Communication apparatus, communication control method, and program

Abstract

To allow for efficiently performing charging of a wirelessly charging apparatus.SOLUTION: A CPU 11 of a communication apparatus 10 determines whether or not Rectenna-equipped apparatus (wirelessly charging apparatus) 20 satisfies a predetermined condition (for example, step S4 of upload processing, step S6; refer to Fig. 4), and allows for performing data communication (upload) by a Wi-Fi communication unit (data communication means) 16 or a LTE communication unit (data communication means) 17 when it is determined that the Rectenna-equipped apparatus 20 satisfies the predetermined condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, a communication control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an electronic device has been disclosed that charges an auxiliary battery by sending a dummy data transmission request to the outside when the remaining charge of the auxiliary battery becomes low, and receiving dummy data (radio waves) sent by a wireless communication device that received the dummy data transmission request (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-191011 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the electronic device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the transmission of dummy data by the wireless communication device is not the data communication that is actually required, i.e., it is data communication that is performed only for charging the auxiliary battery, so there is a problem that it cannot be said that efficient charging is being performed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and has an object to enable efficient charging of a wireless charging device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a communication device according to the present invention comprises: A communication device capable of communicating with a wireless charging device, A data communication means for communicating data with an external device by wireless communication; A first determination means for determining whether the wireless charging device satisfies a predetermined condition; a control means for causing the data communication means to communicate the data when the first determination means determines that the wireless charging device satisfies the predetermined condition; and The present invention is characterized by comprising: Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, charging of a wireless charging device can be performed efficiently. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a rectenna-equipped device charging system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the communication device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the rectenna-mounted equipment. [Figure 4] 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of an upload process. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for a download relay process. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a modified example of a rectenna-equipped device charging system. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an in-vehicle Wi-Fi router. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of a communication control process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] <Configuration of the rectenna onboard equipment charging system> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a rectenna-equipped device charging system 1 according to this embodiment. 1, the rectenna-equipped device charging system 1 includes a communication device 10, a rectenna-equipped device 20, and a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) router 30. The rectenna-equipped device charging system 1 is installed, for example, in a user's home, and is used to charge the rectenna-equipped device 20.

[0011] The communication device 10 is a communication device owned by a user, such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PC (Personal Computer). The communication device 10 is capable of accessing an external device such as a cloud server 3 via a Wi-Fi router 30 and a network N, or via a base station 2 and a network N. The communication device 10 is also capable of establishing a communication connection with the rectenna-equipped device 20 via Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (BLE).

[0012] The rectenna-equipped device 20 (wireless charging device) is a mobile terminal device carried by a user, such as a wristwatch, a smart watch, or a wearable device. The rectenna-equipped device 20 is equipped with a device (rectenna (Rectifying Antenna)) that combines a rectifier and an antenna to convert electromagnetic waves (wireless power) into DC power. This allows the rectenna-equipped device 20 to generate power using, for example, electromagnetic waves emitted by the communication device 10, and charge the device itself.

[0013] The Wi-Fi router 30 is a device (communication device) that connects devices (in this embodiment, communication devices 10) that perform wireless communication via Wi-Fi to the network N.

[0014] <Communication device configuration> FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the communication device 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the communication device 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12, a storage unit 13, a display unit 14, an operation unit 15, a Wi-Fi communication unit 16, a LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication unit 17, a BLE communication unit 18, and a bus 19. The various units of the communication device 10 are connected to each other via the bus 19.

[0015] CPU (first determination means, control means, derivation means, acquisition means, second determination means, third determination means, display control means) 11 is a processor that reads and executes program 131 stored in storage unit 13 and performs various arithmetic processing, thereby controlling the operation of each unit of communication device 10. Although a single CPU 11 is illustrated in FIG. 2, this is not limited to this. Two or more processors such as CPUs may be provided, and the processing executed by CPU 11 of this embodiment may be shared and executed by these two or more processors.

[0016] The RAM 12 provides a working memory space for the CPU 11 and stores temporary data.

[0017] The storage unit 13 stores a program 131 executed by the CPU 11, various setting data, and the like. The program 131 is stored in the form of a computer-readable program code in the storage unit 13. The storage unit 13 includes, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0018] The display unit 14 is configured with an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an EL (Electro Luminescence) display, or the like, and performs various displays according to display information instructed by the CPU 11.

[0019] The operation unit 15 is a touch panel that is superimposed on the display screen of the display unit 14, a physical button, The computer 10 has at least one of an input device such as a pointing device, a mouse, or a keyboard, and outputs operation information according to an input operation on the input device to the CPU 11.

