Automatic identification of an adapter in an on-board diagnostic system

1. An on-board diagnostic (OBD) connector device comprising:

a housing;

a set of upper pins to implement OBD connections with an OBD system of a vehicle, the set of upper pins extruding from the housing and being physically arranged to be compatible with a female OBD connector;

a set of lower pins to implement OBD connections with the OBD system of the vehicle, the set of lower pins extruding from the housing and being physically arranged to be compatible with the female OBD connector;

a middle portion, disposed between the set of upper pins and the set of lower pins, the middle portion including:

a tongue that protrudes from the housing to provide stability for the OBD connector, the tongue extruding from a first section of the middle portion, and including:

a first tongue portion located at one end of the middle portion, and

a second tongue portion located at another end of the middle portion; and

one or more pins disposed in a second section of the middle portion, the one or more pins extruding from the housing to a height less than a height of the tongue and wherein the one or more pins are disposed between the first tongue portion and the second tongue portion.

2. The OBD connector device of claim 1 , wherein the OBD connector device includes a male connector compatible with the female OBD connector.

3. The OBD connector device of claim 1 , wherein the set of upper pins and the set of lower pins provide signaling and power connections for an OBD system.

4. The OBD connector device of claim 1 , wherein the second section of the middle portion covers approximately one third of the middle portion and the first portion covers approximately two-thirds of the middle portion.

5. The OBD connector device of claim 1 , wherein the OBD connector includes an OBD-II compatible connector, and wherein the set of upper pins and the set of lower pins are associated with signals relating to the OBD-II standard, and wherein the one or more pins disposed in the second section of the middle portion are not associated with the OBD-II standard.

6. The OBD device of claim 1 , wherein the OBD connector includes an OBD-II compatible connector.

7. An on-board diagnostic (OBD) device comprising:

a male OBD connector including:

a set of upper pins,

a set of lower pins, and

a middle portion, disposed between the set of upper pins and the set of lower pins, the middle portion including one or more pins; and

identification logic including:

a sensor connected to the one or more pins, the sensor to sense, when the OBD device is connected to a compatible adapter, one or more values corresponding to a type of the compatible adapter.

8. The OBD device of claim 7 , further comprising:

device logic to communicate, via the male OBD connector, with an OBD system of a vehicle.

9. The OBD device of claim 7 , wherein the sensor includes at least one of a resistance sensor, a capacitance sensor, or a frequency sensor, and

wherein the type of the compatible adapter is based on a value of the resistance, capacitance, or frequency, sensed by the sensor.

10. The OBD device of claim 7 , wherein the sensor includes a sensor to detect, based on voltages applied to the one or more pins, a binary encoded value, and wherein the type of the compatible adapter is based on a value of the binary encoded value.

11. The OBD device of claim 7 , wherein the sensor includes a Hall effect sensor.

12. The OBD device of claim 7 , wherein the sensor includes a light sensor, and wherein the type of the compatible adapter is based on a detected intensity or frequency of light sensed by the light sensor.

13. The OBD device of claim 7 , wherein the OBD device includes an OBD-II telematics device and the compatible adapter includes a Y-cable.

14. The OBD device of claim 7 , wherein the middle portion of the male OBD connector further includes:

a tongue that extends outward to provide stability for an OBD connection, wherein the tongue and the one or more pins together extend over an area approximately equal to an area covered by the first set of upper pins.

15. The OBD device of claim 14 , wherein the tongue extends outward to a height greater than or equal to a height of the one or more pins.

16. A method comprising:

detecting, by an on-board diagnostic (OBD) device, insertion of the OBD device into a female OBD connection;

determining, by the OBD device, values associated with one or more pins of the OBD device that are connected via the female OBD connection, the one or more pins including pins dedicated to determining a type of an adapter to which the OBD device is connected; and

identifying, by the OBD device and based on the determined values, the type of the adapter to which the OBD device is connected.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein determining the values associated with the one or more pins includes:

measuring a resistance, a capacitance, or a frequency associated with the one or more pins.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein determining the values associated with the one or more pins includes:

determining, based on voltages applied to the one or more pins, a binary encoded value corresponding to the type of the adapter.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein determining the values associated with the one or more pins includes:

determining, based on voltages applied to the one or more pins, a binary encoded value corresponding to the type of the adapter.

20. The method of claim 16 , where in the OBD device includes an OBD-II telematics device, and wherein the one or more pins are not associated with the OBD-II standard.