An in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system and an operating method thereof

Abstract

The disclosure relates to an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system and an operating method thereof. Disclosed is an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system connected to a USB device through a USB cable. The IVI system includes a USB charging unit outputting internal electric power for low-speed charging, a switching unit outputting external electric power for high-speed charging, and a microcontroller unit determining a USB connector type of the USB device according to a connector identification signal received from the USB device through the USB cable, and controlling operations of the USB charging unit and the switching unit according to a result of determining the USB connector type to transmit the internal electric power or the external electric power to the USB device through the USB cable.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0146095, filed on October 28, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This invention relates to a charging technology performed by an infotainment system for vehicles that uses different types of USB devices as an intermediary medium. Background Technology

[0004] Most recently released vehicles include an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system. In addition to audio, video, and navigation functions, this infotainment system can also provide charging capabilities for external devices.

[0005] To provide charging capabilities for external devices, the infotainment system can connect to external devices via a USB device, which acts as a gender connector. In other words, the battery in the external device can be charged from power supplied by the infotainment system via an intermediary medium such as a USB device.

[0006] The USB device used for gender-specific purposes does not have a charging function and is only used to bypass the power supplied from the infotainment system and charging-related data.

[0007] Infotainment systems and USB devices are connected via USB cables, and due to the voltage drop of USB cables, it is difficult to charge them quickly beyond 3 amps (A).

[0008] In addition, external devices and USB devices are primarily connected via USB Type-C charging cables for charging. Therefore, USB devices are designed with USB Type-C connectors that can be connected to USB Type-C charging cables. However, USB Type-C connectors cannot meet the charging current standard of 3 amps (A) or higher for high-speed charging. Summary of the Invention

[0009] One aspect of the present invention relates to providing an in-vehicle infotainment system that can be connected to different types of USB devices, regardless of the connector type of the USB devices, to provide high-speed or low-speed charging as desired by the user, and a method for connecting different types of USB devices to the infotainment system.

[0010] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present application, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a charging method performed by an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system including a USB charging unit that transmits internal power for low-speed charging to a USB device through a USB cable, and a switching unit that transmits external power for high-speed charging to the USB device through the USB cable, the method including determining, by a microcontroller unit included in the IVI system, a USB connector type of the USB device according to a connector identification signal received from the USB device, and controlling, by the microcontroller unit, operations of the USB charging unit and the switching unit to transmit the internal power or the external power to the USB device through the USB cable according to a result of determining the USB connector type.

[0011] In another aspect of the present application, there is provided an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system including a USB charging unit that outputs internal power for low-speed charging, a switching unit that outputs external power for high-speed charging, and a microcontroller unit that determines a USB connector type of a USB device according to a connector identification signal received from the USB device through a USB cable, and controls operations of the USB charging unit and the switching unit to transmit the internal power or the external power to the USB device through the USB cable according to a result of determining the USB connector type.

[0012] When the USB connector type is determined to be a USB A TYPE (also referred to as a USB TYPE A) that supports low-speed charging, the USB charging unit can be enabled according to an enable signal from the microcontroller unit, and the enabled USB charging unit transmits the internal power to the USB device through a power supply line included in the USB cable.

[0013] When the USB connector type is determined to be the USB A TYPE that supports low-speed charging, the switching unit can perform an off operation according to a control signal from the microcontroller unit to cut off a connection between the external power and the power supply line included in the USB cable.

[0014] When the USB connector type is determined to be a USB C TYPE (also referred to as a USB TYPE C) that supports high-speed charging, the USB charging unit can be disabled according to a disable signal from the microcontroller unit, and an operation mode of the disabled USB charging unit can be switched to a bypass mode in which a charging operation is not performed.

[0015] When the USB connector type is determined to be the USB C TYPE that supports high-speed charging, the switching unit can perform an on operation according to a control signal from the microcontroller unit to transmit the external power to the power supply line included in the USB cable.

[0016] The IVI system can further include a connector connected to the USB device through the USB cable, and an ideal diode including a positive terminal connected to a USB charging unit and a negative terminal connected to the connector, wherein the ideal diode can be used to cut off current flowing to the USB charging unit to prevent the USB charging unit from being damaged by external power when the external power output from the switching unit is transmitted to a power supply line connecting the negative terminal to the connector under the control of the microcontroller unit.

