TWI817794B - Usb hub and operation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a USB hub and an operation method thereof. The USB hub includes a plurality of first USB connectors and a second USB connector. The first USB connectors are suitable for electrically connecting to multiple USB power source apparatuses. The second USB connector is suitable for electrically connecting to a USB power sink apparatus. The USB hub negotiates a first power profile with each of the USB power source apparatuses through the first USB connectors. The USB hub sets a second power profile for the second USB connector to supply power to the USB power sink apparatus according to the first power profiles.

Description

USB hub and how to operate it

The present invention relates to a Universal Serial Bus (USB) device, and in particular to a USB hub and an operating method thereof.

According to the Universal Serial Bus (USB) specification, a USB power source device can negotiate a power profile with a USB power sink device. For example, the power profile may include one or more power data objects (Power Data Objects, PDOs), or one or more enhanced power data objects (Augmented PDOs, APDOs). When establishing a new connection through a USB connector, based on the Power Delivery (PD) protocol, the USB power source device can send one or more PDOs (or APDOs) to the USB power sink device to determine the USB power source. The output power of the end device. The information of PDO (or APDO) includes the candidate output power, candidate output voltage and candidate output current of the USB power source device. The USB power sink device can select one of these PDOs (or APDOs) to agree on the appropriate voltage and current with the USB power source device. Therefore, based on the power profile, the output of the USB power source device The output power can meet the needs of USB power sink devices.

Generally speaking, different USB power sink devices have different power requirements. For example, the power requirements (charging power) of smartphones are approximately in the range of 5W to 30W, while the power requirements (charging power) of notebook computers are approximately in the range of 45W to 100W. In any case, a USB adapter (USB power source device) with a small output power (for example, 5W to 30W) is not suitable for a notebook computer (USB power sink device) with high power requirements. Even if the user has multiple USB adapters with low output power, the laptop with high power requirements still cannot be charged because the maximum output power of each of these USB adapters is less than the rated input power of the laptop.

It should be noted that the content of the "Prior Art" paragraph is used to help understand the present invention. Some (or all) of the contents disclosed in the "Prior Art" paragraph may not be conventional techniques known to those with ordinary skill in the relevant technical field. The content disclosed in the "Prior Art" paragraph does not mean that the content has been known to those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field before the application of the present invention.

The present invention provides a Universal Serial Bus (USB) hub and an operating method thereof to integrate the output power of multiple USB power source devices to supply power to the same USB power sink. )equipment.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned USB hub includes a plurality of third A USB connector, a plurality of power switches, a plurality of power converters, a second USB connector and a control circuit. These first USB connectors are suitable for electrically connecting to multiple USB power source devices. A first end of each of the power switches is coupled to a power pin of a corresponding USB connector of one of the first USB connectors. An input terminal of each of the power converters is coupled to a second terminal of a corresponding power switch of one of the power switches. The second USB connector is adapted to be electrically connected to the USB power sink device. The power pins of the second USB connector are coupled to the outputs of each of the power converters. The control circuit is coupled to a configuration channel (CC) pin of each of the first USB connector and the second USB connector. The control circuit negotiates a first power profile to each of the USB power source devices through the first USB connectors. The control circuit sets a second power profile for supplying power to the USB power sink device with respect to the second USB connector based on these first power profiles.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above operation method includes: negotiating a first power profile with each of the USB power source devices through the first USB connectors; and setting the second power profile based on the first power profiles. The USB connector powers the second power profile of the USB power sink device.

Based on the above, multiple first USB connectors of the USB hub according to the embodiments of the present invention can be electrically connected to multiple USB power source devices. The control circuit may negotiate a first power profile to each of the plurality of USB power source devices through the CC pins of the first USB connectors. The control circuit can set a third power supply for the USB power sink device based on the second USB connector based on these first power profiles. Two power profiles. Therefore, the USB hub can integrate the output power of multiple USB power source devices to supply power to the same USB power sink device.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, embodiments are given below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11, 12: USB power source device

