Electronic device with circuitry to detect the insertion orientation of a plug connector

An electronic device comprising:

• a device housing;
• a receptacle connector having a connector housing that defines an interior cavity and an opening at a surface of the device housing, the opening and interior cavity being shaped to allow a corresponding plug connector to be inserted through the opening and into the cavity in a first orientation and a second orientation rotated 180 degrees from the first orientation;
• a plurality of contacts positioned within the interior cavity;
• and
• electrical circuitry coupled to the plurality of contacts and configured to, in response to a mating event between the receptacle connector and the corresponding plug connector:
• (i) send a first signal over a first contact in the plurality of contacts that is in physical contact with a first mated contact in the corresponding plug connector and wait for a response signal in reply;
• (ii) if a response signal to the first signal is received over the first contact, allow signals to be transferred between the receptacle connector and the plug connector over additional contacts in the plurality of electrical contacts;
• (iii) if a response signal to the first signal is not received, send a second signal over a second contact in the plurality of contacts that is in physical contact with a second mated contact in the corresponding plug connector and wait for a response in reply;
• and
• (iv) if a response signal to the second signal is received over the second contact, allowing signals to be transferred between the receptacle connector and the plug connector over additional contacts in the plurality of electrical contacts.

An electronic device comprising:

• a device housing;
• a receptacle connector having a connector housing coupled to the device housing, the connector housing defining an interior cavity and an opening at a surface of the device housing, the opening and interior cavity being shaped to allow a corresponding plug connector to be inserted through the opening and into the cavity in a first orientation and a second orientation rotated 180 degrees from the first orientation;
• a plurality of contacts positioned within the interior cavity;
• and
• electrical circuitry coupled to the plurality of contacts and configured to:
• (i) send a first signal and receive a reply to the first signal over at least one of the plurality of contacts to determine if the plug connector is inserted into the interior cavity in the first orientation, and (ii) if the connectors are mated in the first orientation, enable the exchange of other signals between the receptacle connector and plug connector over other contacts in the plurality of contacts that are coupled to circuitry within the electronic device according to a first mapping.