Detection of minute short circuits in the charging interface of electronic devices

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for detecting a micro-short at a charging interface of an electronic device is provided. The method includes obtaining an initial voltage measurement of a reference voltage electrically connected to the charging interface of the electronic device. The method includes obtaining multiple additional voltage measurements of the reference voltage. The method includes detecting the micro-short at the charging interface based at least in part on the initial voltage measurement and one voltage measurement of the multiple additional voltage measurements that is most recent in time. The method further includes causing the electronic device to perform one or more control actions in response to detecting the micro-short at the charging interface.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates in general to electronic devices having energy storage devices (e.g., rechargeable batteries). More specifically, this disclosure relates to a method for detecting a virtual short circuit at the charging interface of an electronic device. [Background technology]

[0002] Electronic devices (e.g., smartphones, smartwatches, laptops, tablets, etc.) can include rechargeable batteries that supply DC power to their electronic components. For example, a rechargeable battery can be placed inside the housing of the electronic device. Furthermore, the electronic device can include a charging interface (e.g., a charging port) to easily connect the rechargeable battery to an external power source (e.g., a wall outlet) via a charging cable. In this way, the electronic device can draw a charging current from the external power source and charge the rechargeable battery. [Overview of the project]

[0003] Aspects and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure are partially shown in the following description, or can be learned from the description, or can be learned through the practice of the embodiments.

[0004] In one embodiment, a computer-based method is provided for detecting a minute short circuit in the charging interface of an electronic device. The method includes obtaining an initial voltage measurement of a reference voltage electrically connected to the charging interface of the electronic device via one or more processors. The method includes obtaining additional voltage measurements of the reference voltage via one or more processors. The method includes detecting a minute short circuit in the charging interface, at least partially, based on the initial and additional voltage measurements, via one or more processors. The method includes causing the electronic device to perform one or more control actions in response to the detection of a minute short circuit in the charging interface of the electronic device via one or more processors.

[0005] In some embodiments, detecting a minute short circuit involves determining, via one or more processors, that an additional voltage measurement of a reference voltage is less than the initial voltage measurement by a threshold indicating the presence of a minute short circuit in the charging interface. In some embodiments, the threshold is at least 0.5 volts.

[0006] In some embodiments, causing an electronic device to perform one or more control actions includes automatically turning off the power to the electronic device via one or more processors.

[0007] In some embodiments, causing an electronic device to perform one or more control actions includes, via one or more processors, displaying a notification on the electronic device's display screen prompting the user to perform a maintenance action on the electronic device. In some embodiments, the maintenance action includes manually turning off the power to the electronic device.

[0008] In some embodiments, the acquisition of the initial voltage measurement and subsequent voltage measurements occurs while the rechargeable battery of the electronic device is not being charged via an external power source.

[0009] In some embodiments, the micro short circuit corresponds to a resistance in the range of 2 ohms to 100 ohms.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method includes storing an initial voltage measurement in one or more memory devices via one or more processors.

[0011] In some embodiments, the electronic device is a wearable computing device. / / 原文此处似乎有多余换行,翻译时保留原文格式

[0012] In other aspects, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes an energy storage device and a charging interface configured to electrically connect an external power source to the energy storage device. The electronic device further includes a power management circuit. The power management circuit includes a reference voltage electrically connectable to the charging interface. The electronic device includes one or more processors configured to obtain an initial voltage measurement of the reference voltage while the reference voltage is electrically connected to the charging interface. The one or more processors are further configured to obtain additional voltage measurements of the reference voltage. The one or more processors are configured to detect a micro short circuit at the charging interface based at least in part on the initial voltage measurement of the reference voltage and the additional voltage measurements of the reference voltage. The one or more processors are configured to cause the electronic device to perform one or more control actions in response to detecting a micro short circuit at the charging interface of the electronic device.

[0013] In some embodiments, the power management circuit includes a switching device electrically connected between the reference voltage and the charging interface. The switching device is configured to selectively connect the reference voltage to the charging interface. In some embodiments, the switching device is a transistor.

[0014] In some embodiments, to detect a subtle short circuit at the charging interface, one or more processors are configured to determine that an additional voltage measurement of the reference voltage is less than a threshold indicating the presence of a subtle short circuit by a threshold amount than the first voltage measurement of the reference voltage.

[0015] In some embodiments, one or more control actions include automatically turning off the power of the electronic device.