20: USB power sink device

100:USB hub

310, 320: First PD (power transmission) controller

330: Second PD controller

340:Controller

CC1, CC2 and CC3: Configuration channel (CC) pins

CNV1, CNV2: power converter

CON: control circuit

S210, S220: steps

SW1, SW2: power switch

Type-c1, Type-c2: first USB connector

Type-c3: Second USB connector

Vbus1, Vbus2, Vbus3: power pins

FIG. 1 is a circuit block schematic diagram of a USB hub according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of an operating method of a USB hub according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram illustrating the control circuit shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The term "coupling (or connection)" used throughout the specification of this case (including the scope of the patent application) can refer to any direct or indirect connection means. For example, if a first device is described as coupled (or connected) to a second device, it should be understood that the first device can be directly connected to the second device, or the first device can be connected through other devices or other devices. A connection means is indirectly connected to the second device. Terms such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the full text of the specification of this case (including the scope of the patent application) are used to name elements or to distinguish different embodiments or scopes. It is not used to limit the upper or lower limit of the number of components, nor is it used to limit the order of components. In addition, wherever possible, elements/components/steps with the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and embodiments to represent the same or similar parts. Elements/components/steps using the same numbers or using the same terms in different embodiments can refer to the relevant descriptions of each other.

FIG. 1 is a circuit block schematic diagram of a Universal Serial Bus (USB) hub 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The USB hub 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of first USB connectors (such as Type-c1 and Type-c2 shown in FIG. 1), a plurality of power switches (such as SW1 and SW2 shown in FIG. 1), and a plurality of power converters. (for example, CNV1 and CNV2 shown in Figure 1), at least one second USB connector Type-c3 and at least one control circuit CON. The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 illustrates the power path and related components of the USB hub 100, but does not illustrate other components (such as data paths and related components). According to the actual design, the components not shown may be conventional components or other components that comply with the USB specification.

These first USB connectors Type-c1 and Type-c2 are suitable for electrically connecting to multiple USB power source devices (such as the USB power source devices 11 and 12 shown in Figure 1). For example, depending on the actual application, the USB power source devices 11 and/or 12 may include a USB adapter, a USB power bank, or other USB power source devices. A first end of each of the power switches SW1 and SW2 is coupled to a corresponding power pin (power bus pin) of one of the first USB connectors Type-c1 and Type-c2. For example, the first end of the power switch SW1 is coupled to the electrical connector of the first USB connector Type-c1. The power pin Vbus1 is connected to the power pin Vbus1, and the first end of the power switch SW2 is coupled to the power pin Vbus2 of the first USB connector Type-c2. The input terminal of each of the power converters CNV1 and CNV2 is coupled to the second terminal of a corresponding one of the power switches SW1 and SW2. For example, the input terminal of the power converter CNV1 is coupled to the second terminal of the power switch SW1, and the input terminal of the power converter CNV2 is coupled to the second terminal of the power switch SW2.

The power pin Vbus3 of the second USB connector Type-c3 is coupled to the output of each of the power converters CNV1 and CNV2. Therefore, the output power of the power converters CNV1 and CNV2 can be integrated to supply power to the same second USB connector Type-c3. The second USB connector Type-c3 is adapted to be electrically connected to the USB power sink device 20 . For example, depending on the actual application, the USB power sink device 20 may include a notebook computer, a tablet computer, or other USB power sink devices. This embodiment does not limit the relationship between "the rated input power of the USB power sink device 20" and "the maximum output power of the USB power source device (such as the USB power source device 11 or 12 shown in Figure 1)." For example, in some practical applications, the maximum output power of any one of the USB power source devices 11 and 12 may be less than the rated input power (minimum input power) of the USB power sink device 20 .

The control circuit CON is coupled to configuration channel (CC) pins CC1, CC2 and each of the first USB connector Type-c1, the first USB connector Type-c2 and the second USB connector Type-c3 CC3. The control circuit CON can control the power switches SW1 and SW2. The control circuit CON can be Whether to turn on a corresponding power switch among the power switches SW1 and SW2 is determined according to the CC pin CC1 of each of the first USB connectors Type-c1 and Type-c2. For example, the control circuit CON can decide whether to turn on the power switch SW1 based on the CC pin CC1 of the first USB connector Type-c1, and decide whether to turn on the power based on the CC pin CC2 of the first USB connector Type-c2. Switch SW2. The control circuit CON can negotiate a power profile with the USB power source device 11 through the CC pin CC1.

In some embodiments, the power profile includes at least one power data object (Power Data Object, PDO) of the USB specification or at least one enhanced power data object (Augmented PDO, APDO). When establishing a new connection through USB connector Type-c1, based on the Power Delivery (PD) protocol, the USB power source device 11 can send one or more PDO or APDO (power profile) to the USB hub 100 to Determine the output power of the USB power source device 11. The PDO (or APDO) information includes the candidate output power, candidate output voltage and candidate output current of the USB power source device 11 . The control circuit CON can select one of these PDOs (or APDOs) to agree on appropriate voltage and current with the USB power source device 11 . Therefore, based on the power profile, the output power of the USB power source device 11 can meet the requirements of the USB hub 100 .

