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US 12,608,328 B2Granted
USB hub with multiple upstream-facing-ports and data transmission method thereof
AssigneeGenesys Logic, Inc.
InventorWei-Te Lee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The USB hub includes multiple upstream-facing-port (UFP) connectors, multiple downstream-facing-port (DFP) connectors, and multiple hub controllers. A first upstream-port of a first hub controller is coupled to a first UFP connector. A first downstream-port of the first hub controller is coupled to a first DFP connector. A first upstream-port of a second hub controller is coupled to a second UFP connector. A first downstream-port of the second hub controller is coupled to a second DFP connector. A second upstream-port of the first hub controller is coupled to a second downstream-port of the second hub controller, and/or a second upstream-port of the second hub controller is coupled to a second downstream-port of the first hub controller.
Claims20
A Universal Serial Bus (USB) hub comprising:
- a first upstream-facing-port connector;
- a second upstream-facing-port connector;
- a plurality of downstream-facing-port connectors;
- a first hub controller, wherein a first upstream-port of the first hub controller is coupled to the first upstream-facing-port connector, and a first downstream-port of the first hub controller is coupled to a first downstream-facing-port connector among the downstream-facing-port connectors;
- and
- a second hub controller, wherein a first upstream-port of the second hub controller is coupled to the second upstream-facing-port connector, a first downstream-port of the second hub controller is coupled to a second downstream-facing-port connector among the downstream-facing-port connectors, and a communication terminal of the second hub controller is coupled to a communication terminal of the first hub controller, wherein
- a second upstream-port of the first hub controller is coupled to a second downstream-port of the second hub controller;
- or
- a second upstream-port of the second hub controller is coupled to a second downstream-port of the first hub controller;
- or
- the second upstream-port of the first hub controller is coupled to the second downstream-port of the second hub controller, and the second upstream-port of the second hub controller is coupled to the second downstream-port of the first hub controller,
- wherein
- when a first host is coupled to the first upstream-facing-port connector and the second upstream-facing-port connector is not coupled to any host, the second upstream-port of the first hub controller is disabled, the first upstream-port and the second downstream-port of the second hub controller are disabled, the first hub controller provides a first transmission path between the first upstream-facing-port connector and the second downstream-port of the first hub controller, and the second hub controller provides a second transmission path between the second downstream-facing-port connector and the second upstream-port of the second hub controller, such that the first host uses resources of the second downstream-facing-port connector through the first hub controller and the second hub controller;
- or
- when a second host is coupled to the second upstream-facing-port connector and the first upstream-facing-port connector is not coupled to any host, the first upstream-port and the second downstream-port of the first hub controller are disabled, the second upstream-port of the second hub controller is disabled, the second hub controller provides a third transmission path between the second upstream-facing-port connector and the second downstream-port of the second hub controller, and the first hub controller provides a fourth transmission path between the first downstream-facing-port connector and the second upstream-port of the first hub controller, such that the second host uses resources of the first downstream-facing-port connector through the second hub controller and the first hub controller.
12 more elements
A USB hub data transmission method comprising:
- providing an USB hub, wherein the USB hub comprises a first upstream-facing-port connector, a second upstream-facing-port connector, a plurality of downstream-facing-port connectors, a first hub controller, and a second hub controller, a first upstream-port of the first hub controller is coupled to the first upstream-facing-port connector, a first downstream-port of the first hub controller is coupled to a first downstream-facing-port connector among the downstream-facing-port connectors, a first upstream-port of the second hub controller is coupled to the second upstream-facing-port connector, a first downstream-port of the second hub controller is coupled to a second downstream-facing-port connector among the downstream-facing-port connectors, a communication terminal of the second hub controller is coupled to a communication terminal of the first hub controller, a second upstream-port of the second hub controller is coupled to a second downstream-port of the first hub controller, and a second upstream-port of the first hub controller is coupled to a second downstream-port of the second hub controller;
- coupling a first host to the first upstream-facing-port connector;
- coupling an USB device to one of the downstream-facing-port connectors and controlled by the first host;
- coupling a second host to the second upstream-facing-port connector;
- determining whether the first hub controller or the second hub controller obtains mode control information;
- in response to the mode control information obtained by the first hub controller or the second hub controller being that the USB device is required to be controlled by the second host, the USB device controlled by the first host switching to be controlled by the second host;
- in response to the first host being coupled to the first upstream-facing-port connector and the second host being coupled to the second upstream-facing-port connector, selectively operating in one of a plurality of operating modes by the first hub controller and the second hub controller according to the mode control information;
- in response to the first hub controller and the second hub controller selectively operating in a first mode of the operating modes, disabling the second upstream-port of the first hub controller, disabling the first upstream-port and the second downstream-port of the second hub controller, providing a first transmission path between the first upstream-facing-port connector and the second downstream-port of the first hub controller by the first hub controller, and providing a second transmission path between the second downstream-facing-port connector and the second upstream-port of the second hub controller by the second hub controller, such that the first host uses resources of the second downstream-facing-port connector through the first hub controller and the second hub controller;
- in response to the first hub controller and the second hub controller selectively operating in a second mode of the operating modes, disabling the first upstream-port and the second downstream-port of the first hub controller, disabling the second upstream-port of the second hub controller, providing a third transmission path between the second upstream-facing-port connector and the second downstream-port of the second hub controller by the second hub controller, and providing a fourth transmission path between the first downstream-facing-port connector and the second upstream-port of the first hub controller by the first hub controller, such that the second host uses resources of the first downstream-facing-port connector through the second hub controller and the first hub controller;
- and
- in response to the first hub controller and the second hub controller selectively operating in a third mode of the operating modes, disabling the second upstream-port and the second downstream-port of the first hub controller, and disabling the second upstream-port and the second downstream-port of the second hub controller.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.