Wireless power supply management apparatus and wireless power supply management method

Abstract

In the present invention, an estimation unit estimates, on the basis of application information related to a use history of a plurality of applications in each of a plurality of electronic devices adaptable to wireless power supply and charging information related to a history of charging each of the plurality of electronic devices, first power consumption which is consumed by each of the plurality of electronic devices until charging is started next. A determination unit determines, on the basis of the first power consumption of each of the plurality of electronic devises estimated by the estimation unit and remaining amount information related to the current remaining battery amount of each of the plurality of electronic devices, a priority order of wireless power supply to each of the plurality of electronic devices.

Description

Wireless power supply management device and wireless power supply management method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless power supply management device and a wireless power supply management method.

[0002] Wireless power transfer, which wirelessly charges electronic devices, has become widespread. For example, a wireless power transfer system described in Patent Document 1 below is installed inside a structure. The power supply unit has a battery, a signal transmitter that transmits signal information including information about the remaining battery charge, and a power receiver that receives power and sends it to the battery. The mobile object is equipped with a wireless power transfer device that transmits power to the power receiver. A control computer receives signal information from the signal transmitter to obtain information about the remaining battery charge, and if the remaining battery charge falls below a threshold, issues a command to move the mobile object toward the power receiver.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-63370

[0004] When there are multiple electronic devices to be wirelessly powered, the issue of how to prioritize power supply to the multiple electronic devices becomes an issue. One example is a method using the remaining battery power of an electronic device (power receiving device), as in the above-mentioned conventional technology. In this method, power is supplied preferentially to an electronic device with a low remaining battery power among the multiple electronic devices. Meanwhile, the power consumption of each of the multiple electronic devices varies greatly depending on how the electronic device is used. From the perspective of extending the usable time of each of the multiple electronic devices, the method of prioritizing power supply to an electronic device with a low remaining battery power may not be optimal.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to appropriately determine the priority of power supply to a plurality of electronic devices.

[0006] A wireless power supply management device according to a preferred aspect of the present disclosure includes an estimation unit that estimates a first power consumption that will be consumed by each of a plurality of electronic devices until the next charging is started, based on application information related to a usage history of a plurality of applications in each of the plurality of electronic devices capable of wireless power supply and charging information related to a charging history for each of the plurality of electronic devices, and a determination unit that determines a priority of the wireless power supply for each of the plurality of electronic devices, based on the first power consumption of each of the plurality of electronic devices estimated by the estimation unit and remaining amount information related to a current remaining battery amount of each of the plurality of electronic devices.

[0007] A wireless power supply management method according to a preferred aspect of the present disclosure estimates, for each of a plurality of electronic devices capable of wireless power supply, a first power consumption that will be consumed until the next charging is started in each of the plurality of electronic devices, based on application information related to a usage history of a plurality of applications in each of the plurality of electronic devices and charging information related to a charging history for each of the plurality of electronic devices, and determines a priority of wireless power supply for each of the plurality of electronic devices based on the estimated first power consumption of each of the plurality of electronic devices and remaining amount information related to a current remaining battery amount of each of the plurality of electronic devices.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to appropriately determine the priority of power supply to a plurality of electronic devices.

[0009] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power supply system 1 according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a power supply location S. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electronic device 30. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a device information management server 40. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power supply device 20. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power supply management server 10. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a method for determining the priority of power supply. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the relationship between the number of power supply devices 20 and the number of electronic devices 30. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the flow of data in the power supply system 1. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of a processing device 103 of the power supply management server 10.

[0010] A. Embodiments A-1. Configuration of Power Supply System Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power supply system 1 according to an embodiment. The power supply system 1 includes a communication network N such as the Internet or a LAN, a power supply management server 10, a power supply device 20, a plurality of electronic devices 30, and a device information management server 40. The power supply management server 10 is an example of a wireless power supply management device. The power supply device 20 is an example of a wireless power supply device.

[0011] The power supply management server 10, the power supply devices 20, the electronic devices 30, and the device information management server 40 are connected to each other via a communication network N. Each of the electronic devices 30 is assigned an identifier (hereinafter referred to as a "device ID"). Each of the electronic devices 30 can be uniquely identified by the device ID. In this embodiment, a case where there is one power supply device 20 will be described, but a plurality of power supply devices 20 may be provided in the power supply system 1.

[0012] The power supply system 1 is used for a power supply service that transmits power wirelessly. In this power supply service, an electronic device 30 of a user who has subscribed to the power supply service can receive power from power feeders 20 installed at various power supply locations S. The electronic device 30 may also be referred to as a power receiver.

[0013] In this embodiment, the power supply management server 10 (more specifically, the determination unit 113 shown in FIG. 6 ) determines the priority of wireless power supply using at least one power supply device 20 among a plurality of electronic devices 30 located in a power supply location S where at least one power supply device 20 is installed. The priority of wireless power supply indicates to which of the plurality of electronic devices 30 power is to be supplied preferentially.

