TW201429106A - Electronic device and remote control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic device and a remote control method thereof are provided. The electronic device includes a host device and a remote device. The host device includes a wireless power receiver and a host startup module. The remote device includes a wireless power transmitter and a power supply. When the host device is shut down and a power button of the remote device is enabled, the wireless power transmitter of the remote device sends a remote power signal to the wireless power receiver of the host device according to a power of the power supply. The wireless power receiver receives the remote power signal for obtaining a power of the remote power signal to produce an analog startup signal to the host startup module to startup the host device.

Description

Electronic device and remote control method thereof

The present invention relates to an electronic device handling technique, and more particularly to an electronic device and a remote control method thereof.

In order to be easy to operate, many mobile devices provide a large number of buttons on the mobile device, making it easy for the user to operate the mobile devices. Because many mobile devices are designed with similar appearance and button configuration, many manufacturers hope to develop more compact and beautiful mobile devices and their button configurations to avoid the appearance of mobile devices and other brands. Similarly, the possibility of operating a mobile device with remote control techniques is investigated.

Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol is a short-range high-frequency wireless communication technology that allows non-contact point-to-point data transmission between electronic devices. The contactless card reading device for near field wireless communication can be powered by a wireless signal to a remote remote control device, so that the remote control device can transmit back the required identification signal or control signal to communicate with the card reading device. However, the card reader in the NFC protocol usually has a built-in normal power supply, otherwise it is installed on the mobile device. When the card reader device has no power source due to the mobile device being turned off, the remote control device cannot remotely activate or control the mobile device through the NFC protocol. In addition, the remote remote control technology widely used in multimedia devices such as televisions, video recorders and the like is also realized by the normal power supply of the multimedia device and the remote controller thereof, so it is difficult to directly apply the remote remote control technology directly. Go to the mobile device.

Therefore, it is hoped that the remote control technology can be used to design a button configuration and control method that can make the mobile device more compact and easy to use.

The invention provides an electronic device and a remote control method thereof. The remote remote control device can activate the host device without power supply through the NFC protocol, thereby providing unique and simple manipulation of the mobile device, and adding the electronic device by the NFC protocol. The function of the device.

The invention provides an electronic device comprising a host device and a remote device. The host device includes a radio energy receiving module and a host booting module. The remote control device includes a wireless power transmission module and a power supply. Wherein, when the host device is turned off and the power button of the remote device is enabled, the remote device transmits the remote power signal to the host device according to the power supply of the power supply through the wireless power transmission module. The radio can receive the module. The wireless power receiving module receives and obtains power from the remote power signal to generate an analog start signal to the host boot module to activate the host device.

In an embodiment of the invention, the wireless energy of the host device is The radio energy transmission module of the receiving module and the remote control device shall comply with the Near Field Radio Communication (NFC) protocol.

In an embodiment of the invention, the power supply is a rechargeable battery, and when the host device and the remote device communicate with each other, the near field communication transmission module of the remote device obtains power through signals communicated with each other, and Store this electrical energy in a rechargeable battery.

Viewed from another perspective, the present invention provides a remote control method for an electronic device that includes the following steps. When the power button of the remote control device is enabled, the remote device determines whether the host device is powered off. When the host device is turned off and the power button of the remote device is enabled, the remote device transmits the remote power signal to the wireless power receiving module of the host device through the wireless power transmission module. The radio energy receiving module of the host device receives and obtains power from the remote power signal and generates an analog start signal. And transmitting the analog start signal to the host boot module to start the host device.

For the remaining implementation details of the remote control method of the electronic device, please refer to the above description, and no further details are provided herein.

Based on the above, the remote control device and the host device of the embodiment of the present invention are all provided with a wireless power transmission device and a corresponding wireless power receiving device, so that the remote control device can start the powerless transmission through the NFC protocol and through the electromagnetic field. The host device is supplied. In this way, the control buttons (such as the power button, the back button, the volume button, etc.) originally located on the host device can be transferred to the remote device. In this way, the electronic device has a unique and simple control In this way, the function of the electronic device is increased through the NFC protocol.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