By the same token, the control circuit CON can negotiate the power profile with the USB power source device 12 through the CC pin CC2 of the first USB connector Type-c2. The control circuit CON can negotiate the power profile with the USB power sink device 20 through the CC pin CC3 of the second USB connector Type-c3. CC pin CC1, The communication operation between CC2 and CC3 complies with the USB specification, so the details will not be described here.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of an operating method of a USB hub according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2. In step S210, the control circuit CON may negotiate a first power profile to each of the plurality of USB power source devices 11 and 12 through the first USB connectors Type-c1 and Type-c2. According to the first power profile of the first USB connector Type-c1 (USB power source device 11) and the first power profile of the first USB connector Type-c2 (power source device 12), the control circuit CON can set The second power profile of the USB power sink device 20 is powered with respect to the second USB connector Type-c3 (step S220).

In some embodiments, the power profiles of the first USB connector Type-c1 and the first USB connector Type-c2 may include at least one power supply data object (PDO) of the USB specification or at least one enhanced power supply data object. (APDO). The control circuit CON can set (dynamically adjust) the second power profile of the second USB connector Type-c3 according to the PDOs (or APDOs) of the first USB connectors Type-c1 and Type-c2. The control circuit CON can control the power converters CNV1 and/or CNV2 according to the second power profile.

For example, in some practical application scenarios, the USB power source device 11 is electrically connected to the first USB connector Type-c1, the USB power sink device 20 is electrically connected to the second USB connector Type-c3, and The first USB connector Type-c2 is not yet connected to any power source device. At this time, the USB power source device 11 connected to the first USB connector Type-c1 can provide the power profile to the control circuit CON. It is assumed here that the content of the first power profile of the first USB connector Type-c1 (USB power source device 11) is as shown in Table 1. The power profile shown in Table 1 has three candidate power combinations, namely "5V, 3A", "9V, 3A" and "15V, 3A". The control circuit CON can transmit these three candidate power combinations to the USB power sink device 20 through the CC pin CC3 of the second USB connector Type-c3. When the USB power sink device 20 selects "15V, 3A", the USB power source device 11 supplies "15V, 3A" to the USB power sink device 20 . Then, the first USB connector Type-c2 is electrically connected to the USB power source device 12 . It is assumed here that the content of the first power profile of the first USB connector Type-c2 (USB power source device 12) is as shown in Table 2. The power profile shown in Table 2 has two candidate power combinations, namely "5V, 3A" and "9V, 3A". At this time, the control circuit CON can directly select "9V, 3A" as shown in Table 2, and then control the power converter CNV2 to boost the 9V of the power pin Vbus2 to 15V. Therefore, the power converter CNV2 can supply "15V, (9*3)/15A" to the power pin Vbus3. At this time, the voltage and current that the power pin Vbus3 can transmit is "15V,3+1.8A". At this time, the control circuit CON can tell the USB power sink device 20 through the CC pin CC3 that the second power profile has been changed to "15V, 4.8A" so that the USB power sink device 20 can use more power.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram illustrating the control circuit CON shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , the control circuit CON includes a first PD (power transmission) controller 310 , a first PD controller 320 , a second PD controller 330 and a controller 340 . Each of the first PD controllers 310 and 320 is coupled to the CC pin of one of the first USB connectors Type-c1 and Type-c2 corresponding to the USB connector. These first PD controllers 310 and 320 can negotiate multiple first power profiles (such as the power profiles shown in Table 1 and Table 2) to the USB power source devices 11 and 12 through the first USB connectors Type-c1 and Type-c2. ). The controller 340 is coupled to the first PD controllers 310 and 320 to receive a plurality of first power profiles. The controller 340 can determine (dynamically adjust) the second power profile of the second USB connector Type-c3 based on these first power profiles. The second PD controller 330 is coupled to the controller 340 to receive the second power profile. The second PD controller 330 may provide the second power profile to the USB power sink device 20 through the CC pin CC3 of the second USB connector Type-c3.

The controller 340 may also control the power converters CNV1 and CNV2 according to the second power profile. According to the actual design, each of the power converters CNV1 and CNV2 may include a buck-boost converter, a buck converter, a boost converter or other power converters. converter. Taking the buck-boost converter as an example, the input terminal of the buck-boost converter is coupled to the second terminal of one of the power switches SW1 and SW2 corresponding to the power switch. terminal, and the output terminal of the buck-boost converter is coupled to the power pin Vbus3 of the second USB connector Type-c3.