[0014] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a power supply location S. The power supply location S is an example of a first area. In this example, a power supply device 20 is installed on the ceiling of a cafe, and power is supplied to a plurality of electronic devices 30. When a user carrying the electronic device 30 enters the power supply location S, power supply to the electronic device 30 starts without the user's intention. The user can use the electronic device 30 without worrying about the remaining battery power of the electronic device 30.

[0015] A technology for supplying and receiving power between devices that are several meters apart (between the power supply device 20 and the electronic device 30), as shown in Figure 2, is called long-distance wireless power supply. Known long-distance wireless power supply methods include an optical laser method and a microwave method. In this embodiment, the optical laser method is used, which has high linearity of radio waves and makes it easy to accurately supply power to the targeted electronic device 30.

[0016] In the optical laser method, radio waves travel in a straight line from the power feeder 20 to the power receiver. There is no attenuation of the radio waves up to about 4 m. The power feed range is about 45° from the power feed direction. If there is an object between the power feeder 20 and the power receiver, power feed is basically stopped, but it can pass through colorless, transparent glass about 2 mm thick.

[0017] In the microwave system, radio waves are transmitted radiatively from the power feeder 20 to the power receiver. The attenuation of radio waves is proportional to the square of the distance. The power feed range is a range of about 50° from the power feed direction. Even if there is an object between the power feeder 20 and the power receiver, the radio waves will generally pass through. For example, the radio waves will pass through eyeglass cleaning cloths, paper, or wood, but will not pass through glass or other materials of a certain thickness or more.

[0018] Fig. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the relationship between the number of power supply devices 20 and the number of electronic devices 30. As also shown in Fig. 2, one power supply device 20 may be capable of outputting multiple laser beams. In the example of Fig. 8, one power supply device 20 is capable of outputting four laser beams. In this case, charging is possible in the modes [A] to [C] shown in Fig. 8.

[0019] [A] One electronic device 30 is charged per laser beam (laser beam:electronic device 30=1:1). In the example of FIG. 8, power can be supplied to four electronic devices 30 at a time. [B] A number of electronic devices 30 less than the number of laser beams is charged (laser beam:electronic device 30=N:M, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than N). In the example of FIG. 8, power can be supplied to three or fewer electronic devices 30 at a time (the illustrated embodiment powers two electronic devices 30). [C] One electronic device 30 is charged with all laser beams (laser beam:electronic device 30=N:1).

[0020] Comparing [A] to [C], the amount of power that can be supplied per unit time to one electronic device 30 is [C] > [B] > [A]. For example, if you want to quickly charge one electronic device 30, it is preferable to use the [C] mode. Also, if you want to charge multiple electronic devices 30 at once, it is preferable to use the [A] mode.

[0021] A-2. Electronic Device 30 Next, details of each component of the power supply system 1 will be described. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic device 30. The electronic device 30 includes a display device 301, an input device 302, a communication device 303, a GPS (Global Positioning System) device 304, a storage device 305, a processing device 306, and a bus 320 that interconnects these devices. In addition, each unit shown in Fig. 1 is driven by power stored in a battery 330.

[0022] The display device 301 is a display device (for example, various display panels such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL display panel) that displays information to the outside. The input device 302 is an input device (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, or a sensor) that accepts input from the outside. The display device 301 and the input device 302 may be integrated into one device (for example, a touch panel).

[0023] The communication device 303 has an interface connectable to the communication network N, and communicates with other devices connected to the communication network N by wireless or wired communication. Furthermore, the communication between the electronic device 30 and the power supply device 20 may be short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) instead of communication via the communication network N. In this case, the communication device 303 has an interface capable of short-range wireless communication.

[0024] The GPS device 304 receives radio waves from multiple satellites and generates, from the received radio waves, location information indicating the location of the electronic device 30. The location information may be in any format as long as it can identify the location of the electronic device 30. In this embodiment, latitude and longitude are used as the location information.

[0025] The storage device 305 is a recording medium readable by the processing device 306. The storage device 305 includes, for example, a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). The volatile memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM). The storage device 305 stores a program PG3. The program PG2 is a program for operating the electronic device 30. Although not shown, the storage device 305 also stores the device ID of the electronic device 30 .

[0026] The processing device 306 includes one or more central processing units (CPUs). The one or more CPUs are examples of one or more processors. Each of the processor and the CPU is an example of a computer.