[0016] In some embodiments, the electronic device further includes a display screen. Further, in such embodiments, one or more control actions include causing the display screen to display a notification prompting the user to perform a maintenance action on the electronic device. In some embodiments, the maintenance action includes manually turning off the power of the electronic device.

[0017] In some embodiments, one or more processors are configured to obtain the first voltage measurement and the additional voltage measurement while the energy storage device is not being charged via an external power source.

[0018] In some embodiments, the charging interface includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) charging port.

[0019] In some embodiments, the energy storage device includes a rechargeable battery. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the various embodiments of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following detailed description of the invention and the appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the detailed description serve to explain the relevant principles.

[0020] A detailed description of embodiments directed to those skilled in the art is set forth in this specification with reference to the accompanying drawings. <了

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] [Figure 1] This disclosure shows an external power supply connected to an electronic device according to several embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 2] Schematic diagrams of charging interfaces for electronic devices according to several embodiments of this disclosure are shown. [Figure 3] This disclosure illustrates a minute short circuit in the charging interface of an electronic device according to several embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 4] The following are flowcharts illustrating methods for detecting minute short circuits in the charging interface of an electronic device according to several embodiments of this disclosure. [Figure 5] Perspective views of electronic devices according to some embodiments of this disclosure are shown. [Figure 6] Cross-sectional views of wearable computing devices according to several embodiments of this disclosure are shown. [Figure 7] Figure 5 shows a rear view of an electronic device according to several embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] Figure 5 shows a block diagram of the components of an electronic device according to several embodiments of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0022] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail hereby referenced, with one or more examples shown in the drawings. Each embodiment is provided for illustrative purposes of the present disclosure and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used in conjunction with other embodiments to create yet another embodiment. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to cover modifications and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0023] Illustrative embodiments of this disclosure relate to electronic devices having an energy storage device (e.g., a rechargeable battery) that supplies DC power to various electronic components of the electronic device (e.g., sensors, processors, displays, etc.). For example, an electronic device according to this disclosure may include, for example, a wearable computing device that can be worn on a user's arm. The wearable computing device may include a charging interface that can be connected to an external power source (e.g., a wall charger, laptop, etc.) via a conductor (e.g., a charging cable). In this way, the wearable computing device can draw a charging current from the external power source and charge the energy storage device.

[0024] The charging interface has an input voltage (e.g., V BUS This may include the input voltage and electrical ground (e.g., GND). Over time, a minute short circuit may occur between the input voltage and electrical ground. For example, water ingress into the housing of an electronic device may cause a minute short circuit at the opening of the charging interface. As another example, a minute short circuit may be caused by damage to the solder joint of a capacitor that is electrically connected between the input voltage and electrical ground. As used herein, “minute short circuit” refers to a non-zero resistance between the input voltage and electrical ground. For example, in some embodiments, a minute short circuit can range from 2 ohms to 100 ohms.

[0025] A tiny short circuit in the charging interface of an electronic device can cause an uncontrolled large current to flow through the device when it is connected to an external power source. This uncontrolled large current can be problematic. For example, it can cause the electronic device to overheat to dangerous temperatures.

[0026] Illustrative embodiments of this disclosure relate to detecting the presence of a minute short circuit in the charging interface of an electronic device. The electronic device may include a power management circuit configured to control the charging of an energy storage device. The power management circuit may include a reference voltage electrically connected to the charging interface. The electronic device may include a processor configured to read the reference voltage. The processor may acquire the first voltage measurement of the reference voltage. For example, the processor may acquire the first voltage measurement of the reference voltage before the electronic device leaves the factory. At this time, since there is no minute short circuit in the charging interface, the first voltage measurement should correspond to a voltage configured to be provided by the reference voltage. After the electronic device leaves the factory, the processor may acquire a number of additional voltage measurements of the reference voltage. In some embodiments, the processor may be configured to acquire a number of additional voltage measurements at predetermined time intervals. For example, in some embodiments, the processor may be configured to acquire an additional voltage measurement once a day. In alternative embodiments, the processor may be configured to acquire additional voltage measurements at a higher or lower frequency.

[0027] It should be understood that voltage measurements can be stored in one or more memory devices. For example, in some embodiments, an electronic device may include one or more memory devices, and a processor may be configured to write voltage measurements to one or more memory devices. In some embodiments, the first voltage measurement may be stored in a first location (e.g., a memory cell) of one or more memory devices. Further, additional voltage measurements may be stored in a second location (e.g., a memory cell) different from the first location of one or more memory devices. In some embodiments, a processor may be configured to write each of the additional voltage measurements to a different memory cell of one or more memory devices. In an alternative embodiment, the processor may overwrite the same memory cell with the most recent voltage measurement among the additional voltage measurements. In this way, memory space in one or more memory devices of the electronic device can be saved.

