Dynamic bus-based virtual channel multiplexing device driver architecture

• US 8,284,768 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sierra Wireless Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sierra Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Roychoudhury, Tilakraj, Kavanaugh, Richard Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWEET, LONNIE V
• Application Number:
  US11/545,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20070083873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,196 Days
• Field of Search: 370/236, 370/352, 710/1, 710/72, 710/100, 719/321, 719/327
• US Class Current: 370/360
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space

Abstract

Dynamic bus-based virtual channel multiplexing may be accomplished by establishing one or more virtual channels with a multiplexing device function driver and a multifunction device coupled to a bus, determining one or more functions to be activated on the device, and for each activated function, launching a second-tier function driver to handle operation of the activated function. The second-tier function driver has a function driver type. Establishment of the one or more virtual channels is accomplished using a multiplexing protocol and multiplexing device function driver with the multifunction device via a bus driver coupled to the bus.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dynamic bus-based virtual channel multiplexing, comprising:

a bus;

a bus driver coupled to the bus;

a multifunction device coupled to the bus and configured with a plurality of functions; and

a Multiplex Device Function Driver (MDFD) coupled to the bus driver and configured to;

establish one or more virtual channels with the device using a peer-to-peer multiplexing protocol between the MDFD and the device via the bus driver, wherein the bus driver and the device have equal responsibility for initiating, maintaining, and terminating the one or more virtual channels;

determine one or more of the plurality of functions to be activated on the device, each activated function associated with one or more established virtual channels; and

for each activated function, launch a second-tier function driver to handle operation of the activated function, the second-tier function driver having a function driver type.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the MDFD is configured to use a fixed table lookup to associate each of the one or more virtual channels between the device and the MDFD with one of the second-tier function drivers.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the MDFD is configured to use a fixed table lookup to associate a Data Link Connection (DLC) with one of the second-tier function drivers.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the function driver type comprises one or more of a Control Channel function, a data communication function, a diagnostic mode function, a control and status function, and a geo-location function.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the MDFD is configured to use one or more initial configuration query mechanisms to associate a Data Link Connection (DLC) with one of the second-tier function drivers.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the device is configured to use one or more unique function identifiers to differentiate protocol units for each functional unit of the device.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the one or more unique function identifiers comprise Data Link Connection (DLC) identifiers in the 3GPP 27.010 protocol.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bus comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB).

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bus comprises an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers 1394 (IEEE 1394) bus.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the bus comprises a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)-Express (PCIe) bus.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the multiplexing protocol comprises a non-bus based multiplexer protocol.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the multiplexing protocol comprises the 3GPP 27.010 Terminal Equipment to User Equipment (TE-UE) multiplexer protocol.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the multiplexing protocol is based on one or more bus specific defined interface components.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the one or more bus specific defined interface components comprises one or more separate Universal Serial Bus (USB) endpoints for each virtual channel.

15. A computer implemented method for dynamic bus-based virtual channel multiplexing, comprising:

by a Multiplex Device Function Driver (MDFD), establishing one or more virtual channels with a multifunction device coupled to a bus and configured with a plurality of functions, the establishing using a peer-to-peer multiplexing protocol and the multiplexing device function driver with the device via a bus driver coupled to the bus, wherein the bus driver and the device have equal responsibility for initiating, maintaining, and terminating the one or more virtual channels;

determining one or more of the plurality of functions to be activated on the device, each activated function associated with one or more established virtual channels; and

for each activated function, launching a second-tier function driver to handle operation of the activated function, the second-tier function driver having a function driver type.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising using a fixed table lookup to associate each of the one or more virtual channels between the device and the MDFD with one of the second-tier function drivers.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising using a fixed table lookup to associate a Data Link Connection (DLC) with one of the second-tier function drivers.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the function driver type comprises one or more of a Control Channel function, a data communication function, a diagnostic mode function, a control and status function, and a geo-location function.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising using one or more initial configuration query mechanisms to associate a Data Link Connection (DLC) with one of the second-tier function drivers.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising using one or more unique function identifiers to differentiate protocol units for each functional unit of the device.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the one or more unique function identifiers comprise Data Link Connection (DLC) identifiers in the 3GPP 27.010 protocol.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein the bus comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB).

23. The method of claim 15 wherein the bus comprises an Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers 1394 (IEEE 1394) bus.

24. The method of claim 15 wherein the bus comprises a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)-Express (PCIe) bus.

25. The method of claim 15 wherein the multiplexing protocol comprises a non-bus based multiplexer protocol.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the multiplexing protocol comprises the 3GPP 27.010 Terminal Equipment to User Equipment (TE-UE) multiplexer protocol.

27. The method of claim 15 wherein the multiplexing protocol is based on one or more bus specific defined interface components.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the one or more bus specific defined interface components comprises one or more separate Universal Serial Bus (USB) endpoints for each virtual channel.

29. A nontransitory program storage device readable by a machine, embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for dynamic bus-based virtual channel multiplexing, the method comprising:

by a Multiplex Device Function Driver (MDFD), establishing one or more virtual channels with a multifunction device coupled to a bus and configured with a plurality of functions, the establishing using a peer-to-peer multiplexing protocol and the multiplexing device function driver with the device via a bus driver coupled to the bus, wherein the bus driver and the device have equal responsibility for initiating, maintaining, and terminating the one or more virtual channels;

determining one or more of the plurality of functions to be activated on the device, each activated function associated with one or more established virtual channels; and

for each activated function, launching a second-tier function driver to handle operation of

the activated function, the second-tier function driver having a function driver type.