[0027] Processing device 306 reads program PG3 from storage device 305. By executing program PG3, processing device 306 functions as application information management unit 311, charging information management unit 312, first device information transmission unit 313, and second device information transmission unit 314. At least one of application information management unit 311, charging information management unit 312, first device information transmission unit 313, and second device information transmission unit 314 may be configured by a circuit such as a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0028] The application information management unit 311 manages application information related to the usage history of applications (apps) in the electronic device 30. The application information indicates, for example, for each of multiple applications installed in the electronic device 30, the time period (start time and end time of use) and duration during which the application is being used. The application information management unit 311 monitors, for example, the execution status of applications in the processing device 306, and generates application information. The application information management unit 311 may record the generated application information in the storage device 305.

[0029] Examples of applications used in the electronic device 30 include a game application, a camera (image capture) application, a video viewing application, a SNS (Social Networking Service) application, and an Internet browsing application.

[0030] The charging information management unit 312 manages charging information relating to the charging history of the battery 330 of the electronic device 30. The charging information is, for example, information indicating the time period (charging start time and charging end time) and duration of charging of the battery 330, and information indicating the remaining battery capacity (charging rate) of the battery 330 at each point in time. The charging information management unit 312 monitors the charging status of the battery 330 and generates charging information. The charging information management unit 312 may record the generated charging information in the storage device 305.

[0031] The first device information transmission unit 313 transmits first device information related to the electronic device 30 to the device information management server 40. The first device information includes, for example, at least one of application information managed by the app information management unit 311 and charging information managed by the charging information management unit 312, and the device ID of the electronic device 30. In the present embodiment, the first device information includes both application information and charging information.

[0032] The second device information transmission unit 314 transmits second device information about the electronic device 30 to the power supply device 20 located near the electronic device 30. The second device information is, for example, a device ID and a current remaining battery level Pr of the electronic device 30. The second device information transmission unit 314 may transmit the device ID and the current remaining battery level Pr as a response to a second information request transmitted from the power supply device 20, for example.

[0033] A-3. Device Information Management Server 40 Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the device information management server 40. The device information management server 40 manages information relating to the usage status of the electronic device 30. The device information management server 40 includes a communication device 401, a storage device 402, a processing device 403, and a bus 410 that interconnects these devices.

[0034] The communication device 401 has an interface that can be connected to the communication network N, and communicates with other devices connected to the communication network N using wireless or wired communication.

[0035] The storage device 402 is a recording medium readable by the processing device 403. The storage device 402 includes, for example, a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a ROM, an EPROM, and an EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, a RAM. The storage device 402 stores a program PG4 and a device information database DB. The program PG4 is a program for operating the device information management server 40. The device information database DB also stores application information and charging information transmitted from multiple electronic devices 30 together with the device ID of each electronic device 30.

[0036] The processing device 403 includes one or more CPUs. The one or more CPUs are an example of one or more processors. Each of the processor and the CPU is an example of a computer. The processing device 403 functions as an information management unit 411 by executing the program PG4. At least a part of the functions of the information management unit 411 may be configured by a circuit such as a DSP, an ASIC, a PLD, or an FPGA.

[0037] The information management unit 411 manages the device information database DB. More specifically, the information management unit 411 records the first device information (application information and charging information) transmitted from each of the multiple electronic devices 30 (more specifically, the first device information transmission unit 313) in the device information database DB together with the device ID of each electronic device 30. Furthermore, when the information management unit 411 receives a first device information request requesting transmission of the first device information from the power supply management server 10 (more specifically, the first device information acquisition unit 111), which will be described later, the information management unit 411 reads the first device information from the device information database DB and transmits the first device information to the power supply management server 10.

[0038] A-4. Power Supply Device 20 Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the power supply device 20. The power supply device 20 includes a communication device 201, a power supply device 202, a storage device 203, a processing device 204, and a bus 210 that interconnects these devices.

[0039] The communication device 201 has an interface connectable to the communication network N, and communicates with other devices connected to the communication network N using wireless or wired communication. As described above, when the communication between the electronic device 30 and the power supply device 20 is short-range wireless communication, the communication device 201 has an interface capable of short-range wireless communication.

[0040] The power supply device 202 supplies power to electronic devices 30 (hereinafter referred to as "in-area devices") located within the power supply location S. The in-area devices can be rephrased as electronic devices 30 that can be wirelessly powered using the power supply unit 20. As shown in FIG. 2 and other figures, the power supply device 202 emits a laser beam to the in-area devices. The power supply device 202 can change the direction in which it emits the laser beam. The power supply device 202 changes the direction in which it emits the laser beam under the control of a power supply control unit 213, which will be described later.

[0041] The storage device 203 is a recording medium readable by the processing device 204. The storage device 203 includes, for example, a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a ROM, an EPROM, and an EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, a RAM. The storage device 203 stores a program PG2. The program PG2 is a program for operating the power supply device 20.

[0042] The processing device 204 includes one or more CPUs. The one or more CPUs are examples of one or more processors. Each of the processors and CPUs is an example of a computer. The processing device 204 executes the program PG2 to function as a second device information acquisition unit 211, a priority acquisition unit 212, and a power supply control unit 213. At least some of the functions of the second device information acquisition unit 211, the priority acquisition unit 212, and the power supply control unit 213 may be configured by circuits such as a DSP, an ASIC, a PLD, and an FPGA.