[0028] The processor can be configured to detect a minute short circuit in the charging interface based on the initial voltage measurement and the most recent voltage measurement among several additional measurements. For example, the processor can be configured to detect a minute short circuit when the most recent voltage measurement is less than the initial voltage measurement by a threshold. In some embodiments, the initial voltage measurement can be 1 volt and the threshold can be 0.5 volts. Thus, in such embodiments, the processor can detect a minute short circuit when the most recent voltage measurement among the additional voltage measurements of the reference voltage is 0.5 volts or less.

[0029] The processor can be configured to perform one or more control actions in response to detecting a minute short circuit in the charging interface. For example, in some embodiments, one or more control actions may include automatically turning off the power to the electronic device. In alternative embodiments, the processor may be configured to display a notification on the electronic device's display screen prompting the user to perform a maintenance action on the electronic device. In some embodiments, the maintenance action may include taking the electronic device to a certified technician. Furthermore, the maintenance action may include manually turning off the power to the electronic device.

[0030] Electronic devices according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure can offer numerous technical effects and advantages. For example, an electronic device can detect a minute short circuit in its charging interface and, in response to the detection of the minute short circuit, perform one or more control actions to protect the electronic device from uncontrolled high currents that may occur when the electronic device is being charged via an external power source.

[0031] Referring here to the figures, Figure 1 shows an electronic device 100 connected to an external power supply 110 via a conductor 120 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the external power supply 110 may be an alternating current (AC) wall outlet. In alternative embodiments, the external power supply 110 may include other electronic devices (e.g., a laptop) configured to output direct current (DC) power.

[0032] It should be understood that the conductor 120 can provide a circuit from an external power source 110 (e.g., an AC wall outlet, e.g., an AC wall outlet of about 120V, a USB charging source, or another suitable power source) to the electronic device 100. In this way, the electronic device 100 can draw a charging current 122 from the external power source 110. In some embodiments, the conductor 120 can be a charging cable. For example, in some embodiments, the charging cable can include a Universal Serial Bus (USB) charging cable. However, it should be understood that the charging cable can include any suitable type of charging cable.

[0033] The electronic device 100 may include a charging interface 130. The charging interface 130 can connect the electronic device 100 to the end of the conductor 120. In some embodiments, the charging interface 130 may include a number of charging pins, each of which can be electrically connected to a corresponding contact on the conductor 120. In alternative embodiments, the charging interface 130 may include a charging port into which the end of the conductor 120 is inserted. Other suitable charging interfaces may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0034] The electronic device 100 may include a power management circuit 140. The power management circuit 140 can be electrically connected between the charging interface 130 and the energy storage device 150 of the electronic device 100. In some embodiments, the energy storage device 150 may include a rechargeable battery. The power management circuit 140 can be configured to control the charging of the energy storage device 150. In some embodiments, the power management circuit 140 can be implemented as an integrated circuit.

[0035] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 here, the power management circuit 140 can be positioned within the housing 160 of the electronic device 100. For example, the power management circuit 140 can be positioned within the interior 162 defined by the housing 160. As shown, the power management circuit 140 has a reference voltage V REF and can include it. For example, in some embodiments, the reference voltage V REF can be a reference of 1 volt. However, it should be understood that the reference voltage V REF can have any suitable voltage.

[0036] The power management circuit 140 can include a switching device 142 electrically connected between the reference voltage V REF and the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130. In some embodiments, the switching device 142 can include a transistor (e.g., a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), a bipolar junction transistor (BJT), etc.). The power management circuit 140 can further include a register 144 electrically connected between the switching device 142 and the reference voltage V REF . In some embodiments, the register 144 can have a resistance in the range of about 800 ohms to about 2 kiloohms. However, it should be understood that the register 144 can have any suitable resistance value.

[0037] The electronic device 100 can include a processor 170 communicatively connected to the power management circuit 140 of the electronic device 100. In this way, when the reference voltage V REF is electrically connected to the charging interface 130 through the switching device 1 4 2, the processor 170 can obtain a voltage measurement value of the reference voltage V REF . For example, the processor 170 can send a drive signal 172 to the switching device 142 that electrically connects the reference voltage V REF to the charging interface 130, particularly the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130.

