JP2013019739A - Connector abnormality detector, connector abnormality detection system, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector abnormality detector, a connector abnormality detection system and a program which can detect a short circuit in a connector.SOLUTION: A connector abnormality detector includes a current information acquisition unit for acquiring current information which shows magnitude of current flowing through a connector, and a determination unit for determining whether or not the magnitude of current shown by the current information which is acquired by the current information acquisition unit is equal to or less than predetermined magnitude of current. When a short circuit occurs in the connector, the determination unit determines that the magnitude of current shown by the current information is larger than the predetermined magnitude of current, so that the short circuit in the connector can be detected.

Description

  The present invention relates to a connector abnormality detection device, a connector abnormality detection method of the connector abnormality detection device, and a program.

In the mobile phone described in Patent Document 1, a rib is provided in the lower housing so as to surround a position where the earphone jack should be placed so as to contact a substrate on which the earphone jack is arranged. It is said that moisture can be prevented from spreading inside the housing by the rib.
Further, in the waterproof connector structure described in Patent Document 2, a ring-shaped elastic seal member is provided on the inner peripheral wall of the jack insertion hole of the plug-jack type connector, and the depth of the connector is determined when the jack and the plug are fitted. A plurality of electrical contact terminals in the direction are spatially separated. Thereby, it is supposed that the short circuit between the contact terminals can be prevented even in a state where the contact terminals are fitted in water or in a state where there is moisture between the contact terminals.
In addition, in the mobile phone described in Patent Document 3, two charging terminal groups (a plurality of connectors) are respectively disposed so as to be exposed from openings formed in the casing of the mobile phone. And a water-wetting detection part detects the short circuit state of these terminals by monitoring the resistance value between these terminals. Thereby, it is supposed that the wetness outside a housing | casing can be detected easily.

Japanese Patent No. 2010-177880 Japanese Patent No. 2009-59580 Japanese Patent No. 2010-35036

When a foreign substance enters a connector, a short circuit occurs between the electrical contacts of the connector, which may cause malfunction or failure. For example, if a foreign object enters the earphone jack and the audio output contact and the ground contact are short-circuited, the audio signal current does not flow to the earphone and a malfunction may occur in which no audio is output, or an excessive current is generated in the circuit that performs audio output. There is a risk of failure.
However, the mobile phone described in Patent Document 1 is intended to prevent moisture from spreading inside the housing, and cannot detect a short circuit in the connector.
Further, in the waterproof connector structure described in Patent Document 2, when the elastic seal member is damaged, when the elastic seal member is loose with respect to the plug, or when metal thin pieces are mixed, the electrical contact terminal Insufficient separation may cause malfunction and failure. In such a case, the waterproof connector structure described in Patent Document 2 cannot detect a short circuit in the connector.
Further, the mobile phone described in Patent Document 3 is for detecting water wetting outside the housing, and cannot detect a short circuit in the connector.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a connector abnormality detection device, a connector abnormality detection method, and a program that can solve the above-described problems.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and a connector abnormality detection device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a current information acquisition unit that acquires current information indicating a magnitude of a current flowing through a connector, and the current. A determination unit that determines whether or not the magnitude of the current indicated by the current information acquired by the information acquisition unit is equal to or less than a predetermined level of current.

  In addition, the connector abnormality detection method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a current information acquisition step of acquiring current information indicating the magnitude of a current flowing through the connector, and a current magnitude indicated by the current information acquired in the current information acquisition step. And a determination step of determining whether or not the current is equal to or less than a predetermined current.

  A program according to an aspect of the present invention includes a current information acquisition step of acquiring current information indicating a magnitude of a current flowing through a connector, and a current acquired in the current information acquisition step in a computer as a connector abnormality detection device. And a determination step of determining whether or not the magnitude of the current indicated by the information is equal to or less than a predetermined magnitude of the current.

  According to the present invention, a short circuit in a connector can be detected.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structure of the connector abnormality detection apparatus in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile telephone in the same embodiment. It is a circuit diagram which shows the connection relation of a minijack, an audio | voice processing part, and an electric current information acquisition part in the embodiment. In the same embodiment, it is a flowchart which shows the process sequence which a mobile telephone determines the presence or absence of the short circuit in a minijack using a test signal. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in which the mobile phone determines whether or not there is a short circuit in a mini jack using an audio signal in the embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a configuration of a connector abnormality detection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the connector abnormality detection device 1 includes a current information acquisition unit 110 and a determination unit 182. In addition, the current information acquisition unit 110 is connected to the connector 220. The connector 220 may be included in the connector abnormality detection device 1 or may be a connector provided outside the connector abnormality detection device 1.

