Electronic device, accessory, method of operating an electronic device, method of operating an accessory, and recording medium

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic device capable of suppressing manufacturing costs while being able to cope with an increase in the number of power sources and extend the usage time, an accessory detachable from the electronic device, a method of operating the electronic device, a method of operating the accessory of the electronic device, and a recording medium. A digital camera (1) having a battery (Bb, Bc) that is charged by power supplied from an external power source, and an accessory control section (25) that performs charge control of the battery (Bb, Bc), the digital camera (1) being configured to be detachable from an accessory (2), is provided with: a battery (Ba) that is charged by power supplied from an external power source; and a power management section (15) that performs charge control of the battery (Bb, Bc) and the battery (Ba), the power management section (15) having a communication section (terminal P1) for communicating with the accessory control section (25).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, an accessory detachable from the electronic device, a method of operating the electronic device, a method of operating the accessory, and a recording medium thereof. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a portable terminal device that extends battery life by using an external second battery and can also charge the second battery via a charging circuit for the internal battery. The portable terminal device, which includes a charging circuit connectable to a charging adapter and a power cord supplying power from the charging circuit to a regulator, comprises: a first switch connected between the output terminal of the internal battery and the power cord; and a second switch connected between the battery connection terminal (connected to an external battery) and the power cord. When the voltage of the external battery is above a predetermined reference voltage (low voltage alarm voltage value) while connected, only the first switch is turned on; when the voltage is below the reference voltage, only the second switch is turned on, and power is preferentially supplied from the external battery. Furthermore, the external battery can also be charged.

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes a camera device capable of charging secondary batteries while simultaneously operating. The camera device includes: a battery voltage comparison mechanism for comparing the remaining capacity of multiple secondary batteries; a supply time prediction mechanism for predicting the available power supply time of the multiple secondary batteries; and a target voltage setting mechanism that sets a target voltage for the secondary batteries to be charged based on the available power supply time predicted by the supply time prediction mechanism and the remaining capacity of the multiple secondary batteries detected by the battery voltage detection mechanism. It charges one secondary battery to the specified voltage, and sets a target voltage for another secondary battery to be charged based on the operating mode selected by the user and the available power supply time of the one secondary battery being charged, charging it to the target voltage. After the other secondary battery finishes charging to the target voltage, it switches to supplying power to the camera device and restarts charging one of the secondary batteries, thus alternately charging the multiple secondary batteries.

[0004] Previous technical documents

[0005] Patent documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-295683

[0007] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-086727 Summary of the Invention

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide an electronic device that can suppress manufacturing costs while coping with an increase in the number of power supplies, an accessory that can be attached to the electronic device, a method of operating the electronic device, a method of operating the accessory, and a recording medium.

[0009] means for solving technical problems

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an electronic device accessory that is detachably mounted and detachably equipped with an accessory having at least one first battery that is charged by power supplied to the electronic device from an external power source, and a first processor that controls the charging of the first battery. The electronic device includes: a second battery that is charged by power supplied from an external power source; and a second processor that controls the charging of the first battery and the second battery. The second processor has a communication unit for communicating with the first processor.

[0011] One embodiment of the present invention relates to an accessory that is detachably mounted on an electronic device. The accessory includes: at least one first battery, which is charged by power supplied to the electronic device from an external power source; and a first processor, which controls the charging of the first battery. The first processor has a communication unit for communicating with a second processor of the electronic device. The electronic device includes: a second battery, which is charged by power supplied from an external power source; and a second processor, which controls the charging of both the first and second batteries.

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an electronic device operating method as follows: The electronic device is detachably configured with an accessory and has a second battery. The accessory has at least one first battery that is charged by power supplied to the electronic device from an external power source, and a first processor that controls the charging of the first battery. The second battery is charged by power supplied from an external power source. In the above operating method, the second processor of the electronic device and the first processor transmit / receive charging control information required for the charging control of the first battery, and perform charging control of the second battery and the first battery.

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention relates to an accessory operating method as follows: the accessory is detachably mounted on an electronic device and has at least one first battery that is charged by power supplied to the electronic device from an external power source, and a first processor that controls the charging of the first battery. In the above operating method, the first processor and a second processor of the electronic device transmit / receive charging control information required for the charging control of the first battery. The electronic device has: a second battery that is charged by power supplied from an external power source; and a second processor that controls the charging of the first battery and the second battery.

[0014] The operating procedure of the electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention is as follows: The electronic device is detachably configured with an accessory and has a second battery. The accessory has at least one first battery that is charged by power supplied to the electronic device from an external power source, and a first processor that performs charging control of the first battery. The second battery is charged by power supplied from an external power source. The operating procedure is used to cause the second processor of the electronic device to perform the following steps: sending / receiving charging control information required for charging control of the first battery with the first processor to perform charging control of the second battery and the first battery.

[0015] The operating procedure of the accessory according to one embodiment of the present invention is as follows: the accessory is detachably configured in an electronic device and has at least one first battery that is charged by power supplied to the electronic device from an external power source, and a first processor that performs charging control of the first battery. The operating procedure is used to cause the first processor to perform the following steps: sending / receiving charging control information required for charging control of the first battery with the second processor of the electronic device. The electronic device has: a second battery that is charged by power supplied from an external power source; and a second processor that performs charging control of the first battery and the second battery.

