USB Type-C Transmission Line Host-to-Host Bridge
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Solution Overview
Problem
USB Type-C transmission lines face challenges in enabling data transmission between two hosts, as prior art lacks standard solutions for determining master/slave roles and facilitating communication between hosts with dual master/slave functions.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a host-to-host bridge and multiplexers to determine the master/slave roles of connected devices, allowing optional communication through the bridge and multiplexers, enabling direct or bridged communication between hosts and slave devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If USB Type-C transmission line is used with both ends as type-C connectors, then both hosts can be coupled simultaneously, but data transmission between two hosts cannot be executed unless one host has dual master/slave function
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a USB Type-C transmission device as an intermediary component between two hosts. This device includes role determination units that identify whether connected devices are hosts or slave devices, and switching units that route data transmission paths accordingly. The intermediary device enables direct host-to-host data transmission without requiring dual master/slave functionality in the hosts themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the USB Type-C transmission system into distinct functional components: role determination units, switching units, and transmission units. The role determination units independently identify device roles, while switching units independently manage transmission paths. This segmentation allows the system to handle host-to-host and host-to-slave device communications separately and efficiently.
2Ease of operation
If traditional USB transmission line with type-A and micro-B connectors is used, then host and device coupling is fixed, but flexibility for device-to-device transmission is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the USB Type-C transmission device universal by enabling it to handle multiple communication scenarios: host-to-slave device transmission, host-to-host transmission, and slave device-to-slave device transmission. The role determination units identify device roles dynamically, and the switching units adapt the transmission path accordingly, allowing a single device to serve multiple functions without requiring different hardware configurations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If OTG transmission line with micro-AB connectors is used, then device-to-device transmission is enabled, but host coupling flexibility is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic role determination and path switching capabilities to the USB Type-C transmission device. The role determination units dynamically identify whether connected devices are hosts or slave devices based on their characteristics, and the switching units dynamically adjust the transmission path based on the identified roles. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to flexibly handle both host-to-host and device-to-device communications without physical reconfiguration.
Data Source
AI summary
A universal serial bus (USB) type C transmission line includes a host-to-host bridge, a first multiplexer, and a second multiplexer. When a first device and a second device are coupled to the first multiplexer and the second multiplexer respectively, the first multiplexer determines whether the first device is a host or a slave device and the second multiplexer determines whether the second device is another host or another slave device, and the first device optionally communicates with the second device through the host-to-host bridge, the first multiplexer, and the second multiplexer, or through the first multiplexer and the second multiplexer according to determination results of the first multiplexer and the second multiplexer.