WO2001037105A1 - Systeme device bay avec prevention des debranchements inopines servant a supporter et a commander des dispositifs peripheriques ubs et ieee 1394 - Google Patents

Systeme device bay avec prevention des debranchements inopines servant a supporter et a commander des dispositifs peripheriques ubs et ieee 1394 Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2001037105A1
WO2001037105A1 PCT/US2000/031619 US0031619W WO0137105A1 WO 2001037105 A1 WO2001037105 A1 WO 2001037105A1 US 0031619 W US0031619 W US 0031619W WO 0137105 A1 WO0137105 A1 WO 0137105A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
interface
enclosure
usb
controller
ieee
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2000/031619
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Kent Tabor
Original Assignee
Granite Microsystems, Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Granite Microsystems, Inc. filed Critical Granite Microsystems, Inc.
Priority to AU16186/01A priority Critical patent/AU1618601A/en
Priority to PCT/US2001/003608 priority patent/WO2001057604A1/fr
Priority to AU2001236648A priority patent/AU2001236648A1/en
Publication of WO2001037105A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001037105A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F13/00—Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units
    • G06F13/38—Information transfer, e.g. on bus
    • G06F13/40—Bus structure
    • G06F13/4063—Device-to-bus coupling
    • G06F13/409—Mechanical coupling

