Remote controller and controlling method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11960343-B2
Application number	US-202117311096-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2021
Priority date	Mar 5, 2021
Publication date	Apr 16, 2024
Grant date	Apr 16, 2024

Abstract

A remote controller enabled to control an external device includes a communication interface to communicate with the external device, an energy harvester to obtain an electrical energy, a power supplier to receive supply of the electrical energy from the energy harvester, and a processor configured to, based on a supply voltage of the power supplier being greater than or equal to a first threshold value and less than a second threshold value, control the communication interface to release communication connection established to communicate with the external device, and supply the electrical energy obtained by the energy harvester to the power supplier.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A remote controller to control an external device, the remote controller comprising:
a communication interface to communicate with the external device;
an energy harvester to obtain an electrical energy;
a power supplier to receive supply of the electrical energy from the energy harvester; and
a processor configured to:
based on a supply voltage of the power supplier being greater than or equal to a first threshold value and less than a second threshold value, control the communication interface to release a current communication connection established to communicate with the external device, and supply the electrical energy obtained by the energy harvester to the power supplier,

wherein the release of the current communication connection includes a disconnection of a communication session established between the remote controller and the external device.

2. The remote controller of claim 1 , wherein the power supplier includes an over-discharge protection circuit, and
wherein the processor is further configured to:
based on a supply voltage of the power supplier, after the communication connection is released, being less than the first threshold value, control the over-discharge protection circuit to cut off power supply of the power supplier.

3. The remote controller of claim 1 , further comprising:
a manipulation interface to receive a user input,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
based on the supply voltage of the power supplier being greater than or equal to the second threshold value and less than a third threshold value, transmit, to the external device through the communication interface, a signal to display a guide user interface (UI) in relation to charging of the power supplier of the remote controller on a display of the external device provided the user input is received through the manipulation interface.

4. The remote controller of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
based on the supply voltage of the power supplier being greater than or equal to the third threshold value and less than a fourth threshold value, transmit, to the external device through the communication interface, a signal to display a guide UI in relation to charging of the power supplier of the remote controller on the display of the external device.

5. The remote controller of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
based on the supply voltage of the power supplier, after the communication connection is released, being greater than or equal to a fourth threshold value, control the communication interface to re-establish the communication connection with the external device.

6. The remote controller of claim 1 , further comprising:
a manipulation interface to receive a user input,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
based on the user input not being received through the manipulation interface during a threshold time, control the communication interface to release the communication connection with the external device and supply the electrical energy obtained by the energy harvester to the power supplier.

7. The remote controller of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to
based on the external device being identified to be powered off, control the communication interface to release the communication connection with the external device and supply the electrical energy obtained by the energy harvester to the power supplier.

8. The remote controller of claim 7 , further comprising:
a manipulation interface to receive a user input,
wherein the processor is further configured to:
generate a signal to turn off power of the external device based on the user input received through the manipulation interface, and transmit the generated signal to the external device through the communication interface, and
after transmitting the generated signal to the external device, control the communication interface to release the communication connection with the external device and supply the electrical energy obtained by the energy harvester to the power supplier.

9. The remote controller of claim 1 , wherein the processor comprises:
a communication control module which transmits a signal corresponding to a user input to the external device through the communication interface, and
a power control module which controls supply of the electrical energy obtained by the energy harvester to the power supplier.

10. The remote controller of claim 1 , wherein the power supplier includes a over-discharge protection circuit, and
wherein the processor is further configured to:
based on a first supply voltage of the power supplier obtained at a point in time before the electrical energy obtained by the energy harvester is supplied to the power supplier being greater than a second supply voltage of the power supplier obtained after a threshold time from a point in time when the electrical energy obtained by the energy harvester is supplied to the power supplier, control the over-discharge protection circuit to cut off power supply of the power supplier.

11. The remote controller of claim 10 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
based on the supply voltage of the power supplier being greater than or equal to the second threshold value and less than a third threshold value, output guide audio in relation to charging of the power supplier of the remote controller through a speaker of the external device.

12. A method of a remote controller to control an external device, the method comprising:
obtaining a supply voltage of a power supplier included in the remote controller;
based on the obtained supply voltage of the power supplier included in the remote controller being greater than or equal to a first threshold value and less than a second threshold value, releasing a current communication connection established to communicate with the external device and supplying an electrical energy obtained by an energy harvester included in the remote controller to the power supplier,
wherein the releasing of the current communication connection includes disconnecting a communication session established between the remote controller and the external device.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
based on a supply voltage of the power supplier, after the communication connection is released, being less than the first threshold value, controlling an over-discharge protection circuit included in the power supplier to cut off power supply of the power supplier.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
based on the supply voltage of the power supplier being greater than or equal to the second threshold value and less than a third threshold value, transmitting, to the external device, a signal to display a guide user interface (UI) in relation to charging of the power supplier of the remote controller on a display of the external device based on a user input received through a manipulation interface included in the remote controller.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
based on the supply voltage of the power supplier being greater than or equal to the third threshold value and less than a fourth threshold value, transmitting, to the external device, a signal to display a guide UI in relation to charging of the power supplier of the remote controller on the display of the external device.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
based on the supply voltage of the power supplier, after the communication connection is released, being greater than or equal to a fo

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Wonjae
• Yun Hyunkyu
• Kim Minsup
• Yoon Sukhoon

Classifications

• H02J7/63

  against overdischarge · CPC title

• G06F1/3215 Primary

  Monitoring of peripheral devices · CPC title

• H02J7/00306

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N21/42222 Primary

  Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device · CPC title

• H04N21/42204 Primary

  User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor (constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205) · CPC title