METHODS AND DEVICES FOR EXTENDING USB 3.0-COMPLIANT COMMUNICATION

• US 20130132625A1
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Icron Technologies Corp. (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Icron Technologies Corp. (Analog Devices, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hall, Aaron T. J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,047,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/106
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4045 where the bus bridge performs an extender function
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/405 where the bridge performs a synchronising function
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4286 using a handshaking protocol, e.g. RS232C link
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4295 using an embedded synchronisation

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.

Claims

1. A computing device configurable to provide a downstream facing port (DFP) for allowing a USB device to communicate with a host via an upstream facing port (UFP), wherein the DFP is configured to:

receive a request packet via a non-USB communication channel;

transmit the request packet via a USB-compliant communication channel to the USB device;

receive a data packet from the USB device;

transmit the data packet via the non-USB communication channel;

generate an acknowledgement packet and transmit the generated acknowledgement packet to the USB device that implicitly indicates that the data packet was received by the host when the DFP is configured in a first latency mode; and

receive an acknowledgement packet from the UFP and transmit the received acknowledgement packet to the USB device that implicitly indicates that the data packet was received by the host when the DFP is configured in a second latency mode.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the request packet includes a sequence number and a buffer count.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the request packet is a USB packet.

4. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the request packet is an ACK IN packet.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the USB-compliant communication channel is a USB 3.0-compliant communication channel.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the acknowledgement packet is an ACK IN packet, and wherein the acknowledgement packet includes a sequence number different than a sequence number included in the request packet.

7. A computing device configurable to provide an upstream facing port (UFP) for allowing a host to communicate with a USB device via a downstream facing port (DFP), wherein the UFP is configured to:

receive a request packet via a USB-compliant communication channel from the host;

transmit the request packet via a non-USB communication channel to the DFP;

generate and transmit a packet to the host for placing the host in a waiting state or an asynchronous state; and

transmit 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.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the packet for placing the host in a waiting state or an asynchronous state is a NRDY packet, and wherein the packet for removing the host from the waiting state or the asynchronous state is an ERDY packet.

9. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the packet for placing the host in a waiting state or an asynchronous state is one or more DATA packets having CRC errors, and wherein the packet for removing the host from the waiting state or the asynchronous state is a valid DATA packet.

10. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the UFP is further configured to:

receive a subsequent request packet from the host that implicitly indicates that a data packet was received by the host;

consume the subsequent request packet without transmitting it to the DFP when the UFP has received from the DFP a packet requested by the subsequent request packet and the UFP is configured in a first latency mode; and

transmit the subsequent request packet to the DFP when a packet requested by the subsequent request packet has not been received by the UFP or when the UFP is configured in a second latency mode.

11. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the UFP is further configured to store one or more data packets received from the DFP before transmission to the host.

12. A method for transmitting and receiving USB 3.0 packets across a communication channel that is not USB 3.0 compliant, the method comprising:

receiving, from a host over a USB 3.0-compliant communication channel by an upstream facing port, a first data packet;

transmitting, by the upstream facing port over the noncompliant communication channel to a downstream facing port, the first data packet;

generating, by the upstream facing port before receiving an acknowledgement packet from the downstream facing port, an acknowledgement packet that indicates a predetermined available buffer count; and

transmitting, by the upstream facing port, the generated acknowledgement packet to the host.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the upstream facing port from the downstream facing port, an acknowledgement packet that indicates an available buffer count received from a USB device connected to the downstream facing port;

receiving, from the host by the upstream facing port, a second data packet; and

generating, by the upstream facing port, a second acknowledgement packet that indicates an available buffer count based on the available buffer count indicated by the acknowledgement packet received from the downstream facing port.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein generating a second acknowledgement packet includes generating a second acknowledgement packet that indicates an available buffer count that is capable of storing one less packet than the available buffer count indicated by the acknowledgement packet received from the downstream facing port.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined available buffer count is an available buffer count capable of storing a single packet.

16. A method for transmitting and receiving USB 3.0 packets across a communication channel that is not USB 3.0 compliant, the method comprising:

receiving, by a downstream facing port from an upstream facing port via the noncompliant communication channel, a first data packet;

transmitting, by the downstream facing port to a USB device via a USB 3.0-compliant communication channel, the first data packet; and

receiving, by the downstream facing port from the USB device, a response packet transmitted in response to the first data packet.

17. The method of claim 16, 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, by the downstream facing port to the USB device, the first data packet.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first acknowledgement packet is an ACK packet that includes a sequence number of the first data packet and having a retry bit set to a value indicating that the packet should be resent.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the downstream facing port from the USB device, a second acknowledgement packet indicating that the first data packet was successfully received; and

transmitting, by the downstream facing port to the upstream facing port, the second acknowledgement packet but not the first acknowledgement packet.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the response packet is a packet for placing the downstream facing port in a waiting state or an asynchronous state;

and wherein the method further comprises;

receiving, by the downstream facing port from the USB device, a packet for removing the downstream facing port from the waiting state or the asynchronous state;

retransmitting, by the downstream facing port to the USB device, the first data packet.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the downstream facing port from the USB device, an acknowledgement packet indicating that the first data packet was successfully received; and

transmitting, by the downstream facing port to the upstream facing port, the acknowledgement packet but not the packet for placing the downstream facing port in a waiting state or an asynchronous state, or the packet for removing the downstream facing port from the waiting state or the asynchronous state.

22. A computing device configurable to provide a downstream facing port (DFP) for allowing a USB device to communicate with a host via an upstream facing port (UFP), wherein the DFP is configured to:

receive a request packet via a non-USB communication channel;

transmit the request packet via a USB-compliant communication channel to the USB device;

receive a data packet from the USB device;

transmit the data packet via the non-USB communication channel; and

generate an acknowledgement packet and transmit the generated acknowledgement packet to the USB device that implicitly indicates that the data packet was received by the host.

23. The computing device of claim 22, wherein the request packet includes a sequence number and a buffer count.

24. The computing device of claim 22, wherein the request packet is a USB packet.

25. The computing device of claim 24, wherein the request packet is an ACK IN packet.

26. The computing device of claim 22, wherein the USB-compliant communication channel is a USB 3.0-compliant communication channel.

27. The computing device of claim 22, wherein the acknowledgement packet is an ACK IN packet, and wherein the acknowledgement packet includes a sequence number different than a sequence number included in the request packet.

28. A computing device configurable to provide a downstream facing port (DFP) for allowing a USB device to communicate with a host via an upstream facing port (UFP), wherein the DFP is configured to:

receive a request packet via a non-USB communication channel;

transmit the request packet via a USB-compliant communication channel to the USB device;

receive a data packet from the USB device;

transmit the data packet via the non-USB communication channel; and

receive an acknowledgement packet from the UFP and transmit the received acknowledgement packet to the USB device that implicitly indicates that the data packet was received by the host.

29. The computing device of claim 28, wherein the request packet includes a sequence number and a buffer count.

30. The computing device of claim 28, wherein the request packet is a USB packet.

31. The computing device of claim 30, wherein the request packet is an ACK IN packet.

32. The computing device of claim 28, wherein the USB-compliant communication channel is a USB 3.0-compliant communication channel.

33. The computing device of claim 28, wherein the acknowledgement packet is an ACK IN packet, and wherein the acknowledgement packet includes a sequence number different than a sequence number included in the request packet.