[0038] In some embodiments, the power management circuit 140 may include a multiplexer 146 having multiple inputs and a single output. For example, one of the multiple inputs of the multiplexer 146 may be a reference voltage V REF When the reference voltage V is electrically connected to the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130 via the switching device 142, REF It may include an analog signal 180 indicating the voltage of the reference voltage V. REF When it is electrically connected to the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130, the reference voltage V REF The single output of the multiplexer 146 when the processor 170 sends a drive signal 172 to the switching device 142 to obtain the signal can be an analog signal 180.

[0039] In some embodiments, the power management circuit 140 may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 148 electrically connected between a single output of the multiplexer 146 and the processor 170. In such embodiments, the ADC 148 may be configured to convert the analog signal 180 output by the multiplexer 146 into a digital signal 182 that can be processed by the processor 170.

[0040] In some embodiments, the processor 170 uses a reference voltage V REF When it is electrically connected to the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130, the reference voltage V REF It can be configured to obtain the first voltage measurement of the reference voltage V before the electronic device 100 leaves the factory. For example, the processor 170 can obtain the reference voltage V REF The first voltage measurement can be obtained. At this time, the first voltage measurement is the reference voltage V REF It can accommodate the following. In some embodiments, the processor 170 uses a reference voltage V REFThe initial voltage measurement can be stored. For example, in some embodiments, the processor 170 can store the initial voltage measurement in one or more memory devices (not shown) of the electronic device 100.

[0041] After the electronic device 100 leaves the factory, the processor 170 uses a reference voltage V REF When it is electrically connected to the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130, the reference voltage V REF The processor 170 can be configured to acquire multiple additional voltage measurements. In some embodiments, the processor 170 can be configured to acquire multiple additional voltage measurements at predetermined time intervals. For example, in some embodiments, the processor 170 can be configured to acquire an additional voltage measurement once a day. In alternative embodiments, the processor can be configured to acquire additional voltage measurements at a higher or lower frequency.

[0042] In some embodiments, the processor 170 may be configured to store one or more of a plurality of additional voltage measurements in one or more memory devices of the electronic device 100. For example, in some embodiments, the processor 170 may store each of the plurality of additional voltage measurements. In an alternative embodiment, the processor may store a reference voltage V REF When it is electrically connected to the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130, the reference voltage V REF The latest voltage measurement can be stored. For example, processor 170 can store the previously stored reference voltage V REF The voltage measurement is taken from the current reference voltage V REF The voltage measurement can be overwritten. In this way, one or more memory devices can be freed up to store other information about the operation of the electronic device 100.

[0043] In some embodiments, the processor 170 uses a reference voltage V REFThe processor 170 can be configured to transmit multiple additional voltage measurements to a remote computing device. For example, in some embodiments, the processor 170 can be configured to transmit multiple additional voltage measurements to a cloud computing device (e.g., a server) configured to store the multiple additional voltage measurements via one or more networks.

[0044] It should be understood that the processor 170 can be configured to discard any additional voltage measurements taken while the electronic device 100 is being charged. More specifically, the processor 170 can be configured to discard any additional voltage measurements taken while the electronic device is electrically connected to the external power supply 110 (Figure 1) via the conductor 120 (Figure 1). This is because the reference voltage V REF In this situation, the voltage measurement is, REF This is because it can accommodate different charging voltages (for example, 5 volts). For example, the charging voltage is the reference voltage V REF It can become larger than that.

[0045] Over time, a micro-short circuit 134 may develop between the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130 and the electrical ground 136. In some embodiments, the micro-short circuit 134 may be caused at least partially by the ingress of a fluid (e.g., water) into the interior 162 of the housing 160. More specifically, the fluid may enter the interior 162 through one or more openings defined for the charging interface 130. In alternative embodiments, the micro-short circuit 134 may be caused at least partially by the degradation of the performance of a capacitor (not shown) electrically connected between the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130 and the electrical ground 136. For example, the connection between the capacitor and the input voltage 132 (e.g., a solder joint), or the connection between the capacitor and the electrical ground 136 (e.g., a solder joint), may degrade over time and potentially cause a micro-short circuit 134.

[0046] Processor 170 uses a reference voltage V REF Reference voltage V when electrically connected to input voltage 132 REF The first voltage measurement and the reference voltage V REF Reference voltage V when electrically connected to input voltage 132 REF The processor 170 can be configured to detect a minor short circuit 134 based at least partially on the current voltage measurement of V. REF The device can be configured to detect a minute short circuit 134 when the current voltage measurement is less than the initial voltage measurement by a threshold (e.g., 0.5 volts).