[0020] Each of the Wi-Fi communication unit (data communication means) 16, the LTE communication unit (data communication means) 17, and the BLE communication unit 18 is a communication module having an antenna, a modulation / demodulation circuit, a signal processing circuit, etc. The Wi-Fi communication unit 16 performs wireless data communication with the Wi-Fi router 30 in accordance with a communication standard related to wireless communication by Wi-Fi. Therefore, the communication device 10 can perform data communication with an external device such as the cloud server 3 via the Wi-Fi router 30 and the network N.

[0021] The LTE communication unit 17 performs data communication with the base station 2 in accordance with a communication standard related to LTE. Therefore, the communication device 10 can perform data communication with an external device such as a cloud server 3 via the base station 2 and the network N.

[0022] The BLE communication unit 18 performs wireless data communication with a BLE communication unit 26 of the rectenna-mounted device 20 in accordance with a communication standard related to wireless communication by BLE.

[0023] <Configuration of the rectenna onboard equipment> FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the rectenna-mounted device 20. As shown in FIG. 3, the rectenna-equipped device 20 includes a CPU 21, a RAM 22, a storage unit 23, a display unit 24, an operation unit 25, a BLE communication unit 26, a rectenna 27, a battery 28, and a bus 29. The various components of the rectenna-equipped device 20 are connected to each other via the bus 29.

[0024] The CPU 21 is a processor that reads and executes a program 231 stored in the storage unit 23 and performs various arithmetic processing to control the operation of each part of the rectenna-equipped device 20. Although a single CPU 21 is illustrated in Fig. 3, this is not limiting. Two or more processors such as CPUs may be provided, and the processing executed by the CPU 21 of this embodiment may be shared and executed by these two or more processors.

[0025] The RAM 22 provides a working memory space for the CPU 21 and stores temporary data.

[0026] The storage unit 23 stores a program 231 executed by the CPU 21, various setting data, and the like. The program 231 is stored in the form of computer-readable program code in the storage unit 23. The storage unit 23 includes, for example, a non-volatile memory such as an HDD or SSD.

[0027] The display unit 24 is composed of an LCD, an EL display, or the like, and performs various displays according to display information instructed by the CPU 21.

[0028] The operation unit 25 has at least one of an input device such as a touch panel superimposed on the display screen of the display unit 24, a physical button, a pointing device such as a mouse, and a keyboard, and outputs operation information to the CPU 21 in response to an input operation on the input device.

[0029] The BLE communication unit 26 is a communication module having an antenna, a modulation / demodulation circuit, a signal processing circuit, etc. The BLE communication unit 26 performs wireless data communication with the BLE communication unit 18 of the communication device 10 in accordance with a communication standard related to wireless communication by BLE.

[0030] The rectenna 27 has an antenna, a rectifier circuit, a booster circuit, a charging circuit, etc., and converts the received electromagnetic waves into electric power. The rectenna 27 can supply the converted electric power to each part of the device 20. Therefore, rectenna 27 is capable of charging battery 28 by supplying the converted power to battery 28. The antenna constituting rectenna 27 may also serve as the antenna constituting BLE communication unit 26. In such a case, an RF switch is provided that switches the transmission path of the electromagnetic waves (signals) received by the antenna to either the BLE communication unit 26 side or the rectenna 27 side.

[0031] Battery 28 supplies power to each component of rectenna-mounted equipment 20. In this embodiment, a rechargeable battery is used as battery 28. Note that, in FIG. 3, the power supply paths from battery 28 to each component are omitted.

[0032] <Operation of the rectenna onboard equipment charging system> Next, the operation of the rectenna-equipped device charging system 1 will be described. Specifically, with reference to Fig. 4, the operation of the CPU 11 of the communication device 10 uploading predetermined data (e.g., image data, video data, etc.) from among the data stored in the storage unit 13 to the cloud server 3 will be described. Hereinafter, data uploaded to the cloud server 3 will be referred to as upload data. To realize the above operation, the CPU 11 executes the upload process shown in Fig. 4.

[0033] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the upload process. The upload process is executed, for example, when the power of the communication device 10 is turned on and a preset time arrives. Here, it is assumed that the communication device 10 is communicatively connected to the rectenna-equipped device 20 via BLE. Note that, in this upload process, data may be uploaded to the cloud server 3 via the Wi-Fi router 30 and the network N, or data may be uploaded to the cloud server 3 via the base station 2 and the network N.

