Connector circuit and connector

Abstract

The invention provides a connector circuit and a connector, the connector circuit comprises a first connecting end, a second connecting end and a control module, and the first connecting end is used for accessing a power supply side; the second connecting end is connected with the first connecting end and is used for accessing a power utilization side; the control module is connected with the first connecting end and used for detecting the power supply type of the power supply side, and the power supply type comprises a computer or a power adapter; the control module is configured to adjust the output power of the second connecting end to first power under the condition that the power supply type of the power supply side is detected to be a computer, and adjust the output power of the second connecting end to second power under the condition that the power supply type of the power supply side is detected to be a power adapter, and the first power is lower than the second power; that is to say, different devices can be accessed to control the power utilization side to be at different output powers by identifying the device type of the power supply side, so that the power utilization degree of the power supply side can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of switching technology, and in particular, relates to a connector circuit and a connector. Background Art

[0002] In the current field of electronic device connection technology, connectors, as an important interface component, are widely used in data transmission and power supply between various electronic devices. However, when connected to different power sources (such as computers or adapters), existing connectors can only output the same power, which limits the functions and user experience of electronic devices to a certain extent.

[0003] Specifically, traditional connector designs do not fully consider the differences in electrical characteristics and power output capabilities between different power sources. When the connector is connected to a computer, the power output of the connector is relatively low because the computer's USB interface is usually subject to certain power restrictions. When the connector is connected to an adapter, although the adapter may have a higher power output capability, due to the design limitations of the connector itself, its output power still cannot be effectively increased, resulting in the power of the power source not being fully utilized.

[0004] Therefore, how to improve the power utilization of the power supply side of the connector is a problem that those skilled in the art currently need to solve. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a connector circuit and a connector, aiming to solve the problem of low power utilization on the power supply side of the connector in traditional technology.

[0006] A first aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a connector circuit, comprising:

[0007] A first connection end, used for connecting to a power supply side;

[0008] A second connection end, connected to the first connection end and used to access the power consumption side;

[0009] A control module, connected to the first connection end, and used to detect the power supply type of the power supply side, wherein the power supply type includes a computer or a power adapter;

[0010] The control module is configured to adjust the output power of the second connection end to a first power when it is detected that the power supply type of the power supply side is a computer, and to adjust the output power of the second connection end to a second power when it is detected that the power supply type of the power supply side is a power adapter, wherein the first power is lower than the second power.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present application, the control module includes a control unit and a first switch element, one end of the first switch element is connected to the control module, and the other end of the first switch element is connected to the first connection end;

[0012] Before the control unit detects the power source type of the power supply side, the first switch is turned on so that the control unit outputs a first level signal to the first connection terminal.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present application, the other end of the first switch element is connected to the positive pole of the first connection port, and the control unit has a detection pin, which is used to detect the second level signal of the negative pole of the first connection port; when the first level signal and the second level signal are both high level signals or low level signals, it is judged that the power supply type of the power supply side is a power adapter; when the first level signal and the second level signal are not both high level signals or low level signals, it is judged that the power supply type of the power supply side is a computer.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present application, the other end of the first switch element is connected to the negative pole of the first connection port, and the control unit has a detection pin, which is used to detect the second level signal of the positive pole of the first connection port; when the first level signal and the second level signal are both high level signals or low level signals, it is judged that the power supply type of the power supply side is a power adapter; when the first level signal and the second level signal are not both high level signals or low level signals, it is judged that the power supply type of the power supply side is a computer.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present application, the other end of the first switch element is also connected to the positive electrode or the negative electrode of the second connection end.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present application, the interface of the first connection end and the interface of the second connection end are different types of USB interfaces.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present application, the interface of the first connection end is a USB-A interface, and the interface of the second connection end is a USB-C interface.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present application, the connector circuit further includes a multiplexing unit, one end of the multiplexing unit is connected to the first connection end, and the other end of the multiplexing unit is connected to the second connection end;

[0019] The control module is used to switch the direction of the multiplexing unit when the second connection end is connected to the plug in the forward direction or the reverse direction.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present application, the connector circuit also includes a second switch element, which is arranged between the first connection end and the second connection end and is used to control the on / off between the first connection end and the second connection end under the drive of the control module.