[0043] The second device information acquisition unit 211 acquires second device information of the in-area device from the in-area device. As described above, the second device information includes the device ID and the current remaining battery level Pr. The second device information acquisition unit 211 transmits, for example, a second device information request to the in-area device, requesting the transmission of the second device information. The in-area device (more specifically, the first device information transmission unit 313) transmits the second device information in response to the second device information request.

[0044] The second device information acquisition unit 211 may continuously acquire the second device information while the in-area device remains in the power supply location S. This allows the processing device 204 to grasp the progress of power supply to the in-area device and the entry and exit of the electronic device 30 to and from the power supply location S. More specifically, the progress of power supply to the in-area device can be grasped based on the current remaining battery power Pr included in the second device information.

[0045] Furthermore, the entry and exit of the electronic device 30 into and from the power supply location S is understood as follows. For example, a device ID (hereinafter referred to as a "previous device ID") included in the second device information acquired in response to the previous (N-1th) transmission of the second device information request is compared with a device ID (hereinafter referred to as a "current device ID") included in the second device information acquired in response to the current (Nth) transmission of the second device information request. An electronic device 30 having a device ID that is not included in the previous ID but is included in the current ID is estimated to have entered the power supply location S after the previous transmission of the second device information request. An electronic device 30 having a device ID that is included in the previous ID but not the current ID is estimated to have left the power supply location S after the previous transmission of the second device information request. An electronic device 30 having a device ID that is included in both the previous ID and the current ID is estimated to have remained in the power supply location S from the previous transmission of the second device information request to the current transmission of the second device information request.

[0046] When multiple electronic devices 30 are located in the power supply location S, in other words, when there are multiple in-area devices, the priority order acquisition unit 212 acquires priority order information indicating the priorities of power supply to the multiple in-area devices. In this embodiment, the priority order acquisition unit 212 transmits a priority order determination request to the power supply management server 10. The priority order acquisition unit 212 transmits the priority order determination request, for example, when an electronic device 30 enters or leaves the power supply location S, or when any of the in-area devices currently supplying power becomes fully charged.

[0047] The priority determination request includes second device information of the in-area devices. This second device information preferably includes second device information of in-area devices that have newly entered the power supply location S, as well as second device information of in-area devices that have previously entered the power supply location S. In response to the priority determination request, the power supply management server 10 determines the power supply priorities among the electronic devices 30 whose device IDs are included in the second device information, and transmits the priority information to the power supply device 20. The priority acquisition unit 212 acquires the priority information transmitted from the power supply management server 10.

[0048] The power supply control unit 213 controls the power supply device 202 based on the priority information acquired by the priority acquisition unit 212. As will be described in detail later, the power supply control unit 213 controls the power supply device 202 so that the amount of power supplied per unit time to an electronic device 30 with a higher priority for power supply is increased.

[0049] A-5. Power Supply Management Server 10 Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the power supply management server 10. The power supply management server 10 manages power supply to electronic devices 30 that have subscribed to the power supply service. The power supply management server 10 includes a communication device 101, a storage device 102, a processing device 103, and a bus 110 that interconnects these devices.

[0050] The communication device 101 has an interface that can be connected to a communication network N, and communicates with other devices connected to the communication network N using wireless or wired communication.

[0051] The storage device 102 is a recording medium readable by the processing device 103. The storage device 102 includes, for example, a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a ROM, an EPROM, and an EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, a RAM. The storage device 102 stores a program PG1. The program PG1 is a program for operating the power supply management server 10.

[0052] The processing device 103 includes one or more CPUs. The one or more CPUs are examples of one or more processors. Each of the processor and the CPU is an example of a computer. The processing device 103 executes the program PG1 to function as a first device information acquisition unit 111, an estimation unit 112, and a determination unit 113. At least some of the functions of the first device information acquisition unit 111, the estimation unit 112, and the determination unit 113 may be configured by circuits such as a DSP, an ASIC, a PLD, and an FPGA.

[0053] The first device information acquisition unit 111 acquires first device information of the in-area terminal from the device information management server 40. As described above, the first device information includes the device ID of the electronic device 30, application information of the electronic device 30, and charging information of the electronic device 30.

[0054] When the first device information acquisition unit 111 receives a priority determination request from the power supply device 20 (more specifically, the priority order acquisition unit 212), it transmits a first device information request requesting acquisition of first device information to the device information management server 40. As described above, the priority order determination request includes the device ID of the in-area device and the current remaining battery power Pr. The first device information acquisition unit 111 includes the device ID of the in-area device in the first device information request and transmits it to the device information management server 40. The device information management server 40 (more specifically, the information management unit 411) selects first device information from the device information database DB that corresponds to the device ID included in the first device information request and transmits it to the power supply management server 10.