[0017] The IVI system can further include a current sensor sensing a current value flowing in a power supply line included in the USB cable, wherein the microcontroller unit can diagnose a connector connection state between the connector of the USB device and the connector of the infotainment system based on the USB cable and based on the current value.

[0018] The USB cable can be a USB 2.0 cable.

[0019] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present application are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the application as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of an entire system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 2 is a block diagram schematically showing a configuration of an entire system according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing a charging method performed by an infotainment system using different types of USB devices as an intermediate medium according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so as to be easily practiced by one of ordinary skill in the art. However, the present application can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. However, the present application can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description of the present application will be omitted for the sake of clarity. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification. Also, in providing the description with reference to the drawings, although elements are denoted by the same name, the reference numerals referring to the elements can change and the reference numerals are described only for the convenience of the description. It should not be construed that the concept, features, functions, or effects of the elements are limited by the reference numerals.

[0024] Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of an entire system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] Referring to Figure 1 , the entire system according to an embodiment of the present application includes a vehicle infotainment system 100 (hereinafter referred to as "infotainment system") and a USB device 200.

[0026] The infotainment system 100 is a system built into a dashboard of a vehicle, and can be referred to as an "audio, video, navigation (AVN) unit" or a "head unit".

[0027] The infotainment system 100 provides an operation function related to driving of a vehicle and a charging function in addition to an audio function, a video function, and a navigation function, and the present application focuses on the charging function among the functions provided by the infotainment system 100.

[0028] The USB device 200 can be referred to as a kind of USB gender that connects an external device such as a smartphone to the vehicle infotainment system 100. The USB device 200 transmits charging power provided from the infotainment system 100 to the external device (for example, a smartphone).

[0029] The USB device 200 supports high-speed charging or low-speed charging according to a connector type connected to the external device. For example, when the USB connector type is USB A TYPE (also referred to as USB TYPE A), the USB device 200 supports low-speed charging, and when the USB connector type is USB C TYPE (also referred to as USB TYPE C), the USB device 200 supports high-speed charging.

[0030] The infotainment system 100 can selectively support any one of high-speed charging and low-speed charging without changing a design. That is, high-speed charging and low-speed charging can be supported regardless of a connector type of the USB device 200 (a connector type connected to the external device).

[0031] To this end, the infotainment system 100 can include a central processing unit (CPU) 110, a power supply unit 120, a USB charging unit 130, an ideal diode 140, a switching unit 150, a microcontroller (MCU) 160, a current sensor 170, and a connector 180.

[0032] The CPU 110 controls and manages an operation of at least one peripheral component among the peripheral components 120 to 180. To this end, the CPU 110 exchanges data with the at least one component and processes data received from the at least one component.

[0033] The power supply unit 120 is a device that outputs power for low-speed charging of an external device (e.g., a smartphone) connected to the USB device 200 via the USB device 200, and can output power of, for example, 5V for low-speed charging.

[0034] The USB charging unit 130 is enabled or disabled according to an enable (EA) signal or a disable (DA) signal from the MCU 160.

[0035] When the USB charging unit 130 is enabled, the USB charging unit 130 transmits power (e.g., 5V power for low-speed charging) supplied from the power supply unit 120, while transmitting USB communication data (e.g., data related to charging) transmitted from the CPU 110 to an external device (not shown) connected to the USB connector 240 of the USB device 200 via the USB device 200. Here, the USB charging unit 130 can configure the USB communication data to include information related to the maximum charging current that can be supplied during low-speed charging or high-speed charging, and transmit the USB communication data to the external device.

[0036] Although not shown, the USB charging unit 130 can include, for example, a power converter and a controller for controlling the power converter.

[0037] The power converter steps up or steps down the low-speed charging output from the power supply unit 120 under the control of the controller. The controller is used to control the power converter, appropriately process the USB communication data transmitted from the CPU 110, and transmit the processed USB communication data to the external device via the USB device 200. At this time, the controller configures the USB communication data to include information related to the maximum charging current, and transmits the USB communication data to the external device via the USB device 200, thereby notifying the external device of the maximum charging current that the USB charging unit can supply.