Connector abnormality detection device 1 detects a short circuit in connector 220 (short circuit between electrical contacts of connector 220).
The term “connector” as used herein refers to a part or instrument used to connect an electrical path such as an electrical wiring so that it can be disconnected. A plug and a jack or socket. Etc., and an electrical path is connected by inserting the plug into the plug receiver.

  The connector abnormality detection device 1 may have either a plug or a plug receptacle. For example, like the cellular phone 100 and the headset 201 described later with reference to FIG. 2, the connector abnormality detection device 1 has a plug receiver, and a plug of another device is inserted into the plug receiver. The connector abnormality detection device 1 and another device may be electrically connected.

In addition, the electrical contact of the connector here is a conductor that each of the plug and the plug receiver has, and when the plug is inserted into the plug receiver, the electrical contact on the plug side and the electrical contact on the plug receiver side The electrical path is connected by contact with.
In addition, the short circuit in the connector (short circuit between the electrical contacts of the connector) here means that the impedance between the plurality of electrical contacts of the plug or the impedance of the plurality of electrical contacts of the plug receiver is the connector. The impedance is smaller than the impedance in the original connection state (a state where the plug is inserted into the plug receiver). For example, when a foreign substance enters the connector, a short circuit occurs in the connector.

  Here, if a short circuit occurs between the electrical contacts of the connector 220, there is a risk of causing a malfunction or failure. Therefore, the connector abnormality detection device 1 can display that there is a possibility of malfunction by detecting a short circuit in the connector 220. Further, the connector abnormality detection device 1 can detect a short circuit in the connector 220, thereby suppressing a current flowing through the connector 220 and preventing a failure.

The current information acquisition unit 110 acquires current information indicating the magnitude of the current flowing through the connector 220.
Here, as the current information acquired by the current information acquisition unit 110, various information indicating the magnitude of the current can be used. For example, the current information acquisition unit 110 may have an ammeter connected in series with the connector 220 to acquire a current value at the connector 220. Alternatively, the current information acquisition unit 110 acquires a voltage value or a power value in a resistor connected in series with the connector 220, and based on the acquired voltage value or power value and the resistance value of the resistor, in the connector 220. The current value may be calculated.

The determination unit 182 determines whether or not the magnitude of the current indicated by the current information acquired by the current information acquisition unit 110 is equal to or less than a predetermined current (threshold current).
The threshold current here is a threshold that serves as a reference when determining the presence or absence of a short circuit in the connector 220. When the determination unit 182 determines that the magnitude of the current indicated by the current information is equal to or less than the magnitude of the threshold current, it is considered that there is no short circuit in the connector 220. On the other hand, when the determination unit 182 determines that the magnitude of the current indicated by the current information is greater than the magnitude of the threshold current, it is considered that there is a short circuit in the connector 220. That is, the determination unit 182 detects a short circuit in the connector 220 by determining whether or not the magnitude of the current indicated by the current information is equal to or less than the magnitude of the threshold current.

The connector 220 includes a plug and a plug receptacle, and the plug is inserted into the plug receptacle so that the electrical path can be disconnected.
Here, the connector 220 may be various types of connectors, and the current flowing through the connectors may be various. For example, the connector 220 may have a standard plug and a standard jack, or a mini plug and a mini jack, and allow an analog signal to flow, such as a sound signal from a microphone or a sound signal to headphones. Alternatively, the connector 220 may be a D-sub connector that allows a digital signal to flow, such as connecting a wiring between a computer and a peripheral device to flow a command signal or a data signal.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 2 by taking as an example the case where the present invention is applied to a mobile phone.
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the mobile phone in the present embodiment. In the figure, a mobile phone 100 includes a wireless unit 101, a speaker 102, a microphone 103, a headset detection unit 104, a display unit 105, a current information acquisition unit 110, a mini jack 120, a voice processing unit ( A test signal output unit, an audio signal output unit) 150, a control unit 180, and a storage unit 191. The control unit 180 includes a voice call processing unit 181, a determination unit 182, a current control unit 183, and a display control unit 184. In addition, the mobile phone 100 and the headset 201 are electrically connected by inserting a mini plug of the headset 201 into the mini jack 120.

  The mobile phone 100 provides various services such as voice calls by performing wireless communication with the mobile phone base station apparatus. The mobile phone 100 is an example of the connector abnormality detection device (connector abnormality detection device 1 in FIG. 1) according to the present invention. When the minijack 120 determines whether or not there is a short circuit, and determines that there is a short circuit, the short circuit is detected. And the current flowing through the mini jack 120 is suppressed.

