Electronic apparatus, charge control method, and program

Abstract

To provide an electronic apparatus for efficiently performing charging according to a situation of using an electronic apparatus, and to provide a charge control method and a program therefor.SOLUTION: According to an electronic wrist watch 10, a control part 103 conventionally charges a battery 102 via excessive power as a part of power generated when NFC is performed with a reader / writer device 20, in a state where a first NFC module 104 is connected with NFC antenna 105 via an antenna switching part 107. The control part 103 switches a connection state so as to connect the NFC antenna 105 with a second NFC module 108 via the antenna switching part 107 when it is determined that charging by the excessive power continues for a predetermined period of time T or more to charge the battery 102 at larger power than the excessive power generated when the NFC is performed with a charger 30 in a state where the second NFC module 108 is connected with the NFC antenna 105.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a technology that uses NFC (Near Field Communication) technology to contactlessly charge a secondary battery of an electronic device, such as an electronic wristwatch (smart watch) or a smartphone, without connecting the electronic device to a charger with a cable. In contactless charging, the electronic device to be charged cannot be charged efficiently unless it is placed in the correct position on the charger. Therefore, a technology has been proposed that provides guidance on the appropriate position for placing an electronic device to be charged when placing an electronic device such as a smartphone on a dedicated charger and performing contactless charging using NFC technology (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-169377 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in the case of electronic devices such as electronic wristwatches that are worn on the wrist, they are often used while being worn on the wrist for long periods of time, and so there is a demand for charging the electronic device while the wristwatch is being worn. However, even with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, the electronic device to be charged can only be charged while placed on a dedicated charger, and it is difficult to continue charging while the device is worn on the wrist. For this reason, if you forget to charge the device with a charger, you need to constantly be aware of the remaining battery level, and depending on the remaining battery level, the battery may run out. As such, since it is difficult to charge the device while it is worn on the wrist, there is a problem in that it leads to reduced convenience.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to enable efficient charging of an electronic device in accordance with its usage status. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The electronic device of the present invention is characterized in that it comprises an antenna capable of performing short-range wireless communication with an external device, a first module that outputs as a first power a portion of the power generated when the short-range wireless communication is performed while connected to the antenna, a second module that outputs as a second power a power greater than the first power generated through the connection with the antenna, a battery that is charged by either the output first power or the second power, and a control unit that switches the connection state to connect the antenna to the second module when it is determined that charging of the battery with the first power satisfies a predetermined condition while the antenna and the first module are connected.

[0007] The charging control method of the present invention is a charging control method by a control unit of an electronic device, and includes the steps of: converting a magnetic field generated when short-range wireless communication is performed with an external device into electric power using an antenna; outputting a portion of the electric power generated when the short-range wireless communication is performed while connected to the antenna by a first module as a first power; outputting a power greater than the first power generated through the connection with the antenna by a second module as a second power; charging a battery with either the output first power or the second power; and switching a connection state to connect the antenna to the second module when it is determined that charging the battery with the first power satisfies a predetermined condition while the antenna and the first module are connected.

[0008] The program of the present invention is characterized in that it causes a computer of an electronic device having an antenna and a control unit for performing short-range wireless communication to realize the following functions: a conversion function for converting a magnetic field generated when short-range wireless communication is performed with an external device into electric power using the antenna; a first power output function for outputting as a first power a portion of the electric power generated when the short-range wireless communication is performed while a first module is connected to the antenna; a second power output function for outputting as a second power a power greater than the first power generated through the connection with the antenna by a second module; a charging function for charging a battery with either the output first power or the second power; and a switching function for switching a connection state so that the antenna is connected to the second module when it is determined that charging the battery with the first power satisfies a predetermined condition while the antenna and the first module are connected. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently charge the electronic device depending on the usage status. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a charging control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of how an electronic wristwatch (electronic device) 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used; [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing the configurations of an electronic wristwatch (electronic device) 10, a reader / writer device 20, and a charger 30 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart for explaining the charging control operation of the electronic wristwatch (electronic device) 10 according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a charging control system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the charging control system 1 comprises an electronic wristwatch (electronic device) 10, a reader / writer device (first external device) 20, and a charger (second external device) 30. The electronic wristwatch 10 has an NFC (Near Field Communication) tag 12, and communicates with an NFC tag 21 of the reader / writer device 20. It also has a non-contact charging function for charging a battery (described later) with a portion of the power (surplus power) extracted during communication by NFC, and a non-contact charging function for communicating with an NFC tag 31 of a charger 30 and charging the battery with power using electromagnetic induction by NFC. Note that the electronic wristwatch 10 is not limited to the electronic wristwatch 10, and may be a smartphone, tablet, or the like, as long as it is a device that can be charged using short-range wireless communication. In addition, the communication means between the electronic wristwatch (electronic device) 10 and the reader / writer device 20 and charger 30 is not limited to the above-mentioned NFC, but may be any communication standard that transmits and receives information using short-range wireless communication, such as a communication standard based on RFID (Radio Frequency identifier).