[0047] The processor 170 can be configured to cause the electronic device 100 to perform one or more control actions in response to detecting a minor short circuit 134 in the charging interface 130. For example, in some embodiments, one or more control actions may include automatically turning off the power to the electronic device 100. In alternative embodiments, the processor may be configured to display a notification on the display device 190 of the electronic device 100 prompting the user to perform a maintenance action on the electronic device 100. In some embodiments, the maintenance action may include taking the electronic device 100 to a certified technician. Furthermore, the maintenance action may include manually turning off the power to the electronic device 100.

[0048] Referring here to Figure 4, a flowchart of an exemplary method 200 for controlling the charging of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. Method 200 can be implemented, for example, in the processor 170 of the electronic device 100 described above with reference to Figure 1. Figure 4 shows the steps performed in a specific order for illustrative and explanatory purposes. Those skilled in the art will understand, using the disclosure provided herein, that various steps of Method 200, or any other method disclosed herein, can be adapted, modified, rearranged, performed concurrently, or modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0049] In (202), method 200 uses a reference voltage V REF When the switching device 142 is electrically connected to the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130, the reference voltage V of the power management circuit 140 of the electronic device 100 REF This may include obtaining the first voltage measurement of the reference voltage V. For example, in some embodiments, the processor 170 of the electronic device 100 sends a drive signal 172 to the switching device 142 and the reference voltage V. REF This can be electrically connected to the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130. The processor 170 stops sending the drive signal 172 to the switching device 142 and switches from the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130 to the reference voltage V REF It can be configured to separate them.

[0050] In (204), method 200 uses a reference voltage V REF When it is electrically connected to the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130, the reference voltage V REF This may include obtaining additional voltage measurements. For example, in some embodiments, the processor 170 of the electronic device 100 sends a drive signal 172 to the switching device 142 and a reference voltage V REFThis can be electrically connected to the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130. The processor 170 stops sending the drive signal 172 to the switching device 142 and switches from the input voltage 132 of the charging interface 130 to the reference voltage V REF It can be configured to separate them.

[0051] In (206), method 200 may include determining whether the energy storage device 150 of the electronic device 100 is being charged by the external power supply 110. For example, the processor 170 may be configured to compare the additional voltage measurement obtained in (204) with the charging voltage of the electronic device 100 (e.g., 5 volts). In some embodiments, the charging voltage is a reference voltage V REF It corresponds to any voltage greater than the first measurement of . If the processor 170 determines that the additional reference voltage obtained in (204) corresponds to the charging voltage, method 200 can proceed to (212). Otherwise, method 200 can continue.

[0052] In (208), method 200 may include comparing an additional voltage measurement obtained in (204) with the first voltage measurement obtained in (202) to detect the presence of a minor short circuit 134 in the charging interface 130. For example, the processor 170 may be configured to detect the presence of a minor short circuit 134 when the additional voltage measurement is less than the first voltage measurement by a threshold indicating the presence of a minor short circuit 134 between the input voltage 132 and the electrical ground 136. The processor 170 then compares the reference voltage V obtained in (204) REF The additional voltage measurement is taken from the reference voltage V REF If it is determined that the first voltage measurement is less than a threshold, method 200 can proceed to (210). Otherwise, method 200 can proceed to (212).

[0053] In (210), method 200 may include causing the electronic device to perform one or more control actions in response to the detection of the presence of a minute short circuit 134 in the charging interface 130. In some embodiments, one or more control actions may include automatically turning off the power to the electronic device 100. In an alternative embodiment, the processor 170 may be configured to display a notification on the display screen (not shown) of the electronic device 100 prompting the user to perform a maintenance action on the electronic device 100. In some embodiments, the maintenance action may include taking the electronic device 100 to a certified technician. Furthermore, the maintenance action may include manually turning off the power to the electronic device 100.

[0054] In (212), method 200 can be continued. For example, in some embodiments, method 200 is performed with a reference voltage V REF The latest voltage measurement can be obtained at (204) and then returned to (204) after a predetermined time has elapsed. In some embodiments, the predetermined time can be one day (e.g., 24 hours).

[0055] Referring here to Figures 5 to 7, several embodiments of the wearable computing device 300 of this disclosure are provided. It should be understood that the wearable computing device 300 may be an electronic device 100 that receives power from an external power source 110, as described above with reference to Figure 1. As shown in the figures, the wearable computing device 300 can be worn, for example, on the user's arm (e.g., wrist). For example, the wearable computing device 300 may include a band 302 and a housing 310. In some embodiments, the housing 310 may include a conductive material (e.g., metal). In alternative embodiments, the housing 310 may include a non-conductive material (e.g., plastic material, ceramic material).