[0055] The estimation unit 112 estimates first power consumption P1 that each of the plurality of in-area devices will consume until the next charging starts, based on application information related to the usage history of multiple applications in each of the plurality of in-area devices and charging information related to the charging history of each of the plurality of in-area devices. The in-area devices are an example of the plurality of electronic devices 30 that can be powered wirelessly.

[0056] In this embodiment, the first power consumption P1 is the sum of the second power consumption P2 and the third power consumption P3 (P1 = P2 + P3). In other words, the estimation unit 112 estimates the sum of the second power consumption P2 and the third power consumption P3 as the first power consumption P1.

[0057] The second power consumption P2 is the power consumed by the use of applications in the in-area device. An estimated power consumption per unit time is set for each of multiple applications that can be used in the in-area device. The estimated power consumption value need only indicate the relative power consumption between applications and does not need to be the actual power consumption. In this embodiment, the power consumption per hour of each application is expressed as a percentage of the battery capacity. Specifically, for example, a game application is set at "5%," a camera application at "4%, a video viewing application at "3%, a social networking application at "2%, and an internet browsing application at "1%." The above percentages are, for example, percentages when the battery capacity of the electronic device 30 is 4000 mAh. For electronic devices 30 with battery capacities other than 4000 mAh, the percentages are calculated proportionally according to the battery capacity.

[0058] The application information includes, for each of multiple applications, the time period (start time and end time of use) and duration during which the application is being used. Based on the application information, the estimation unit 112 predicts the application usage status for each in-area device from the current time onward. The prediction of the application usage status may be performed using, for example, a machine learning model (AI (Artificial Intelligence) model). The prediction period is appropriately set, for example, from the current time until X hours later (X is an arbitrary positive number). The estimation unit 112 calculates the predicted power consumption of one application predicted to be used by multiplying the estimated value of the power consumption by the one application by the predicted usage time of the one application. The estimation unit 112 calculates the sum of the predicted power consumption values ​​of all applications predicted to be used as the second power consumption P2.

[0059] That is, the estimation unit 112 estimates the usage time of the application in each of the devices within the area based on the application information, and estimates the second power consumption P2 consumed by the use of each of the multiple applications for each of the devices within the area based on the usage time and the estimated value.

[0060] The third power consumption P3 is the standby power of the in-area device until the next charging. Each of the multiple electronic devices 30, including the in-area device, consumes a predetermined amount of standby power per unit time, regardless of whether any of the multiple applications is in use. The estimation unit 112 calculates the third power consumption P3 by multiplying the length of time from the current time until the next charging starts by the predetermined standby power.

[0061] The length of time from the current time until the next charging start is predicted based on the charging information. That is, the charging information includes a history of charging start times and charging end times for each of the in-area devices. The estimation unit 112 predicts the predicted time when each of the in-area devices will next start charging based on the charging information, and estimates the power consumption from the current time to the predicted time as the third power consumption P3. The predicted time may be predicted using, for example, a machine learning model.

[0062] The determination unit 113 determines the priority of wireless power supply for each of the in-area devices based on the first power consumption P1 of each of the in-area devices estimated by the estimation unit 112 and remaining amount information related to the current remaining battery amount Pr of each of the in-area devices. The determination unit 113 calculates a predicted remaining battery amount Px for each of the in-area devices by subtracting the first power consumption P1 of the in-area device from the current remaining battery amount Pr of the in-area device (Px = Pr - P1), and determines the priority such that the in-area device with a lower predicted remaining battery amount Px is given a higher priority.

[0063] FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a method for determining the power supply priority. The processing of the estimation unit 112 and the determination unit 113 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 7 . Assume that a user carrying an electronic device 30 with a device ID of 002 (hereinafter referred to as “device 002”) enters the power supply location S at 12:00. At the power supply location S, there is also a user carrying an electronic device 30 with a device ID of 001 (hereinafter referred to as “device 001”) at 12:00. In this case, the power supply priority is determined between device 001 and device 002. Assume that the battery capacities of both device 001 and device 002 are 4000 mAh, and the remaining battery power at 12:00 is 70% for both device 001 and device 002. Assume also that the standby power consumption per hour is 2% (0.02) of the battery capacity for both device 001 and device 002.

[0064] The estimation unit 112 estimates the next charging start time for each of device 001 and device 002. The estimation unit 112 then predicts the third power consumption P3 based on the predicted times. For example, the predicted time for device 001 is 23:30 (11.5 hours after 12:00), and the predicted time for device 002 is 24:00 (12 hours after 12:00). In this case, the third power consumption P3 for device 001 is 0.02×11.5=0.23, and the third power consumption P3 for device 002 is 0.02×12=0.24.