  Note that the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to mobile phones. The present invention has various types of portable terminal devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), game machines, notebook personal computers (PCs), tablet PCs, etc., and has plugs or plug receptacles. It can be applied to various devices or various devices connected to a plug or plug receptacle.

  The radio unit 101 has an antenna, receives a downlink radio wave transmitted from a mobile phone base station apparatus, performs processing such as conversion to a baseband received signal and demodulation, and extracts data. The extracted data is output to the control unit 180. Radio section 101 performs processing such as modulation and conversion to a signal of a transmission frequency on the data output from control section 180, and transmits it as an uplink radio wave to the mobile phone base station apparatus. To do. For example, the wireless unit 101 wirelessly transmits and receives an audio signal during a voice call.

The speaker 102 vibrates according to the electric signal output from the sound processing unit 150 and outputs sound. For example, the speaker 102 outputs voice from the other party during a voice call.
The microphone 103 collects ambient sounds, converts them into analog electrical signals, and outputs them to the audio processing unit 150. For example, the microphone 103 collects the voice of the user of the mobile phone 100 during a voice call and outputs it to the voice processing unit 150 as an analog electric signal.

The audio processing unit 150 converts an audio signal output as an analog electric signal from the microphone 103 into a digital electric signal and outputs the digital electric signal to the control unit 180. Also, the audio processing unit 150 converts an audio signal output as a digital electric signal from the control unit 180 into an analog electric signal and outputs the analog electric signal to the speaker 102.
Further, the audio processing unit 150 outputs a signal output from the control unit 180 to the headset 201 via the mini jack 120 in a state where the mobile phone 100 is electrically connected to the headset 201. A signal output from the headset 201 via the mini jack 120 is output to the control unit 180. In particular, the audio processing unit 150 outputs a test signal to the mini jack 120. Alternatively, the audio processing unit 150 outputs an audio signal to the mini jack 120.

The test signal here is a signal generated by the audio processing unit 150 and output as current to the mini jack 120, and the current information acquisition unit 110 acquires the current value of the test signal in the mini jack 120 as current information. . Since the voice processing unit 150 generates and outputs a relatively weak current as a test signal, it is excessive for each unit of the mobile phone 100 (particularly, the CPU that implements the voice processing unit 150 and the voice call processing unit 181). Whether or not there is a short circuit in the mini jack 120 can be determined while preventing a current from flowing.
The test signal output from the audio processing unit 150 may be any signal that can acquire current information (for example, a current value can be measured), and signals having various waveforms can be used. For example, the audio processing unit 150 may apply a DC voltage as a test signal to the electrical contact of the mini jack 120 (a DC current flows through the electrical contact of the mini jack 120), or a sine wave AC A voltage may be applied.
The determination of the presence or absence of a short circuit in the mini jack 120 using the test signal will be described later with reference to FIG.

In addition, as the voice signal here, for example, a voice signal from a call partner that is output from the voice call processing unit 181 during a voice call can be used. When the audio signal is used to determine the presence or absence of a short circuit in the mini jack 120, the audio processing unit 150 does not need to generate or output a test signal. Therefore, the configuration of the audio processing unit 150 can be simplified as compared with the case where a test signal is used, so that the mobile phone 100 can be made compact.
The determination of the presence / absence of a short circuit in the mini jack 120 using an audio signal will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Further, the audio processing unit 150 suppresses the current flowing through the mini jack 120 in accordance with an instruction from the current control unit 183. Specifically, it has a switch for electrically connecting or disconnecting the audio processing unit 150 itself and the mini jack 120. Then, when instructed by the current control unit 183 to suppress the current flowing through the mini jack 120, the audio processing unit 150 opens the switch and electrically disconnects the audio processing unit 150 itself and the mini jack 120. Thus, the current flowing through the mini jack 120 is suppressed.

  The headset detection unit 104 detects a state in which the mobile phone 100 and the headset 201 are electrically connected by determining whether or not the mini plug of the headset 201 is inserted into the mini jack 120. . The determination performed by the headset detection unit 104 will be described later with reference to FIG.

  The display unit 105 has a display screen such as a liquid crystal panel, for example, and displays various information such as a moving image, a still image, and a character string (text) under the control of the display control unit 184. In particular, when the determination unit 182 detects a short circuit in the mini jack 120, the display unit 105 displays a message indicating that a short circuit has been detected. For example, the display unit 105 displays, as a message indicating that a short circuit has been detected, a message that there is a risk of malfunction or a message that prompts the user to remove foreign matter in the mini jack 120.

