High-level bridge from PCIE to extended USB

• US 7,657,692 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Super Talent Technology, Corporation
• Original Assignee: Super Talent Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Shen, Ming-Shiang, Ma, Abraham C., Lee, Charles C., Chow, David Q., Yu, Frank, Chou, Horng-Yee
• Primary Examiner(s): AUVE, GLENN ALLEN
• Application Number:
  US11/926,636
• Publication Number:
  US 20080065796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 710/315, 710/306, 710/313
• US Class Current: 710/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1416 by checking the object accessibility, e.g. type of access defined by the memory independently of subject rights G06F12/1458 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/28 using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access DMA, cycle steal G06F13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07354 by biometrically sensitive means, e.g. fingerprint sensitive fingerprint sensors in general G06V40/12; biometrically activated access control G07C9/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1365 Matching; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence

Abstract

An extended universal-serial bus (EUSB) bridge to a host computer can have peripheral component interconnect express (PCIE) protocol layers on one side of the bridge, and EUSB layers on the other side of the bridge, with a high-level bridging converter module connecting the upper layers. The PCIE physical, data-link, and transport layers may be eliminated by integrating the bridge with an I/O controller. PCIE requests and data payloads are directly sent to the bridge, rather than low-level PCIE physical signals. The PCIE data payloads are converted to EUSB data payloads by a high-level direct bridging converter module. Then the EUSB data payloads are passed down to an EUSB transaction layer, an EUSB data-link layer, and an EUSB physical layer which drives and senses physical electrical signals on both differential pairs of the EUSB bus.

Claims

1. A peripheral component interconnect express (PCIE) to extended universal-serial bus (EUSB) bridge comprising:

a PCIE physical layer having an input connection to a first pair of differential lines and having an output connection to a second pair of differential lines;

a PCIE data link layer, coupled to the PCIE physical layer, for sequencing PCIE packets and for detecting link errors;

a PCIE transaction layer, coupled to the PCIE data link layer, for inserting a header for a PCIE protocol into outbound PCIE packets, and for extracting the header from inbound PCIE packets;

an EUSB transaction layer for inserting a header for a EUSB protocol into output parallel words, and for extracting the header from input parallel words;

an EUSB data-link layer, coupled to the EUSB transaction layer, for adding sequence numbers and checksums to packets of the output parallel words, and for verifying checksums and using the sequence numbers to order the input parallel words;

an EUSB bus interface, having an input connection to a first pair of differential lines and having an output connection to a second pair of differential lines;

an EUSB physical layer, coupled to the EUSB data-link layer and to the EUSB bus interface, for converting incoming serial data from the EUSB bus interface to the input parallel words and for converting the output parallel words into outgoing serial data for transmission over the EUSB bus interface; and

a high-level bridging converter module, coupled to the PCIE transaction layer and to the EUSB transaction layer, for converting PCIE packets into parallel words forming EUSB packets,

whereby PCIE is bridged to EUSB.

2. The PCIE-to-EUSB bridge of claim 1 wherein the EUSB physical layer further comprises:

a EUSB analog front end having an input connection to the first pair of differential lines and having an output connection to the second pair of differential lines;

a serial-parallel converter, coupled to the EUSB analog front end to receive an input serial bitstream received over the first pair of differential lines, and coupled to output an output serial bitstream for transmission over the second pair of differential lines, for converting the input serial bitstream into input parallel words, and for converting output parallel words into the output serial bitstream; and

a frame processor for adding frame bits to the output parallel words, and for removing frame bits from the input parallel words.

3. The PCIE-to-EUSB bridge of claim 2 wherein the EUSB physical layer further comprises:

an encoder for encoding the output serial bitstream with an 8/10 encoding; and

a decoder for decoding the input serial bitstream using the 8/10 encoding.

4. The PCIE-to-EUSB bridge of claim 3 wherein the EUSB data-link layer further comprises:

an error-code generator/checker for generating a generated checksum for the input parallel words and for signaling an error when the generated checksum mismatches a transmitted checksum in the input parallel words, and for generating a checksum stored with the output parallel words.

5. The PCIE-to-EUSB bridge of claim 4 wherein the EUSB transaction layer further comprises:

a bulk-only-transport layer processor for inserting a header for a EUSB protocol into the output parallel words, and for extracting the header from the input parallel words.

6. A high-level integrated peripheral component interconnect express to extended universal-serial bus (PCIE-to-EUSB) bridge comprising:

a PCI software driver module, activated by software running on a host, for generating PCI requests with PCI data payloads;

a high-level direct bridging converter module, coupled to receive the PCI requests and the PCI data payloads directly from the PCI software driver module, for converting the PCI data payloads into EUSB data payloads;

a EUSB transaction layer, coupled to the high-level direct bridging converter module, for generating header and checksums to attach to the EUSB data payloads to form EUSB packets;

a EUSB data-link layer, coupled to the EUSB transaction layer, for adding sequence numbers to the EUSB packets, and for placing received EUSB packets in sequence order using the sequence numbers;

a EUSB physical layer, coupled to the EUSB data-link layer, for converting incoming serial data from a EUSB bus interface into input parallel words and for converting output parallel words into outgoing serial data for transmission over the EUSB bus interface; and

whereby PCIE data payloads are directly bridged to EUSB without transmission over a physical PCIE bus.

7. The high-level integrated PCIE-to-EUSB bridge of claim 6 wherein the EUSB physical layer further comprises:

a EUSB analog front end having an input connection to a first pair of differential lines and having an output connection to a second pair of differential lines;

a serial-parallel converter, coupled to the EUSB analog front end to receive an input serial bitstream received over the first pair of differential lines, and coupled to output an output serial bitstream for transmission over the second pair of differential lines, for converting the input serial bitstream into input parallel words, and for converting output parallel words into the output serial bitstream; and

a frame processor for adding frame bits to the output parallel words, and for removing frame bits from the input parallel words.