[0013] The reader / writer device 20 has an NFC tag 21, and in particular is composed of an automatic ticket gate, a payment device in a store, a personal authentication device in a facility, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc. The charger 30 has an NFC tag 31 and is a dedicated charging device placed at home, etc.

[0014] 2(a)-(c) are schematic diagrams showing examples of usage of an electronic wristwatch (electronic device) 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2(a), at a payment device 40 installed in a store, a user holds the electronic wristwatch 10 over a payment reader / writer device 20 to execute data communication via NFC and make a payment using electronic money or the like. Also, as shown in FIG. 2(b), at an automatic ticket gate 50, a user holds the electronic wristwatch 10 over a predetermined reader / writer device 20 of the automatic ticket gate when passing through the ticket gate to execute data communication via NFC, and information such as the boarding station, boarding time, disembarking station, and disembarking time is recorded, and the fare is paid.

[0015] In addition to the above, in a personal authentication device (not shown) in a facility, when a user enters a facility that requires personal authentication, the user holds the electronic wristwatch 10 over a reader device installed at the entrance, which executes data communication via NFC and performs personal authentication. Also, in a smartphone or tablet terminal, an application (such as a map application) to be started when the electronic wristwatch 10 is held up can be preset, and the user can hold the electronic wristwatch 10 up to trigger data communication via NFC, which then automatically starts the preset application.

[0016] When using the payment device 40 shown in FIG. 2(a), the automatic ticket barrier 50 shown in FIG. 2(b), other personal authentication devices, and automatic application startup on smartphones, tablet terminals, etc., data communication via NFC takes a relatively short time in all cases (for example, several hundred milliseconds to a few seconds in the case of the payment device 40, and several tens of milliseconds to several hundred milliseconds in the case of the automatic ticket barrier 50 and other personal authentication devices, etc.). In this embodiment, in a usage situation where such short-term data communication via NFC is performed, a part of the power extracted during communication via NFC (surplus power; for example, several milliwatts to several tens of milliwatts) is used to charge the battery (described below) of the electronic wristwatch 10. In other words, it is possible to charge the electronic wristwatch 10 (electronic device) to be charged while it is still being worn.

[0017] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2(c), in a situation where the user takes off the electronic wristwatch 10 and places it on the charger 60 for a relatively long period of use (several minutes to several hours), instead of charging using the above-mentioned surplus power, communication for charging is established with the charger 60 via NFC, and then the battery (described below) of the electronic wristwatch 10 is charged with a large power (e.g., 0.5 W to 15 W) that is larger than the surplus power and is supplied from the charger 60 by electromagnetic induction.

[0018] In this embodiment, the charging method (ultra-short-time charging with surplus power, long-time charging with relatively large power) is not switched simply by detecting whether the user is wearing the electronic wristwatch 10 or not, but the charging method is switched based on the elapsed time of charging with surplus power via NFC (or the change in the remaining battery power of the electronic wristwatch 10). As a result, even if the user uses the payment device 40 or automatic ticket gate 50 without wearing the electronic wristwatch 10 for some reason, for example while holding it in their hand, it is possible to charge the battery of the electronic wristwatch 10 using a charging method appropriate to the usage situation.

