Patent Description:
Recently, the range of services and additional functions provided by electronic devices has been gradually expanded. Communication service providers or electronic device manufactures are providing a greater variety of functions in order to improve the effective value of the electronic device and in order to meet the various desires of users, and are competitively developing electronic devices in order to differentiate their own products from those of others.

With the development of electronic device technology, in recent years, a data service has been widely provided, in which the electronic device is connected with computers, external devices, or the like through wires to then transmit/receive data. In addition, the wire may be electrically connected to a charger for charging an electric source of the electronic device. More specifically, the connector of the electronic device may be defined as a type C universal serial bus (USB) connector. Such a connector may be used to charge wireless terminals or may be used for the input/output of data thereof. Such a connector may be comprised of a socket to be mounted on the electronic device and a plug connector to be connected with a wire.

<CIT> concerns a mobile terminal capable of effectively discriminating a mobile terminal charger so as to set an appropriate charge current, and a method for charging a charge current thereof. To this end, when a charger (e.g., Travel Adaptor) is inserted via a cable, a short-circuited state of a data pin of the charger is checked such that a route is switched to form a closed loop defined by data pins and provided with predetermined power when the data pin of the charger is in the short-circuited state, and the voltage applied to the formed closed loop is compared with a predetermined reference value, thereby determining a type of the charger. <CIT> concerns a liquid crystal display device and an electronic pen system using the same. The liquid crystal display device includes an infrared reflection layer configured to reflect infrared irradiated thereto, the infrared reflection layer including an information pattern having virtual grid lines and a plurality of marks; and a liquid crystal layer formed on the infrared reflection layer and configured to be changed an orientation of liquid crystal molecules by an external pressure.

The prior art has a problem in which an accessory cannot be clearly recognized when foreign matter is inserted into the connector of the electronic device or when the connector of the electronic device is damaged. In addition, the electronic device of the related art cannot determine in advance whether an accessory that uses universal serial bus (USB) type-C has been inserted or foreign matter has been inserted. Furthermore, the electronic device of the related art has a problem in that heat is generated from the electronic device because of overcurrent caused by the inserted foreign matter.

Accordingly, it is required to clearly recognize the insertion of an accessory and to provide a user with information about the presence of foreign matter to secure a safer use of the electronic device.

Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an electronic device and method for recognizing an accessory that is mounted into a connector of an electronic device.

Disclosed is an electronic device. The electronic device includes a housing that includes a first surface that faces in a first direction and a second surface that faces in a second direction, which is opposite the first direction, a display that is disposed between the first surface and the second surface, and exposed through the first surface, a power supply that applies a voltage, and at least one processor that is electrically connected to the display, wherein the housing includes a universal serial bus (USB) type connector. The connector includes a contact substrate that is electrically connected to the processor to detect the insertion of an accessory, and the power supply unit and the at least one processor are electrically connected to a mid plate that is formed in the contact substrate, and The at least one processor is configured to determine whether the accessory is inserted by using the mid plate, and determine the insertion state of the accessory based on a portion of the voltage applied to the mid plate by the power supply.

Disclosed is a method for recognizing an accessory of an electronic device. The method includes applying power to a mid plate in a connector that is formed on a housing of the electronic device, detecting the insertion of an accessory into the connector, determining whether the accessory is inserted by using the mid plate. The mid plate being formed in a contact substrate in the connector, and determining the insertion state of the accessory based on a portion of the voltage applied to the mid plate.

Disclosed is computer-readable storage medium that stores a program including instructions for recognizing an accessory of an electronic device. The instructions includes a first set of instructions for applying power to a mid plate in a connector that is formed on a housing of the electronic device, a second set of instructions for detecting the insertion of an accessory into the connector, a third set of instructions for determining whether the accessory is inserted by using the mid plate that is formed in a contact substrate in the connector, and a fourth set of instructions for determining the insertion state of the accessory based on a portion of the voltage applied to the mid plate.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent a malfunction of the electronic device or to prevent heat generation due to overcurrent, which is caused by improper mounting of accessories or by the insertion of foreign matter, by providing an electronic device and method for recognizing an accessory that is mounted into a connector of an electronic device.

Further, more rapid restoration can be made by informing the user of the improper mounting of accessories and of the insertion of foreign matter.

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

As used herein, the expression "have", "may have", "include", or "may include" refers to the existence of a corresponding feature (e.g., numeral, function, operation, or constituent element such as component), and does not exclude one or more additional features.

In the present disclosure, the expression "A or B", "at least one of A and/or B", or "one or more of A and/or B" may include all possible combinations of the items listed. For example, the expression "A or B", "at least one of A and B", or "at least one of A or B" refers to all of (<NUM>) including at least one A, (<NUM>) including at least one B, or (<NUM>) including all of at least one A and at least one B.

The expression "a first", "a second", "the first", or "the second" used in various embodiments of the present disclosure may modify various components regardless of the order and/or the importance but does not limit the corresponding components. For example, a first user device and a second user device indicate different user devices although both of them are user devices. For example, a first element may be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element may be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that when an element (e.g., first element) is referred to as being (operatively or communicatively) "connected," or "coupled," to another element (e.g., second element), it may be directly connected or coupled directly to the other element or any other element (e.g., third element) may be interposer between them. In contrast, it may be understood that when an element (e.g., first element) is referred to as being "directly connected," or "directly coupled" to another element (second element), there are no element (e.g., third element) interposed between them.

The expression "configured to" used in the present disclosure may be exchanged with, for example, "suitable for", "having the capacity to", "designed to", "adapted to", "made to", or "capable of" according to the situation. The term "configured to" may not necessarily imply "specifically designed to" in hardware. Alternatively, in some situations, the expression "device configured to" may mean that the device, together with other devices or components, "is able to". For example, the phrase "processor adapted (or configured) to perform A, B, and C" may mean a dedicated processor (e.g., embedded processor) only for performing the corresponding operations or a generic-purpose processor (e.g., central processing unit (CPU) or application processor (AP)) that can perform the corresponding operations by executing one or more software programs stored in a memory device.

The terms used herein are merely for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as those commonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Such terms as those defined in a generally used dictionary may be interpreted to have the meanings equal to the contextual meanings in the relevant field of art, and are not to be interpreted to have ideal or excessively formal meanings unless clearly defined in the present disclosure. In some cases, even the term defined in the present disclosure should not be interpreted to exclude embodiments of the present disclosure.

An electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of, for example, a smart phone, a tablet personal computer (PC), a mobile phone, a video phone, an electronic book reader (e-book reader), a desktop PC, a laptop PC, a netbook computer, a workstation, a server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG-<NUM> or MPEG-<NUM>) audio layer-<NUM> (MP3) player, a mobile medical device, a camera, and a wearable device. According to various embodiments, the wearable device may include at least one of an accessory type (e.g., a watch, a ring, a bracelet, an anklet, a necklace, a pair of glasses, a contact lens, or a head-mounted device (HMD)), a fabric or clothing integrated type (e.g., an electronic clothing), a body-mounted type (e.g., a skin pad, or tattoo), and a bio-implantable type (e.g., an implantable circuit).

According to some embodiments, the electronic device may be a home appliance. The smart home appliance may include at least one of, for example, a television, a digital versatile disc (DVD) player, an audio, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a vacuum cleaner, an oven, a microwave oven, a washing machine, an air cleaner, a set-top box, a home automation control panel, a security control panel, a television (TV) box (e.g., Samsung HomeSyncTM, Apple TVTM, or Google TVTM), a game console (e.g., XboxTM and PlayStationTM), an electronic dictionary, an electronic key, a camcorder, a charging device and an electronic photo frame.

