Terminal device, base station device, and wireless communication system

Abstract

This terminal device comprises: a reception unit that receives, from a base station device, a second signal including information relating to a prescribed timing at which another terminal device transmits a first signal to the base station device; and a control unit that, in accordance with the second signal, sets a first state in which first electric power can be received at the prescribed timing.

Description

Terminal device, base station device, and wireless communication system

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal device, a base station device, and a wireless communication system.

[0002] For example, terminal devices (hereinafter also simply referred to as terminal devices), such as smartphones and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, have built-in batteries that need to be charged, replaced, etc. In recent years, wireless communication systems have emerged that charge terminal devices using the power of signals (hereinafter also simply referred to as transmission signals) transmitted from base station devices (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

[0003] JP 2019-508999 A JP 2020-167822 A JP 2020-080635 A

[0004] Here, in the wireless communication system described above, for example, if the distance between the base station device and the terminal device is large, the power of the transmission signal from the base station device will be attenuated by distance, and it will become impossible to efficiently supply power wirelessly from the base station device to the terminal device (hereinafter also referred to as wireless power supply).

[0005] In contrast, in a wireless communication system, for example, by disposing a plurality of relay devices that relay a transmission signal from a base station device, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of power attenuation over distance and suppress the decrease in efficiency of wireless power supply. However, in this case, for example, maintenance of each relay device becomes necessary, which increases the workload associated with managing the wireless communication system.

[0006] In a wireless communication system, for example, beamforming of a transmission signal from a base station device can suppress beam dispersion of the transmission signal. However, in this case, for example, it is not possible to eliminate the distance attenuation of power between the base station device and a terminal device, and therefore it is not possible to sufficiently suppress the decrease in efficiency of wireless power supply.

[0007] Therefore, in one aspect, an object of the present invention is to provide a terminal device, a base station device, and a wireless communication system that enable efficient wireless power supply to the terminal device.

[0008] In one aspect of the embodiment, the terminal device has a receiving unit that receives a second signal from the base station device, the second signal including information regarding a predetermined timing at which another terminal device transmits a first signal to the base station device, and a control unit that, in response to the second signal, puts the terminal device into a first state in which it is able to receive a first power at the predetermined timing.

[0009] According to one aspect, it is possible to efficiently supply power wirelessly to a terminal device.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a wireless communication system 10. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a base station device 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a terminal device 2. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a terminal device 2. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating functions of a base station device 1 in a first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating information stored in an information storage area 130 in a first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating functions of a terminal device 2 in a first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating information stored in an information storage area 230 in a first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a sequence chart of a power supply control process in a first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating details of the power supply control process in a first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating details of the power supply control process in a first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating details of the power supply control process in a first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating details of the power supply control process in a first embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating details of the power supply control process in a first embodiment. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating details of the power supply control process in the first embodiment. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating details of the power supply control process in the first embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of individual terminal information 231. FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of power supply request information 232. FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of adjacent terminal information 131. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of power supply target information 132. FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of transmission timing information 133. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of transmission timing information 133. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of timing reception processing in the power supply control process in the first embodiment. FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of timing reception processing in the power supply control process in the first embodiment. FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of transmission timing information 133.Fig. 26 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of timing reception processing in the power supply control processing in the first embodiment. Fig. 27 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of transmission timing information 133. Fig. 28 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of timing reception processing in the power supply control processing in the first embodiment.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, such descriptions should not be interpreted in a limiting sense, and do not limit the subject matter described in the claims. Furthermore, various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, different embodiments can be combined as appropriate.

[0012] [Configuration of Wireless Communication System in First Embodiment] First, a description will be given of the configuration of a wireless communication system 10. FIG.

[0013] 1, the wireless communication system 10 includes, for example, a base station device 1, a terminal device 2a, and a terminal device 2b. Hereinafter, the terminal device 2a and the terminal device 2b will also be collectively referred to simply as the terminal device 2.

[0014] 1 , the base station device 1 forms, for example, a cell C. Then, the terminal device 2a and the terminal device 2b are each located, for example, within the cell C and establish a wireless connection with the base station device 1.

[0015] The wireless communication system 10 may be, for example, a wireless communication system compatible with the communication standard of a fifth generation mobile communication system (5G: 5th Generation Mobile Communication System). The terminal device 2 may be, for example, a communication device such as an individually owned smartphone, or an IoT device installed outdoors. The following description will be given assuming that two terminal devices 2 (terminal device 2a and terminal device 2b) are located in a cell C, but the cell C may be, for example, equipped with a different number of terminal devices 2. The following description will be given assuming that the wireless communication system 10 includes one base station device 1, but the wireless communication system 10 may be, for example, equipped with a different number of base station devices 1.

[0016] Here, the terminal device 2 has, for example, a built-in battery, which needs to be charged as needed. Therefore, the terminal device 2 charges by using the power of a transmission signal from the base station device 1, for example.

[0017] In this regard, in the wireless communication system 10, for example, if the distance between the base station device 1 and the terminal device 2 is large, the distance attenuation of the power of the transmission signal from the base station device 1 becomes large, and it becomes impossible to efficiently wirelessly supply power from the base station device 1 to the terminal device 2.

[0018] Therefore, in the wireless communication system 10, for example, a plurality of relay devices (not shown) that relay a transmission signal from the base station device 1 may be arranged to suppress the occurrence of distance attenuation of power and suppress a decrease in efficiency of wireless power supply. However, in this case, for example, maintenance of each relay device becomes necessary, which increases the workload associated with managing the wireless communication system 10.

[0019] Furthermore, in the wireless communication system 10, for example, beamforming may be performed on a transmission signal from the base station device 1 to suppress beam dispersion in the transmission signal. However, in this case, for example, it is not possible to eliminate distance attenuation of power between the base station device 1 and the terminal device 2, and it is not possible to sufficiently suppress a decrease in efficiency of wireless power supply.

[0020] Furthermore, the terminal device 2 in this embodiment receives, for example, from the base station device 1, a signal (hereinafter also referred to as a second signal) including information about the timing (hereinafter also referred to as a transmission timing or a predetermined timing) at which another terminal device 2 (hereinafter also simply referred to as an adjacent terminal device 2) located near the terminal device itself transmits a signal (hereinafter also referred to as a first signal) to the base station device 1. Then, for example, in response to receiving the second signal transmitted from the base station device 1, the terminal device 2 sets the state of the terminal device 2 at the transmission timing to a state (hereinafter also referred to as a first state) in which it is able to receive power supplied wirelessly (hereinafter also referred to as a first power).

[0021] That is, in time division duplex (TDD), for example, a base station apparatus 1 and each terminal apparatus 2 in the same cell C transmit signals in the same frequency band. Therefore, each terminal apparatus 2 can use an adjacent terminal apparatus 2 located in the same cell C as a power source for wireless power feeding, for example, in the same way as when the base station apparatus 1 is used as a power source for wireless power feeding. Note that, for example, when the frequency band that the terminal apparatus 2 can receive is wide, the frequency used for power feeding and the frequency used for signal reception may be separated. In this way, by separating the frequencies into the frequency used for power feeding and the frequency used for signal reception, it becomes possible to use methods other than time division duplex.

