Integrated Sensor Hub Peripheral Interface Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computing systems with detachable peripherals face challenges in automatically re-establishing control and monitoring functions after a physical data connection is re-established, leading to inconvenient manual reactivation, such as rebooting, when peripherals are reattached.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an integrated sensor hub (ISH) in the main computing device that dynamically connects and disconnects input/output devices in a hot plug-and-play manner using a peripheral interface, embedded controller, and device controller, with data registers to manage connection status and data transfer, eliminating the need for extra GPIO pins and direct processor access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the peripheral is physically disconnected from the computing device, then the physical data connection is severed and the computing device can no longer control or monitor the peripheral, but automatically and dynamically re-establishing control and monitoring functions after the physical data connection is re-established presents several non-trivial technical challenges
Solution Approach 1:
The embedded controller maintains a connection status register that pre-configures the data path between the device controller and peripheral even when the peripheral is physically disconnected. This preliminary setup allows the system to quickly reactivate control and monitoring functions without complex re-initialization sequences, as the data path configuration is already prepared in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The embedded controller acts as an intermediary between the device controller and the peripheral device. It manages the connection status register and coordinates the re-establishment of control and monitoring functions, simplifying the overall system architecture by centralizing the management of peripheral connection states and reducing the complexity of direct device controller-peripheral communication during reconnection events.
2Ease of operation
If the peripheral is physically disconnected from the computing device, then the physical data connection is severed, but manual reactivation such as rebooting is required when the peripheral is reattached
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service functionality through the embedded controller, which automatically detects peripheral reattachment events and reactivates control and monitoring functions without requiring user intervention or system reboot. The connection status register enables the system to autonomously manage the reconnection process, eliminating the need for manual reactivation and reducing the time users need to spend on peripheral reattachment.
3Productivity
If data registers are used to store data relating to the peripheral and its connection status, then the embedded controller can efficiently manage peripheral state, but the system requires additional components and interfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the connection status management functionality into the embedded controller, which already exists in the system for other purposes. By combining the connection status register and peripheral state management within the embedded controller rather than adding separate dedicated components, the system achieves efficient peripheral state management while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity. This integration approach allows the embedded controller to handle multiple functions including peripheral state tracking, connection monitoring, and reactivation coordination.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for enabling an integrated sensor hub of a main computer to access a detachable peripheral device. In an embodiment, a system includes a main unit having a peripheral interface, an embedded controller, and a device controller. The peripheral interface is configured to be detachably coupled to a peripheral. The peripheral includes a control unit and an input/output device. The embedded controller is configured to communicate with the control unit of the peripheral via the peripheral interface while the peripheral is attached to the peripheral interface. The embedded controller includes at least one data register, and in some embodiments, a set of data registers, configured to store data relating to the peripheral and to the corresponding input/output device. The device controller is configured to read data from the data register(s) of the embedded controller, write data to the data register(s) of the embedded controller, or both.