Patent Abstract:
Systems and methods for audio plug type detection excursion are described. In some embodiments, a method may include: receiving an audio plug at an audio jack; grounding a sleeve terminal of the audio jack; applying an electrical current to a second ring terminal of the audio jack; and measuring a voltage between the second ring terminal and the sleeve terminal. In other embodiments an electronic circuit may include a controller and a memory coupled to the controller, the memory having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by the controller, cause the controller to: ground a sleeve terminal of an audio jack; apply an electrical current to a second ring terminal of the audio jack; and measure a voltage between the second ring terminal and the sleeve terminal.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/131,420 titled “A ROBUST, LOW NOISE CURRENT-BASED APPROACH FOR TRS AND TRRS AUDIO PLUG TYPE DETECTION” and filed on Mar. 11, 2015, which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    This specification is directed, in general, to electronics, and, more specifically, to systems and methods for audio plug type detection. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    In recent years, consumer electronic devices such as cell phones, portable media players, tablets, laptops, desktops, televisions, navigation systems, etc. have become ubiquitous. These devices often include an audio jack through which they receive and/or provide audio signals. Generally speaking, an audio jack is configured to receive an audio plug that is connected through electrical wires or cables to a stereo, receiver, speakers, headphones, etc. 
         [0004]    Audio plugs can have any number of ring-shaped contacts, terminals, or poles along their lengths. A common type of audio plug is the TRS type, with “Tip,” “Ring,” and “Sleeve” terminals, in that order. Traditional TRS-type plugs carry the left channel (tip), right channel (ring), and ground (sleeve). 
         [0005]    Another common type of audio plug is the TRRS type, with “Tip,” “first Ring,” “second Ring,” and “Sleeve” terminals, which may have different configurations: standard or Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP). Contacts for a standard plug include the left channel (tip), right channel (first ring), ground (second ring), and microphone (sleeve). In an OMTP plug, the tip and first ring terminals also carry the left and right channels, respectively, but the second ring is a microphone contact and the sleeve terminal has the ground contact—i.e., the last two terminals are reversed relative to the standard plug. 
         [0006]    Because a user may connect any type of audio plug to the same jack, detection circuitry has been developed to determine which type of audio plug is inserted. 
         [0007]    Conventional plug detection is achieved by grounding the tip terminal, injecting a small electrical current first onto the second ring terminal (first detection), and then onto the sleeve terminal (second detection). A three-bit Analog-to-Digital (ADC) circuit measures the voltage on the second ring and sleeve terminals to convert the detected impedance to a digital value. If the impedance of the second ring is equal to the impedance of the sleeve terminal, the plug type is determined to be a 3-pole plug. Otherwise, if the impedance of the second ring is smaller than the sleeve impedance, the plug type is determined to be a 4-pole standard plug, and if the impedance of the second ring is greater than the sleeve impedance, the plug type is a 4-pole OMTP plug. 
         [0008]    The inventors hereof have identified a number of problems with the aforementioned technique. For example, the dynamic range of the ADC needs to be wide enough to account for worst case headset resistance and worst case microphone resistance. Also, the Least-Significant-Bit (LSB) size needs to be small enough to account for minimum microphone resistance. For example, a 3-pole headset may be incorrectly detected as 4-pole if headset&#39;s resistance falls right at bin boundary of the ADC. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0009]    Systems and methods for audio plug type detection are described. In an illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, a method may include receiving an audio plug at an audio jack; grounding a sleeve terminal of the audio jack; applying an electrical current to a second ring terminal of the audio jack; and measuring a voltage between the second ring terminal and the sleeve terminal. In many situations, the audio jack is of an unknown type. For example, the electrical current may be of the order of 1 μA. 
         [0010]    The method may also include, in response to the magnitude of the voltage being approximately zero, determining that the audio plug is a 3-pole type. Additionally or alternatively, the method may include, in response to a magnitude of the voltage being greater than zero, determining that the audio plug is a 4-pole type. For example, the voltage may be of the order of 500 mV. 
         [0011]    The method may further comprise grounding a tip terminal of the audio plug; applying another electrical current to the sleeve terminal and to the second ring terminal of the audio plug; measuring a first voltage between the sleeve terminal and the tip terminal; and measuring a second voltage between the second ring terminal and the tip terminal. 
         [0012]    In some cases, applying the other electrical current may include concurrently applying the other current to the sleeve terminal and to the second ring terminal. The other electrical current may be of the order of 1 μA, and a difference between the first and second voltages may be of the order of 200 mV. 
