Power connector between serial interfaces
View Patent ↗This invention relates to a method, an apparatus, a computer program product and a system for a first serial and a second serial interface for connecting or disconnecting a power terminal of a first serial interface to a power terminal of a second serial interface based on a voltage level at an identification terminal of the second serial interface, wherein each interface comprising at least one data line and power supply line.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor; and
a non-transitory storage medium including computer program code, where the storage medium and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least:
identify based at least on a voltage level at an identification terminal of a second serial interface whether a device connected with the second serial interface to a first serial interface connected to the apparatus is configured to supply power via the second serial interface to the first serial interface; and
based on identifying that the voltage level at the identification terminal of the second serial interface is above the predetermined voltage threshold, disconnect a power terminal of the first serial interface to a power terminal of the second serial interface, and
based on identifying that the voltage level at the identification terminal of the second serial interface is below or equal to the predetermined voltage threshold, connect the power terminal of the first serial interface to the power terminal of the second serial interface,
wherein the first serial interface comprises at least one data line and at least one power supply line, and wherein the power terminal of the first serial interface is connected to or disconnected from the power terminal of the second serial interface based on the voltage level at the identification terminal of the second serial interface being one of above and not above a predetermined voltage threshold.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first serial interface comprises a universal serial bus interface.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first serial interface comprises a universal serial bus standard-A plug.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second serial interface comprises a universal serial bus interface.
5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second serial interface comprises a universal serial bus Micro-AB receptacle.
6. A method, comprising
identifying, by an apparatus, based at least on a voltage level at an identification terminal of a second serial interface whether a device connected with the second serial interface to a first serial interface connected to the apparatus is configured to supply power via the second serial interface to the first serial interface; and
based on identifying that the voltage level at the identification terminal of the second serial interface is above the predetermined voltage threshold, disconnecting, by the apparatus, a power terminal of the first serial interface to a power terminal of the second serial interface, and
based on identifying that the voltage level at the identification terminal of the second serial interface is below or equal to the predetermined voltage threshold, connect the power terminal of the first serial interface to the power terminal of the second serial interface,
wherein the first serial interface comprises at least one data line and at least one power supply line, wherein the power terminal of the first serial interface is connected to or disconnected from the power terminal of the second serial interface based on the voltage level at the identification terminal of the second serial interface being one of above and not above a predetermined voltage threshold.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the first serial interface comprises a universal serial bus interface.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the first serial interface comprises a universal serial bus standard-A plug.
9. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the second serial interface comprises a universal serial bus interface.
10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the second serial interface comprises universal serial bus Micro-AB receptacle.
11. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the power terminal of the first serial interface is connected to the power terminal of the second serial interface when the voltage level at the identification terminal of the second serial interface is below or equal to the predetermined voltage threshold, and wherein the power terminal of the first serial interface is disconnected from the power terminal of the second serial interface when the voltage level is above the predetermined voltage threshold.
12. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the predetermined voltage threshold represents a zero voltage level.
13. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the disconnecting and connecting is performed by a switching unit which comprises at least one transistor connecting or disconnecting the power terminal of the first serial interface to the power terminal of the second serial interface.
14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the switching unit further comprises an overcurrent protection element protecting at least one transistor of the at least one transistor.
15. The method according to claim 6 performed by computer program code embodied in a non-transitory storage medium and executed by at least one processor.