[0034] When the upload process is started, the CPU 11 of the communication device 10 determines whether or not there is upload data in the storage unit 13 (step S1).

[0035] In step S1, when it is determined that there is no upload data in the storage unit 13 (step S1; NO), the CPU 11 ends the upload process.

[0036] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S1 that there is upload data in the storage unit 13 (step S1; YES), the CPU 11 determines whether the capacity of the upload data is greater than a predetermined capacity (e.g., 100 MB) (step S2). Note that the predetermined capacity (100 MB) used in this determination is merely an example and is not limited to this value. This predetermined capacity can be set in advance by the user of the communication device 10 via the operation unit 15 or the like. Furthermore, if it is determined that there is upload data in the storage unit 13, the CPU 11 starts measuring the upload pending time (details of which will be described later).

[0037] If it is determined in step S2 that the amount of upload data is not greater than the predetermined amount (step S2; NO), the CPU 11 advances the process to step S7.

[0038] Also, if it is determined in step S2 that the capacity of the uploaded data is larger than a predetermined capacity (step S2; YES), the CPU 11 acquires battery remaining capacity information indicating the remaining battery capacity of the rectenna-equipped device 20 from the rectenna-equipped device 20 via the BLE communication unit 18 (step S3).

[0039] Next, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the remaining battery power of the rectenna-mounted device 20 is less than a predetermined threshold value based on the remaining battery power information acquired in step S3 (step S4). The predetermined threshold value used in this determination can be set in advance by the user of the communication device 10 via the operation unit 15 or the like.

[0040] In step S4, when it is determined that the remaining battery charge of the rectenna-mounted device 20 is not less than the predetermined threshold (step S4; NO), the CPU 11 advances the process to step S7.

[0041] Furthermore, in step S4, if it is determined that the remaining battery level of the rectenna-mounted device 20 is less than the predetermined threshold (step S4; YES), the CPU 11 derives the distance between the communication device 10 and the rectenna-mounted device 20 based on the state of radio waves of the BLE communication with the rectenna-mounted device 20 (step S5). Specifically, the CPU 11 derives the distance between the rectenna-mounted device 20 based on the value of the strength of the radio waves received from the rectenna-mounted device 20 (RSSI; Received Signal Strength Indicator). There are various methods for deriving this distance, and for example, the distance may be derived by substituting the value of the radio wave strength of the received radio waves into a predetermined arithmetic expression, or the distance may be derived by comparing the radio wave strength of the received radio waves with table information having a certain radio wave strength and a distance linked to the certain radio wave strength. This table information is stored in advance in the storage unit 13.

[0042] Next, the CPU 11 judges whether the distance between the communication device 10 and the rectenna-equipped device 20 derived in step S5 is equal to or less than a predetermined distance (e.g., 30 cm) (step S6). The predetermined distance used in this judgment can be set in advance by the user of the communication device 10 via the operation unit 15 or the like. The predetermined distance may be set to a different value depending on the remaining battery level information of the rectenna-equipped device 20 acquired in step S3. For example, if the remaining battery level information is 50%≦battery level<60%, the distance used in the judgment is set to 30 cm, and if the remaining battery level information is 40%≦battery level<50%, the distance used in the judgment is set to 20 cm. The closer the distance between the communication device 10 and the rectenna-equipped device 20, the stronger the radio wave strength becomes, and the stronger the radio wave strength becomes, the greater the power converted by the rectenna 27 of the rectenna-equipped device 20 becomes. According to this, the lower the remaining battery level of the rectenna-equipped device 20, the more efficiently it can be charged.

[0043] If it is determined in step S6 that the distance between the communication device 10 and the rectenna-equipped device 20 is not equal to or less than a predetermined distance (step S6; NO), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S7 and determines whether the time for which the start of upload has been suspended (upload suspension time) is equal to or greater than a predetermined time (step S7).

[0044] If it is determined in step S7 that the upload pending time is not equal to or longer than the predetermined time (step S7; NO), the CPU 11 returns the process to step S1 and repeats the subsequent processes.

