TWI765240B - Usb hub and operating method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A USB hub and an operating method thereof are provided. The USB hub includes a first USB connector, a second USB connector, a first power switch, a second power switch, a power converter, and a third power switch. The first USB connector is coupled to a first device, and the second USB connector is coupled to a second device. The first power switch has a first end coupled to a power pin of the first USB connector. The second power switch has a first end coupled to a second end of the first power switch, wherein a second end of the second power switch is coupled to a power pin of the second USB connector. The power converter has an input coupled to the second end of the first power switch. The third power switch has a first end coupled to an output of the power converter, wherein a second end of the third power switch is coupled to the power pin of the second USB connector.

Description

USB hub and how to operate it

The present invention relates to a hub, and more particularly, to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) hub.

Generally speaking, the USB Upstream-Facing Port (UFP) of a USB Type-C (USB-C) hub or USB-C Power Delivery (PD) hub can only be coupled to a USB-C interface. A host device (such as a computer, mobile phone, or tablet) that can be used as a peripheral expansion port or uplink for data transfer. A USB Downstream-Facing Port (DFP) of the hub can be coupled to a power supply (PD) USB connector of a power adapter. The other USB downstream ports of the hub can be coupled to any other device that needs to communicate with the host device.

When a USB connector (USB downstream port) with a Charge-Through function of the hub is coupled to the power adapter, the hub can operate in the charge-through mode. The power adapter may charge the host device via the hub while the host device is transferring data to the other device via the hub. However, when the power adapter is coupled to the upstream port of the hub, the power adapter cannot charge other devices coupled to the USB connector (USB downstream port) with a pass-through charging function.

It should be noted that the content of the "prior art" paragraph is used to help understand the present invention. Some (or all) of the content (or all of the content) disclosed in the "prior art" paragraph may not be known by those of ordinary skill in the art. The content disclosed in the "Prior Art" paragraph does not mean that the content has been known to those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field before the application of the present invention.

The present invention provides a USB hub and an operation method thereof. The upstream port of the USB hub can receive the output power of the power adapter.

The USB hub of the present invention includes a first USB connector, a second USB connector, a first power switch, a second power switch, a first power converter, and a third power switch. The first USB connector is used as an upstream port for coupling to a first device. The second USB connector is used as a downstream port for coupling to a second device. The first power switch has a power pin whose first end is coupled to the first USB connector. The second power switch has a first end coupled to a second end of the first power switch, wherein the second end of the second power switch is coupled to a power pin of the second USB connector. The first power converter has an input terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first power switch. The third power switch has a first end coupled to the output end of the first power converter, wherein a second end of the third power switch is coupled to the power pin of the second USB connector.

The operating method of the USB hub of the present invention includes, when the USB hub operates in the first mode, turning on the first power switch and the second power switch and turning off the third power switch, wherein the first end of the first power switch is coupled to The power pin of the first USB connector, the second end of the first power switch is coupled to the first end of the second power switch and the input end of the first power converter, the first end of the third power switch coupled to the output end of the first power converter, the second end of the second power switch and the second end of the third power switch are coupled to the power pins of the second USB connector, the first USB connection The USB connector acts as an upstream port, coupled to a first device, and the second USB connector acts as a downstream port, coupled to a second device. When the USB hub operates in the second mode, the first power switch and the third power switch are turned on and the second power switch is turned off.

Based on the above, when the power adapter is coupled to the upstream port (the first USB connector) of the USB hub according to the embodiments of the present invention, the first power converter can use the output power of the power adapter and provide the output power through the third power switch Output voltage to the power pin of the second USB connector (USB connector with pass-through charging function). When the power adapter is coupled to the USB connector with the pass-through charging function (the second USB connector), the USB hub can operate in the pass-through charging mode to transmit the output power of the power adapter to the upstream port (the first USB connector).

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the following embodiments are given and described in detail with the accompanying drawings as follows.

