IP Library Granted Patent US 12,045,111
Granted Patent B2
US 12,045,111 · App. 18/073,711 · Granted Jul 23, 2024

Architectures for detecting USB type-C device exposure to liquids

Inventors: Shopitham Ram (San Jose, CA); David Neal (Chester, NH); Savan Javia (Austin, TX); Carl Finke (Northport, NY)
Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation
G06F1/28G06F1/266G06F13/4282G06F2213/0042
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,045,111
App. No.
18/073,711
Granted
Jul 23, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system includes a USB-C receptacle including first and second non-GPIO pins and a USB-C controller including a first GPIO pin connected to a pull-up resistor and a second GPIO pin connected to a pull-down resistor, a pair of non-GPIO pins including a third non-GPIO pin corresponding to the first non-GPIO pin and a fourth non-GPIO pin corresponding to the second non-GPIO pin. The pair of GPIO pins is selectively connectable to the pair of non-GPIO pins using a multiplexer, and liquid exposure detection circuitry configured to cause a first voltage for the first GPIO and a second voltage for the second GPIO to be measured, determine whether the first and second voltages each satisfy a threshold condition, and in response to determining that the first and second voltages each do not satisfy the threshold condition, cause operation of the USB-C receptacle to be suspended.

Claims (46)

1. A system comprising:

a Universal Serial Bus Type-C (USB-C) receptacle comprising a first data line pin and a second data line pin; and

a USB-C controller comprising:

a pair of general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins comprising a first GPIO pin connected to a pull-up resistor and a second GPIO pin connected to a pull-down resistor;

a pair of data line pins comprising a third data line pin corresponding to the first data line pin and a fourth data line pin corresponding to the second data line pin, wherein the pair of GPIO pins is selectively connectable to the pair of data line pins using a multiplexer; and

liquid exposure detection circuitry configured to:

cause a pair of voltages to be measured, the pair of voltages comprising a first voltage for the first GPIO and a second voltage for the second GPIO;

determine whether the pair of voltages satisfies a threshold condition; and

in response to determining that the pair of voltages does not satisfy the threshold condition, cause operation of the USB-C receptacle to be suspended.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein, to determine whether the pair of voltage satisfies the threshold condition, the liquid exposure detection circuitry is further configured to determine whether the first voltage is greater than a first threshold voltage and determine whether the second voltage is less than a second threshold voltage.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the liquid exposure detection circuitry is further configured to:

determine whether to resume the operation of the USB-C receptacle by continuing to scan the USB-C receptacle; and

in response to determining to resume the operation of the USB-C receptacle, resuming operation of the USB-C receptacle.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the multiplexer is an internal multiplexer of the USB-C controller.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the internal multiplexer is a 2×2 multiplexer comprising the pair of GPIO pins, the pair of data line pins, and a pair of system data line pins.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the multiplexer is an external multiplexer operatively coupled to the USB-C receptacle and the USB-C controller.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the external multiplexer is one of: a 2×1 multiplexer or a 2×2 multiplexer.

8. A system comprising:

a Universal Serial Bus Type-C (USB-C) receptacle comprising a first sideband use (SBU) pin and a second SBU pin; and

a USB-C controller comprising:

a pair of general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins comprising a first GPIO pin connected to a pull-up resistor and a second GPIO pin connected to a pull-down resistor;

a pair of SBU pins comprising a third SBU pin corresponding to the first SBU pin and a fourth SBU pin corresponding to the second SBU pin, wherein the pair of GPIO pins is selectively connectable to the pair of SBU pins using a multiplexer; and

liquid exposure detection circuitry comprising processing logic configured to:

cause a pair of voltages to be measured, the pair of voltages comprising a first voltage for the first GPIO and a second voltage for the second GPIO;

determine whether the pair of voltages satisfies a threshold condition; and

in response to determining that the pair of voltages does not satisfy the threshold condition, cause operation of the USB-C receptacle to be suspended.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein, to determine whether the pair of voltage satisfies the threshold condition, the liquid exposure detection circuitry is further configured to determine whether the first voltage is greater than a first threshold voltage and determine whether the second voltage is less than a second threshold voltage.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the liquid exposure detection circuitry is further configured to:

determine whether to resume the operation of the USB-C receptacle by continuing to scan the USB-C receptacle; and

in response to determining to resume the operation of the USB-C receptacle, resuming operation of the USB-C receptacle.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the multiplexer is an internal multiplexer of the USB-C controller.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the internal multiplexer is a 4×2 multiplexer comprising the pair of GPIO pins, the pair of SBU pins, and a pair of auxiliary line pins.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the multiplexer is an external multiplexer operatively coupled to the USB-C receptacle and the USB-C controller.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the external multiplexer is a 2×1 multiplexer.

15. A method of operating a Universal Serial Bus Type-C (USB-C) controller, the method comprising:

selectively connecting a pair of general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins to a pair of non-GPIO pins, wherein the pair of GPIO pins comprises a first GPIO pin connected to a pull-up resistor and a second GPIO pin connected to a pull-down resistor, wherein the pair of non-GPIO pins comprises a first non-GPIO pin and a second non-GPIO pin, and wherein the pair of non-GPIO pins comprises one of: a pair of data line pins, or a pair of sideband use pins;

causing a pair of voltages to be measured, the pair of voltages comprising a first voltage for the first GPIO and a second voltage for the second GPIO;

determining whether the pair of voltages satisfies a threshold condition; and

in response to determining that the pair of voltages does not satisfy the threshold condition, causing operation of a USB-C receptacle operatively coupled to the USB-C controller to be suspended, wherein the USB-C receptacle comprises a third non-GPIO pin corresponding to the first non-GPIO pin and a fourth non-GPIO pin corresponding to the second non-GPIO pin.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein determining whether the pair of voltages satisfies the threshold condition further comprises determining whether the first voltage is greater than a first threshold voltage and determining whether the second voltage is less than a second threshold voltage.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

determining whether to resume the operation of the USB-C receptacle by continuing to scan the USB-C receptacle; and

in response to determining to resume the operation of the USB-C receptacle, resuming operation of the USB-C receptacle.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein selectively connecting the pair of GPIO pins to the pair of non-GPIO pins comprises using a 2×2 internal multiplexer of the USB-C controller, the 2×2 internal multiplexer comprising the pair of GPIO pins, the pair of data lines pins, and a pair of system data line pins.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein selectively connecting the pair of GPIO pins to the pair of non-GPIO pins comprises using a 4×2 internal multiplexer of the USB-C controller comprising the pair of GPIO pins, the pair of SBU pins, and a pair of auxiliary line pins.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein selectively connecting the pair of GPIO pins to the pair of non-GPIO pins comprises using an external multiplexer operatively coupled to the USB-C receptacle and the USB-C controller, and wherein the external multiplexer is one of: a 2×1 multiplexer or a 2×2 multiplexer.

Assignments (2)
MERGER Recorded Nov 14, 2025
From: CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION
To: INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AMERICAS CORP.
Reel/Frame 073571/0456 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 7, 2022
From: RAM, SHOPITHAM; NEAL, DAVID; JAVIA, SAVAN; FINKE, CARL
To: CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 062007/0638 →
Continuity (1)
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