[0056] The housing 310 can be connected to the band 302. In this way, the band 302 can be fastened to the user's arm to secure the housing 310 to the user's arm. Furthermore, the housing 310 can define a cavity 311 for one or more electronic components (e.g., arranged on a printed circuit board) of the wearable computing device 300. For example, one or more electronic components may include the power management circuit 140 described above with reference to Figure 1.

[0057] In some embodiments, the wearable computing device 300 may include a display screen 312. The display screen 312 can display content for the user to view (e.g., time, date, biometrics, etc.). In some embodiments, the display screen 312 may include an interactive display screen (e.g., a touchscreen or contactless screen). In such embodiments, the user can interact with the wearable computing device 300 via the display screen 312 to control the operation of the wearable computing device 300.

[0058] In some embodiments, the wearable computing device 300 may include one or more input devices 314 that can be operated (e.g., pressed) by a user to interact with the wearable computing device 300. For example, one or more input devices 314 may include mechanical buttons that can be operated (e.g., pressed) to interact with the wearable computing device 300. In some embodiments, one or more input devices 314 may be operated to control the operation of a backlight (not shown) associated with the display screen 312. It should be understood that one or more input devices 314 may be configured to allow a user to interact with the wearable computing device 300 in any suitable way. For example, in some embodiments, one or more input devices 314 may be operated by a user to navigate content displayed on the display screen 312 (e.g., one or more menu screens).

[0059] The wearable computing device 300 may include an energy storage device 316 located within a cavity 311 defined by the housing 310. The energy storage device 316 may be configured to supply DC power to one or more electronic devices of the wearable computing device 300. For example, in some embodiments, the energy storage device 316 may be a rechargeable battery (e.g., lithium-ion). It should be understood that the rechargeable battery may have any suitable rated voltage. For example, in some embodiments, the rated voltage of the rechargeable battery may range from about 1.2 volts to about 3 volts.

[0060] In some embodiments, the wearable computing device 300 may include a first electrode 340 and a second electrode 342. In alternative embodiments, it should be understood that the wearable computing device 300 may include more or fewer electrodes. As shown in the illustration, the first electrode 340 and the second electrode 342 are positioned within each opening (e.g., a notch) defined by the housing 310. Furthermore, since both the first electrode 340 and the second electrode 342 are on the wrist-facing side of the wearable computing device 300, when the user is wearing the wearable computing device 300, the first electrode 340 and the second electrode 342 can each come into contact with (e.g., touch) the user's wrist. In this way, the first electrode 340 and the second electrode 342 can acquire data indicating one or more of the user's biometrics (e.g., skin electrical activity, electrocardiogram).

[0061] The wearable computing device 300 may include a charging interface 350 configured to connect the wearable computing device 300 to an external power source (e.g., a wall outlet) via a conductor (e.g., a charging cable). In some embodiments, the charging interface 350 may include a number of charging pins located on the wrist-facing side of the wearable computing device 300. Each charging pin on the wrist-facing side may be electrically connected to a corresponding contact of a conductor. In alternative embodiments, the charging interface 350 may be configured as a charging port. For example, in some embodiments, the charging interface 350 may be configured as a USB charging port.

[0062] It should be understood that the wearable computing device 300 may include the power management circuit 140 described above with reference to Figure 1. For example, the power management circuit 140 of the wearable computing device may be connected between the charging interface 350 and the energy storage device 316. It should also be understood that the power management circuit 140 may be configured to control the charging speed (e.g., charging current) of the wearable computing device 300 by implementing the method 200 described above with reference to Figure 2 in order to avoid failure of the external power source (e.g., wall outlet) (e.g., circuit breaker tripping).

[0063] Here is the figure 8 Referring to the diagram, components of an exemplary computing system 400 for a wearable computing device 300, which can be used according to various embodiments, are shown. In detail, as shown in the diagram, the computing system 400 is also shown in the diagram. 7 The controller may include at least one controller 402 that is communicatively connected to the electrodes described above (for example, a first electrode 340 and a second electrode 342) with reference to the above. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the controller(s) 202 may be a central processing unit (CPU) or image processing unit (GPU) for executing instructions that can be stored in a memory device 404 such as flash memory or DRAM, among other such options. For example, in one embodiment, the memory device 404 may include RAM, ROM, FLASH memory, or other non-temporary digital data storage, and may include a control program that, when loaded from the memory device 404 and executed using the controller(s) 402, causes the controller(s) 402 to perform the functions described herein.

