ENHANCED WIRELESS USB PROTOCOL

• US 20080215773A1
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Wiquest Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Miller, Tom, Christison, Gregory L., Doherty, Brian R., Nair, Anoop, Schrum, Sidney B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,015,368 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/3814 Wireless link with a computer system port
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for increasing data throughput for a wireless USB system that includes wire adapters that wirelessly transmit data between a host system and a USB enabled device.

Claims

1. A method for increasing throughput for a wireless USB system having a first USB enabled device and a second USB enabled device, comprising:

aggregating a plurality of packets in said first USB enabled device;

transferring said aggregated plurality of packets from said first USB enabled device to said second USB enabled device; and

disaggregating said aggregated plurality of packets in said second USB enabled device after said transferring.

2. The method of claim 1,

including configuring said first USB enabled device as a USB enabled host device;

including configuring said second USB enabled device as a host wire adapter; and

wherein said aggregating said plurality of packets includes aggregating a plurality of OUT transfers targeted to said host wire adapter, said OUT transfers including a control message and data.

3. The method of claim 1,

including configuring said first USB enabled device as a host wire adapter;

including configuring said second USB enabled device as a USB enabled host device; and

wherein said aggregating said plurality of packets includes aggregating a plurality of IN transfers targeted to said USB enabled host device, said IN transfers including a control message and data.

4. A method for increasing throughput for a wireless USB system having a wire adapter and a USB enabled device, comprising:

determining an availability of a data buffer associated with said wire adapter for receiving a transfer from said USB enabled device;

generating a message based on said availability of said data buffer;

providing said message to said USB enabled device indicating whether said data buffer is available to receive said transfer.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein said USB enabled device is downstream from said wire adapter;

and

wherein said message includes a token that indicates said data buffer is available to receive said transfer from said USB enabled device.

6. The method of claim 5, including configuring said wire adapter as a device wire adapter.

7. The method of claim 5, including:

configuring said USB enabled device as a device wire adapter; and

configuring said wire adapter includes a host wire adapter.

8. The method of claim 5, including:

segmenting said transfer into a plurality of transfer segments; and

transferring said plurality of transfer segments from said USB enabled device to said wire adapter.

9. The method of claim 5, including:

transferring said transfer from said USB enabled device to said wire adapter; and

segmenting said transfer into a plurality of transfer segments.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said plurality of transfer segments vary in size.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said segmenting includes dynamically and adaptively adjusting the size of at least one of said plurality of transfer segments to maximize throughput for a given situation.

12. The method of claim 4,

wherein said USB enabled device is upstream from said wire adapter;

and

wherein said message includes a negative acknowledgement that indicates said data buffer is unavailable to receive said transfer from said USB enabled device.

13. The method of claim 12, including:

configuring said USB enabled device as a host wire adapter; and

configuring said wire adapter as a device wire adapter.

14. The method of claim 12, including:

configuring said USB enabled device as a USB enabled host device; and

configuring said wire adapter as a host wire adapter.

15. The method of claim 12, including:

sending said transfer from said USB enabled device to said wire adapter;

receiving said transfer from said USB enabled device on an upstream port of said wire adapter; and

forwarding said transfer from said upstream port of said wire adapter to a downstream port of said wire adapter when a minimum amount of data is received from said upstream port of said wire adapter.

16. A method for increasing throughput for a wireless USB system having a wire adapter and a downstream wire adapter, comprising:

polling said downstream wire adapter for a packet;

receiving said packet from said downstream wire adapter on a downstream interface of said wire adapter; and

forwarding said packet to an upstream interface of said wire adapter after said receiving said packet.

17. The method of claim 16,

wherein said packet includes a transfer result packet;

and

wherein said polling said downstream wire adapter for said transfer result packet is based on previously transmitting a transfer request packet to said downstream wire adapter.

18. The method of claim 16,

wherein said packet includes an incoming data packet;

and

wherein said polling said downstream wire adapter for said incoming data packet is based on receiving a transfer request packet from said downstream wire adapter.

19. A method for increasing throughput for a wireless USB system having a first wire adapter and a second wire adapter, comprising:

generating a transfer request to include a descriptor indicating a data transfer type;

sending said transfer request to said first wire adapter; and

forwarding said transfer request from said first wire adapter to said second wire adapter based on said descriptor.

20. The method of claim 19, including forwarding transfer data along with said transfer request when said data transfer type is an OUT transfer.

21. A method for increasing throughput for a wireless USB system having a forwarding wire adapter and a target wire adapter, comprising:

transferring a transfer request packet from said forwarding wire adapter to said target wire adapter; and

polling said target wire adapter for a transfer result packet based on said transfer request packet.