[0022] Therefore, the terminal device 2 in this embodiment receives, for example, the power of a signal transmitted from an adjacent terminal device 2 to the base station device 1, instead of or in addition to the power of a signal transmitted from the base station device 1. The terminal device 2 then charges itself, for example, by using the received power. Furthermore, the terminal device 2 communicates with the base station device 1, etc., by using the received power, for example.

[0023] Specifically, in the example shown in Figure 1, terminal device 2a receives the power of a signal transmitted to base station device 1 by terminal device 2b, which is located in the same cell C as terminal device 2a, and uses the received power to charge and communicate.

[0024] As a result, the terminal device 2 in this embodiment can receive power wirelessly without being affected by the distance between the terminal device 2 and the base station device 1, in other words, without being affected by distance attenuation of the power of the transmission signal from the base station device 1. Therefore, the wireless communication system 10 in this embodiment can efficiently wirelessly feed power to the terminal device 2 without, for example, installing a relay device between the base station device 1 and the terminal device 2.

[0025] [Hardware Configuration of Communication System] Next, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the wireless communication system 10. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the base station device 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating the hardware configuration of the terminal device 2.

[0026] First, we will explain the hardware configuration of the base station device 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the base station device 1 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, which is a processor, a memory 102, a communication circuit 103, and a storage device 104. These components are connected to each other via a bus 105.

[0027] The storage device 104 has, for example, a program storage area (not shown) that stores a program (not shown) for performing a process for controlling wireless power supply to the terminal device 2 (hereinafter also referred to as a power supply control process). The storage device 104 also has, for example, a storage unit 130 (hereinafter also referred to as an information storage area 130) that stores information used when performing the power supply control process. The storage device 104 may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0028] The CPU 101 executes a program loaded from the storage device 104 to the memory 102, for example, to perform power supply control processing.

[0029] The communication circuit 103 also includes a circuit for wirelessly connecting and communicating with each terminal device 2 via an antenna 106, for example.

[0030] Next, the hardware configuration of the terminal device 2 will be described. As shown in Fig. 3, the terminal device 2 includes, for example, a CPU 201, which is a processor, a memory 202, a communication circuit 203, a storage device 204, and a power receiving circuit 205 (hereinafter also simply referred to as a power receiving unit). Each unit is connected to each other via a bus 207. The terminal device 2 also includes, for example, a switching circuit 206.

[0031] The storage device 204 has, for example, a program storage area (not shown) that stores a program 210 for performing the power supply control process. The storage device 204 also has, for example, a storage unit 230 (hereinafter also referred to as information storage area 230) that stores information used when performing the power supply control process. The storage device 204 may be, for example, an HDD or an SSD.

[0032] The CPU 201 executes, for example, a program 210 loaded from the storage device 204 to the memory 202 to perform power supply control processing.

[0033] The communication circuit 203 includes, for example, a circuit for establishing a wireless connection and communicating with the base station device 1 and adjacent terminal devices 2 via an antenna 208 .

[0034] The power receiving circuit 205 includes a circuit that receives the power of a signal transmitted from the base station device 1 or the adjacent terminal device 2 via the antenna 208 and charges the power.

[0035] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the power receiving circuit 205 includes, for example, a rectifier circuit 205a that converts the power of a signal received from the antenna 208 from AC power to DC power, a DC-DC converter 205b that converts the voltage of the power rectified in the rectifier circuit 205a, and a battery 205c that charges the power whose voltage has been converted in the DC-DC converter 205b.

[0036] Furthermore, the switching circuit 206 switches the transmission destination of a signal received from the antenna 208 between the communication circuit 203 and the power receiving circuit 205, for example.

[0037] [Functions of the communication system in the first embodiment] Next, functions of the wireless communication system 10 in the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating functions of the base station device 1 in the first embodiment. Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating information stored in the information storage area 130 in the first embodiment. Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating functions of the terminal device 2 in the first embodiment. Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating information stored in the information storage area 230 in the first embodiment.

[0038] [Functions in Base Station Device] First, a description will be given of the functions in the base station device 1. As shown in Fig. 5 , the base station device 1 realizes various functions including a signal receiving unit 111, an information acquiring unit 112, an information managing unit 113, a transmission timing controlling unit 114, an information generating unit 115, and a signal transmitting unit 116 by organically cooperating with hardware such as a CPU 101 and a memory 102 and programs.

[0039] In addition, as shown in Figure 6, the information storage area 130 stores, for example, individual terminal information 231, adjacent terminal information 131, power supply request information 232, power supply target information 132, transmission timing information 133, and scheduling information 134.

[0040] The signal receiving unit 111 receives, for example, a signal transmitted from the terminal device 2 via the antenna 106 .

[0041] The information acquisition unit 112 acquires, for example, individual terminal information 231 included in the signal received by the signal receiving unit 111. The individual terminal information 231 is, for example, information indicating the location of the terminal device 2 that is the sender of the signal received by the signal receiving unit 111. Specifically, the individual terminal information 231 is, for example, positioning information obtained by a GPS (Global Positioning System) installed in the terminal device 2 that is the sender of the signal received by the signal receiving unit 111. Then, the information acquisition unit 112 stores the acquired individual terminal information 231 in the information storage area 130, for example.

[0042] Note that the information acquisition unit 112 may acquire other information as the individual terminal information 231, for example, instead of the individual terminal information 231 included in the signal received by the signal receiving unit 111, or in addition to the individual terminal information 231 included in the signal received by the signal receiving unit 111. Specifically, the information acquisition unit 112 may acquire, for example, information indicating the position of each terminal device 2 measured by the base station device 1 (for example, a position measured using directional propagation delay), a Zone ID corresponding to each terminal device 2, or the like, as the individual terminal information 231.

[0043] The information management unit 113 generates adjacent terminal information 131 from, for example, the individual terminal information 231 acquired by the information acquisition unit 112. The adjacent terminal information 131 is, for example, information indicating the group to which each terminal device 2 belongs. Then, the information management unit 113 stores the generated adjacent terminal information 131 in the information storage area 130, for example.

[0044] Specifically, the information management unit 113, for example, refers to the individual terminal information 231 (individual terminal information 231 for each terminal device 2) stored in the information storage area 130, and classifies each terminal device 2 into one or more groups so that one or more terminal devices 2 whose positional relationship satisfies a predetermined condition are included in the same group. Then, the information management unit 113 generates information indicating the terminal devices 2 included in each of the one or more groups as adjacent terminal information 131.

[0045] More specifically, the information management unit 113, for example, refers to the individual terminal information 231 (individual terminal information 231 for each terminal device 2) stored in the information storage area 130, and classifies each terminal device 2 into one or more groups so that the distance to at least one terminal device 2 included in the same group is equal to or less than a predetermined distance. Then, the information management unit 113 generates information indicating the terminal devices 2 included in each of the one or more groups as adjacent terminal information 131.

[0046] When information about each terminal device 2 is transmitted and received (exchanged) between the base station device 1 and another base station device (not shown), the information acquisition unit 112 may acquire, for example, a cell ID that identifies the cell in which each terminal device 2 is located, as the individual terminal information 231. In this case, the information management unit 113 may classify, for example, each terminal device 2 located in one of a plurality of cells corresponding to the base station device 1 and the other base station device into one or more groups, and generate, as the neighboring terminal information 131, information indicating the terminal devices 2 included in each of the one or more classified groups.