[0064] The computing system 400 may include many types of memory, data storage, or computer-readable media, such as data storage for program instructions to be executed by a controller or any suitable processor. The same or separate storage may be used for images or data, removable memory may be made available for sharing information with other devices, and any number of communication approaches may be utilized for sharing with other devices. Furthermore, as shown in the figure, the computing system 400 includes a display 406 which may be a touchscreen, organic light-emitting diode (OLED), or liquid crystal display (LCD). However, the device may convey information via other means such as via an audio speaker, a projector, or by casting the display to other devices such as a mobile phone, or by streaming data, and an application on the mobile phone displays the data.

[0065] The computing system 400 may include one or more wireless network components 412 capable of operating to communicate with one or more electronic devices within the communication range of a particular wireless channel. The wireless channel can be any suitable channel used to enable devices to communicate wirelessly, such as Bluetooth®, cellular, NFC, ultra-wideband (UWB), or Wi-Fi channels. It should be understood that the computing system 400 may have one or more conventional wired communication connections known in the art.

[0066] The computing system 400 may also include one or more power components 408, such as an energy storage device 316 that can be operated to be recharged via a conventional plug-in approach. In some embodiments, the computing system 400 may also include at least one additional input / output device 410 capable of receiving conventional inputs from a user. These conventional inputs may include, for example, a push button, touchpad, touchscreen, wheel, joystick, keyboard, mouse, keypad, or any other such device or element, thereby allowing the user to input commands to the computing system 400. In some embodiments, the input / output device(s) 410 may be connected by wireless infrared, Bluetooth, or other links. In some embodiments, the computing system 400 may include a microphone or other audio input element that accepts voice or other audio commands. For example, in some embodiments, the computing system 400 may not include any buttons at all, but may be controlled solely by a combination of visual and voice commands, so that the user can control the wearable computing device 300 without having to touch the wearable computing device. In some embodiments, the input / output device(s) 410 may include one or more of the following: electrodes (e.g., a first electrode 340, a second electrode 342), optical sensors, barometric pressure sensors (e.g., an altimeter, etc.).

[0067] The computing system 400 may include a driver 414 and at least some combination of one or more emitters 416 and one or more detectors 418 to measure data on one or more metrics of the human body, such as data on a person wearing the wearable computing device 300. In some embodiments, this may include at least one image sensor, such as one or more cameras that can capture images of the surrounding environment and image the user, people, or objects around the device. The image acquisition element may include any suitable technique, such as a CCD image acquisition element having sufficient resolution, focusing range, and visible area to capture an image of the user when the user is operating the device. Further image acquisition elements may also include a depth sensor. Methods for acquiring images using a camera element with a computing device are well known in the art and will not be described in detail herein. It should be understood that image acquisition can be performed using a single image, multiple images, periodic imaging, continuous image acquisition, image streaming, etc. Furthermore, the computing system 400 may include the ability to start and / or stop image acquisition, for example, when receiving a command from a user, application, or other device.

[0068] The emitter 416 and detector 418 may also be used, in one example, to obtain photoplethysmogram (PPG) measurements. Some PPG techniques rely on detecting light at a single spatial location or on adding signals obtained from two or more spatial locations. Both of these approaches yield a single spatial measurement from which a heart rate (HR) estimate (or other physiological metrics) can be determined. In some embodiments, the PPG device uses a single light source (i.e., a single optical path) connected to a single detector. Alternatively, the PPG device may use multiple light sources connected to a single detector or multiple detectors (i.e., two or more optical paths). In other embodiments, the PPG device uses multiple detectors connected to a single light source or multiple light sources (i.e., two or more optical paths). In some cases, the light source(s) may be configured to emit one or more of green, red, and infrared (IR) light, and any other suitable wavelength in the spectrum (such as long IR for metabolic monitoring). For example, the PPG device may use a single light source and two or more photodetectors, each configured to detect a specific wavelength or wavelength range. In some cases, each detector is configured to detect different wavelengths or wavelength ranges. In other cases, two or more detectors are configured to detect the same wavelength or wavelength range. In yet another case, one or more detectors are configured to detect a specific wavelength or wavelength range different from one or more other detectors. In embodiments using multiple optical paths, the PPG device may determine the average of the signals from the multiple optical paths before determining an HR estimate or other physiological metrics.