The term "coupled (or connected)" as used throughout this specification (including the scope of the application) may refer to any direct or indirect means of coupling. For example, if it is described in the text that a first device is coupled (or connected) to a second device, it should be construed that the first device can be directly coupled to the second device, or the first device can be coupled to the second device through other devices or be indirectly coupled to the second device by some kind of coupling means. Terms such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the full text of the description (including the scope of the patent application) in this case are used to designate the names of elements or to distinguish different embodiments or scopes, rather than to limit the number of elements The upper or lower limit of , nor is it intended to limit the order of the elements. Also, where possible, elements/components/steps using the same reference numerals in the drawings and embodiments represent the same or similar parts. Elements/components/steps that use the same reference numerals or use the same terminology in different embodiments may refer to relative descriptions of each other.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a circuit of a USB hub 100a according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the USB hub 100a includes a USB connector 110, a USB connector 120_1, a power converter 130_1, a power switch S1, a power switch S2, and a power switch S3. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the USB connector 110 serves as an Upstream-Facing Port (UFP) and is coupled to the first device (not shown), and the USB connector 120_1 serves as a Downstream-Facing Port (UFP). Port, DFP) and coupled to the second device (not shown), the first device and the second device are, for example, a host device or a power adapter, which is not limited in the present invention. In one embodiment, both the USB connector 110 and the USB connector 120_1 are USB-C ports, but the invention is not limited thereto. When a host device (eg, a computer, cell phone, tablet, or other electronic device) is coupled to the USB connector 110, the USB hub 100a may act as a hub that is used to augment the host device's USB connector count. When the power adapter is coupled to the USB connector 110, the USB hub 100a may act as a hub used to augment the number of USB connectors of the power adapter. Generally speaking, the USB connector of the power adapter itself has a power supply function, but does not have a data transmission function.

In this embodiment, the terminal N1 of the power switch S1 is coupled to the power pin Vbus (power bus pin) of the USB connector 110 . The terminal N3 of the power switch S2 is coupled to the terminal N2 of the power switch S1, and the terminal N4 of the power switch S2 is coupled to the power pin Vbus of the USB connector 120_1. The input terminal IN1 of the power converter 130_1 is coupled to the terminal N2 of the power switch S1. The terminal N5 of the power switch S3 is coupled to the output terminal OUT1 of the power converter 130_1, and the terminal N6 of the power switch S3 is coupled to the power pin Vbus of the USB connector 120_1.

In one embodiment, the USB hub 100a further includes a control circuit 140 . The control circuit 140 is configured to support a Power Delivery (PD) protocol. The control circuit 140 is coupled to the configuration channel pin CC of the USB connector 110 and the configuration channel pin CC of the USB connector 120_1. When the electronic device (not shown) is coupled to the USB connector 110 , the control circuit 140 can obtain the configuration of the electronic device (configuration information SG1 ) through the configuration channel pin CC of the USB connector 110 . When the electronic device (not shown) is coupled to the USB connector 120_1, the control circuit 140 can also learn the configuration of the electronic device (configuration information SG2) through the configuration channel pin CC of the USB connector 120_1. According to the configuration of the USB connector 110 (configuration information SG1 ) and the configuration of the USB connector 120_1 (configuration information SG2 ), the control circuit 140 can output the control signal CS1 , the control signal CS2 and the control signal CS3 to control the power switch S1 and the power switch S2 with power switch S3.

The control circuit 140 provides the control signal CS through a signal interface to control the power converter 130_1. In one embodiment, the signal interface may be an I2C interface, an SMBUS interface, or a signal interface of other specifications. The power converter 130_1 can be a step-down converter for converting a high-voltage input signal into different low-voltage output signals according to the control signal CS given by the control circuit 140 . For example, when the control circuit 140 knows the voltage level of the electronic device coupled to the USB connector 110 through the configuration information SG1, it also knows the voltage level of the electronic device coupled to the USB connector 120_1 through the configuration information SG2. The control circuit 140 outputs the control signal CS to control the power converter 130_1 to perform corresponding conversion, for example, from 20V to one of 5V, 9V, 12V, and 15V, or no conversion is required.

According to different design requirements, the implementation of the blocks of the control circuit 140 may be hardware, firmware, software (program), or a combination of the above three.

In terms of hardware, the blocks of the control circuit 140 described above can be implemented as logic circuits on an integrated circuit. The relevant functions of the control circuit 140 described above may be implemented in hardware using hardware description languages (eg, Verilog HDL or VHDL) or other suitable programming languages. For example, the related functions of the control circuit 140 described above can be implemented in one or more controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors ( Various logic blocks, modules and circuits in digital signal processor (DSP), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and/or other processing units.