[0045] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S6 that the distance between the communications device 10 and the rectenna-equipped device 20 is equal to or shorter than a predetermined distance (step S6; YES), or if it is determined in step S7 that the upload pending time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (step S7; YES), the CPU 11 starts uploading (step S8). Therefore, the CPU 11 starts uploading when the capacity of the upload data is greater than a predetermined capacity (step S2; YES), the remaining battery charge of the rectenna-equipped device 20 is less than a predetermined threshold (step S4; YES), and the rectenna-equipped device 20 is located near the communications device 10 (step S6; YES), that is, in an environment where the charging efficiency of the rectenna-equipped device 20 is high. However, even if the environment is not one where the charging efficiency of the rectenna-equipped device 20 is high (step S2; NO, step S4; NO, step S6; NO), if the upload pending time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (step S7; YES), the CPU 11 starts uploading. 1 starts uploading. Here, one of the conditions for starting uploading is that the rectenna-equipped device 20 is located in the vicinity of the communication device 10, because when uploading from the communication device 10 to the cloud server 3, the closer the transmitting antenna of the communication device 10 (the Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or LTE communication unit 17 of the communication device 10) is to the rectenna-equipped device 20, the stronger the radio wave intensity of the radio waves received by the rectenna-equipped device 20 becomes, and as a result, the power converted by the rectenna 27 of the rectenna-equipped device 20 becomes larger.

[0046] Next, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the upload is completed (step S9).

[0047] In step S9, if it is determined that the upload is not completed (step S9; NO), the CPU 11 repeats the determination process in step S9 until the upload is completed.

[0048] Moreover, in step S9, if it is determined that the upload is completed (step S9; YES), the CPU 11 ends the upload process.

[0049] Effect As described above, CPU 11 of communication device 10 of this embodiment determines whether rectenna-equipped device (wireless charging device) 20 satisfies predetermined conditions (e.g., steps S4 and S6 of the upload process; see FIG. 4), and when it is determined that rectenna-equipped device 20 satisfies the predetermined conditions, causes data communication (uploading) to be performed by Wi-Fi communication unit (data communication means) 16 or LTE communication unit (data communication means) 17. Therefore, according to rectenna-equipped device charging system 1, when it is determined that rectenna-equipped device 20 satisfies the predetermined conditions, that is, when the rectenna-equipped device 20 is in an environment where charging efficiency of rectenna-equipped device 20 is high, CPU 11 of communication device 10 causes data communication (uploading) to be performed by Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or LTE communication unit 17, so that rectenna-equipped device 20 can be charged efficiently.

[0050] Furthermore, the CPU 11 of the communication device 10 derives the distance between the rectenna-equipped device 20 and the device itself 10 based on the state of communication radio waves in the BLE communication connection with the rectenna-equipped device 20, and when the derived distance is within a predetermined distance, causes data transmission (uploading) to be performed by the Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or the LTE communication unit 17. Therefore, according to the rectenna-equipped device charging system 1, when the rectenna-equipped device 20 is located near the communication device 10, data communication (uploading) is performed by the Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or the LTE communication unit 17, making it easier for the rectenna 27 to receive electromagnetic waves (radio waves) transmitted from the Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or the LTE communication unit 17. As a result, power generation by the rectenna 27 can be stably performed, and the rectenna-equipped device 20 can be efficiently charged.

[0051] Furthermore, the CPU 11 of the communication device 10 acquires battery remaining information indicating the remaining battery level of the rectenna-equipped device 20 from the rectenna-equipped device 20, and when the remaining battery level of the rectenna-equipped device 20 indicated by the acquired battery remaining information is lower than a predetermined value, causes data communication (uploading) to be performed by the Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or the LTE communication unit 17. Therefore, according to the rectenna-equipped device charging system 1, when the remaining battery level of the rectenna-equipped device 20 is low and charging of the rectenna-equipped device 20 is required, data communication (uploading) is performed by the Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or the LTE communication unit 17, so that the rectenna-equipped device 20 can be charged efficiently.

[0052] In addition, the CPU 11 of the communication device 10 determines whether the amount of data communicated (uploaded) by the Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or the LTE communication unit 17 is larger than a predetermined amount. (Step S2 of the upload process; see FIG. 4), and when it is determined that the capacity of the data is larger than a predetermined capacity, data communication (uploading) is performed by Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or LTE communication unit 17. Therefore, according to rectenna-equipped device charging system 1, when the capacity of data to be uploaded is relatively large, data communication (uploading) is performed by Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or LTE communication unit 17, so that rectenna 27 of rectenna-equipped device 20 can receive electromagnetic waves (radio waves) transmitted from Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or LTE communication unit 17 for a relatively long period of time compared to when the capacity of data to be uploaded is relatively small. As a result, rectenna 27 can generate power for a relatively long period of time, so that rectenna-equipped device 20 can be charged efficiently.

[0053] Furthermore, CPU 11 of communication device 10 determines whether or not a state in which data that can be communicated (uploaded) by Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or LTE communication unit 17 has not been transmitted and is held for a predetermined time or more (step S7 of the upload process; see FIG. 4), and if it determines that this state has continued for a predetermined time or more, causes data communication (uploading) to be performed by Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or LTE communication unit 17. Thus, rectenna-equipped device charging system 1 can prevent upload data from being held for a long period of time without being uploaded.