[0069] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the emitter 416 and detector 418 may be connected directly or indirectly to the controller 402 using a driver circuit, which allows the controller 402 to drive the emitter 416 and acquire signals from the detector 418. The host computer 422 can communicate with the wireless network component 412 via one or more networks 420, which may include one or more local area networks, wide area networks, UWB, and / or internetworks using either a ground link or a satellite link. In some embodiments, the host computer 422 runs a control program and / or application program configured to perform some of the functions described herein.

[0070] While the subject matter has been described in detail in various specific and exemplary embodiments, each embodiment is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the disclosure. Those skilled in the art, upon understanding the foregoing, will readily be able to modify, transform, and create equivalents of such embodiments. Therefore, the disclosure does not exclude the inclusion of such modifications, transformations, and / or additions to the subject matter, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used in other embodiments to create yet another embodiment. Thus, the disclosure is intended to cover such modifications, transformations, and equivalents.

Claims

1. A method performed by a computer to detect a minute short circuit between the input voltage of an electronic device's charging interface and electrical ground, The process involves obtaining the first voltage measurement of the reference voltage while the reference voltage is electrically connected to the input voltage via one or more processors, After obtaining the initial voltage measurement via the one or more processors, additional voltage measurements of the reference voltage are obtained while the reference voltage is electrically connected to the input voltage. The charging interface detects the minute short circuit at least partially, via one or more processors, based on the initial voltage measurement and the additional voltage measurement of the reference voltage. A method performed by a computer, comprising causing the electronic device to perform one or more control actions in response to the detection of the minute short circuit at the charging interface of the electronic device via one or more processors.

2. A method performed by a computer according to claim 1, wherein detecting the minute short circuit in the charging interface includes determining, via one or more processors, that the additional voltage measurement is less than the initial voltage measurement by a threshold indicating the presence of the minute short circuit in the charging interface.

3. The computer-based method according to claim 2, wherein the threshold is at least 0.5 volts.

4. The method, performed by a computer according to claim 1, wherein causing the electronic device to perform one or more control actions includes automatically turning off the power to the electronic device via one or more processors.

5. The method, performed by a computer according to claim 1, for causing the electronic device to perform the one or more control actions, includes, via the one or more processors, displaying a notification on the display screen of the electronic device prompting a user to perform a maintenance action on the electronic device.

6. The maintenance action is performed by a computer according to claim 5, comprising manually turning off the power to the electronic device.

7. The method, performed by a computer according to claim 1, wherein obtaining the initial voltage measurement and obtaining the additional voltage measurement occurs while the rechargeable battery of the electronic device is not being charged via an external power source.

8. The method performed by a computer according to claim 1, wherein the minute short circuit in the charging interface corresponds to a resistance in the range of 2 ohms to 100 ohms.

9. The method performed by a computer according to claim 1, further comprising storing the initial voltage measurement in one or more memory devices via one or more processors.

10. The method performed by the computer according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a wearable computing device.

11. It is an electronic device, Energy storage devices, A charging interface configured to electrically connect an external power source to the energy storage device, A power management circuit including a reference voltage that can be electrically connected to the charging interface, It includes one or more processors, and the one or more processors are The first voltage measurement of the reference voltage is obtained while the reference voltage is electrically connected to the input voltage of the charging interface of the electronic device. After obtaining the initial voltage measurement, additional voltage measurements of the reference voltage are obtained while the reference voltage is electrically connected to the input voltage. At least partially, based on the initial voltage measurement and the additional voltage measurement, the charging interface detects a minute short circuit between the input voltage and electrical ground, An electronic device configured to cause the electronic device to perform one or more control actions in response to the detection of a minute short circuit at the charging interface of the electronic device.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the power management circuit includes a switching device electrically connected between the reference voltage and the charging interface, the switching device being configured to selectively connect the reference voltage to the charging interface.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the switching device is a transistor.

14. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein, in order to detect the minute short circuit, one or more processors are configured to determine that the additional voltage measurement of the reference voltage is less than the first voltage measurement of the reference voltage by a threshold indicating the presence of the minute short circuit in the charging interface.

15. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the one or more control actions include automatically turning off the power to the electronic device.

16. Including the display screen, The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the one or more control actions include displaying a notification on the display screen prompting the user to perform a maintenance action on the electronic device.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16, wherein the maintenance action includes manually turning off the power to the electronic device.

18. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are configured to acquire the initial voltage measurement and the additional voltage measurement while the energy storage device is not being charged via the external power supply.

19. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the charging interface includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) charging port.

20. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the energy storage device includes a rechargeable battery.

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