Test fixture and method of operating the same

Abstract

A test fixture and an operating method thereof. The test fixture is applicable to a stylus charging circuit of a portable electronic device. The test fixture includes a first connecting terminal, a second connecting terminal and a test circuit. The first connecting terminal is adapted to be connected to a charging terminal of the stylus charging circuit. The second connecting terminal is adapted to be connected to a connecting terminal of the portable electronic device. The test circuit is electrically connected to the first connecting terminal and the second connecting terminal. The test circuit generates a detection signal based on the first connecting terminal receiving a charging voltage from the stylus charging circuit, and provides the detection signal to the portable electronic device through the second connecting terminal, so that a processor of the portable electronic device judges the stylus charging circuit to be normally operated based on the received detection signal. Thus, the state of the stylus charging circuit can be fed back to the portable electronic device by using the detection signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a test fixture, and more particularly to a test fixture for a stylus charging circuit and its operating method. Background Technology

[0002] Nowadays, some portable electronic devices are equipped with touch screen interfaces to enhance ease of operation, and some even include rechargeable styluses to meet users' needs for real-time note-taking. Unlike portable electronic devices with magnetic or simple styluses as peripheral accessories, portable electronic devices with rechargeable styluses must have a dedicated charging circuit designed into the system so that the rechargeable stylus can receive charging voltage from the charging circuit when it is inserted into the system.

[0003] However, there is no feedback signal between the charging-side connector of the charging circuit and the rechargeable stylus in the system, making it impossible for the system to monitor the current power output status of the charging circuit. Therefore, once the portable electronic device system is assembled, it is impossible to know whether the charging circuit's charging function is normal, creating a quality control gap. Therefore, a testing method for the charging circuit of the rechargeable stylus is needed to remedy this quality control gap. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure provides a test fixture and its operation method, which can clearly indicate whether the stylus charging circuit of a portable electronic device is normal through indicator lights, and can provide a detection signal to the portable electronic device to provide feedback on the status of the stylus charging circuit to the portable electronic device.

[0005] The disclosed test fixture is applicable to the stylus charging circuit of a portable electronic device. The test fixture includes a first connection terminal, a second connection terminal, and a test circuit. The first connection terminal is adapted to connect to the charging terminal of the stylus charging circuit. The second connection terminal is adapted to connect to the connection terminal of the portable electronic device. The test circuit is electrically connected to the first and second connection terminals. The test circuit generates a detection signal based on the charging voltage received from the stylus charging circuit at the first connection terminal, and provides the detection signal to the portable electronic device via the second connection terminal, causing the processor of the portable electronic device to determine that the stylus charging circuit is operating normally based on the received detection signal.

[0006] In one embodiment disclosed herein, the test circuit includes a bipolar junction transistor having a base terminal, a collector terminal coupled to a second connection terminal, and a grounded emitter terminal; and a resistor coupled between the first connection terminal and the base terminal of the bipolar junction transistor.

[0007] In one embodiment disclosed herein, the test circuit further includes an indicator light, wherein the test circuit is activated based on the charging voltage received from the stylus charging circuit at the first connection terminal.

[0008] In one embodiment disclosed herein, the indicator light is coupled between the base terminal of a bipolar junction transistor and ground.

[0009] In one embodiment disclosed herein, the second connection end is a Universal Serial Bus connector, and the connection end is a Universal Serial Bus terminal.

[0010] In one embodiment disclosed herein, the detection signal is an overcurrent signal caused by the power supply pin and ground pin electrically connected to the Universal Serial Bus terminal.

[0011] In one embodiment disclosed herein, the charging end is a stylus charging slot adapted to accommodate a stylus. The first connecting end is elongated and adapted to be inserted into the stylus charging slot to contact the start switch of the stylus charging circuit and electrically connect to the charging side connector of the stylus charging circuit.

[0012] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the second connection terminal is adapted to receive a power supply voltage from the connection terminal of a portable electronic device.

[0013] The operation method of the test fixture disclosed herein includes the following steps: The first connector of the test fixture is inserted into the charging terminal of the stylus charging circuit of the portable electronic device. When the first connector receives a charging voltage from the stylus charging circuit, a detection signal is generated. The detection signal is then provided to the portable electronic device via the second connector of the test fixture.