[0021] In a second aspect, the present application also provides a connector, comprising the above-mentioned connector circuit.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the embodiments of the present invention have the following beneficial effects: the above-mentioned connector circuit and connector, the connector circuit includes a first connection end, a second connection end and a control module, the first connection end is used to access the power supply side; the second connection end is connected to the first connection end and is used to access the power consumption side; the control module is connected to the first connection end and is used to detect the power supply type of the power supply side, the power supply type includes a computer or a power adapter; the control module is configured to adjust the output power of the second connection end to the first power when it is detected that the power supply type of the power supply side is a computer, and to adjust the output power of the second connection end to the second power when it is detected that the power supply type of the power supply side is a power adapter, and the first power is lower than the second power; that is, the present application can identify the device type on the power supply side, connect different devices to control the power consumption side to be at different output powers, which is conducive to improving the power utilization of the power supply side. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the framework structure of a connector circuit provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 A working step diagram of a connector circuit provided in one embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 A diagram of the working steps of a connector circuit provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Specific element symbol description: 100 - power supply side, 200 - first connection end, 300 - control unit, 400 - second connection end, 500 - power consumption side, 600 - first switch element, 700 - second switch element, 800 - multiplexing unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0028] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element.

[0029] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0030] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0031] It is important to know that with the rapid development of technology, the functions of electronic devices are becoming increasingly rich, and the requirements for power management and power distribution are becoming more complex and diverse. However, the design limitations of traditional connectors are gradually becoming apparent, especially when dealing with different power sources, which can only output the same power.

[0032] Even when connected to a high-power adapter, traditional connectors can only output power according to the preset, more conservative power standard because the internal circuit design of the connector fails to realize intelligent identification and adjustment functions. This not only wastes energy, but also may limit the connected device from reaching its optimal performance. For example, when some professional equipment requires instantaneous peak power to complete a specific task, if the connector cannot respond in time and increase the output power, it may cause the task to fail or the device performance to deteriorate.

[0033] Especially for the connector from USB-A interface to USB-C interface, the USB-C interface has become the standard interface for smart devices such as mobile phones / computers, and the USB-A interface is used to connect to the power adapter or computer.

[0034] Specifically, in the connector described in the related art, after the USB-A interface is connected to a computer or adapter, the Configuration Channel (CC) will be set to a fixed RP value (according to the USB-C specification, there are three RP values: 330ua, 180ua and 80ua, corresponding to the VBUS of the C port can provide 3A, 1.5A and 0.5A current capabilities). When the change in CC level detects that the mobile phone or data storage device is connected to the USB-C port 5, it controls MOS4 to turn on, power the mobile phone or data storage device, and controls the switching of MUX unit 2 to realize the transmission of USB3.0 data. Since CC is set to a fixed RP value, it can only provide a fixed current to the device connected to the USB-C port 5. The current capabilities provided by the A port of the adapter and the A port of the computer are different. The A port of the adapter generally has a current capability of 3A, and the A port of the computer has a current capability of 0.5A (USB2.0) and 0.9A (USB3.0). Therefore, under the condition of fixed RP value current capacity, when USB-A port 1 is connected to different power sources, either the power supply capacity of port A cannot reach the current capacity represented by the RP value, resulting in overload protection; or the power supply capacity of port A is greater than the current capacity represented by the RP value, resulting in insufficient power utilization.

[0035] Therefore, the present application improves the related connector circuits and connectors based on this.

[0036] See also Figure 1 , Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the framework structure of the connector circuit provided in this embodiment is shown. A connector circuit of this embodiment includes a first connection terminal 200, a second connection terminal 400 and a control module, wherein the first connection terminal 200 is used to access the power supply side 100; the second connection terminal 400 is connected to the first connection terminal 200 and is used to access the power consumption side 500; the control module is connected to the first connection terminal 200 and is used to detect the power supply type of the power supply side 100, and the power supply type includes a computer or a power adapter; the control module is configured to adjust the output power of the second connection terminal 400 to a first power when it is detected that the power supply type of the power supply side 100 is a computer, and adjust the output power of the second connection terminal 400 to a second power when it is detected that the power supply type of the power supply side 100 is a power adapter, wherein the first power is lower than the second power.

[0037] It should be explained that the first connection terminal 200 is responsible for receiving the electric energy from the power supply side 100 and transferring it to the subsequent circuit part. The second connection terminal 400 is the interface between the connector circuit and the power consumption side 500 (such as mobile phones, tablet computers, data storage devices, etc.). It is responsible for outputting the regulated electric energy to the power consumption side 500 device. The control module can determine the type of power supply by detecting the electrical characteristics of the power supply side 100 (such as voltage, current waveform, etc.) or using a dedicated identification protocol (such as USB PD protocol).

[0038] Specifically, when it is detected that the power supply type of the power supply side 100 is a computer, the control module adjusts the output power of the second connection terminal 400 to a lower first power. This is because the USB interface of the computer is usually limited by power and cannot provide a higher output power. When it is detected that the power supply type of the power supply side 100 is a power adapter, the control module adjusts the output power of the second connection terminal 400 to a higher second power. The power adapter usually has a higher power output capacity and can meet the needs of high-power consumption devices.

[0039] In the current connector circuit, the second connection end 400 can only output a fixed power. However, the present application can identify the device type of the power supply side 100, connect different devices to control the power consumption side 500 to be at different output powers, which is beneficial to improve the power utilization of the power supply side 100. In this embodiment, the power of the USB-A port can be fully utilized, and the USB-A port will not be pulled for overload protection.

