PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9459670-B2
Application Number: US-201213607553-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Adapter for use with a portable electronic device

Abstract:
An adapter for enabling connection of a portable electronic device with an accessory includes two connectors, an identification device, a power control device, and power clamping circuitry. All of these components may be included in a single integrated housing. Another adapter may have a cable with two connectors connected to either end of the cable. One of the connectors may house the identification device and the power control device. Optionally, the adapter may also house the power clamp circuitry.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An adapter for enabling communication between a first device and a second device, the adapter comprising:
 a housing including a first side and a second side; 
 a first connector disposed at the first side and configured to be mated with a first device connector associated with the first device; 
 a second connector disposed at the second side and configured to be mated with a second device connector associated with the second device; 
 a first power path between the first and second connector and a second power path between the first connector and the second connector in parallel with the first power path, the second power path having a lower resistance than the first power path; 
 an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit disposed in-line with data lines between the first and second connectors, the ESD protection circuit configured to reduce corruption and disruption of data transmission over the data lines; 
 an identification device coupled to the first connector and disposed in the housing, the identification device storing identification information for the adapter and configured to communicate the identification information to the first device; and 
 a power control device disposed in the housing and coupled to the identification device, the first connector, and the second connector, wherein the power control device is configured to enable the first power path between the first connector and the second connector by default and enable the second power path between the first connector and the second connector after the identification information is validated. 
 
     
     
       2. The adapter of  claim 1  wherein the first connector comprises between 4 and 16 contacts arranged in opposing pairs and wherein a first contact from a pair of contacts is disposed on a top surface of a printed circuit board (PCB) and a second contact from the pair of contacts is disposed on a bottom surface of the PCB directly below the first contact. 
     
     
       3. The adapter of  claim 1  wherein the first connector comprises:
 a tab portion that extends from the housing to a predetermined distance; 
 a first plurality of contacts arranged on an upper surface of the tab; 
 a second plurality of contacts arranged on a bottom surface of the tab; 
 wherein each contact in the first plurality of contacts is located directly above a corresponding contact in the second plurality of contacts. 
 
     
     
       4. The adapter of  claim 3  wherein the first plurality of contacts and the second plurality of contacts are exposed to the environment. 
     
     
       5. The adapter of  claim 1  wherein the second connector is a universal serial bus (USB) connector. 
     
     
       6. The adapter of  claim 1  wherein the identification device is implemented as a single integrated circuit (IC) chip. 
     
     
       7. The adapter of  claim 1  wherein the power control device is implemented as a single integrated circuit (IC) chip. 
     
     
       8. The adapter of  claim 1  further comprising power clamping circuitry coupled to the power control device, the power clamping circuitry configured to present a voltage at the input of the power control device that does not exceed a predetermined value. 
     
     
       9. An adapter for enabling communication between a first device and a second device, the adapter comprising:
 a cable having a first end and a second end; 
 a first connector attached to the first end of the cable and configured to be mated with a first device connector associated with the first device; and 
 a second connector attached to the second end of the cable and configured to be mated with a second device connector associated with the second device, 
 first and second parallel power paths between the first connector and the second connector, the second power path having a lower resistance than the first power path; 
 wherein the first connector comprises:
 an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit disposed in-line with data lines between the first and second connectors, the ESD protection circuit configured to reduce corruption and disruption of data transmission over the data lines; 
 an identification device configured to store identification information for the adapter and configured to communicate the identification information to device; and 
 a power control device coupled to the identification device, the first connector and the second connector, wherein the power control device is configured to enable the first power path between the first connector and the second connector by default and to enable the second power path between the second connector and the first connector after the identification information is validated. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The adapter of  claim 9  further comprising a power clamp circuit coupled to the power control device and configured to ensure that a voltage at the input of the power control device does not exceed a predetermined value. 
     
     
       11. The adapter of  claim 9  wherein the identification device is implemented as single integrated circuit (IC) chip. 
     
     
       12. The adapter of  claim 9  wherein the power control device is implemented as single integrated circuit (IC) chip. 
     
     
       13. The adapter of  claim 9  wherein the identification device and the power control device are together implemented as single integrated circuit (IC) chip. 
     
     
       14. The adapter of  claim 9  wherein the second connector is a micro universal serial bus (μUSB) connector. 
     
     
       15. The adapter of  claim 9  wherein the power control circuitry comprises a first power path and a second power path and wherein a first resistance of the first power path is higher than a second resistance of the second power path. 
     
     
       16. The adapter of  claim 9  wherein the first power path has a first resistance sufficiently high that the first device cannot obtain power from the second device over the first power path, and the second power path, when enabled, enables the first device to obtain power from the second device. 
     
     
       17. A method for electrically connecting a first electronic device to a second device using an adapter that includes a first connector, a second connector, an identification device, first and second parallel power paths between the first connector and the second connector, the second power path having a lower resistance than the first power path, and a power control device, the method comprising:
 upon connection of a first electronic device to the first connector and connection of a second electronic device to the second connector, enabling the first power path and sending, by the identification device, identification information associated with the adapter to the portable electronic device, the identification information being stored in the identification device; 
 sending, by the identification device to the power control device, a signal to enable the second power path between the accessory and the portable electronic device; and 
 enabling, by the power control device, the second power path between the accessory and the portable electronic device; and 
 reducing corruption and disruption of data transmission over data lines between the first and second connectors with an electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuit disposed in-line with data lines between the first and second connectors. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17  further comprising:
 sending, by the identification device, authentication information to the portable electronic device, the authentication information being stored in the identification device. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 17  wherein the first connector comprises between 4 and 16 contacts arranged in opposing pairs and wherein a first contact from a pair of contacts is disposed on a top surface of a printed circuit board (PCB) and a second contact from the pair of contacts is disposed on a bottom surface of the PCB directly below the first contact. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 17  wherein the power control device includes a first power path that has a first resistance and a second power path that has a second resistance higher than the first resistance and wherein enabling the power path comprises enabling the first power path. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 20  wherein the first power path has a resistance sufficiently high that the portable electronic device cannot obtain power from the accessory over the first power path, and wherein the second power path, when enabled, enables the portable electronic device to obtain power from the accessory. 
     
