Electronic device, charger within the electronic device, and detecting method for detecting abnormal status of connector of electronic device

• US 10,658,860 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2018
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Hsu, Chih-Yuan, Kuo, Yu-Yuan, Lee, Chi-Ming, Chen, Shih-Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Pelton, Nathaniel R
• Application Number:
  US16/214,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20190109480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 320162
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/56 using semiconductor devices in series with the load as final control devices G05F1/461 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/52 Dustproof, splashproof, drip-proof, waterproof, or flameproof cases
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00309 Overheat or overtemperature protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0036 using connection detecting circuits H02J7/0034 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule

Abstract

An electronic device includes: a connector, arranged for coupling to a power supply external to the electronic device, wherein the power supply is arranged to provide a supply voltage to the electronic device to charge a battery of the electronic device; and a charger, coupled to the connector and selectively operated in a normal mode or a self-test mode, wherein when the charger operates in the normal mode, the charger is arranged for receiving the supply voltage via a power pin of the connector to charge the battery of the electronic device; and when the charger operates in the self-test mode, the charger provides a specific voltage to the power pin of the connector. The charger includes a detector to detect the current or voltage of at least one pin of the connector to generate a detecting result, and the supply voltage is set based on the detecting result.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a connector, arranged for coupling to a power supply external to the electronic device, wherein the power supply is arranged to provide a supply voltage to the electronic device to charge a battery of the electronic device; and

a charger, coupled to the connector and selectively operated in a normal mode or a self-test mode, wherein when the charger operates in the normal mode, the charger is arranged for receiving the supply voltage via a power pin of the connector to charge the battery of the electronic device; and

when the charger operates in the self-test mode, the charger provides a specific voltage to the power pin of the connector;

wherein the charger includes a detector to detect the current or voltage of at least one pin of the connector to generate a detecting result, and the supply voltage is set based on the detecting result.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein when the detecting result is within a first range, the supply voltage is set to be a first value.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein when the detecting result is within a second range, the supply voltage is set to be 5V.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein when the detecting result is within a third range, the supply voltage is set to be in a range between 0 and 5V.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein when the detecting result is above a first threshold, the supply voltage is set to be 0V.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the charger is allowed to operate in the self-test mode no matter whether the connector is coupled to the power supply or not.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the specific voltage is greater than the supply voltage provided by the power supply.

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

a resistor, coupled between the charger and the connector; and

a current detector, wherein when the charger operates in the self-test mode and provides the specific voltage to the power pin of the connector, the current detector detects a current flowing through the resistor to generate the detecting result.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein when the current flowing through the resistor is lower than a second threshold, the charger switches from the self-test mode to the normal mode;

and when the current flowing through the resistor is greater than the second threshold, the current detector notifies a controller of the electronic device to show a warning message, noise, or vibration or to notify the power supply to disable the supply voltage or reduce an output current, wherein the first threshold may be different from the second threshold.

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

a voltage detector, for detecting a voltage of a non-power pin of the connector to generate the detecting result when the specific voltage is supplied to the power pin of the connector;

wherein when the voltage of the non-power pin is greater than a second threshold, the voltage detector notifies a controller of the electronic device to show a warning message, noise, or vibration or to notify the power supply to disable or reduce the supply voltage or an output current, wherein the first threshold may be different from the second threshold.

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

a transistor, having a gate electrode, a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the gate electrode is controlled by a control signal provided by the charger, the first electrode is coupled to a ground pin of the connector, and the second electrode is coupled to a ground of the electronic device; and

a resistor, coupled between the ground pin of the connector and the ground of the electronic device.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein a default status of the transistor is off, and the electronic device further comprises:

a voltage detector, for detecting a voltage of a non-power pin of the connector to generate a detecting result when the specific voltage is supplied to the power pin of the connector;

wherein when the voltage of the non-power pin is greater than a second threshold, the voltage detector notifies a controller of the electronic device to show a warning message, noise, or vibration or to notify the power supply to disable or reduce the supply voltage or an output current; and

when the voltage of the non-power pin is less than the second threshold, the charger sends the control signal to turn on the transistor, wherein the first threshold may be different from the second threshold.

13. A charger, arranged to be positioned in an electronic device and coupled to a connector of the electronic device, wherein the connector is arranged for coupling to a power supply external to the electronic device, and the charger is selectively operated in a normal mode or a self-test mode;

wherein when the charger operates in the normal mode, the charger is arranged for receiving a supply voltage from the power supply via a power pin of the connector to charge a battery of the electronic device; and

when the charger operates in the self-test mode, the charger provides a specific voltage to the power pin of the connector, wherein the charger includes a detector to detect the current or voltage of at least one pin of the connector to generate a detecting result, and the supply voltage is set based on the detecting result.

14. The charger of claim 13, wherein when the detecting result is within a first range, the supply voltage is set to be a first value.

15. The charger of claim 13, wherein when the detecting result is within a second range, the supply voltage is set to be 5V.

16. The charger of claim 13, wherein when the detecting result is within a third range, the supply voltage is set to be in a range between 0 and 5V.

17. The charger of claim 13, wherein when the detecting result is above a first threshold, the supply voltage is set to be 0V.

18. The charger of claim 13, wherein the charger is allowed to operate in the self-test mode no matter whether the connector is coupled to the power supply or not.

19. The charger of claim 13, wherein the specific voltage is greater than the supply voltage provided by the power supply.

20. The charger of claim 13, further comprising:

a voltage detector, for detecting a voltage of a non-power pin of the connector to generate the detecting result when the specific voltage is provided to the power pin of the connector;

wherein when the voltage of the non-power pin is greater than a second threshold, the voltage detector notifies a controller of the electronic device to show a warning message, noise, or vibration or to notify the power supply to disable or reduce the supply voltage or an output current, wherein the first threshold may be different from the second threshold.

21. An electronic device, comprising:

a connector, arranged for coupling to a power supply external to the electronic device, wherein the power supply is arranged to provide a supply voltage to the electronic device to charge a battery of the electronic device;

a charger, coupled to the connector and selectively operated in a normal mode or a self-test mode, for receiving the supply voltage via a power pin of the connector to charge the battery when the charger operates in the normal mode;

a transistor, having a gate electrode, a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the gate electrode is controlled by a control signal provided by the charger, the first electrode is coupled to a ground pin of the connector, and the second electrode is coupled to a ground of the electronic device; and

a resistor, coupled between the ground pin of the connector and the ground of the electronic device;

wherein when the charger operates in the self-test mode, the charger provides a specific voltage to the power pin of the connector, the charger includes a detector to detect the current or voltage of at least one pin of the connector to generate a detecting result, and the supply voltage is set based on the detecting result.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein a default status of the transistor is off, and the electronic device further comprises:

a voltage detector, for detecting a voltage of a non-power pin of the connector to generate the detecting result when the specific voltage is supplied to the power pin of the connector;

wherein when the voltage of the non-power pin is greater than a second threshold, the voltage detector notifies a controller of the electronic device to show a warning message, noise, or vibration or to notify the power supply to disable the supply voltage or reduce an output current; and

when the voltage of the non-power pin is less than the second threshold, the charger sends the control signal to turn on the transistor, wherein the first threshold may be different from the second threshold.

23. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein when the detecting result is within a first range, the supply voltage is set to be a first value.

24. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein when the detecting result is within a second range, the supply voltage is set to be 5V.

25. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein when the detecting result is within a third range, the supply voltage is set to be in a range between 0 and 5V.

26. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein when the detecting result is above a threshold, the supply voltage is set to be 0V.