According to another embodiment, the electronic device may include at least one of various medical devices (e.g., various portable medical measuring devices (a blood glucose monitoring device, a heart rate monitoring device, a blood pressure measuring device, a body temperature measuring device, etc.), a magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a computed tomography (CT) machine, and an ultrasonic machine), a navigation device, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, an event data recorder (EDR) , a flight data recorder (FDR) , a vehicle infotainment devices, an electronic devices for a ship (e.g., a navigation device for a ship, and a gyro-compass), avionics, security devices, an automotive head unit, a robot for home or industry, an automatic teller's machine (ATM) in banks, point of sales (POS) in a shop, or internet device of things (e.g., a light bulb, various sensors, electric or gas meter, a sprinkler device, a fire alarm, a thermostat, a streetlamp, a toaster, a sporting goods, a hot water tank, a heater, a boiler, etc.).

According to some embodiments, the electronic device may include at least one of a part of furniture or a building/structure, an electronic board, an electronic signature receiving device, a projector, and various kinds of measuring instruments (e.g., a water meter, an electric meter, a gas meter, and a radio wave meter). In various embodiments, the electronic device may be a combination of one or more of the aforementioned various devices. According to some embodiments, the electronic device may also be a flexible device. Further, the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the aforementioned devices, and may include a new electronic device according to the development of technology.

Hereinafter, an electronic device according to various embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present disclosure, the term "user" may indicate a person using an electronic device or a device (e.g., an artificial intelligence electronic device) using an electronic device.

<FIG> illustrates an electronic device <NUM> in a network environment <NUM> according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may include a bus <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, an input/output interface <NUM>, a display <NUM>, and a communication interface <NUM>. In some embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may exclude one or more components, or other components may be added thereto.

The bus <NUM>, for example, may include a circuit for connecting the components <NUM> to <NUM> with each other and for transferring communication data (e.g., control messages and/or data) between the components.

The processor <NUM> (e.g., at least one processor) may include at least one of a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), or a communication processor (CP). The processor <NUM>, for example, may process calculations or data related to the control and/or communication of one or more other components of the electronic device <NUM>.

The memory <NUM> may include a volatile memory and/or a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory <NUM> may store instructions or data in relation to one or more other components of the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the memory <NUM> may store software and/or programs <NUM>. For example, the programs <NUM> may include a kernel <NUM>, middleware <NUM>, an application programming interface (API) <NUM>, and/or application programs (or "applications") <NUM>. At least some of the kernel <NUM>, the middleware <NUM>, or the API <NUM> may be referred to as an operating system (OS).

The kernel <NUM>, for example, may control or manage system resources (e.g., the bus <NUM>, the processor <NUM>, or the memory <NUM>) that are used to execute the operations or functions that are implemented in other programs (e.g., the middleware <NUM>, the API <NUM>, or the application programs <NUM>). In addition, the kernel <NUM> may provide an interface by which the middleware <NUM>, the API <NUM>, or the application programs <NUM> may access each component of the electronic device <NUM> to then control or manage the system resources.

The middleware <NUM>, for example, may play an intermediate role between the API <NUM> or the application programs <NUM> and the kernel <NUM> to communicate with each other for the transmission and reception of data.

In addition, the middleware <NUM> may process one or more operation requests that are received from the application programs <NUM> according to the priority. For example, the middleware <NUM> may give priority for using the system resources (e.g., the bus <NUM>, the processor <NUM>, or the memory <NUM>) of the electronic device <NUM> to at least one of the application programs <NUM>. For example, the middleware <NUM> may perform scheduling or load balancing for one or more operation requests by processing the same according to the priority given to at least one of the application programs <NUM>.

The API <NUM>, for example, may be an interface by which the application programs <NUM> control functions that are provided by the kernel <NUM> or the middleware <NUM>, and, for example, may include one or more interfaces or functions (e.g., instructions) for file control, window control, image processing, or text control.

The input/output interface <NUM>, for example, may play the role of an interface that transfers instructions or data received from a user or other external devices to other components of the electronic device <NUM>. In addition, the input/output interface <NUM> may output instructions or data received from other components of the electronic device <NUM> to the user or other external devices.

The display <NUM>, for example, may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, an organic LED (OLED) display, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) display, or an electronic paper display. For example, the display <NUM> may display a variety of content (e.g., text, images, videos, icons, symbols, or the like) to the user. The display <NUM> may include a touch screen, and, for example, may receive a touch input, a gesture input, a proximity input, or a hovering input by using electronic pens or a user's body part.

The communication interface <NUM>, for example, may establish communication between the electronic device <NUM> and external devices (e.g., the first external electronic device <NUM>, the second external electronic device <NUM>, or a server <NUM>). For example, the communication interface <NUM> may be connected to the network <NUM> through wireless communication or wired communication in order to thereby communicate with external devices (e.g., the second external electronic device <NUM> or the server <NUM>).

For example, the wireless communication may use, as a cellular communication protocol, at least one of long term evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-A), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wireless broadband (WiBro), global system for mobile communications (GSM), or the like. In addition, the wireless communication, for example, may include short-range communication <NUM>. The short-range communication <NUM>, for example, may include at least one of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The GNSS, for example, may include at least one of a GPS, a global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), the Beidou navigation satellite system (hereinafter, "Beidou"), Galileo, or the European global satellite-based navigation system according to the usage area or bandwidth. Hereinafter, "GPS" may be interchangeably used with "GNSS" in the present specification. For example, the wired communication may include at least one of a universal serial bus (USB), a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), recommended standard <NUM> (RS-<NUM>), or a plain old telephone service (POTS). The network <NUM> may include one or more telecommunication networks, such as a computer network (e.g., local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN)), the Internet, or a telephone network.

Each of the first external electronic device <NUM> and the second external electronic device <NUM> may be of a type the same as, or different from, that of the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the server <NUM> may include a group of one or more servers. According to various embodiments, all or some of the operations that are executed in the electronic device <NUM> may be executed by one or more other electronic devices (e.g., the external electronic devices <NUM> or <NUM>, or the server <NUM>). According to an embodiment, in the case where the electronic device <NUM> executes a specific function or service automatically or upon request, the electronic device <NUM> may make a request to other devices (e.g., the external electronic devices <NUM> or <NUM>, or the server <NUM>) for at least some of the functions related to the function or service additionally or instead of executing the same by itself. The other electronic devices (e.g., the external electronic devices <NUM> or <NUM>, or the server <NUM>) may execute the requested function or additional function, and may transfer the result thereof to the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may provide the requested function or service by directly providing the received result or by additionally processing the same. To this end, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computing technology may be used.

<FIG> is a block diagram of an electronic device <NUM> according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM>, for example, may include all or some of the components of the electronic device <NUM> shown in <FIG>. The electronic device <NUM> may include one or more processors (e.g., application processors (AP)) <NUM>, a communication module <NUM>, a subscriber identification module (SIM) <NUM>, a memory <NUM>, a sensor module <NUM>, an input device <NUM>, a display <NUM>, an interface <NUM>, an audio module <NUM>, a camera module <NUM>, a power management module <NUM>, a battery <NUM>, an indicator <NUM>, or a motor <NUM>.