100‧‧‧Electronic devices

110‧‧‧ host device

120‧‧‧Remote terminal device

130‧‧‧ Near Field Communication Read Module

132‧‧‧Radio Energy Transmission Unit

134‧‧‧ Near Field Communication Reader

136‧‧‧Host antenna

140‧‧‧ Near Field Communication Transmission Module

142‧‧‧radio energy receiving unit

144‧‧‧ Near Field Communication Transceiver

146‧‧‧Remote terminal device

150‧‧‧Power supply

152‧‧‧Rechargeable battery

160‧‧‧Radio receiving module

162‧‧‧Radio Energy Receiver

166‧‧‧Antenna

170‧‧‧Radio Energy Transmission Module

172‧‧‧Radio Energy Transmitter

176‧‧‧Antenna

180‧‧‧Host Startup Module

310‧‧‧Power switch

320‧‧‧Voltage regulator

330‧‧‧ embedded controller

S210~S250‧‧‧Steps

ASS‧‧‧ analog start signal

P1, P2‧‧‧ signal path

VCC‧‧‧ circuit power supply

VSS‧‧‧Starting power supply

N1‧‧‧N type transistor

1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention.

2 is a flow chart illustrating a remote control method of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the invention.

3 is a block diagram of the host starter module of FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The electronic device 100 can be an integral part of a mobile device, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, etc., or a mobile device. The electronic device 100 includes a host device 110 and a remote device 120. The host device 110 may be a host portion of an electronic device such as a tablet or a smart phone.

The host device 110 can operate independently of itself and can selectively determine whether to use the functions of the remote device 120. In some embodiments, if the main buttons (eg, power button, volume button, return button, etc.) on the electronic device 100 are only designed on the remote device 120, but not in the host device 110, the host The end device 110 can only be used with the remote control device 120. Remote control device 120 It may be an accompanying device such as a stylus pen, a remote control, etc. that is provided with the host device 110. In addition to the following functions, the remote control device 120 of the present embodiment can remotely activate the host device 110, and can also have the functions of a stylus, a remote operation host device 110, and the like, and is not limited to the present case. The hardware architecture described.

In this embodiment, the Near Field Wireless Communication (NFC) protocol is mainly used as the main axis of the remote control technology. The NFC protocol can transmit power through the wireless domain, but the embodiment of the present invention should not be limited only to the NFC protocol, but can be widely used. Any remote transmission protocol capable of passing power and signals through a wireless domain. In this embodiment, the host device 110 has its own display elements (eg, liquid crystal display), computing components (eg, central processing unit, processing unit), and storage components (eg, hard disk, random access memory). In addition, the host device 110 employing the NFC protocol further includes a near field communication reading module 130. The near field communication reading module 130 of the present embodiment mainly includes a wireless power transmission unit 132, a near-field communication reader 134, and a host side antenna 136. On the other hand, the remote terminal device 120 employing the NFC protocol includes a near field communication transmission module 140 in addition to its basic functions. The near field communication transmission module 140 mainly includes a wireless power receiving unit 142, a near-field communication transceiver 144, and a remote end antenna 146.

The host device 110 and the remote device 120 can communicate through the NFC protocol through the near field communication reading module 130 and the near field communication transmission module 140, thereby implementing the remote communication function, such as the dotted signal of FIG. Path P1 is shown. For example, there are two modes in the NFC protocol, one is called passive mode (passive Mode), the other is active mode.

In the passive mode, the near field communication reading module 130 of the host device 110 causes the wireless power transmission unit 132 to generate a carrier field having a small range and a frequency of approximately 13.56 MHz after the communication is started. After the near field communication transmission module 140 of the remote control device 120 enters the bearer domain, the radio energy receiving unit 142 can modulate the host power signal of the bearer domain to obtain power in the electromagnetic field. Power is supplied to the incoming communication transceiver 144. In this way, the incoming communication transceiver 144 and the incoming communication reader 134 can communicate with each other, and the remote control device 120 does not need to provide power to the near field communication transmission module 140. In the active mode, the remote control device 120 is powered by its own built-in power supply 150 to the near field communication transmission module 140, so that the incoming communication transceiver 144 and the incoming communication reader 134 can communicate with each other. There is no need to transmit power through wireless signals.

However, both of the above modes need to be established in the case where the host device 110 is powered. The electronic device 100 used as a mobile device is intended to save power consumption. Therefore, the host device 110 should normally be in a shutdown or power saving state when not in use, and the power button on the remote device 120 is useless. Because the host device 110 cannot receive the NFC protocol signal, the electronic device 100 cannot use the remote device 120 to operate when the host device 110 is powered off.

In order to solve the above problem, the host device 110 of the embodiment of the present invention additionally configures the radio energy receiving module 160 and the host starting module 180, and the remote terminal device The wireless power transmission module 170 is additionally configured, so that the remote terminal device 120 can transmit the power of the power supply to the wireless power receiving module of the host device 110 through the wireless power transmission module 170 when the host device 110 is turned off. 160, as indicated by the dashed signal path P2. The radio energy receiving module 160 can collect power by modulation, rectification, etc., and activate the host device 110 through the host starting module 180 when sufficient power is available.