[0054] In the above-described rectenna-equipped device charging system 1, if the Wi-Fi router 30 is capable of establishing a communication connection with the rectenna-equipped device 20 via BLE, the rectenna-equipped device 20 can be efficiently charged even when the communication device 10 downloads data (e.g., image data, etc.) from the cloud server 3 via the Wi-Fi router 30. Here, with reference to FIG. 5, an operation in which the CPU (not shown) of the Wi-Fi router 30 transmits data (e.g., image data, etc.) downloaded from the cloud server 3 to the communication device 10 will be described. In order to realize the above operation, the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 executes a download relay process shown in FIG. 5.

[0055] When the download relay process is started, the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 determines whether or not there is download data (step S11).

[0056] In step S11, if it is determined that there is no download data (step S11; NO), the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 ends the download relay process.

[0057] If it is determined in step S11 that there is download data (step S11; YES), the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 determines whether the size of the download data is greater than a predetermined size (e.g., 100 MB) (step S12). If it is determined that there is download data, similarly to step S1 in FIG. 4, the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 starts measuring the upload pending time.

[0058] If it is determined in step S12 that the size of the downloaded data is not larger than the predetermined size (step S12; NO), the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 advances the process to step S17.

[0059] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S12 that the capacity of the downloaded data is greater than a predetermined capacity (step S12; YES), the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 acquires battery remaining capacity information indicating the remaining battery capacity of the rectenna-equipped device 20 from the rectenna-equipped device 20 via the BLE communication unit (not shown) (step S13).

[0060] Next, the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 receives the remaining battery information acquired in step S13. Based on this, it is determined whether or not the remaining battery charge of the rectenna-mounted device 20 is less than a predetermined threshold (step S14).

[0061] In step S14, if it is determined that the remaining battery power of the rectenna-equipped device 20 is not less than the predetermined threshold (step S14; NO), the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 advances the process to step S17.

[0062] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S14 that the remaining battery charge of the rectenna-equipped device 20 is less than the predetermined threshold (step S14; YES), the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 derives the distance between the Wi-Fi router 30 and the rectenna-equipped device 20 based on the state of radio waves of the BLE communication with the rectenna-equipped device 20 (step S15). Specifically, the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 derives the distance from the rectenna-equipped device 20 based on the value of the strength of the radio waves received from the rectenna-equipped device 20 (RSSI: Received Signal Strength Indicator). The method of deriving this distance may be the same as that described above.

[0063] Next, the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 determines whether the distance between the Wi-Fi router 30 and the rectenna-equipped device 20 derived in step S15 is equal to or less than a predetermined distance (e.g., 30 cm) (step S16). This predetermined distance may be set to a different value depending on the remaining battery level information of the rectenna-equipped device 20 acquired in step S13, similar to step S6 in FIG. 4.

[0064] If it is determined in step S16 that the distance between the Wi-Fi router 30 and the rectenna-equipped device 20 is not equal to or less than a predetermined distance (step S16; NO), the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 proceeds to step S17 and determines whether the time for which the transmission of download data to the communication device 10 has been suspended (download suspension time) is equal to or greater than a predetermined time (step S17).

[0065] In step S17, if it is determined that the download pending time is not equal to or longer than the predetermined time (step S17; NO), the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 returns the process to step S11 and repeats the subsequent processes.

[0066] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S16 that the distance between the Wi-Fi router 30 and the rectenna-equipped device 20 is equal to or shorter than a predetermined distance (step S16; YES), or if it is determined in step S17 that the download pending time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (step S17; YES), the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 transmits the download data to the communication device 10 (step S18). Therefore, the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 transmits the download data to the communication device 10 when the capacity of the download data is larger than a predetermined capacity (step S12; YES), the remaining battery power of the rectenna-equipped device 20 is less than a predetermined threshold (step S14; YES), and the rectenna-equipped device 20 is located in the vicinity of the Wi-Fi router 30 (step S16; YES), that is, in an environment where the charging efficiency of the rectenna-equipped device 20 is high. However, even if the environment is not one in which the charging efficiency of the rectenna-equipped device 20 is high (step S12; NO, step S14; NO, step S16; NO), if the download pending time is equal to or longer than a predetermined time (step S17; YES), the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 transmits download data to the communication device 10.

[0067] Next, the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 determines whether or not the transmission of the download data to the communication device 10 is completed (step S19).