The processor <NUM>, for example, may control a multitude of hardware or software components that are connected with the processor <NUM>, and may perform processing of various pieces of data and calculations by executing an OS or application programs. The processor <NUM> may be implemented by, for example, a system on chip (SoC). According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may further include a graphic processing unit (GPU) and/or an image signal processor (ISP). The processor <NUM> may include at least some (e.g., a cellular module <NUM>) of the components shown in <FIG>. The processor <NUM> may load instructions or data received from one or more other components (e.g., a non-volatile memory) into a volatile memory to then process the same, and may store a variety of data in a non-volatile memory.

The communication module <NUM> may have a configuration the same as or similar to that of the communication interface <NUM> of <FIG>. The communication module <NUM>, for example, may include a cellular module <NUM>, a Wi-Fi module <NUM>, a Bluetooth module <NUM>, a GNSS module <NUM> (e.g., a GPS module, a Glonass module, the Beidou module, or the Galileo module), an NFC module <NUM>, or a radio frequency (RF) module <NUM>.

The cellular module <NUM>, for example, may provide services of voice calls, video calls, text messaging, or the Internet over communication networks. According to an embodiment, the cellular module <NUM> may perform identification and verification of the electronic device <NUM> in the communication network by using the subscriber identification module (e.g., a SIM card) <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the cellular module <NUM> may perform at least some of the functions provided by the processor <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the cellular module <NUM> may include a communication processor (CP).

For example, each of the Wi-Fi module <NUM>, the Bluetooth module <NUM>, the GNSS module <NUM>, or the NFC module <NUM> may include a processor for processing data that is transmitted and received through the corresponding module. According to some embodiments, at least some (e.g., two or more) of the cellular module <NUM>, the Wi-Fi module <NUM>, the Bluetooth module <NUM>, the GNSS module <NUM>, or the NFC module <NUM> may be included in one integrated chip (IC) or one IC package.

The RF module <NUM>, for example, may transmit and receive communication signals (e.g., RF signals). The RF module <NUM>, for example, may include a transceiver, a power amp module (PAM), a frequency filter, a low noise amplifier (LNA), antennas, or the like. According to another embodiment, at least one of the cellular module <NUM>, the Wi-Fi module <NUM>, the Bluetooth module <NUM>, the GNSS module <NUM>, or the NFC module <NUM> may transmit and receive RF signals through a separated RF module.

The subscriber identification module (SIM) <NUM>, for example, may include a card that adopts a SIM and/or an embedded SIM, and may include inherent identification information (e.g., an integrated circuit card identifier (ICCID)) or subscriber information (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)).

The memory <NUM> (e.g., the memory <NUM>), for example, may include an internal memory <NUM> or an external memory <NUM>. The internal memory <NUM>, for example, may include at least one of volatile memories (e.g., a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static RAM (SRAM), a synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), or the like) or non-volatile memories (e.g., a one-time programmable read only memory (OTPROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), a mask ROM, a flash ROM, a flash memory (e.g., NAND flash or NOR flash), a hard drive, a solid state drive (SSD), or the like).

The external memory <NUM> may further include a flash drive, for example, compact flash (CF), secure digital (SD), micro-SD, mini-SD, extreme digital (xD), a multi-media card (MMC), a memory stick, or the like. The external memory <NUM> may be functionally and/or physically connected with the electronic device <NUM> through various interfaces.

The sensor module <NUM>, for example, may measure physical quantities or may detect the operation state of the electronic device <NUM> to then convert the measured or detected information into electric signals. The sensor module <NUM>, for example, may include at least one of a gesture sensor 240A, a gyro-sensor 240B, an atmospheric sensor 240C, a magnetic sensor 240D, an acceleration sensor 240E, a grip sensor 240F, a proximity sensor <NUM>, a color sensor <NUM> (e.g., a red-green-blue (RGB) sensor), a biometric sensor 240I, a temperature/humidity sensor 240J, an illuminance sensor <NUM>, or an ultraviolet (UV) sensor <NUM>. Alternatively or additionally, the sensor module <NUM>, for example, may include an E-nose sensor, an electromyography (EMG) sensor, an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor, an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, an iris sensor, and/or a fingerprint sensor. The sensor module <NUM> may further include a control circuit for controlling one or more sensors that are included therein. In some embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may further include a processor, as a part of the processor <NUM> or separately from the processor <NUM>, which is configured to control the sensor module <NUM>, in order to thereby control the sensor module <NUM> while the processor <NUM> is in a sleep mode.

The input device <NUM>, for example, may include a touch panel <NUM>, a (digital) pen sensor <NUM>, keys <NUM>, or an ultrasonic input device <NUM>. The touch panel <NUM>, for example, may use at least one of a capacitive type, a pressure-sensitive type, an infrared type, or an ultrasonic type. In addition, the touch panel <NUM> may further include a control circuit. The touch panel <NUM> may further include a tactile layer in order to thereby provide a user with a tactile reaction.

For example, the (digital) pen sensor <NUM> may be a part of the touch panel, or may include a separate recognition sheet. The keys <NUM> may include, for example, physical buttons, optical keys, or a keypad. The ultrasonic input device <NUM> may detect an ultrasonic wave generated in an input tool through a microphone (e.g., a microphone <NUM>) in order to thereby identify data corresponding to the detected ultrasonic wave.

The display <NUM> (e.g., the display <NUM>) may include a panel <NUM>, a hologram device <NUM>, and/or a projector <NUM>. The panel <NUM> may include the same or similar components as the display <NUM> of <FIG>. The panel <NUM>, for example, may be implemented to be flexible, transparent, or wearable. The panel <NUM> may be configured with the touch panel <NUM> as a single module. The hologram device <NUM> may display 3D images in the air by using interference of light. The projector <NUM> may display images by projecting light onto a screen. The screen, for example, may be positioned inside or outside the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the display <NUM> may further include a control circuit for controlling the panel <NUM>, the hologram device <NUM>, or the projector <NUM>.

The interface <NUM>, for example, may include at least one of a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) <NUM>, a universal serial bus (UBS) <NUM>, an optical interface <NUM>, or a D-subminiature (D-sub) <NUM>. The interface <NUM>, for example, may be included in the communication interface <NUM> shown in <FIG>. Additionally or alternatively, the interface <NUM>, for example, may include a mobile high-definition link (MHL) interface, a secure digital (SD) card/multi-media card (MMC) interface, or an infrared data association (IrDA) standard interface.

The audio module <NUM>, for example, may convert a sound into an electric signal, and vice versa. At least some components of the audio module <NUM>, for example, may be included in the input/output interface <NUM> shown in <FIG>. For example, the audio module <NUM> may process voice information that is input or output through a speaker <NUM>, a receiver <NUM>, earphones <NUM>, or a microphone <NUM>.

For example, the camera module <NUM> is a device for photographing still and moving images, and, according to an embodiment, the camera module <NUM> may include one or more image sensors (e.g., a front sensor or a rear sensor), lenses, an image signal processor (ISP), a flash (e.g., an LED or a xenon lamp), or the like.

The power management module <NUM>, for example, may manage the power of the electronic device <NUM>. Although the electronic device <NUM> may be supplied with power through a battery, it is not limited thereto. According to an embodiment, the power management module <NUM> may include a power management integrated circuit (PMIC), a charger integrated circuit (IC), or a battery or fuel gauge. The PMIC may be implemented by means of a wired charging type and/or a wireless charging type. The wireless charging type, for example, may encompass a magnetic-resonance type, a magnetic-induction type, or an electromagnetic-wave type, and may further include additional circuits for wireless charging, such as coil loops, resonance circuits, or rectifiers. The battery gauge, for example, may measure the remaining power of the battery <NUM>, a charging voltage, current, or temperature. The battery <NUM>, for example, may include a rechargeable battery and/or a solar battery.

