Back to results
US 9,852,097 B2Granted
Flexconnect disconnect detection
AssigneeMicrochip Technology Incorporated
InventorsBrigham Steele, Atish Ghosh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A USB hub includes a plurality of downstream ports; at least one dual mode port, the dual mode port configured to be switchable from a downstream port to an upstream port; and host detection circuitry for detecting whether, when operating as an upstream port, a host is connected.
Claims17
A USB hub comprising:
- a dual mode upstream port configured to be switchable between operating as an effective upstream port and an effective downstream port;
- a plurality of downstream ports;
- wherein at least one downstream port is a dual mode downstream port configured to be switchable between operating as an effective downstream port and an effective upstream port;
- host detection circuitry for detecting, while a particular dual mode downstream port is operating as an effective upstream port and the dual mode upstream port is operating as an effective downstream port, whether a host is connected to the particular dual mode downstream port;
- and
- a controller configured to, in response to detection that the host is not connected to the particular dual mode downstream port operating as an effective upstream port, automatically (a) switch the particular dual mode downstream port back to functioning as an effective downstream port and (b) switch the dual mode upstream port back to functioning as an effective upstream port.
3 more elements
A method comprising:
- in a USB hub including (a) an upstream dual mode port configured to be switchable between operating as an effective upstream port and an effective downstream port and (b) a downstream dual mode port configured to be switchable between operating as an effective downstream port and an effective upstream port, switching a first USB port function of the downstream dual mode port from a first mode as an effective downstream port to a second mode as an effective upstream port, and switching a second USB port function of the upstream dual mode port from a first mode as an effective upstream port to a second mode as an effective downstream port;
- and
- upon entering a suspend state, periodically sampling a logic level of a D− (DM) connection line provided by host detection circuitry to determine if a host is still connected to the downstream dual mode port operating as an effective upstream port;
- in response to determining that a host is not connected to the downstream dual mode port, automatically switching the downstream dual mode port back to functioning as an effective downstream port and switching the upstream dual mode port back to functioning as an effective upstream port.
1 more element
A USB hub comprising:
- a controller;
- a dual mode upstream port configured to be switchable between operating as an effective upstream port and an effective downstream port;
- a plurality of downstream ports;
- wherein at least one downstream port is a dual mode downstream port configured to be switchable by the controller between operating as an effective downstream port and an effective upstream port;
- host detection circuitry for providing, while a particular dual mode downstream port is operating as an effective upstream port and the dual mode upstream port is operating as an effective downstream port, indicia to the controller of whether a host is connected to the particular dual mode downstream port;
- and
- wherein the controller is configured to, in response to receiving indicia from the host detection circuitry indicating that the host is not connected to the particular dual mode downstream port operating as an effective upstream port, automatically (a) switch the particular dual mode downstream port back to functioning as an effective downstream port and (b) switch the dual mode upstream port back to functioning as an effective upstream port.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.