In the form of software and/or firmware, the related functions of the above-mentioned control circuit 140 may be implemented as programming codes. For example, the above-described control circuit 140 is implemented using general programming languages (eg, C, C++, or assembly language) or other suitable programming languages. The programming code may be recorded/stored in a recording medium, for example, the recording medium includes a read only memory (Read Only Memory, ROM), a storage device and/or a random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM) . A computer, a central processing unit (CPU), a controller, a microcontroller or a microprocessor can read and execute the programming code from the recording medium, thereby achieving related functions. As the recording medium, a "non-transitory computer readable medium" can be used, and for example, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a Programming logic circuits, etc. Furthermore, the program may be provided to the computer (or CPU) via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast waves, or the like). The communication network is, for example, the Internet, wired communication, wireless communication, or other communication media.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a method 200 for operating a USB hub according to an embodiment of the present invention. The operation method 200 shown in FIG. 2 is applicable to the USB hub 100a shown in FIG. 1 . The operation method 200 shown in FIG. 2 will be described in detail below with reference to various elements of the embodiment of FIG. 1 . The related description of the operation method 200 shown in FIG. 2 can also be applied to the USB hub 100 b shown in FIG. 3 , the USB hub 100 c shown in FIG. 4 and/or the USB hub 100 d shown in FIG. 5 by analogy.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 . The control circuit 140 can determine whether the USB connector 110 is coupled to the host (not shown) in step S210. Specifically, when an external device (not shown) is coupled to the USB connector 110, the control circuit 140 can receive the configuration information SG1 corresponding to the external device through the configuration channel pin CC of the USB connector 110, and according to The configuration information SG1 determines whether the external device coupled to the USB connector 110 is a host. In one embodiment, the host may be any device such as a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a digital camera, or a digital video camera. If the USB connector 110 has been coupled to the host (the determination result of step S210 is "Yes"), the control circuit 140 may proceed to step S220.

In step S220, the control circuit 140 can determine whether the USB connector 120_1 is coupled to a power adapter (not shown). In detail, when an external device (not shown) is coupled to the USB connector 120_1, the control circuit 140 can receive the configuration information SG2 corresponding to the external device through the configuration channel pin CC of the USB connector 120_1, and according to The configuration information SG2 determines whether the external device coupled to the USB connector 120_1 is a power adapter. If the USB connector 120_1 has been coupled to the power adapter (the determination result of the step S220 is "Yes"), the control circuit 140 can proceed to the step S230.

In step S230, the control circuit 140 may enter a charge-through mode (first mode). When the USB hub 100a operates in the charge-through mode, the control circuit 140 can turn on the power switch S1 and the power switch S2 by the control signal CS1 and the control signal CS2, and turn off the power switch S2 by the control signal CS3 Power switch S3. Therefore, the output power of the power adapter (not shown) can be transmitted to the host (not shown) via the USB connector 120_1 , the power switch S2 , the power switch S1 and the USB connector 110 .

If the USB connector 120_1 is not coupled to the power adapter (the determination result of step S220 is "No"), the control circuit 140 may proceed to step S235. In step S235, the control circuit 140 may enter the general hub mode. When the USB hub 100a operates in the normal hub mode, the control circuit 140 turns on the power switch S1 and the power switch S3 by the control signal CS1 and the control signal CS3, and turns off the power switch S2 by the control signal CS2. The control circuit 140 outputs the control signal CS through the configuration information SG1 and the configuration information SG2 to control the power converter 130_1 to perform corresponding conversion, for example, from 20V to one of 5V, 9V, 12V, 15V, or no conversion is required. Therefore, the power converter 130_1 can use the power voltage from the USB connector 110, and the power converter 130_1 can transmit the output power to the USB connector 120_1 via the power switch S3.

If the USB connector 110 is not coupled to the host (the determination result of step S210 is "No"), the control circuit 140 may proceed to step S240. In step S240, the control circuit 140 can determine whether the USB connector 110 is coupled to a power adapter (not shown). Specifically, when an external device (not shown) is coupled to the USB connector 110 , the control circuit 140 can determine whether the external device coupled to the USB connector 110 is a power adapter according to the configuration information SG1 . If the USB connector 110 is not coupled to the power adapter (the determination result of step S240 is "No"), the control circuit 140 returns to step S210 .

