Electronic apparatus and method for conditionally power supplying

• US 8,446,049 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2010
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Getac Technology Company Limited (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Getac Technology Company Limited (MiTAC Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Lee, Yun-Hsien
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mourad, Rasem
• Application Number:
  US12/892,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20110278954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 307116-131, 340/604
• US Class Current: 307/116
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric

Abstract

An electronic apparatus for conditionally power supplying is provided. In the electronic apparatus, an external connection port is embedded on a surface of a case for electrically connecting to an external device, and includes plural exposed terminals including one power pin. First and second detection electrodes are disposed on the surface of the case and normally maintain in broken-circuit. When the first and the second detection electrodes are in a wetting condition, the first and the second detection electrodes are in short-circuit. A switch is electrically connected to a power module and the power pin. A control module detects that the first and the second detection electrodes are in short-circuit or in broken-circuit, and drives the switch to make the power module output power to the power pin when the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in broken-circuit.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus for conditionally power supplying, comprising:

a case, accommodating an electronic circuit and a power module therein, and the power module supplying power to the electronic circuit;

an external connection port, embedded on a surface of the case for connecting an external device to the electronic apparatus, and comprising a plurality of exposed terminals exposed on the surface, in which one of the exposed terminals is a power pin;

a first detection electrode and a second detection electrode, respectively disposed on the surface of the case, wherein the electronic apparatus is arranged such that power is supplied to at least one of the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode, the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are separated by a gap and normally maintain in broken-circuit, and the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in short-circuit when being in a wet condition;

a switch, disposed inside the case, and electrically connected between the power module and the power pin; and

a control module, disposed inside the case, electrically connected to the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode, and for driving the switch, wherein the electronic apparatus is arranged such that the control module detects that the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in short-circuit or in broken-circuit, and drives the switch to make the power module output power to the power pin when the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in broken-circuit.

2. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control module drives the switch to make the power module and the power pin being in broken-circuit when the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in short-circuit without the external connection port being electrically connected to the external device.

3. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power supplied by the electronic apparatus to at least one of the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode is a test signal, and the test signal is normally transmitted by the control module to the first detection electrode.

4. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the test signal is a pulse signal.

5. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the control module comprises:

a controller, electrically connected to the first detection electrode, and normally transmitting the test signal to the first detection electrode; and

a logic circuit, electrically connected between the controller and the second detection electrode, for transmitting the test signal to the controller through the first detection electrode, the second detection electrode, and the logic circuit when the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in short-circuit.

6. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the controller is an embedded controller (EC).

7. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the logic circuit is a phase inverting circuit, disposed between the EC and the second detection electrode.

8. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the phase inverting circuit is a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) inverter.

9. An electronic apparatus for conditionally power supplying, comprising:

an electronic circuit, comprising a central processor unit (CPU), a system chipset, a system memory, a data storage device, a display interface, a display device, an input device, and a read only memory (ROM), in which the system memory, the data storage device, and the display interface are electrically connected to the CPU through the system chipset, and the display interface generates a display signal to the display device;

a power module, supplying power to the electronic circuit;

an external connection port, embedded on a surface of the electronic apparatus, provided for an external device to communicated with the electronic apparatus, and comprising a plurality of exposed terminals, in which at least one of the exposed terminals is a power pin;

a first detection electrode and a second detection electrode, respectively disposed on the surface of the electronic apparatus, and the electronic apparatus supplying power to at least one of the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode, wherein the electronic apparatus is arranged such that the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are separated by a gap and normally maintain in broken-circuit, and the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in short-circuit when being in a wet condition;

a switch, electrically connected between the power module and the power pin; and

a control module, disposed inside the electronic apparatus, electrically connected to the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode, and for driving the switch, wherein the electronic apparatus is arranged such that the control module detects that the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in short-circuit or in broken-circuit, and drives the switch to make the power module output power to the power pin when the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in broken-circuit.

10. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

an operating system is installed in the data storage device, and the CPU loads the operating system to the system memory and executes the operating system; and

when the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in short-circuit, and an operating system operated by the electronic apparatus determines that the external connection port is not electrically connected to the external device, the control module drives the switch to make the power module and the power pin being in broken-circuit.

11. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the power supplied by the electronic apparatus to at least one of the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode is a test signal, and the test signal is normally transmitted by the control module to the first detection electrode.

12. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein the test signal is a pulse signal.

13. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control module comprises:

a controller, electrically connected to the system chipset, and normally transmitting the test signal to the first detection electrode; and

a logic circuit, electrically connected between the controller and the second detection electrode, for transmitting the test signal to the controller through the first detection electrode, the second detection electrode, and the logic circuit when the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in short-circuit.

14. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the controller is an embedded controller (EC) or a keyboard controller (KBC).

15. An method for conditionally power supplying, applicable to an electronic apparatus, in which the electronic apparatus at least comprises a case, an electronic circuit, and an external connection port, the case accommodates the electronic circuit, and the external connection port is embedded on a surface of the case, the method comprising the following steps:

disposing a first detection electrode and a second detection electrode on the surface of the case, and giving a gap between the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode;

supplying power to at least one of the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode;

detecting that the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in short-circuit or in broken-circuit;

when the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in broken-circuit, outputting power to the external connection port;

or when the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in short-circuit, stopping outputting power to the external connection port; and

detecting that the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in short-circuit or in broken-circuit.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising the following steps when detecting that the first detection electrode and the second detection electrode are in short-circuit:

determining whether the external connection port is electrically connected to an external device;

stopping outputting power to the external connection port if the external connection port is not electrically connected to the external device;

or outputting power to the external connection port if the external connection port is electrically connected to the external device.