is in use, it is called "hot-swappable." In addition, since the power transmission from the battery 200 to the HMD 100 and the power transmission from the charger 300 to the battery 200 are short distance wireless power transmission, the required power can be easily transmitted. Furthermore, since the battery 200 has a structure in which the metal terminals are not exposed to the outside, even if the HMD is worn on the user's head, there is no fear of corrosion of the terminals due to sweat or short-circuiting between the terminals during battery replacement. Safe use is possible. For example, even when the user watches a movie for a long time, the feeling of wearing the wearable device can be improved by increasing the number of batteries installed. Improve usability.

Here, as a modified example of the first embodiment, a configuration for downloading a large amount of data from the cloud using the power supply system of the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing data transmission between the power supply system of this embodiment and the cloud 600. As shown in FIG. The power supply system includes an HMD 100, a battery 200a being used (attached) to the HMD, a charger 300, and a battery 200c being charged by the charger.

Data transmission between the HMD 100 and the cloud 600 is performed when image data or the like is downloaded from the cloud 600 and viewed on the HMD 100 (reference numeral 601a), and when image data acquired by the data input unit 110 (camera 120) of the HMD 100 is transmitted to the cloud 600. 601b). In either case, since the data is directly transmitted between the HMD 100 and the cloud 600, there is a concern that it will take time to transmit a large amount of data such as movies, and the battery capacity will be insufficient. Therefore, in the configuration of this embodiment, data transmission is performed using the charging time of the battery 200 that is being charged.

The communication unit 302 of the charger 300 downloads data from the cloud 600 and stores it in the memory 206c of the battery 200c being charged. When using the charged battery 200c in the HMD 100, the data stored in the memory unit 206a of the battery 200a in use is read and viewed (path 602a). Conversely, the data generated by the HMD 100 is stored in the memory section 206 of the battery in use 200a using the memory section 105 as a buffer. While the battery is being charged by the charger 300, the stored data is read from the memory section 206c of the battery 200c and uploaded to the cloud 600 via the communication section 302 of the charger 300 (path 602b). In this way, the HMD 100 performs data transmission with the cloud 600 using the memory unit of the battery 200 being charged, thereby effectively transmitting a large amount of data.

In the second embodiment, a configuration for replacing the battery of the HMD while using the HMD, that is, a hot swap function will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing control of power transmission between the HMD and the battery. A plurality of batteries 200a and 200b are attached to the HMD 100, and a configuration for switching between them is shown.

In the HMD 100, the limiting units 104a and 104b have a backflow prevention diode D, a current detection resistor R, a MOS field effect transistor (MOSFET) M1, and a storage capacitor C in power lines supplied from the respective batteries 200a and 200b. . The control unit 101 cuts off the power received from the battery 200 by controlling the ON/OFF of the MOSFET (M1).

Further, the power management units 106 a and 106 b of the HMD 100 have amplifiers and frequency counters 121 a and 121 b to detect that the battery 200 is disconnected from the HMD 100 . When the battery 200 is disconnected, the resonance frequency of the wireless power supply in the power receiving units 102a and 102b fluctuates.

On the other hand, in the batteries 200a, 200b, MOS field effect transistors (MOSFETs) M2a, b are provided between the storage battery units 201a, b in the power storage units 208a, b and the conversion units 202a, b. By controlling the MOSFET (M2) by the control units 204a and 204b, the current flowing from the storage battery units 201a and 201b to the conversion units 202a and 202b is limited. Further, the remaining charge amount of the battery 200 is determined by measuring the voltage VB between the terminals of the storage battery units 201a and 201b by the charge state recognition units 207a and 207b.
The procedure for replacing the battery in use in the HMD will be described below.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the process of removing the battery from the HMD when the remaining charge of the battery in use is insufficient.

In the battery 200 in use, the storage state recognition unit 207 reads the inter-terminal voltage VB (remaining storage amount) of the storage battery unit 201, and communicates with the HMD 100 to transmit it to the HMD 100 (S101). The HMD 100 compares the received voltage VB with a preset first threshold value Vth1 (S102). If the voltage VB is greater than the threshold Vth1, the battery can be used continuously, and the process returns to S101. However, when the voltage VB becomes smaller than the threshold value Vth1, the display 119 of the HMD 100 displays a warning such as "Battery level is low" (S103). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7B, it is displayed on the display 119a on the side of the battery whose remaining charge amount is low.

When the battery 200 is further used, the battery 200 reads and communicates the terminal voltage VB (S104), and the HMD 100 compares the received voltage VB with a preset second threshold value Vth2 (where Vth2< Vth1) (S105). As long as the voltage VB is greater than the threshold value Vth2, the battery can be used continuously, so the process returns to S104. However, when the voltage VB becomes smaller than the threshold value Vth2, the battery is removed.