[0019] Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configurations of an electronic wristwatch (electronic device) 10, a reader / writer device 20, and a charger 30 according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the electronic wristwatch 10 includes a battery 102, a control unit 103, a first NFC module 104, an NFC antenna 105, an antenna switching unit 107, a second NFC module 108, and a charger 109. The control unit 103 controls the operation of the first NFC module 104, the antenna switching unit 107, the second NFC module 108, and the charger 109 based on the presence or absence of surplus power and / or the remaining battery power of the battery 102.

[0020] The reader / writer device 20 includes a control unit 201, an NFC module 202, and an NFC antenna 203. The control unit 201 controls the operation of the NFC module 202 when communicating with the electronic wristwatch 10 via NFC. The NFC module 202 controls data communication with the electronic wristwatch 10 via NFC using the NFC antenna 203.

[0021] The charger 30 includes a control unit 301, an NFC module 302, and an NFC antenna 303. The control unit 301 controls the operation of the NFC module 302 when communicating with the electronic wristwatch 10 via NFC. The NFC module (charging controller) 302 executes communication establishment processing for NFC charging with the electronic wristwatch 10 using the NFC antenna 303, and controls the supply of a relatively large amount of power to the NFC antenna 105 of the electronic wristwatch 10 by electromagnetic induction.

[0022] When the NFC antenna 105 of the electronic wristwatch 10 and the NFC antenna 203 of the reader / writer device 20 or the NFC antenna 303 of the charger 30 come into close proximity, power is generated by electromagnetic induction in the NFC antenna 105. The first NFC module 104 and the second NFC module 108 use the power generated in the NFC antenna 105 (hereinafter, "generated power") to perform data communication by NFC using the NFC antenna 105 between the reader / writer device 20 or the charger 30.

[0023] Under the control of the control unit 103, the antenna switching unit 107 switches whether the power induced in the NFC antenna 105 when the device approaches the reader / writer device 20 or the charger 30 is supplied to the first NFC module 104 or the second NFC module 108. Basically, the antenna switching unit 107 is set to supply the power induced in the NFC antenna 105 to the first NFC module 104, and when the device approaches the charger 30 and satisfies a predetermined condition, under the control of the control unit 103, the antenna switching unit 107 switches the power induced in the NFC antenna 105 to be supplied to the second NFC module 108.

[0024] When the generated power induced in the NFC antenna 105 is supplied to the first NFC module 104, the generated power includes surplus power that exceeds the NFC module operating power for driving the first NFC module 104. The surplus power is power generated in the NFC antenna 105 minus power used by the electronic wristwatch 10 to cause the reader / writer device 20 to execute a predetermined process as a result of the electronic wristwatch (electronic device) 10 performing data communication with the reader / writer device 20 via NFC.

[0025] For example, in data communication by NFC with a personal authentication device in the above-mentioned facilities, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, etc., the surplus power is the power generated by the NFC antenna 105 minus the power used by the electronic watch (electronic device) 10 to cause the reader / writer device 20 to execute authentication processing, application startup, etc. as a predetermined process. Also, in data communication by NFC with a payment device 40 in a store or the like, an automatic ticket gate 50, etc., the surplus power is the power generated by the NFC antenna 105 minus the power used by the electronic watch (electronic device) 10 when executing payment processing as a predetermined process.

[0026] In this embodiment, when the first NFC module 104 is in close proximity to the reader / writer device 20, it outputs surplus power from the surplus power output terminal, which is generated by the NFC antenna 105 and supplied via the antenna switching unit 107. The surplus power is supplied to the battery 102 via the backflow prevention diode D1. The battery 102 is therefore charged by the surplus power. The surplus power at this time is relatively small (several mW to several tens of mW) and charges the battery (described below) of the electronic wristwatch 10 in a very short time when the electronic wristwatch 10 is in close proximity to the reader / writer device 20 (for example, several hundred msec to several seconds in the case of the payment device 40, and several tens of msec to several hundred msec in the case of the automatic ticket barrier 50 or other personal authentication devices). Since the power required for operation of the electronic wristwatch 10 is relatively small, the battery 102 can be sufficiently charged even with such a relatively small power (several mW to several tens of mW) and in a short time (several hundred msec to several seconds, or several tens of msec to several hundred msec). In this case, because charging is power-saving and takes a short time, there is no need for communication establishment processing as pre-processing for safe and efficient charging, which will be described later.