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to personal computer (PC) based computer systems, and more particularly to a system for easily connecting peripheral devices to a computer system using high speed serial data buses, a controller, and a specially designed enclosure.
  • the system is especially useful for controlling devices of embedded applications, such as industrial devices, telecommunication devices, medical equipment devices, data acquisition devices, etc. It has been shown that a similar system is useful for expanding existing PC based systems by adding more conventional peripheral devices.
  • USB and IEEE 1394 buses were created. These new serial buses were intended to make peripheral designs easy to develop, inexpensive to manufacture, and simple to install and service.
  • the USB is a medium bandwidth serial bus operating at up to 12Mb/sec. This hot-swappable, plug and play half duplex serial bus permits nearly unlimited expansion by allowing a single externally accessible port to support up to 127 peripheral devices.
  • expanding the PC became as straightforward as plugging a cable into a running computer. Following insertion of a four wire cable into a USB port on the computer, the operating system enables the device and loads the drivers, so that the peripheral device becomes available for use almost instantly.
  • USB Complimentary to USB is a higher speed serial bus, IEEE 1394, commonly referred to as
  • IEEE 1394 is a hot swappable, plug and play, full duplex serial bus. This serial bus allows for transfer speeds up to 400Mb/sec with future versions to provide speeds up to 3.2Gb/sec.
  • USB and IEEE 1394 are rich in technological advantages, a few implementation issues present difficulties for certain embedded applications.
  • USB and IEEE 1394 Another implementation problem with USB and IEEE 1394 in industrial applications concerns the power required for the peripheral devices. Though both USB and IEEE 1394 can provide power to devices, the use of this power is limited to low current devices using a single voltage rail. Most industrial applications require a relatively large amount of current at several voltage levels, and often this power must be clean. Most developers would therefore choose to design embedded power supplies or to provide power from an external power supply, increasing system cost and complexity.
  • USB nor 1394 has an associated specified mechanical enclosure for devices.
  • the problem this creates is that every device in the control system could conceivably be a different size and have a separate set of requirements for mounting the device in an enclosure or rack system. This can render service difficult, because the system may need significant disassembly to remove damaged components from the chassis. Upgrading also becomes more complicated, since changes in mechanical dimensions may necessitate housing and panel redesign.
  • the Device Bay standard developed by Compaq, Intel, and Microsoft, enhances the USB and IEEE 1394 specifications.
  • the Device Bay standard is a specification for an electrical and mechanical form factor for the USB and IEEE 1394 high-speed serial buses, and is designed to allow hot swappable, plug and play expansion for computer peripherals.
  • Device Bay incorporates a single connector that supports both USB and IEEE 1394 and provides additional power to accommodate more power hungry devices.
  • Device Bay is inherently portable in that any computer that has a USB port, a IEEE 1394 port, and a Device Bay compatible operating system is capable of using Device Bay technology. If the devices work on one system with a particular configuration, they will work on all platforms.
  • the modules would have an onboard, low cost microprocessor to communicate with the Device Bay controller and handle the communications for the USB or IEEE 1394 interface.
  • the microprocessor would also be used to add local intelligence to the device. For example, the microprocessor could initialize a high speed A/D, perform a power up self-test, or handle background functions such as polling the A/D channels and signal conditioning for the input.
  • the microprocessor can also compress, time stamp, and organize the data in a logical way sparing the PC from having to perform these functions.
  • Device Bay Since Device Bay is plug and play, the unit can already be powered up when a module is inserted.
  • the operating system and application will immediately recognize the device, load appropriate drivers, and run the application.
  • OEM embedded systems involved with industrial control, medical applications, instrumentation, telecommunications, and other applications typically contain one or more proprietary cards that perform OEM specific functions.
  • the present invention improves the Device Bay standard for application to computer based embedded systems for original equipment manufacturers
  • the present invention is a system for easily adding and controlling peripheral devices to computers especially for embedded applications involving industrial control, medical equipment, instrumentation, telephony and other applications.
  • the system includes a computer, an enclosure or Device Bay condo for housing peripheral devices, and USB and IEEE 1394 serial buses connecting the computer to the peripheral device enclosure.
  • the computer includes a processor, RAM, a video card, and some type of mass storage, such as a hard drive.
  • the enclosure having a plurality of bays is preferably accessible from the front, and is connected to the computer through USB and/or IEEE 1394 connections.
  • the enclosures may accommodate two or four USB or IEEE 1394 compatible peripherals and are preferably cascadable to support virtually unlimited expansion of peripheral devices