[0016] Invention Effects

[0017] According to embodiments of the present invention, an electronic device capable of suppressing manufacturing costs while extending usage time in response to an increase in the number of power supplies, an accessory detachable from the electronic device, a method of operating the electronic device, a method of operating the accessory, and a recording medium are provided. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the general structure of a camera system 100 including various embodiments of the electronic devices and accessories of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 It means in Figure 1 The diagram shows the state of the digital camera 1 with accessory 2 installed.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the charging operation when accessory 2 is installed on digital camera 1. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the general structure of a camera system 100 including various embodiments of the electronic device and accessories of the present invention. The camera system 100 includes: a digital camera 1 constituting an electronic device; and an accessory 2 detachably configured on the digital camera 1. Figure 2 It means in Figure 1 The diagram shows the state of the digital camera 1 with accessory 2 installed.

[0023] Digital camera 1 is a camera device including an image-capturing element (not shown) and an image processing circuit that processes the output signal of the image-capturing element to generate image data. Appendix 2 is a so-called external battery having a battery Bb and a battery Bc composed of a rechargeable secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery.

[0024] The digital camera 1 is equipped with a USB connector 11 and a USBPD controller 13 that are compatible with the USBPD (Universal Serial Bus Power Delivery) standard. The USB connector 11 is connected to an external power source such as a power outlet or a portable battery via a USB cable (not shown).

[0025] The USBPD controller 13 is connected to the USB connector 11 to control the supply of up to 100W of power to the digital camera 1 from an external power source. The USBPD controller 13 is specifically configured using various processors described later. In the following, the power supplied to the digital camera 1 from an external power source via the USB connector 11 will also be referred to as external power.

[0026] The digital camera 1 further includes: a battery Ba composed of a rechargeable secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery; a power supply circuit 14; a charging IC (Integrated Circuit) 12 that serves as a circuit for charging the battery Ba, supplying power from the battery Ba to the power supply circuit 14, and supplying power from external power to the power supply circuit 14; a power management unit 15; a system control unit 16; switches SW1 to SW4 that are controlled to open and close by the power management unit 15; and terminals B1 to B4 for electrical connection with accessory 2. Switches SW1 to SW4 are each composed of switching elements such as transistors.

[0027] Switch SW1 is connected to USB connector 11 and terminal B1. When switch SW1 is closed, USB connector 11 is electrically connected to terminal B1, and external power can be supplied to charging IC 12 and terminal B1. Figure 1 When the switch SW1 is turned on, the USB connector 11 is electrically disconnected from the terminal B1, and external power can be supplied only to the charging IC 12.

[0028] Switch SW2 is connected to charging IC12 and power circuit 14. Switch SW3 is connected to the connection point between charging IC12 and switch SW2 and terminal B2. Switch SW4 is connected to the connection point between switch SW2 and power circuit 14 and terminal B3.

[0029] With switch SW2 closed and switches SW3 and SW4 open, charging IC12 is electrically connected to power circuit 14 and can supply the voltage of battery Ba to power circuit 14.

[0030] The power supply circuit 14 generates a power supply voltage to enable various hardware components in the digital camera 1, such as the USBPD controller 13, power management unit 15, system control unit 16, imaging element, and image processing circuit, and supplies this power supply voltage to these components. The power supply circuit 14 is configured to generate power supply voltages from the voltage of battery Ba, external power, the voltage of battery Bb in accessory 2, and the voltage of battery Bc in accessory 2, respectively.

[0031] The power management unit 15 performs power management, including charging control of battery Ba, charging control of batteries Bb and Bc in Appendix 2, and power supply control from these batteries to the power circuit 14. The power management unit 15 is composed of various processors described later.

[0032] The power management unit 15 is configured to communicate with the USB PD controller 13 and the charging IC 12 via communication line L1. The power management unit 15 is also configured to communicate with the system control unit 16 via communication line L2. The power management unit 15 is configured to obtain information related to the battery Ba's voltage from the charging IC 12 via communication line L1. The power management unit 15 is also configured to obtain information related to external power from the USB PD controller 13 via communication line L1.

[0033] The power management unit 15 is equipped with a terminal P1 constituting a communication unit, which is used to communicate with the accessory control unit 25 described later in Annex 2. Terminal P1 is connected to terminal B4 via communication line L3. The power management unit 15 performs the following control: when Annex 2 is not installed in the digital camera 1, switch SW2 is turned off, and switches SW1, SW3, and SW4 are turned on. The power management unit 15 performs the following control: when Annex 2 is installed in the digital camera 1, switch SW2 is turned on, and switches SW3 and SW4 are turned off. In addition, when Annex 2 is installed in the digital camera 1, the power management unit 15 switches the on / off state of switch SW1 as needed.

[0034] Appendix 2 is not installed on digital camera 1 Figure 1 In this state, when an external power source is connected to the USB connector 11, the USBPD controller 13 determines the external power supply and, based on the determined magnitude of the external power supply, determines the charging power that the power management unit 15 will use to charge the battery Ba. Then, the power management unit 15 controls the charging IC 12 and begins charging the battery Ba using the determined charging power.

[0035] The system control unit 16 is composed of various processors described later. The system control unit 16 generally controls the digital camera 1 as a whole, and specifically, it is composed of processors with higher processing power than the power management unit 15.

[0036] Annex 2 includes: battery Bb; charging IC 21, which is a circuit for charging battery Bb and supplying power from battery Bb to power circuit 14; battery Bc; charging IC 22, which is a circuit for charging battery Bc and supplying power from battery Bc to power circuit 14; switches SW5 to SW7; switching IC 23, which controls the opening and closing of switches SW5 to SW7; accessory control unit 25; and terminals A1 to A4 for electrical connection with digital camera 1. Switches SW5 to SW7 are each composed of switching elements such as transistors.

[0037] like Figure 2As shown, with Attachment 2 installed in the digital camera 1, terminal A1 is electrically connected to terminal B1, terminal A2 is electrically connected to terminal B2, terminal A3 is electrically connected to terminal B3, and terminal A4 is electrically connected to terminal B4.

