TWI691847B - The resource switch system and method of the usb hub - Google Patents

Abstract

The resource switch system and method of the USB hub comprise of a source, a USB device and USB hub. The source include a first channel, a second channel and a third channel. The USB hub include a switch circuit, a switch component, a first port, a second port and a control chip. The switch circuit couple to the first port, the second port and the control chip. The first channel connect to the the first port. The third channel connect to the second port. The switch circuit selects the the path of the second channel for connecting to the the first port or the second port. The first port and the second port connect to the GPIO of the control chip. The control chip identifies the kinds of the USB device via the GPIO. The second channel connect to the first port or the second port according to the USB device.

Description

Resource switching system and method of USB hub

A system and method for switching peripheral hardware resources, in particular to a resource switching system and method for a USB hub.

As the computing power of computers improves, the transmission capabilities of peripheral devices also need to be strengthened. Therefore, the universal serial bus (Universal Serial Bus, USB for short) has been strengthened from 1.5Mbps of the first generation protocol to 5Gbps of the third generation protocol. USB devices have also expanded from storage devices and peripherals to video output and other functions.

Due to the video output mechanism of the third generation USB protocol, a single dock can provide a USB interface and a video interface, such as a DisplayPort, High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) or video graphics Array (Video Graphics Array, VGA for short). The transmission of high-resolution images in the display port requires a high-frequency channel. Therefore, the docking station of the conventional technology will provide a mechanism for switching between image data and data data. In Taiwan Patent No. I6515719 (Automatic Switching Device and Automatic Switching Method), it is mentioned that the transmitted image resolution flow is used as the number of transmission channels and switching. In the case of I6515719, when the resolution is changed, the number of USB transmission channels of the docking station will increase or decrease, so as to satisfy the transmission of image data and also meet the transmission of data data. For example, in the case of high-resolution transmission, the docking station will switch from the third-generation USB communication protocol to the second-generation USB communication protocol, and provide the free transmission channel to the image data for transmission.

However, such a switching mechanism will have two shortcomings. The first shortcoming is that the resolution is determined by the host. Because the dock itself does not have a data flow identification mechanism. Therefore, it can only be judged by the host, and to achieve this goal, you need to have The corresponding agent. After the agent program judges the image traffic, the agent program switches the transmission channel of the driving dock. The second point is that the switching of image resolution will cause transmission errors of data. Especially in the process of transferring data, if the dock changes the number of transmission channels at this time, it will cause errors in writing the data. This is because the reduction from four transmission channels to two transmission channels will cause the loss of data in the transmission, resulting in write errors. Moreover, when the image resolution frequently switches, the writing of data will also be affected.

The invention provides a resource switching system of a USB hub, which is characterized in that the data transmission channel at the source end is switched and used for accelerated transmission of data.

The resource switching system of the USB hub of the present invention includes a source end, a USB device and a hub. The source end has a second communication interface, and the second communication interface has a first transmission channel, a second transmission channel, and a third transmission channel; the hub is electrically connected to the source end and the USB device, and the hub has a switching circuit, a switching switch, and a first communication The interface, the first device interface, the second device interface and the control chip, the switching circuit is coupled to the first communication interface, the first device interface, the second device interface and the control chip, the switch is connected to the control chip, and the first communication interface is connected In the second communication interface, the switching circuit is used to select the path of the second transmission channel. The first transmission channel is connected to the first device interface, the third transmission channel is connected to the second device interface, and the first device interface is electrically connected to the second device interface. It is connected to the GPIO pin of the control chip, the second device interface is connected to the USB device, the control chip recognizes the communication type of the USB device through the GPIO pin, and determines that the second transmission channel is connected to the first device interface or the second device interface.

The invention also provides a USB hub, which is characterized in that the number of transmission channels is determined according to the connected USB device. The USB hub of the present invention includes a first communication interface, a switch, a first device interface, a second device interface, a switch circuit and a control chip. The first communication interface is connected to the source end. The first communication interface has a first transmission channel, a second transmission channel, and a third transmission channel; a switching command is generated when the switching switch is triggered; the first device interface is electrically connected to the first communication interface and The first transmission channel; the second device interface is electrically connected to the first communication interface and the third transmission channel, the second device interface has a plurality of data pins, the second device interface is used to connect a USB device; the switching circuit is connected to the first communication Interface, the switching circuit is used to select the connection path of the second transmission channel; the control chip includes GPIO pins, and the control chip is electrically connected to The switching circuit controls the chip to switch the second transmission channel to the first device interface or the second device interface according to the type of USB device, or controls the chip to connect the second transmission channel to the first device interface according to the switching command.