For example, in some practical scenarios, the USB power sink device 20 is electrically connected to the second USB connector Type-c3, the USB power source device 11 is electrically connected to the first USB connector Type-c1, and the USB power source device 11 is electrically connected to the first USB connector Type-c1. A USB connector Type-c2 has not been connected to any power source device. At this time, the USB power source device 11 connected to the first USB connector Type-c1 can provide the power profile shown in Table 1 to the first PD controller 310, and the first PD controller 310 can provide the power profile shown in Table 1. The power profile is passed to controller 340. The controller 340 can provide the three candidate power combinations shown in Table 1 to the second PD controller 330, and the second PD controller 330 can provide the power combinations shown in Table 1 through the CC pin CC3 of the second USB connector Type-c3. The power profile shown is transferred to the USB power sink device 20. When the USB power sink device 20 selects the candidate power combination "15V, 3A" shown in Table 1, the power "15V, 3A" output by the USB power source device 11 can pass through the first USB connector Type-c1, power The switch SW1, the power converter CNV1 and the second USB connector Type-c3 are transmitted to the USB power sink device 20.

Then, the first USB connector Type-c2 is electrically connected to the USB power source device 12 . The USB power source device 12 connected to the first USB connector Type-c2 can provide the power profile shown in Table 2 to the first PD controller 320, and the first PD controller 320 can convert the power profile shown in Table 2 into passed to controller 340. At this time, the controller 340 can directly select the candidate power combination "9V, 3A" shown in Table 2. When the controller 340 selects the candidate power combination "9V, 3A" shown in Table 2, the USB power source end The power "9V, 3A" output by the device 12 can be transmitted to the power converter CNV2 through the first USB connector Type-c2 and the power switch SW2. The controller 340 may control the power converter CNV2 to boost the 9V of the power pin Vbus2 to 15V so as to be consistent with the voltage of the power pin Vbus3. Therefore, the power converter CNV2 can supply "15V, (9*3)/15A" to the power pin Vbus3. At this time, the voltage and current that the power pin Vbus3 can transmit is "15V,3+1.8A". The controller 340 can tell the USB power sink device 20 through the second PD controller 330 and the CC pin CC3 that the second power profile has been changed from "15V, 3A" to "15V, 4.8A" in order to allow the USB power sink Device 20 can use more power.

For another example, in other actual scenarios, the USB power sink device 20 is electrically connected to the second USB connector Type-c3, and the USB power source device 11 is electrically connected to the first USB connector Type-c1. The first USB connector Type-c2 has not yet been connected to any power source device. At this time, the USB power source device 11 connected to the first USB connector Type-c1 can provide the power profile shown in the following Table 3 to the first PD controller 310, and the first PD controller 310 can provide the power profile shown in Table 3 below. The power profile shown is forwarded to controller 340 . The power profile shown in Table 3 has a set of candidate power combinations "5V, 3A". The controller 340 can provide the candidate power combination "5V, 3A" shown in Table 3 to the second PD controller 330, and the second PD controller 330 can use the CC pin CC3 of the second USB connector Type-c3 The power profile shown in Table 3 is transferred to the USB power sink device 20 . At this time, the power "5V, 3A" output by the USB power source device 11 can be transmitted to the USB port through the first USB connector Type-c1, the power switch SW1, the power converter CNV1 and the second USB connector Type-c3. USB function Rate sink device 20. Then, the first USB connector Type-c2 is electrically connected to the USB power source device 12 . The USB power source device 12 connected to the first USB connector Type-c2 can provide the power profile shown in Table 4 to the first PD controller 320, and the first PD controller 320 can convert the power profile shown in Table 4. passed to controller 340. The power profile shown in Table 4 has a set of candidate power combinations "5V, 3A". At this time, the controller 340 can directly select the candidate power combination "5V, 3A" shown in Table 4. Therefore, the power "5V, 3A" output by the USB power source device 12 can be transmitted to the USB power sink device through the first USB connector Type-c2, the power switch SW2, the power converter CNV2 and the CC pin CC3 20. Ideally, the power that the USB power sink device 20 can use is "5V, (3+3)A". Because the USB type-C standard specifies that the current upper limit is 5A, the controller 340 can tell the USB power sink device 20 through the second PD controller 330 and the CC pin CC3 that the second power profile has been changed from "5V, 3A" is "5V, 5A" so that the USB power sink device 20 can use more power.

According to different design requirements, the implementation of the control circuit CON, the first PD controller 310, the first PD controller 320, the second PD controller 330 and/or the controller 340 may be hardware (hardware), firmware, Software (ie program) or a combination of more of the above three.