8. The high-level integrated PCIE-to-EUSB bridge of claim 7 wherein the EUSB physical layer further comprises:

an encoder for encoding the output serial bitstream with an 8/10 encoding; and

a decoder for decoding the input serial bitstream using the 8/10 encoding.

9. The high-level integrated PCIE-to-EUSB bridge of claim 6 wherein the EUSB data-link layer further comprises:

an error-code generator/checker for generating a generated checksum for the input parallel words and for signaling an error when the generated checksum mismatches a transmitted checksum in the input parallel words, and for generating a checksum stored with the output parallel words.

10. The high-level integrated PCIE-to-EUSB bridge of claim 9 wherein the EUSB transaction layer further comprises:

a bulk-only-transport layer processor for inserting a header for a EUSB protocol into the output parallel words, and for extracting the header from the input parallel words.

11. The high-level integrated PCIE-to-EUSB bridge of claim 6 wherein the high-level integrated peripheral component interconnect express to extended universal-serial bus (PCIE-to-EUSB) bridge is integrated with an I/O controller.

12. An extended-bus computer system comprising:

a legacy host that does not have an extended universal-serial bus (EUSB);

an I/O controller on the legacy host, the I/O controller driving a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIE) bus;

a PCIE-to-EUSB bridge, coupled to the PCIE bus and to an EUSB bus;

an EUSB device on the EUSB bus;

a first pair of differential lines coupled between the PCIE-to-EUSB bridge and the EUSB device, for carrying serial packets from the PCIE-to-EUSB bridge to the EUSB device;

a second pair of differential lines coupled between the PCIE-to-EUSB bridge and the EUSB device, for carrying serial packets from the EUSB device to the PCIE-to-EUSB bridge;

a high-level bridging converter module, on the PCIE-to-EUSB bridge, for converting PCIE data payloads into EUSB data payloads;

a PCIE stack of layers, on the PCIE-to-EUSB bridge, for converting physical electrical signals on the PCIE bus into the PCIE data payloads; and

an EUSB stack of layers, on the PCIE-to-EUSB bridge, for converting the EUSB data payloads into physical electrical signals on the EUSB bus,

whereby the legacy host is extended by the PCIE-to-EUSB bridge to connect to the EUSB device through the PCIE bus.

13. The extended-bus computer system of claim 12 wherein the EUSB bus carries USB packets;

wherein the legacy host does not poll the EUSB device when the EUSB device is waiting to complete a memory access.

14. The extended-bus computer system of claim 12 further comprising:

flash memory means, on the EUSB device, for storing data in non-volatile flash-memory cells wherein data is retained when power is disconnected;

flash interface means, on the EUSB device, for accessing the flash memory means; and

sector buffer means, on the EUSB device, for storing output parallel words read from the flash memory means by the flash interface means, and for storing input parallel words before writing to the flash memory means by the flash interface means.

15. The extended-bus computer system of claim 12 wherein the EUSB stack of layers on the PCIE-to-EUSB bridge further comprises:

EUSB analog front end means for sending differential signals on differential lines, the EUSB analog front end means having an input connection to the first pair of differential lines and having an output connection to the second pair of differential lines;

serial-parallel converter means, coupled to the EUSB analog front end means to receive an input serial bitstream received over the first pair of differential lines, and coupled to output an output serial bitstream for transmission over the second pair of differential lines, for converting the input serial bitstream into input parallel words, and for converting output parallel words into the output serial bitstream; and

frame processor means for adding frame bits to the output parallel words, and for removing frame bits from the input parallel words.

16. The extended-bus computer system of claim 15 wherein the EUSB stack of layers on PCIE-to-EUSB bridge further comprises:

error-code generator/checker means for generating a generated checksum for the input parallel words and for signaling an error when the generated checksum mismatches a transmitted checksum in the input parallel words, and for generating a checksum stored with the output parallel words; and

bulk-only-transport layer processor means for inserting a header for a EUSB protocol into the output parallel words, and for extracting the header from the input parallel words.

17. The extended-bus computer system of claim 16 wherein the PCIE stack of layers on the PCIE-to-EUSB bridge further comprises:

PCIE physical layer means for sensing and driving physical electrical signals on the PCIE bus;

PCIE data link layer means, coupled to the PCIE physical layer means, for adding sequence numbers to outgoing PCIE packets, and for using sequence numbers on incoming PCIE packets to order the incoming PCIE packets into a sequence; and

PCIE transaction layer means, coupled to the PCIE data link layer means, for extracting the PCIE data payloads from incoming PCIE packets, and for adding a PCIE header to PCIE data payloads to form the outgoing PCIE packets.

18. The extended-bus computer system of claim 17 wherein the I/O controller further comprises:

a host PCIE stack of layers, for converting host PCIE data payloads from the legacy host into physical electrical signals on the PCIE bus.

19. The extended-bus computer system of claim 18 wherein the host PCIE stack of layers on the I/O controller further comprises:

host PCIE physical layer means for sensing and driving physical electrical signals on the PCIE bus;

host PCIE data link layer means, coupled to the host PCIE physical layer means, for adding sequence numbers to host outgoing PCIE packets, and for using sequence numbers on host incoming PCIE packets to order the host incoming PCIE packets into a sequence; and

host PCIE transaction layer means, coupled to the host PCIE data link layer means, for extracting the host PCIE data payloads from host incoming PCIE packets, and for adding a PCIE header to host PCIE data payloads to form the host outgoing PCIE packets.