     
       22. The adapter of  claim 1  wherein the first power path comprises a resistor having a fixed value and the second power path includes a transistor. 
     
     
       23. The adapter of  claim 9  wherein the first power path comprises a resistor having a fixed value and the second power path includes a transistor. 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 17  wherein the first power path comprises a resistor having a fixed value and the second power path includes a transistor. 
     
     
       25. The adapter of  claim 1  wherein the power control device is configured to receive DC power from the second device over the second connector and provide DC power to the first device over the first connector. 
     
     
       26. The adapter of  claim 9  wherein the power control device is configured to receive DC power from the second device over the second connector and provide DC power to the first device over the first connector. 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 17  wherein DC power control is received over the second connector from the second device and provided over the first connector to the first device.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Portable electronic devices, such as portable media players, have become ubiquitous in today&#39;s society. As they have proliferated, so have the number and types of hardware accessories that are designed to interact with these portable media players. These accessories range in complexity, including, for example, simple speaker systems and complex automotive entertainment systems. 
     Accessories commonly communicate with a portable media player using a connector system. This connector system typically includes a plug connector at the accessory and a receptacle connector at the portable media player. A user fits the plug connector of the accessory into the receptacle connector of the portable media player thereby forming physical and electrical connections between the contacts of each connector that allow data and power to be exchanged between the devices. 
     Users may have multiple different portable media players. For various reasons, these media players may have different sized connectors. For example, the media players may be made by different manufacturers. Also, the media players may be manufactured by the same manufacturer, but a newer media player may have a more advanced, smaller sized connector receptacle than an older media player manufactured by the same company. 
     For these and other reasons, a user may encounter a situation where he/she has a portable media player but that media player is incompatible with certain accessories designed to operate with a different media player. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to electronic devices. Specifically, certain embodiments of the present invention provide an adapter that can be used to enable an accessory to communicate with a portable electronic device in situations where the accessory and the portable electronic device cannot be directly connected to each other. 
     When an accessory and a portable electronic device have incompatible connectors, an adapter of some sort may be needed to connect these devices together so that they can communicate with each other. An adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention includes two connectors, one of which is compatible with the accessory and the other is compatible with the portable electronic device. This allows the adapter to act as an intermediary device to relay signals to and from the accessory and the portable electronic device. Thus, the adapter enables the accessory to be “connected” to the portable electronic device. 
     An adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a specialized connector at one end designed to mate with a corresponding connector of a portable electronic device. The adapter has a standard USB connector at the other end designed to mate with a corresponding USB connector of an accessory. In some embodiments, the adapter may include a cable that is disposed between the two connectors. 
     The following detailed description together with the accompanying drawings will provide a better understanding of the nature and advantages of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a hardware accessory connected to a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2A  illustrates an adapter according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2B  illustrates another embodiment of the adapter of  FIG. 2A . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  depicts one particular implementation of a pin-out for connector of  FIG. 3  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  depicts cross-sectional view of a receptacle connector that can couple with the connector of  FIG. 3 , according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a functional block diagram of a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a functional block diagram of an accessory according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a high-level block diagram of an adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a functional block diagram of an adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a functional block diagram of an adapter according to another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a flow diagram of a process for operating an adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention relate to portable electronic devices and accessories in general. Specifically, certain embodiments of the present invention are related to adapters/connectors that allow an accessory to be connected to a host portable electronic device so that the accessory may communicate with the portable electronic device. 
     Some embodiments of the present invention provide a cable with a connector attached to either end of the cable. One of the connectors can be a standard Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector and the other connector is a specialized connector that is compatible with a corresponding connector of a portable electronic device. The cable may be connected to a power adapter in order to provide a charging voltage to the portable electronic device. In other embodiments, the cable may be used as a means for data transfer between the portable electronic device and a computer connected to the portable electronic device using the cable. 
     In still other embodiments, the adapter may be a dongle with two connectors and associated circuitry housed in a single integrated casing. In this embodiment, one connector may be a standard micro USB (μUSB) connector and the other connector may be the specialized connector described above. 
     The connector of an accessory may be incompatible with a connector of a host device in at least two ways. First, this incompatibility may be physical; i.e. the connector of the accessory may have a different shape/size/structure than the connector of the host device. In this instance, it may not be possible to physically mate the two connectors due to the difference in their shape, size, structure, or a combination of these attributes. For example, the number of contacts or pins of the connector of the accessory may be different than the number of contacts or pins of the connector of the host device. Second, this incompatibility may be electrical; signals received or provided at the connector of the accessory may be electrically incompatible with signals received or provided at the connector of the host device. In some instances the incompatibility may be both physical and electrical. 
