Electronic Device With Connector Fault Protection Circuitry
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsEugene L. Shoykhet, Yehonatan Perez
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An electronic device may include protection circuitry coupled to a connector port. The connector port may be a reversible connector port that receives a mating reversible connector plug with either first or second orientations. The connector port may include contacts for receiving and/or transmitting signals during communications between the electronic device and the accessory device. The protection circuitry may monitor signals received at the contacts to determine whether transient or permanent connection faults exist. In response to determining that a connection fault exists at any of the contacts, the protection circuitry may electrically disconnect the faulty contacts from processing circuitry in the electronic device.
Claims25
A portable electronic device operable to communicate with an accessory device, the portable electronic device comprising:
- a connector port having a plurality of contacts each operable to receive a respective signal having a signal voltage from the accessory device;
- processing circuitry operable to receive the signals from the plurality of contacts of the connector port;
- and
- protection circuitry coupled between the processing circuitry and the connector port, wherein the protection circuitry assigns a threshold voltage to each contact of the connector port, wherein the protection circuitry monitors the signal voltage of each of the contacts to identify which contacts have signal voltages that exceed the assigned threshold voltages, and wherein the protection circuitry electrically disconnects the processing circuitry from the identified contacts.
A method of operating an electronic device that communicates with an accessory device using a connector port, wherein the connector port is operable to receive signals from the accessory device via a plurality of signal paths, the method comprising:
- with detection circuitry, monitoring the signals received at the connector port to produce detection signals that identify whether faulty signal paths exist between the connector port and the accessory device;
- and
- in response to identifying that faulty signal paths exist between the connector port and the accessory device, electrically disconnecting only the identified faulty signal paths with switching circuitry.
A method of operating an electronic device operable to communicate with an accessory device using a connector port, the method comprising:
- with control circuitry, disabling real-time fault detection circuitry that is coupled to the connector port;
- with the connector port, receiving a connection to the accessory device;
- with the control circuitry, performing pass-fail testing on the received connection to the accessory device;
- and
- with the control circuitry, configuring switching circuitry to couple the connector port to processing circuitry in response to determining that the received connection passes testing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.