[0014] In one embodiment disclosed herein, the operation method further includes an indicator light on a conduction test fixture based on the charging voltage received from the stylus charging circuit at the first connection terminal.

[0015] Based on the above, the test fixture and its operation method disclosed in this embodiment can clearly indicate whether the stylus charging circuit of the portable electronic device is normal through indicator lights, and can provide detection signals to the portable electronic device to provide feedback on the status of the stylus charging circuit to the portable electronic device.

[0016] To make the features and advantages disclosed herein more apparent and understandable, specific embodiments are described below, along with detailed descriptions in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a system for coupling a portable electronic device to a test fixture according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a system in which the charging end of a stylus charging circuit is inserted into the charging side connection end of a test fixture according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a circuit diagram of the test circuit of the test fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the operation method of the test fixture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] [List of Labels in the Attached Image]

[0022] 1: Portable electronic devices

[0023] 2: Connection end

[0024] 10: Stylus charging circuit

[0025] 11: Charging end

[0026] 12: Stylus power circuit

[0027] 100: Test fixture

[0028] 110: Charging side connection end

[0029] 120: Device-side connection end

[0030] 130: Test Circuit

[0031] CON1: Charging side connector

[0032] D1: Indicator Light

[0033] Q1: Bipolar junction transistor

[0034] R1: Resistor

[0035] S_PE: Power-on signal

[0036] Sat: Detection signal

[0037] SW1: Start Switch

[0038] Vch: Charging voltage

[0039] S410, S420, S430, S440, S450, S460, S470: Steps Detailed Implementation

[0040] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a system for coupling a test fixture to a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Please refer to... Figure 1In this embodiment, the test fixture 100 is suitable for testing the stylus charging circuit 10 of the portable electronic device 1, and includes a charging side connection terminal (corresponding to the first connection terminal) 110, a device side connection terminal (corresponding to the second connection terminal) 120 and a test circuit 130, wherein the test circuit 130 is electrically connected to the charging side connection terminal 110 and the device side connection terminal 120 through wires, and a processor (not shown) can be configured in the portable electronic device 1.

[0041] The charging-side connection terminal 110 is adapted to connect to (or be inserted into) the charging terminal 11 of the stylus charging circuit 10. The device-side connection terminal 120 is adapted to connect to (or be inserted into) the connection terminal 2 of the portable electronic device 1. The test circuit 130 has an indicator light D1, and when the test circuit 130 receives the charging voltage Vch from the stylus charging circuit 10 at the charging-side connection terminal 110, it generates a detection signal Sat, turns on the indicator light D1, and then provides the detection signal Sat to the portable electronic device 1 through the device-side connection terminal 120, so that the processor of the portable electronic device 1 can determine whether the stylus charging circuit 100 is operating normally based on whether the detection signal Sat is received, that is, it can feed back the status of the stylus charging circuit 10 to the portable electronic device 1. In some embodiments, the device-side connection terminal 120 is adapted to connect to the connection terminal 2 of the portable electronic device 1 to receive the power supply voltage from the connection terminal 2. That is, the portable electronic device 1 supplies power to the test fixture 100 through the connection of the connection terminal 2 and the device-side connection terminal 120.

[0042] Indicator D1 may be a light-emitting diode or a similar component, and this disclosure is not limited thereto. Thus, the test fixture 100 can clearly indicate whether the stylus charging circuit 10 of the portable electronic device 1 is functioning properly via indicator D1, and can feed back the status of the stylus charging circuit 10 to the portable electronic device via the detection signal Sat.

[0043] In this disclosed embodiment, the device-side connection terminal 120 can be a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connector, and connection terminal 2 is a USB port. In this case, the detection signal Sat can be an overcurrent signal caused by the electrical connection between the power supply pin (e.g., VBUS pin) and the ground pin of connection terminal 2. Conversely, the power switch or power multiplexer of connection terminal 2 will determine that an overcurrent has occurred on its power path and trigger a protection mechanism, sending an overcurrent signal back to the main system circuit (not shown) in the portable electronic device 1. The power multiplexer can send the signal back to the processor (not shown) in the portable electronic device 1 via internal integrated circuitry (I2C).