The invention further provides a resource switching method of a USB hub, which includes the following steps: connecting a USB device to the first device interface of the hub; the USB device triggers the GPIO pin of the hub to identify the type of USB device; if the USB If the device is USB1.0 or USB2.0, the hub connects the second transmission channel to the first device interface; if the USB device is USB3.0, the hub connects the second transmission channel to the second device interface; reset The transmission clock of the second device interface and the control chip.

The resource switching system and method of the USB hub of the present invention can determine the transmission channel of data data and image data according to the connected USB device, thereby ensuring the quality of image playback. Moreover, the hub of the present invention can recognize the type of communication protocol of the connected USB device, and then select the corresponding number of transmission channels. Compared with the conventional technology, the present invention does not require the source end and the driver to identify the usage, so the present invention can avoid the problem of automatic switching of image resolution.

Regarding the features and implementation of the present invention, the preferred embodiment in conjunction with the drawings is described in detail below.

100‧‧‧Resource switching system

110‧‧‧Hub

111‧‧‧Control chip

112‧‧‧Switch circuit

113‧‧‧Switch

114‧‧‧First Communication Interface

115‧‧‧ First device interface

116‧‧‧Second device interface

117‧‧‧GPIO pin

120‧‧‧Source

121‧‧‧Second Communication Interface

121a‧‧‧First transmission channel

121b‧‧‧Second transmission channel

121c‧‧‧ Third transmission channel

130‧‧‧USB device

140‧‧‧Display equipment

151‧‧‧ First equipment

152‧‧‧Second equipment

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the system architecture of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the transmission channel connection of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the operation process of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the state of the USB device connection and transmission channel of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is another schematic diagram of the USB device connection and transmission channel of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the operation process of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the state of the transmission channel when the switch of the present invention is triggered.

The present invention provides a resource switching system 100 for a USB hub, which includes a hub 110, a source 120, and a USB device 130 (Universal Serial Bus, (Referred to as USB), and please cooperate as shown in Figure 1. The hub 110 includes a control chip 111, a switching circuit 112, a switching switch 113, a first communication interface 114, a first device interface 115, and a second device interface 116. In Figure 1, thick black lines are used as electrical connections, and arrows represent signal transmission paths.

The control chip 111 is coupled to the source 120, the switch circuit 112, the switch 113, the first device interface 115 and the second device interface 116. The control chip 111 has a general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pin 117, and the GPIO pin 117 is connected to the second device interface 116. The control chip 111 is used to detect the type of the USB device 130 and drive the connection path of the switching circuit 112. The switch 113 is used to switch and connect the second transmission channel 121b to the second device interface 116. The type of the switch 113 may be, but not limited to, a push switch, a dip switch, or a component such as a rotary switch that can send a trigger signal.

The source 120 may be, but not limited to, a personal computer, a notebook computer, or a computer device with image output and data access, such as a mobile phone (mobile phone) or a tablet (tablet). The source 120 has a second communication interface 121. The second communication interface 121 has a first transmission channel 121a, a second transmission channel 121b, and a third transmission channel 121c. The source 120 transmits image data or data data through the first transmission channel 121a, the second transmission channel 121b, and the third transmission channel 121c.

The first communication interface 114, the second communication interface 121 and the second device interface 116 are USB interfaces. The protocol types of the first communication interface 114 and the second communication interface 121 are the USB3.0 series, and the protocol of the second device interface 116 The type is USB1.0, 2.0 or 3.0 series. The first device interface 115 is a display port (DisplayPort) or a high definition multimedia interface (High Definition Multimedia Interface, HDMI for short). The first device interface 115 is used to connect to the display device 140 and output image data to the display device 140. The first device interface 115 can transmit high-definition video (High Definition or Full High Definition Video) or ultra-high-resolution video (Ultra HD Video).

The first transmission channel 121a is composed of two sets of differential signal lines of TX1± and RX1± (a total of four signal lines), and the second transmission channel 121b is composed of two sets of differential signal lines of TX2± and RX2± . The third transmission channel 121c is constructed by D+ and D- of USB2.0 to make. In other words, the first transmission channel 121a has two channels that can transmit image data. Similarly, the second transmission channel 121b also has two channels for transmitting image data or data data, as shown in FIG. 2. The third transmission channel 121c transmits USB data. In FIG. 2, the connecting line indicates the electrical connection between the elements, and the arrow part indicates the transmission path of the channel.

