Polarity control for a flat connector

• US 9,985,394 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2017
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Atkinson, Lee Warren, Mann, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Duverne, Jean F
• Application Number:
  US15/409,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20170125953A1
• Time in Patent Office: 496 Days
• Field of Search: 43962021
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6205 Two-part coupling devices held in engagement by a magnet
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/64 Means for preventing incorrect coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6691 with built-in signalling means H01R13/717 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/70 with built-in switch
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2103/00 Two poles
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 29/00 Coupling parts for selective co-operation with a counterpart in different ways to establish different circuits, e.g. for voltage selection, for series-parallel selection, programmable connectors

Abstract

In some examples, a sink device includes a port comprising a power contact and data contacts, the port having a profile to engage with a flat connector in any of plural orientations of the flat connector, where the data contacts are to electrically connect to data contacts of the flat connector. A switching circuit comprises switches to apply polarity processing to signals corresponding to the data contacts to produce output data signals at a target data polarity regardless of the orientation of the flat connector when connected to the port.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a port engageable with a flat connector in any of plural orientations of the flat connector, the port comprising a power contact and data contacts, the power contact to engage a respective contact of the flat connector when the port and the flat connector are engaged; and

a switching circuit comprising switches to;

receive input signals from the data contacts of the port when the port is engaged with the flat connector, wherein the switches are controllable by an input power signal from the power contact of the port when the port and the flat connector are engaged, and

apply polarity processing to the input signals to produce output data signals at a target polarity regardless of the orientation of the flat connector when engaged to the port, wherein the polarity processing is based on detecting a state of the power contact of the port.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the power contact of the port is to engage a power contact or a reference contact of the flat connector depending on a relative orientation of the port and the flat connector.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the power contact of the port is to engage the power contact of the flat connector when the port and the flat connector are engaged in a first orientation.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the power contact of the port is to engage the reference contact of the flat connector when the port and the flat connector are engaged in a second orientation.

5. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the input power signal when connected to the power contact of the flat connector is to set the switches in first positions, and the input power signal when connected to the reference contact of the flat connector is to set the switches in second positions different from the first positions.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the data contacts provide a positive data signal and a negative data signal that make up a signal pair.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the port further comprises a reference contact, the power and reference contacts to engage power and reference contacts of the flat connector.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the data contacts are laterally spaced from one another in just one direction.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the port is a non-coaxial port.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a magnet to magnetically attract the flat connector to the port for engaging the flat connector to the port.

11. A sink device comprising:

a port comprising a power contact and data contacts, the port having a profile to engage with a flat connector in any of plural orientations of the flat connector, wherein the data contacts are to electrically connect to data contacts of the flat connector;

a switching circuit comprising switches to apply polarity processing to signals corresponding to the data contacts of the port to produce output data signals at a target data polarity regardless of the orientation of the flat connector when connected to the port,

wherein the switches are to selectively connect the output data signals to the signals corresponding to the data contacts of the port in a first arrangement in response to detecting a first orientation of the flat connector, and to connect the output data signals to the signals corresponding to the data contacts of the port in a second, different arrangement in response to detecting a second, different orientation of the flat connector, and

wherein the switches are controllable by a signal from the power contact of the port.

12. The sink device of claim 11, wherein the signal has a first state in response to the port being engaged with the flat connector in the first orientation, and the signal has a second state in response to the port being engaged with the flat connector in the second orientation.

13. The sink device of claim 12, wherein the signal having the first state causes the switches to be set at first positions, and the signal having the second state causes the switches to be set at second positions different from the first positions.

14. A system comprising:

a power adapter comprising a flat connector including a power contact, a positive data contact, and a negative data contact;

a sink device comprising a port engageable with the flat connector in any of plural orientations of the flat connector; and

switches controllable by an input power signal, the input power signal having a first state when the port is engaged with the flat connector in a first orientation, the input power signal having the first state to set the switches to first positions, the input power signal having a second state when the port is engaged with the flat connector in a second orientation, the input power signal having the second state to set the switches to second positions different from the first positions,

the switches to receive input data signals connected to the positive and negative data contacts, the switches to provide output data signals at a target data polarity regardless of an orientation of the flat connector when engaged with the port of the sink device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the flat connector further includes a reference contact, the input power signal when connected to the power contact to set the switches to the first positions, and the input power signal when connected to the reference contact to set the switches to the second positions.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the positive data contact and the negative data contact together make up a signal pair, and wherein the port has a first data contact and a second data contact that connect respectively to the positive data contact and the negative data contact of the flat connector when the flat connector is engaged to the port in the first orientation, and the first data contact and second data contact connect respectively to the negative data contact and the positive data contact of the flat connector when the flat connector is engaged to the port in second orientation.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the switches when set to the first positions connect a first of the output data signals to the first data contact and a second of the output data signals to the second data contact, and the switches when set to the second positions connect the first output data signal to the second data contact and the second output data signal to the first data contact.