[0068] In step S19, if it is determined that the transmission of the download data to the communication device 10 has not been completed (step S19; NO), the CPU of the Wi-Fi router 30 repeats the determination process of step S19 until the transmission is completed.

[0069] Furthermore, in step S19, if it is determined that the transmission of the download data to the communication device 10 has been completed (step S19; YES), the CPU 11 ends the download relay process.

[0070] (Modification) Next, a modified rectenna-equipped device charging system 100 will be described. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a modified rectenna-equipped device charging system 100. Note that the same components as those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0071] <Configuration of Modified Rectenna-Mounted Equipment Charging System> 6, the rectenna-equipped device charging system 100 includes a communication device 10, a rectenna-equipped device 20, and an in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40. The rectenna-equipped device charging system 100 is provided, for example, inside an automobile, and is used to charge the rectenna-equipped device 20.

[0072] The communication device 10 is, for example, a navigation system installed in an automobile, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc. The communication device 10 is capable of accessing external devices such as a cloud server 3 and a video distribution server 4 via an in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40, a base station 2, and a network N.

[0073] The in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40 is a device (communication device) that communicates with radio waves of a mobile phone communication network (e.g., LTE) outside the vehicle and communicates with an in-vehicle device (communication device 10 in this modified example) with Wi-Fi radio waves inside the vehicle. The in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40 is capable of establishing a communication connection with the rectenna-equipped device 20 via BLE.

[0074] <In-vehicle Wi-Fi router configuration> FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40. As shown in FIG. 7, the in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40 includes a CPU 41, a RAM 42, a storage unit 43, a Wi-Fi communication unit 44, an LTE communication unit 45, a BLE communication unit 46, and a bus 47. The components of the in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40 are connected to each other via the bus 47.

[0075] The CPU 41 is a processor that reads and executes a program 431 stored in the storage unit 43 and performs various arithmetic processing to control the operation of each unit of the communication device 10. Although a single CPU 11 is illustrated in Fig. 7, this is not limiting. Two or more processors such as CPUs may be provided, and the processing executed by the CPU 11 of this embodiment may be shared and executed by these two or more processors.

[0076] The RAM 42 provides a working memory space for the CPU 41 and stores temporary data.

[0077] The storage unit 43 stores a program 431 executed by the CPU 41, various setting data, and the like. The program 431 is stored in the form of a computer-readable program code in the storage unit 43. As the storage unit 43, for example, a storage device that does not require a power source to hold data, such as an HDD or SSD, is used.

[0078] The Wi-Fi communication unit 44, the LTE communication unit 45, and the BLE communication unit 46 each include an antenna , a modulation / demodulation circuit, a signal processing circuit, etc. The Wi-Fi communication unit 44 performs wireless data communication with the communication device 10 in accordance with a communication standard related to wireless communication by Wi-Fi.

[0079] The LTE communication unit 45 performs data communication with the base station 2 in accordance with a communication standard related to LTE. Note that the LTE communication unit 45 may be a communication unit that performs data communication with the base station 2 in accordance with a communication standard related to 5G, as long as it is capable of communicating radio waves of a mobile phone communication network.

[0080] The BLE communication unit 46 performs wireless data communication with the BLE communication unit 26 of the rectenna-mounted device 20 in accordance with a communication standard related to wireless communication by BLE.

[0081] <Operation of the Modified Rectenna On-Board Equipment Charging System> Next, the operation of the modified rectenna-equipped device charging system 100 will be described. Specifically, with reference to Fig. 8, the operation of the CPU 41 of the in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40 downloading download data (e.g., video data) from the video distribution server 4 based on a communication request from the communication device 10 and uploading upload data (e.g., image data, etc.) stored in the storage unit 13 of the communication device 10 to the cloud server 3 will be described. To realize the above operation, the CPU 41 executes a communication control process shown in Fig. 8.

[0082] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of the communication control process. The communication control process is executed, for example, when power is turned on to the in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40. Here, it is assumed that the in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40 is communicatively connected to the rectenna-equipped device 20 via BLE.

[0083] When the communication control process is started, the CPU 41 of the in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40 determines whether or not a communication request has been made from the communication device 10 via the Wi-Fi communication unit 44 (step S101).

[0084] In step S101, when it is determined that no communication request has been made from the communication device 10 (step S101; NO), the CPU 41 ends the communication control process.