[0038] Charging IC21 and Charging IC22 are connected in parallel with respect to terminal A1. When accessory 2 is installed on digital camera 1 and the switch SW1 of digital camera 1 is closed, the external power supplied to digital camera 1 can be supplied not only to charging IC12, but also to charging IC21 and charging IC22 of accessory 2.

[0039] Switch SW5 is connected to terminals A2 and A3. Switch SW6 is connected to the connection point of switch SW5 and terminal A3 and to charging IC 21. Switch SW7 is connected to the connection point of switch SW5 and terminal A3 and to charging IC 22.

[0040] With switch SW5 closed and switches SW6 and SW7 open, terminal A2 is electrically connected to terminal A3, while charging IC21 and charging IC22 are electrically disconnected from terminal A3. With switch SW6 closed and switches SW5 and SW7 open, charging IC21 is electrically connected to terminal A3, while terminal A2 and charging IC22 are electrically disconnected from terminal A3. With switch SW7 closed and switches SW5 and SW6 open, charging IC22 is electrically connected to terminal A3, while terminal A2 and charging IC21 are electrically disconnected from terminal A3.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, when Annex 2 is installed in digital camera 1, the power management unit 15 of digital camera 1 turns on switch SW2 and turns off switches SW3 and SW4. Therefore, in this state, with only switch SW5 off among switches SW5 to SW7 in Annex 2, the voltage of battery Ba of digital camera 1 can be supplied to the power circuit 14 of digital camera 1. Furthermore, in this state, with only switch SW6 off among switches SW5 to SW7 in Annex 2, the voltage of battery Bb of Annex 2 can be supplied to the power circuit 14 of digital camera 1. And, in this state, with only switch SW7 off among switches SW5 to SW7 in Annex 2, the voltage of battery Bc of Annex 2 can be supplied to the power circuit 14 of digital camera 1.

[0042] The switching IC23 is configured as follows: under the control of the accessory control unit 25, only one of the switches SW5 to SW7 is turned off, thereby enabling voltage to be supplied to the power supply circuit 14 from any one of the batteries Ba, Bb and Bc.

[0043] The accessory control unit 25 performs power management for accessory 2, including charging control of batteries Bb and Bc, and power supply control from these batteries to the power circuit 14. The accessory control unit 25 is composed of various processors described later.

[0044] The accessory control unit 25 is configured to communicate with the charging IC 21 via communication line L4. The accessory control unit 25 is also configured to communicate with the charging IC 22 via communication line L5. The accessory control unit 25 is configured to obtain information related to the voltage of battery Bb from the charging IC 21 via communication line L4. The accessory control unit 25 is configured to obtain information related to the voltage of battery Bc from the charging IC 22 via communication line L5.

[0045] The accessory control unit 25 determines whether battery Bb can be charged based on information related to the voltage of battery Bb. Specifically, the accessory control unit 25 determines that charging cannot be performed when the voltage of battery Bb is above a threshold, and determines that charging can be performed when the voltage of battery Bb is below the threshold.

[0046] The accessory control unit 25 determines whether battery Bc can be charged based on information related to the voltage of battery Bc. Specifically, the accessory control unit 25 determines that charging cannot be performed when the voltage of battery Bc is above a threshold, and determines that charging can be performed when the voltage of battery Bc is below the threshold.

[0047] The accessory control unit 25 is equipped with a terminal P2 constituting a communication unit, which is used to communicate with the power management unit 15 of the digital camera 1. Terminal P2 is connected to terminal A4 via communication line L6. Figure 2 As shown, when the accessory 2 is installed in the digital camera 1, the terminal P2 of the accessory control unit 25 and the terminal P1 of the power management unit 15 are connected via communication line L6, terminal A4, terminal B4 and communication line L3.

[0048] The accessory control unit 25 generates information indicating whether battery Bb can be charged and information indicating whether battery Bc can be charged as first charging control information, and sends the first charging control information from terminal P2 to the power management unit 15. Furthermore, when the accessory control unit 25 receives second charging control information sent from terminal P1 and received from terminal P2 of the power management unit 15, it performs charging control on at least one of batteries Bb and Bc based on the second charging control information.

[0049] The second charging control information includes: information for battery Bb, which includes information indicating the start of charging of battery Bb and information specifying the charging power supplied to battery Bb; and information for battery Bc, which includes information indicating the start of charging of battery Bc and information specifying the charging power supplied to battery Bc. The first charging control information and the second charging control information constitute the charging control information required for the charging control of batteries Bb and Bc.

[0050] The aforementioned processors include general-purpose processors that execute software (programs) to function as various processing units, such as CPUs (Central Processing Units), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), and programmable logic devices (PLDs) whose circuit structures can be modified after manufacturing, as well as dedicated circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) with circuit structures specifically designed to perform specific processes.

[0051] The power management unit 15, USBPD controller 13, system control unit 16, and accessory control unit 25 can each be composed of one of various processors, or a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (e.g., multiple FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). Furthermore, for example, the power management unit 15 and USBPD controller 13 can be composed of a single processor. More specifically, the hardware structure of these various processors is a circuit combining semiconductor elements and other circuitry.

[0052] (Operation of Camera System 100)

[0053] The charging operation of the camera system 100 configured as described above, with the digital camera 1 equipped with the accessory 2, will be explained. Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the charging operation when accessory 2 is installed on digital camera 1.

[0054] With Annex 2 installed in the digital camera 1, when the USB connector 11 is connected to an external power source, the power management unit 15 of the digital camera 1 obtains information about the external power supplied from the external power source from the USB PD controller 13 (step S1).

[0055] Furthermore, the power management unit 15 obtains information about the voltage of the battery Ba from the charging IC 12, and determines the state of the battery Ba (whether it can be charged) based on this information (step S2). Specifically, the power management unit 15 determines that charging cannot be performed when the voltage of the battery Ba is above a threshold, and determines that charging can be performed when the voltage of the battery Ba is below the threshold.

