Software USB Simulator with Remote Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hardware simulators lack accurate simulation of USB communication protocols, making it difficult to model and test new hardware designs, especially when software-based simulators are not available for certain subsystems, and hardware solutions are expensive and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
A software-based USB simulator is developed, utilizing a Remote USB Daemon (RUSBD) and a Remote USB Interface that coordinates access to shared state using a synchronization structure, allowing for accurate simulation of USB protocol behavior and enabling the simulated device to appear as an ordinary USB device to the host system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hardware models or actual hardware devices are used as simulators, then portions of the simulation not available in software can be provided, but the hardware models are expensive and difficult to debug
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the hardware device through software simulation. The simulator program executes on existing hardware and performs the same operations as the new hardware design, providing a software-based copy that is inexpensive and easily debuggable compared to physical hardware models
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical hardware simulation system with a software-based simulation system. Instead of using actual hardware devices or FPGAs to simulate device behavior, the invention uses software programs that model hardware operations, substituting the physical system with an information-processing system
2Ease of manufacture
If software-based simulators are used to model hardware device behavior, then the simulation can be performed on existing hardware, but the simulation performs at a relatively slow speed when using highly detailed representations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the level of detail parameter in the simulation model. Instead of using highly detailed transistor-level or gate-level representations that slow down simulation, the invention uses higher-level behavioral models that capture essential device functionality while executing faster on software
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial simulation by modeling only the essential behavioral aspects of the hardware device rather than every physical detail. This partial action approach simulates enough of the device behavior to be useful for testing while maintaining faster execution speeds
3Productivity
If less-detailed representations are used in software simulators, then the simulations perform more quickly, but the accuracy and detail of the simulation is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using different levels of simulation detail in different parts of the system. Critical subsystems that require high accuracy are modeled with greater detail, while less critical areas use coarser models, optimizing the balance between speed and accuracy locally throughout the simulation
Data Source
AI summary
In one or more embodiments, methods and apparatus are provided for simulating device communications such as those of the Universal Serial Bus (“USB”) or the like. The methods and apparatus involve receiving host requests that represent commands in a communication protocol and are associated with communication endpoints, distributing the host requests across the communication endpoints in the order that they are received, to their associated endpoints to generate a distribution of requests, generating a reordered plurality of host requests by selecting the host requests from the communication endpoints in an order based upon the order in which the requests are received and one or more simulation factors, receiving device requests from a simulated device in accordance with the communication protocol, merging the reordered host requests and the plurality of device requests to form a merged sequence of requests, and performing commands from the merged sequence of requests in the order.