KR20010019743A - Local area network system using universal serial bus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: The LAN(Local Area Network) system using a USB(Universal Serial Bus) is provided to configure many USB controllers so as to implement the LAN system in a low cost. CONSTITUTION: Each of computers(110-140) has USB(Universal Serial Bus) controllers has inherent ID. The USB controllers transmit data by adding an ID of a receiving party. A hub(150) receives data from the USB controllers to detect an ID of a receiving computer, and transmits data received to a computer corresponding to the ID. In the hub(150), input buffers correspond to the USB controllers, and temporarily store data received from the USB controllers. An ID detector detects an ID of the computer receiving data stored in the input buffers. Output buffers correspond to the USB controllers. The data stored in the input buffers are delivered to output buffers corresponding to the ID.

Description

Local area network system using universal serial bus {LOCAL AREA NETWORK SYSTEM USING UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS}

The present invention relates to a network system, and more particularly to a small local area network system.

Local area network (LAN) is a communication network in which several computers and peripheral devices are connected through a dedicated communication line, and its size is limited to a relatively close area such as an office, a building, a school, and the like. The function of a local area network is to transfer files between computers, e-mail, remote login, and to allow multiple computers to share resources such as hard disks and printers.

The Ethernet system is a network system developed by Xerox, which connects each station with a coaxial cable. The coding scheme uses Manchester coding scheme and is a high speed network of approximately 10 Mbps. Hosts use the Carrier Sence Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA / CD) protocol, which monitors the circuit while all stations are transmitting and stops the transmission immediately if a collision is detected.

1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional local area network system.

Referring to FIG. 1, a plurality of computers 10 to 40 are connected to an Ethernet hub 50 through an Ethernet cable. Each of the computers 10-40 has an Ethernet card (not shown). The Ethernet hub 50 not only performs file transfer, e-mail, and remote login functions between the computers, but also allows multiple computers to share peripheral devices (eg, printers, scanners, hard disks, CD-ROM drives). To control. Moreover, the computers 10-40 are connected with an external network system.

Recently, the number of small companies starting small businesses is increasing. Most of these companies have about 10 people in small offices. Deploying an expensive Ethernet system in such a small office is economically expensive.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a short-range network system that is proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems and is implemented at low cost.

1 shows a conventional local area network system;

2 is a schematic illustration of a local area network system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a block diagram showing a connection relationship between USB controllers and a USB-Ethernet hub; And

4 is a detailed block diagram of a bus control block in a USB controller and a USB-Ethernet hub.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

110, 120, 130, 140: Computer 150: USB-Ethernet Hub

112, 122, 132, 142: USB controller 152: Bus control block

154: Ethernet controller 210: controller endpoint

220: interrupt input endpoint 230: data output endpoint

240: data input endpoint 310: ID detector

320: input buffer group 330: output buffer group

According to a feature of the present invention for achieving the object of the present invention as described above, in a short-range network system for data communication between a plurality of computers, each of the computers is provided with a USB controller having a unique ID, the USB The controller transmits the data by adding the destination ID to the data to be transmitted. And the local area network system hub. The hub receives data from the USB controller of the computer, detects the ID of the computer to be received, and transmits the received data to the computer corresponding to the ID.

In an exemplary embodiment, the hub may include a plurality of input buffers respectively corresponding to the USB controller of the computer and temporarily storing data received from the USB controller; An ID detector for detecting an ID of a computer to be received from data stored in the input buffer; And a plurality of output buffers respectively corresponding to the USB controller of the computer. Data stored in the input buffer is transferred to an output buffer corresponding to the ID.

Therefore, a low cost local area network system can be implemented.

(Example)

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

With the development of computer processors and application programs, various peripherals can be connected to a computer and the capacity of the computer peripheral port is approaching its limit. In response to a wider variety of easy-to-use peripheral needs, Universal Serial Bus (USB) was developed by leading companies in the computer and telephone industry (Intel, Microsoft, Compaq, NEC, etc.). USB is a new interface standard between computers and peripherals.

Up to 127 peripherals can be connected to a USB device, and up to 16 endpoints can be defined for one peripheral. In other words, up to 16 kinds of functions can be integrated into one peripheral device.

