Methods and devices for extending usb 3.0-compliant communication
AssigneeIcron Technologies Corporation
InventorAaron T.J. Hall
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Devices and methods for extending USB-compliant communication distances, including USB 3.0 SuperSpeed communication, are provided. In some embodiments, a host is communicatively coupled to a device that provides an upstream facing port, and a USB device is communicatively coupled to a device that provides a downstream facing port. The upstream facing port and downstream facing port are coupled via a communication channel. In some embodiments, the upstream facing port and downstream facing port generate packets to ensure that timing requirements of the USB specification are met regardless of the latency of the communication channel.
Claims26
A method for enabling USB 3.0 communication between a host and a USB device over a communication channel that is not USB 3.0 compliant, the method comprising:
- receiving, by a device configured to provide an upstream facing port (UFP device), a request packet via a USB-compliant communication channel from the host;
- transmitting, by the UFP device, the request packet via a non-USB communication channel to a device configured to provide a downstream facing port (DFP device);
- generating and transmitting, by the UFP device, a packet to the host for placing the host in a waiting state or an asynchronous state;
- and
- transmitting, by the UFP device, a packet to the host for removing the host from the waiting state or the asynchronous state in response to receiving at least a portion of a requested data packet from the DFP device.
A computing device configurable to provide an upstream facing port (UFP) through which a host can communicate with a USB device via a computing device configurable to provide a downstream facing port (DFP) wherein the computing device configurable to provide the UFP is configured to:
- receive, by the UFP from the host over a USB 3.0-compliant communication channel, a first data packet;
- transmit, over a noncompliant communication channel to the computing device configurable to provide the DFP, the first data packet;
- generate, before receiving an acknowledgement packet from the computing device configurable to provide the DFP, an acknowledgement packet that indicates a predetermined available buffer count;
- and
- transmit the generated acknowledgement packet to the host.
A computing device configurable to provide a downstream facing port (DFP) through which a USB device can communicate with a host via a computing device configurable to provide an upstream facing port (UFP), wherein the computing device configurable to provide the DFP is configured to:
- receive, from the computing device configurable to provide the UFP via a noncompliant communication channel, a first data packet;
- transmit, to a USB device via a USB 3.0-compliant communication channel, the first data packet;
- and
- receive, from the USB device, a response packet transmitted in response to the first data packet;
- wherein the response packet is a first acknowledgement packet including an indication that the first data packet was not successfully received by the USB device, and wherein the method further comprises retransmitting, to the USB device, the first data packet.
A method for enabling USB 3.0 communication between a host and a USB device over a communication channel that is not USB 3.0 compliant, the method comprising:
- receiving, by a device configured to provide a downstream facing port (DFP device) a request packet via a non-USB communication channel;
- transmitting, by the DFP device, the request packet via a USB-compliant communication channel to the USB device;
- receiving, by the DFP device, a data packet from the USB device;
- transmitting, by the DFP device, the data packet via the non-USB communication channel;
- and
- generating, by the DFP device, an acknowledgement packet and transmitting the generated acknowledgement packet to the USB device that implicitly indicates that the data packet was received by the host by requesting a subsequent data packet.
A method for enabling USB 3.0 communication between a host and a USB device over a communication channel that is not USB 3.0 compliant, the method comprising:
- receiving, by a device configured to provide a downstream facing port (DFP device), a request packet via a non-USB communication channel;
- transmitting, by the DFP device, the request packet via a USB-compliant communication channel to the USB device;
- receiving, by the DFP device, a data packet from the USB device;
- transmitting, by the DFP device, the data packet via the non-USB communication channel;
- and
- transmitting, by the DFP device, a received acknowledgement packet to the USB device that implicitly indicates that the data packet was received by the host by requesting a subsequent data packet in response to receiving the acknowledgement packet via the non-USB communication channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.