[0027] Furthermore, when the second NFC module 108 is in proximity to the charger 30 and satisfies certain conditions, it supplies the power generated by the NFC antenna 105, supplied via the antenna switching unit 107, to the charger 109. The charger 109 charges the battery 102 with the supplied generated power. At this time, the power generated by electromagnetic induction by the charger 30 is relatively large (0.5 W to 15 W), and charges the battery (not shown) of the electronic wristwatch 10 relatively quickly and for a long period of time (tens of minutes to several hours). In this case, due to the large power and long charging time, communication establishment processing is required as preprocessing for safe and efficient charging.

[0028] Based on the elapsed time during which the battery 102 is charged with surplus power generated by NFC (or a change in the remaining battery level of the battery 102), the control unit 103 switches the antenna switching unit 107 so as to supply the power generated by the NFC antenna 105 to either the first NFC module 104 or the second NFC module 108. As described above, the power generated by the NFC antenna 105 is basically supplied to the first NFC module 104. That is, when NFC is established, the battery 102 is charged with surplus power.

[0029] In this embodiment, when data communication by NFC is started, the control unit 103 first charges the battery 102 with surplus power by NFC, and continues charging with the surplus power until the data communication by NFC is released or the elapsed time of charging with the surplus power becomes equal to or longer than a predetermined time T (several seconds). The predetermined time T may be longer than the execution time when the external device is made to execute a predetermined process, that is, the time when charging is performed with one surplus power (short-time proximity). That is, in the initial state, the generated power generated by the NFC antenna 105 is supplied to the first NFC module 104 via the antenna switching unit 107. On the other hand, when the elapsed time of charging with the surplus power becomes equal to or longer than the predetermined time T (several seconds), the antenna switching unit 107 is switched so that the generated power generated by the NFC antenna 105 is supplied to the second NFC module 108.

[0030] That is, when the electronic wristwatch 10 and the reader / writer device 20 are in close proximity for only a short time, such as with the payment device 40 or automatic ticket gate 50, the time of proximity is within the predetermined time T (several seconds), so the battery 102 is always charged with surplus power. On the other hand, when the elapsed time of charging with surplus power exceeds the predetermined time T (several seconds), it is determined that the electronic wristwatch 10 is in close proximity to (placed on) the charger 30, and the antenna switching unit 107 is switched to supply the power generated by the NFC antenna 105 to the second NFC module 108, and the battery 102 is charged with the relatively large power supplied by electromagnetic induction from the charger 30. When charging by the charger 30 is completed, the antenna switching unit 107 is switched to supply the power generated by the NFC antenna 105 to the first NFC module 104 again (so that the battery 102 can be charged with the surplus power), and the connection state is restored.

[0031] In this way, in this embodiment, in addition to the normal (existing) charging method using the charger 30, the battery 102 is also charged in cases where the electronic wristwatch 10 and the reader / writer device 20 are in close proximity for a short time, such as in the payment device 40 and the automatic ticket gate 50, so that the electronic wristwatch 10 (electronic device) can be charged through daily activities even while it is being worn. This makes it possible to reduce the risk of the battery running out, since the battery 102 can be charged during daily use even if charging with the charger 30 is forgotten. This is particularly effective in reducing the risk of the battery running out in electronic devices that can be used for long periods of time with little power, such as the electronic wristwatch 10 in this embodiment. In addition, since the electronic wristwatch 10 (electronic device) is automatically switched between charging while worn and charging with the charger 30, it can be efficiently charged according to the usage status of the electronic wristwatch 10 (electronic device) without the user having to perform any special operations.

[0032] 4 is a flowchart for explaining the charging control operation of the electronic wristwatch (electronic device) 10 according to this embodiment. The control unit 103 is triggered by the start of data communication by NFC with the reader / writer device 20 or the charger 30 to determine whether the battery is fully charged (step S10). If the battery is fully charged (YES in step S10), the process ends. In other words, if the battery is fully charged, charging will not occur even if the reader / writer device 20 or the charger 30 is brought into close proximity.

