Foreign substance detecting circuit and electronic device including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10862246-B2
Application number	US-201816194704-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2018
Priority date	Dec 13, 2017
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

Provided are a foreign substance detecting circuit, an electronic device including the foreign substance detecting circuit, and a method of detecting foreign substance. The electronic device includes a connector connected to an external cable and including a plurality of pins, a foreign substance detecting circuit configured to, when the cable is connected to the connector, detect a resistance from a first pin that is set to be in an open state or to be connected to a pull-down resistor from among the plurality of pins in a state where the cable is connected, and determine whether there is a foreign substance in the connector, and an application processor configured to control operations in the electronic device for performing a post-process when there is the foreign substance in the connector, according to a detection result from the foreign substance detecting circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a connector configured to connect to an external cable and communicate with the external cable according to a universal serial bus (USB) type-C interface, the connector including a plurality of pins;
a foreign substance detecting circuit configured to,
detect a resistance from a first pin from among the plurality of pins, in response to the external cable being connected to the connector, the first pin being one of a configuration channel 1 (CC1) pin and a configuration channel 2 (CC2) pin defined by the USB type-C interface, the first pin being set to an open state or connected to a pull-down resistor, and
determine whether there is a foreign substance present in the connector based on the resistance; and

an application processor configured to perform a post-process in response to the foreign substance detecting circuit determining that the foreign substance is present in the connector.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the post-process includes instructing a display device to display an indication that the foreign substance is present in the connector.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a power controller configured to adjust a level of a voltage or a current provided to the connector, wherein
the post-process includes instructing the power controller to block supply of the voltage or the current to the connector.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the foreign substance detecting circuit is configured to determine whether the foreign substance is present when the external cable is connected to the connector in a state where the electronic device is in a turn-off state.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the foreign substance detecting circuit is a configuration channel integrated circuit (CCIC) configured to perform a data connection and control operation via at least one of the CC1 pin and the CC2 pin in a normal mode.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the connector further comprises a VBUS pin defined by the USB type-C interface to transfer a power voltage, and the electronic device is configured such that,
when there is foreign substance, the VBUS pin and the first pin are shorted, and the voltage exceeding a reference level is measurable from the first pin, and
when there is no the foreign substance, the VBUS pin and the first pin are not shorted from each other, and the voltage less than the reference level is measurable from the first pin.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a micro USB IC (MUIC) configured to sense a connection between the external cable and the connector, and to perform communication with an external device via at least one second pin of the connector, wherein
the foreign substance detecting circuit is configured to initiate detection of the resistance in response to the MUIC sensing the connection, and
the MUIC is configured to communicate with the external device to reduce a level of a power voltage provided from the external device in response to the foreign substance being present in the connection.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the foreign substance detecting circuit is configured to detect moisture as the foreign substance introduced in the connector.

9. A configuration channel integrated circuit (CCIC) connected to a configuration channel 1 (CC1) pin and a configuration channel 2 (CC2) pin of a connector according to a universal serial bus (USB) type-C interface, the CCIC comprising:
a processor configured to control internal operations in the CCIC; and
at least one controller configured to,
control, in a normal mode, connection to the CC1 pin and the CC2 pin to perform a data connection and control operation,
control, in a foreign substance detection mode, connection to a first pin in response to an external cable being connected to the connector, the first pin being one of the CC1 pin and the CC2 pin that is set to an open state,
set the first pin to a floating state after discharging the first pin in the foreign substance detection mode, and
determine whether there is a foreign substance in the connector based on a resistance detected from the first pin.

10. The CCIC of claim 9 , wherein
the first pin corresponds to the CC1 pin when the external cable is connected to the connector in a first orientation, and
the first pin corresponds to the CC2 pin when the external cable is connected to the connector in a second orientation opposite the first orientation.

11. The CCIC of claim 9 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to determine whether the foreign substance is present in response to the external cable being connected to the connector in a state where an electronic device including the CCIC is turned-off.

12. The CCIC of claim 9 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to determine whether the foreign substance is present in the connector based on the resistance detected from the first pin in the floating state after being discharged.

13. The CCIC of claim 9 , wherein the at least one controller is configured to skip determining whether there the foreign substance is present, in response to the external cable being connected to the connector while the CC1 pin and the CC2 pin are both not set to the open state.

14. A method of detecting a foreign substance in an electronic device, the method comprising:
sensing an external cable being connected to a connector, the connector including a plurality of pins; and
in response to sensing that the external cable is connected to the connector,
performing a discharging operation of a first pin of the plurality of pins while the first pin is set to an open state or connected to a pull-down resistor;
setting the first pin to a floating state after the discharging operation;
detecting a resistance from the first pin based on a voltage measured from the first pin while the first pin is set to the floating state;
determining whether the foreign substance is present in the connector based on the resistance detected from the first pin when the first pin is in the floating state; and
instructing, a display device, to display an indication that the foreign substance is present in the connector in response to determining that the foreign substance is present.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the electronic device is in a turn-off state before the external cable is connected to the connector, and the determining determines whether the foreign substance is present in response to the external cable being connected to the connector in the turn-off state.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein
the connector is configured to communicate with the external cable according to a universal serial bus (USB) type-C interface, and
the first pin corresponds to one of a configuration channel 1 (CC1) pin and a configuration channel 2 (CC2) pin defined according to the USB type-C interface.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Bae Jun-Han
• Kim Je-Kook
• Oh Hyoung-Seok
• Kim Sang-Beom
• Park Se-Jong
• Cheon You-So

Classifications

• H01R13/6683 Primary

  with built-in sensor · CPC title

• H01R2201/20

  for testing or measuring purposes · CPC title

• H01R2107/00

  Four or more poles · CPC title

• H01R24/60

  Contacts spaced along planar side wall transverse to longitudinal axis of engagement · CPC title

• 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