[0065] The estimation unit 112 also estimates the types of applications that will be used by the predicted time and the duration of their use for each of the devices 001 and 002. The estimation unit 112 then estimates the second power consumption P2 consumed by the use of the applications. For example, it is predicted that the device 001 will use a social networking application for one hour from 12:00 to 13:00, an internet browsing application for one hour from 17:00 to 18:00, and a game application for two hours from 21:00 to 23:00. In this case, the second power consumption P2 of the device 001 is 2×1 + 1×1 + 5×2 = 13. It is also predicted that the device 002 will use a game application for four hours from 15:00 to 19:00, and a video viewing application for two hours from 22:00 to 24:00. In this case, the second power consumption P2 of the device 002 is 5×4 + 3×2 = 26.

[0066] Therefore, the first power consumption P1 of device 001 is 13 + 0.23 = 13.23, and the first power consumption P1 of device 002 is 26 + 0.24 = 26.24. As described above, the current remaining battery capacity Pr of device 001 and the current remaining battery capacity Pr of device 002 are both 70%. Therefore, when the predicted remaining battery capacity Px is calculated by subtracting the first power consumption P1 from the current remaining battery capacity Pr, the predicted remaining battery capacity Px of device 001 is 56.77, and the predicted remaining battery capacity Px of device 002 is 43.76. In other words, the predicted remaining battery capacity Px of device 001 is greater than the predicted remaining battery capacity Px of device 002. Therefore, the determination unit 113 determines the priority of power supply to device 002 to be higher than the priority of power supply to device 001.

[0067] Note that the priority of power supply may be determined based on the magnitude of the first power consumption P1 without taking into consideration the current remaining battery power Pr. Specifically, the higher the first power consumption P1 of a device, the higher the priority of power supply. In the above example, the first power consumption P1 of device 001 is less than the first power consumption P1 of device 002. Therefore, even when this method is used, the priority of power supply to device 002 is higher than the priority of power supply to device 001.

[0068] When the priority of power supply to device 002 is higher than the priority of power supply to device 001, power is supplied in the following modes [α] to [β], for example. [α] Power is supplied to device 002 using all laser beams of power supply device 20 installed at power supply location S, and after device 002 is fully charged, power is supplied to device 001. [β] The number of laser beams used to supply power to device 002 is made greater than the number of laser beams used to supply power to device 001.

[0069] In the case of aspect [β], the laser beams may be allocated based on the ratio between the first power consumption P1 of device 001 and the first power consumption P1 of device 002. For example, in the above example, the ratio between the first power consumption P1 of device 001 and the first power consumption P1 of device 002 is 13.23:26.24≒1:2. If the total number of laser beams available at the power supply location S is eight (two power supply devices 20 × four laser beams), allocating the laser beams using the above ratio results in three laser beams being allocated to device 001 and five laser beams being allocated to device 002.

[0070] A-6. Data Flow in Power Supply System 1 FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating the flow of data in the power supply system 1. FIG. 9 illustrates an example of electronic device 30A, which is one of the multiple electronic devices 30. Electronic device 30A transmits first device information to device information management server 40 (step S1). The first device information includes application information, charging information, and the device ID of electronic device 30A. Transmission of the first device information from electronic device 30A to device information management server 40 is performed constantly, regardless of entry into power supply location S. Device information management server 40 manages the first device information transmitted from electronic device 30A using a device information database DB (step S2).

[0071] When the electronic device 30A enters the power supply location S (step S3), the power supply device 20 detects the electronic device 30A (step S4). The power supply device 20 requests the electronic device 30A to transmit second device information (step S5). The second device information includes the device ID and current remaining battery power Pr of the electronic device 30A. The electronic device 30A transmits the second device information to the power supply device 20 (step S6).

[0072] The power supply device 20 transmits a priority determination request to the power supply management server 10 (step S6). The priority determination request includes second device information of the devices in the area, including the electronic device 30A. Upon receiving the priority determination request, the power supply management server 10 transmits a request to the device information management server 40 to send first device information about the electronic device 30A (step S8). The request to send the first device information includes the device ID of the electronic device 30A. The device information management server 40 extracts the first device information of the electronic device 30A from the device information database DB based on the device ID. The device information management server 40 then transmits the extracted first device information to the power supply management server 10 (step S9).

[0073] The power supply management server 10 determines the priority of power supply to the plurality of electronic devices 30 located in the power supply location S based on the first device information and the second device information (step S10). The power supply management server 10 transmits the determined priority to the power supply device 20 (step S11). The power supply device 20 supplies power to the plurality of electronic devices 30 (including the electronic device 30A) located in the power supply location S based on the priority determined by the power supply management server 10 (step S12).

[0074] In addition, when any of the devices within the area becomes fully charged or when any of the devices within the area leaves the power supply location S, the power supply device 20 sends a priority determination request to the power supply management server 10 again.