[0056] Furthermore, the power management unit 15 obtains first charging control information (step S3) from the accessory control unit 25, indicating the state of batteries Bb and Bc (whether they can be charged).

[0057] Based on the processing result of step S2 and the first charging control information obtained in step S3, when the power management unit 15 determines that there is no battery among batteries Ba, Bb and Bc that can be charged (step S4: no), the charging operation ends.

[0058] When the power management unit 15 determines that there is a rechargeable battery among batteries Ba, Bb, and Bc (step S4: Yes), it determines whether the external power obtained in step S1 is below a predetermined value (step S5). Step S5 is performed to determine whether the external power is sufficient to charge multiple batteries. The predetermined value is determined based on an appropriate value according to the system, but is set to 7.5W as an example.

[0059] If the external power is below a specified value (step S5: Yes), the power management unit 15 selects one of batteries Ba, Bb, and Bc (step S6) as the battery to be charged. The power management unit 15 stores charging priority information in its memory, associated with each of batteries Ba, Bb, and Bc.

[0060] When multiple batteries, including Ba, Bb, and Bc, are capable of being charged, the power management unit 15 selects one battery from these batteries based on its priority. For example, battery Ba might be set to "high," battery Bb to "medium," and battery Bc to "low." The power management unit 15 preferably selects the battery with the highest priority.

[0061] For example, when multiple batteries, including battery Ba, among batteries Ba, Bb, and Bc, are capable of being charged, the power management unit 15 selects battery Ba with the highest priority in step S6. When batteries Bb and Bc among batteries Ba, Bb, and Bc are capable of being charged, the power management unit 15 selects battery Bb with a relatively higher priority in step S6. Furthermore, when only one of batteries Ba, Bb, and Bc is capable of being charged, the power management unit 15 selects that one battery in step S6 regardless of its priority.

[0062] After selecting one battery in step S6, the power management unit 15 executes charging control for the selected battery (step S7). Specifically, the power management unit 15 first determines the charging power Px for charging the selected battery based on the external power. For example, the power management unit 15 may determine all of the external power as the charging power Px, or a portion of the external power (e.g., 80%) as the charging power Px.

[0063] When battery Ba is selected in step S6, the power management unit 15 controls switch SW1 to be in the open state and instructs charging IC 12 to charge battery Ba with charging power Px. Through this instruction, charging IC 12 charges battery Ba using the charging power Px specified by the power management unit 15.

[0064] When battery Bb (or battery Bc) is selected in step S6, the power management unit 15 controls the switch SW1 to turn off and sends second charging control information, including information on charging power Px and information indicating the start of charging for battery Bb (or battery Bc), to the accessory control unit 25. The accessory control unit 25 controls the charging of battery Bb (or battery Bc) based on the second charging control information.

[0065] Specifically, the accessory control unit 25 instructs the charging IC 21 (or charging IC 22) to charge the battery Bb (or battery Bc) using the charging power Px specified by the second charging control information. Upon this instruction, the charging IC 21 (or charging IC 22) charges the battery Bb (or battery Bc) with the charging power Px specified by the power management unit 15.

[0066] In step S5, if the external power exceeds a predetermined value (step S5: No), the power management unit 15 distributes the external power to each of the rechargeable batteries Ba, Bb, and Bc to determine the charging power Py for each battery (step S8). Furthermore, it is preferable to set an upper limit for the charging power Py. Hereinafter, detailed examples of step S8 will be described according to the number of rechargeable batteries.

[0067] <Case where there is only one rechargeable battery>

[0068] The power management unit 15 may designate all of the external power as charging power Py, or a portion of the external power (e.g., 80%) as charging power Py.

[0069] <Case where there are 2 rechargeable batteries>

[0070] The power management unit 15 defines the charging power Py as the value of dividing all external power into two equal parts, or the value of dividing a portion of external power (e.g., 80%) into two equal parts. Alternatively, the charging power Py allocated to each of the two batteries is set to the same value, but it is also possible to allocate different charging power Py values ​​for each battery.

[0071] <The case where there are 3 rechargeable batteries>

[0072] The power management unit 15 defines the charging power Py as either the total external power divided into three equal parts, or the charging power Py as the value of a portion of the external power (e.g., 80%) divided into three equal parts. Alternatively, the charging power Py allocated to each of the three batteries can be set to the same value, but it is also possible to allocate different charging power Py values ​​to each battery. This determination of the charging power Py is preferably based on a table stored in the memory of the power management unit 15 (a table that associates external power and charging power Py with the number of batteries). This reduces the cost of the power management unit 15.

[0073] After step S8, the power management unit 15 performs charging control for each battery capable of being charged based on the charging power Py (step S9). Hereinafter, step S9 will be explained in detail according to the combination of batteries capable of being charged.

[0074] <The case where only battery Ba can be charged>

[0075] The power management unit 15 controls the switch SW1 to the open state and instructs the charging IC 12 to charge the battery Ba with charging power Py. Through this instruction, the charging IC 12 charges the battery Ba using the charging power Py specified by the power management unit 15.

[0076] <The case where only battery Bb (or battery Bc) can be charged>

[0077] The power management unit 15 controls the switch SW1 to turn off and sends second charging control information, including information on the charging power Py and information indicating the charging of battery Bb (or battery Bc), to the accessory control unit 25. The accessory control unit 25 controls the charging of battery Bb (or battery Bc) based on the second charging control information.

[0078] Specifically, the accessory control unit 25 instructs the charging IC 21 (or charging IC 22) to charge the battery Bb (or battery Bc) using the charging power Py specified by the second charging control information. Upon this instruction, the charging IC 21 (or charging IC 22) charges the battery Bb (or battery Bc) with the charging power Py specified by the power management unit 15.

