Electronic device and method of determining abnormality of electronic device connecting unit

• US 10,168,378 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2015
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Yeon-Beom
• Primary Examiner(s): Houston, Adam
• Application Number:
  US14/971,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20160169956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 307125, 361 1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/68 Testing of releasable connections, e.g. of terminals mounted on a printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/00 Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00

Abstract

An electronic device and method of determining an abnormality or a normality of a connecting unit in an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes an external device connecting unit having a first function connecting unit and a second function connecting unit, wherein the first function connecting unit includes a first identification (first ID) pin configured to detect a connection with an external electronic device, and wherein the second function connecting unit includes a second identification (second ID) pin configured to detect the connection with the external electronic device, and a processor configured to determine that an abnormality occurs in the external device connecting unit when values measured from the first ID pin and the second ID pin satisfy a predetermined condition.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

an external device connecting unit comprising a first function connecting unit and a second function connecting unit, wherein the first function connecting unit includes a first identification (first ID) pin configured to detect a connection with an external electronic device, and wherein the second function connecting unit includes a second identification (second ID) pin configured to detect the connection with the external electronic device; and

a processor configured to determine that an abnormality or a normality occurs in the external device connecting unit when values measured from the first ID pin and the second ID pin satisfy a predetermined condition,

wherein the external device connecting unit is a connecting unit according to a micro Universal Serial Bus (USB) protocol.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first function connecting unit is a connecting unit according to a USB protocol, and the second function connecting unit is a connecting unit according to a Mobile High-definition Link (MHL) protocol.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the value measured from the first ID pin is a voltage or a resistance, and wherein the value measured from the second ID pin is a voltage or a resistance.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine that the abnormality occurs in the external device connecting unit when changes of the values measured from the first ID pin and the second ID pin satisfy the predetermined condition.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to turn off power of the electronic device in accordance with determining the abnormality occurs.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to display the abnormality or a normality on a screen in accordance with determining the abnormality occurs or not.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to repeatedly perform determining of the abnormality or a normality in a predetermined period when the processor determines that the abnormality occurs in the external device connecting unit.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a first function control unit connected to at least one pin in the first function connecting unit, and is configured to convert an analog identification (analog ID) value measured from the first ID pin of the first function connecting unit into a digital identification (digital ID) value, and provide the digital ID value to the processor.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a second function control unit connected to at least one pin in the second function connecting unit, and configured to provide an analog ID value measured from the second ID pin of the second function connecting unit to an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) port of the processor.

10. A method of determining an abnormality or a normality of a connecting unit in an electronic device, the method comprising:

checking a value measured from a first identification (first ID) pin which is included in a first function connecting unit of an external device connecting unit, which is for detecting a connection with an external electronic device;

checking a value measured from a second identification (second ID) pin which is included in a second function connecting unit of the external device connecting unit, which is for detecting the connection with the external electronic device; and

determining the abnormality occurs in the external device connecting unit when the values measured from the first ID pin and the second ID pin satisfy a predetermined condition,

wherein the external device connecting unit is a connecting unit according to a micro Universal Serial Bus (USB) protocol.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first function connecting unit is a connecting unit according to a USB protocol, and the second function connecting unit is a connecting unit according to a Mobile High-definition Link (MHL) protocol.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the value measured from the first ID pin is a voltage or a resistance, and the value measured from the second ID pin is a voltage or a resistance.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the abnormality occurs comprises determining that the abnormality occurs in the external device connecting unit when changes of the values measured from the first ID pin and the second ID pin satisfy the predetermined condition.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

turning off power to the electronic device in accordance with determining the abnormality occurs.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying the abnormality or the normality on a screen in accordance with determining the abnormality occurs.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

repeatedly performing determining of the abnormality or the normality in a predetermined period when it is determined that the abnormality occurs in the external device connecting unit.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving an analog identification (analog ID) value, measured from the first ID pin of the first function connecting unit, from a first function control unit connected to at least one pin in the first function connecting unit; and

converting the received analog ID value into a digital identification (digital ID) value and providing the digital ID value to a processor.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing an analog identification (analog ID) value, which is measured from the second ID pin of the second function connecting unit, from a second function control unit connected to at least one pin in the second function connecting unit to an Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) port of a processor.