[0038] When the USB charging unit 130 is disabled, the USB charging unit 130 does not perform a charging operation (e.g., a low-speed charging operation), and bypasses data related to charging exchanged with the USB device 200 or an external device connected to the USB connector 240 of the USB device 200. That is, the disabled USB charging unit 130 operates in a bypass mode.

[0039] The ideal diode 140 is a semiconductor device connected between the USB charging unit 130 and the connector 180. The anode of the ideal diode 140 is connected to the USB charging unit 130, and the cathode of the ideal diode 140 is connected to the connector 180.

[0040] When a forward bias voltage is applied across both ends of the ideal diode 140, current flows from the anode to the cathode without a voltage drop, and conversely, when a reverse bias voltage is applied across both ends, no current flows. That is, when the electrical energy for low-speed charging output from the USB charging unit 130 is applied to the anode of the ideal diode 140, the electrical energy for low-speed charging is transmitted to the connector 180 without a voltage drop.

[0041] When external electrical energy higher than the electrical energy for low-speed charging is applied to the cathode of the ideal diode 140, no current flows, thereby preventing the USB charging unit 130 from being damaged by an overvoltage associated with the external electrical energy. Meanwhile, the external electrical energy can be electrical energy used during high-speed charging, and can be, for example, 12V electrical energy.

[0042] The ideal diode 140 can be replaced with a field effect transistor (FET) having a body diode, and the FET can perform a switching operation according to a control signal from the MCU 160, which will be described later. If the USB charging unit 130 can be protected from an overvoltage in a disabled state, the ideal diode 140 can be excluded from the design.

[0043] The switching unit 150 is a device that transmits external electrical energy applied from an external electrical energy device (not shown) to an electrical energy line connecting the cathode of the ideal diode 140 and the connector 180. Here, the external electrical energy device can be, for example, a vehicle battery that provides 12V electrical energy.

[0044] The switching unit 150 performs a switching operation (an on operation or an off operation) in response to a control signal (EN: enable) from the MCU 160. According to the switching operation, the switching unit 150 can transmit external electrical energy for high-speed charging to the electrical energy line connecting the cathode of the ideal diode 140 and the connector 180.

[0045] Since the external electrical energy for high-speed charging is not transmitted to the USB charging unit 130 through the ideal diode 140, it is transmitted to the USB device 200 through the USB cable 50, which will be described later.

[0046] The MCU 160 generates a control signal (CS) for controlling the switching operation of the above-described switching unit 150 according to a charging mode signal received from an external device. The charging mode signal includes a high-speed charging mode signal indicating high-speed charging and a low-speed charging mode signal indicating low-speed charging.

[0047] When the MCU 160 receives a high-speed charging mode signal from an external device, the MCU 160 transmits a control signal CS for instructing a turn-on operation of the switching unit 150 to the switching unit 150, and when the MCU 160 receives a low-speed charging mode signal from the external device, the MCU 160 transmits a control signal CS for instructing a turn-off operation of the switching unit 150 to the switching unit 150.

[0048] The switching unit 150 performs a turn-on operation according to the control signal CS for instructing a turn-on operation from the MCU 160, and transmits external electric power for high-speed charging to the electric power line connected to the negative electrode of the ideal diode 140 and the connector 180.

[0049] The switching unit 150 cuts off the transmission of external electric power for high-speed charging by performing a turn-off operation according to the control signal CS for instructing a turn-off operation from the MCU 160. When the transmission of external electric power for high-speed charging is cut off, the electric power for low-speed charging output from the electric power supply unit 120 can be transmitted to the USB device 200 through the ideal diode 140 and the connector 180.

[0050] The external device that provides a charging mode signal can be a wire harness connected to a vehicle body or a chassis. In this case, the vehicle body or the chassis serves as a ground. In this case, the charging mode signal is used as a ground signal, and the ground signal is used as a charging mode signal indicating high-speed charging.