[0033] On the other hand, if the remaining battery level is not fully charged (NO in step S10), the control unit 103 starts measuring the elapsed time of data communication by NFC (step S12). Usually, the antenna switching unit 107 supplies the generated power induced in the NFC antenna 105 to the first NFC module 104. Therefore, the surplus power output terminal of the first NFC module 104 outputs the surplus power among the generated power generated in the NFC antenna 105 and supplied via the antenna switching unit 107. In other words, the control unit 103 starts measuring the elapsed time when the surplus power output from the surplus power output terminal of the first NFC module 104 is detected. The surplus power is supplied to the battery 102 via the backflow prevention diode D1 to charge the battery 102 (step S14).

[0034] The control unit 103 judges whether or not the charging by the surplus power continues for a predetermined time T (several seconds) or more (step S16). The predetermined time T may be a time longer than the execution time when the external device executes a predetermined process, that is, the time when the battery 102 is charged by one surplus power (short-time proximity). If the charging by the surplus power does not continue for the predetermined time T (several seconds) or more (NO in step S16), the control unit 103 judges whether or not the first NFC module 104 outputs surplus power, that is, whether or not data communication by NFC with the reader / writer device 20 continues (step S18). If the first NFC module 104 outputs surplus power (YES in step S18), the control unit 103 judges that data communication by NFC with the reader / writer device 20 continues, and returns to step S14 to continue charging the battery 102 by the surplus power output from the first NFC module 104.

[0035] On the other hand, when the first NFC module 104 stops outputting surplus power (NO in step S18), the control unit 103 determines that the NFC data communication with the reader / writer device 20 has been disconnected, and ends the process. That is, when the device approaches a reader / writer device 20 such as a payment device 40 or an automated ticket gate 50, the battery 102 is charged with surplus power generated by the NFC communication for a time shorter than the predetermined time T (several seconds) during which the device is in proximity.

[0036] In this manner, in the present embodiment, when charging with surplus power, it is not necessary to execute the communication establishment process for NFC charging, which is required for general charging. In the communication establishment process, various information such as a recognition ID, a signal, positional deviation, error information such as detection of a metal obstacle between transmission and reception, received power information, and a stop signal are transmitted and received according to the specifications established for communication. That is, the communication establishment process is a pre-processing for safe and efficient charging. Since charging with surplus power is a short-time charge using minute power, charging can be performed safely without placing a burden on the battery 102. When charging with surplus power, the communication establishment process for NFC charging is not executed, so that charging can be started in a shorter time when data communication by NFC is started with the reader / writer device 20.

[0037] On the other hand, when the elapsed time during charging with surplus power reaches or exceeds the predetermined time T (several seconds) (YES in step S16), the control unit 103 determines that the device is in proximity to (placed on) the charger 30, and switches the antenna switching unit 107 to supply the generated power induced in the NFC antenna 105 to the second NFC module 108 (step S20). Next, the second NFC module 108 executes a process of establishing communication with the charger 30 for charging (step S22).

[0038] Then, when the process of establishing communication for charging with the charger 30 is completed, the second NFC module 108 supplies the relatively large power (0.5 W to 15 W) from the charger 30 via the NFC antenna 105 and antenna switching unit 107 under the control of the control unit 103 to the charger 109. The charger 109 charges the battery 102 with the relatively large power (0.5 W to 15 W) supplied (step S24). Note that while the battery 102 is being charged, the second NFC module 108 on the electronic wristwatch 10 monitors the received power and controls the charging while controlling the transmitted power by sending a feedback signal to the NFC module (charging controller) 302 on the charger 30.

[0039] During charging, the control unit 103 determines whether the battery is fully charged or not (step S26), and if the battery is not fully charged (YES in step S26), the process returns to step S24 and continues charging the battery 102 at a relatively high power (0.5 W to 15 W) using the second NFC module 108 and charger 109.

[0040] On the other hand, when the battery is fully charged (or removed from the charger 30) (NO in step S26), the control unit 103 stops charging the battery 102 by the second NFC module 108 and the charger 109 (step S28). Next, the control unit 103 switches the antenna switching unit 107 to switch the output of the NFC antenna 105 to the first NFC module 104 side (step S30). Then, the process ends.