In detail, the host device 110 further includes a wireless power receiving module 160 and a host booting module 180. The wireless power receiving module 160 includes a wireless power receiver 162 and an antenna 166. In this embodiment, the circuit structure and functions of the wireless power receiver 162 and the wireless power receiving unit 142 are similar and will not be described again. The radio energy receiving module 160 can have a separate antenna 166, or can use the same host antenna 136 as the near field communication reading module 130 to save component costs. The radio energy receiving module 160 can be controlled by the near field communication reader 134.

On the other hand, the remote control device 120 further includes a wireless power transmission module 170 and a power supply 150. The wireless power transmission module 170 includes a wireless power transmitter 172 and an antenna 176. In the present embodiment, the circuit structure and functions of the wireless power transmitter 172 and the wireless power transmission unit 132 are similar and will not be described again. The wireless power transmission module 170 can be provided with a separate antenna 176 or the same remote antenna 142 can be used with the near field communication transmission module 140 to save component costs. The power supply 150 of the present embodiment is a rechargeable battery 152, and the power supply 150 may also be a dry battery, a commercial power source, or another power source. Thereby, the radio energy receiving module 160 and the radio energy transmission module 170 should conform to the near field wireless communication protocol. The wireless power transmission module 170 can be transmitted and received by near field communication Controlled by 144.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a remote control method of an electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 at the same time, the remote terminal device 120 continues to determine whether the power button on the remote control device is enabled in step S210.

When the user presses the power button on the remote control device 120 to enable it, the process proceeds to step S220, and the remote control device 120 determines whether the host device 110 has been powered off. For example, the remote control device 120 can determine whether the power of the host device 110 has been turned off according to a state machine that previously communicated with the host device 110, or the host device 110 can pass through when the shutdown or startup is performed. The NFC protocol informs the remote control device 120 that the remote control device 120 knows that the host device 110 is powered off.

If the host device 110 is not powered off, then the process proceeds from step S220 to step S225, and the host device 110 and the remote device 120 can communicate with each other using the passive mode or the active mode of the NFC protocol. In this embodiment, steps S210 to S230 can be implemented through the near field communication transceiver 144 and the corresponding components can be controlled.

When the host device 110 is turned off and the power button of the remote device 120 is enabled by the user, the process proceeds from step S220 to step S230, and the remote device 120 transmits the module according to the power supply of the power source 150. 170 sends a remote control power signal to the radio energy receiving module 160 of the host device 110, as indicated by signal path P2. In step S240, the radio energy receiving module 160 receives and receives power from the remote control power signal of the signal path P2 by means of electromagnetic conversion effect and modulation, and the radio energy receiving module 160 collects the electric energy to generate an analogy. The start signal ASS is sent to the host boot module 180. In step S250, the host boot module 180 activates the host device 110 according to the analog start signal ASS.

The host boot module 180 can be implemented using the component architecture of FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the host start module 180 of FIG. 1. The host boot module 180 includes a power switch 310, a voltage regulator 320, and an embedded controller (EC) 330. The power switch 310 of the embodiment is exemplified by an N-type transistor N1. The first end of the transistor N1 is coupled to a circuit power supply VCC, and the control end (gate terminal) of the transistor N1 is coupled to the radio energy receiving module 160 for receiving. The analog start signal ASS, the second end of the transistor N1 is coupled to the receiving end of the voltage regulator 320. Therefore, when the analog start signal ASS is logic 1, the power switch 310 conducts the first end and the second end of the crystal N1. After receiving the circuit power supply VCC, the voltage regulator 320 converts the circuit power supply VCC into the startup power supply VSS. After receiving the startup power VSS, the embedded controller 330 first reserves the startup power VSS and determines whether the host device 110 can be powered on according to its own verification procedure, thereby determining whether to activate the host device 110. For example, if the host device 110 has been set to fail to boot through the remote device 120, the embedded controller 330 cannot direct the boot power VSS to the host device 110 to perform the boot process.

Please refer to FIG. 1 . Since the remote control device 120 must have the power supply 150 in this embodiment, if the power supply 150 is a power supply that needs to be replaced frequently, such as a dry battery, or if the power supply 150 needs to be supplied through the commercial power supply, It will limit the user's ease of use. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the power supply 150 is charged. The pool is implemented. Therefore, when the host device 110 and the remote device 120 communicate with each other through the active or passive mode of the NFC protocol, the near field communication transmission module 142 of the remote device 120 can obtain power through the signals communicated with each other, and These small amounts of electrical energy are slowly stored in the rechargeable battery 152 to reserve the electrical energy that is required to be consumed in step S230 of FIG. 2 when the host-side device 110 is turned off.