If the USB connector 110 is coupled to the power adapter (the determination result in step S240 is "Yes"), then step S250 is entered, and the control circuit 140 can enter the charger extension mode (the second mode). When the USB hub 100a operates in the charger extension mode, the control circuit 140 can turn on the power switch S1 and the power switch S3 through the control signal CS1 and the control signal CS3, and turn off the power switch S2 through the control signal CS2. Therefore, the output power of the power adapter (not shown) can be transmitted to the power converter 130_1 via the USB connector 110 and the power switch S1. Therefore, the power converter 130_1 can use the power voltage from the USB connector 110, and the output power of the power converter 130_1 can be transmitted to the electrical device (not shown) via the power switch S3 and the USB connector 120_1.

If the USB connector 110 is coupled to the power adapter (the determination result in step S240 is "Yes"), the control circuit 140 enters the charger extension mode (the second mode). The control circuit 140 may perform step S260. In step S260, the control circuit 140 may determine whether the USB connector 120_1 is coupled to an electrical device (not shown). Specifically, when an external device (not shown) is coupled to the USB connector 120_1, the control circuit 140 can determine whether the external device coupled to the USB connector 120_1 is an electrical device according to the configuration information SG2. In one embodiment, the electrical device may be any device, such as a computer desk lamp, a computer fan, MP3, a flash drive, a voice recorder, a digital camera, a mobile phone, and the like. The control circuit 140 outputs the control signal CS through the configuration information SG1 and the configuration information SG2 to control the power converter 130_1 to perform corresponding conversion (step S270 ), for example, from 20V to one of 5V, 9V, 12V, 15V, or No conversion is required.

If the USB connector 120_1 is not coupled to the electrical device (the determination result of step S260 is "No"), the control circuit 140 returns to step S260.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a circuit of a USB hub 100b according to another embodiment of the present invention. The USB hub 100b shown in FIG. 3 can be deduced by referring to the relevant description of the USB hub 100a shown in FIG. 1 . The difference between the USB hub 100b of FIG. 3 and the USB hub 100a of FIG. 1 is that the USB hub 100b may optionally further include at least one USB connector 120_2 and a power converter 130_2. The USB connector 120_2 shown in FIG. 3 is used as a downstream port and is coupled to a third device (not shown), such as an electrical device, which is not limited in the present invention. In one embodiment, both the USB connector 110 and the USB connector 120_1 are USB-C ports, and the at least one USB connector 120_2 is a USB Type-A (USB-A) port, which is not limited in the present invention. .

In the embodiment of FIG. 3 , the input terminal IN2 of the power converter 130_2 is coupled to the terminal N2 of the power switch S1 , and the output terminal OUT2 of the power converter 130_2 is coupled to the power pin Vbus of the USB connector 120_2 . The power converter 130_2 can be a step-down converter for converting a high-voltage input signal into different low-voltage output signals according to the control signal CS' given by the control circuit 140 . The operation method 200 shown in FIG. 2 is also applicable to the USB hub 100b shown in FIG. 3 . When the USB hub 100b operates in the pass-through charging mode, the output power of the power adapter connected to the USB connector 120_1 is preferentially allocated to the host connected to the USB connector 110, and the remaining output power is allocated to the host connected to the USB connector 120_2 electrical device. The control circuit 140 outputs the control signal CS' through the configuration information SG2 to control the power converter 130_2 to perform corresponding conversion, for example, from 20V to one of 5V, 9V, 12V, and 15V. In one embodiment, when the control circuit 140 determines that the USB connector 110 is not coupled to the first device (host or power adapter) and the USB connector 120_1 is coupled to the power adapter, the control circuit 140 uses the control signal CS1 and the control signal CS3 The power switch S1 and the power switch S3 are turned off, and the power switch S2 is turned on by the control signal CS2, and the power converter 130_1 is disabled. At this time, if the USB connector 120_2 is coupled to an electrical device, the power adapter coupled to the USB connector 120_1 will distribute its output power to the electrical device coupled to the USB connector 120_2.