The HMD 100 turns off the MOSFET (M1) of the limiter 104 (S106) to prevent reverse current flow to the battery 200 side. Further, the battery 200 in use is instructed to turn off the MOSFET (M2), thereby stopping current flow from the storage battery section 201 (S107). At this stage, the display 119 of the HMD 100 displays a warning "Please replace the battery" on the side of the battery with the low remaining charge (S108).

The user removes the battery 200 from the HMD 100 (S109), and turns off communication between the battery 200 and the HMD 100 (S110).

For safety, instead of the two thresholds Vth1 and Vth2, a third threshold Vth3 with a remaining power margin of, for example, about 10% is set. It is also possible to have the user move on to the battery replacement work while the remaining battery power is still sufficient.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing a process of switching to a standby battery when the remaining charge of the battery in use is insufficient. Here, a case of switching from the left battery 200a to the right battery 200b will be described as an example.

Terminal voltage VB (remaining charge amount) of storage battery section 201a of battery 200a in use is read and compared with first threshold value Vth1 and second threshold value Vth2 (S201 to S205). 10 from S101 to S105. When the voltage VB becomes smaller than the threshold value Vth2 (Yes in S205), the battery 200a is switched to the battery 200b.

First, the control unit 101 of the HMD 100 turns off the MOSFET (M1a) of the limiting unit 104a on the side of the battery 200a in use, further turns off the MOSFET (M2a) of the battery 200a in use, and The current outflow is stopped (S206). Next, the MOSFET (M1b) of the limiting unit 104b of the standby battery 200b is turned on, and the MOSFET (M2b) of the standby battery 200b is turned on to start current outflow from the storage battery unit 201b (S207). ). As a result, the power receiving system is switched from the battery 200a to the battery 200b. During this switching, the power of the HMD 100 is covered by the power stored in the capacitor Ca of the limiting unit 104a and the built-in battery of the HMD 100 . Therefore, the operation of the HMD 100 is not interrupted by battery switching.

After that, the display 119a on the left side of the HMD 100 displays a warning "Please replace the battery" (S208). The user removes the battery 200a (S209), and turns off communication between the battery 200a and the HMD 100 (S210).

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing processing when the battery is removed from the HMD. It describes the processing to cut off the power supply not only when the battery is replaced, but also when the battery is disconnected for some reason.

The HMD 100 monitors the resonance frequency FR of the power receiving unit 102 (power receiving coil) using the frequency counter 121 of the power management unit 106 (S301). When the battery 200 in use is detached from the power receiving unit 102 or deviated from a predetermined position, the resonance frequency FR fluctuates. When the frequency counter 121 detects this frequency change (Yes in S302), the control unit 101 of the HMD 100 turns off the MOSFET (M1) of the limiting unit 104 (S303). Further, the communication unit 108 of the HMD 100 communicates with the battery 200, turns off the MOSFET (M2) of the battery 200, and stops current flow from the storage battery unit 201 (S304). At this stage, the display 119 of the HMD 100 displays a warning "Battery disconnected" on the side of the disconnected battery (S305).

According to the second embodiment, when the battery of the HMD 100 is replaced, the user can continue to use the HMD 100 without interruption, and the hot swap function can be realized.

In Example 3, the structure of the battery 200 suitable for mounting on the HMD 100 and the charger 300 will be described.

13A and 13B are diagrams showing an operation of attaching the battery 200 to the HMD 100 and the charger 300. FIG. In the HMD 100, a plurality of magnets 111a, 111b, and 111c are attached to the battery mounting surface of the power receiving section 102. FIG. Although a plurality of magnets are attached here, one may be sufficient. A ferrite having the same shape is attached to the battery 200 . These magnets and ferrite are for aligning the transmitting and receiving coils between the HMD 100 and the battery 200 and for reducing magnetic field leakage. On the other hand, a magnet of the same shape is also attached to the charger 300 to align the transmitting and receiving coils between the charger 300 and the battery 200 and to reduce magnetic field leakage.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a power system circuit within battery 200. As shown in FIG. The battery 200 is composed of a storage battery unit 201 , a conversion unit 202 and a power transmission/reception unit 203 . The conversion unit 202 is a bidirectional converter for DC/AC conversion, and the coil 203L in the power transmission/reception unit 203 can be used for both power transmission and power reception. The structure of the battery will now be described in detail.