In summary, the remote control device and the host device of the embodiment of the present invention are provided with a wireless power transmission device and a corresponding wireless power receiving device, so that the remote control device can initiate the powerless supply through the NFC protocol and through the electromagnetic field. Host device. In this way, the control buttons (such as the power button, the back button, the volume button, etc.) originally located on the host device can be transferred to the remote device. In this way, the electronic device has a unique and simple control method to increase the function of the electronic device through the NFC protocol.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧Electronic devices

110‧‧‧ host device

120‧‧‧Remote terminal device

130‧‧‧ Near Field Communication Read Module

132‧‧‧Radio Energy Transmission Unit

134‧‧‧ Near Field Communication Reader

136‧‧‧Host antenna

140‧‧‧ Near Field Communication Transmission Module

142‧‧‧radio energy receiving unit

144‧‧‧ Near Field Communication Transceiver

146‧‧‧Remote terminal device

150‧‧‧Power supply

152‧‧‧Rechargeable battery

160‧‧‧Radio receiving module

162‧‧‧Radio Energy Receiver

166‧‧‧Antenna

170‧‧‧Radio Energy Transmission Module

172‧‧‧Radio Energy Transmitter

176‧‧‧Antenna

180‧‧‧Host Startup Module

ASS‧‧‧ analog start signal

P1, P2‧‧‧ signal path

Claims (10)

An electronic device comprising: a host device, including a wireless power receiving module and a host booting module; and a remote control device, including a wireless power transmitting module and a power supply, wherein when the host device is powered off and the remote device is When the power button is enabled, the remote control device transmits a remote control power signal to the wireless power receiving module of the host device according to the power supply of the power supply and through the wireless power transmission module, and the wireless power receiving module receives And obtaining power from the remote control power signal, thereby generating an analog start signal to the host startup module to activate the host device. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the wireless power receiving module of the host device and the wireless power transmitting module of the remote device conform to a near field wireless communication protocol. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the host device further comprises a near field communication reading module, and the remote device further comprises a near field communication transmission module, wherein when the host device is activated The near field communication reading module of the host device provides a host power signal to the near field communication transmission module of the remote device to obtain power, so that the host device communicates with the remote device. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the power supply is a rechargeable battery, and when the host device and the remote device communicate with each other, the near field communication transmission module of the remote device transmits through each other Get the signal from the communication signal Can be stored in the rechargeable battery. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the host startup module comprises: a power switch, the first end of which is coupled to a circuit power supply, and the control end of the power switch is coupled to the radio energy receiving module to receive The analog regulator turns on both ends thereof; the voltage regulator has a receiving end coupled to the second end of the power supply end to convert the circuit power of the receiving end to a starting power source; and an embedded controller, The startup power is received and retained to determine whether to activate the host device. A remote control method for an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a host device and a remote control device, the remote control method comprising: when the power button of the remote device is enabled, the remote device determining whether the host device is powered off; When the host device is turned off and the power button of the remote device is enabled, the remote device transmits the remote power signal to the wireless power receiving module of the host device through the wireless power transmission module; the host device The wireless power receiving module receives and obtains power from the remote power signal, and generates an analog start signal; and transmits the analog start signal to the host boot module to activate the host device. The remote control method of claim 6, wherein the host device and the remote device communicate with each other through near field wireless communication when the host device is activated. The agreements communicate with each other. The remote control method of claim 6, further comprising: when the host device is activated, the near field communication reading module of the host device provides a near field communication of the host power signal to the remote device The transmission module obtains electrical energy to enable the host device to communicate with the remote device. The remote control method of claim 8, wherein the remote control device comprises a rechargeable battery, and the remote control method further comprises: when the host device and the remote device communicate with each other, the near end of the remote device The field communication transmission module obtains electric energy through the signals communicated with each other and stores the same in the rechargeable battery. The remote control method of claim 8, wherein the host startup module comprises a voltage regulator and an embedded controller, and the starting the host device comprises the steps of: receiving the analog activation signal to determine whether the circuit is to be A power supply is provided to the voltage regulator; the voltage regulator converts the circuit power to a startup power source; and the embedded controller receives and retains the startup power source to determine whether to activate the host device.