  The current information acquisition unit 110 is an example of the current information acquisition unit 110 in FIG. 1 and acquires current information indicating the magnitude of the current flowing through the connector. In particular, when the audio processing unit 150 outputs a test signal to the mini jack 120, the current information acquisition unit 110 acquires information indicating the magnitude of the current of the test signal flowing through the mini jack 120 as current information. Alternatively, in a state where the audio processing unit 150 outputs an audio signal to the mini jack 120, the current information acquisition unit 110 acquires information indicating the magnitude of the current of the audio signal flowing through the mini jack 120 as current information. Also good.

  As will be described later with reference to FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the current information acquisition unit 110 measures the voltage across the resistor electrically connected to the electrical contact of the mini jack 120 and uses the measured voltage as the measured voltage. Based on this, the current value of the current flowing through the mini jack 120 (current flowing through the resistor) is calculated (acquired) as current information.

The mini jack 120 is an example of the connector 220 in FIG. 1 and constitutes a connector together with a mini plug included in the headset 201. The mini jack 120 in this embodiment is a 5-pole (5-contact) mini jack, has a 3.5 millimeter (mm) diameter insertion port, and receives the insertion of the mini plug of the headset 201. . When the mini jack 120 receives the mini plug of the headset 201, the mobile phone 100 and the headset 201 are electrically connected.
As described above, the present invention is not limited to the mini jack 120 and can be applied to various connectors.

  The control unit 180 is constructed, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) included in the mobile phone 100 reading and executing a program stored in the storage unit 191, and controls each unit of the mobile phone 100.

  The voice call processing unit 181 executes a voice call function. Specifically, the voice call processing unit 181 performs call processing, call termination processing, and incoming call processing. Further, during a call, the voice call processing unit 181 outputs the voice from the other party's telephone to the speaker 102 via the voice processing unit 150, and the voice collected by the microphone 103 is the voice from the voice processing unit 150. When acquired as data, the audio data is output to the wireless unit 101 and transmitted by radio waves.

The determination unit 182 is an example of the determination unit 182 in FIG. 1, and determines whether or not the magnitude of the current indicated by the current information acquired by the current information acquisition unit 110 is equal to or less than a predetermined current. Specifically, the determination unit 182 determines whether or not the current value output as current information from the current information acquisition unit 110 is equal to or less than a threshold stored in the storage unit 191.
The determination performed by the determination unit 182 corresponds to detection of a short circuit in the mini jack 120. That is, the determination unit 182 detects a short circuit in the mini jack 120 by determining that the current value output from the current information acquisition unit 110 is larger than the threshold stored in the storage unit 191.

  The current control unit 183 controls the current flowing through the connector 220 based on the determination result of the determination unit 182. Specifically, when the determination unit 182 detects a short circuit in the mini jack 120, the current control unit 183 instructs the audio processing unit 150 to suppress the current flowing through the mini jack 120, whereby the current flowing through the connector 220 is determined. Suppress.

The display control unit 184 controls the display unit 105 to display various information. In particular, when the determination unit 182 detects a short circuit in the mini jack 120, the display control unit 184 causes the display unit 105 to display a message indicating that a short circuit has been detected.
The storage unit 191 stores various programs and various data for the control unit 180 to perform processing. In particular, the storage unit 191 stores a threshold used by the determination unit 182 to detect a short circuit in the mini jack 120.

Next, the acquisition of current information performed by the current information acquisition unit 110 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a connection relationship among the mini jack 120, the sound processing unit 150, and the current information acquisition unit 110.
In the figure, a mini jack 120 includes a microphone contact 121, a headset detection contact 122, audio output contacts 123 and 124, a ground contact 125, a microphone terminal 131, a headset detection terminal 132, and an audio output terminal 133. And 134 and a ground terminal 135. The audio processing unit 150 includes switches 151 to 153. The current information acquisition unit 110 includes a current value detection circuit 111 and resistors 112 to 114.