[0085] Furthermore, when it is determined in step S101 that a communication request has been made from the communication device 10 (step S101; YES), the CPU 41 determines whether the service of the communication connection for which the communication request has been made is video viewing or uploading (step S102). The term "service" as used here refers to the type of data (type of content) exchanged between the communication device 10 and an external device (such as the cloud server 3, the video distribution server 4, a navigation server (not shown), or a road information management server (not shown)).

[0086] In step S102, if it is determined that the service of the communication connection for which a communication request has been made is neither video viewing nor uploading, that is, it is another service (for example, communication with a navigation server to search for a destination for the vehicle, and transmission and reception of navigation information such as names of feature candidates for the destination and travel routes, or communication with a road information management server to transmit and receive information on road conditions around the vehicle (traffic jams, accidents, lane restrictions, etc.)) (step S102; NO), the CPU 41 proceeds to the process of step S106.

[0087] Furthermore, in step S102, if it is determined that the service of the communication connection for which the communication request has been made is video viewing or uploading (step S102; YES), the CPU 41 transmits the power supply voltage of the rectenna-equipped device 20 from the rectenna-equipped device 20 via the BLE communication unit 46. The battery remaining amount information indicating the remaining battery amount is obtained (step S103).

[0088] Next, the CPU 41 determines whether the remaining battery level of the rectenna-equipped device 20 is less than a predetermined threshold based on the remaining battery level information acquired in step S103 (step S104). Note that in this communication control process, unlike step S6 of the above-mentioned upload process (see FIG. 4) and step S16 of the download relay process (see FIG. 5), a process for determining whether the distance to the rectenna-equipped device 20 is equal to or less than a predetermined distance (e.g., 30 cm) is not performed. This is because the rectenna-equipped device charging system 100 is premised on being used inside an automobile, and the rectenna-equipped device 20 is always placed near the in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40. As a result, in the communication control process, the process for determining whether the distance to the rectenna-equipped device 20 is equal to or less than a predetermined distance is omitted, thereby reducing the processing load on the CPU 41.

[0089] In step S104, when it is determined that the remaining battery power of the rectenna-equipped device 20 is not less than the predetermined threshold value (step S104; NO), the CPU 41 advances the process to step S106.

[0090] Furthermore, in step S104, if it is determined that the remaining battery charge of the rectenna-equipped device 20 is less than a predetermined threshold (step S104; YES), the CPU 41 notifies the rectenna-equipped device 20 of charging guidance (for example, a message notifying that charging will be performed at the rectenna 27) via the BLE communication unit 46 (step S105). Note that this charging guidance may be configured to notify a message encouraging the user to place the rectenna-equipped device 20 near the in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40.

[0091] Next, the CPU 41 starts communication for the service of the communication connection for which a communication request has been made from the communication device 10 (step S106). For example, if the service of the communication connection for which a communication request has been made is video viewing, the CPU 41 receives video data distributed from the video distribution server 4 via the LTE communication unit 45. Then, the CPU 41 transmits the video data to the communication device 10 via the Wi-Fi communication unit 44. This allows the rectenna-equipped device 20 to be efficiently charged while a desired video is being viewed on the display unit 14 of the communication device 10.

[0092] Next, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the above communication has ended (step S107).

[0093] In step S107, when it is determined that the above communication has not ended (step S107; NO), the CPU 41 repeats the determination process of step S107 until the communication ends.

[0094] Moreover, in step S107, if it is determined that the above communication has ended (step S107; YES), the CPU 41 ends the communication control process.

[0095] Furthermore, in step S102, when the type of communication request from communication device 10 is either acquisition of video data or data upload, CPU 41 notifies rectenna-equipped device 20 of a message to the effect that charging by electromagnetic waves will be performed. This is because when the type of communication request from communication device 10 is the above-mentioned navigation information or road condition information, the capacity of data communication between in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40 and external devices is relatively small compared to video data or uploading. Therefore, when communicating navigation information or road condition information, the period of communication between in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40 and communication device 10 is short, and charging in rectenna-equipped device 20 may not be sufficient. According to the above embodiment, since the message is displayed when the period of communication becomes relatively long, charging can be performed efficiently.

[0096] <Other> The description of the above embodiment is merely an example of the communication device, communication control method, and program according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the above embodiment, if it is determined in step S6 of the upload process (see FIG. 4) that the distance between the communication device 10 and the rectenna-equipped device 20 is less than a predetermined distance (step S6; YES), the CPU 11 may cause the display unit 24 of the rectenna-equipped device 20 or the display unit 14 of the communication device 10 to display a message instructing the user not to move the rectenna-equipped device 20.