  • Each enclosure contains a number of so-called "walk-up ports" for convenient front panel connection of additional peripherals, such as printers, keyboards, mice and scanners.
  • the four bay enclosure is approximately 7 inches high by 8.44 inches wide by 12.5 inches long, and provides four USB walk-up ports and three IEEE 1394 walk-up ports.
  • the enclosure can be rack-mounted, with two units fitting side by side in a 5U chassis, or cascaded to accommodate up to 127 USB devices and up to 63 IEEE 1394 devices.
  • the enclosures provide the required power to each Device Bay peripheral, eliminating the need for independent peripheral power supplies.
  • the remote enclosures ensure data integrity by disallowing the removal of any peripheral without first closing all applicable files and applications associated with the peripheral.
  • the present invention is a way to expand and integrate computers by using both USB and EEE 1394 high-speed serial buses. Both standards permit hot-swapping and plug-and-play to permit the user to easily add or remove peripherals.
  • the peripherals can be quickly added or removed from a computer system without opening an enclosure, or powering down and rebooting.
  • the remote enclosures permit expansion of desktop, industrial, and embedded PCs. This is accomplished by connecting multiple remote enclosures together.
  • the present invention provides a mechanical and electrical form factor for USB and IEEE 1394 peripheral devices within the Device Bay standard.
  • the present invention provides support of up to 127 USB devices, 63 IEEE 1394 devices, USB walk up ports, IEEE 1394 walk up ports, foil power management for peripheral modules inside and outside of the enclosure, power and communication LED indicators, and prevention of surprise removal of device modules.
  • One aspect of the invention is the mechanical surprise removal prevention.
  • Another aspect of the invention is the peripheral device module enclosures.
  • the standalone enclosures may accommodate two or four USB or IEEE 1394 peripherals and are cascadable to support virtually unlimited expansion of peripheral devices. Each enclosure contains a number of walk-up ports for convenient front panel or rear panel connection of additional peripherals.
  • the enclosure supports up to four standard PC form factor devices. They can be plugged in or removed while the system is under power.
  • the enclosure links to the host computer or other system via LEEE 1394 or USB serial buses.
  • the USB provides a serial link with a current maximum throughput of 12Mb/sec and IEEE 1394 supports 100, 200 or 400 Mb/sec with current extensions moving those rates up to 800 and 1600 Mb/sec.
  • These serial buses, especially IEEE 1394 can serve as a connection for connecting multiple enclosures.
  • developers can string together multiple enclosures to create a unique PC based system for a variety of applications. Additionally, developers can add processing power and special functions available in modules to fit the standard peripheral form factors.
  • Both enclosure configurations include their own power supplies and can be linked via the
  • USB or IEEE 1394 serial buses In a rack mount configuration, the enclosures can share one another's power supply, eliminating the need for a power supply in each enclosure.
  • FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the system of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 A is a front perspective view of a two-bay enclosure of the present invention
  • FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the two-bay enclosure of FIG. 2A;
  • FIG. 3 A is a front perspective view of a four-bay enclosure in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 3B is a rear perspective view of the four-bay enclosure of FIG. 3A;
  • FIG. 4 is a functional black diagram of the components of the four-bay enclosure shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B; and
  • FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the electronic circuitry on a Device Bay Controller printed circuit board.
  • FIG. 1 shows an overall general block diagram of one embodiment of the system of the present invention.
  • the system 10 includes a host computer 12 for operating and controlling a plurality of peripheral devices 20 connected to the computer 12 over high-speed serial data buses 16, 18, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) 16 and an IEEE 1394 bus 18.
  • the peripheral devices 20 are preferably installed in a uniquely designed peripheral device enclosure 14.
  • the enclosure 14 is preferably a Device Bay compatible enclosure which meets the Device Bay standards and specification.
  • FIG. 2A illustrates a first embodiment of a Device Bay enclosure, which is preferably a two-bay peripheral device enclosure 14A.
  • the enclosure 14A includes two bays 50A, 50B for receiving two peripheral devices 20 A, 20B. Underneath each of the two openings are a power supply status LED, an activity or a communication LED situated next to a remove request push button, and an ejector lever for ejecting the peripheral device installed in the open bay.
  • FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the two-bay enclosure showing the power supply with AC input connector, two USB walk-up ports, two IEEE 1394 walk-up ports, a USB connection to the host computer, an IEEE 1394 connection to the host computer, and a power switch.
  • Each of the enclosures include two open bays for inserting peripheral devices therein, a power supply, a uniquely designed Device Bay Controller printed circuit board mounted within the enclosure, a small solenoid activated peripheral device lock and unlock printed circuit board, and interface hardware for connecting the peripheral devices to the host computer and to other external devices.
  • FIG. 3 A illustrates another embodiment of a peripheral device enclosure.