     Where the incompatibility is physical, an embodiment of the present invention provides an adapter having (a) a first connector that is physically compatible with the connector of an accessory and (b) a second connector that is physically compatible with the connector of a host device. One or more electrical connections may be made between the contacts or pins of the first connector and the contacts or pins of the second connector on the adapter. Where the incompatibility is electrical, an embodiment of the present invention provides one or more circuits disposed in the adapter between the first connector and the second connector. The circuits can help with data transfer between the accessory and the host device in a proper format. Where the incompatibility is both physical and electrical, both these techniques may be employed by embodiments of the present invention. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a hardware accessory  120  that a user may want to connect to a portable electronic device  110 , e.g., to extend the functionality of portable electronic device  110 . In some embodiments, an adapter cable  130  may be used to connect accessory  120  with portable electronic device  110 . In this example, portable electronic device  110  includes a receptacle connector  114  and a touchscreen  116 . Portable electronic device  110  may be an iPod®, iPhone®, iPad® or a similar device. However, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to any particular type of portable electronic device. 
     Accessory  120  in this instance may be a power supply, an automotive radio, transmitter, audio/video receiver, storage device, clock radio, a personal computer or other device. Accessory  120  may include a connector  122  that includes a plurality of contacts (not shown) that carry electrical signals for one or more of data, audio, video, control functions, and power. In one embodiment, connector  122  may include between 4 and 30 contacts but the present invention is not limited to any particular contact count or configuration. In a particular embodiment, connector  122  may be a USB connector. 
     Various portable media players and other electronic devices may include receptacle connectors that are of different shape, size or pin configuration than receptacle connector  114 , in which case these other receptacle connectors may not be compatible with or may be “incompatible” with connector  122 . A connector on an accessory may not be compatible with a connector on a portable electronic device or portable media player because the connector on the accessory may be designed to mate with products made by a first manufacturer, while the portable media player is instead made by a second manufacturer. Also, a portable media player manufacturer may change the design of the connector on the portable media player for some products, such as newer generation products. For example, a smaller connector may be incorporated into newer generation products to enable the design of smaller portable media players. Also, a connector with a different pin-out may support new data communication protocols that could not be supported by an older legacy connector. 
     There are at least two types of incompatibility that may arise between a plug connector on an accessory and a receptacle connector on a host electronic device/portable electronic device, as described above. First, the receptacle connector may be physically incompatible with the plug connector, that is, they may have incompatible sizes and literally cannot be connected together in a mechanical sense. 
     As a second example of incompatible connectors, a plug connector on an accessory may not be compatible with a receptacle connector on a portable electronic device because one or more signals or power supply outputs on either the plug connector or receptacle connector are incompatible with inputs on the other end. This may occur at one or more levels of signaling. For example, a physical layer used to transmit and receive signals may be incompatible between the accessory and the portable electronic device. Specifically, signal voltages and other physical parameters may be different. Also, at the transport level, which specifies signal frequency and other parameters, may be different between the devices. The packet structure layer, which defines how messages and data are formatted and multi-packet logic levels, which define sequences of messages, may also vary among devices. In some embodiments, a pin on the plug connector may be assigned to a function (e.g., analog audio) and a corresponding pin on the receptacle connector may be assigned to a different function (e.g., digital audio). 
     Embodiments of the present invention provide an adapter that allows communication between a portable electronic device and an accessory in instances where a receptacle connector on the portable electronic device and a plug connector on an accessory are incompatible in one or both of these ways. 
     Returning to  FIG. 1 , adapter cable  130  may include two connectors  132  and  134  located at either end of a cable  136 . Of the two connectors, connector  134  may be a USB connector that is designed to mate with connector  122  of accessory  120 . Connector  132  of adapter cable  130  may be a specialized connector that is designed to be compatible with connector  114  of portable electronic device  110 . Connector  132  is described in detail below. 
     In the instance where accessory  120  is a power supply unit, connector  134  of adapter cable  130  can be mated with connector  122  of accessory  120 . The other connector  132  of adapter cable  130  can be mated with connector  114  of portable electronic device  110 . Thereafter, accessory  120  can supply power to portable electronic device  110  via adapter cable  130 . In the instance where accessory  120  is a personal computer (PC), a similar connection can enable the PC to exchange data/information with portable electronic device  110  over the USB data connection and optionally supply power to portable electronic device  110  also via the USB connection. 
       FIG. 2A  illustrates an adapter  200  according to another embodiment of the present invention. In a particular embodiment, adapter  200  includes a μUSB or USB connector  202  and a specialized plug connector  204 . The μUSB/USB connector  202  is well known in the art and hence it is not described herein for sake of brevity. It is to be noted that μUSB connector  202  is only being used as an example to describe an embodiment. It will be clear to one skilled in the art that μUSB connector  202  can be replaced with any other type of connector such as but not limited to, USB, FireWire, 30-pin connector used in iPod®, iPhone®, and iPad® devices, RJ-45, or any other type of connector used in any electronic device. 
     Adapter  200  includes a housing  210  that encloses circuitry for operation of adapter  200 . The details of the circuitry describe below. Connector  202  can be located at one end of housing  210  while connector  204  can be located at another end of the housing. In some embodiments, connectors  202  and  204  are located at opposite ends of housing  210  as illustrated in  FIG. 2A ; however this is not needed. Connectors  202  and  204  can also be located at two adjacent sides of housing  210 , e.g., as illustrated in  FIG. 2B . In an embodiment, connectors  202 ,  204 , and the circuitry (not shown) are part of single housing  210 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a connector  300  according to an embodiment of the present invention. Connector  300  can be implemented as, e.g., connector  132  of  FIG. 1  or connector  204  of  FIG. 2A . 