[0047] The transmission timing control unit 114, for example, refers to adjacent terminal information 131 generated by the information management unit 113, and identifies, for each terminal device 2, adjacent terminal devices 2 (one or more adjacent terminal devices 2) corresponding to each terminal device 2. Specifically, for each terminal device 2, the transmission timing control unit 114 identifies, for example, terminal devices 2 other than the terminal device itself that are included in the same group as each terminal device 2 as adjacent terminal devices 2. Then, for each terminal device 2, the transmission timing control unit 114, for example, refers to scheduling information 134 that indicates the results of scheduling (radio resource allocation control) performed between each terminal device 2, and identifies the transmission timing of a signal (first signal) from the identified adjacent terminal device 2 to the base station device 1.

[0048] The information generating unit 115 generates, for example, transmission timing information 133 indicating the transmission timing identified by the transmission timing control unit 114 for each terminal device 2. Then, the information generating unit 115 stores the generated transmission timing information 133 in the information storage area 130, for example.

[0049] The signal transmitting unit 116 transmits, for example, for each terminal device 2, a signal (second signal) including transmission timing information 133 corresponding to each terminal device 2 from the antenna 106, out of the transmission timing information 133 generated by the information generating unit 115.

[0050] Specifically, for example, the signal transmission unit 116 broadcasts a signal including transmission timing information 133 corresponding to each of the terminal devices 2 included in each group, for each of one or more groups classified by the information management unit 113. Furthermore, the signal transmission unit 116 transmits, for each terminal device 2, a signal including transmission timing information 133 corresponding to each terminal device 2, for example, by using an individual channel (for example, PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control CHannel) with each terminal device 2.

[0051] The information acquisition unit 112 also acquires, for example, power supply request information 232 included in the signal received by the signal reception unit 111. The power supply request information 232 is, for example, information indicating whether the terminal device 2 requests to receive wirelessly supplied power (first power). Then, the information acquisition unit 112 stores the acquired power supply request information 232 in the information storage area 130.

[0052] Furthermore, the information management unit 113 generates power supply target information 132 from, for example, the power supply request information 232 acquired by the information acquisition unit 112. The power supply target information 132 is, for example, information indicating each terminal device 2 to which wireless power supply is required. Then, the information management unit 113 stores the generated power supply target information 132 in the information storage area 130, for example.

[0053] [Functions in Terminal Device] Next, a description will be given of the functions in the terminal device 2. As shown in Fig. 7 , the terminal device 2 realizes various functions including an information generation unit 211, a signal transmission unit 212 (hereinafter also simply referred to as a transmission unit), a signal reception unit 213 (hereinafter also simply referred to as a reception unit), an information acquisition unit 214, and a power reception timing control unit 215 (hereinafter also simply referred to as a control unit) by organic cooperation between hardware such as a CPU 201 and a memory 202 and a program 210.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 8, the information storage area 230 stores, for example, individual terminal information 231, power supply request information 232, and transmission timing information 133.

[0055] The information generating unit 211 generates, for example, individual terminal information 231. Then, the information generating unit 211 stores the generated individual terminal information 231 in the information storage area 230, for example.

[0056] The signal transmitting unit 212 transmits, for example, a signal including the individual terminal information 231 generated by the information generating unit 211 (hereinafter also referred to as a third signal) from the antenna 208 to the base station device 1 .

[0057] Specifically, the signal transmission unit 212 transmits a signal including the individual terminal information 231 generated by the information generation unit 211, for example, by using an individual channel (for example, PUCCH: Physical Uplink Control CHannel) with the base station device 1.

[0058] Furthermore, the information generating unit 211 generates, for example, power supply request information 232. Then, the information generating unit 211 stores the generated power supply request information 232 in the information storage area 230, for example.

[0059] Furthermore, the signal transmitting unit 212 transmits, for example, a signal including the power supply request information 232 generated by the information generating unit 211 (hereinafter also referred to as a fourth signal) from the antenna 208 to the base station device 1 .

[0060] Specifically, the signal transmission unit 212 transmits, for example, the power supply request information 232 generated by the information generation unit 211 to the base station device 1 by including the power supply request information 232 in a message or signal for transmitting UE capability information. The message for transmitting the UE capability information is, for example, an RRC (Radio Resource Control) message. The signal transmission unit 212 also transmits, for example, another message (a message other than an RRC message) to which the power supply request information 232 generated by the information generation unit 211 is added.

[0061] The signal receiving unit 213 receives, for example, a signal (second signal) transmitted from the base station device 1 via the antenna 208 .

[0062] The information acquisition unit 214 acquires, for example, the transmission timing information 133 included in the signal received by the signal receiving unit 213. Then, the information acquisition unit 214 stores, for example, the acquired transmission timing information 133 in the information storage area 130.

[0063] The power receiving timing control unit 215 controls the switching circuit 206 so that power supplied wirelessly can be received at the transmission timing indicated by the transmission timing information 133 acquired by the information acquisition unit 214, for example.

[0064] Specifically, the power receiving timing control unit 215 controls the switching circuit 206 so that, for example, at the transmission timing, the connection destination of the signal received from the antenna 208 is the power receiving circuit 205. Furthermore, the power receiving timing control unit 215 controls the switching circuit 206 so that, for example, at timings other than the transmission timing, the connection destination of the signal received from the antenna 208 is the communication circuit 203.

[0065] Furthermore, the power reception timing control section 215 causes the power stored in the battery 205c to be supplied to the rectifier circuit 205a and the DC-DC converter 205b at the transmission timing, for example.

[0066] Furthermore, the power receiving timing control unit 215 adjusts the directivity of the antenna 208 at the transmission timing, for example, so that it faces the direction of the adjacent terminal device 2. Note that if the terminal device 2 has multiple antennas 208, the power receiving timing control unit 215 may select, for example, an antenna 208 having directivity in the direction of the adjacent terminal device 2.

[0067] [Sequence Chart of Power Supply Control Processing in First Embodiment] Next, a sequence chart of the power supply control processing in the first embodiment will be described. Fig. 9 is a sequence chart of the power supply control processing in the first embodiment.

[0068] As shown in Figure 9, for example, terminal device 2a receives a signal (second signal) from base station device 1 that includes information about the timing (transmission timing) at which terminal device 2b transmits a signal (first signal) to base station device 1 (S1).

[0069] Then, for example, in response to receiving a second signal transmitted from the base station device 1, the terminal device 2a sets the state of the terminal device 2 at the transmission timing to a state (first state) in which it is capable of receiving power (first power) supplied wirelessly (S2).

[0070] Thereafter, the terminal device 2a receives the power of the signal (first signal) transmitted from the terminal device 2b to the base station device 1, for example, at the transmission timing (S3). 。

[0071] That is, in this embodiment, the terminal device 2 receives, for example, the power of a signal transmitted from an adjacent terminal device 2 located in the vicinity of each terminal device 2, instead of or in addition to the power of a signal transmitted from the base station device 1, and charges by using the received power.