In addition, in another embodiment, if the control circuit 140 determines that the USB connector 110 is coupled to the power adapter, the control circuit 140 further determines whether the USB hub 100b operates as a charger according to the relationship between the output power of the power adapter and the threshold power Extended mode. The threshold power can be determined according to design requirements. Specifically, when the output power of the power adapter coupled to the USB connector 110 is greater than a threshold power (eg, 30W), the control circuit 140 determines that the USB hub 100b operates in the charger extension mode. In the charger expansion mode, the USB hub 100b controls the power supply circuit (eg, the power converter 130_2 ) to dynamically adjust the output to the power supply circuit according to the relationship between the total power required by the coupled electrical device and the output power of the power adapter. The charging power of the coupled electrical device. That is, the control circuit 140 can correspondingly control the power converter 130_1 and the power converter 130_2 according to the power requirements of the USB connector 120_1 and the USB connector 120_2, so as to dynamically adjust the output to the USB connector 120_1 and the USB connector 120_2. 120_2 power. In this way, the USB hub 100b can intelligently distribute the output power of the power adapter to the electrical devices coupled to the USB connector 120_1 and the USB connector 120_2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a circuit of a USB hub 100c according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. The USB hub 100c shown in FIG. 4 can be deduced by referring to the relevant description of the USB hub 100a shown in FIG. 1 . The USB hub 100c of FIG. 4 is different from the USB hub 100a of FIG. 1 in that the USB hub 100c may optionally further include a USB connector 120_3, a power converter 130_3, a power switch S4 and a power switch S5. The USB connector 120_3 shown in FIG. 4 is used as a downstream port and is coupled to a third device (not shown), such as an electrical device, which is not limited in the present invention. In one embodiment, the USB connector 110 , the USB connector 120_1 and the USB connector 120_3 are all USB-C ports.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the terminal N7 of the power switch S4 is coupled to the terminal N2 of the power switch S1 , and the terminal N8 of the power switch S4 is coupled to the power pin Vbus of the USB connector 120_3 . The input terminal IN3 of the power converter 130_3 is coupled to the terminal N2 of the power switch S1. The terminal N9 of the power switch S5 is coupled to the output terminal OUT3 of the power converter 130_3, and the terminal N10 of the power switch S5 is connected to the power pin Vbus of the USB connector 120_3. The power converter 130_3 can be a step-down converter for converting a high-voltage input signal into a different low-voltage output signal according to the control signal CS'' given by the control circuit 140 .

The control circuit 140 is further coupled to the configuration channel pin CC of the USB connector 120_3, and controls the power switch S1, the power switch S4 and the power switch S5 according to the configuration of the USB connector 110 and the configuration of the USB connector 120_3. Specifically, when an external device (not shown) is coupled to the USB connector 120_3, the control circuit 140 can receive the configuration signal SG3 corresponding to the external device through the configuration channel pin CC of the USB connector 120_3, and output The control signal CS1 , the control signal CS4 and the control signal CS5 are used to control the power switch S1 , the power switch S4 and the power switch S5 respectively.

The operation method between the USB connector 110, the USB connector 120_3, the power switch S1, the power switch S4 and the power switch S5 and between the USB connector 110, the USB connector 120_1, the power switch S1, the power switch S2 and the power switch S3 The operation method is the same, so the operation method 200 of the USB hub in the embodiment in FIG. 2 is also applicable to the USB hub 100c in the embodiment in FIG. 4 .

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a circuit of a USB hub 100d according to still another embodiment of the present invention. The USB hub 100d shown in FIG. 5 can be deduced by referring to the related description of the USB hub 100a shown in FIG. 1 . The USB hub 100d of FIG. 5 is a combination of the structure of the USB hub 100b of FIG. 3 and the structure of the USB hub 100c of FIG. 4 . In addition, the operation method of the USB hub 100d of the embodiment of FIG. 5 is the same as the operation method of the USB hub 100b of the embodiment of FIG. 3, so it will not be repeated.