     Connector  300  includes a body  303  and a tab portion  304  that extends longitudinally away from body  303  in a direction parallel to the length of the connector. In some embodiments, body  303  can be part of housing  210  of adapter  200  or can be a structural component of connector  300  that enables the connector to be attached to housing  210 . Additionally, in some embodiments, adapter  200  may include a cable that extends from housing  210  to connector  300  providing more flexibility for the plug connector to be mated with a portable media device. 
     Tab  304  is sized to be inserted into a corresponding receptacle connector, such as receptacle connector  114  of portable media player  110  shown in  FIG. 1 , during a mating event and includes a first contact region  306   a  formed on a first major surface  304   a  and a second contact region  306   b  (not shown in  FIG. 3 ) formed at a second major surface  304   b  (also not shown) opposite surface  304   a . Surfaces  304   a ,  304   b  extend from a distal tip of the tab to a spine  309  that, when tab  304  is inserted into a corresponding receptacle connector, abuts a housing of the receptacle connector or portable electronic device the receptacle connector is incorporated in. Tab  304  also includes first and second opposing side surfaces  304   c ,  304   d  that extend between the first and second major surfaces  304   a ,  304   b . In one particular embodiment, tab  304  is 6.6 mm wide, 1.5 mm thick and has an insertion depth (the distance from the tip of tab  304  to spine  309 ) of 7.9 mm. 
     The structure and shape of tab  304  is defined by a ground ring  305  that can be made from stainless steel or another hard conductive material. Connector  300  includes retention features  302   a ,  302   b  (not shown) formed as curved pockets in the sides of ground ring  305  that double as ground contacts. Body  303  is shown in  FIG. 3  in transparent form (via dotted lines) so that certain components inside the body are visible. As shown, within body  303  is a printed circuit board (PCB)  307  that extends into ground ring  305  between contact regions  306   a  and  306   b  towards the distal tip of connector  300 . One or more integrated circuits (ICs), such as Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chips  308   a  and  308   b , can be operatively coupled to PCB  307  to provide information regarding connector  300  and/or to perform specific functions, such as authentication, identification, contact configuration and current or power regulation. In a particular embodiment, chip  308   a  can be an identification device and chip  308   b  can be a power regulation/control device. 
     As an example, in one embodiment an ID module is embodied within an IC operatively coupled to the contacts of connector  300 . The ID module can be programmed with identification and configuration information about the connector and/or its associated accessory/adapter that can be communicated to a host device during a mating event. As another example, an authentication module programmed to perform an authentication routine, for example a public key encryption routine, with circuitry on the host device can be embodied within an IC operatively coupled to connector  300 . The ID module and authentication module can be embodied within the same IC or within different ICs. As still another example, in embodiments where adapter  200  enables an accessory to charge the host device connected to connector  300 , a current regulator can be embodied within one of IC&#39;s  308   a  or  308   b . The current regulator can be operatively coupled to contacts that are able to deliver power to charge a battery in the portable electronic device and regulate current delivered over those contacts to ensure a constant current regardless of input voltage and even when the input voltage varies in a transitory manner. 
     Bonding pads  310  can also be formed within body  303  near the end of PCB  307 . Each bonding pad can be connected to a contact or contact pair within regions  306   a  and  306   b . Wires (not shown) can then be soldered to the bonding pads to provide an electrical connection from the contacts to circuitry within an adapter. In some embodiments, however, bonding pads are not necessary and instead all electrical connections between the contacts and components of connector  300  and other circuitry within the adapter can be made through traces on a PCB that the circuitry is coupled to and/or by interconnects between multiple PCBs within the adapter. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3  eight external contacts  106 ( 1 ) . . .  106 ( 8 ) are spaced apart along a single row in contact region  306   a . A similar set of eight contacts are spaced apart along a single row in contact region  306   b . The two rows of contacts are directly opposite each other and each contact in contact region  306   a  is electrically connected to a corresponding contact in contact region  306   b  on the opposite side of the connector. Contacts  106 ( 1 ) . . .  106 ( 8 ) can be used to carry a wide variety of signals including digital signals and analog signals as well as power and ground. 
       FIG. 4  depicts one particular implementation of a pin-out for connector  300  according to one embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, connector  300  is reversible. In other words, depending on how connector  300  is mated with a corresponding receptacle connector, either contacts  106 ( 1 )- 106 ( 8 ) or contacts  106 ( 9 )- 106 ( 15 ) may be in physical connection with the contacts in the receptacle connector. The pin-out shown in  FIG. 4  includes two contacts  106 ( 4 ),  106 ( 13 ) that are electrically coupled together to provide power to a host device (e.g., the portable electronic device described herein) from the accessory; accessory ID contacts  106 ( 1 ) or  106 ( 12 ), accessory power contacts  106 ( 5 ) or  106 ( 16 ); and four pairs of data contacts  106 ( 2 ) and  106 ( 10 ),  106 ( 3 ) and  106 ( 11 ),  106 ( 6 ) and  106 ( 14 ), and  106 ( 7 ) and  106 ( 15 ). Host power contacts  106 ( 4 ),  106 ( 13 ) can be sized to handle any reasonable power requirement for a portable electronic device, and for example, can be designed to carry between 3-20 Volts from an accessory to charge a portable electronic device connected to connector  300 . Host power contacts  106 ( 4 ),  106 ( 13 ) are positioned in a center region of contact regions  306   a ,  306   b  to improve signal integrity by keeping power as far away as possible from the sides of ground ring  305 . 
     Accessory power contacts  106 ( 5 ) or  106 ( 16 ) can be used for an accessory power signal that provides power from the host to an accessory connected to the connector. The accessory power signal is typically a lower voltage signal than the host power signal provided over contacts  106 ( 4 ) or  106 ( 13 ), for example, 3.3 volts as compared to 5 volts or higher. Accessory ID contacts  106 ( 1 ) or  106 ( 12 ) provide a communication channel that enables the host device to authenticate the accessory and enables the accessory to communicate information to the host device about the accessory&#39;s capabilities as described in more detail below. 