15A and 15B are views showing an example of the internal structure of the battery 200, where (a) is a see-through view of the upper lid of the case 214, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along α-α'. As shown in (b), for example, a storage battery section 201, an electronic substrate 213, a ferrite plate 211 are mounted in a resin case 214, and ferrite cylinders 212a, 212b, 212c and a coil 203L are mounted on the ferrite plate 211. It is

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a state when the battery 200 is attached to the HMD 100. As shown in FIG. (a) is a view of the battery mounted on the HMD, and (b) and (c) are cross-sectional views taken along the line β-β'. The temple portion 114 of the HMD 100 has a shape that covers the entire upper and lower surfaces of the case 214 of the battery in (b), whereas it has a shape that partially holds the lower portion of the case 214 in (c). Even in the case of (c), the magnet 111 of the HMD 100 can attract the ferrites 212 and 211 of the battery 200 to fix the battery 200 .

In (b) and (c), the power receiving unit 102 of the HMD 100 has the magnet 111 arranged on the ferrite plate 113 together with the coil 102L. With the magnet 111 and the ferrite cylinder 212 of the battery 200, the coil 102L of the HMD 100 and the coil 203L of the battery 200 can be aligned. Further, during power transmission, the magnetic field generated by the coil 203L passes through the ferrite plates 211 and 113, the magnet 111, and the ferrite cylinder 212, so magnetic field leakage can be reduced.

17A and 17B are views showing another example of the internal structure of the battery 200. FIG. 17A is a see-through view of the upper lid of the case 214, and FIG. 17B is a cross-sectional view taken along α-α'. In this example, two pairs of coils 203L and ferrites 211 and 212 are provided on both sides of the case 214 of the battery 200 . When the battery 200 is attached, the coil 203L and the ferrites 211 and 212 closer to the power receiving unit 102 of the HMD 100 can be used. Therefore, the user can attach the battery 200 without worrying about the attachment side.

18 is a diagram showing a modification of FIG. 17. FIG. In this example, the ends of two sets of coils 203L arranged on both sides in the case 214 are connected to form one coil. In other words, one coil is bent substantially in the middle and arranged on both sides inside the case 214 . In this case as well, since the configuration of the battery 200 is symmetrical, it can be easily attached to the HMD 100 and installed to the charger 300 .

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the configuration of a charger 400 that charges the battery 200 attached to the HMD 100. As shown in FIG. The operation of the charger 400 is the same as that of the charger 300 of the first embodiment, but this figure is for explaining the structure of the charging section, and other parts such as an electronic board in the charger are omitted. there is Here, the battery 200 has the structure shown in FIG. 17, and the state where the HMD 100 equipped with the battery 200 is installed in the charger 400 is shown. The cross-sectional shape of the temple portion 114 of the HMD 100 is shown in FIG. 16(b). (a) is a top view, (b) is a γ-γ' sectional view, and (c) is a partially enlarged view.

The charger 400 has a raised portion 401 in the center and raised charging portions 402a and 402b on both sides thereof, and the temple portion 114 of the HMD 100 is accommodated between the portion 401 and 402a and 402b. As shown in the enlarged view (c), a power transmission coil 403L for battery charging and a magnet 411 are arranged on a ferrite plate 413 on the inner wall of the charging portion 402a.

In the battery 200 attached to the temple portion 114 of the HMD 100 , the coil 203L on the left side of the drawing faces the coil 403L of the charger 400 . The coil 203L of the battery 200 is a coil for power transmission and reception, and the battery 200 can be charged from the coil 403L of the charger 400. FIG. In addition, due to the attractive force between the magnet 411 of the charger 400 and the ferrite column 212 of the battery 200, the coil 403L of the charger 400 and the coil 203L of the battery 200 are automatically aligned, and sufficient power transmission efficiency is always achieved. can get. Also, during power transmission, the magnetic field generated by the coil 403L passes through the ferrite plates 413 and 211, the ferrite cylinder 212, and the magnet 411, so magnetic field leakage can be reduced. For example, the battery 200 is charged simply by placing the HMD 100 in the charger 400 overnight. Also, with the configuration of FIG. 8, necessary data such as movies can be downloaded from the cloud 600 .

According to the configuration of Example 3, the battery 200 can be easily attached to the HMD 100 and the charger 300, and the power transmission efficiency is improved. Further, according to the configuration of FIG. 19, the battery 200 attached to the HMD 100 can be easily charged.

In a fourth embodiment, a configuration will be described in which power can be supplied to the HMD not only from the battery but also directly from the charger.