The indicator <NUM> may display a specific state (for example, a booting state, a message state, or a charging state) of the whole or a part (e.g., the processor <NUM>) of the electronic device <NUM>. The motor <NUM> may convert an electric signal to a mechanical vibration, and may generate a vibration or a haptic effect. Although it is not shown in the drawing, the electronic device <NUM> may include a processing device (e.g., a GPU) for supporting mobile TV. The processing device for supporting mobile TV, for example, may process media data according to standards, such as digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), digital video broadcasting (DVB), or mediaFloTM.

Each of the above-described component elements of hardware according to the present disclosure may be configured with one or more components, and the names of the corresponding component elements may vary based on the type of electronic device. The electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of the aforementioned elements. Some elements may be omitted or other additional elements may be further included in the electronic device. Also, some of the hardware components according to various embodiments may be combined into one entity, which may perform functions identical to those of the relevant components before the combination.

<FIG> is a block diagram of a program module according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, according to an embodiment, the program module <NUM> (e.g., the programs <NUM>) may include an operating system (OS) for controlling resources that are related to an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>) and/or various applications (e.g., the application programs <NUM>) that are executed under the OS. For example, the OS may be AndroidTM, iOSTM, WindowsTM, SymbianTM, TizenTM, Samsung Bada OSTM, or the like.

The program module <NUM> may include a kernel <NUM>, middleware <NUM>, an application programming interface (API) <NUM>, and/or applications <NUM>. At least some of the program module <NUM> may be preloaded in the electronic device, or may be downloaded from external electronic devices (e.g., the external electronic devices <NUM> and <NUM>, or the server <NUM>).

The kernel <NUM> (e.g., the kernel <NUM>), for example, may include a system resource manager <NUM> and/or a device driver <NUM>. The system resource manager <NUM> may perform the control, allocation, or collection of system resources. According to an embodiment, the system resource manager <NUM> may include a process management unit, a memory management unit, or a file system management unit. The device driver <NUM>, for example, may include a display driver, a camera driver, a Bluetooth (BT) driver, a shared memory driver, a USB driver, a keypad driver, a Wi-Fi driver, an audio driver, or an inter-process communication (IPC) driver.

The middleware <NUM>, for example, may provide functions that are required in common for the applications <NUM>, or may provide the applications <NUM> with various functions through the API <NUM> in order to allow the applications <NUM> to effectively use the limited system resources in the electronic device. According to an embodiment, the middleware <NUM> (e.g., the middleware <NUM>) may include at least one of a run-time library <NUM>, an application manager <NUM>, a window manager <NUM>, a multimedia manager <NUM>, a resource manager <NUM>, a power manager <NUM>, a database manager <NUM>, a package manager <NUM>, a connectivity manager <NUM>, a notification manager <NUM>, a location manager <NUM>, a graphic manager <NUM>, or a security manager <NUM>.

The run-time library <NUM>, for example, may include a library module that a compiler uses in order to add new functions through programming languages while the applications <NUM> are executed. The run-time library <NUM> may perform the input/output management, the memory management, or a function of arithmetic calculation.

The application manager <NUM>, for example, may manage a life cycle of at least one of the applications <NUM>. The window manager <NUM> may manage the GUI resource that is used in the screen. The multimedia manager <NUM> may recognize formats for reproducing various media files, and may perform encoding or decoding of media files by using a codec corresponding to each format. The resource manager <NUM> may manage resources, such as a source code of at least one of the applications <NUM>, memories, or storage spaces.

The power manager <NUM>, for example, may manage a battery or power by operating in association with a basic input/output system (BIOS), and may provide power information that is necessary for the operation of the electronic device. The database manager <NUM> may create, retrieve, or change a database that is to be used in at least one of the applications <NUM>. The package manager <NUM> may manage the installation or update of the applications that are distributed in the form of a package file.

The connectivity manager <NUM>, for example, may manage a wireless connection, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The notification manager <NUM> may display or notify the user of events (such as received messages, appointments, or proximity notifications) without disturbance. The location manager <NUM> may manage location information of the electronic device. The graphic manager <NUM> may manage graphic effects to be provided to the user or user interfaces related thereto. The security manager <NUM> may provide general security functions that are required for the system security or user verification. According to an embodiment, in the case of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>) adopting a phone call function, the middleware <NUM> may further include a telephony manager for managing functions of a voice call or a video call of the electronic device.

The middleware <NUM> may include a middleware module that is a combination of various functions of the above-described components. The middleware <NUM> may provide a module that is specialized according to the type of OS in order to provide differentiated functions. In addition, the middleware <NUM> may dynamically exclude some of the typical components or add new components.

The API <NUM> (e.g., the API <NUM>), for example, may be a group of API programming functions, and may be provided with a different configuration according to an OS. For example, one set of APIs may be provided to each platform in the case of Android or iOS, and two or more sets of APIs may be provided to each platform in the case of Tizen.

The applications <NUM> (e.g., the applications <NUM>), for example, may include one or more applications that can execute functions of home <NUM>, a dialer <NUM>, short message service (SMS)/multimedia messaging service (MMS) <NUM>, instant messages <NUM>, a browser <NUM>, a camera <NUM>, an alarm <NUM>, contacts <NUM>, voice dial <NUM>, e-mail <NUM>, a calendar <NUM>, a media player <NUM>, an album <NUM>, a clock <NUM>, healthcare (e.g., measuring the amount of exercise or blood glucose), providing environment information (e.g., providing atmospheric pressure, humidity, or temperature information), or the like.

According to an embodiment, the applications <NUM> may include an application (hereinafter, referred to as "information-exchange application" for the convenience of explanation) that supports the exchange of information between the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device <NUM>) and external electronic devices (e.g., the external electronic devices <NUM> or <NUM>). The information-exchange application, for example, may include a notification relay application for relaying specific information to the external electronic device, or a device management application for managing the external electronic device.

For example, the notification relay application may include a function of transferring notification information that is generated in other applications (e.g., the SMS/MMS application, the e-mail application, the healthcare application, or the environment information application) of the electronic device to the external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic devices <NUM> or <NUM>). In addition, the notification relay application, for example, may receive notification information from the external electronic device to then provide the same to the user.

The device management application, for example, may manage (e.g., install, delete, or update): one or more functions (e.g., turning on or off the external electronic device (or some components) or adjusting the brightness (or resolution) of a display) of an external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic devices <NUM> or <NUM>) that communicates with the electronic device; applications that are executed in the external electronic device; or services (e.g., a phone call service or a messaging service) that are provided by the external electronic device.

According to an embodiment, the applications <NUM> may include applications (e.g., a healthcare application of a mobile medical device) that are designated according to the attribute of the external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device <NUM> or <NUM>). According to an embodiment, the applications <NUM> may include applications that are received from the external electronic device (e.g., the server <NUM> or the external electronic devices <NUM> or <NUM>). According to an embodiment, the applications <NUM> may include preloaded applications or third-party applications that can be downloaded from a server. The names of the components of the program module <NUM> according to the illustrated embodiment may vary depending on the type of OS.