[0072] This allows the terminal device 2 in this embodiment to stably receive power, for example, regardless of the distance between the terminal device 2 and the base station device 1, in other words, regardless of the degree of distance attenuation of the power of a transmission signal from the base station device 1. Therefore, the wireless communication system 10 in this embodiment can efficiently supply power wirelessly to the terminal device 2, for example.

[0073] [Details of Power Supply Control Processing in First Embodiment] Next, details of the power supply control processing in the first embodiment will be described. Figures 10 to 16 are flowcharts illustrating details of the power supply control processing in the first embodiment. Figures 17 to 28 are diagrams illustrating details of the power supply control processing in the first embodiment.

[0074] [First Information Generation Process] First, a description will be given of the process of generating the individual terminal information 231 (hereinafter also referred to as the first information generation process) among the power supply control processes performed in the terminal device 2. Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating the first information generation process.

[0075] 10, the information generator 211 waits until the first information generation timing comes (NO in S11). The first information generation timing may be a periodic timing such as every frame.

[0076] Then, when the first information generation timing arrives (YES in S11), the information generation unit 211 generates, for example, the individual terminal information 231 (S12).

[0077] Thereafter, the information generating unit 211 stores, for example, the individual terminal information 231 generated in the process of S12 in the information storage area 230 (S13). A specific example of the individual terminal information 231 will be described below.

[0078] [Specific Example of Individual Terminal Information] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the individual terminal information 231. In FIG.

[0079] The individual terminal information 231 shown in FIG. 17 includes, for example, items of "terminal ID" in which information identifying each terminal device 2 is set, and "location information" in which location information of each terminal device 2 is set.

[0080] Specifically, in the individual terminal information 231 shown in FIG. 17, for example, "T001" is set as the "terminal ID" and "AAA" is set as the "location information".

[0081] Returning to FIG. 10, the signal transmitting unit 212 transmits, for example, a signal including the individual terminal information 231 generated in the process of S12 to the base station device 1 from the antenna 208 (S14).

[0082] [Second Information Generation Process] Next, a description will be given of a process for generating the power supply request information 232 (hereinafter also referred to as a second information generation process) among the power supply control processes performed in the terminal device 2. Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining the second information generation process.

[0083] 11, the information generator 211 waits until the second information generation timing comes (NO in S21). The second information generation timing may be a periodic timing such as every frame.

[0084] Then, when the second information generation timing arrives (YES in S21), the information generation unit 211 generates, for example, the power supply request information 232 (S22).

[0085] Thereafter, the information generating unit 211 stores, for example, the power supply request information 232 generated in the process of S22 in the information storage area 230 (S23). A specific example of the power supply request information 232 will be described below.

[0086] [Specific Example of Power Supply Request Information] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the power supply request information 232. In FIG.

[0087] The power supply request information 232 shown in FIG. 18 includes, for example, items such as a "terminal ID" in which information identifying each terminal device 2 is set, a "power receiving function availability" in which information indicating whether each terminal device 2 is capable of receiving power via wireless power supply (whether or not it has a power receiving circuit 205, etc.) is set, and a "power receiving request availability" in which information indicating whether each terminal device 2 requests to receive power via wireless power supply is set.

[0088] Specifically, in the power supply request information 232 shown in FIG. 18, for example, "T001" is set as the "terminal ID," "Yes" is set as the "power receiving function availability," and "Yes" is set as the "power receiving request availability."

[0089] That is, the power supply request information 232 shown in FIG. 18 indicates that, for example, the terminal device 2 having the terminal ID T001 has the function of receiving power via wireless power supply and is requesting the reception of power.

[0090] Returning to FIG. 11, the signal transmitting unit 212 transmits, for example, a signal including the power supply request information 232 generated in the process of S22 from the antenna 208 to the base station device 1 (S24).

[0091] When the power supply request information 232 generated in the process of S22 is added to an RRC message and transmitted, the signal transmission unit 212 may, for example, convert each of the information set in "presence or absence of power receiving function" and the information set in "presence or absence of power receiving request" in the power supply request information 232 into information of 1 (bit) and add it to the RRC message. In this case, the signal transmission unit 212 may, for example, convert only one of the information set in "presence or absence of power receiving function" and the information set in "presence or absence of power receiving request" in the power supply request information 232 into information of 1 (bit) and add it to the RRC message.

[0092] [Third Information Generation Process] Next, a description will be given of a process for generating adjacent terminal information 131 and power supply target information 132 (hereinafter also referred to as third information generation process) among the power supply control processes performed in the base station device 1. Figures 12 and 13 are flowcharts illustrating the third information generation process.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 12, the signal receiving unit 111 waits until it receives a signal transmitted from the terminal device 2 via the antenna 106 (NO in S31).

[0094] Then, when a signal transmitted from the terminal device 2 is received (YES in S31), the information acquisition unit 112 acquires, for example, information included in the received signal (S32).

[0095] Next, the information acquisition unit 112 determines whether or not the information received in the process of S32 includes the individual terminal information 231 (S33).

[0096] As a result, if it is determined that the information received in the processing of S32 includes individual terminal information 231 (YES in S33), the information acquisition unit 112 stores, for example, the individual terminal information 231 received in the processing of S32 in the information storage area 130 (S34).

[0097] Then, the information management unit 113 generates (updates) the adjacent terminal information 131 from, for example, the individual terminal information 231 (individual terminal information 231 for each terminal device 2) stored in the information storage area 130 (S35).

[0098] Specifically, the information management unit 113, for example, refers to the individual terminal information 231 (individual terminal information 231 for each terminal device 2) stored in the information storage area 130, and classifies each terminal device 2 into one or more groups so that one or more terminal devices 2 whose positional relationship satisfies a predetermined condition are included in the same group. Then, the information management unit 113 generates information indicating the terminal devices 2 included in each of the one or more groups as adjacent terminal information 131.

[0099] More specifically, the information management unit 113, for example, refers to the individual terminal information 231 (individual terminal information 231 for each terminal device 2) stored in the information storage area 130, and classifies each terminal device 2 into one or more groups so that the distance to at least one terminal device 2 included in the same group is equal to or less than a predetermined distance. Then, the information management unit 113 generates information indicating the terminal devices 2 included in each of the one or more groups as adjacent terminal information 131.

[0100] Thereafter, the information management unit 113 stores, for example, the adjacent terminal information 131 generated in the process of S35 in the information storage area 130 (S36).

[0101] It should be noted that the information management unit 113 may not, for example, perform the process of S35 and the process of S36 every time the process of S34 is performed. Specifically, the information management unit 113 may, for example, perform the process of S35 and the process of S36 every time the process of S34 is performed a predetermined number of times. Specific examples of the adjacent terminal information 131 will be described below.

[0102] [Specific Example of Adjacent Terminal Information] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of adjacent terminal information 131. In FIG.

[0103] 19 includes, for example, items of a "terminal ID" in which information identifying each terminal device 2 is set, and an "adjacent terminal ID" in which information identifying terminal devices 2 (adjacent terminal devices 2) other than the terminal device itself that are included in the same group as each terminal device 2 is set. The information set in the "terminal ID" may be, for example, an IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), which is a unique number of the terminal device 2. The information set in the "terminal ID" may also be, for example, a TMSI (Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity), which is a number assigned by the base station device 1.