It is worth mentioning that the downstream port of the USB hub can be any combination of Type-A and Type-C interfaces. For example, the downstream ports of the USB hubs described in the above embodiments may include one Type-C connector and two Type-A connectors, or one Type-C connector and three Type-A connectors, or It is 2 Type-C connectors and 1 Type-A connector, or 2 Type-C connectors and 2 Type-A connectors, or other combinations. It should be noted that the control circuit 140 can support various USB protocols according to design requirements, so as to meet the transmission requirements of the USB connector 110 , the USB connector 120_1 , the USB connector 120_2 and the USB connector 120_3 of different specifications. For example, when any one of the USB connector 110 , the USB connector 120_1 , the USB connector 120_2 and the USB connector 120_3 is a USB Type-C port, the control circuit 140 may be a USB Type-C supporting power delivery protocol Port Controller (Type-C Port Controller, TCPC) or USB Type-C Port Manager (Type-C Port Manager, TCPM). For another example, if the USB connector 110 , the USB connector 120_1 , the USB connector 120_2 and the USB connector 120_3 are USB Type-A ports, the power converters 130_1 , 130_2 and 130_3 may support QC (Quick Charge) Protocol USB Type-A port manager. For another example, when any one of the USB connector 110 , the USB connector 120_1 , the USB connector 120_2 and the USB connector 120_3 is coupled to an external device with a programmable power supply (PPS) function, The control circuit 140 may support the PPS protocol. The PPS protocol/function is a conventional protocol/function, so it will not be repeated.

To sum up, in various embodiments of the present invention, when the power adapter is coupled to the upstream port (USB connector 110 ) of the USB hub, the first power converter can use the output power of the power adapter and provide the output through the power switch The voltage is supplied to the power pins of the USB connectors 120_1 and/or 120_3 (USB connectors with pass-through charging function). When the power adapter is coupled to the USB connector (USB connector 120_1 and/or 120_3) with pass-through charging function, the USB hub can operate in the pass-through charging mode to transmit the output power of the power adapter to the upstream port (USB connector 110 ). ).

The dual purpose USB hub (Dual Purpose Hub) of the present invention can be used as a general USB hub, and its upstream port is coupled to a host, and a plurality of downstream ports can be coupled to a plurality of devices for data transmission and power supply with the host. On the other hand, the dual-purpose USB hub can also be used as a charging expansion port, and its upstream port is coupled to a power adapter. The USB hub can supply the power provided by the power adapter to each downstream port, allowing each downstream port to The ports can charge different electrical devices separately, so users can reduce the trouble of carrying too many devices as long as they carry this dual-purpose USB hub.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above by the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, The protection scope of the present invention shall be determined by the scope of the appended patent application.

100a, 100b, 100c, 100d: USB hub 110, 120_1, 120_2, 120_3: USB connectors 130_1, 130_2, 130_3: Power converters 140: Control circuit 200: How to operate CS, CS1, CS2, CS3, CS4, CS5, CS’, CS’’: Control signal IN1, IN2, IN3: input terminal N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6, N7, N8, N9, N10: Endpoints OUT1, OUT2, OUT3: output terminals S1, S2, S3, S4, S5: Power switch S210, S220, S230, S235, S240, S250, S260, S270: Steps SG1, SG2, SG3: Configuration information

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a circuit block of a USB hub according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of an operating method of a USB hub according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a circuit of a USB hub according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a circuit of a USB hub according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a circuit of a USB hub according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

100a: USB hub

110, 120_1: USB connector

130_1: Power Converter

140: Control circuit

CS, CS1, CS2, CS3: Control signal

IN1: input terminal

N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6: Endpoints

OUT1: output terminal

S1, S2, S3: Power switch

SG1, SG2: configuration information

Claims (16)