[0044] Next, the processor (not shown) in the portable electronic device 1 runs the corresponding application to check whether an overcurrent has occurred at the connection terminal 2. If an overcurrent has occurred at the connection terminal 2, it means that the connection terminal 2 has received a detection signal Sat; if no overcurrent has occurred at the connection terminal 2, it means that the connection terminal 2 has not received a detection signal Sat.

[0045] In this disclosed embodiment, when indicator D1 is lit but portable electronic device 1 does not receive detection signal Sat, it indicates that test fixture 100 is faulty; when indicator D1 is lit and portable electronic device 1 receives detection signal Sat, it indicates that stylus charging circuit 10 is normal, and the application running on portable electronic device 1 can be confirmed by overcurrent at connection terminal 2.

[0046] Based on the above, the test fixture 100 is used as an external attachment to test the stylus charging circuit 10 of the portable electronic device 1, and the indicator light D1 clearly indicates whether the stylus charging circuit 10 of the portable electronic device 1 is normal. This avoids adding extra components to the main system circuit (not shown) or system board (not shown) of the portable electronic device 10, thus effectively reducing the hardware cost of the portable electronic device 10. Furthermore, the test fixture 100 can be electrically connected to the connection terminal 2 of the portable electronic device 10 to notify the portable electronic device 10 whether the stylus charging circuit 10 is normal via the detection signal Sat. Moreover, by using an external attachment, the test fixture 10 can be reused on various portable electronic devices 1, further reducing the testing cost of the portable electronic device 1.

[0047] Figure 2 This is a system schematic diagram showing the charging terminal of a stylus charging circuit inserted into the charging side connection terminal of a test fixture according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Please refer to... Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this embodiment, the charging end 11 can be a stylus charging slot, which is adapted to accommodate a stylus. Furthermore, the charging-side connection end 110 is elongated (for example, the shape of the charging-side connection end 110 can be the same as that of the stylus) so that when the charging-side connection end 110 is inserted into the charging end 11 of the stylus charging circuit 10, it contacts the start switch SW1 of the stylus charging circuit 10 and electrically connects to the charging-side connector CON1 of the stylus charging circuit 10.

[0048] In the stylus charging circuit 10, when the charging-side connection terminal 110 activates the switch SW1, the switch SW1 generates a power-on signal S_PE. The stylus power circuit 12 responds to the power-on signal S_PE by providing a charging voltage Vch to the charging-side connector CON1, and then transmits the charging voltage Vch to the charging-side connection terminal 110. The power-on signal S_PE can be transmitted to the main system circuit (not shown) of the portable electronic device 1.

[0049] Figure 3 This is a circuit diagram of the test circuit of the test fixture according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Please refer to... Figure 1 and Figure 3 In this embodiment, the test circuit 130 includes an indicator light D1, a resistor R1, and a bipolar junction transistor Q1. The bipolar junction transistor Q1 has a base terminal, a collector terminal of the coupling device-side connection 120, and a grounded emitter terminal. The resistor R1 is coupled between the charging-side connection 110 and the base terminal of the bipolar junction transistor Q1. The indicator light D1 is coupled between the base terminal of the bipolar junction transistor Q1 and ground.

[0050] Based on the above, when the test circuit 130 receives the charging voltage Vch from the charging side connection terminal 110, the indicator light D1 will be turned on by the charging voltage Vch, and the current at the collector and emitter terminals of the bipolar junction transistor Q1 will increase due to the influence of the charging voltage Vch. When the current at the collector and emitter terminals of the bipolar junction transistor Q1 is too large, the bipolar junction transistor Q1 is effectively turned on, causing the voltage at the collector terminal of the bipolar junction transistor Q1 to drop to near the ground voltage.