[0051] In a state in which the MCU 160 and the wire harness are not connected, the MCU 160 transmits a control signal CS for instructing a turn-off operation to the switching unit 150, thereby cutting off the transmission of external electric power for high-speed charging.

[0052] Therefore, the infotainment system 100 performs high-speed charging when connected to a vehicle body or a chassis through a wire harness, and performs low-speed charging when not connected to a vehicle body or a chassis through a wire harness.

[0053] The MCU 160 can generate a control signal CS for controlling a switching operation of the above-described switching unit 150 according to a connector recognition signal received from the USB device 200. The connector recognition signal is a signal for recognizing a USB connector type supported by the USB device 200, and includes a connector recognition signal indicating a USB A TYPE and a connector recognition signal indicating a USB C TYPE.

[0054] The USB device 200 having the USB connector 240 of the USB A TYPE supports low-speed charging, and the USB device 200 having the USB connector 240 of the USB C TYPE supports high-speed charging.

[0055] The MCU 160 transmits a control signal for instructing an off operation to the switch unit 150 according to a connector identification signal indicating a USB A TYPE, and transmits a control signal for instructing an on operation to the switch unit 150 according to a connector identification signal indicating a USB C TYPE.

[0056] The MCU 160 detects connector type information (or charging type information) of the USB device 200 according to the connector identification signal received from the USB device 200, and transmits the detected connector type information to the CPU 110.

[0057] The CPU 110 generates USB communication data including the connector type information (or charging type information) from the MCU 160, and transmits the generated USB communication data to the USB charging unit 130.

[0058] The USB charging unit 130 is configured to further include maximum charging current information according to the connector type information (or charging type information) in the USB communication data transmitted from the CPU 110, and then transmit the maximum charging current information to an external device (for example, a smartphone) connected to the USB device 200.

[0059] Further, when the MCU 160 recognizes a case where high-speed charging is required according to the connector identification signal or the charging mode signal, the MCU 160 transmits a disable signal DEN for switching an operation mode of the USB charging unit 130 (or a controller of the USB charging unit 130) to a bypass mode to the USB charging unit 130.

[0060] When the USB charging unit 130 is switched to the bypass mode, the USB charging unit 130 is only used to transmit data transmitted from the USB charging unit 230 in the USB device 200 described later to the CPU 110 as it is. That is, the USB charging unit 130 switched to the bypass mode does not perform any processing and charging-related operations on the data transmitted from the USB charging unit 230 in the USB device 200.

[0061] Therefore, the reason for switching the USB charging unit 130 to the bypass mode is to prevent the data communication line 54 connecting the USB charging unit 130 and the USB charging unit 230 in the USB device 200 from being deteriorated due to mutual interference of the USB charging unit 130 and the USB charging unit 230.

[0062] When the connector 180 of the infotainment system 100 and the connector 210 of the USB device 200 are connected, the current sensor 170 senses the connector connection state. For example, the current sensor 170 senses a current value flowing through the power supply line 52 included in the USB cable 50 described later, and transmits the sensed value to the MCU 160.

[0063] The MCU 160 can diagnose the connector connection state between the infotainment system 100 and the USB device 200 based on the sensed value transmitted from the current sensor 170, and provide the diagnosis result to the user. For example, when the sensed value is less than a reference value, the MCU 160 can diagnose the connector connection state as an abnormal state, and in the opposite case, the MCU 160 can diagnose the connector connection state as a normal state. The diagnosis result can be displayed through a display device (not shown) provided in the infotainment system 100.

[0064] Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, the MCU 160 generates the control signal CS and the enable signal EN / disable signal DEN for controlling the switching operation of the switching unit 150 based on the connector identification signal or the charging mode signal, but the MCU 160 can also generate the control signal CS and the enable signal EN / disable signal DEN according to a user input input through the display device. In this case, the display device can display an input button for selecting high-speed charging or low-speed charging.

[0065] Hereinafter, the internal configuration of the USB device 200 will be described.

[0066] The USB device 200 includes a connector 210, a virtual load 220, a USB charging unit 230, and a USB connector 240.