[0079] <The case where only batteries Bb and Bc can be charged>

[0080] The power management unit 15 controls the shutdown switch SW1 and sends second charging control information, including information on the charging power Py and information indicating the charging status of batteries Bb and Bc, to the accessory control unit 25. The accessory control unit 25 controls the charging of batteries Bb and Bc based on the second charging control information.

[0081] Specifically, the accessory control unit 25 instructs charging IC 21 and charging IC 22 to charge battery Bb and / or battery Bc respectively using the charging power Py specified by the second charging control information. Upon this instruction, charging IC 21 charges battery Bb using the charging power Py specified by the power management unit 15. Furthermore, charging IC 22 charges battery Bc using the charging power Py specified by the power management unit 15.

[0082] <The case where only batteries Ba and Bb (or Bc) can be charged>

[0083] The power management unit 15 controls the switch SW1 to the off state and instructs the charging IC 12 to charge the battery Ba with charging power Py. Through this instruction, the charging IC 12 charges the battery Ba using the charging power Py specified by the power management unit 15.

[0084] Furthermore, the power management unit 15 sends second charging control information, including information on the charging power Py and information indicating the charging of battery Bb (or battery Bc), to the accessory control unit 25. The accessory control unit 25 performs charging control of battery Bb (or battery Bc) based on the second charging control information.

[0085] Specifically, the accessory control unit 25 instructs the charging IC 21 (or charging IC 22) to charge the battery Bb (or battery Bc) using the charging power Py specified by the second charging control information. Upon this instruction, the charging IC 21 (or charging IC 22) charges the battery Bb (or battery Bc) with the charging power Py specified by the power management unit 15.

[0086] <Batteries Ba, Bb, and Bc are capable of being charged>

[0087] The power management unit 15 controls the switch SW1 to the off state and instructs the charging IC 12 to charge the battery Ba with charging power Py. Through this instruction, the charging IC 12 charges the battery Ba using the charging power Py specified by the power management unit 15.

[0088] Furthermore, the power management unit 15 sends second charging control information, including information on charging power Py and instructions for charging batteries Bb and Bc, to the accessory control unit 25. The accessory control unit 25 performs charging control on batteries Bb and Bc based on this second charging control information.

[0089] Specifically, the accessory control unit 25 instructs charging IC 21 and charging IC 22 to charge battery Bb and / or battery Bc respectively using the charging power Py specified by the second charging control information. Upon this instruction, charging IC 21 charges battery Bb using the charging power Py specified by the power management unit 15. Furthermore, charging IC 22 charges battery Bc using the charging power Py specified by the power management unit 15.

[0090] (Camera system 100 effect)

[0091] In the camera system 100, the accessory control unit 25 and the power management unit 15 are configured to communicate via a communication unit (terminal P2, terminal P1). Therefore, as described above, the power management unit 15 can obtain first charging control information related to the state of batteries Bb and Bc from the accessory control unit 25, and based on this second charging control information, can perform charging control of batteries Ba, Bb, and Bc. Furthermore, the accessory control unit 25 can perform charging control of batteries Bb and Bc according to the control of the power management unit 15. Thus, the power management unit 15 does not need to use components with large memory or high performance, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the digital camera 1. Furthermore, since batteries Ba and Bb and Bc are charged using different processors, charging can be performed efficiently.

[0092] Furthermore, in the camera system 100, the power management unit 15 determines the charging power to be supplied to batteries Ba, Bb, and Bc respectively based on external power, the state of battery Ba, and the states of batteries Bb and Bc based on the first charging control information received from the accessory control unit 25, and performs charging control for batteries Ba, Bb, and Bc respectively based on this charging power. In this way, flexible charging control can be achieved by changing the number of batteries being charged according to the external power conditions. Furthermore, charging efficiency can be improved.

[0093] Furthermore, according to the camera system 100, when the accessory control unit 25 performs a charging operation, under the control of the power management unit 15, it only needs to determine whether batteries Bb and Bc can be charged and control the charging of batteries Bb and Bc. Therefore, the accessory control unit 25 does not need to use components with high memory or processing power, thereby achieving low cost for accessory 2.

[0094] In the camera system 100 described above, Attachment 2 is configured to have two batteries, but the number of batteries in Attachment 2 is not limited to this; it can have one or more batteries. Digital cameras are an example of electronic devices, but other electronic devices such as smartphones can also be used.

[0095] The camera system 100 can communicate between the power management unit 15 and the accessory control unit 25 wirelessly, instead of via wired communication through terminals B4 and A4. For example, it can be configured such that terminals B4 and A4 are each replaced with interfaces for short-range wireless communication, and these interfaces are connected to terminals P1 and P2. In this configuration, each interface and the connected terminals constitute the communication unit. Examples of wireless communication methods include wireless LAN, Bluetooth, Infrared Data Association (IrDA), UWB (Ultra Wideband), and ZigBee. Using wireless communication not only avoids communication obstacles caused by poor terminal contact in wired communication but also allows for easy selection of high-speed communication methods as needed.

[0096] As explained above, at least the following items are described in this specification. Additionally, the components corresponding to those in the above embodiments are shown in parentheses, but the scope is not limited thereto. (1)

[0098] An electronic device is detachably equipped with an accessory (Appendix 2), the accessory having at least one first battery (battery Bb and battery Bc) that is charged by power supplied to the electronic device from an external power source, and a first processor (accessory control unit 25) that controls the charging of the first battery. The electronic device (digital camera 1) includes:

[0099] The second battery (battery Ba) is charged by power supplied from an external power source;

[0100] The second processor (power management unit 15) performs charging control for the first battery and the second battery.