         [0013]    In response to a magnitude of the first voltage being greater than a magnitude of the second voltage, the method may include determining that the audio plug is a standard 4-pole audio plug. In response to a magnitude of the first voltage being smaller than a magnitude of the second voltage, the method may include determining that the audio plug is an Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) 4-pole audio plug. 
         [0014]    In another illustrative, non-limiting embodiment an electronic circuit may include a controller; and a memory coupled to the controller, the memory having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by the controller, cause the controller to: ground a sleeve terminal of an audio jack; apply an electrical current to a second ring terminal of the audio jack; and measure a voltage between the second ring terminal and the sleeve terminal. 
         [0015]    The program instructions, upon execution, may further cause the controller to, in response to the magnitude of the voltage being approximately zero, determine that the audio plug is a 3-pole type. Additionally or alternatively, the program instructions, upon execution, may further cause the controller to, in response to a magnitude of the voltage being greater than zero, determine that the audio plug is a 4-pole type. Additionally or alternatively, the program instructions, upon execution, may further cause the controller to ground a tip terminal of the audio plug; concurrently apply another electrical current to the sleeve terminal and to the second ring terminal of the audio plug; measure a first voltage between the sleeve terminal and the tip terminal; and measure a second voltage between the second ring terminal and the tip terminal. 
         [0016]    The program instructions, upon execution, may further cause the controller to, in response to a magnitude of the first voltage being greater than a magnitude of the second voltage, determine that the audio plug is a standard 4-pole audio plug. Additionally or alternatively, the program instructions, upon execution, may further cause the controller to, in response to a magnitude of the first voltage being smaller than a magnitude of the second voltage, determine that the audio plug is an OMTP 4-pole audio plug. 
         [0017]    In yet another illustrative, non-limiting embodiment, an audio device may include an audio jack configured to receive an audio plug of an unknown type; and an electronic circuit coupled to the audio jack, the electronic circuit configured to: ground a sleeve terminal of the audio jack; apply an electrical current to a second ring terminal of the audio jack; measure a voltage between the second ring terminal and the sleeve terminal; and at least one of: in response to the magnitude of the voltage being approximately zero, determine that the audio plug is a 3-pole type, or in response to a magnitude of the voltage being greater than zero, determine that the audio plug is a 4-pole type. 
         [0018]    The electronic circuit may be further configured to: ground a tip terminal of the audio plug; concurrently apply another electrical current to the sleeve terminal and to the second ring terminal of the audio plug; measure a first voltage between the sleeve terminal and the tip terminal; measure a second voltage between the second ring terminal and the tip terminal; and at least one of: in response to a magnitude of the first voltage being greater than a magnitude of the second voltage, determine that the audio plug is a standard 4-pole audio plug, or in response to a magnitude of the first voltage being smaller than a magnitude of the second voltage, determine that the audio plug is an OMTP 4-pole audio plug. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0019]    Having thus described the invention(s) in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0020]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of an example of an audio system according to some embodiments. 
           [0021]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an examples of an for audio plug type detection circuit according to some embodiments. 
           [0022]      FIG. 3  are diagrams of examples of various audio plug types detectable according to some embodiments. 
           [0023]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart of an example of a method for audio plug type detection according to some embodiments. 
           [0024]      FIG. 5  are diagrams of examples of a first detection stage according to some embodiments. 
           [0025]      FIG. 6  are diagrams of examples of a second detection stage according to some embodiments. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0026]    The invention(s) now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention(s) may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention(s) to a person of ordinary skill in the art. A person of ordinary skill in the art may be able to use the various embodiments of the invention(s). 
         [0027]    In many implementations, some of the systems and methods disclosed herein may be incorporated into a wide range of audio-enabled electronic devices including, for example, computer systems, portable audio systems, consumer electronics, automotive systems, and professional audio equipment. 
         [0028]    Examples of consumer electronics include television sets, A/V receivers, home theater or sound systems, set-top boxes, docking stations, soundbars, sound projectors, etc. Examples of portable audio systems include tablets, smartphones, media players, camcorders, etc. Examples of automotive audio systems include audio distribution, infotainment, in-seat entertainment, etc. Examples of professional audio systems include recording, live and installation sound, musical instruments, etc. It should be noted, however, that these examples are not limiting, but only demonstrative of the various types of systems which may incorporate the present embodiments, and that additional applications may be possible. More generally, these systems and methods may be incorporated into any device or system having one or more electronic audio parts or components. 