[0067] The connector 210 is connected to the connector 180 of the infotainment system 100 through the USB cable 50. Here, the USB cable 50 can be, for example, a low-cost USB 2.0 cable. In this case, the infotainment system 100 and the USB device 200 perform data communication based on the USB 2.0 communication method.

[0068] Accordingly, the present application provides the effect of supporting both low-speed charging and high-speed charging using a low-cost USB 2.0 cable, regardless of the USB connector specification of the USB device 200.

[0069] The USB cable 50 includes a power supply line 50, a data communication line 54, and a ground line 56.

[0070] The infotainment system 100 can transmit electric power (e.g., 5V) for low-speed charging or electric power (e.g., 12V) for high-speed charging to the USB device 200 through the electric power supply line 50. The electric power supply unit 120, the USB charging unit 130, and the ideal diode 140 included in the infotainment system 100 and the USB charging unit 230 included in the USB device 200 are connected through the electric power supply line 50.

[0071] The infotainment system 100 and the USB charging unit 230 can exchange charging-related data through the data communication line 54. For example, the USB charging unit 130 can transmit a maximum charging current value to the USB charging unit 230 through the data communication line 54.

[0072] The CPU 110, the USB charging unit 130, and the USB charging unit 230 are connected through the data communication line 54.

[0073] In addition, the USB cable 50 can further include an additional line for transmitting a connector recognition signal to the MCU 160 included in the infotainment system 100. Alternatively, the connector recognition signal can be transmitted to the MCU 160 through the data communication line 54, in which case the design of the additional line is unnecessary.

[0074] The dummy load 220 is connected to the electric power supply line connecting the connector 210 to the USB charging unit 230 and is used to constantly consume current flowing through the electric power supply line to diagnose the connector connection state. The dummy load 220 can be, for example, a resistor.

[0075] Although not shown, the USB charging unit 230 can include an electric power converter and a controller.

[0076] The electric power converter converts (steps up or steps down) electric power for low-speed charging or electric power for high-speed charging transmitted from the infotainment system 100 through the connector 210 under the control of the controller and transmits the converted electric power to an external device (e.g., a smartphone) connected to the USB connector 240.

[0077] The controller controls the operation of the electric power converter while exchanging charging-related data (e.g., a maximum charging current value, a connector recognition signal, etc.) with the CPU 100 or the USB charging unit 130 included in the infotainment system 100 and transmits the exchanged data to an external device connected to the USB connector 240.

[0078] The USB connector 240 is a connector for connecting the USB device 200 and an external device (e.g., a smartphone) and can be a USB A TYPE supporting low-speed charging or a USB C TYPE supporting high-speed charging.

[0079] Figure 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of an overall system according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0080] Referring to Figure 2 , the overall system according to another embodiment of the present application includes an infotainment system 100' and a USB device 200'.

[0081] The infotainment system 100' according to another embodiment of the present application is the same as the infotainment system 100 illustrated in Figure 1 . Accordingly, the description of the infotainment system 100' according to another embodiment of the present application is replaced by the description of the infotainment system 100 illustrated in Figure 1 .

[0082] However, the USB device 200' according to another embodiment of the present application is different from the USB device 200 illustrated in Figure 1 in that it does not include a module such as the USB charging unit 230 illustrated in Figure 1 , but operates as a bypass type.

[0083] Since the USB device 200' operating as a bypass type does not include a special hardware component, the USB device 200' has a small size, and can be used as a USB device that occupies the smallest space in a vehicle.

[0084] The MCU 160 detects the USB connector type of the USB device 200' based on any one of the connector identification signal received from the USB device 200' operating as a bypass type, the charging mode signal received from the wire harness, and the user input.

[0085] The MCU 160 controls the switching operation of the switching unit 150 according to the detected USB connector type, and simultaneously enables or disables the USB charging unit 130.

[0086] In addition, the MCU 160 configures the detected USB connector type as USB connector type information, and transmits the USB connector type information to the CPU 110, which transmits the maximum current value that can be supplied during low-speed charging or high-speed charging to an external device (e.g., a smartphone) connected to the USB connector of the USB device 200'.