[0104] Specifically, in the adjacent terminal information 131 shown in FIG. 19, for example, "T001" is set as the "terminal ID" and "T003" is set as the "adjacent terminal ID" in the information in the first row.

[0105] That is, the information in the first row of the adjacent terminal information 131 shown in Figure 19 indicates that, for example, a terminal device 2 whose "terminal ID" is "T001" and a terminal device 2 whose "terminal ID" is "T003" are classified into the same group.

[0106] In the adjacent terminal information 131 shown in FIG. 19, for example, "T002" is set as the "terminal ID" in the information on the second line, and "T005" and "T007" are set as the "adjacent terminal IDs".

[0107] That is, the information in the second row of the adjacent terminal information 131 shown in Fig. 19 indicates that, for example, a terminal device 2 having a "terminal ID" of "T002", a terminal device 2 having a "terminal ID" of "T005", and a terminal device 2 having a "terminal ID" of "T007" are classified into the same group. Explanation of other information included in Fig. 19 will be omitted.

[0108] 12 , when it is determined in the process of S33 that the information received in the process of S32 does not include the individual terminal information 231 (NO in S33), the information acquisition unit 112 determines whether or not the information received in the process of S32 includes the power supply request information 232 (S41), as shown in Fig. 13. Note that the information acquisition unit 112 also performs the process of S41 in the same manner after the process of S36, for example.

[0109] As a result, if it is determined that the information received in the processing of S32 includes power supply request information 232 (YES in S41), the information acquisition unit 112 stores, for example, the power supply request information 232 received in the processing of S32 in the information storage area 130 (S42).

[0110] Then, the information management unit 113 generates the power supply target information 132 from the power supply request information 232 stored in the information storage area 130 (S43).

[0111] Specifically, the information management unit 113 generates the power supply target information 132 by, for example, extracting information in which the “power supply request presence / absence” field is set to “Yes” from the power supply request information 232 stored in the information storage area 130.

[0112] Thereafter, the information management unit 113 stores, for example, the power supply target information 132 generated in the process of S43 in the information storage area 130 (S44).

[0113] The information management unit 113 may not perform the process of S43 and the process of S44 every time the process of S42 is performed. Specifically, the information management unit 113 may perform the process of S43 and the process of S44 every time the process of S42 is performed a predetermined number of times. Specific examples of the power supply target information 132 will be described below.

[0114] [Specific Example of Power Supply Target Information] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the power supply target information 132. In FIG.

[0115] The power supply target information 132 shown in FIG. 20 includes, as items, for example, "terminal ID" and "presence or absence of power supply request" from among the items included in the power supply request information 232 described with reference to FIG.

[0116] Specifically, in the power supply target information 132 shown in FIG. 20, the information in the first row has, for example, "T001" set as the "terminal ID" and "yes" set as the "power supply target presence / absence."

[0117] That is, the information in the first row of the power supply target information 132 shown in FIG. 20 indicates that wireless power supply is required to the terminal device 2 whose "terminal ID" is "T001", for example.

[0118] In the power supply target information 132 shown in FIG. 20, for example, "T002" is set as the "terminal ID" in the information on the second line, and "absence of power supply target" is set as "no."

[0119] That is, the information in the second row of the power supply target information 132 shown in Fig. 20 indicates, for example, that wireless power supply does not need to be performed on the terminal device 2 whose "terminal ID" is "T002." Explanation of other information included in Fig. 20 will be omitted.

[0120] Returning to FIG. 12, if it is determined in the processing of S41 that the information received in the processing of S32 does not include the power supply request information 232 (NO in S41), the information acquisition unit 112 and the information management unit 113 do not perform, for example, the processing of S42 to S44.

[0121] [Timing Transmission Processing] Next, a description will be given of the processing of transmitting transmission timing information 133 to the terminal device 2 (hereinafter also referred to as timing transmission processing) among the power supply control processing performed in the base station device 1. Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating the timing transmission processing.

[0122] 14, the transmission timing control unit 114 waits until the information transmission timing comes (NO in S51), for example. The information transmission timing may be a periodic timing such as every frame.

[0123] Then, when it is time to transmit information (YES in S51), the transmission timing control unit 114, for example, refers to the power supply target information 132 stored in the information storage area 130, and identifies one terminal device 2 (hereinafter also referred to as the target terminal device 2) that needs to be wirelessly powered (S52).

[0124] Specifically, the transmission timing control unit 114 identifies, for example, one terminal device 2 corresponding to the information for which the "Power supply request existence / nonexistence" field is set to "Yes" from among the power supply target information 132 stored in the information storage area 130.

[0125] Next, the transmission timing control section 114 refers to the adjacent terminal information 131 stored in the information storage area 130, for example, and identifies the adjacent terminal device 2 corresponding to the terminal device 2 identified in the process of S52 (S53).

[0126] Specifically, in the information in the first row of the adjacent terminal information 131 described in Fig. 19, for example, "T001" is set as the "terminal ID" and "T003" is set as the "adjacent terminal ID." Therefore, for example, if the terminal ID of the terminal device 2 identified in the processing of S52 is T001, the transmission timing control unit 114 identifies, for example, the terminal device 2 with the terminal ID T003 as the adjacent terminal device 2 in the processing of S53.

[0127] Furthermore, the transmission timing control unit 114, for example, refers to the scheduling information 134 stored in the information storage area 130, and identifies the timing (transmission timing) at which a signal is transmitted from the adjacent terminal device 2 identified in the processing of S53 to the base station device 1 (S54).

[0128] In addition, if multiple adjacent terminal devices 2 are identified in the processing of S53, the information generation unit 115, for example, identifies the timing (transmission timing) at which a signal is transmitted to the base station device 1 from one of the multiple adjacent terminal devices 2 identified in the processing of S53.

[0129] Thereafter, the information generating unit 115 generates, for example, transmission timing information 133 indicating the transmission timing identified in the process of S54 (S55).

[0130] Then, the information generating unit 115 stores the generated transmission timing information 133 in the information storage area 130 (S56). A first specific example of the transmission timing information 133 will be described below.

[0131] [Specific Example (1) of Transmission Timing Information] FIGS. 21 and 22 are diagrams illustrating a specific example of the transmission timing information 133. FIG.

[0132] The transmission timing information 133 shown in Fig. 21 etc. has, for example, items such as "terminal ID" in which information identifying each terminal device 2 is set, and "reference timing" in which the timing at which the transmission timing information 133 is transmitted to each terminal device 2 is set. The transmission timing information 133 shown in Fig. 21 etc. also has, for example, an item such as "transmission presence / absence" in which information indicating whether or not a signal is transmitted from an adjacent terminal device 2 corresponding to each terminal device 2 to the base station device 1 at a timing a predetermined time after the timing set in the "reference timing". Note that the predetermined time here may be, for example, a predetermined time such as several frames.

[0133] Specifically, in the transmission timing information 133 shown in FIG. 21, for example, "T001" is set as the "terminal ID", "AA" is set as the "reference timing", and "○" is set as the "transmission / non-transmission".