[0075] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the processing device 103 of the power supply management server 10. The processing device 103 waits until it receives a priority order determination request from the power supply device 20 (step S100: NO). When it receives the priority order determination request (step S100: YES), the processing device 103 functions as the first device information acquisition unit 111 and acquires first device information from the device information management server 40 (step S102).

[0076] Next, the processing device 103 functions as the estimation unit 112 and estimates the first power consumption P1 using the first device information (step S104). The processing device 103 functions as the determination unit 113 and determines the priority of power supply to the in-area devices (step S106). The processing device 103 transmits the determined priority to the power supply device 20 (step S108), and the process returns to step S100.

[0077] A-7. Summary of the embodiment As described above, the power supply management server 10 according to the embodiment estimates the first power consumption P1 that each of the multiple in-area devices will consume until the next charging starts, and determines the priority of wireless power supply for each of the multiple in-area devices based on the first power consumption P1 and the current remaining battery power Pr. Thus, the power supply priority is determined taking into account future power consumption, and compared to the conventional case in which the power supply priority is determined based only on the current remaining battery power Pr, it is possible to accurately identify the electronic device 30 to which power should be supplied with more appropriate priority.

[0078] Furthermore, the power supply management server 10 estimates the second power consumption P2 consumed by the use of applications in each of the multiple in-area devices, so that the power consumption can be predicted with high accuracy according to the actual usage of each in-area device.

[0079] In addition, the power supply management server 10 takes into account the third power consumption P3, which is the standby power of each of the multiple area devices, and can therefore determine the power supply priority more accurately than if standby power was not taken into account.

[0080] Furthermore, the power supply management server 10 predicts the next charging start time based on the history of charging start times and charging end times for each of the multiple in-area devices, thereby enabling highly accurate prediction of the next charging start time according to the lifestyle of each user of the in-area device.

[0081] Furthermore, the power supply management server 10 calculates a predicted remaining battery power Px for each of the plurality of area devices by subtracting the first power consumption P1 from the current remaining battery power Pr, and assigns a higher priority to the electronic device 30 with the smaller predicted remaining battery power Px. Thus, the electronic device 30 to which power should be supplied with priority can be identified with high accuracy.

[0082] Furthermore, the power supply management server 10 determines the priority of wireless power supply using the power supply device 20 among multiple electronic devices 30 located in the power supply location S. Therefore, for example, in a power supply service that transmits power wirelessly, power can be supplied to multiple electronic devices 30 in an appropriate order.

[0083] B. Modifications The present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments. Specific modifications are exemplified below. Two or more of the following exemplary embodiments may be combined.

[0084] B-1. First Modification In this embodiment, the power supply management server 10 and the device information management server 40 are provided separately. However, this is not limiting, and for example, a single server having the functions of the power supply management server 10 and the device information management server 40 may be provided.

[0085] Furthermore, at least one of the functions of the power supply management server 10 and the functions of the device information management server 40 may be mounted on the power supply device 20. In this case, at least one of the functions of the power supply management server 10 and the functions of the device information management server 40 may be realized by, for example, an AI chip mounted on the power supply device 20.

[0086] According to the first modification, the configuration of the power supply system 1 is simplified.

[0087] B-2. Second Modification In the present embodiment, a case where one power supply device 20 is installed at the power supply location S has been described. However, multiple power supply devices 20 may be installed at the power supply location S. In this case, the power supply management server 10 determines the priority of power supply when multiple power supply devices 20 are used to wirelessly supply power to multiple electronic devices 30. When multiple power supply devices 20 are installed at the power supply location S, the areas to which each power supply device 20 can supply power may differ. Therefore, the power supply management server 10 may select an electronic device 30 to be supplied with power from a single power supply device 20 based on, for example, the positional relationship between the single power supply device 20 and the electronic device 30. Furthermore, for example, when there is an electronic device 30 with an extremely low predicted remaining battery capacity Px, power may be supplied from multiple power supply devices 20.

[0088] According to the second modification, the efficiency of power supply in the power supply system 1 is improved.

[0089] C: Others (1) In the above-described embodiments, ROM, RAM, etc. are given as examples of storage devices 102, 203, 305, and 403. However, storage devices 102, 205, and 302 may be flexible disks, magneto-optical disks (e.g., compact disks, digital versatile disks, Blu-ray (registered trademark) disks), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks, key drives), CD-ROMs (Compact Disc-ROMs), registers, removable disks, hard disks, floppy (registered trademark) disks, magnetic strips, databases, servers, or other suitable storage media.

[0090] (2) In the above-described embodiments, the described information, signals, etc. may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0091] (3) In the above-described embodiment, input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, a memory) or may be managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be transmitted to another device.

[0092] (4) In the above-described embodiment, the determination may be made based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a comparison of numerical values ​​(e.g., a comparison with a predetermined value).