[0051] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation method of the test fixture according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Please refer to... Figure 1 and Figure 4 In this embodiment, the operation method of the test fixture includes, for example, the following steps. In step S410, the charging side connection terminal 110 of the test fixture 100 is inserted into the charging terminal 11 of the stylus charging circuit 10 of the portable electronic device 1. Next, in step S420, it is determined whether the stylus charging circuit 10 is powered (i.e., whether it is providing charging voltage). When it is determined that the stylus charging circuit 10 is not providing charging voltage, the charging side connection terminal 110 will not receive charging voltage from the stylus charging circuit 10, and the indicator light D1 will not be turned on (i.e., will not light up), indicating that the stylus charging circuit is faulty (step S430); when it is determined that the stylus charging circuit 10 is providing charging voltage, the charging side connection terminal 110 will receive charging voltage from the stylus charging circuit 10, and the indicator light D1 will be turned on (i.e., will light up), indicating that the stylus charging circuit 10 is normal (step S440).

[0052] Next, in step S450, it is determined whether the test circuit 130 provides a detection signal to the portable electronic device 1 via the device-side connection terminal 120 of the test fixture based on the charging voltage. When the portable electronic device 1 does not receive a detection signal (e.g., the application does not confirm the occurrence of overcurrent), it indicates that the test fixture 100 is faulty (step S460); when the portable electronic device 1 receives a detection signal (e.g., the application confirms the occurrence of overcurrent), the portable electronic device 1 determines that the stylus charging circuit 10 is normal based on the detection signal (step S470). The order of steps S410, S420, S430, S440, S450, S460, and S470 is for illustrative purposes only, and this disclosed embodiment is not limited thereto. Furthermore, details of steps S410, S420, S430, S440, S450, S460, and S470 can be found in [reference needed]. Figures 1 to 3 As shown in the examples, they will not be repeated here.

[0053] In summary, this invention discloses a test fixture and its operating method, which can clearly indicate whether the stylus charging circuit of a portable electronic device is normal through indicator lights, and can provide detection signals to the portable electronic device to provide feedback on the status of the stylus charging circuit.

[0054] Although this disclosure has been presented above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit this disclosure. Any person skilled in the art may make some changes and modifications without departing from the concept and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure shall be determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A test fixture suitable for a stylus charging circuit of a portable electronic device, characterized in that, include: A first connection terminal is adapted to be connected to a charging terminal of the stylus charging circuit; A second connection terminal, adapted to be connected to a connection terminal of the portable electronic device; as well as A test circuit is electrically connected to the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal. The test circuit generates a detection signal based on a charging voltage received from the stylus charging circuit at the first connection terminal, and provides the detection signal to the portable electronic device via the second connection terminal. This causes a processor in the portable electronic device to determine that the stylus charging circuit is operating normally based on the received detection signal. The second connection terminal is adapted to receive a power supply voltage from the connection terminal of the portable electronic device.

2. The test fixture as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The test circuit includes: A bipolar junction transistor has a base terminal, a collector terminal coupled to the second connection terminal, and an emitter terminal grounded; and A resistor is coupled between the first connection terminal and the base terminal of the bipolar junction transistor.

3. The test fixture as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The test circuit also includes an indicator light, which is activated by the test circuit based on the charging voltage received from the stylus charging circuit at the first connection terminal.

4. The test fixture as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The indicator light is coupled between the base terminal of the bipolar junction transistor and ground.

5. The test fixture as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The second connection end is a Universal Serial Bus connector, and the connection end is a Universal Serial Bus terminal.

6. The test fixture as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The detection signal is an overcurrent signal caused by an electrical connection between a power supply pin and a ground pin of the Universal Serial Bus.

7. The test fixture as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The charging end is a stylus charging slot adapted to accommodate a stylus. The first connecting end is elongated and adapted to be inserted into the stylus charging slot to contact a start switch of the stylus charging circuit and a charging side connector electrically connected to the stylus charging circuit.

8. An operating method applicable to a test fixture, characterized in that, The operation method includes: Insert a first connection end of the test fixture into a charging end of a stylus charging circuit of a portable electronic device; A detection signal is generated based on a charging voltage received from the charging terminal at the first connection terminal; and The detection signal is provided to a connection terminal of the portable electronic device via a second connection terminal of the test fixture. The second connection terminal is adapted to receive a power supply voltage from the connection terminal of the portable electronic device.

9. The operating method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, Also includes: The first connection terminal receives the charging voltage from the stylus charging circuit and activates an indicator light on the test fixture.

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