A USB hub, comprising: a first USB connector as an upstream port for coupling a first device; a second USB connector as a downstream port for coupling with a second device; a first a power switch having a first end coupled to a power pin of the first USB connector; a second power switch having a first end coupled to a second end of the first power switch, wherein A second end of the second power switch is coupled to a power pin of the second USB connector; a first power converter has an input end coupled to the second end of the first power switch; a third power switch having a first end coupled to an output end of the first power converter, wherein a second end of the third power switch is coupled to the power pin of the second USB connector ; and a control circuit configured to support a power delivery protocol, wherein the control circuit is coupled to a first configuration channel pin of the first USB connector and a second configuration channel pin of the second USB connector , and the control circuit controls the the first power switch, the second power switch and the third power switch. The USB hub of claim 1, wherein when the USB hub operates in a first mode, the first power switch and the The second power switch is on and the third power switch is off; and when the USB hub operates in a second mode, the first power switch and the third power switch are on and the second power switch is off. The USB hub of claim 2, wherein when the first USB connector is coupled to a host and the second USB connector is coupled to a power adapter, the USB hub operates in the first mode; And when the first USB connector is coupled to the power adapter, the USB hub operates in the second mode. The USB hub of claim 3, wherein when the USB hub operates in the second mode, and an electrical device is coupled to the second USB connector, the control circuit operates through the first The configuration information and the second configuration information are used to output a control signal to control the first power converter to perform corresponding power conversion. The USB hub as described in claim 2, further comprising: a third USB connector serving as a downstream port for coupling to a third device; and a second power converter having an input coupling connected to the second end of the first power switch, wherein an output end of the second power converter is coupled to a power pin of the third USB connector. The USB hub of claim 5, wherein when the first USB connector is not coupled to the first device and the second USB connector is coupled to a power adapter, the first power switch and the The third power switch is When turned off, the second power switch is turned on, and the first power converter is disabled. The USB hub of claim 6, wherein the output power of the power adapter coupled to the second USB connector is preferentially allocated to a host coupled to the first USB connector, and the remaining output power Power is distributed to an electrical device coupled to the third USB connector. The USB hub of claim 6, wherein the control circuit outputs a control signal to control the second power converter to perform corresponding conversion by using the second configuration information of the second USB connector. The USB hub as described in claim 1, further comprising: a third USB connector serving as a downstream port for coupling to a third device; and a fourth power switch having a first end coupled to to the second end of the first power switch, wherein a second end of the fourth power switch is coupled to a power pin of the third USB connector; a second power converter has an input end coupled to connected to the second end of the first power switch; and a fifth power switch having a first end coupled to an output end of the second power converter, wherein a second end of the fifth power switch coupled to the power pin of the third USB connector. The USB hub of claim 9, wherein the control circuit is coupled to the first configuration channel pin of the first USB connector and a third configuration channel pin of the third USB connector, and the control circuit is based on the first configuration information of the first device coupled to the first USB connector and a third configuration information of the third device coupled to the third USB connector to control the first power switch, the fourth power switch and the fifth power switch. An operating method of a USB hub, comprising: when the USB hub operates in a first mode, turning on a first power switch and a second power switch and turning off a third power switch, wherein a first power switch of the first power switch is turned off. One end is coupled to a power pin of a first USB connector, a second end of the first power switch is coupled to a first end of the second power switch and an input of a first power converter terminal, a first terminal of the third power switch is coupled to an output terminal of the first power converter, a second terminal of the second power switch and a second terminal of the third power switch are coupled to a a power pin of a second USB connector, the first USB connector is used as an upstream port, coupled to a first device, and the second USB connector is used as a downstream port, coupled to a second device; When the USB hub operates in a second mode, turning on the first power switch and the third power switch and turning off the second power switch; and a control circuit according to the first power switch coupled to the first USB connector A first configuration information of a device and a second configuration information of the second device coupled to the second USB connector are used to control the first power switch, the second power switch and the third power switch, wherein The control circuit is coupled to a first configuration channel pin of the first USB connector and a second configuration channel pin of the second USB connector. The operating method of claim 11, further comprising: when the first USB connector is coupled to a host and the second USB connector is coupled to a power adapter, operating the first USB hub on the first USB hub mode; and The second mode is operated by the USB hub when the first USB connector is coupled to the power adapter. The operating method of claim 12, further comprising: when the USB hub operates in the second mode and an electrical device is coupled to the second USB connector, outputting a control signal to control the The first power converter performs corresponding power conversion. The operation method of claim 11, further comprising: when the first USB connector is not coupled to the first device and the second USB connector is coupled to a power adapter, turning off the first power switch With the third power switch, the second power switch is turned on, and the first power converter is disabled. The operating method of claim 14, further comprising: preferentially allocating the output power of the power adapter coupled to the second USB connector to a host coupled to the first USB connector, and the rest The output power is distributed to an electrical device coupled to a third USB connector, wherein the third USB connector acts as a downstream port, coupled to a third device. The operation method of claim 15, further comprising: outputting a control signal to control a second power converter to perform corresponding conversion, wherein an input end of the second power converter is coupled to the first power converter The second end of the power switch, wherein an output end of the second power converter is coupled to a power pin of the third USB connector.

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