[0087] Accordingly, even when the infotainment system 100' according to another embodiment of the present application is connected with the USB device 200' operating as a bypass type, low-speed charging or high-speed charging can be freely selected to perform charging on an external device (e.g., a smartphone) connected to the USB device 200'.

[0088] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing a charging method performed by a car infotainment system using different types of USB devices as an intermediate medium according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0089] Referring to Figure 3 In step S310, the connector 180 of the car infotainment system 100 and the connector 210 of the USB device 200 are connected by the USB cable 50.

[0090] Next, in step S320, the MCU 160 determines the USB connector type of the USB connector 240 included in the USB device 200 according to the connector identification signal received from the USB device 200 through the USB cable 50.

[0091] Next, in step S330, the MCU 160 controls the operation of the USB charging unit 130 and the switching unit 150 to transmit internal power or external power to the USB device 200 through the USB cable 50 according to the result of determining the USB connector type.

[0092] In an embodiment, after step S330, when the USB connector type is determined to be USB A TYPE supporting low-speed charging, a step of enabling the USB charging unit 130 under the control of the MCU 160 and a step of transmitting internal power from the enabled USB charging unit 130 to the USB device 200 through the power supply line 52 included in the USB cable 50 can be further performed.

[0093] In an embodiment, before or after the step of controlling the operation of the USB charging unit 130 and the switching unit 150, when the USB connector type is determined to be USB C TYPE supporting high-speed charging, a step of disabling the USB charging unit 130 under the control of the MCU and a step of performing a conduction operation for the switching unit 150 under the control of the MCU 160 to transmit external power to the USB device 200 through the power supply line 52 included in the USB cable 50 can be further performed.

[0094] In an embodiment, the step of disabling the USB charging unit under the control of the microcontroller unit can include switching the operation mode of the USB charging unit to a bypass mode in which no charging operation is performed.

[0095] In an embodiment, the in-vehicle infotainment system further includes a central processing unit, and can further perform: a step of transmitting, by the MCU, the result of determining the USB connector type to the CPU, and a step of transmitting, by the CPU, a maximum charging current value that can be provided in the low-speed charging or the high-speed charging to the USB device 200 and an external device (e.g., a smartphone) connected to the USB device 200 through the data communication line included in the USB cable based on the result of determining the USB connector type.

[0096] In an embodiment, the in-vehicle infotainment system can further include a current sensor 170, and before the step of determining the USB connector type of the USB device 200, can further perform: a step of sensing, by the current sensor 170, a current value, sensing a current value flowing in the USB cable 50 in a state in which the connector 180 of the infotainment system 100 and the connector 210 of the USB device 200 are connected to the MCU 160 through the USB cable 50; and a step of diagnosing, by the MCU, a connector connection state between the connector 180 of the infotainment system 100 and the connector 210 of the USB device 200 based on the current value.

[0097] In an embodiment, the step of transmitting, by the MCU 160, information indicating the connector connection state to the CPU 110, and the step of converting, by the CPU 110, the information indicating the connector connection state into visual information and displaying the visual information on a display device (not shown) included in the in-vehicle infotainment system 100 can be further performed.

[0098] According to the present application, the in-vehicle infotainment system can freely perform a user-desired low-speed or high-speed charging on an external device (e.g., a smartphone) connected to a USB device of a different type regardless of a connector type (or a charging type) of the USB device of the different type.

[0099] The above-described method can be implemented as a hardware module executed by a processor, a software module, or a combination thereof. Here, the processor can include at least one GPU or at least one CPU.

[0100] The software module can reside in a storage medium (i.e., a memory and / or a storage device) such as a RAM memory, a flash memory, a ROM memory, an EPROM memory, an EEPROM memory, a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM.

[0101] For example, the storage medium can be connected to the processor, and the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium can be integrated with the processor.

[0102] The processor and the storage medium can reside within an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC can reside within a vehicle.

[0103] For the sake of clarity, the example methods of the present disclosure are presented as a series of operations, but are not intended to be limited to the order presented, and each step can be performed simultaneously with, or in a different order than, the other steps if desired.

[0104] The example embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not limiting. The scope of the present application is shown in the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope of equivalents are included in the present application.