FIG. 20A is a diagram showing the configuration of a power supply system according to Example 4, in which power can be supplied to the HMD from a battery and a charger. In this example, the HMD 100 has two batteries 200a,
200b and two chargers 500a and 500b other than the battery. Although two chargers are used here, the number of chargers is arbitrary, and a configuration in which a plurality of chargers are integrated may be used.

In the batteries 200a and 200b, direct current flows from the storage battery unit 201, is converted into alternating current by the conversion unit 202, and is transmitted wirelessly from the power transmission unit 203 to the HMD 100 at, for example, 150 kHz. This is similar to the operation of FIG. 5A. On the other hand, the chargers 500c and 500d also have a storage battery unit 501, a conversion unit 502, and a power transmission unit 503, and similarly transmit power from the power transmission unit 503 to the HMD 100 wirelessly.

The HMD 100 has four power receiving units 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d. The power receiving system of the power receiving units 102a and 102b is used from the batteries 200a and 200b, and the power receiving system of the power receiving units 102c and 102d is used from the charger 500. . In each power receiving system, power is received by the power receiving unit 102 and then converted to a predetermined DC current by the converting unit 103. The power is sent to the communication unit 108 controlled by the control unit 101 based on the power usage status of the load. , is limited by the limiting unit 104 . Further, by enabling the conversion unit 103 and the power receiving unit 102 to bi-directionally convert power and transmit power, the batteries 200a and 200b can be charged with power supplied from the chargers 500c and 500d.

FIG. 20B is a diagram showing a specific application example of the power supply system of FIG. 20A. Here is an example in which the driver uses an HMD. The batteries 200a and 200b are attached to the temple portion of the HMD. On the other hand, the power transmission units 503c and 503d of the chargers 500c and 500d are arranged, for example, in the headrests of the seats. The power receiving units 102c and 102d of the HMD 100, which receive power from the power transmitting units 503c and 503d, are arranged on the left and right sides of the temple portion, for example, the temple portion near the headrest. When the driver is seated on the seat, the power supply from the charger 500 is preferentially used, and the battery 200 can also be charged. When the driver leaves the seat, the power supply is switched to the battery 200.例文帳に追加

According to the configuration of the fourth embodiment, it is possible to continuously use the HMD for a long time with a single battery exceeding the usage time of the battery capacity.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the configuration of the power supply has been described by taking up a glasses-type head-mounted display (HMD). Needless to say.

100: Head Mounted Display (HMD), 101: Control Unit, 102: Power Receiving Unit, 102L: Coil, 103: Conversion Unit, 104: Limiting Unit, 105: Memory Unit, 106: Power Management Unit, 107: Sensor Unit, 108 : communication unit, 109: data output unit, 110: data input unit, 111: magnet, 113: ferrite plate, 114: temple unit, 115: infrared sensor, 116: strain sensor, 119: display, 120: camera, 121: frequency counter,
200: battery, 201: storage battery unit, 202: conversion unit, 203: power transmission/reception unit, 203L: coil, 204: control unit, 205: communication unit, 206: memory unit, 207: storage state recognition unit, 208: storage unit , 209: display unit, 211: ferrite plate, 212: ferrite cylinder, 213: electronic substrate, 214: case, 215: LED,
300: charger, 301: control unit, 302: communication unit, 303: memory unit, 304: charging battery monitoring unit, 305: display unit, 306: power supply unit, 307: storage battery unit, 308: conversion unit, 309 : power transmission unit, 311: battery charging slot, 312: battery slot number,
400: charger, 401: raised portion, 402: charging portion, 403L: coil, 411: magnet, 413: ferrite plate, 500: charger, 600: cloud.

Claims (12)