     Data contact pairs  106 ( 2 ) and  106 ( 10 ),  106 ( 3 ) and  106 ( 11 ),  106 ( 6 ) and  106 ( 14 ), and  106 ( 7 ) and  106 ( 15 ) can be used to enable communication between the host and accessory using one or more of several different communication protocols. For example, data contacts  106 ( 2 ) and  106 ( 3 ) are positioned adjacent to and on one side of host power contact  106 ( 4 ), while data contacts  106 ( 14 ) and  106 ( 15 ) are positioned adjacent to but on the other side of the other host power contact  106 ( 13 ). The data contacts can be high speed data contacts that operate at rate that is two or three orders of magnitude faster than any signals sent over the accessory ID contact which makes the accessory ID signal look essentially like a DC signal to the high speed data lines. 
       FIG. 5  depicts cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a receptacle connector  500  that connector  300  can be coupled with. Receptacle connector  500  can, for example, be included in portable media player  110  as connector  114 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , receptacle connector  500  includes eight contacts  146 ( 1 ) . . .  146 ( 8 ) that are spaced apart in a single row. The contacts are positioned within a cavity  547  that is defined by a housing  542 . Receptacle connector  500  also includes side retention mechanisms (not shown) that engage with retention features  302   a ,  302   b  in connector  300  to secure connector  300  within cavity  547  once the connectors are mated. Receptacle connector  500  also includes two contacts  148 ( 1 ) and  148 ( 2 ) that are positioned slightly behind the row of signal contacts and can be used to detect when connector  300  is inserted within cavity  547  and detect when connector  300  exits cavity  547  when the connectors are disengaged from each other. 
     When tab  304  of connector  300  is fully inserted within cavity  547  of receptacle connector  500  during a mating event between the plug and receptacle connectors, each of contacts  106 ( 1 ) . . .  106 ( 8 ) from one of contact regions  106   a  or  106   b  are physically coupled to one of contacts  146 ( 1 ) . . .  146 ( 8 ) depending on the insertion orientation of connector  300  with respect to connector  500 . Thus, contact  146 ( 1 ) may be physically connected to either contact  106 ( 1 ) or  106 ( 16 ) depending on the insertion orientation; data contacts  146 ( 2 ),  146 ( 3 ) will connect with either data contacts  106 ( 2 ),  106 ( 3 ) or with data contacts  106 ( 14 ),  106 ( 15 ) depending on the insertion orientation, etc. 
       FIG. 6  is a functional block diagram of a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Portable electronic device  602  (e.g., implementing portable electronic device  130  of  FIG. 1 ) can provide computing, communication and/or media playback capability. Portable electronic device  602  can include a processor  610 , storage device  612 , user interface  614 , power manager  616 , network interface  618 , and accessory input/output (I/O) interface  620 . Portable electronic device  602  can also include other components (not explicitly shown) to provide various enhanced capabilities. 
     Storage device  612  can be implemented, e.g., using disk, flash memory, or any other non-transitory or non-volatile storage medium. In some embodiments, storage device  612  can store media assets such as audio, video, still images, or the like, that can be played by portable electronic device  602 . Storage device  612  can also store other information such as a user&#39;s contacts (names, addresses, phone numbers, etc.); scheduled appointments and events; notes; and/or other personal information. In some embodiments, storage device  612  can store one or more application programs to be executed by processor  610  (e.g., video game programs, personal information management programs, media playback programs, etc.). 
     User interface  614  can include input devices such as a touch pad, touch screen, scroll wheel, click wheel, dial, button, switch, keypad, microphone, or the like, as well as output devices such as a video screen, indicator lights, speakers, headphone jacks, or the like, together with supporting electronics (e.g., digital-to-analog or analog-to-digital converters, signal processors, or the like). A user can operate input devices of user interface  614  to invoke the functionality of portable electronic device  602  and can view and/or hear output from portable electronic device  602  via output devices of user interface  614 . 
     Processor  610 , which can be implemented as one or more integrated circuits (e.g., a conventional microprocessor or microcontroller), can control the operation of portable electronic device  602 . In some embodiments, single-core processors, multi-core processors, and/or multi-processor systems may be implemented. In various embodiments, processor  610  can execute a variety of programs in response to program code and can maintain multiple concurrently executing programs or processes. At any given time, some or all of the program code to be executed can be resident in processor  610  and/or in storage media such as storage device  612 . Processor  610  can also operate other programs to control other functions of portable electronic device  602 . In some embodiments, processor  610  implements a protocol daemon and other programs to manage communication with one or more connected accessories (e.g., adapter  150  and accessory  120 ); examples are described below. In other embodiments, processor  610  can determine the type of accessory connected to the adapter and based on that information instruct the adapter to enable a specific mode of the adapter. 
     Power manager  616  provides power management capability for portable electronic device  602 . For example, power manager  616  can deliver power from a battery (not explicitly shown) to accessory I/O interface  320  via line  617  and to other components of portable electronic device  602  (power connections not shown). Power manager  616  can also receive power via accessory I/O interface  620  and line  619  and deliver received power to various components of portable electronic device  602 ; power received from an accessory can also be delivered to the battery, thereby allowing the battery to be recharged via accessory I/O interface  620 . In some embodiments, power manager  616  can be implemented using programmable or controllable circuits operating in response to control signals generated by program code executing on processor  610  or as a separate microprocessor or microcontroller. 
     In some embodiments, power manager  616  is responsive to signals from a sensor (not explicitly shown) in accessory I/O interface  620 . The sensor can generate a signal indicative of the type of accessory connected, and power manager  616  can use this information to determine, e.g., whether to distribute power from the battery or power received from accessory I/O interface  620 . Power manager  616  can also provide other power management capabilities, such as regulating power consumption of other components of portable electronic device  602  based on the source and amount of available power, monitoring stored power in the battery and generating user alerts if the stored power drops below a minimum level, and so on. 