[0093] (5) The order of the process procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. illustrated in the above-described embodiments may be rearranged unless it is consistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0094] (6) Each function illustrated in Figures 3 to 6 is realized by any combination of hardware and / or software. Furthermore, the method for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are directly or indirectly connected (e.g., wired, wireless, etc.) and these multiple devices. A functional block may be realized by combining software with the single device or the multiple devices.

[0095] (7) The programs exemplified in the above-described embodiments should be broadly construed to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., regardless of whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or by other names.

[0096] Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0097] (8) In each of the foregoing embodiments, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0098] (9) The information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or corresponding other information.

[0099] (10) In the above-described embodiments, the portable device may be a mobile station (MS). Those skilled in the art may also refer to a mobile station as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other appropriate term. In this disclosure, the terms "mobile station," "user terminal," "user equipment (UE)," "terminal," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0100] (11) In the above-described embodiments, the terms "connected," "coupled," or any variation thereof refers to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access." As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0101] (12) In the above embodiments, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0102] (13) As used in this disclosure, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining something as "determining" or "determining," and the like. Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" may include regarding receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, and accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory) as having been "judgment" or "decision." Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" may include regarding resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. as having been "judgment" or "decision." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" may include regarding some action as having been "judgment" or "decision." Furthermore, "judgment" may be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0103] (14) In the above embodiments, when "include," "including," and variations thereof are used, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, the term "or," as used in this disclosure, is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0104] (15) In this disclosure, when articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include the nouns following these articles being plural.

[0105] (16) In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combined" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

[0106] (17) The aspects / embodiments described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. Notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to being explicit, but may be implicit (e.g., not notifying the predetermined information).

[0107] 1...power supply system, 10...power supply management server, 20...power supply device, 30...electronic device, 40...device information management server. 101...communication device, 102...storage device, 103...processing device, 111...first device information acquisition unit, 112...estimation unit, 113...determination unit, 204...processing device, 211...second device information acquisition unit, 212...priority order acquisition unit, 213...power supply control unit, 306...processing device, 311...application information management unit, 312...charging information management unit, 313...first device information transmission unit, 314...second device information transmission unit, 330...battery, 403...processing device, 411...information management unit, N...communication network, S...power supply location.

Claims

1. A wireless power supply management device comprising: an estimation unit that estimates a first power consumption that will be consumed by each of a plurality of electronic devices until the next charging is started, based on application information related to the usage history of a plurality of applications in each of the plurality of electronic devices that can be wirelessly powered, and charging information related to the charging history of each of the plurality of electronic devices; and a determination unit that determines a priority of wireless power supply for each of the plurality of electronic devices, based on the first power consumption of each of the plurality of electronic devices estimated by the estimation unit and remaining amount information related to the current remaining battery amount of each of the plurality of electronic devices.

2. The wireless power supply management device according to claim 1, wherein an estimated value of power consumption per unit time is set for each of the plurality of applications, and the estimation unit estimates a usage time length of the application in each of the plurality of electronic devices based on the application information, estimates a second power consumption consumed by the usage of each of the plurality of applications for each of the plurality of electronic devices based on the usage time length and the estimated value, and estimates the first power consumption based on the second power consumption.

3. The wireless power supply management device according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of electronic devices consumes a predetermined amount of standby power per unit time regardless of whether any of the plurality of applications is in use, and the estimation unit calculates a third power consumption by multiplying the predetermined standby power by the length of time from the current time until the next charging start and estimates the sum of the second power consumption and the third power consumption as the first power consumption.

4. The wireless power supply management device according to claim 3, wherein the charging information includes a history of charging start times and charging end times for each of the plurality of electronic devices, and the estimation unit predicts a predicted time when charging will next start for each of the plurality of electronic devices based on the charging information, and estimates the power consumption from the current time to the predicted time as the third power consumption.

5. The wireless power supply management device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit calculates a predicted remaining battery capacity for each of the plurality of electronic devices by subtracting the first power consumption of the electronic device from the current remaining battery capacity of the electronic device, and assigns a higher priority to an electronic device with a lower predicted remaining battery capacity.

6. The wireless power supply management device according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines the priority of wireless power supply using at least one wireless power supply device while the plurality of electronic devices are located within a first area in which at least one wireless power supply device is installed.

7. A wireless power supply management method comprising: estimating, for each of a plurality of electronic devices capable of wireless power supply, a first power consumption that will be consumed until the next charging is started in each of the plurality of electronic devices based on application information relating to the usage history of a plurality of applications in each of the plurality of electronic devices and charging information relating to the charging history of each of the plurality of electronic devices; and determining a priority of wireless power supply for each of the plurality of electronic devices based on the estimated first power consumption of each of the plurality of electronic devices and remaining battery capacity information relating to the current remaining capacity of each of the plurality of electronic devices.

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