Pre-association for Certified Wireless USB Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Certified Wireless USB 1.0 devices require additional components for association methods, making them bulkier and more expensive, and there is no straightforward way to pre-associate host and device without extra steps, especially due to unknown Connection Host IDs.
Innovation Solution
Implementing pre-association through three approaches: Algorithm Approach, Multi-CHID Approach, and Fixed-CDID-CK Approach, which derive or broadcast Connection Host IDs to facilitate automatic connection without extra user steps, using shared secrets and pre-stored Connection Contexts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cable association or numeric association methods are implemented in CWUSB devices, then association functionality is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase due to additional USB connectors or display components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the association functionality from physical components (USB connectors, display screens) and implements it through wireless communication protocols. The device uses wireless USB connection establishment without requiring physical connectors or display components for association, thereby achieving association functionality while reducing device structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical association methods (cable connection with physical USB connector, numeric input through display screen) with wireless electronic association mechanisms. The host and device establish connections through wireless signal exchange and protocol-based association, eliminating the need for mechanical components
2Ease of operation
If pre-association is implemented without knowing the Connection Host ID, then automatic connection is achieved, but the association process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements pre-association by pre-configuring connection parameters including Connection Host ID, Connection Device ID, and Connection Key in the device before deployment. This preliminary action allows the device to automatically connect to the host without requiring real-time ID discovery or user intervention, simplifying the connection process while managing complexity through advance configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a Connection Context structure as an intermediary that encapsulates all necessary association information (CHID, CDID, CK). This intermediary serves as a pre-configured data package that mediates the association process, allowing automatic connection establishment without complex real-time negotiations or user inputs
Data Source
AI summary
Certified Wireless USB 1.0 defines two different types of association: cable association and numeric association. In order to implementation these two association methods, the CWUSB device needs to have either upstream USB connector (for cable association) or display capability (for numeric association). These extra requirements make the CWUSB device bulkier (one more USB connector) and/or more expensive (extra display components). For cheap and simple CWUSB devices, we need a simpler association method that is easy and cheap to implement. In a pre-packaged total solution, which includes a host and one or more device(s), we can use pre-association to smooth the user experience. The host and device(s) are pre-associated. When an end user starts to use this solution, they do not need to worry about the association at all.