According to various embodiments, at least some of the program module <NUM> may be implemented by software, firmware, hardware, or a combination of at least two thereof. At least some of the program modules <NUM>, for example, may be implemented (e.g., executed) by a processor (e.g., the processor <NUM>). At least some of the program module <NUM>, for example, may include modules, programs, routines, sets of instructions, processes, or the like in order to perform one or more functions.

<FIG> is a perspective view showing the front side of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and <FIG> is a perspective view showing the back side of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM>, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, may be a smart phone, a wearable device, a TV set, or a tablet PC that includes a USB type-C connector. A connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> may be referred to as a receptacle, and a connector of an accessory that can be connected to the receptacle may be referred to as a plug.

As shown in <FIG>, a display <NUM> that is capable of detecting a touch input and a hovering input may be disposed at the center of the front side of the electronic device <NUM>. The display <NUM> may occupy most of the front side of the electronic device <NUM>. <FIG> shows an example in which a main home screen is displayed on the display <NUM>. The main home screen is displayed first on the display <NUM> when the electronic device <NUM> is turned on. In the case where the electronic device <NUM> has several pages of different home screens, the main home screen may be the first home screen, among the several pages of home screens. The home screen may display icons for executing frequently used applications, a main menu switch key, time, weather, or the like. The main menu switch key may display a menu screen on the display <NUM>. In addition, a status bar 411d may be formed at an upper portion of the display <NUM> in order to display the status, such as the battery charging status, the received signal strength, or the current time. A home key 411a, a menu button 411b, and a back button 411c may be formed at a lower portion of the display <NUM>.

The home key 411a may display a main home screen on the display <NUM>. For example, when the home key 411a is touched while the display <NUM> displays another home screen that is different from the main home screen or displays a menu screen, the main home screen may be displayed on the display <NUM>. In addition, when the home key 411a is touched while applications are executed on the display <NUM>, the main home screen may be displayed on the display <NUM>. Further, the home key 411a may be used to display, on the display <NUM>, applications that have recently been used, or a task manager. The menu button 411b may provide connected menus that may be used on the display <NUM>. The connected menus may include a widget addition menu, a background screen change menu, a search menu, an edit menu, a setting menu, or the like. The back button 411c may display a screen that was executed immediately before the currently executed screen, or may terminate the most recently used application.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a first camera 412a, an illuminance sensor 412b, a proximity sensor 412c, or a speaker 412d may be included in an upper portion of the front side of the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may adopt a connector 410b that can be electrically connected to an external electronic device. The connector 410b may be used as an interface for connecting the electronic device <NUM> to the first external electronic device <NUM> or a power source (not shown). The electronic device <NUM> may transmit or receive data that is stored in the memory <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> to or from the first external electronic device <NUM> through a wired cable that is connected to the connector 410b under the control of the processor <NUM>. In addition, the electronic device <NUM> may receive power from a power source (not shown) through a wired cable that is connected to the connector 410b, or may charge a battery (not shown) by using the power source. The connector 410b may include a USB Type-C connector, and may have a contact substrate <NUM> formed therein. In addition, a mid plate <NUM> that is electrically conductive may be formed in the contact substrate <NUM>. Furthermore, a plurality of pins may be formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the contact substrate <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may be connected in a wired manner with the first external electronic device <NUM> through the connector 410b. In this case, the connector 410b may be shaped so as to allow upward mounting or downward mounting with a terminal of the first external electronic device <NUM>. That is, the terminal of the first external electronic device <NUM> can be plugged into the connector 410b in either direction. In addition, a plurality of pins formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the contact substrate <NUM> may be arranged so as to enable data transmission and reception or power reception regardless of the direction in which the terminal of the first external electronic device <NUM> is plugged.

As shown in <FIG>, a second camera 413a, a flash 413b, or a speaker 413c may be provided on the back side of the electronic device <NUM>. If the electronic device <NUM> is configured to have a detachable battery pack, the bottom surface of the electronic device <NUM> may be a detachable battery cover <NUM>.

<FIG> is a view showing the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> and a terminal <NUM> of an accessory and showing various functions of a plurality of pins that are formed on a contact substrate of the connector of the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may be connected to other electronic devices as well as accessories through the connector 410b.

The connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> may be shaped such that the terminal <NUM> of the accessory can be plugged into the same in either direction, and a contact substrate <NUM> may be formed in the connector 410b. The contact substrate <NUM> may have twelve pins <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> that are formed on the upper surface thereof and twelve pins <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> that are formed on the lower surface thereof. A mid plate <NUM> that is electrically conductive may be formed in the contact substrate <NUM>. In addition, the terminal <NUM> of the accessory may have twelve pins <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> that are formed in the upper portion thereof so as to come into contact with the twelve pins <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> that are formed on the upper surface of the contact substrate <NUM>, and may have twelve pins <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> that are formed in the lower portion thereof so as to come into contact with the twelve pins <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> that are formed on the lower surface of the contact substrate <NUM>. The number of pins that are configured at the terminal of the accessory may vary depending on the type of accessory. In addition, the accessory may adopt one or two configuration channel (CC)-pins depending on the type. For example, the order of arrangement of the twelve pins formed on the upper surface may be the same as that of the twelve pins formed on the lower surface such that the terminal <NUM> of the accessory can be plugged in either direction. With this structure, the user can plug the cable of the accessory into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> at a rotation of <NUM> degrees.

The arrangement of the pins formed on the upper surface and the lower surface of the contact substrate <NUM> is shown in [Table <NUM>] below.

Twenty-four pins are formed in USB type-C. The twenty-four pins may be disposed in a mirrored configuration because of the reversibility. With this structure, the user can rotate the terminal <NUM> of the accessory by <NUM> degrees to then mount the same into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM>. In this case, the symmetrical pins may not be used together. For example, if TX1+ and TX1- are used, TX2+, TX2-, RX2+, and RX2- may not be used, and if RX1+ and RX1- are used, RX2+, RX2-, TX2+, and TX2- may not be used. As described above, the mid plate <NUM>, which is electrically conductive, is included in the contact substrate <NUM> of the connector 410b. Although there is a total of twenty-four pins (for example, twelve pins on the upper surface and twelve pins on the lower surface) in the contact substrate <NUM>, the corresponding pins may not be simultaneously used. The pins to be used may be determined according to the connection cable, the terminal that is provided at the end of the cable, and the connection state of the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> with respect to the terminal.

The CC1-pin <NUM>-<NUM> that is formed on the upper surface of the contact substrate <NUM> and the CC2-pin <NUM>-<NUM> that is formed on the lower surface thereof may be used to recognize the usage of an accessory that is connected to the connector 410b. For example, when the CC1-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> is connected to the CC-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the accessory by plugging the terminal <NUM> of the accessory into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> while the upper surface of the terminal <NUM> faces upward, the CC2-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may be used to supply power to the accessory recognition IC (VCONN). In addition, when the CC2-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> is connected to the CC-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the accessory by plugging the terminal <NUM> of the accessory into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> while the upper surface of the terminal <NUM> faces downward, the CC1-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may be used to supply power to the accessory recognition IC (VCONN). The CC-pins <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may be connected to CC-pin <NUM>-<NUM> and VCONN <NUM>-<NUM>, respectively, of the accessory, and the CC-pins <NUM>-<NUM> and <NUM>-<NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may support CC and VCONN.