[0040] In some embodiments of this application, please continue to refer to Figure 1 The control module of this embodiment includes a control unit 300 and a first switch element 600, one end of the first switch element 600 is connected to the control module, and the other end of the first switch element 600 is connected to the first connection terminal 200; wherein, before the control unit 300 detects the power supply type of the power supply side 100, the first switch element 600 is turned on so that the control unit 300 outputs a first level signal to the first connection terminal 200.

[0041] It should be explained that before the control unit 300 detects the power supply type of the power supply side 100, the first switch 600 is in the on state. This means that the control unit 300 will output a first level signal (usually a low level or a high level, depending on the circuit design) to the first connection terminal 200. The first connection terminal 200 changes under the action of the first level signal, and the power supply type can be determined based on the change.

[0042] In some embodiments of this application, please continue to refer to Figure 1In this embodiment, the other end of the first switch element 600 is connected to the positive electrode of the first connection port, and the control unit 300 has a detection pin, which is used to detect the second level signal of the negative electrode of the first connection port; when the first level signal and the second level signal are both high level signals or low level signals, it is judged that the power supply type of the power supply side 100 is a power adapter; when the first level signal and the second level signal are not both high level signals or low level signals, it is judged that the power supply type of the power supply side 100 is a computer.

[0043] It should be explained that, since the USB-A port of the power adapter usually supports the QC protocol, the positive and negative poles of the power adapter are short-circuited, but the positive and negative poles of the USB-A port of the computer are not short-circuited. Therefore, when it is detected that the first level signal and the second level signal are consistent (both are high level signals or both are low level signals), it is determined that the first connection end 200 is connected to the adapter; otherwise, the first connection end 200 is connected to the computer. In this embodiment, the first level signal is assigned to the positive pole of the first connection port, and it is necessary to detect the negative pole of the first connection port.

[0044] In some embodiments of this application, please continue to refer to Figure 1 , the other end of the first switch element 600 of this embodiment is connected to the negative pole of the first connection port, and the control unit 300 has a detection pin, which is used to detect the second level signal of the positive pole of the first connection port; when the first level signal and the second level signal are both high level signals or low level signals, it is judged that the power supply type of the power supply side 100 is a power adapter, and when the first level signal and the second level signal are not both high level signals or low level signals, it is judged that the power supply type of the power supply side 100 is a computer. In this embodiment, the first level signal is given to the negative pole of the first connection port, and it is necessary to detect the positive pole of the first connection port.

[0045] In some embodiments of this application, please continue to refer to Figure 1 , the other end of the first switch 600 is also connected to the positive or negative electrode of the second connection terminal 400. That is, the first switch 600 can also give a first level signal to the second connection terminal 400 to determine the type of equipment on the power side 500 connected to the second connection terminal 400.

[0046] In some embodiments, the device types of the power consumption side 500 may include mobile phones, data storage devices, etc.

[0047] In some embodiments of the present application, the interface of the first connection end 200 and the interface of the second connection end 400 are different types of USB interfaces.

[0048] In some embodiments of the present application, the interface of the first connection end 200 is a USB-A interface, and the interface of the second connection end 400 is a USB-C interface.

[0049] In some embodiments of this application, please continue to refer to Figure 1 The connector circuit of this embodiment also includes a multiplexing unit 800, one end of the multiplexing unit 800 is connected to the first connection end 200, and the other end is connected to the second connection end 400; the control module is used to switch the direction of the multiplexing unit 800 when the second connection end 400 is forwardly connected to the plug or reversely connected to the plug.

[0050] In some embodiments of the present application, the connector circuit also includes a second switch element 700, which is arranged between the first connection terminal 200 and the second connection terminal 400 and is used to control the on / off between the first connection terminal 200 and the second connection terminal 400 under the drive of the control module.

[0051] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 The working step diagram of the connector circuit provided in this embodiment is shown. The interface of the first connection end 200 of this embodiment is a USB-A interface (referred to as A port), and the interface of the second connection end 400 is a USB-C interface; the multiplexing unit 800 is a MUX unit, the control unit 300 is a Type-C control unit 300, the first switch 600 and the second switch 700 are both MOS tubes, the first switch 600 is MOS6, the second switch 700 is MOS4, D- is the negative electrode of the first connection port and / or the second connection port, and D+ is the positive electrode of the first connection port and / or the second connection port.

[0052] In some embodiments of this application, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 The working step diagram of the connector circuit provided in this embodiment is shown. The interface of the first connection end 200 of this embodiment is a USB-A interface, and the interface of the second connection end 400 is a USB-C interface; the multiplexing unit 800 is a MUX unit, the control unit 300 is a USB-PD protocol unit, the first switch 600 and the second switch 700 are both MOS tubes, the first switch 600 is MOS6, the second switch 700 is MOS4, D- is the negative electrode of the first connection port and / or the second connection port, and D+ is the positive electrode of the first connection port and / or the second connection port.