         [0029]    Turning to  FIG. 1 , a diagram of an environment where certain systems and methods described herein may be implemented is depicted. As illustrated, one or more devices or systems such as, for example, automobile  102 , loudspeakers  103 , A/V receiver  104 , and/or audio recording equipment  105  (or any other audio-enabled device or system) may include printed circuit board (PCB)  101  having electronic circuit  100  mounted thereon. In some embodiments, electronic circuit  100  may include one or more analog, digital, and/or mixed signal integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform loudspeaker protection against excessive excursion, as discussed in more detail below. 
         [0030]    In one embodiment, electronic circuit  100  may include an electronic component package configured to be mounted onto PCB  101  using a suitable packaging technology such as Ball Grid Array (BGA) packaging, pin mount packaging, or the like. In some applications, PCB  101  may be mechanically mounted within or fastened onto the electronic device. In other implementations, however, PCB  101  may take a variety of forms and/or may include a plurality of other elements or components in addition to electronic circuit  100 . Moreover, in some embodiments, PCB  101  may not be used, and electronic circuit  100  may be integrated with other components of the electronic device without PCB  101 . 
         [0031]    Examples of IC(s) include a System-On-Chip (SoC), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a processor, a microprocessor, a controller, a Microcontroller Unit (MCU), or the like. Additionally, IC(s) may include a memory circuit or device such as a Random Access Memory (RAM) device, a Static RAM (SRAM) device, a Magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) device, a Nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM), and/or a Dynamic RAM (DRAM) device such as Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), a Double Data Rate (DDR) RAM, an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), etc. IC(s) may also include one or more mixed-signal or analog circuits, such as, for example, Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADCs), Digital-to-Analog Converter (DACs), Phased Locked Loop (PLLs), oscillators, filters, amplifiers, etc. 
         [0032]    As such, electronic circuit  100  may include a number of different portions, areas, or regions. These various portions may include one or more processing cores, cache memories, internal bus(es), timing units, controllers, analog sections, mechanical elements, etc. 
         [0033]    Although the example of  FIG. 1  shows electronic circuit  100  in monolithic form, it should be understood that, in alternative embodiments, various systems and methods described herein may be implemented with discrete components. For example, in some cases, one or more discrete capacitors, inductors, transformers, transistors, registers, logic gates, etc. may be physically located outside of electronic circuit  100  (e.g., elsewhere on PCB  101 ). 
         [0034]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an example of audio plug type detection circuit  200  residing within electronic circuit  100  of  FIG. 1 . As illustrated, detection circuit  200  includes input(s)/output(s)  201 , audio input/output jack  202 , audio processor  203 , and audio codec  204 . Components  201 ,  203 , and  204  may be operably coupled to one another via Inter-IC Sound (I 2 S) bus  205  or other suitable bus. Also, in some devices, detection circuit  200  may be coupled to timing circuit  206 , processing cores  207 A-N, memory  208 , and/or input/output (I/O) interface(s)  210  via bus  209 . In some cases, components  206 - 210  may be a part of another device (e.g., a computer, etc.) that is hosting audio circuit  200 . 
         [0035]    It should be noted that different bus standards may be used to facilitate communication between different ones of the aforementioned components and/or between detection circuit  200  and components  206 - 210 . Moreover, in some cases, one or more of these components may be directly coupled to each other or embedded within each other (e.g., audio processor  203  may include audio codec  204 ). As such, it should be understood the particular configurations of audio circuit  200  and other components shown in  FIG. 2  are provided for illustration purposes only, and that other configurations are possible. 
         [0036]    In operation, audio processor  203  may act either independently or under command of processor core(s)  207 A-N to control one or more of components  201 - 204  (e.g., via I 2 S  205 ) in order to implement certain systems and methods for audio plug type detection. Audio codec  204  may implement one or more algorithms that compress and/or decompress audio data according to a given audio file format or streaming media audio format. 
         [0037]    Processor core(s)  207 A-N may be any general-purpose or embedded processor(s) implementing any of a variety of Instruction Set Architectures (ISAs), such as the x86, RISC®, PowerPC®, ARM®, etc. In multi-processor systems, each of processor core(s)  210 A-N may commonly, but not necessarily, implement the same ISA. 
         [0038]    Memory  208  may include for example, a RAM, a SRAM, MRAM, a NVRAM, such as “FLASH” memory, and/or a DRAM, such as SDRAM, a DDR RAM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, etc. 
         [0039]    Bus  209  may be used to couple master and slave components together, for example, to share data or perform other data processing operations. In various embodiments, bus  209  may implement any suitable bus architecture, including, for instance, Advanced Microcontroller Bus Architecture® (AMBA®), CoreConnect™ Bus Architecture™ (CCBA™), etc. Additionally or alternatively, bus  209  may be absent and timing circuit  206  or memory  208 , for example, may be integrated into processor core(s)  207 A-N. 