[0041] In the above embodiment, in step S16, whether the battery 102 is close to the reader / writer device 20 or close to (placed on) the charger 30 is determined by determining whether the elapsed time during charging with surplus power has reached or exceeded the predetermined time T. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The remaining battery level of the battery 102 may be monitored, and based on the change in the remaining battery level of the battery 102, it may be determined whether the battery 102 is close to the reader / writer device 20 or close to (placed on) the charger 30. That is, if it is determined that the battery 102 has been charged with less than a predetermined amount of charge since the start of charging the battery 102 with surplus power, it may be determined that the battery 102 is close to the reader / writer device 20, which is a relatively short-term proximity, and if it is determined that the battery 102 has been charged with more than the predetermined amount of charge since the start of charging the battery 102 with surplus power, it may be determined that the battery 102 is close to (placed on) the charger 30, which is a relatively long-term proximity. Here, the predetermined amount of charge may be determined based on the amount of charge (increase) when the battery 102 is charged with one surplus power (short-time proximity).

[0042] In the above-described embodiment, if the voltage generated by the NFC antenna 105 is low and is insufficient to charge the battery 102, a voltage boosting means may be provided as necessary, and if the output voltage is too high compared to the charging voltage, a voltage lowering means may be provided.

[0043] According to the above-described embodiment, normally, when the first NFC module 104 is connected to the NFC antenna 105 via the antenna switching unit 107, the battery 102 is charged with surplus power, which is a portion of the power generated when NFC is performed, and when it is determined that charging with the surplus power has continued for a predetermined time T or more, the connection state is switched to connect the NFC antenna 105 to the second NFC module 108 via the antenna switching unit 107, and the battery 102 is charged with a large amount of power that is greater than the surplus power generated when NFC is performed. Therefore, even when the electronic wristwatch 10 (electronic device) is worn, charging can be performed efficiently according to the usage status of the electronic wristwatch 10 (electronic device) without the user having to perform any special operations.

[0044] Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, one NFC antenna 105 is used and switched by antenna switching unit 107, so there is no need to mount multiple antennas, which contributes to miniaturization.

[0045] According to the above-described embodiment, after charging by the second NFC module 108 with a large power greater than the surplus power by the first NFC module 104 is completed, the connection state between the NFC antenna 105 and the first NFC module 104 is restored, so that charging can be performed efficiently according to the usage status of the electronic wristwatch 10 (electronic device) without the user having to perform any special operations.

[0046] According to the above-described embodiment, instead of determining that charging using surplus power has continued for a predetermined time or more, if it is determined that a predetermined amount of charging has been achieved since charging of the battery 102 using surplus power began while the NFC antenna 105 and the first NFC module 104 were connected, the connection state is switched so that the NFC antenna 105 is connected to the second NFC module 108.This makes it possible to efficiently charge the electronic wristwatch 10 (electronic device) according to its usage status, without the user having to perform any special operations.

[0047] According to the above-described embodiment, when charging the battery 102 with surplus power from the first NFC module 104, charging is started without performing communication establishment processing for NFC charging, which is required when charging the battery 102 with a relatively large amount of power from the second NFC module 108. Therefore, when data communication via NFC is started with the reader / writer device 20, charging can be started in a shorter time.

[0048] According to the above-described embodiment, the power converted by the first NFC module 104 is used to perform data communication with the reader / writer device 20 via NFC, and the power used by the electronic wristwatch 10 when the reader / writer device 20 is made to execute a specified process is subtracted from the power converted by the first NFC module 104 to provide surplus power generated by communication via NFC. This makes it possible to charge the battery 102 without interfering with the original operation of the electronic wristwatch 10, while realizing specifications that do not reduce the life of the battery 102.

[0049] According to the above-described embodiment, the power converted by the first NFC module 104 is used to perform data communication with the reader / writer device 20 via NFC, and the power used by the electronic wristwatch 10 when the reader / writer device 20 is made to execute a payment process is subtracted from the power converted by the first NFC module 104 to provide surplus power generated by communication via NFC. This makes it possible to charge the battery 102 without interfering with the actual payment process in the electronic wristwatch 10, while realizing specifications that do not reduce the life of the battery 102.