[0053] By adding MOS6, the Type-C control unit 300 (USB-PD protocol unit) outputs a high level to the D- (or D+) of USB2.0 through MOS6, and at the same time, the Type-C control unit 300 (USB-PD protocol unit) collects the level signal from D+ (or D-) through the ADC pin. Since the USB-A port of the adapter supports the QC protocol, its D+ / D- will be short-circuited, while the D+ / D- of the A port of the computer is not short-circuited. When the Type-C control unit 300 detects that the level of D+ (or D-) is consistent with D- (or D+), it determines that the A port is connected to the adapter, otherwise it is a computer. The Type-C control unit 300 (USB-PD protocol unit) sets different powers for the USB-C port according to whether it is an adapter or a computer, so that it can fully utilize the input power of the USB-A port and avoid the USB-A port from being pulled for protection.

[0054] Furthermore, in order to better implement the connector circuit in the above embodiment, on the basis of the above connector circuit, the present application also provides a connector, including the above connector circuit.

[0055] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts that are not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0056] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the above detailed disclosure is only for example and does not constitute a limitation of the present application. Although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements and amendments to the present application. Such modifications, improvements and amendments are suggested in the present application, so such modifications, improvements and amendments still belong to the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present application.

[0057] At the same time, the present application uses specific words to describe the embodiments of the present application. For example, "one embodiment", "an embodiment", and / or "some embodiments" refer to a certain feature, structure or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more in different positions in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, some features, structures or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the present application can be appropriately combined.

[0058] Similarly, it should be noted that in order to simplify the description of the disclosure of this application and thus help understand one or more embodiments of the invention, in the above description of the embodiments of this application, multiple features are sometimes combined into one embodiment, figure or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not mean that the features required by the object of this application are more than the features mentioned in the claims. In fact, the features of the embodiments are less than all the features of the single embodiment disclosed above.

[0059] The embodiments described above are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, a person skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some of the technical features may be replaced by equivalents. Such modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should all be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A connector circuit, characterized in that: include: A first connection end, used for connecting to a power supply side; A second connection end, connected to the first connection end and used to access the power consumption side; A control module, connected to the first connection end, and used to detect the power supply type of the power supply side, wherein the power supply type includes a computer or a power adapter; The control module is configured to adjust the output power of the second connection end to a first power when it is detected that the power supply type of the power supply side is a computer, and to adjust the output power of the second connection end to a second power when it is detected that the power supply type of the power supply side is a power adapter, wherein the first power is lower than the second power.

2. The connector circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control module comprises a control unit and a first switch element, one end of the first switch element is connected to the control module, and the other end of the first switch element is connected to the first connection end; Before the control unit detects the power source type of the power supply side, the first switch is turned on so that the control unit outputs a first level signal to the first connection terminal.

3. The connector circuit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The other end of the first switch is connected to the positive electrode of the first connection port, and the control unit has a detection pin, and the detection pin is used to detect the second level signal of the negative electrode of the first connection port; When the first level signal and the second level signal are both high level signals or low level signals, the power supply type of the power supply side is judged to be a power adapter. When the first level signal and the second level signal are not both high level signals or low level signals, the power supply type of the power supply side is judged to be a computer.

4. The connector circuit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The other end of the first switch is connected to the negative electrode of the first connection port, and the control unit has a detection pin, and the detection pin is used to detect the second level signal of the positive electrode of the first connection port; When the first level signal and the second level signal are both high level signals or low level signals, the power supply type of the power supply side is judged to be a power adapter. When the first level signal and the second level signal are not both high level signals or low level signals, the power supply type of the power supply side is judged to be a computer.

5. The connector circuit according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The other end of the first switch element is also connected to the positive electrode or the negative electrode of the second connection end.

6. The connector circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interface of the first connection end and the interface of the second connection end are different types of USB interfaces.

7. The connector circuit according to claim 5, characterized in that: The interface of the first connection end is a USB-A interface, and the interface of the second connection end is a USB-C interface.

8. The connector circuit according to claim 7, characterized in that: The connector circuit further includes a multiplexing unit, one end of the multiplexing unit is connected to the first connection end, and the other end of the multiplexing unit is connected to the second connection end; The control module is used to switch the direction of the multiplexing unit when the second connection end is connected to the plug in the forward direction or the reverse direction.

9. The connector circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connector circuit further includes a second switch element, which is disposed between the first connection end and the second connection end and is used to control the on / off connection between the first connection end and the second connection end under the drive of the control module.

10. A connector, characterized in that: A connector circuit comprising any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images