     Network interface  618  can provide voice and/or data communication capability for portable electronic device  602 . In some embodiments network interface  618  can include radio frequency (RF) transceiver components for accessing wireless voice and/or data networks (e.g., using cellular telephone technology, advanced data network technology such as 3G, EDGE, or  4 G (e.g., LTE network), WiFi (IEEE 802.11 family standards), or other mobile communication technologies, or any combination thereof), GPS receiver components, and/or other components. In some embodiments network interface  618  can provide wired network connectivity (e.g., Ethernet) in addition to or instead of a wireless interface. Network interface  618  can be implemented using a combination of hardware (e.g., antennas, modulators/demodulators, encoders/decoders, and other analog and/or digital signal processing circuits) and software components. 
     Accessory I/O interface  620  can allow portable electronic device  602  to communicate with various accessories. For example, accessory I/O interface  620  can support connections to an adapter, a computer, an external speaker dock or media playback station, a digital camera, a radio tuner (e.g., FM, AM and/or satellite), an in-vehicle entertainment system, an external video device, card reader, disc reader, or the like. In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, accessory I/O interface  620  can support connection to multiple accessories in a daisy chain configuration, allowing portable electronic device  602  to manage concurrent communication with multiple accessories. 
     In some embodiments, accessory I/O interface  620  can include a receptacle connector, such as a connector  500  as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , as well as supporting circuitry for the connector. The connector can provide connections for power and ground as well as for various wired communication interfaces such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire (IEEE 1394 standard), and/or universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART). The connector can also provide connections for audio and/or video signals, which may be transmitted to or from portable electronic device  602  in analog and/or digital formats. Thus, accessory I/O interface  620  can support multiple communication channels, and a given accessory can use any or all of these channels. 
       FIG. 7  is a functional block diagram of an accessory according to an embodiment of the present invention. Accessory  706  (e.g., implementing accessory  120  of  FIG. 2 ) can include controller  740 , user input device  742 , audio/video output device  744 , power manager  746 , power supply  748  and I/O interface  750 . Accessory  706  is representative of a broad range of accessories that can have their own functionality and be connected to portable electronic device  302  via an intermediary such as adapter  150 . Accessories can vary widely in capability, complexity, and form factor. Various accessories may include components not shown in  FIG. 7 , including but not limited to storage devices (disk, flash memory, etc.) with fixed or removable storage media; camera components such as lenses, image sensors, and controls for same (e.g., aperture, zoom, exposure time, frame rate, etc.); microphones for recording audio (either alone or in connection with video recording); and so on. 
     Controller  740  can include, e.g., a microprocessor or microcontroller executing program code to perform various operations associated with accessory  706 . For example, where accessory  706  incorporates a sound and/or video system, program code executed by controller  740  can include programs for digital audio decoding, analog or digital audio processing, and the like. 
     User input device  742  may include user-operable controls such as a touch pad, touch screen, scroll wheel, click wheel, dial, button, switch, keyboard, keypad, microphone, or the like. A user can operate the various input controls of user interface  734  to invoke functionality of accessory  706 , and such functionality may include exchanging control signals, data, or other communications with portable electronic device  602  either directly or via an intermediary such as adapter  150 . In some embodiments, the communications sent and received by accessory  706  can be independent of whether an intermediary is present. 
     In some embodiments, accessory  706  can also provide output devices such as audio/video output device  744 . In some embodiments, audio/video output device  744  can include speakers and/or connection ports for connecting external speakers or headphones; a video screen and/or a connection port for connecting an external video screen, indicator lights, or the like, together with supporting electronics (e.g., digital-to-analog or analog-to-digital converters, signal processors or the like). These components can be coupled to receive audio and/or video signals via I/O interface  750 . Such components can allow the user to view and/or hear output from accessory  706 . 
     Power manager  746  can provide power management capability for accessory  706 . For example, power manager  746  can be configured to receive power from a power supply  748 . In some embodiments, power supply  748  can include a connection to an external power source (e.g., the standard electric grid); for example, power supply  748  can include an AC-DC converter that can be internal or external to accessory  706 . In other embodiments, power supply  748  can include a battery or other energy storage device. Power manager  746  can deliver power from power supply  748  to various components of accessory  706 . In addition, in some embodiments, power manager  746  can deliver power to upstream accessories, e.g., adapter  150 , via I/O interface  750 . 
     I/O interface  750  can allow accessory  706  to communicate with portable electronic device  602  either directly or through an intermediary such as adapter  150 . In some embodiments, I/O interface  750  can include a connector that can mate directly with a connector included in adapter  150 , such as a 30-pin connector similar to the one found on various iPod® products. Such a connector can be used to supply power to portable electronic device  602  or receive power from portable electronic device  602 , to receive audio and/or video signals in analog and/or digital formats, and to communicate information via various interfaces such as USB, UART, and/or FireWire. All these signals can be communicated via an intermediary such as adapter  200  or  130 . 
     It will be appreciated that the system configurations and components described herein are illustrative and that variations and modifications are possible. The portable electronic device and/or the accessory may have other capabilities not specifically described herein (e.g., mobile phone, global positioning system (GPS), broadband data communication, Internet connectivity, etc.). 
       FIG. 8  is a high-level block diagram of an adapter  800  according to an embodiment of the present invention. Adapter  800  can be implemented, e.g., as adapter  200  of  FIG. 2 . Adapter  800  includes a housing  802 , a first connector  804 , a second connector  806 , a power control device  808 , an identification device  810 , and optional power clamping circuitry  812 . In an embodiment, all of these components are included in the single housing  802 . 
     Housing  802  can be made of plastic, metal, or any other suitable material. Although housing  802  is shown as rectangular in shape, it is to be understood that any other suitable shape may be used. Connector  804  can be same as connector  300  described above and be designed to mate with a corresponding connector of a portable electronic device, e.g., connector  114  of portable electronic device  110  of  FIG. 1 . Connector  806  can be configured to mate with a connector of an accessory (not shown). For example, connector  806  can be any of the currently available connectors used for connecting electronic devices (examples are described above). In a particular embodiment, connector  806  can be a μUSB connector. 