         [0040]    In some embodiments, input(s)/output(s)  201  may include, for example, ADCs, DACs, Phased Locked Loop (PLLs), oscillators, filters, amplifiers, etc. Particularly, input(s)/output(s)  201  may include one or more analog or digital input circuits configured to receive and/or preprocess, analog or digital audio signals (e.g., from a microphone, a line-in connection, an optical source, an S/PDIF line, etc.). In addition, input(s)/output(s)  201  may include one or more analog or digital output circuits configured to provide or output analog or digital audio signals to other devices, such as, for example, a loudspeaker, headphone, a line-out connection, an optical line, an S/PDIF line, etc.). 
         [0041]    Audio jack  202  includes a cylindrical opening configured to receive an audio plug of one of a plurality of different types. Along the internal walls of the opening are four contacts  211  at positions corresponding to the tip (T), first Ring (R), second Ring (R), and sleeve (S) terminals of a TRRS audio plug, when one is inserted into the opening. Each of these four contacts  211  is electrically coupled to input(s)/output(s)  201 . 
         [0042]    In various embodiments, modules or blocks shown in  FIG. 2  may represent processing circuitry, logic functions, and/or data structures. Although these modules are shown as distinct blocks, in other embodiments at least some of the operations performed by these modules may be combined in to fewer blocks. Conversely, any given one of the modules of  FIG. 2  may be implemented such that its operations are divided among two or more logical blocks. Although shown with a particular configuration, in other embodiments these various modules or blocks may be rearranged according to other suitable embodiments. 
         [0043]      FIG. 3  are diagrams of examples of various audio plug types detectable according to some embodiments; and which show: TRS audio plug (3-pole)  300 A and corresponding contact diagram  300 B, TRRS audio plug (4-pole)  301 A, contact diagram  301 B for a standard TRRS audio plug, and contact diagram  301 C for an Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) TRRS audio plug. 
         [0044]    TRS plug  300 A includes a Tip, Ring, and Sleeve contacts or terminals. Diagram  300 B shows that TRS plug  300 A carries the left audio channel at the Tip (L) and the right audio channel at the Ring (R), while the Sleeve terminal (G) is grounded. Also, a first impedance of approximately 16 to 1.5 kΩ between the Tip (L) and the Sleeve (G) represent a left speaker (e.g., of a headphone), and a second impedance of same value between the Ring (R) and the Sleeve (G) represent a right speaker. 
         [0045]    TRRS plug  301 A includes a Tip, First Ring, Second Ring, and Sleeve contacts or terminals. Diagram  301 B shows that a standard TRRS plug carries the left audio channel at the Tip (L) and the right audio channel at the First Ring (R), the Second Ring (G) is grounded, and the Sleeve terminal (M) carries the microphone channel. A first impedance of approximately 16 to 1.5 kΩ between the First Ring (R) and the Second Ring (G) represents a right speaker and a second impedance of same value between the Tip (L) and the Second Ring (G) represent a left speaker. At third impedance of approximately 600 to 3 kΩ between the Second Ring (G) and the Sleeve (M) represent a microphone. 
         [0046]    Still referring to TRRS plug  301 A, diagram  301 C shows that an OMTP TRRS plug also carries the left audio channel at the Tip (L) and the right audio channel at the First Ring (R), but the Second Ring (M) carries the microphone channel and the Sleeve terminal (G) is grounded. A first impedance of approximately 16 to 1.5 kΩ between the Tip (L) and the Sleeve (G) represents a left speaker and a second impedance of same value between the First Ring (R) and the Sleeve (G) represent a right speaker. At third impedance of approximately 600 to 3 kΩ between the Second Ring (M) and the Sleeve (G) represent a microphone. 
         [0047]      FIG. 4  is a flowchart of method  400  for audio plug type detection. In various embodiments, method  400  may be performed in two stages, illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , in order to detect, for example, which of plugs  300 B,  301 B, or  301 C is inserted into jack  202  of  FIG. 2 . 
         [0048]    A first stage of detection is performed by blocks  401 - 405 . At block  401 , method  400  grounds a sleeve terminal of the audio jack. At block  402 , method  400  applies an electrical current to a second ring terminal of the audio jack. At block  403 , method  400  measures a voltage between the second ring terminal and the sleeve terminal. 
