Connection and corrosion detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10184909-B2
Application number	US-201615275202-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2016
Priority date	Sep 23, 2016
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

Methods, structures, and apparatus that are able to detect the presence of a connection to a device contact of an electronic device and are also able to detect the presence of contamination at the device contact. A host device includes a connection detection circuit and a contamination detection circuit connected to the device contact. The connection detection circuit includes a pull-up resistor that is pulled down by a pull-down resistor in an accessory device following a connection. The contamination detection circuit includes a current source to provide a current at the device contact and measurement circuitry to measure a resulting voltage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic system comprising:
a host device comprising:
host circuitry to execute functions of the host device;
a device contact coupled to the host circuitry, the device contact to form an electrical connection with a corresponding accessory contact of an accessory when the host device is mated with the accessory;
a connection detect circuit coupled to the device contact to detect a connection to the device contact by the corresponding accessory contact, wherein the connection detect circuit detects the connection to the device contact by the corresponding accessory contact during a first duration; and
a contamination detect circuit coupled to the device contact to detect contamination at the device contact, wherein the contamination detect circuit detects contamination at the device contact after the first duration,

wherein the connection detect circuit comprises a pull-up resistor having a first terminal coupled to the device contact, the first terminal of the pull-up resistor further coupled to an input of a window comparator.

2. The electronic system of claim 1 wherein the contamination detect circuit comprises:
a calibration circuit comprising:
a calibration resistor;
a current source circuit coupled to a first terminal of the calibration resistor to provide a first current through the calibration resistor; and
a measurement circuit to measure a resulting calibration voltage at the first terminal of the calibration resistor; and

a voltage measuring circuit comprising:
the current source circuit to provide a second current to the device contact; and
the measurement circuit to measure a resulting contamination voltage at the device contact.

3. The electronic system of claim 2 wherein the second current comprises a series of pulses including a first current pulse having a first amplitude for a second duration and a second current pulse having a second amplitude for a third duration.

4. The electronic system of claim 2 wherein the contamination detect circuit further comprises:
a switch coupled between the first terminal of the calibration resistor and the device contact.

5. The electronic system of claim 4 wherein the measurement circuit comprises:
a multiplexer having a first input coupled to the first terminal of the calibration resistor and a second input coupled to the device contact; and
an analog-to-digital converter having an input coupled to an output of the multiplexer.

6. The electronic system of claim 5 wherein the current source circuit is selectively coupled to the first terminal of the calibration resistor and the device contact.

7. The electronic system of claim 6 wherein the contamination detect circuit further comprises a switch coupled between the first terminal of the calibration resistor and the device contact and the switch is closed when the input to the analog-to-digital converter reaches or exceeds a maximum value.

8. An electronic system comprising:
a host device comprising:
host circuitry to execute functions of the host device;
a device contact coupled to the host circuitry, the device contact to form an electrical connection with a corresponding accessory contact of an accessory when the host device is mated with the accessory;
a connection detect circuit coupled to the device contact to detect a connection to the device contact by the corresponding accessory contact, wherein the connection detect circuit detects the connection to the device contact by the corresponding accessory contact during a first duration; and
a contamination detect circuit coupled to the device contact to detect contamination at the device contact, wherein the contamination detect circuit detects contamination at the device contact after the first duration; and

the accessory comprising:
the accessory contact to mate with the device contact of the host device; and
an active pull-down to provide a pull-down resistance for a second duration following a connection to the host device, and then to provide a high impedance.

9. The electronic system of claim 8 wherein the active pull-down comprises a resistor in series with a transistor.

10. The electronic system of claim 9 wherein the active pull-down further comprises a capacitance divider having a first and second capacitor coupled to a gate of the transistor.

11. The electronic system of claim 10 wherein the active pull-down further comprises:
a resistor in series between the first and second capacitor and the gate of the transistor; and
a Zener diode having a cathode coupled to a gate of the transistor and an anode coupled to a source of the transistor.

12. The electronic system of claim 11 wherein the active pull-down further comprises a resistor in series with the second capacitor to discharge the second capacitor and set a length of the second duration.

13. An electronic system comprising:
a host device comprising:
host circuitry to execute functions of the host device;
a device contact coupled to the host circuitry, the device contact to form an electrical connection with a corresponding accessory contact of an accessory when the host device is mated with the accessory;
a connection detect circuit coupled to the device contact to detect a connection to the device contact by the corresponding accessory contact; and
a contamination detect circuit coupled to the device contact to detect contamination at the device contact, the contamination detect circuit comprising:
a calibration circuit comprising:
a calibration resistor;
a current source circuit coupled to a first terminal of the calibration resistor to provide a first current through the calibration resistor; and
a measurement circuit to measure a resulting calibration voltage at the first terminal of the calibration resistor; and

a voltage measuring circuit comprising:
the current source circuit to provide a second current to the device contact; and
the measurement circuit to measure a resulting contamination voltage at the device contact.

14. The electronic system of claim 13 further comprising:
the accessory comprising:
the accessory contact; and
an active pull-down coupled to the accessory contact to provide a pull-down resistance for a first duration following a connection to the host device and then to provide a high impedance.

15. The electronic system of claim 13 wherein the contamination detect circuit further comprises a switch coupled between the first terminal of the calibration resistor and the device contact.

16. The electronic system of claim 13 wherein the measurement circuit comprises:
a multiplexer having a first input coupled to the first terminal of the calibration resistor and a second input coupled to the device contact; and
an analog-to-digital converter having an input coupled to an output of the multiplexer.

17. The electronic system of claim 16 wherein the contamination detect circuit further comprises a switch coupled between the first terminal of the calibration resistor and the device contact and the switch is closed when the input to the analog-to-digital converter reaches or exceeds a maximum value.

18. The electronic system of claim 13 further comprising:
the accessory comprising:
the accessory contact for mating with the device contact of the host device; and
an active pull-down coupled to the accessory contact to provide a pull-down resistance for a second duration following a connection to the host device, and then to provide a high impedance,
wherein the active pull-down comprises:
a resistor in

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Gupta Vishal
• Johnson Timothy M
• Jani Nilay D
• Perez Yehonatan

Classifications

• G01R31/69

  of terminals at the end of a cable or a wire harness; of plugs; of sockets, e.g. wall sockets or power sockets in appliances · CPC title

• G01N27/028 Primary

  Circuits therefor (measuring impedance per se G01R27/02) · CPC title

• H01R43/002

  Maintenance of line connectors, e.g. cleaning · CPC title

• H01R2201/20

  for testing or measuring purposes · CPC title

• G01R31/045

  Physics · mapped topic