[0101] The second processor described above has a communication unit (terminal P1) for communicating with the first processor described above. (2)

[0103] According to the electronic device described in (1), wherein,

[0104] The second processor transmits / receives charging control information required for charging control of the first battery via the communication unit to the first processor. (3)

[0106] According to the electronic device described in (2), wherein,

[0107] The second processor determines the charging power to be supplied to the first battery and the second battery respectively based on the power supplied from the external power source, the state of the second battery, and the state of the first battery based on the charging control information (first charging control information) received from the communication unit, and performs charging control on the first battery and the second battery according to the charging power. (4)

[0109] According to the electronic device described in (3), wherein,

[0110] The second processor sends information about the charging power to be supplied to the first battery and information indicating the charging of the first battery as charging control information (second charging control information) to the first processor, and causes the first processor to perform charging control of the first battery according to the charging control information. (5)

[0112] According to the electronic device described in (3) or (4), wherein,

[0113] The second processor performs the following control: based on the state of the first battery and the state of the second battery, there are multiple rechargeable batteries, and when the power supplied from the external power source is below a predetermined value, it supplies power from the external power source to either the first battery or the second battery according to the priority associated with each of the first battery and the second battery. (6)

[0115] The electronic device according to any one of (3) to (5), wherein,

[0116] The second processor performs the following control: when the power supplied from the external power source exceeds a predetermined value, it supplies power from the external power source to the rechargeable batteries in the first and second batteries, based on the states of the first and second batteries. (7)

[0118] The electronic device according to any one of (2) to (6), wherein,

[0119] The second processor receives the charging control information (first charging control information) from the first processor, which includes information indicating whether each of the first batteries can be charged, and sends the charging control information (first charging control information) including information indicating the start of charging for each of the first batteries and information on the charging power for the charging to the first processor.

[0120] (8)

[0121] The electronic device according to any one of (1) to (7) includes a camera element, which operates by any one of the power from the external power source, the power from the first battery, and the power from the second battery. (9)

[0123] An accessory, which is detachably mounted on an electronic device (digital camera 1), the accessory (accessory 2) comprising:

[0124] At least one first battery (battery Bb and battery Bc) is charged by power supplied to the aforementioned electronic device from an external power source; and

[0125] The first processor (accessory control unit 25) performs the charging control of the first battery.

[0126] The first processor has a communication unit (terminal P2) for communicating with the second processor of the electronic device. The electronic device has: a second battery (battery Ba) that is charged by power supplied from an external power source; and a second processor (power management unit 15) that controls the charging of the first battery and the second battery. (10)

[0128] According to the appendix described in (9), wherein,

[0129] The first processor transmits / receives charging control information required for charging control of the first battery via the communication unit and the second processor. (11)

[0131] According to the appendix described in (10), wherein,

[0132] The charging control information (first charging control information) sent by the first processor to the second processor includes information indicating whether each of the first batteries can be charged.

[0133] The charging control information (second charging control information) received by the first processor from the second processor includes information indicating the start of charging for each of the first batteries and information indicating the charging power used for the charging.

[0134] The first processor controls the charging of the first battery based on the charging control information received from the second processor. (12)

[0136] According to any one of the appendices (9) to (11), wherein,

[0137] The aforementioned electronic device is a camera device. (13)

[0139] A method of operating an electronic device, wherein the electronic device is detachably configured with an accessory (accessory 2) and has a second battery (battery Ba), the accessory having at least one first battery (battery Bb and battery Bc) that is charged by power supplied to the electronic device from an external power source, and a first processor (accessory control unit 25) for controlling the charging of the first battery, the second battery being charged by power supplied from an external power source, in the method of operating the electronic device (digital camera 1),

[0140] The second processor (power management unit 15) of the aforementioned electronic device transmits / receives charging control information required for charging control of the first battery in conjunction with the first processor, and performs charging control of the second battery and the first battery. (14)

[0142] According to the operating method of the electronic device described in (13), wherein,

[0143] The second processor determines the charging power to be supplied to the first battery and the second battery respectively based on the power supplied from the external power source, the state of the second battery, and the state of the first battery based on the charging control information (first charging control information) received from the first processor, and performs charging control on the first battery and the second battery according to the charging power. (15)

[0145] According to the operating method of the electronic device described in (14), wherein,

[0146] The second processor sends information about the charging power to be supplied to the first battery and information indicating the charging of the first battery as charging control information (second charging control information) to the first processor, and causes the first processor to perform charging control of the first battery according to the charging control information. (16)

[0148] According to the operating method of the electronic device described in (14) or (15), wherein,

[0149] The second processor performs the following control: based on the state of the first battery and the state of the second battery, there are multiple rechargeable batteries, and when the power supplied from the external power source is below a predetermined value, it supplies power from the external power source to either the first battery or the second battery according to the priority associated with each of the first battery and the second battery. (17)

[0151] The method of operating the electronic device according to any one of (14) to (16), wherein,

[0152] The second processor performs the following control: when the power supplied from the external power source exceeds a predetermined value, it supplies power from the external power source to the rechargeable batteries in the first and second batteries, based on the states of the first and second batteries. (18)

[0154] The method of operating the electronic device according to any one of (13) to (17), wherein,

[0155] The second processor receives the charging control information (first charging control information) from the first processor, which includes information indicating whether each of the first batteries can be charged, and sends the charging control information (first charging control information) including information indicating the start of charging for each of the first batteries and information on the charging power for the charging to the first processor. (19)

[0157] The method of operating the electronic device according to any one of (13) to (18), wherein,

[0158] The aforementioned electronic device is equipped with a camera element, which operates via power from the aforementioned external power source, power from the aforementioned first battery, and power from the aforementioned second battery. (20)

[0160] An operating method for an accessory, wherein the accessory is detachably mounted on an electronic device (digital camera 1), and includes at least one first battery (battery Bb and battery Bc) that is charged by power supplied to the electronic device from an external power source, and a first processor (accessory control unit 25) that controls the charging of the first battery. In the operating method of the accessory (Accessory 2),

[0161] The first processor and the second processor of the electronic device transmit / receive charging control information required for charging control of the first battery. The electronic device includes: a second battery (battery Ba) that is charged by power supplied from an external power source; and a second processor (power management unit 15) that performs charging control of the first battery and the second battery. (twenty one)

[0163] According to the working method of the appendix described in (20), wherein,

[0164] The first processor sends the charging control information (first charging control information), which includes information indicating whether each of the first batteries can be charged, to the second processor.