USB devices have multiple endpoints, each of which uses first-in-first-out (FIFO) memory to send and receive data to or from a micro-controller unit (MCU) or external USB.

The cable connecting the host computer and peripherals or peripherals and peripherals consists of a power supply voltage (VDD) line, a ground voltage (GND) line, and two data (D + and D-) lines, up to 5m in length. The data signal should follow the 3.3V CMOS drive level and the bit rate should be either low speed 1.5M bits / second or high speed 12M bits / second.

Recently, computers adopting USB are becoming more common. The present invention provides a local area network system using such a USB.

2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a local area network system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2, a plurality of computers 110-140 are connected to a USB-Ethernet hub 150. The USB-Ethernet hub 150 is also connected to an external network. Each of the computers 110 to 140 is provided with a USB controller.

3 is a block diagram showing a connection relationship between USB controllers and a USB-Ethernet hub, and FIG. 4 is a detailed block diagram of a bus control block in the USB controller and the USB-Ethernet hub.

3 and 4, the USB controllers 112, 122, 132, and 142 provided in the computers 110, 120, 130, and 140, respectively, are bus control blocks 152 in the USB-Ethernet hub 152. ) Send and receive data. The USB controller 112 includes a control endpoint 210, an interrupt input endpoint 220, a data output endpoint 230, and a data input endpoint; 240).

The control endpoint 210 stores information about the status of the USB controller 112 and various controls. Interrupt input endpoint 220 notifies host 110 when there is data to be received from bus control block 152. The data output endpoint 230 transfers data to be transferred from the host 110 to the USB-Ethernet hub 152 in a bulk transfer manner. The data input endpoint 240 receives data to be received from the USB-Ethernet hub 152 to the host 110 in a bulk transfer manner.

The bus control block 152 includes an ID detector 310, an input buffer group 320, and an output buffer group 330. The input buffer group 320 is composed of a plurality of buffers, and the buffers correspond to the USB controllers 112, 122, 132, and 142, respectively. The output buffer group 330 is composed of a plurality of buffers, and the buffers correspond to the USB controllers 112, 122, 132, and 142, respectively.

The USB controller 112 adds and transmits the ID of the USB controller to be received to the data to be transmitted. Data transmitted from the data output endpoint 230 of the USB controller 112 is stored in the corresponding input buffer 320 among the input buffers in the bus control block 152. The ID detector 310 detects the ID of the USB controller to be received from the received data. The detected ID is provided as a selection signal for selecting one of the output buffers of the output buffer group 330. Data stored in the input buffer is read and stored in an output buffer selected from among output buffers of the output buffer group 330.

The interrupt input endpoint 220 in the USB controller 112 provides information to the host 110 if data is stored in an output buffer corresponding to itself among the output buffers. The host 110 bulk transfers data stored in an output buffer in the bus control block 152 through the data input endpoint 240 in the USB controller 112 when an interrupt is generated from the interrupt input endpoint 220. Receive in a manner.

The Ethernet controller 154 is a controller for connecting the computers 110, 120, 130, and 140 to an external network. Since the control thereof is similar to the method of controlling the USB controllers 112, 122, 132, and 142, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

While the invention has been described using exemplary preferred embodiments, it will be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Rather, the scope of the present invention is intended to include all of the various modifications and similar configurations. Accordingly, the claims should be construed as broadly as possible to encompass all such modifications and similar constructions.

According to the present invention as described above, it is possible to implement a low-cost local area network system using USB.

Claims (2)

In a local area network system for data communication between a plurality of computers: Each of the computers has a USB controller with a unique ID, The USB controller transmits data by adding a destination ID to data to be transmitted, And a hub that receives data from the USB controller of the computer, detects an ID of the computer to be received, and transmits the received data to the computer corresponding to the ID. The method of claim 1, The hub, A plurality of input buffers respectively corresponding to the USB controller of the computer and temporarily storing data received from the USB controller; An ID detector for detecting an ID of a computer to be received from data stored in the input buffer; A plurality of output buffers, each corresponding to a USB controller of the computer; The data stored in the input buffer is delivered to the output buffer corresponding to the ID.