  The microphone contact 121 is electrically connected to one end of the resistor 112 via the microphone terminal 131, and the other end of the resistor 112 is electrically connected to the switch 151 via the terminal of the sound processing unit 150. The headset detection contact 122 is electrically connected to the headset detection unit 104 via a headset detection terminal 132. The headset detection contact 122 is electrically connected to the current value detection circuit 111 and the sound processing unit 150 via the headset detection unit 104. The audio output contact 123 is electrically connected to one end of the resistor 113 via the audio output terminal 133, and the other end of the resistor 113 is electrically connected to the switch 152 via the terminal of the audio processing unit 150. . The audio output contact 124 is electrically connected to one end of the resistor 114 via the audio output terminal 134, and the other end of the resistor 114 is electrically connected to the switch 153 via the terminal of the audio processing unit 150. . The ground contact 125 is electrically connected to the ground 141 via the ground terminal 135. Further, both ends of the resistors 112, 113 and 114 are electrically connected to the current value detection circuit 111, respectively.

The microphone contact 121, the headset detection contact 122, the audio output contacts 123 and 124, and the ground contact 125 are electrical contacts included in the mini jack 120 and are configured by conductors.
The microphone contact 121 is electrically connected to the microphone of the headset 201 in a state where the mini plug of the headset 201 is inserted into the mini jack 120 (hereinafter referred to as “connector connection state”). An audio signal output as an electrical signal is acquired.
The headset detection contact 122 is electrically connected to the ground contact 125 via a mini plug of the headset 201 in the connector connection state. As a result, the headset detection unit 104 is electrically connected to the ground 141 in the connector connection state. As will be described later, the headset detection unit 104 has the mini plug of the headset 201 inserted into the mini jack 120. It can be determined (detected).

The audio output contact 123 is electrically connected to the speaker of the headset 201 in the connector connected state, and outputs an audio signal output as an electric signal from the audio processing unit 150 to the speaker. The audio output contact 124 is electrically connected to another speaker of the headset 201 in the connector connected state, and outputs an audio signal output as an electric signal from the audio processing unit 150 to the speaker.
The ground contact 125 electrically connects one end of a speaker or a microphone included in the headset 201 to the ground 141 in a connector connection state. Here, the ground 141 is a ground (Ground, reference potential point) in the mobile phone 100.

  The microphone terminal 131, the headset detection terminal 132, the audio output terminals 133 and 134, and the ground terminal 135 are terminals included in the mini jack 120, and the microphone contact 121, the headset detection contact 122, and the audio, respectively. The output contacts 123 and 124 and the ground contact 125 are used to electrically connect the outside of the mini jack 120.

The resistors 112 to 114 are all electric resistors, and cause a potential difference (voltage) proportional to the current flowing through the resistor itself at both ends of the resistor itself.
The current value detection circuit 111 generates current information based on voltage values at both ends of the resistors 112 to 114.
For example, the current value detection circuit 111 has a voltage sensor and measures the voltage value across the resistor 112. The current value detection circuit 111 stores the resistance value of the resistor 112 in advance, and divides the measured voltage value by the resistance value to calculate the current value of the current flowing through the resistor 112 (current flowing through the microphone contact 121). To do. Then, the current value detection circuit 111 outputs the calculated current value to the determination unit 182 as current information (first current information).

Similarly, the current value detection circuit 111 has a voltage sensor and measures the voltage value across the resistor 113. The current value detection circuit 111 stores the resistance value of the resistor 113 in advance, and divides the measured voltage value by the resistance value to obtain the current value of the current flowing through the resistor 113 (current flowing through the audio output contact 123). calculate. Then, the current value detection circuit 111 outputs the calculated current value to the determination unit 182 as current information (second current information).
Similarly, the current value detection circuit 111 has a voltage sensor and measures the voltage value across the resistor 114. The current value detection circuit 111 stores the resistance value of the resistor 114 in advance, and divides the measured voltage value by the resistance value to obtain the current value of the current flowing through the resistor 114 (current flowing through the audio output contact 124). calculate. Then, the current value detection circuit 111 outputs the calculated current value to the determination unit 182 as current information (third current information).

  In the audio processing unit 150, the switches 151 to 153 are switches that electrically connect or disconnect the audio processing unit 150 itself and the mini jack 120 described above. The sound processing unit 150 controls the current flowing through the mini jack 120 by opening and closing the switches 151 to 153 in accordance with instructions received from the current control unit 183.

The headset detection unit 104 applies a voltage to the headset detection contact 122 and measures the current value at the headset detection contact 122.
Here, in a state where the headset detection contact 122 and the ground contact 125 are electrically disconnected, even if a voltage is applied to the headset detection contact 122, no current flows through the headset detection contact 122. On the other hand, in the connector connection state, the headset detection contact 122 and the ground contact 125 are electrically connected, and when a voltage is applied to the headset detection contact 122, a current flows through the headset detection contact 122 due to the voltage.
Therefore, the headset detection unit 104 compares the current measurement value (absolute value) at the headset detection contact 122 with a predetermined threshold value, and if it is larger than the threshold value, the headset detection unit 104 is in the connector connection state, that is, the headset 201 It is determined that the mini-plug is inserted into the mini jack 120. On the other hand, when the current measurement value (absolute value) at the headset detection contact 122 is equal to or smaller than the threshold value, the headset detection unit 104 is not in the connector connection state, that is, the mini plug of the headset 201 is inserted into the mini jack 120. Judge that it is not.