[0134] That is, the transmission timing information 133 shown in Figure 21 indicates that, for example, at a timing a predetermined time after "AA", a signal will be transmitted to the base station device 1 from at least one of the adjacent terminal devices 2 corresponding to the terminal device 2 whose "terminal ID" is "T001".

[0135] In other words, the transmission timing information 133 shown in Figure 21 indicates that, for example, charging (charging by wireless power supply) of terminal device 2 whose "terminal ID" is "T001" will be possible at a timing a predetermined time after "AA".

[0136] In addition, the transmission timing information 133 shown in Figure 22 has, for example, "T001" set as the "terminal ID", "BB" set as the "reference timing", and "x" set as the "transmission / non-transmission".

[0137] That is, the transmission timing information 133 shown in Figure 22 indicates that, for example, at a timing a predetermined time after "BB", no signals will be transmitted to the base station device 1 from any of the adjacent terminal devices 2 corresponding to the terminal device 2 whose "terminal ID" is "T001".

[0138] In other words, the transmission timing information 133 shown in Figure 22 indicates that, for example, charging (charging by wireless power supply) of terminal device 2 whose "terminal ID" is "T001" cannot be performed at a timing a predetermined time after "BB".

[0139] Returning to FIG. 14, the information generating unit 115 determines whether or not all of the target terminal devices 2 have been identified in the processing of S52 (S57).

[0140] As a result, if it is determined in the process of S52 that not all of the target terminal devices 2 have been identified (NO in S57), the information generator 115 performs the processes from S52 onwards, for example, again.

[0141] On the other hand, if it is determined in the processing of S52 that all of the target terminal devices 2 have been identified (YES in S57), the signal transmitting unit 116 transmits, for example, transmission timing information 133 corresponding to each terminal device 2 to each of the target terminal devices 2 identified in the processing of S52 (S58).

[0142] [Timing Reception Processing] Next, a description will be given of the processing for receiving transmission timing information 133 transmitted from the base station apparatus 1 (hereinafter also referred to as timing reception processing) among the power supply control processing performed in the terminal apparatus 2. Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining the timing reception processing.

[0143] As shown in FIG. 15, the signal receiving unit 213 waits until it receives a signal transmitted from the terminal device 2 via the antenna 106 (NO in S61).

[0144] Then, when a signal transmitted from the terminal device 2 is received (YES in S61), the information acquisition unit 214 acquires, for example, information included in the received signal (S62).

[0145] Next, the information acquisition unit 214 determines whether or not the information acquired in the process of S62 includes the transmission timing information 133 (S63).

[0146] As a result, if it is determined that the information acquired in the processing of S62 includes transmission timing information 133 (YES in S63), the information acquisition unit 214 stores, for example, the transmission timing information 133 acquired in the processing of S62 in the information storage area 230 (S64).

[0147] On the other hand, if it is determined that the information acquired in the process of S62 does not include the transmission timing information 133 (NO in S63), the information acquisition unit 214 does not perform the process of S64, for example.

[0148] [Switching Control Processing] Next, a description will be given of the power supply control processing performed in the terminal device 2, which is processing for switching the connection destination of a signal received from the antenna 208 based on the transmission timing information 133 (hereinafter also referred to as switching control processing). Fig. 16 is a diagram for explaining the switching control processing.

[0149] 16, the power receiving timing control unit 215 waits until the switching control timing arrives (NO in S71). The switching control timing may be, for example, the timing at which it is determined in the process of S63 that the information included in the signal received from the base station device 1 is the transmission timing information 133. The switching control timing may also be, for example, the timing at which the transmission timing information 133 is stored in the information storage area 130 in the process of S64.

[0150] Then, when the switching control timing arrives (YES in S71), the power receiving timing control unit 215 identifies, for example, the next transmission timing (hereinafter also referred to as the next transmission timing) at which a signal will be transmitted from the adjacent terminal device 2 to the base station device 1 (S72).

[0151] Specifically, the power receiving timing control unit 215, for example, refers to the transmission timing information 133 stored in the information storage area 130, and identifies the information having the earliest timing set as the "reference timing" among the information having "Yes / No Transmission" set as "○" and having the timing set as the "reference timing" later than the current timing (for example, the timing at which the processing of S72 is performed).The power receiving timing control unit 215 then identifies, for example, the timing a predetermined time after the timing set as the "reference timing" of the identified information as the next transmission timing.

[0152] Thereafter, the power reception timing control unit 215 waits until the next transmission timing identified in the process of S72, for example (NO in S73).

[0153] Then, when the next transmission timing identified in the processing of S72 arrives (YES in S73), the power receiving timing control unit 215 changes the connection destination of the signal received from the antenna 208 from the communication circuit 203 to the power receiving circuit 205, for example, by controlling the switching circuit 206 (S74).

[0154] That is, in this case, the power receiving timing control unit 215 puts the terminal device 2 into a state in which power can be charged by the power receiving circuit 205 (charging using the power of the signal received from the antenna 208), for example.

[0155] In addition, in the processing of S74, for example, if the power charged in the battery 205c is not being supplied to the rectifier circuit 205a or the DC-DC converter 205b, the power receiving timing control unit 215 controls so that this is started.

[0156] Thereafter, the power reception timing control unit 215 waits until the switching time corresponding to the next transmission timing identified in the process of S72 has elapsed (NO in S75). The switching time may be, for example, a time (for example, one frame) corresponding to the transmission interval of the transmission timing information 133 by the base station device 1.

[0157] Then, when the switching time corresponding to the next transmission timing identified in the processing of S72 has elapsed (NO in S75), the power receiving timing control unit 215 changes the connection destination of the signal received from the antenna 208 from the power receiving circuit 205 to the communication circuit 203, for example, by controlling the switching circuit 206 (S76).

[0158] In addition, in the processing of S76, for example, if the power charged in the battery 205c is being supplied to the rectifier circuit 205a or the DC-DC converter 205b, the power receiving timing control unit 215 controls so that this is stopped.

[0159] This allows the terminal device 2 to reduce consumption of the power stored in the battery 205c, for example. A first specific example of the timing reception process will be described below.

[0160] [Specific Example (1) of Timing Reception Processing] FIGS. 23 and 24 are diagrams illustrating a specific example of timing reception processing in the power supply control processing in the first embodiment.

[0161] "1F" to "8F" in Figures 23 and 24 indicate the first to eighth frames, respectively. Furthermore, "transmission timing information" in Figures 23 and 24 indicates information set in "transmission / non-transmission" of the transmission timing information 133 corresponding to each frame. Furthermore, "uplink signal" indicates whether an uplink signal is transmitted from the adjacent terminal device 2 to the base station device 1 in each frame. Furthermore, "switching (receiving circuit)" in Figures 23 and 24 indicates whether or not the switching circuit 206 is controlled to connect the signal received from the antenna 208 to the receiving circuit 205 in each frame. Furthermore, "switching (communication circuit)" in Figures 23 and 24 indicates whether or not the switching circuit 206 is controlled to connect the signal received from the antenna 208 to the communication circuit 203 in each frame. In the following, the control of the switching circuit 206 that changes the connection destination of the signal received from the antenna 208 from the communication circuit 203 to the power receiving circuit 205 is also referred to as the first switching, and the control of the switching circuit 206 that changes the connection destination of the signal received from the antenna 208 from the power receiving circuit 205 to the communication circuit 203 is also referred to as the second switching.