     Power control device  808  can be implemented as a single integrated circuit and may be designed to control a power path between an accessory connected to connector  806  and a portable electronic device connected to connector  804 . Power control device  808  may include a first high resistance path and a second low resistance path. In some embodiments, the high resistance path may be connected in parallel to the low resistance path. Based on a signal from identification device  810 , power control device  808  may enable one of the two paths in order to control the power path between the accessory and the portable electronic device. In some embodiments, the high resistance path may include a resistor having a fixed value. This enables accurate determination of a current passing through the high resistance path for a given voltage input to power control device  808 . In some embodiments, the low resistance path includes a switch (e.g., a transistor) that can be turned ‘on’ or ‘off’ as needed. When the transistor is in the ‘on’ condition, substantially all the voltage at the input of power control device  808  is available at the output of power control device  808 . 
     Identification device  810  can be implemented as a single integrated circuit. In some embodiments, identification device  810  and power control device  808  can be part of a single integrated circuit. Identification device  810  includes identification and authentication information for adapter  800  and/or an accessory connected to adapter  800 . Identification device  810  can communicate with a portable electronic device connected to connector  804  to exchange identification and authentication information with the portable electronic device. In some embodiments, identification information can include an identifier associated with the adapter such as a serial number, model number, manufacturer ID, etc. 
     Optional power clamping circuit  812  may ensure that any excess voltage at the input of power control circuitry  808  is held to maximum predetermined voltage so as to prevent damage to power control device  808 . For example, power control device  808  may be designed to accept 5 V maximum as input. Consider that due to some malfunction in an accessory connected to connector  806 , 20 V are presented to the input of power control device  808 . In this instance, power clamping circuitry dissipates the excess voltage and presents no more than 5 V at the input of power control device  808 . Without the presence of power control circuitry, the 20 V could pass to power control device  808  thereby damaging power control device  808 . 
     In order to explain the operation of adapter  800  consider that an accessory connected to connector  806  is a power supply and the portable electronic device connected to connector  804  is a mobile phone. After the connection of the accessory and the portable electronic device to adapter  800 , identification device  810  communicates with the portable electronic device to provide identification and authentication information about the adapter and/or the accessory to the portable electronic device. Concurrently or shortly thereafter, identification device  810  sends a signal to power control device  808  to enable the low resistance path. By default, the high resistance path is enabled by power control device  808  prior to receiving the signal from identification device  810 . Based on the signal received from the identification device, power control device  808  enables the low resistance path thereby enabling a power path between the accessory (power supply in this example) and the portable electronic device (mobile phone in this example). The accessory can now supply power to the portable electronic device via the adapter. The same process may be used when the cable adapter  130  of  FIG. 1  is used instead of adapter  800 . In some embodiments, adapter  800  is first authenticated by the portable electronic device prior to adapter enabling the power path. 
     It will be appreciated that the system configurations and components for adapter  800  described herein are illustrative and that variations and modifications are possible. The adapter may have other components not specifically described herein. Further, while the adapter is described herein with reference to particular blocks, it is to be understood that these blocks are defined for convenience of description and are not intended to imply a particular physical arrangement of component parts. Further, the blocks need not correspond to physically distinct components. Blocks can be configured to perform various operations, e.g., by programming a processor or providing appropriate control circuitry, and various blocks might or might not be reconfigurable depending on how the initial configuration is obtained. 
       FIG. 9  is a functional block diagram of an adapter  900  according to an embodiment of the present invention. Adapter  900  can be implemented as, e.g., adapter  200  of  FIG. 2B  or adapter  800  of  FIG. 8 . 
     Adapter  900  can include a housing  902  that houses connectors  804  and  806  along with other circuitry. In some embodiments, connector  906  can be a specialized connector, e.g., connector  300 , and connector  806  can be a μUSB connector or any other known electrical connector. For ease of explanation, in  FIG. 9 , connector  806  is illustrated as a μUSB connector with a power contact, a pair of data contacts Data  1  and Data  2 , and a ground contact. One skilled in the art will understand that connector  806  can have more or less contacts than the ones shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     Connector  804  can be mated with a complimentary connector of a host device  904 . Connector  804  can include power control circuitry  910 , identification (and optionally authentication) circuitry  912 , an optional power clamping circuit  918 , and an electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuit  914 . Power control circuitry  910  can be similar to power control device  808  of  FIG. 8  and perform a similar function. Identification circuitry  912  can be similar to identification device  810  of  FIG. 8  and perform a similar function. Power clamp circuit  918  can be similar to the power clamp circuit  812  of  FIG. 8  and perform a similar function. 
     ESD protection circuit  914  can be disposed in-line with the data lines to ensure that data transmission if free from corruption and disruption. ESD protection circuit  914  can be implemented using well-known techniques in the art and explanation of ESD protection circuit  914  is omitted here for brevity. 
     In a particular embodiment, an accessory, e.g., a personal computer, can be connected to connector  806  and a portable electronic device  904 , e.g., iPhone®, can be connected to connector  804 . The accessory can communicate with portable electronic device  904  via adapter  900  to exchange data over the two data contacts. In some embodiments, portable electronic device  904  may include additional circuitry  916  that can receive information from the accessory and perform appropriate processing on or using that information. In an embodiment, adapter  900  may authenticate itself and/or the accessory with portable electronic device  904  prior to any exchange of information or power between the accessory and portable electronic device  904 . 