In addition, the SBU1-pin <NUM>-<NUM> and the SBU2-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the electronic device are low speed signal pins that are allocated to be used in an alternate mode. The negotiation for the alternate mode may be required between the electronic device <NUM> and the accessory prior to the transmission and reception of power.

<FIG> is a block diagram of an electronic device that recognizes an accessory according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and <FIG> is a view showing a structure in which capacitors are connected to outer metal parts (e.g., shell parts) of the connector of the electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> that recognizes an accessory may include a processor <NUM>, a display <NUM>, a power supply unit <NUM> (e.g., a power supply), a connector 410b, and a circuit unit <NUM> (e.g., a circuit device). The connector 410b includes a contact substrate <NUM>, and a mid plate <NUM> is included in the contact substrate <NUM>. The circuit unit <NUM> may include a first resistor <NUM> and a second resistor <NUM> for preventing a leakage current based on the power supplied from the accessory and for adjusting the current, and a diode <NUM> that is formed at one end of the power supply unit <NUM>. In addition, a first capacitor <NUM> and a second capacitor <NUM> may be connected to both ends <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., footprints) of the outer metal parts (e.g., the shell parts <NUM> and <NUM>) that surround the connector 410b. Alternatively, the first and second capacitors <NUM> and <NUM> may be connected to a portion of the outer metal parts that surround the connector 410b. The first and second capacitors <NUM> and <NUM> may prevent leakage current based on the power supplied from the accessory, and may have capacitance so as to be short-circuited when overcurrent occurs. The capacitance of each capacitor may be variably controlled. The first and second resistors <NUM> and <NUM> may have resistances so as to prevent leakage current, and the resistance of each resistor may be variably controlled.

According to various embodiments, the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> may be shaped such that the terminal <NUM> of the first external electronic device <NUM> can be plugged into the same in either direction, and a contact substrate <NUM> may be formed in the connector 410b. A mid plate <NUM> is included in the contact substrate <NUM>. The contact substrate <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may be formed inside the connector that is formed on the housing. Twelve pins may be configured on the upper surface and the lower surface of the contact substrate <NUM>, respectively, and the twelve pins that are formed on one surface may be arranged in a mirrored configuration with respect to the twelve pins that are formed on the other surface. With this structure, the user can rotate the terminal <NUM> of the accessory by <NUM> degrees to then plug the same into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM>. In addition, the first capacitor <NUM> is connected to the first end (e.g., a footprint) of the connector 410b, and the second capacitor <NUM> is connected to the second end (e.g., a footprint) of the connector 410b. By adopting the first capacitor <NUM> and the second capacitor <NUM> described above, when overcurrent is generated in the state in which foreign matter is inserted into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM>, at least one of the first capacitor <NUM> or the second capacitor <NUM> may be short-circuited in order to thereby prevent heat generation of the electronic device <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the power supply unit <NUM> may supply power to a battery (not shown) that is disposed in the housing of the electronic device <NUM> under the control of the processor <NUM>. The battery (not shown) may supply power to the electronic device <NUM>. In addition, the power supply unit <NUM> may supply, to the electronic device <NUM>, the power that is received from an external power source (not shown) through a wired cable that is connected to the connector 410b. The power supply unit <NUM> may apply power to the mid plate <NUM> of the contact substrate <NUM> through the circuit unit <NUM>. Further, the power supply unit <NUM> may supply, to the electronic device <NUM>, the power that is wirelessly received from an external power source by using wireless charging technology.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may apply a current (e.g., less than <NUM> A) to the contact substrate <NUM> (e.g., the mid plate <NUM>) that is formed in the connector 410b. The processor <NUM> may apply a current (e.g., less than <NUM> A) to the mid plate <NUM> that is formed in the contact substrate <NUM> through the circuit unit <NUM>. The mid plate <NUM> inside the contact substrate <NUM> is electrically conductive. In addition, the capacitors <NUM> and <NUM> may be connected to the outer metal parts (e.g., the shell parts <NUM> and <NUM>) that surround the connector 410b. For example, the capacitors <NUM> and <NUM> may be connected to respective footprints of the outer metal parts. The present disclosure may prevent loss associated with the generation of heat by connecting passive elements, such as capacitors. In addition, a groove is formed at both ends of the contact substrate <NUM>, into which a connection pin <NUM> of the accessory may be mounted while being electrically connected. Further, the processor <NUM> may detect whether or not the terminal <NUM> of the accessory is inserted into the connector 410b in response to the mounting of the connection pin <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may detect that the connection pin <NUM> is connected to the contact substrate <NUM> that is formed in the connector 410b while power is applied to the mid plate <NUM> of the contact substrate <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may apply a small current (e.g., <NUM>µA) to the mid plate <NUM>. Under the application of such a current, when the connection pin <NUM> is not connected to the contact substrate <NUM>, the voltage on the mid plate <NUM> of the contact substrate <NUM> increases or becomes high, and when the connection pin <NUM> is connected to the contact substrate <NUM>, the voltage on the mid plate <NUM> of the contact substrate <NUM> decreases or becomes low.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may determine whether or not the connection pin <NUM> has been connected to the contact substrate <NUM>, depending on whether the voltage value on the mid plate <NUM> of the contact substrate <NUM> is high or low. For example, if the voltage on the mid plate <NUM> of the contact substrate <NUM> is low, the processor <NUM> may determine that the connection pin <NUM> has been normally connected to the contact substrate <NUM>. Furthermore, the processor <NUM> may determine whether or not foreign matter that interferes with the electrical connection is present in the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM>. For example, if the voltage on the mid plate <NUM> of the contact substrate <NUM> is high(or if the voltage applied on the mid plate <NUM> is increased), the processor <NUM> may determine that the connection pin <NUM> has not been connected to the mid plate <NUM> of the contact substrate <NUM>, or may determine that there is foreign matter that interferes with the electrical connection in the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may determine whether the voltage on the mid plate <NUM> of the contact substrate <NUM> is low(or whether the voltage applied on the mid plate <NUM> is decreased). If the voltage on the mid plate <NUM> of the contact substrate <NUM> is low, the processor <NUM> may determine whether or not it is possible to communicate with the accessory through the first configuration channel (CC)-pin <NUM>-<NUM> or <NUM>-<NUM> in the connector 410b. If it is determined that it is possible to communicate with the accessory, the processor <NUM> may use the second CC-pin (different from the first CC-pin) for supplying power to the accessory recognition IC. The processor <NUM> may supply power to the accessory recognition IC through the second CC-pin (different from the first CC-pin). The processor <NUM> may communicate with the accessory through the first CC-pin (different from the second CC-pin). The electronic device <NUM> may identify the usage and purpose of the accessory through this process. If it is determined that it is impossible to communicate with the accessory, the processor <NUM> may output a request to the user for checking whether or not the terminal <NUM> of the accessory is properly mounted into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM>. If it is determined that it is impossible to communicate with the accessory by using at least one of the first CC-pin or the second CC-pin, the processor <NUM> may display, on the display <NUM>, a request for checking whether or not the terminal <NUM> of the accessory is properly mounted into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM>. Such an output is intended to induce the user to check at least one of the insertion state of the accessory, foreign matter in the connector, breakage of the connector, or a request for attaching or removing the accessory.