The first communication interface 114 is connected to the second communication interface 121 by a cable, so that the first communication interface 114 leads the first transmission channel 121a, the second transmission channel 121b, and the third transmission channel 121c. The switching circuit 112 is respectively connected to the second transmission channel 121b, the first device interface 115 and the second device interface 116. The switching circuit 112 is used to switch the destination end of the second transmission channel 121b, so that the second transmission channel 121b can be selectively connected to the first device interface 115 or the second device interface 116. In the present invention, the second device interface 116 is electrically connected to the GPIO pin 117 of the control chip 111. Therefore, the hub 110 can recognize the type of the connected USB device 130 through the trigger content of the GPIO pin 117.

For a clear description of the present invention, please refer to FIG. 3, which is a schematic diagram of the operation flow of the present invention. The resource switching method of the USB hub of the present invention includes the following steps: Step S310: Connect the USB device to the first device interface of the hub; Step S320: The USB device triggers the GPIO pin of the hub to identify the type of USB device; Step S330: If the USB device is USB1.0 or USB2.0, the hub connects the second transmission channel to the first device interface; Step S340: If the USB device is USB3.0, the hub connects the second transmission channel At the second device interface; and Step S350: Reset the transmission clock of the second device interface and the control chip.

When the second device interface 116 is connected to the USB device 130 supporting the USB 2.0 (or lower) communication protocol, the GPIO pin 117 can detect the D± signal of the USB device 130 and trigger the control chip 111. The control chip 111 drives the switching circuit 112 to connect the second transmission channel 121b to the first device interface 115, as shown in FIG. 4. When the second device interface 116 is connected to the USB device 130 of the USB3.0 (or above) communication protocol, the GPIO pin 117 will not receive the D± signal, so the control chip 111 drives the switching circuit 112 Connect the second transmission channel 121b to the second device interface 116, as shown in FIG. 5.

During the switching process of the second transmission channel 121b, the control chip 111 will additionally reset the transmission clock to the USB device 130, so as to retransmit the data to the USB device 130 (or the source 120). Since the change in the number of transmission channels affects the configuration of the source 120 for data, the control chip 111 needs to reset the transmission clock. If the new USB device 130 is connected to the second device interface 116, and the new USB device 130 and the previous USB device 130 belong to the same communication protocol, the control chip 111 will not reset the transmission clock.

For example, if the second device interface 116 is connected to the first device 151 of USB 2.0. The second transmission channel 121b will communicate with the first device interface 115. If the user removes the first device 151 and installs the second device 152, and the second device 152 is also a USB 2.0 (or 1.0) series. The control chip 111 does not switch the second transmission channel 121b. If the second device 152 is a USB 3.0 (or above) communication protocol, the control chip 111 sends a second request to the source 120 to connect the second transmission channel 121b to the second device interface 116.

In step S330, the user can trigger the switch 113 of the hub 110. Please also cooperate with FIG. 6, which is a schematic diagram of the processing flow of the trigger switch 113 of the present invention. The trigger switch 113 includes the following steps: step S331: trigger the switch of the hub; and step S332: drive the hub to switch and connect the second transmission channel to the first device interface.

When the hub 110 is connected to the USB device 130 of USB 3.0, the second transmission channel 121b is preset to be connected to the second device interface 116. When the user presses the switch 113, the control chip 111 generates a first request according to the trigger signal to switch the second transmission channel 121b from the second device interface 116 to the first device interface 115, as shown in FIG. At the same time, the control chip 111 will also reset the transmission clock, which has ensured the synchronization of the source 120 and the USB device 130 and the integrity of the data. When the display device 140 connected to the first device interface 115 is removed, the control chip 111 drives the switching circuit 112 to reconnect the second transmission channel 121 b to the first device interface 115. In addition, if the second device interface 116 is empty, the second transmission channel 121b will be connected to the second device interface 116 by default.

The resource switching system 100 and method of the USB hub 110 of the present invention can determine the transmission channel of data data and image data according to the connected USB device 130. To ensure the quality of video playback. Moreover, the hub 110 of the present invention can identify the type of communication protocol of the connected USB device 130, and then select the corresponding number of transmission channels. Compared with the conventional technology, the present invention does not require the source 120 and the driver to identify the usage, so the present invention can avoid the problem of automatic switching of image resolution.