Next, the operation of the mobile phone 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in which the mobile phone 100 determines whether or not there is a short circuit in the mini jack 120 using the test signal. When the cellular phone 100 is activated with its own power supply connected (ON), the cellular phone 100 starts the process of FIG.
In the process shown in the figure, first, the current control unit 183 instructs the audio processing unit 150 to suppress the current flowing through the mini jack 120, and the audio processing unit 150 sets the switches 151 to 153 (FIG. 3). Open and suppress the current flowing through the mini jack 120 (step S101). This is to prevent the mobile phone 100 from being broken by passing a current in a state where the mini jack 120 is short-circuited.

  Next, the headset detection unit 104 determines whether or not the connector is connected, that is, whether or not the mini plug of the headset 201 is inserted into the mini jack 120 (step S102). If it is determined that the connector is not connected (step S102: NO), the process returns to step S102. When not in the connector connected state, the mobile phone 100 performs various functions such as a voice call function using the microphone 103 and the speaker 102.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S102 that the connector is connected (step S102: YES), the headset detection unit 104 outputs information indicating that the connector connection state has been detected to the current control unit 183, and current control is performed. The unit 183 instructs the audio processing unit 150 to output a test signal. Then, the voice processing unit 150 closes the switches 151 to 153 (FIG. 3) in accordance with the instruction from the current control unit 183, and starts generating test signals and outputting them to the mini jack 120 (step S103).

  In addition, the headset detection unit 104 outputs information indicating that the connector connection state has been detected to the current information acquisition unit 110. The current information acquisition unit 110 that acquired the information acquires the current value I1 in the resistor 112 (FIG. 3) as first current information, and outputs the first current information to the determination unit 182 (step S111). When the first current information is output from the current information acquisition unit 110, the determination unit 182 determines that the first current information is a threshold value (for example, 0.2 milliamps (mA)) for the first current information stored in the storage unit 191. ) It is determined whether or not (step S112).

  When it determines with it being below a threshold value (step S112: YES), the determination part 182 requests | requires 2nd electric current information with respect to the electric current information acquisition part 110. FIG. Then, the current information acquisition unit 110 acquires the current value I2 in the resistor 113 (FIG. 3) as second current information and outputs it to the determination unit 182 (step S121). When the second current information is output from the current information acquisition unit 110, the determination unit 182 determines whether the second current information is equal to or less than a threshold (for example, 2 milliamperes) for the second current information stored in the storage unit 191. Is determined (step S122).

  When it determines with it being below a threshold value (step S122: YES), the determination part 182 requests | requires 3rd electric current information with respect to the electric current information acquisition part 110. FIG. Then, the current information acquisition unit 110 acquires the current value I3 in the resistor 114 (FIG. 3) as the third current information and outputs it to the determination unit 182 (step S131). When the third current information is output from the current information acquisition unit 110, the determination unit 182 determines whether the third current information is equal to or less than a threshold (for example, 2 milliamperes) for the third current information stored in the storage unit 191. Is determined (step S132).

  When it determines with it being below a threshold value (step S132: YES), the determination part 182 outputs the information which shows that the short circuit was not detected to the current control part 183, and the current control part 183 to the audio | voice process part 150. On the other hand, it instructs the audio signal to flow through the mini jack 120. Receiving the instruction, the audio processing unit 150 ends the generation and output of the test signal and starts distributing the audio signal. Specifically, the voice processing unit 150 converts the digital voice signal output from the voice call processing unit 181 into an analog voice signal, outputs the analog voice signal, and outputs the analog signal output from the mini jack 120. The voice signal is converted into a digital voice signal and output to the voice call processing unit 181 (step S141).