According to various embodiments, if foreign matter is attached to the first CC-pin or the second CC-pin to then form a short-circuit state, it may be impossible to determine the accessory. In this case, the processor <NUM> may detect the insertion of the accessory by applying power to the mid plate <NUM> that is formed in the contact substrate <NUM> of the connector 410b. Then, the processor <NUM> may notify the user of the insertion of foreign matter and/or the damage to the CC-pins. As described above, when foreign matter is inserted into the CC-pins of the connector 410b, or when the CC-pins are damaged, the processor <NUM> may preferentially identify the insertion of the accessory by using the contact substrate <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, if the voltage on the mid plate <NUM> is high, the processor <NUM> may display, on the display <NUM>, a request for checking whether or not the terminal <NUM> of the accessory is properly mounted into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the display <NUM> may display a request (e.g., a pop-up, a warning screen, an error message, or the like) for checking whether or not the terminal <NUM> of the accessory is properly mounted into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM>. If it is determined that the voltage on the mid plate <NUM> is high or that it is impossible to establish communication between the electronic device <NUM> and the accessory by using the CC-pins, the processor <NUM> may create a connector checking request message and then display the created message on the display <NUM>. Alternatively, the processor <NUM> may create a connector checking request message and then output the created message through the speaker <NUM>.

An electronic device, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, may include: a housing that includes a first surface that faces in the first direction and a second surface that faces in the second direction, opposite the first direction; a display that is disposed between the first surface and the second surface and is exposed through the first surface; a power supply unit that applies a voltage; and at least one processor that is electrically connected to the display, wherein: the housing includes a connector of USB type C; the connector includes a contact substrate that is electrically connected to the processor to detect the insertion of an accessory; and the power supply unit and the processor are electrically connected to a mid plate that is formed in the contact substrate, and wherein the processor is configured to determine whether or not the accessory is inserted by using the mid plate, and is configured to determine the insertion state of the accessory based on a portion of the voltage applied to the mid plate by the power supply unit.

According to an embodiment, the processor may be configured to output a checking request for at least one of damage to the connector or the insertion of foreign matter into the connector when the voltage on the mid plate is high after the insertion of the accessory has been detected.

According to an embodiment, the processor may be configured to determine whether or not it is possible to communicate with the accessory through a first configuration channel (CC)-pin of the contact substrate when the voltage on the mid plate is low after the insertion of the accessory has been detected.

According to an embodiment, the processor may be configured to apply power to the accessory through a second CC-pin of the contact substrate to identify the usage of the accessory if it is determined that it is possible to communicate with the accessory.

According to an embodiment, the processor may be configured to identify the usage of the accessory by using a VBUS-pin of the contact substrate if it is determined that the usage cannot be identified only by using the CC-pin because of an internal error of the accessory even though it is possible to communicate with the accessory.

According to an embodiment, the processor may be configured to output a connector checking request if it is determined that it is impossible to communicate with the accessory.

According to an embodiment, the processor may be configured to output the connector checking request on a display.

According to an embodiment, the connector checking request may include a request for checking at least one of the insertion state of the accessory, foreign matter in the connector, breakage of the connector, or a request for attaching or removing the accessory.

According to an embodiment, the mid plate may be formed in the contact substrate and capacitors may be connected to both ends of the outer metal part of the connector, respectively.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a circuit unit that includes: two capacitors that are formed at both ends of the outer metal part of the connector, respectively; two resistors that prevent a leakage current based on the power applied from the accessory and that adjust the current; and a single diode that is formed at the end of the power supply unit.

<FIG> is a side cross-sectional view of a connector to which an accessory is connected, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the accessory may adopt two connection pins <NUM> that have a grounding function so as to be electrically connected to the contact substrate <NUM> of the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may detect whether or not the two connection pins <NUM> formed on the accessory are connected to the contact substrate <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may apply power to the mid plate <NUM> that is formed in the contact substrate <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may detect a voltage drop in response to the connection of the connection pins <NUM> of the accessory to the mid plate formed in the contact substrate <NUM> while applying power to the mid plate <NUM> formed in the contact substrate <NUM>. As described above, when the voltage on the mid plate of the contact substrate drops, the electronic device <NUM> may determine that the accessory has been attached to the connector 410b. In addition, an outer metal part (e.g., a shell part <NUM>) may be attached to the housing of the electronic device <NUM> so as to surround and protect the connector 410b, and may have an electrical grounding property. Further, twelve pins <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> are formed on the upper surface of the contact substrate <NUM> and twelve pins <NUM>-<NUM> to <NUM>-<NUM> are formed on the lower surface thereof. The pins formed on the contact substrate <NUM> may be electrically connected to the pins of the accessory, respectively, in response to the attachment of the accessory.

<FIG> is a flowchart showing an accessory recognition method of an electronic device, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, an accessory recognition method of an electronic device, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, will be described in detail with reference to <FIG>.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may apply power to the mid plate <NUM> that is formed in the connector 410b in operation <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may apply power to the mid plate <NUM> that is formed in the contact substrate <NUM> in order to determine whether or not the connection pin of the accessory is connected to the contact substrate. The power may have a current value of less than a few microamperes.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether the voltage on the mid plate <NUM> is low or high in operation <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may determine whether or not the connection pin of the accessory is connected to the contact substrate depending on whether the voltage on the mid plate <NUM> in the contact substrate <NUM> is low or high. For example, when the connection pin of the accessory is properly connected to the contact substrate, the voltage applied to the mid plate <NUM> becomes low, and when the connection pin is not connected or is improperly connected, the voltage on the mid plate <NUM> becomes high. If the connection pin <NUM> of the accessory is properly connected to the contact substrate <NUM>, the current flowing through the mid plate <NUM> becomes low because it is grounded by the connection pin <NUM>. If the connection pin <NUM> of the accessory is not connected to the contact substrate <NUM>, or if there is foreign matter in the connector 410b, the current flowing through the same becomes high.

According to various embodiments, in operation <NUM>, if the voltage on the mid plate is high, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether or not an accessory is recognized by using the CC-pin. The electronic device <NUM> may transmit a signal to the CC-pin of the contact substrate <NUM> in order to thereby determine whether or not the accessory has been inserted.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may determine that an accessory has been inserted if a response is received from the accessory in operation <NUM>. When a response to the transmitted signal is received from the accessory, the electronic device <NUM> may determine that the accessory has been inserted (or mounted) into the connector 410b.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may output a connector checking request in operation <NUM>. If the voltage on the mid plate is high and if it is determined that the accessory has been inserted by using the CC-pin, the electronic device <NUM> may output a connector checking request. This output is intended to prompt the user to check at least one of the insertion state of the accessory, the presence of foreign matter in the connector, breakage of the connector, or a request for attaching or removing the accessory. Alternatively, the electronic device <NUM> may create a connector checking request message, and may output the created message through the speaker <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, if a response is not received from the accessory, the electronic device <NUM> may determine that the accessory has not been inserted in operation <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether or not it is possible to communicate with the accessory by using the CC-pin in operation <NUM> and operation <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may determine execution of communication with the accessory by using the CC-pin. If it is determined that the voltage on the mid plate <NUM> of the contact substrate <NUM> is low, the electronic device <NUM> may determine communication with the accessory by using the CC-pin, and may determine whether or not it is possible to communicate with the accessory. For example, if the CC1-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> is connected to the CC-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the accessory by plugging the terminal <NUM> of the accessory into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> while the upper surface of the terminal <NUM> faces upward, the electronic device <NUM> may use the CC2-pin <NUM>-<NUM> to supply power to the accessory recognition IC (VCONN). In addition, if the CC1-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> is connected to the CC-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the accessory by plugging the terminal <NUM> of the accessory into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> while the upper surface of the terminal <NUM> faces downward, the electronic device <NUM> may use the CC2-pin <NUM>-<NUM> to supply power to the accessory recognition IC (VCONN). Further, if the voltage on the mid plate is low and if it is impossible to communicate with the accessory by using the CC-pin, the electronic device <NUM> may output a connector checking request.