Although the present invention is disclosed as the above preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person familiar with similar arts can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of patent protection for inventions shall be subject to the scope defined in the patent application scope attached to this specification.

100‧‧‧Resource switching system

110‧‧‧Hub

111‧‧‧Control chip

112‧‧‧Switch circuit

113‧‧‧Switch

114‧‧‧First Communication Interface

115‧‧‧ First device interface

116‧‧‧Second device interface

117‧‧‧GPIO pin

120‧‧‧Source

121‧‧‧Second Communication Interface

121a‧‧‧First transmission channel

121b‧‧‧Second transmission channel

121c‧‧‧ Third transmission channel

130‧‧‧USB device

140‧‧‧Display equipment

Claims (10)

A resource switching system of a USB hub, characterized by switching a data transmission channel of a source end and used for accelerated transmission of data. The resource switching system of a USB hub includes: a source end, having a second communication interface, and the second communication interface mask has A first transmission channel, a second transmission channel and a third transmission channel; a USB device; and a hub, electrically connected to the source and the USB device, the hub has a switching circuit, a switching switch, a first A communication interface, a first device interface, a second device interface and a control chip, the switching circuit is coupled to the first communication interface, the first device interface, the second device interface and the control chip, the switching The switch is connected to the control chip, the first communication interface is connected to the second communication interface, the switching circuit is used to select the path of the second transmission channel, the first transmission channel is connected to the first device interface, and the third The transmission channel is connected to the second device interface, the first device interface and the second device interface are electrically connected to a GPIO pin of the control chip, the second device interface is connected to the USB device, and the control chip passes through the The GPIO pin identifies the communication type of the USB device and determines that the second transmission channel is connected to the first device interface or the second device interface. The resource switching system of a USB hub as described in claim 1, wherein the types of the USB device include USB1.0 series, USB2.0 series and USB3.0 series. The resource switching system of a USB hub as described in claim 2, wherein the type of the USB device is USB1.0 or USB2.0, then the control chip sends a first request to the source to enable the second transmission channel Connected to the first device interface, the type of the USB device is USB3.0 or USB3.1, then the control chip sends a second request to the source end to connect the second transmission channel to the second device interface . The resource switching system of a USB hub as described in claim 1, wherein enabling the switch causes the control chip to send a first request to the source, and connects the second transmission channel to the first device interface. A USB hub is characterized by switching data transmission channels to accelerate data transmission. The USB hub includes: a first communication interface connected to a source end, and the first communication interface has a first A transmission channel, a second transmission channel and a third transmission channel; a switch to generate a switch command when the switch is triggered; a first device interface electrically connected to the first communication interface and the first transmission Channel; a second device interface, electrically connected to the first communication interface and the third transmission channel, the second device interface has a plurality of data pins, the second device interface is used to connect a USB device; a switching circuit , Connected to the first communication interface, the switching circuit is used to select the connection path of the second transmission channel; and a control chip, which includes a GPIO pin, the control chip is electrically connected to the switching circuit, the control The chip switches the second transmission channel to the first device interface or the second device interface according to the type of the USB device, or the control chip connects the second transmission channel to the first device interface according to the switching command. The USB hub as described in claim 5, wherein the types of the USB device include USB1.0 series, USB2.0 series and USB3.0 series. The USB hub according to claim 6, wherein the type of the USB device is USB1.0 or USB2.0, then the control chip sends a first request to the source to connect the second transmission channel to the first A device interface, the type of the USB device is USB3.0 or USB3.1, then the control chip sends a second request to the source end, so that the second transmission channel is connected to the second device interface. A resource switching method of a USB hub, which includes: connecting a USB device to a first device interface of a hub; triggering a GPIO pin of the hub by the USB device to identify the type of the USB device; If the USB device is USB1.0 or USB2.0, the hub connects a second transmission channel to the first device interface; and if the USB device is USB3.0, the hub uses the second transmission channel Connected to a second device interface. The resource switching method of a USB hub according to claim 8, wherein the step of connecting the second transmission channel to the interface of the second device includes: triggering a switch of the hub; and Drive the hub to switch and connect the second transmission channel to the first device interface. The method for switching resources of a USB hub according to claim 9, wherein triggering the switching switch further comprises: resetting a transmission clock of the second device interface.

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