[0165] The first processor receives from the second processor the charging control information (second charging control information), which includes information indicating the start of charging for each of the first batteries and information indicating the charging power used for the charging.

[0166] The first processor controls the charging of the first battery based on the charging control information received from the second processor. (twenty two)

[0168] According to the working method of the appendix described in (20) or (21), wherein,

[0169] The aforementioned electronic device is a camera device. (twenty three)

[0171] An operating procedure for an electronic device, wherein the electronic device is detachably configured with an accessory (accessory 2) and has a second battery (battery Ba), the accessory having at least one first battery (battery Bb and battery Bc) that is charged by power supplied to the electronic device (digital camera 1) from an external power source, and a first processor (accessory control unit 25) for controlling the charging of the first battery, the second battery being charged by power supplied from an external power source, in the above operating procedure,

[0172] The second processor (power management unit 15) of the above-mentioned electronic device performs the following steps: sending / receiving charging control information required for charging control of the first battery with the first processor to perform charging control of the second battery and the first battery. (twenty four)

[0174] An operating procedure for an accessory, wherein the accessory is detachably mounted on an electronic device (digital camera 1), and includes at least one first battery (battery Bb and battery Bc) that is charged by power supplied to the electronic device from an external power source, and a first processor (accessory control unit 25) that controls the charging of the first battery. In the operating method of the accessory (Accessory 2),

[0175] The first processor is configured to perform the following steps: sending / receiving charging control information required for charging control of the first battery with the second processor of the electronic device. The electronic device includes: a second battery (battery Ba) that is charged by power supplied from an external power source; and a second processor (power management unit 15) that performs charging control of the first battery and the second battery.

[0176] Various embodiments have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications or alterations will arise within the scope of the claims, and these modifications or alterations should be understood to fall within the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the constituent elements of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0177] Furthermore, this application is based on Japanese patent application filed on February 19, 2020 (Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-026412), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0178] Symbol Explanation

[0179] 1-Digital camera; SW1, SW2, SW3, SW4, SW5, SW6, SW7-Switches; B1, B2, B3, B4-Terminals; L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6-Communication lines; P1, P2-Terminals; A1, A2, A3, A4-Terminals; 2-Accessories; 11-USB connector; 12, 21, 22-Charging IC; 13-USBPD controller; 14-Power circuit; 15-Power management unit; 16-System control unit; 23-Switching IC; 25-Accessory control unit; 100-Camera system.

Claims

1. An electronic device configured to have an accessory that is detachable, the accessory having at least one first battery and a first processor for controlling the charging of the first battery, the electronic device comprising: Connectors that allow connection to an external power source; The second battery is charged by power supplied from the external power source; The power supply circuit is capable of generating a power supply voltage based on each of the power supplied from the external power source, the voltage of the second battery, and the voltage of the first battery. and The second processor performs charging control of the second battery, charging control of the first battery, and power supply control from the second battery and the first battery to the power circuit. The second processor has a communication unit for communicating with the first processor. The second processor transmits / receives charging control information required for charging control of the first battery with the first processor via the communication unit. The second processor determines the charging power to be supplied to the first battery and the second battery respectively from the external power source based on the power supplied from the external power source, the state of the second battery, and the state of the first battery based on the charging control information received from the communication unit, and performs charging control of the first battery and the second battery according to the charging power.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The second processor sends information about the charging power to be supplied to the first battery and information indicating the charging of the first battery as charging control information to the first processor, and causes the first processor to perform charging control of the first battery according to the charging control information.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The second processor performs the following control: based on the state of the first battery and the state of the second battery, there are multiple rechargeable batteries, and when the power supplied from the external power source is below a predetermined value, it supplies power from the external power source to either the first battery or the second battery according to the priority associated with each of the first battery and the second battery.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The second processor performs the following control: when the power supplied from the external power source exceeds a predetermined value, it supplies power from the external power source to the rechargeable batteries in the first and second batteries based on the states of the first and second batteries.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The second processor receives charging control information from the first processor, including information indicating whether each of the first batteries can be charged, and sends the charging control information, including information indicating the start of charging for each of the first batteries and information on the charging power used for the charging, to the first processor.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a camera element that operates via power from the external power source, power from the first battery, and power from the second battery.

7. An accessory configured to be freely attached to and detached from an electronic device, said accessory comprising: At least one first battery; and The first processor controls the charging of the first battery. The electronic device includes: a connector for connecting to an external power source; a second battery for charging with power supplied from the external power source; a power supply circuit for generating a power supply voltage based on each of the power supplied from the external power source, the voltage of the second battery, and the voltage of the first battery; and a second processor for controlling the charging of the second battery, controlling the charging of the first battery, and controlling the power supply from the second battery and the first battery to the power supply circuit. The first processor has a communication unit for communicating with the second processor. The first processor transmits / receives charging control information required for charging control of the first battery with the second processor via the communication unit. The charging power to be supplied to the first battery and the second battery from the external power source is determined by the second processor based on the power supplied from the external power source, the state of the second battery, and the state of the first battery based on the charging control information received from the first processor.