  In addition, the headset detection unit 104 determines whether or not the connector is connected, that is, whether or not the mini plug of the headset 201 is inserted into the mini jack 120 (step S142). When it is determined that the connector is connected (step S142: YES), the process returns to step S142. On the other hand, when it is determined that the connector is not connected (step S142: NO), the process returns to step S101.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S112 that the first current information is greater than the threshold (step S112: NO), or if it is determined in step S122 that the second current information is greater than the threshold (step S122: NO), If it is determined in step S132 that the third current information is greater than the threshold (step S132: NO), the determination unit 182 outputs information indicating that a short circuit has been detected to the current control unit 183. Then, the current control unit 183 instructs the audio processing unit 150 to suppress the current flowing through the mini jack 120, and the audio processing unit 150 opens the switches 151 to 153 (FIG. 3), and the mini jack 120. (Step S151).

The determination unit 182 also outputs information indicating that a short circuit has been detected to the display control unit 184, and the display control unit 184 causes the display unit 105 to display a message indicating that a short circuit has been detected (step S152). .
Thereafter, the processing in FIG. 5 ends, and the audio processing unit 150 continues to suppress the current flowing through the mini jack 120 until the power of the mobile phone 100 is turned off (OFF). The display unit 105 continues displaying a message indicating that a short circuit has been detected until the mobile phone 100 is turned off.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure in which the mobile phone 100 determines whether or not there is a short circuit in the mini jack 120 using an audio signal. When the cellular phone 100 is activated with its own power supply connected (ON), the cellular phone 100 starts the process of FIG.
Steps S201 to S202 are the same as steps S101 to S102 in FIG.

  If it is determined in step S202 that the connector is connected (step S202: YES), the headset detection unit 104 outputs information indicating that the connector connection state has been detected to the current control unit 183, and the current control unit 183. Instructs the audio processing unit 150 to output an audio signal. Receiving the instruction, the audio processing unit 150 starts distributing audio signals. Specifically, the voice processing unit 150 converts the digital voice signal output from the voice call processing unit 181 into an analog voice signal, outputs the analog voice signal, and outputs the analog signal output from the mini jack 120. The voice signal is converted into a digital voice signal and output to the voice call processing unit 181 (step S203).

The next step S211 is the same as step S111 in FIG.
When the first current information is output from the current information acquisition unit 110 in step S211, the determination unit 182 determines that the first current information is stored in the storage unit 191 with respect to a threshold (for example, 1 milliamp ( mA)) or less is determined (step S212).

  Here, the threshold value is larger than in the case of step S112 in FIG. 4 because various signals (currents) can flow through the mini jack 120 as an audio signal. This is because it is necessary to set a threshold value that is larger than the maximum value of the current assumed to flow through 120. On the other hand, in FIG. 4, since the presence or absence of a short circuit is determined using the test signal, various threshold values can be set according to the current value of the test signal. In the example of FIG. 4, the audio processing unit 150 generates and outputs a current of 1/5 of the maximum value of the current assumed to flow through the mini jack 120 in a normal state as a test signal, and the threshold value is also illustrated in FIG. It is set to 1/5 of the case of 5. As described above, by generating and outputting a relatively weak current as a test signal, it is possible to determine whether there is a short circuit in the mini jack 120 while preventing an excessive current from flowing through each part of the mobile phone 100. . The same applies to step S222 and step S232.

If it is determined in step S212 that the value is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S212: YES), the process proceeds to step S221. This step S221 is the same as step S121 of FIG.
When the second current information is output from the current information acquisition unit 110 in step S221, the determination unit 182 determines that the second current information is a threshold (for example, 10 milliamperes) for the second current information stored in the storage unit 191. It is determined whether it is below (step S222).

If it is determined in step S222 that the value is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S222: YES), the process proceeds to step S231. This step S231 is the same as step S131 of FIG.
When the third current information is output from the current information acquisition unit 110 in step S231, the determination unit 182 determines that the third current information is a threshold (for example, 10 milliamperes) for the third current information stored in the storage unit 191. It is determined whether it is below (step S232).

When it determines with it being below a threshold value (step S232: YES), it returns to step S211.
Here, the reason for returning to step S211 and repeating the determination is that the audio signal may be small. For example, when the mobile phone 100 is executing a voice call function and the presence / absence of a short circuit is determined using a voice signal of a call in the voice call function, neither the user of the mobile phone 100 nor the other party is speaking If the current does not flow through the mini jack 120 and the electrical contacts of the mini jack 120 are short-circuited, the determination unit 182 may not be able to detect. Therefore, the mobile phone 100 can detect the short circuit when the user of the mobile phone 100 or the other party speaks with a relatively loud voice by repeatedly performing the determination processing in steps S211 to S232.
In addition, by repeatedly performing the determination, when a short circuit occurs during use of the mobile phone 100 (for example, a user of the mobile phone 100 spills liquid such as juice while using the mobile phone 100, and the liquid is In the case of entering the jack 120), a short circuit can be detected immediately.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S212 that the first current information is greater than the threshold (step S212: NO), or if it is determined in step S222 that the second current information is greater than the threshold (step S222: NO), If it is determined in step S232 that the third current information is greater than the threshold value (step S232: NO), the process proceeds to step S241.