[0162] Specifically, in the example shown in Figure 23, for example, in each of the fourth and sixth frames, base station device 1 transmits transmission timing information 133 to terminal device 2 with "Yes / No Transmission" set to "O", and indicates that adjacent terminal device 2 transmits an uplink signal to base station device 1 in each of the fifth frame, which is one frame after the fourth frame, and the seventh frame, which is one frame after the sixth frame.

[0163] Therefore, in this case, the power reception timing control section 215 performs the first switching of the switching circuit 206 in each of the fifth and seventh frames, for example, as shown in FIG.

[0164] Here, for example, when the power receiving timing control unit 215 performs the first switching of the switching circuit 206, the power receiving timing control unit 215 may not perform the second switching of the switching circuit 206 until the adjacent terminal device 2 transmits an uplink signal to the base station device 1 a predetermined number of times. Note that the predetermined number of times here may be, for example, one or more times.

[0165] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 24, when the power receiving timing control unit 215 performs the first switching of the switching circuit 206 in the fifth frame, it may not perform the second switching of the switching circuit 206 until the seventh frame when the next transmission of an uplink signal from the adjacent terminal device 2 is performed.

[0166] This allows the terminal device 2 to, for example, reduce the frequency of the first switching and the second switching of the switching circuit 206. Therefore, the terminal device 2 can, for example, reduce the power consumption involved in the control of the switching circuit 206.

[0167] Furthermore, even in a frame (e.g., the sixth frame shown in Figure 24) in which an uplink signal is not transmitted from an adjacent terminal device 2 to a base station device 1, if a downlink signal is transmitted from the base station device 1 to an adjacent terminal device 2, the terminal device 2 will be able to receive the power of this downlink signal.

[0168] If the terminal device 2 is unable to receive the transmission timing information 133 transmitted from the base station device 1 while the first switching of the switching circuit 206 is being performed, the base station device 1 may transmit, for example, transmission timing information 133 including the timing for performing the second switching of the switching circuit 206 (hereinafter also referred to as re-switching timing) to the terminal device 2. Then, the power receiving timing control unit 215 may, for example, perform the first switching of the switching circuit 206, and then perform the second switching of the switching circuit 206 at the re-switching timing indicated by the transmission timing information 133 received from the base station device 1.

[0169] In this way, the terminal device 2 in this embodiment receives, for example, a second signal from the base station device 1, which includes information about the transmission timing at which the adjacent terminal device 2 transmits a first signal to the base station device 1. Then, for example, in response to receiving the second signal transmitted from the base station device 1, the terminal device 2 sets the state of the terminal device 2 at the transmission timing to a first state in which it is able to receive the first power supplied wirelessly.

[0170] That is, in this embodiment, the terminal device 2 receives, for example, the power of a signal transmitted from an adjacent terminal device 2 located near each terminal device 2, instead of or in addition to the power of a signal transmitted from the base station device 1. Then, the terminal device 2 charges itself, for example, by using the received power. Furthermore, the terminal device 2 communicates with the base station device 1, etc., by using the received power.

[0171] For example, a state in which the first power is not received (e.g., a state before the first state) is an example of the second state. The second state can also be described as a state in which the device is connected to the communication circuit.

[0172] This allows the terminal device 2 in this embodiment to stably receive power, for example, regardless of the distance between the terminal device 2 and the base station device 1, in other words, regardless of the degree of distance attenuation of the power of a transmission signal from the base station device 1. Therefore, the wireless communication system 10 in this embodiment can efficiently supply power wirelessly to the terminal device 2, for example.

[0173] Furthermore, in the wireless communication system 10 of this embodiment, for example, by supplying power to a terminal device 2 that has transmitted power supply request information 232, it becomes possible to supply power to a terminal device 2 that requests power supply without adding functions to the terminal device 2 that does not request power supply.

[0174] Note that the wireless communication system 10 in this embodiment may, for example, determine a charging method for each terminal device 2 depending on the distance from the base station device 1. Specifically, the wireless communication system 10 may, for example, charge a terminal device 2 whose distance from the base station device 1 is less than a predetermined threshold by wireless power feeding using the power of a signal from the base station device 1, and charge a terminal device 2 whose distance from the base station device 1 is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold by wireless power feeding using the power of a signal from an adjacent terminal device 2 (i.e., wireless power feeding by the power feeding control process in this embodiment).

[0175] This allows the wireless communication system 10 to, for example, more efficiently wirelessly feed power to each of the multiple terminal devices 2 .

[0176] [Specific Example (2) of Transmission Timing Information] Next, a description will be given of a second specific example of the transmission timing information 133. FIG.

[0177] The transmission timing information 133 shown in Fig. 25 has, for example, items such as a "terminal ID" in which information identifying each terminal device 2 is set, and a "reference timing" in which the timing at which the transmission timing information 133 is transmitted to each terminal device 2 is set. The transmission timing information 133 shown in Fig. 25 also has, for example, an item such as a "countdown" in which the time (e.g., the number of frames) from the timing set in the "reference timing" to the next transmission timing after the timing set in the "reference timing" is set.

[0178] Specifically, in the transmission timing information 133 shown in FIG. 25, for example, "T001" is set as the "terminal ID," "AA" is set as the "timing," and "4 (frames)" is set as the "countdown."

[0179] That is, the transmission timing information 133 shown in Figure 25 indicates that, for example, at the timing four frames after "AA", a signal is transmitted from an adjacent terminal device 2 corresponding to a terminal device 2 whose "terminal ID" is "T001" to a base station device 1.

[0180] In other words, the transmission timing information 133 shown in Figure 25 indicates that, for example, charging (charging by wireless power supply) of terminal device 2 whose "terminal ID" is "T001" will be possible at a timing 4 (frames) after "AA".

[0181] [Specific Example (2) of Timing Reception Processing] Next, a second specific example of timing reception processing will be described. Fig. 26 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of timing reception processing in the power supply control processing in the first embodiment. Note that in Fig. 26, "1F" to "8F", "transmission timing information", "uplink signal", "switching (power receiving circuit)", and "switching (communication circuit)" are the same as in Fig. 23.

[0182] The example shown in Figure 26 shows that, for example, in each of the fourth and sixth frames, base station device 1 transmits transmission timing information 133 to adjacent terminal device 2 with a "countdown" of "1", and that in each of the fifth frame, which is one frame after the fourth frame, and the seventh frame, which is one frame after the sixth frame (i.e., each frame where the countdown corresponds to 0), adjacent terminal device 2 transmits an uplink signal to base station device 1.

[0183] Therefore, in this case, the power reception timing control unit 215 performs the first switching of the switching circuit 206 in each of the fifth and seventh frames, for example.

[0184] As a result, even if the terminal device 2 in this embodiment does not receive all of the transmission timing information 133 transmitted from the base station device 1, it is possible to identify the next transmission timing and control the switching circuit 206. Therefore, in this case, the terminal device 2 can reduce the consumption of power required to receive the transmission timing information 133 transmitted from the base station device 1, for example.