         [0049]    This first stage is illustrated at  FIG. 5 , where diagram  500 B shows contacts  211  positioned relative to a TRS plug configuration with a current flowing from the Second Ring of contacts  211  to the ground terminal of plug  300 B. Diagram  501 B shows contacts  211  positioned relative to a standard TRRS plug configuration with a current flowing from the Second Ring of contacts  211  to the Microphone terminal (M) of plug  301 B through the microphone impedance. And diagram  501 C shows contacts  211  positioned relative to an OMTP TRRS plug configuration with a current also flowing from the Second Ring of contacts  211  to the Ground terminal (G) of plug  301 C, also through the microphone impedance. 
         [0050]    At block  404 , method  400  makes an evaluation as to the magnitude of the measured voltage. In response to the magnitude of the voltage being approximately zero, block  405  determines that the audio plug is a 3-pole type. Conversely, in response to a magnitude of the voltage being greater than zero, method  400  determines that the audio plug is a 4-pole type, and moves on to a second stage of detection. In some implementations, the electrical current applied to the second ring of the audio jack may be of the order of 1 μA. The measured voltage may be either zero (in the case of TRS plug configuration  500 B) or it may be of the order of 500 mV (in the case of a TRRS plug configuration  501 B or  501 C). 
         [0051]    In sum, the result of the first detection stage is a determination of whether the previously unknown audio plug is a 3-pole TRS plug or a 4-pole TRRS plug. 
         [0052]    In a second, subsequent stage, method  400  grounds a tip terminal of the audio plug at block  406 . At block  407 , method  400  concurrently applies another electrical current to the sleeve terminal and to the second ring terminal of the audio plug. At block  408 , method  400  measures a first voltage between the sleeve terminal and the tip terminal. At block  409 , method  400  measures a second voltage between the second ring terminal and the tip terminal. 
         [0053]    The second stage is illustrated at  FIG. 6 , diagram  601 B shows contacts  211  positioned relative to a standard plug configuration with a first current flowing from the Sleeve of contacts  211  to the ground terminal of plug  301 B through the microphone impedance, and a second current flowing from the Second Ring of contacts  211  to the ground terminal of plug  301 B. Diagram  601 C shows contacts  211  positioned relative to an OMTP plug configuration with a first current flowing from the Sleeve of contacts  211  to the ground terminal of plug  301 C, and a second current flowing from the Second Ring of contacts  211  to the ground terminal of plug  301 C through the microphone impedance. 
         [0054]    At block  410 , method  400  makes yet another evaluation. In response to a magnitude of the first voltage being greater than a magnitude of the second voltage, block  411  determines that the audio plug is a standard 4-pole audio plug. Conversely, in response to a magnitude of the first voltage being smaller than a magnitude of the second voltage, block  412  determines that the audio plug is an OMTP 4-pole audio plug. 
         [0055]    In some embodiments, the first and second currents are the same—e.g., 1 μA—and difference between the first and second voltages is of the order of approximately 200 mV. 
         [0056]    Accordingly, the result of the second detection stage is a determination of whether the 4-pole TRRS plug, assuming one has been detected in the first detection stage, is a standard type or an OMTP type. 
         [0057]    It should be understood that the various operations described herein, particularly in connection with  FIGS. 4-6 , may be implemented by processing circuitry or other hardware components. The order in which each operation of a given method is performed may be changed, and various elements of the systems illustrated herein may be added, reordered, combined, omitted, modified, etc. It is intended that this disclosure embrace all such modifications and changes and, accordingly, the above description should be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. 
         [0058]    A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various circuits depicted above are merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure described herein. In particular, a device or system configured to perform audio power limiting based on thermal modeling may include any combination of electronic components that can perform the indicated operations. In addition, the operations performed by the illustrated components may, in some embodiments, be performed by fewer components or distributed across additional components. Similarly, in other embodiments, the operations of some of the illustrated components may not be provided and/or other additional operations may be available. Accordingly, systems and methods described herein may be implemented or executed with other circuit configurations. 
         [0059]    It will be understood that various operations discussed herein may be executed simultaneously and/or sequentially. It will be further understood that each operation may be performed in any order and may be performed once or repetitiously. 
         [0060]    Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention(s) will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the invention(s) pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions, and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the invention(s) are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. 
         [0061]    Unless stated otherwise, terms such as “first” and “second” are used to arbitrarily distinguish between the elements such terms describe. Thus, these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other prioritization of such elements. The terms “coupled” or “operably coupled” are defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless stated otherwise. The terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”) and “contain” (and any form of contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a system, device, or apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more elements possesses those one or more elements but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements. Similarly, a method or process that “comprises,” “has,” “includes” or “contains” one or more operations possesses those one or more operations but is not limited to possessing only those one or more operations.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7