     In some embodiments, the accessory may also supply charging power to portable electronic device  904  via adapter  900 . In this instance once the accessory and the portable electronic device are connected to adapter  900 , the adapter may send ID information and authentication information to portable electronic device  904 . Once the ID information is validated and adapter  900  is authenticated, identification circuitry  912  sends a signal to power control circuitry  910  to enable a power path between the accessory and portable electronic device  904 . Based on the signal, power control circuitry enables the power path and allows power to flow from the accessory to portable electronic device  904 , e.g., via the P_in line as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . 
     In the instance where the adapter is not characterized by a single integrated housing as described above, e.g., such as cable adapter  130  above, the power control device, the identification device, and optionally the power clamp circuitry may be included within the connector, e.g., connector  132  of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a functional block diagram of an adapter  1000  according to another embodiment of the present invention. Adapter  1000  can be implemented as, e.g., adapter cable  130  of  FIG. 1 . 
     Adapter  1000  includes a cable  1002  that has connector  804  attached to one end and connector  806  attached to the other end. Connectors  804  and  806  are similar to ones described in connection with  FIG. 9  above. In this embodiment, connector  804  can be coupled to a complimentary connector on portable electronic device  904  and connector  806  can be coupled to an accessory  1004 . In  FIG. 10 , accessory  1004  is illustrated as a power supply, but could be any other accessory. In this embodiment, connector  804  houses the power control circuit  910 , identification circuit  912 , and ESD protection circuit  914 . Power claim circuit  918  may be included in cable  1002  or in connector  804 . In some embodiments, cable  1002  can be between 1 meter and 2 meters long. 
       FIG. 11  is a flow diagram of a process  1100  for using an adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention. Process  1100  can be performed by any of adapters  900  or  1000 . 
     At block  1102 , the adapter can detect connection of a portable electronic device to a first connector of the adapter and an accessory to a second connector of the adapter. Upon connection of the portable electronic device and the accessory to the adapter, the adapter can provide identification information to the portable electronic device using, e.g., the identification device disposed in the adapter, at block  1104 . The adapter may also send authentication information to the portable electronic device. Thereafter, the identification device within the adapter may send a signal to the power control device within the adapter at block  1106 . Initially, the adapter is configured to present a limited current, e.g., about 15 mA, at the power input connection of the portable electronic device (e.g., via the P_in contact illustrated in  FIG. 9 ). As described above, the power input (i.e., P_in) connection is used to provide power from the accessory to the portable electronic device via the adapter. Thus, effectively a power path between the accessory and the portable electronic device is “disabled” as the portable electronic device cannot obtain the needed power from the accessory. The signal from the identification device may instruct the power control device to enable the power path between the accessory and the portable electronic device at block  1108 . The power control device can then enable the power path between the accessory thus enabling the portable electronic device to receive the needed current at the operating voltage (e.g., about 5 V) to enable the operation of the portable electronic device and/or to charge a battery of the portable electronic device. 
     It should be appreciated that the specific steps illustrated in  FIG. 11  provides a particular method of operating an adapter according to an embodiment of the present invention. Other sequences of steps may also be performed according to alternative embodiments. For example, alternative embodiments of the present invention may perform the steps outlined above in a different order. In some embodiments, the accessory may ensure that it has been authenticated by the host device prior to enabling the bias on the data contacts. Moreover, the individual steps illustrated in  FIG. 11  may include multiple sub-steps that may be performed in various sequences as appropriate to the individual step. Furthermore, additional steps may be added or removed depending on the particular applications. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize many variations, modifications, and alternatives. 
     Embodiments of the present invention can be realized using any combination of dedicated components and/or programmable processors and/or other programmable devices. The various processes described herein can be implemented on the same processor or different processors in any combination. Where components are described as being configured to perform certain operations, such configuration can be accomplished, e.g., by designing electronic circuits to perform the operation, by programming programmable electronic circuits (such as microprocessors) to perform the operation, or any combination thereof. Further, while the embodiments described above may make reference to specific hardware and software components, those skilled in the art will appreciate that different combinations of hardware and/or software components may also be used and that particular operations described as being implemented in hardware might also be implemented in software or vice versa. 
     Computer programs incorporating various features of the present invention may be encoded and stored on various computer readable storage media; suitable media include magnetic disk or tape, optical storage media such as compact disk (CD) or DVD (digital versatile disk), flash memory, and other non-transitory media. Computer readable media encoded with the program code may be packaged with a compatible electronic device, or the program code may be provided separately from electronic devices (e.g., via Internet download or as a separately packaged computer-readable storage medium). 
     Thus, although the invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20120907
Publication Date: 20161004
Grant Date: 20161004
Priority Date: 20120907
Inventors: RICH ZACHARY C.
SIAHAAN EDWARD
COLAHAN IAN
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F1/26", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R31/065", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2221/2153", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/32", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R31/065", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1632", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1632", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2221/2153", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/32", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H01R31/065", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F2221/2153", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1632", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/26", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 47679170