8. The appendix according to claim 7, wherein, The charging control information sent by the first processor to the second processor includes information indicating whether each of the first batteries can be charged. The charging control information received by the first processor from the second processor includes information indicating the start of charging for each of the first batteries and information indicating the charging power used for the charging. The first processor controls the charging of the first battery according to the charging control information received from the second processor.

9. The appendix according to claim 7 or 8, wherein, The electronic device is a camera device.

10. A method of operating an electronic device, the electronic device being configured as having an accessory that is detachable and having a connector, a second battery, and a power circuit, the accessory having at least one first battery and a first processor for controlling the charging of the first battery, the connector being connectable to an external power source, the second battery being charged by power supplied from the external power source, and the power circuit being capable of generating a power supply voltage based on each of the power supplied from the external power source, the voltage of the second battery, and the voltage of the first battery, wherein in the method of operation... The second processor of the electronic device controls the power supply from the second battery and the first battery to the power circuit, and sends / receives charging control information required for charging control of the first battery, and performs charging control of the second battery and the first battery. The second processor determines the charging power to be supplied to the first battery and the second battery respectively from the external power source based on the power supplied from the external power source, the state of the second battery, and the state of the first battery based on the charging control information received from the first processor, and performs charging control of the first battery and the second battery according to the charging power.

11. The method of operating the electronic device according to claim 10, wherein, The second processor sends information about the charging power to be supplied to the first battery and information indicating the charging of the first battery as charging control information to the first processor, and causes the first processor to perform charging control of the first battery according to the charging control information.

12. The method of operating the electronic device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein, The second processor performs the following control: based on the state of the first battery and the state of the second battery, there are multiple rechargeable batteries, and when the power supplied from the external power source is below a predetermined value, it supplies power from the external power source to either the first battery or the second battery according to the priority associated with each of the first battery and the second battery.

13. The method of operating the electronic device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein, The second processor performs the following control: when the power supplied from the external power source exceeds a predetermined value, it supplies power from the external power source to the rechargeable batteries in the first and second batteries based on the states of the first and second batteries.

14. The method of operating the electronic device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein, The second processor receives charging control information from the first processor, including information indicating whether each of the first batteries can be charged, and sends the charging control information, including information indicating the start of charging for each of the first batteries and information on the charging power used for the charging, to the first processor.

15. The method of operating the electronic device according to claim 10 or 11, wherein, The electronic device is equipped with a camera element, which operates by any one of the power supplied by the external power source, the power supplied by the first battery, and the power supplied by the second battery.

16. A method of operating an accessory, the accessory being configured to be detachable from an electronic device and having at least one first battery and a first processor for controlling the charging of the first battery. The electronic device includes: a connector for connecting to an external power source; a second battery for charging with power supplied from the external power source; a power supply circuit for generating a power supply voltage based on each of the power supplied from the external power source, the voltage of the second battery, and the voltage of the first battery; and a second processor for controlling the charging of the second battery, controlling the charging of the first battery, and controlling the power supply from the second battery and the first battery to the power supply circuit. In the described working method, The first processor and the second processor of the electronic device transmit / receive the charging control information required for the charging control of the first battery. The charging power to be supplied to the first battery and the second battery from the external power source is determined by the second processor based on the power supplied from the external power source, the state of the second battery, and the state of the first battery based on the charging control information received from the first processor.

17. The method of operation of the appendix according to claim 16, wherein, The first processor sends the charging control information, which includes information indicating whether each of the first batteries can be charged, to the second processor. The first processor receives from the second processor charging control information, including information indicating the start of charging for each of the first batteries and information indicating the charging power used for the charging. The first processor controls the charging of the first battery according to the charging control information received from the second processor.

18. The method of operation of the appendix according to claim 16 or 17, wherein, The electronic device is a camera device.

19. A recording medium storing an operating program of an electronic device, the electronic device being configured as an accessory that is detachable and includes a connector, a second battery, and a power supply circuit, the accessory having at least one first battery and a first processor for controlling the charging of the first battery, the connector being connectable to an external power source, the second battery being charged by power supplied from the external power source, and the power supply circuit being capable of generating a power supply voltage based on each of the power supplied from the external power source, the voltage of the second battery, and the voltage of the first battery. The operating procedure is used to cause the second processor of the electronic device to perform the following steps: Perform power supply control from the second battery and the first battery to the power supply circuit; The first processor transmits / receives charging control information required for charging control of the first battery to control the charging of the second battery and the first battery; and Based on the power supplied from the external power source, the state of the second battery, and the state of the first battery based on the charging control information received from the first processor, it is determined that charging power should be supplied from the external power source to the first battery and the second battery respectively, and charging control of the first battery and the second battery is performed according to the charging power.

20. A recording medium storing the operating program of an accessory, the accessory being configured to be removable from an electronic device, and having at least one first battery and a first processor for controlling the charging of the first battery. The electronic device includes: a connector for connecting to an external power source; a second battery for charging with power supplied from the external power source; a power supply circuit for generating a power supply voltage based on each of the power supplied from the external power source, the voltage of the second battery, and the voltage of the first battery; and a second processor for controlling the charging of the second battery, controlling the charging of the first battery, and controlling the power supply from the second battery and the first battery to the power supply circuit. The operating procedure is used to cause the first processor to perform the following steps: sending / receiving charging control information required for charging control of the first battery with the second processor of the electronic device. The charging power to be supplied to the first battery and the second battery from the external power source is determined by the second processor based on the power supplied from the external power source, the state of the second battery, and the state of the first battery based on the charging control information received from the first processor.

Images