According to various embodiments, if it is impossible to communicate by using the CC-pin, the electronic device <NUM> may output a connector checking request in operation <NUM>. If it is determined that it is impossible to communicate with the accessory by using the CC-pin, the electronic device <NUM> may output a connector checking request. This output is intended to induce the user to check at least one of the insertion state of the accessory, the presence of foreign matter in the connector, breakage of the connector, or a request for attaching or removing the accessory. Alternatively, the electronic device <NUM> may create a connector checking request message, and may output the created message through the speaker <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, if it is possible to communicate using the CC-pin, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether or not the communication using the CC-pin is normal in operation <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may determine whether or not the communication using the CC-pin is normal by transmitting a signal to the CC-pin and by receiving a response to the transmitted signal from the accessory.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may perform communication by using the CC-pin in operation <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may recognize the accessory by performing communication using the CC-pin. When the CC1-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> is connected to the CC-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the accessory by plugging the terminal <NUM> of the accessory into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> while the upper surface of the terminal <NUM> faces upward, the electronic device <NUM> may supply power for the accessory recognition IC via the CC2-pin <NUM>-<NUM>, and may perform communication with the accessory in order to thereby recognize the accessory. In addition, when the CC1-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> is connected to the CC-pin <NUM>-<NUM> of the accessory by plugging the terminal <NUM> of the accessory into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> while the upper surface of the terminal <NUM> faces downward, the electronic device <NUM> may supply power for the accessory recognition IC by using the CC2-pin <NUM>-<NUM>, and may perform communication with the accessory in order to thereby recognize the accessory.

According to various embodiments, if it is determined that the communication using the CC-pin is not normal, the electronic device <NUM> may determine whether or not there is a change in VBUS in operation <NUM>. The electronic device <NUM> may detect a change in VBUS in order to determine whether the accessory is a charger or a power-supply device. Alternatively, the electronic device <NUM> may detect a change in VBUS in order to recognize whether the accessory that has been inserted into the connector is another accessory other than the power-supply device.

According to various embodiments, if it is determined that there is a change in VBUS, the electronic device <NUM> may determine that the accessory that has been inserted into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> is a charger or a power-supply device in operation <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, if it is determined that there is no change in VBUS, the electronic device <NUM> may determine that another accessory other than the power-supply device has been inserted into the connector 410b of the electronic device <NUM> in operation <NUM>.

One or more functions or operations in <FIG> described above may be omitted depending on the embodiment.

A method for recognizing an accessory of an electronic device, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, may include: applying power to a mid plate in a connector that is formed on a housing of the electronic device; detecting the insertion of an accessory into the connector; determining whether the accessory is inserted by using the mid plate that is formed in a contact substrate in the connector; and determining the insertion state of the accessory based on a portion of the voltage applied to the mid plate.

According to an embodiment, the present disclosure may further include outputting a request for checking at least one of damage to the connector or the insertion of foreign matter into the connector when the voltage on the mid plate increases or is high after the insertion of the accessory has been detected.

According to an embodiment, the present disclosure may further include determining whether or not it is possible to communicate with the accessory through a first CC-pin of the contact substrate when the voltage on the mid plate decreases or is low after the insertion of the accessory has been detected.

According to an embodiment, the present disclosure may further include identifying the usage of the accessory by using a VBUS-pin of the contact substrate when the accessory cannot be recognized through normal communication because of an error in the accessory even though it is possible to communicate with the accessory.

According to an embodiment, the present disclosure may further include outputting the connector checking request if it is determined that it is impossible to communicate with the accessory.

According to an embodiment, the present disclosure may further include checking a change in the voltage of VBUS in the case where communication is not normal due to an error in the accessory.

According to an embodiment, the present disclosure may further include outputting the connector checking request on a display.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the connector checking request may include a request for checking at least one of the insertion state of the accessory, the presence of foreign matter in the connector, breakage of the connector, or a request for attaching or removing the accessory.

The term "module" as used herein may, for example, mean a unit including one of hardware, software, and firmware or a combination of two or more of them. The "module" may be interchangeable with a term, such as a unit, a logic, a logical block, a component, or a circuit. The "module" may be a minimum unit of an integrated component element or a part thereof. The "module" may be a minimum unit for performing one or more functions or a part thereof. The "module" may be mechanically or electronically implemented. For example, the "module" according to the present disclosure may include at least one of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip, a field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and a programmable-logic device for performing operations which has been known or are to be developed hereinafter.

According to various embodiments, at least some of the devices (for example, modules or functions thereof) or the method (for example, operations) according to the present disclosure may be implemented by a command stored in a computer-readable storage medium in a programming module form. When the command is executed by control circuits, the control circuits may perform a function corresponding to the command. The computer-readable storage medium may, for example, be the memory <NUM>. At least some of the programming modules may be implemented (for example, executed) by, for example, the processor. At least some of the programming modules may include, for example, a module, a program, a routine, a set of instructions or a process for performing one or more functions.

The computer readable recoding medium includes magnetic media such include magnetic media, such as a hard disk, a floppy disk and a magnetic tape, optical media, such as a compact disc-ROM (CD-ROM) and a DVD, magneto-optical media, such as a floptical disk, and a hardware device specially configured to store and execute a program command, such as a ROM, a RAM and a flash memory. In addition, the program instructions may include high class language codes, which can be executed in a computer by using an interpreter, as well as machine codes made by a compiler. The aforementioned hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules in order to perform the operation of the present disclosure, and vice versa.

The programming module according to the present disclosure may include one or more of the aforementioned components or may further include other additional components, or some of the aforementioned components may be omitted. Operations executed by a module, a programming module, or other component elements according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be executed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or in a heuristic manner. Furthermore, some operations may be executed in a different order or may be omitted, or other operations may be added. According to various embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions that include: a first set of instructions for applying power to a mid plate in a connector that is formed on a housing of the electronic device; a second set of instructions for detecting the insertion of an accessory into the connector; a third set of instructions for determining whether or not the accessory is inserted by using the mid plate that is formed in a contact substrate in the connector; and a fourth set of instructions for determining the insertion state of the accessory based on a portion of the voltage applied to the mid plate.

Claim 1:
An electronic device (<NUM>) comprising:
a housing that includes a first surface facing a first direction and a second surface facing a second direction opposite to the first direction;
a display (<NUM>) that is disposed between the first surface and the second surface, the display (<NUM>) being exposed through the first surface;
at least one processor (<NUM>) that is electrically connected to the display (<NUM>);
a metal part that surrounds a connector (410b) of universal serial bus (USB) type C; and
a circuit (<NUM>) comprising a first capacitor (<NUM>) and a second capacitor (<NUM>), the first capacitor (<NUM>) being connected to a first portion of the metal part surrounding the connector of USB type C, the second capacitor (<NUM>) being connected to a second portion of the metal part surrounding the connector of USB type C, the first capacitor (<NUM>) and the second capacitor (<NUM>) being configured to prevent leakage current based on power applied from an accessory,
wherein the first capacitor (<NUM>) and the second capacitor (<NUM>) are further configured to be short-circuited when an overcurrent occurs.