Claims

1. A method of operating an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system, the IVI system connected to a USB device through a USB cable, the IVI system comprising: (1) a USB charging unit configured to transmit internal electrical power of the IVI system to the USB device through the USB cable for low-speed USB charging; and (2) a switch unit configured to transmit external electrical power that has been transmitted to the IVI system to the USB device through the USB cable for high-speed USB charging, the method comprising: receiving connector identification data from the USB device through the USB cable; determining a connector type of the USB device based on the received connector identification data; and controlling the USB charging unit and the switch unit to transmit the internal electrical power or the external electrical power to the USB device through the USB cable according to the determined connector type of the USB device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Controlling the USB charging unit and the switch unit includes controlling the USB charging unit to transmit the internal electrical power to the USB device through a power supply line of the USB cable in response to determining that the connector type of the USB device is USB TYPE A.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, Controlling the USB charging unit and the switch unit further includes controlling the switch unit to disconnect electrical power transmission between the external electrical power and the power supply line of the USB cable in response to determining that the connector type of the USB device is USB TYPE A.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, Controlling the USB charging unit and the switch unit includes: disabling the USB charging unit in response to determining that the connector type of the USB device is USB TYPE C; and controlling the switch unit to transmit the external electrical power to the USB device through the power supply line of the USB cable.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein, Disabling the USB charging unit includes controlling the USB charging unit to operate in a bypass mode.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a maximum charging current value that can be used for low-speed charging or high-speed charging based on the determined connector type of the USB device; and transmitting data including the determined maximum charging current value to the USB device and an external device connected to the USB device through a data communication line of the USB cable.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein: the IVI system further includes a current sensor and a first connector, the USB device includes a second connector, the USB cable is connected between the first connector and the second connector, and the method further includes: controlling the current sensor to detect a current value of a current flowing through the USB cable; and diagnosing a connector connection between the first connector and the second connector based on the detected current value.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying information indicating the diagnosed connector connection between the first connector and the second connector through a display of the IVI system.

9. An in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system, comprising: a USB charging unit configured to transfer internal electric power of the IVI system for low-speed charging; a switch unit configured to transfer external electric power, which has been transferred to the IVI system, for high-speed charging; and a controller configured to: receive connector identification data from a USB device through a USB cable connected between the IVI system and the USB device; determine a connector type of the USB device based on the received connector identification data; and control the USB charging unit and the switch unit to transfer the internal electric power or the external electric power to the USB device through the USB cable according to the determined connector type of the USB device. The controller is further configured to control the USB charging unit to transfer the internal electric power to the USB device through a power supply line of the USB cable in response to determining that the connector type is USB TYPE A. The controller is further configured to control the switch unit to disable an electric power transfer connection between the external electric power and the power supply line of the USB cable in response to determining that the connector type is USB TYPE A.

10. The IVI system of claim 9, wherein, The controller is further configured to control the USB charging unit to operate in a bypass mode in response to determining that the connector type is USB TYPE C.

11. The IVI system of claim 9, wherein, The controller is further configured to control the switch unit to transfer the external electric power to the USB device through the power supply line of the USB cable in response to determining that the connector type is USB TYPE C.

12. The IVI system of claim 9, wherein, 14. The IVI system of claim 9, further comprising:

13. The IVI system of claim 9, wherein, a connector connected to the USB cable; and an ideal diode including a first terminal connected to the USB charging unit and a second terminal connected to the connector, wherein, when the external electric power output from the switch unit is transferred to a power supply line connecting the second terminal of the ideal diode to the connector, the ideal diode is configured to cut off current flowing to the USB charging unit.

15. The IVI system of claim 9, further comprising: a first connector connected to the USB cable; and a current sensor configured to detect a current value of current flowing in a power supply line of the USB cable, wherein the USB device includes a second connector connected to the USB cable, and wherein the controller is configured to diagnose a connector connection between the first connector of the IVI system and the second connector of the USB device based on the detected current value. The USB cable includes a USB 2.0 cable. ​ ​ ​ 16. The IVI system of claim 9, wherein, ​

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