  • the enclosure is preferably a four-bay peripheral device enclosure 12B.
  • the enclosure 12B includes four open bays 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D for receiving up to four peripheral devices (not shown). Underneath each of the openings is a power supply status LED, an activity or a communication LED situated next to a remove request push button, and an ejector lever for ejecting the peripheral device installed in the open bay.
  • the enclosure further includes a keyed lock to prevent unauthorized removal of the peripheral devices from the enclosure during use.
  • the front of the enclosure also includes two USB walk-up ports. At least one side of the enclosure is vented to provide cooling.
  • FIG. 3B is a rear perspective view of the four-bay enclosure showing the power supply with AC input connector, two USB walk-up ports, three IEEE 1394 walk-up ports, a USB connection to the host computer, an IEEE 1394 connection to the host computer, and a power switch.
  • Each of the enclosures include four open bays for inserting peripheral devices therein, a power supply, a uniquely designed Device Bay Controller printed circuit board mounted within the enclosure, a peripheral device lock and unlock printed circuit board for each bay, and interface hardware for connecting the peripheral devices to the host computer and to other external devices.
  • FIG. 4 shows a functional black diagram of the components and electronics within the four-bay enclosure.
  • the enclosure 14B includes electronic circuitry on at least one circuit board for controlling the system.
  • the circuit boards preferably include a Device Bay Controller circuit board and a solenoid activated lock and unlock circuit board.
  • the Device Bay Controller circuitry includes a controller and associated firmware 50, Fig. 4, for controlling operation of the system.
  • the system shown in Fig. 3 includes four bays 34A, 34B, 34C, 34D controlled by a dual controller 36.
  • the bays are essentially mechanical sockets that accept a peripheral device.
  • a connector located at the rear of each of the bays provides all electrical connections between the Device Bay controller 36, USB, IEEE 1394, and power to the peripheral device.
  • a six-port PHY (physical layer interface) interface circuit 40 receives an input from the PC host computer 10, Fig. 1, and outputs a signal to up to five IEEE 1394 signal ports.
  • a USB four port hub 42 is a circuit whose input is a USB port from the PC host computer 10, Fig. 1, and outputs three USB ports.
  • Walk-up ports 44, 46 are discrete USB and IEEE 1394 ports which are available to the outside of the enclosure. These ports allow the connection of external peripherals to the enclosure. These devices can be any USB or 1394 compatible device. These ports also allow the addition of other enclosures for expansion.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates a functional block diagram of the system of the present invention with the Device Bay controller circuit board 50 as its main component.
  • the circuitry on the Device Bay controller circuit board 50 together with an embedded software program and operating system coordinates and controls all of the functions of the bays 34A, 34B, 34C, 34D. These functions include power monitoring and control 52, peripheral device detection 54, peripheral device lock and unlock 56, USB and IEEE 1394 coordination 58, eject request control 60, mechanical key lock detection 62 four bay systems only), and power and activity status LEDs.
  • any USB or IEEE 1394 compatible device may be inserted into an open bay in the enclosure.
  • the Device Bay Controller circuitry and software recognize the peripheral device, initialize it and prepare it for operation.
  • the device is mechanically and electrically locked in the enclosure.
  • a user presses the remove request push button, a signal is sent to the host computer to remove the device, power is removed from the device, and the user pulls the eject lever.
  • the current design supports non- Device Bay peripherals and various operating systems not supported by the Device Bay standard.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Information Transfer Systems (AREA)
  • Bus Control (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un système permettant de connecter une pluralité de dispositifs périphériques à un ordinateur. Le système comprend un ordinateur, une enceinte ou condo de Device Bay destiné à contenir les dispositifs périphériques, et des bus série USB et IEEE 1394 reliant l'ordinateur à l'enceinte de dispositifs périphériques. L'enceinte présentant une pluralité de baies (74A-D) est de préférence accessible par l'avant, et est reliée à l'ordinateur via des connexions USB (98) et/ou IEEE 1394 (96, 100). Les enceintes peuvent contenir deux ou quatre périphériques USB ou IEEE 1394 et peuvent être mises en série de manière à permettre une expansion virtuellement illimitée de dispositifs périphériques. Chaque enceinte contient un nombre de ports à connexion directe permettant la connexion facile par l'avant ou par l'arrière de périphériques supplémentaires.
PCT/US2000/031619 1999-11-17 2000-11-17 Systeme device bay avec prevention des debranchements inopines servant a supporter et a commander des dispositifs peripheriques ubs et ieee 1394 WO2001037105A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU16186/01A AU1618601A (en) 1999-11-17 2000-11-17 Device bay system with surprise removal prevention for supporting and controlling usb and ieee 1394 peripheral devices
PCT/US2001/003608 WO2001057604A1 (fr) 2000-02-01 2001-02-01 Systeme informatique a module d'unite centrale amovible et dispositifs peripheriques
AU2001236648A AU2001236648A1 (en) 2000-02-01 2001-02-01 Computer system with removable cpu module and peripheral devices

