Connector adapter

• US 8,688,876 B1
• Filed: 12/31/2012
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Fritchman, Daniel J., Ng, Tony Chi Wang, Terlizzi, Jeffrey J., Krueger, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): BORROMEO, JUANITO C
• Application Number:
  US13/731,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20140073188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 31/065 with built-in electric apparatus

Abstract

An adapter for providing connectivity between a host connector of a host device and an accessory connector of an accessory that is incompatible with the host connector is described. The adapter can include a host interface connector that is compatible with the host connector, and an accessory interface connector that is compatible with the accessory connector of the accessory. The adapter may further include an identification module that can provide adapter identification information to a host device connected to the host interface connector, and may also include an authentication module that can authenticate an accessory connected to the accessory interface connector.

Claims

1. An adapter for providing connectivity between a first connector of a host device and a second connector of an accessory, wherein the first connector is incompatible with the second connector, the adapter comprising:

a host interface connector compatible with the first connector, wherein the host interface connector includes a first set of contacts comprising at least a first power contact and a second power contact;

an accessory interface connector compatible with the second connector, wherein the accessory interface connector includes a second set of contacts comprising at least a third power contact and a fourth power contact;

data conversion circuitry coupled to the host interface connector and the accessory interface connector, the conversion circuitry configured to;

receive host data having a first format from the host device;

convert the host data into accessory data having a second format; and

transmit the accessory data to the accessory using the accessory interface connector;

power conversion circuitry coupled between the first power contact of the host interface connector and the third power contact of the accessory interface connector to convert a host power signal from the host device to an accessory power signal for the accessory device;

an authentication module coupled to the accessory interface connector for receiving accessory identification information from the accessory;

an identification module coupled to the host interface connector for providing adapter identification information to the host device to authenticate the adapter to the host device; and

a power control module coupled between the second power contact of the host interface connector and the fourth power contact of the accessory interface connector,

wherein the power control module includes a first power path having a first resistance between the second power contact of the host interface connector and the fourth power contact of the accessory interface connector, and a second power path connected in parallel to the first power path and having a second resistance lower than the first resistance between the second power contact of the host interface connector and the fourth power contact of the accessory interface connector, and

wherein the power control module is configured to enable the first power path before the adapter is authenticated to the host device, and to enable the second power path after the adapter has been authenticated to the host device.

2. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the conversion circuitry is further configured to:

receive accessory data having the second format from the accessory;

convert the accessory data having the second format into host data having the first format for transmission to the host device; and

transmit the host data having the first format to the host device using the host interface connector.

3. The adapter of claim 2, wherein the second format is one of:

a Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter (UART) data format, or USB data format.

4. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the first format is a proprietary protocol data format.

5. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the adapter is further configured to pass through data having USB data format between the host interface connector and the accessory interface connector.

6. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the host data received from the host device includes digital media information and the conversion circuitry converts the digital media information received from the host device into analog media data for transmission to the accessory using the accessory interface connector.

7. The adapter of claim 6, wherein the analog media data is transmitted to the accessory using at least one of:

an audio line signal, a composite video signal, or a S-video signal.

8. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the identification module and the power control module each is implemented as a single integrated circuit (IC) chip.

9. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the accessory interface connector includes 30 contacts and the host interface connector includes fewer contacts than the accessory interface connector.

10. The adapter of claim 9 wherein the host interface connector includes 4 to 16 contacts.

11. An adapter for providing connectivity between a first connector of a host device and a second connector of an accessory, wherein the first connector is incompatible with the second connector, the adapter comprising:

a host interface connector compatible with the first connector, wherein the host interface connector includes a first set of contacts including a first row of eight contacts disposed on a first surface of the host interface connector and a second row of eight contacts disposed directly below the first row of contacts and on a second surface opposing the first surface, and wherein each contact in the first row of contacts is electrically connected to a contact in the second row of contacts through a body of the host interface connector;

an accessory interface connector compatible with the second connector, wherein the accessory interface connector includes a second set of 30 contacts, wherein the accessory interface connector includes a first accessory power contact coupled to a first pair of contacts in the host interface connector implementing a first host power signal;

conversion circuitry coupled to the host interface connector and the accessory interface connector, the conversion circuitry configured to;

receive host data having a first format from the host device;

convert the host data into accessory data having a second format; and

transmit the accessory data to the accessory using the accessory interface connector;

an identification module coupled to the host interface connector for providing adapter identification information to the host device to authenticate the adapter to the host device; and

a power control module coupled between a second accessory power contact of the accessory interface connector and a second pair of contacts in the host interface connector implementing a second host power signal,

wherein the power control module includes a first power path having a first resistance, and a second power path connected in parallel to the first power path and having a second resistance lower than the first resistance, and

wherein the power control module is configured to enable the first power path before the adapter is authenticated to the host device, and to enable the second power path after the adapter has been authenticated to the host device.

12. The adapter of claim 11, wherein the conversion circuitry is further configured to:

receive accessory data having the second format from the accessory;

convert the accessory data having the second format into host data having the first format for transmission to the host device; and

transmit the host data having the first format to the host device using the host interface connector.

13. The adapter of claim 11, further comprising an authentication module coupled to the accessory interface connector for receiving accessory identification information from the accessory that is used for authenticating the accessory.

14. The adapter of claim 11, wherein the identification module and the power control module each is implemented as a single integrated circuit (IC) chip.

15. The adapter of claim 11, wherein the host data received from the host device includes digital media information and the conversion circuitry converts the digital media information received from the host device into analog media data for transmission to the accessory using the accessory interface connector.

16. An adapter for providing connectivity between a first connector of a host device and a second connector of an accessory, wherein the first connector is incompatible with the second connector, the adapter comprising:

a host interface connector compatible with the first connector, wherein the host interface connector includes a first set of contacts;

an accessory interface connector compatible with the second connector;

a first power path between the host interface connector and the accessory interface connector for delivering power from the host device to the accessory device;

conversion circuitry coupled to the host interface connector and the accessory interface connector, the conversion circuitry configured to convert data received from the host device to data usable by the accessory and to convert data received from the accessory to data usable by the host device;

an identification module coupled to the host interface connector for providing adapter identification information to the host device to authenticate the adapter to the host device; and

a power control module configured to selectively enable one of a second power path or a third power path between the host interface connector and the accessory interface connector based on whether the adapter has been authenticated to the host device, wherein the second power path has a first resistance, and the third power path connected in parallel to the second power path has a second resistance.

17. The adapter of claim 16, wherein the second resistance is lower than the first resistance.

18. The adapter of claim 16, further comprising an authentication module coupled to the accessory interface connector for receiving accessory identification information from the accessory that is used for authenticating the accessory.

19. The adapter of claim 16, wherein the data received from the host device includes digital media information and the conversion circuitry converts the digital media information received from the host device into analog media data for transmission to the accessory using the accessory interface connector.

20. The adapter of claim 16, wherein the power control module operates in a current-limiting mode when the second power path is enabled, and the power control module operates in a bypass mode when the third power path is enabled.