[0050] According to the above-described embodiment, in addition to the normal (existing) charging method using the charger 30, the battery 102 can be charged through daily activities even while the electronic wristwatch 10 (electronic device) is being worn, and even if charging using the charger 30 is forgotten, the battery 102 can be charged using surplus power, which is part of the power generated by NFC with the reader / writer device 20 during daily use, so there is no need to worry about running out of battery.

[0051] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the detailed configuration and operation of each component of the charging control system 1 in the above embodiment can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1...Charging control system, 10...Electronic wristwatch (electronic device), 12, 21, 31...NFC tag, 20...Reader / writer device, 30...Charger, 40...Payment device, 50...Automatic ticket gate, 102...Battery, 103, 201, 301...Control unit, 104...First NFC module, 107...Antenna switching unit, 108...Second NFC module, 109...Charger, 302...NFC module, 105, 203, 303...NFC antenna

Claims

1. An antenna capable of performing short-range wireless communication with an external device; a first module that outputs, as a first power, a part of power generated when the short-range wireless communication is performed while connected to the antenna; a second module configured to output, as a second power, a power greater than the first power generated through a connection with the antenna; a battery that is charged by one of the output first power and the output second power; a control unit that switches a connection state so that the antenna is connected to the second module when it is determined that charging of the battery with the first power satisfies a predetermined condition while the antenna and the first module are connected; An electronic device comprising:

2. The control unit is When it is determined that charging with the second power, which is greater than the first power, has been completed, a control is performed to restore a connection state in which the antenna and the first module are connected to each other.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit is determining that the predetermined condition is satisfied when the charging with the first power continues for a predetermined time or more, and switching a connection state so that the antenna is connected to the second module; 2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

4. The control unit is determining that the predetermined condition is satisfied when it is determined that a predetermined amount of charging has been achieved since the start of charging with the first power, and switching a connection state so that the antenna is connected to the second module; 2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

5. The control unit is When the battery is charged with the first power in a state where the first module and the antenna are connected, charging is started without performing a communication establishment process required for charging with the external device when the battery is charged with the second power that is greater than the first power.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

6. The predetermined time is longer than an execution time of a predetermined process executed by the external device.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3.

7. the first power is a surplus power obtained by subtracting, from the power converted by the first module, power used by the electronic device when the electronic device causes the external device to execute a predetermined process by performing the short-range wireless communication with the external device; 2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

8. The first power is a surplus power obtained by subtracting, from the power converted by the first module, the power used by the electronic device when the electronic device causes the external device to execute a payment process when the electronic device performs the short-range wireless communication with the external device.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

9. The external device is a first external device that performs the short-range wireless communication with power that can generate the first power at the antenna, and a second external device that performs the short-range wireless communication with power that can generate the second power at the antenna, 2. The electronic device according to claim 1 .

10. A charging control method by a control unit of an electronic device, comprising: A step of converting a magnetic field generated when short-range wireless communication is performed with an external device into electric power by an antenna; outputting, as a first power, a part of power generated when the short-range wireless communication is performed while the first module is connected to the antenna; outputting a second power generated by a second module through a connection with the antenna, the second power being greater than the first power; charging a battery with either the output first power or the output second power; a step of switching a connection state so that the antenna is connected to the second module when it is determined that charging of the battery with the first power satisfies a predetermined condition while the antenna and the first module are connected; A charging control method comprising:

11. A computer of an electronic device having an antenna and a control unit for performing short-range wireless communication, A conversion function of converting a magnetic field generated when the short-range wireless communication is performed with an external device into electric power by the antenna; a first power output function of outputting, as a first power, a part of power generated when the short-range wireless communication is performed in a state in which the first module is connected to the antenna; a second power output function of outputting, as a second power, a power generated by a second module through a connection with the antenna and greater than the first power; a charging function of charging a battery with either the output first power or the output second power; a switching function for switching a connection state so that the antenna is connected to the second module when it is determined that charging of the battery with the first power satisfies a predetermined condition while the antenna and the first module are connected; A program to achieve this.

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