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US17228199P 1999-11-17 1999-11-17
US60/172,281 1999-11-17

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2001037105A1 true WO2001037105A1 (fr) 2001-05-25

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PCT/US2000/031619 WO2001037105A1 (fr) 1999-11-17 2000-11-17 Systeme device bay avec prevention des debranchements inopines servant a supporter et a commander des dispositifs peripheriques ubs et ieee 1394

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AU (1) AU1618601A (fr)
WO (1) WO2001037105A1 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN100437533C (zh) * 2005-12-26 2008-11-26 联想(北京)有限公司 一种安全卸载usb设备的方法
US7874928B2 (en) * 2004-08-06 2011-01-25 Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd. Performance measuring device for golf club
WO2017152526A1 (fr) * 2016-03-09 2017-09-14 深圳Tcl数字技术有限公司 Procédé et système de commande de montage et de notification automatiques de périphérique externe

Citations (6)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5963431A (en) * 1998-04-14 1999-10-05 Compaq Computer Corporation Desktop computer having enhanced motherboard/riser card assembly configuration
US5974473A (en) * 1996-06-14 1999-10-26 Texas Instruments Incorporated System for controlling insertion, locking, and removal of modules by removing plurality of device drivers for module to be removed from BIOS and informing BIOS of module removal
US6061746A (en) * 1998-04-30 2000-05-09 Compaq Computer Corporation Device bay system without 1394 PHY/Link interface to device bay controller having a software intercepting a GUID query and returning a stored unique identifier
US6081533A (en) * 1997-06-25 2000-06-27 Com21, Inc. Method and apparatus for an application interface module in a subscriber terminal unit
US6150925A (en) * 1998-06-03 2000-11-21 Intel Corporation Connecting devices to in-car personal computers
US6171154B1 (en) * 1998-10-29 2001-01-09 Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd. Device bay connector

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5974473A (en) * 1996-06-14 1999-10-26 Texas Instruments Incorporated System for controlling insertion, locking, and removal of modules by removing plurality of device drivers for module to be removed from BIOS and informing BIOS of module removal
US6081533A (en) * 1997-06-25 2000-06-27 Com21, Inc. Method and apparatus for an application interface module in a subscriber terminal unit
US5963431A (en) * 1998-04-14 1999-10-05 Compaq Computer Corporation Desktop computer having enhanced motherboard/riser card assembly configuration
US6061746A (en) * 1998-04-30 2000-05-09 Compaq Computer Corporation Device bay system without 1394 PHY/Link interface to device bay controller having a software intercepting a GUID query and returning a stored unique identifier
US6150925A (en) * 1998-06-03 2000-11-21 Intel Corporation Connecting devices to in-car personal computers
US6171154B1 (en) * 1998-10-29 2001-01-09 Hon Hai Precision Ind. Co., Ltd. Device bay connector

Non-Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
"DEVICE BAY SPECIFICATION 1394 TRADE ASSOCIATION DOCUMENT NUMBER 1999012 REVERSION 1.0 RELEASE CANDIDATE 1", DEVICE BAY SPECIFICATION. 1394 TRADE ASSOCIATION DOCUMENT, XX, XX, no. 1999012, 18 January 2000 (2000-01-18), XX, pages 01 - 16 + 01, XP002937700 *
BREEVOORT C.M.: "A multi-services communications architecture for in-home USB and IEEE-1394 basaed devices", CONSUMER ELECTRONICS, ICCE, 1998 DIGEST OF TECHNICAL PAPERS, INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, 1998, pages 110 - 111, XP002938302 *

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7874928B2 (en) * 2004-08-06 2011-01-25 Bridgestone Sports Co., Ltd. Performance measuring device for golf club
CN100437533C (zh) * 2005-12-26 2008-11-26 联想(北京)有限公司 一种安全卸载usb设备的方法
WO2017152526A1 (fr) * 2016-03-09 2017-09-14 深圳Tcl数字技术有限公司 Procédé et système de commande de montage et de notification automatiques de périphérique externe

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Publication number Publication date
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