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US 12,300,944 B2Granted
Protection circuits for untethered cables
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsDenver E. Cohen, Breton M. Saunders, Srivatsav Venkatesan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Circuits, methods, and apparatus that can provide an untethered cable that can safely provide power using a variety of power adapters, can protect users from voltages at exposed contacts of a connector insert, and can disconnect from a power adapter when damage to the cable is detected.
Claims20
A cable comprising a first connector insert and a second connector insert, the cable further comprising protection circuitry, the protection circuitry comprising:
- a power-limiting controller having an input coupled to a power contact of the first connector insert to receive power from a power adapter and an output coupled to a power contact of the second connector insert to provide power to an electronic device;
- and
- a power-delivery controller to determine a presence of a first impedance provided by the electronic device to a connection detection contact of the second connector insert, and in response to determining the presence of the first impedance, to send a first signal to the power-limiting controller,
- wherein in response to the first signal, the power-limiting controller provides a current-limited power supply at the power contact of the second connector insert to the electronic device, and wherein the first signal is a periodic signal having a first frequency.
1 more element
A power-delivery controller comprising:
- circuitry coupled to a first input/output terminal to provide a first pull-down impedance at the first input/output terminal;
- the circuitry further coupled to a second input/output terminal to determine a presence of a second pull-down impedance at the second input/out terminal, and in response to determining the presence of the second pull-down impedance, to provide a first periodic signal at a first output terminal;
- and
- the circuitry further to provide a first signal at the second input/output terminal, and in response, to receive an acknowledgement signal at the second input/output terminal,
- wherein in response to the acknowledgement signal the circuitry provides a second periodic signal at the first output terminal.
2 more elements
Protection circuitry for an untethered cable, the protection circuitry comprising:
- a power-delivery controller to provide a pull-down impedance at a first input/output terminal and to receive a pull-up impedance at the first input/output terminal, and in response to receiving a pull-up impedance at the first input/output terminal, to provide a pull-up impedance at a second input/output terminal and to receive a pull-down impedance at the second input/output terminal, and in response to receiving the pull-down impedance at the second input/output terminal, to provide a first periodic signal at a first output;
- and
- a power-limiting controller to receive the first periodic signal, and in response, to provide a current-limited power supply.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.