Steps S241 to S242 are the same as steps S151 to S152 in FIG.
After step S242, the processing of FIG. 5 is ended, and the audio processing unit 150 continues to suppress the current flowing through the mini jack 120 until the power of the mobile phone 100 is turned off (OFF). The display unit 105 continues displaying a message indicating that a short circuit has been detected until the mobile phone 100 is turned off.

  As described above, the current information acquisition unit 110 acquires current information, and the determination unit 182 determines whether or not the magnitude of the current indicated by the current information is equal to or less than a threshold value. When a short circuit occurs in the mini jack 120, the determination unit 182 can determine that the magnitude of the current indicated by the current information is larger than the threshold value, and detect the short circuit in the mini jack 120.

Further, when the mobile phone 100 determines whether or not there is a short circuit in the mini jack 120 using the audio signal, the audio processing unit 150 does not need to generate and output a test signal. Therefore, the configuration of the audio processing unit 150 can be simplified as compared with the case where a test signal is used, so that the mobile phone 100 can be made compact.
Further, when the mobile phone 100 determines whether or not there is a short circuit in the mini jack 120 using the audio signal, the mobile phone 100 inputs and outputs the audio signal to the mini jack 120 (that is, input of the audio signal to the headset 201). Output) and the determination of the presence or absence of a short circuit can be performed in parallel. Therefore, since the mobile phone 100 can repeatedly determine whether or not there is a short circuit in the mini jack 120, even when a short circuit occurs during use of the mobile phone 100, the short circuit can be detected immediately.

  When the mobile phone 100 determines whether or not there is a short circuit in the mini jack 120 using the test signal, the audio processing unit 150 generates and outputs a relatively weak current as the test signal, so that the mobile phone 100 Whether or not there is a short circuit in the mini jack 120 can be determined while preventing an excessive current from flowing through each part.

It should be noted that a program for realizing all or part of the functions of the control unit 180 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium is read into a computer system and executed. You may perform the process of. Here, the “computer system” includes an OS and hardware such as peripheral devices.
Further, the “computer system” includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is used.
The “computer-readable recording medium” refers to a storage device such as a flexible medium, a magneto-optical disk, a portable medium such as a ROM and a CD-ROM, and a hard disk incorporated in a computer system. Furthermore, the “computer-readable recording medium” dynamically holds a program for a short time like a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. In this case, a volatile memory in a computer system serving as a server or a client in that case, and a program that holds a program for a certain period of time are also included. The program may be a program for realizing a part of the functions described above, and may be a program capable of realizing the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes design changes and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Connector abnormality detection apparatus 100 Mobile phone 101 Radio | wireless part 102 Speaker 103 Microphone 104 Headset detection part 105 Display part 110 Current information acquisition part 120 Minijack 150 Voice processing part 180 Control part 181 Voice call processing part 182 Judgment part 183 Current control part 184 Display control unit 191 Storage unit 220 Connector

Claims (5)

A current information acquisition unit for acquiring current information indicating the magnitude of the current flowing through the connector;
A determination unit that determines whether or not the magnitude of the current indicated by the current information acquired by the current information acquisition unit is less than or equal to a predetermined current;
A connector abnormality detection device comprising: An audio signal output unit for outputting an audio signal to the connector;
The connector abnormality detection device according to claim 1, wherein the current information acquisition unit acquires information indicating a magnitude of a current of the audio signal flowing through the connector as the current information. A test signal output unit for outputting a test signal to the connector;
The connector abnormality detection device according to claim 1, wherein the current information acquisition unit acquires information indicating a magnitude of a current of the test signal flowing through the connector as the current information. A current information acquisition step of acquiring current information indicating the magnitude of the current flowing through the connector;
A determination step of determining whether or not the magnitude of the current indicated by the current information acquired in the current information acquisition step is less than or equal to a predetermined current magnitude;
A connector abnormality detection method comprising: In the computer as a connector abnormality detection device,
A current information acquisition step of acquiring current information indicating the magnitude of the current flowing through the connector;
A determination step of determining whether or not the magnitude of the current indicated by the current information acquired in the current information acquisition step is less than or equal to a predetermined current magnitude;
A program for running

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