[0097] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, when download data is transmitted to communication device 10 in step S18 of the download relay process (see FIG. 5), if the download data is transmitted in the direction toward which communication device 10 is located using beamforming, a message instructing the user to place rectenna-equipped device 20 on the line connecting Wi-Fi router 30 and communication device 10 may be displayed on display unit 24 of the rectenna-equipped device 20 or on display unit 14 of communication device 10.

[0098] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, in the upload process (see FIG. 4), it may be further determined whether the transmitting antenna (the antenna of the Wi-Fi communication unit 16 or the LTE communication unit 17) performing the upload and the antenna of the rectenna 27 of the rectenna-equipped device 20 are facing in a specific direction (the direction that improves charging efficiency) relative to each other, and if it is determined that they are facing in the specific direction, the upload may be started in step S8 (the same applies to the download relay process (see FIG. 5)).

[0099] In the above description, an example has been disclosed in which the HDD or SSD of the storage unit 13 is used as a computer-readable medium for the program according to the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As other computer-readable media, information recording media such as flash memory and CD-ROM can be applied. In addition, a carrier wave is also applied to the present invention as a medium for providing data of the program according to the present invention via a communication line.

[0100] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the detailed configurations and detailed operations of each component of the communication device 10, the rectenna-equipped device 20, the Wi-Fi router 30, and the in-vehicle Wi-Fi router 40 in the above embodiment and modified examples can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 1. 100 Rectenna onboard equipment charging system 10. Communications equipment 11 CPU 12 RAM 13 Storage section 131 Programs 14 Display section 15 Control section 16 Wi-Fi Communication Department 17 LTE Communication Department 18 BLE Communication Department 19 Bus 20 Rectenna onboard equipment 21 CPU 22 RAM 23 Memory section 231 Rectenna Onboard Equipment 24 Display section 25 Control section 26 BLE Communication Department 27 Rectenna 28 Battery 29 Bus 30 Wi-Fi Router 40 In-vehicle Wi-Fi router 41 CPU 42 RAM 43 Storage section 431 Programs 44 Wi-Fi Communication Department 45 LTE Communication Department 46 BLE Communication Department 47 Bus

Claims

1. A communication device capable of communicating with a wireless charging device, A data communication means for communicating data with an external device by wireless communication; A first determination means for determining whether the wireless charging device satisfies a predetermined condition; a control means for causing the data communication means to communicate the data when the first determination means determines that the wireless charging device satisfies the predetermined condition; A communication device comprising:

2. a derivation means for deriving a distance between the wireless charging device and the device itself based on a state of a communication wave in the communication connection between the wireless charging device and the device itself; The predetermined condition is: The condition is that the distance derived by the derivation means is within a predetermined distance.

2. The communication device according to claim 1 .

3. an acquisition unit for acquiring battery remaining amount information indicating a remaining battery amount of the wireless charging device from the wireless charging device; The predetermined condition is: The condition is that the remaining battery level of the wireless charging device indicated by the remaining battery level information acquired by the acquisition means is less than a predetermined value.

2. The communication device according to claim 1 .

4. a second determination means for determining whether or not the volume of data communicated by the data communication means is greater than a predetermined volume; The control means further comprises: when the second determination means determines that the volume of the data is larger than a predetermined volume, causing the data communication means to communicate the data; 2. The communication device according to claim 1 .

5. a third determination means for determining whether or not a state in which data that can be communicated by the data communication means is not communicated and is held in abeyance continues for a predetermined period of time or more; The control means when it is determined by the third determination means that the state in which the data is not communicated and is held has continued for a predetermined time or more, causing the data communication means to communicate the data; 2. The communication device according to claim 1 .

6. a display control unit that displays a message on a display unit of the wireless charging device and / or the device itself, the message instructing the user not to move the wireless charging device when the data communication unit is communicating the data, 2. The communication device according to claim 1 .

7. A communication control method executed by a computer of a communication device that is capable of communicating with a wireless charging device and has a data communication means for communicating data with an external device by wireless communication, comprising: a determining step of determining whether the wireless charging device satisfies a predetermined condition; a control step of causing the data communication means to communicate the data when it is determined that the wireless charging device satisfies the predetermined condition by the determination step; A communication control method comprising:

8. It is possible to connect to a wireless charging device and communicate data with external devices via wireless communication. A computer of a communication device equipped with a data communication means such as A determination means for determining whether the wireless charging device satisfies a predetermined condition; a control means for causing the data communication means to communicate the data when the determination means determines that the wireless charging device satisfies the predetermined condition; A program characterized by causing the program to function as a

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