In a wearable device worn on the body by a user,
a plurality of power receiving units mounted with at least first and second batteries and receiving power from the first and second batteries by wireless transmission;
a power management unit that monitors the states of the attached first and second batteries;
a communication unit that performs wireless communication with the attached first and second batteries;
a display that provides information to a user;
a plurality of limiting units that limit power received by the plurality of power receiving units;
a control unit that controls the power receiving unit, the power management unit, the communication unit, the display, and the limit unit;
The power supply management unit acquires information on the remaining power storage amount of the first and second batteries attached via the communication unit, and displays the acquired information on the remaining power storage amount on the display,
The control unit limits the power supplied via the limit unit according to the power usage status of the load in the wearable device or the information of the remaining charge amount of the first and second batteries. wearable device that In the wearable device according to claim 1,
The power management unit receives power from the first battery in use to the second battery on standby when it is determined that the remaining charge amount of the first battery in use is smaller than a threshold value. While switching the system,
A wearable device, wherein a warning is displayed on the display to prompt a user to replace the first battery in use. In the wearable device according to claim 1 or 2,
The power management unit has a frequency counter that monitors a resonance frequency between the coil and the first battery in use in the power receiving unit,
When the resonance frequency monitored by the frequency counter fluctuates, the control unit determines that the first battery in use has been removed from the power receiving unit, and informs the user that the first battery in use is disconnected. A wearable device, wherein a warning is displayed on the display to notify that the wearable device has come off. In the wearable device according to claim 2 or 3,
When the control unit determines that the remaining charge amount of the first battery in use is smaller than a threshold value, or determines that the first battery in use is removed from the power receiving unit, A wearable device, wherein a control command is transmitted to the first battery in use via the communication unit so as to stop power transmission to the wearable device. In the wearable device according to claim 1,
The communication unit further performs wireless communication with a charger that is performing a charging operation for a third battery,
acquiring the power storage state information of the third battery being charged from the charger and displaying the acquired power storage state information on the display;
The wearable device, wherein the control unit transmits a control command for charging the third battery being charged to the charger via the communication unit. In the wearable device according to claim 1,
The wearable device, wherein the power management unit compares the remaining power storage amounts of the first and second batteries, and limits the power supplied via the limiting unit having the larger remaining power storage amount. In the wearable device according to claim 2,
a first sensor that detects the proximity of an object to the vicinity of the first battery;
a second sensor that detects the approach of an object to the vicinity of the second battery;
The wearable device characterized in that, when the second sensor detects the approach of an object, the control unit displays on the display a warning urging the user not to remove the second battery that is on standby. . In the wearable device according to claim 1,
The wearable device comprises an external power receiving unit that receives power by wireless transmission from an external charger,
A wearable device characterized by performing a charging operation on the first and second batteries that are worn by using the electric power received by the external power receiving unit. A battery that can be attached to a wearable device to supply power and be charged by a charger,
a storage battery unit that stores electric power;
a power transmitting/receiving unit that transmits power from the storage battery unit to the wearable device by wireless transmission and receives power from the charger to charge the storage battery unit;
a conversion unit that converts between a direct current and an alternating current between the storage battery unit and the power transmission/reception unit;
a power storage state recognition unit that detects and holds the remaining power storage amount or power storage state information of the storage battery unit;
a communication unit that performs wireless communication between the wearable device and the charger;
a control unit that controls the power transmission/reception unit, the power storage state recognition unit, and the communication unit;
The power storage state recognition unit transmits information on the remaining power storage amount of the storage battery unit to the wearable device via the communication unit,
The battery according to claim 1, wherein the control unit stops power transmission from the storage battery unit to the wearable device when receiving a control command from the wearable device via the communication unit. In a power supply system consisting of a wearable device, a battery that supplies power to it, and a charger that charges the battery,
The wearable device
a plurality of power receiving units mounted with at least first and second batteries and receiving power from the first and second batteries by wireless transmission;
a power management unit that monitors the states of the attached first and second batteries and the third battery being charged by the charger;
a communication unit that performs wireless communication with the attached first and second batteries and the charger;
a display for providing information to a user;
The first to third batteries are
a first storage battery unit that stores electric power;
a power transmitting/receiving unit that transmits power from the first storage battery unit to the wearable device by wireless transmission and receives power from the charger to charge the first storage battery unit;
a power storage state recognition unit that detects and holds the remaining power storage amount of the first storage battery unit or power storage state information during charging;
a communication unit that performs wireless communication between the wearable device and the charger,
The charger is
a power transmission unit that transmits power to the third battery being charged by wireless transmission;
a charging battery monitoring unit that acquires information on the state of charge of the third battery that is being charged;
a communication unit that performs wireless communication between the wearable device and the third battery;
with
The wearable device displays, on the display, information on the remaining amount of charge obtained from the first and second batteries attached and information on the state of charge of the third battery being charged obtained from the charger. and switching the power receiving system from the first battery in use to the second battery in standby when it is determined that the remaining power storage amount of the first battery in use is smaller than the threshold value. and displaying on the display a warning prompting the user to replace the first battery in use. In the power supply system according to claim 10,
Coils used in the power receiving unit of the wearable device, the power transmitting/receiving unit of the battery, and the power transmitting unit of the charger are arranged on a ferrite plate, and when the battery is attached to the wearable device and the charger 1. A power supply system characterized in that positioning between said coils is performed by an attraction force between a magnet and said ferrite plate arranged at positions facing each other on a mounting surface. In the power supply system according to claim 10,
Coils used in the power transmitting/receiving unit of the battery are arranged on two opposing surfaces of the battery case. is attached to the charger to enable charging operation to the battery.

Images