[0185] [Specific Example (3) of Transmission Timing Information] Next, a description will be given of a second specific example of the transmission timing information 133. FIG.

[0186] The transmission timing information 133 shown in Fig. 27 includes, for example, items such as a "terminal ID" in which information identifying each terminal device 2 is set, and a "reference timing" in which the timing at which the transmission timing information 133 is transmitted to each terminal device 2 is set. The transmission timing information 133 shown in Fig. 27 also includes, for example, an item such as a "countdown (1)" in which the time from the timing set in the "reference timing" to the next transmission timing after the timing set in the "reference timing" is set. The transmission timing information 133 shown in Fig. 27 also includes, for example, an item such as a "countdown (2)" in which the time from the timing set in the "reference timing" to the transmission timing two times after the timing set in the "reference timing" is set.

[0187] Specifically, in the transmission timing information 133 shown in FIG. 27, for example, "T001" is set as the "terminal ID," "AA" is set as the "timing," "4 (frames)" is set as the "countdown (1)," and "6 (frames)" is set as the "countdown (2)."

[0188] That is, the transmission timing information 133 shown in Figure 27 indicates that, for example, at a timing 4 (frames) after "AA", a signal is transmitted from an adjacent terminal device 2 corresponding to a terminal device 2 whose "terminal ID" is "T001" to a base station device 1, and then, at a timing 6 (frames) after "AA", a signal is transmitted again from an adjacent terminal device 2 corresponding to a terminal device 2 whose "terminal ID" is "T001" to a base station device 1.

[0189] In other words, the transmission timing information 133 shown in Figure 27 indicates that, for example, charging (charging by wireless power supply) of terminal device 2 whose "terminal ID" is "T001" becomes possible at the timing 4 (frames) after "AA" and the timing 6 (frames) after "AA".

[0190] [Specific Example (3) of Timing Reception Processing] Next, a third specific example of timing reception processing will be described. Fig. 28 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of timing reception processing in the power supply control processing in the first embodiment. Note that in Fig. 28, "1F" to "8F", "uplink signal", "switching (power receiving circuit)", and "switching (communication circuit)" are the same as in Fig. 23. Also, "transmission timing information (1)" and "transmission timing information (2)" are the same as the "transmission timing information" in Fig. 23.

[0191] The example shown in Figure 28 shows that, for example, in each of the fourth and sixth frames, base station device 1 transmits transmission timing information 133 to adjacent terminal device 2 in which "countdown (1)" is "1", and that adjacent terminal device 2 transmits an uplink signal to base station device 1 in each of the fifth frame, which is one frame after the fourth frame, and the seventh frame, which is one frame after the sixth frame (i.e., in each frame in which countdown (1) corresponds to 0).

[0192] Here, in the fourth frame in the example of Fig. 28 , the countdown (1) is 1 and the countdown (2) is 3. That is, in the example shown in Fig. 28 , for example, it is indicated that the time from the next transmission timing to the transmission timing two frames after is two frames. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 28 , for example, when it is determined that the time from the next transmission timing to the transmission timing two frames after is less than a predetermined threshold (for example, three frames), the power receiving timing control unit 215 may not perform the second switching of the switching circuit 206 in the fifth frame, which is the next transmission timing.

[0193] On the other hand, in the sixth frame in the example of Fig. 28 , the countdown (1) is 1 and the countdown (2) is 6. That is, the example shown in Fig. 28 indicates that, for example, the time from the second transmission timing to the third transmission timing is five frames. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 28 , if it is determined that the five frames, which is the time from the second transmission timing to the third transmission timing, is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the power receiving timing control unit 215 may perform the second switching of the switching circuit 206 in the seventh frame, which is the second transmission timing.

[0194] This allows the terminal device 2 to, for example, reduce the frequency of the first switching and the second switching of the switching circuit 206. Therefore, the terminal device 2 can, for example, reduce the power consumption involved in the control of the switching circuit 206.

[0195] Furthermore, even if the terminal device 2 is unable to receive the transmission timing information 133 transmitted from the base station device 1 while the first switching of the switching circuit 206 is being performed, the terminal device 2 will be able to identify the timing (re-switching timing) for performing the second switching of the switching circuit 206.

[0196] 1: Base station device 2: Terminal device 2a: Terminal device 2b: Terminal device 10: Wireless communication system 101: CPU 102: Memory 103: Communication circuit 104: Storage device 105: Bus 106: Antenna 110: Program 130: Information storage area 201: CPU 202: Memory 203: Communication circuit 204: Storage device 205: Power receiving circuit 206: Switching circuit 207: Bus 208: Antenna 210: Program 230: Information storage area

Claims

1. A receiving unit that receives from the base station device a second signal including information regarding a predetermined timing at which another terminal device transmits a first signal; and a control unit that, in response to the second signal, sets the device to a first state in which power reception of a first power level is possible at the predetermined timing. A terminal device characterized by the above.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the second signal is a signal including information indicating whether the predetermined timing is a predetermined time after the timing at which the base station device transmits the second signal.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the second signal is a signal including information indicating the time from the timing at which the base station device transmits the second signal to the predetermined timing.

4. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising a power receiving unit that receives the first power level in the first state.

5. The terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the power receiving unit receives, as the first power level, the power of the first signal transmitted by the other terminal device to the base station device.

6. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the device to the first state in a time period including at least part of the predetermined timing in response to the second signal.

7. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the device to a second state in which power reception of the first power level is not performed in at least part of a time period other than the predetermined timing in response to the second signal.

8. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitting unit that transmits to the base station device a third signal including information regarding the position of the terminal device.

9. The terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitting unit that transmits to the base station device a fourth signal including information regarding whether the terminal device requests power reception of the first power level.

10. A base station device that performs wireless connection with a terminal device, comprising: an information management unit that identifies another terminal device whose positional relationship with the terminal device satisfies a predetermined condition; and a transmission unit that transmits a second signal including information regarding a predetermined timing at which the other terminal device transmits a first signal to the base station device, to the terminal device. A base station device characterized by the above.

11. According to claim 10, further comprising: a reception unit that receives a third signal including information regarding the position of the terminal device from the terminal device; and the information management unit identifies the other terminal device based on the information regarding the position of the terminal device. A base station device characterized by the above.

12. According to claim 10, the information management unit identifies, as at least a part of the other terminal devices, terminal devices whose distance from the terminal device is equal to or less than a predetermined distance. A base station device characterized by the above.

13. According to claim 10, further comprising: a reception unit that receives a fourth signal including information regarding whether or not the terminal device requests reception of first power supplied wirelessly from the terminal device; and the information management unit identifies the other terminal device when the reception unit receives the fourth signal including information indicating that the terminal device requests reception of the first power. A base station device characterized by the above.

14. A wireless communication system including a terminal device and a base station device that performs wireless connection with the terminal device, wherein the base station device identifies another terminal device whose positional relationship with the terminal device satisfies a predetermined condition, transmits a second signal including information regarding a predetermined timing at which the other terminal device transmits a first signal to the base station device, to the terminal device, the terminal device receives the second signal from the base station device, and sets itself to a first state in which reception of first power is possible at the predetermined timing, in response to the second signal. A wireless communication system characterized by the above.

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