WATER RECOGNITION SYSTEM, ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME, AND METHOD OF RECOGNIZING WATER THEREBY

• US 20190011386A1
• Filed: 05/16/2018
• Published: 01/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Se-jong, Choe, Hyeon-je, Kim, Je-kook, Kim, Ji-yong, Kim, Tae-Jeong, Bae, Jun-han, Oh, Hyoung-seok, Lee, Jong-haeng
• Granted Patent: US 10,928,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/181 for cables
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/048 for determining moisture content of the material
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6683 with built-in sensor

Abstract

An electronic device includes a connector connected to a cable external to the electronic device and including a plurality of pins; a first water detection circuit connected to at least one first pin of the plurality of pins and generating a first detection result by detecting whether there is water in the connector based on resistance of the at least one first pin; and a second water detection circuit connected to at least one second pin of the plurality of pins, entering a water detection mode when the first detection result indicates the presence of water, and detecting whether there is water in the connector based on resistance of the at least one second pin.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a connector configured to connect to an external cable external to the electronic device, the connector comprising a plurality of pins;

a first water detection circuit connected to at least one first pin of the plurality of pins, the first water detection circuit configured to generate a first detection result based on a detected resistance of the at least one first pin; and

a second water detection circuit connected to at least one second pin of the plurality of pins, the second water detection circuit configured to,

enter a water detection mode when the first detection result indicates the presence of water at the at least one first pin,

generate a second detection result based on a detected resistance of the at least one second pin, and

determine whether there is water in the connector based on the second detection result.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an application processor configured to receive a water recognition result from at least one of the first water detection circuit and the second water detection circuit, the water recognition result indicating that there is water in the connector.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein the second water detection circuit is further configured to:

provide the water recognition result to the application processor, when the second detection result indicates that there is water in the connector.

4. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein

the second water detection circuit is further configured to provide the second detection result to the first water detection circuit when the second detection result indicates there is water in the connector;

and

the first water detection circuit is further configured to provide the water recognition result to the application processor when both the first and second detection results indicate that there is water in the connector.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein

the at least one first pin corresponds to a pin used exclusively for detecting water;

the at least one second pin corresponds to a pin used to perform communication with the external cable;

the electronic device comprises an integrated circuit, the integrated circuit including the second water detection circuit; and

the integrated circuit is configured to enter a normal mode when the first detection result indicates that there is no water present.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the connector is a universal serial bus (USB) Type-C connector.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one first pin comprises one of a plurality of ground (GND) pins defined in the USB Type-C interface.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein

the first water detection circuit comprises a micro USB integrated circuit (MUIC);

and

the MUIC comprises a resistance analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert a value of resistance into a digital value, and output the digital value, the value of the resistance being detected using the at least one first pin.

9. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one second pin comprises at least one of a configuration channel (CC) 1 pin and a CC2 pin, the CC1 pin and the CC2 pin being defined in the USB Type-C interface.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the integrated circuit comprises a CC integrated circuit (CCIC) configured to perform data connection and control through at least one of the CC1 pin and the CC2 pin in the normal mode.

11. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one second pin comprises at least one of a configuration channel (CC) 1 pin, a CC2 pin, a Sideband Use (SBU) 1 pin, and an SBU2 pin, the CC1 pin, the CC2 pin, the SBU1 pin, and the SBU2 pin being defined in the USB Type-C interface.

12. A method of recognizing water by an electronic device, the method comprising:

generating, by a first integrated circuit, a first detection result based on a resistance detected from at least one first pin of a connector of the electronic device, the connector comprising a plurality of pins;

generating, by a second integrated circuit, a second detection result based on a resistance detected from at least one second pin of the connector, when the first detection result indicates that water is detected in the connector; and

generating a first recognition result indicating that there is water in the connector, when the first and second detection results both indicate that water is detected.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

providing the first recognition result to an application processor in the electronic device.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

using the first integrated circuit exclusively for detecting the presence of water from the first pin; and

entering, by the second integrated circuit, a water detection mode and performing the second detection, when the first detection result indicates that water is detected, the water detection mode including the generating the second detection result, and entering, by the second integrated circuit, a normal mode when the first detection result indicates that water is not present, the normal mode including controlling communication through the at least one second pin.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the connector is a universal serial bus (USB) Type-C connector.

16-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A water recognition system comprising:

a configuration channel (CC) integrated circuit connected to a CC1 pin and a CC2 pin of a connector defined in a universal serial bus (USB) Type-C interface; and

the CC integrated circuit configured to,

receive, from outside of the CC integrated circuit, a first water detection result through a first pin of the connector,

enter a water detection mode based on the first water detection result, and

detect, through a second pin of the connector, whether water is present in the connector when in the water detection mode.

22. The water recognition system according to claim 21, wherein, when the first water detection result indicates that water is detected, and results of the detecting through the second pin indicate that water is detected, the CC integrated circuit is further configured to output a second water detection result, the second water detection result indicating that there is water in the connector.

23. The water recognition system according to claim 21, further comprising:

a micro USB integrated circuit (MUIC) configured to generate the first water detection result based on resistance detected from the first pin, and provide the first water detection result to the CC integrated circuit.

24. The water recognition system according to claim 23, wherein

the first pin comprises one of a plurality of ground (GND) pins defined in the USB Type-C interface;

and

the second pin comprises at least one of the CC1 pin and the CC2 pin, the CC1 pin and the CC2 pin being defined in the USB Type-C interface.

25. The water recognition system according to claim 21, wherein the CC integrated circuit is further configured to:

apply a current at a first level to the second pin when the first water detection result indicates that water is detected, the first level for water detection; and

apply a current at a second level to the second pin when the first water detection result indicates that water is not detected, the second level for communication through the second pin.