In terms of hardware, the control circuit CON, the first PD controller 310, the first PD controller 320, the second PD controller 330 and/or the controller 340 can be implemented in an integrated circuit. on the logic circuit. The related functions of the control circuit CON, the first PD controller 310, the first PD controller 320, the second PD controller 330 and/or the controller 340 can use hardware description languages (hardware description languages, such as Verilog HDL). or VHDL) or other suitable programming language to implement as hardware. For example, the related functions of the control circuit CON, the first PD controller 310, the first PD controller 320, the second PD controller 330 and/or the controller 340 may be implemented in one or more controllers. , microcontroller, microprocessor, Application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), digital signal processor (DSP), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and/or various logic blocks, modules and circuits in other processing units.

In terms of software form and/or firmware form, the related functions of the control circuit CON, the first PD controller 310, the first PD controller 320, the second PD controller 330 and/or the controller 340 can be Implemented as programming codes. For example, general programming languages (such as C, C++ or combination language) or other suitable programming languages are used to implement the control circuit CON, the first PD controller 310, the first PD controller 320 and the second PD control. 330 and/or controller 340. The programming code can be recorded/stored In "non-transitory computer readable medium". In some embodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable media includes, for example, read only memory (ROM), tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, Programmed logic circuits and/or storage devices. The storage device includes a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), or other storage devices. A central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), controller, microcontroller or microprocessor can read and execute the programming code from the non-transitory computer-readable medium, thereby realizing the above control circuit CON, Related functions of the first PD controller 310 , the first PD controller 320 , the second PD controller 330 and/or the controller 340 .

In summary, the plurality of first USB connectors Type-c1 and Type-c2 of the USB hub 100 in the above embodiments can be electrically connected to the plurality of USB power source devices 11 and 12 . The controller 340 can negotiate the first power profile to each of the plurality of USB power source devices 11 and 12 through the CC pins CC1 and CC2 of the first USB connectors Type-c1 and Type-c2. The controller 340 may set (dynamically adjust) the second power supplied to the USB power sink device 20 by the second USB connector Type-c2 based on the first power profiles of the first USB connectors Type-c1 and Type-c2. outline. Therefore, the USB hub 100 can integrate the output power of multiple USB power source devices 11 and 12 to supply the same USB power sink device 20, so that the USB power sink device 20 can use more power.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above through embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field may make slight changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the invention shall be deemed to be defined by the appended patent application scope. Accurate.

S210, S220: steps

Claims (12)

A USB hub, including: a plurality of first USB connectors, adapted to be electrically connected to a plurality of USB power source devices; a plurality of power switches, wherein a first end of each of the power switches is coupled to the plurality of power switches. One of the first USB connectors corresponds to a power pin of the USB connector; a plurality of power converters, wherein an input end of each of the power converters is coupled to a corresponding power switch of the power switches a second end; a second USB connector adapted to be electrically connected to a USB power sink device, wherein a power pin of the second USB connector is coupled to each of the power converters an output terminal; and a control circuit coupled to a configuration channel pin of each of the first USB connectors and the second USB connector, wherein the control circuit transmits data to the first USB connectors through the first USB connectors. Each of the USB power source devices negotiates a first power profile, and the control circuit sets a second power profile for powering the USB power sink device with respect to the second USB connector based on the first power profiles. . The USB hub of claim 1, wherein the control circuit controls the power converters according to the second power profile. The USB hub of claim 1, wherein the control circuit determines whether to turn on a corresponding power switch of the power switches based on the configuration channel pin of each of the first USB connectors. The USB hub of claim 1, wherein each of the first power profiles includes at least one power supply data object or at least one enhanced power supply data object, and the control circuit is based on the power supply data objects or the Enhanced power data object to set the second power profile of the second USB connector. The USB hub of claim 1, wherein the control circuit includes: a plurality of first power transmission controllers, wherein each of the first power transmission controllers is coupled to one of the first USB connectors Corresponding to the configuration channel pin of the USB connector, the first power transmission controllers negotiate the first power profiles with the USB power source devices through the first USB connectors; a controller, coupled to the first power transmission controllers to receive the first power profiles, wherein the controller determines the second power profile according to the first power profiles; and a second power transmission controller coupled to the The controller receives the second power profile, wherein the second power transmission controller provides the second power profile to the USB power sink device through the configuration channel pin of the second USB connector. The USB hub of claim 5, wherein the controller controls the power converters according to the second power profile. The USB hub as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the power converters includes: a buck-boost converter having an input end coupled to the third power switch corresponding to one of the power switches. two terminals, where one output of the buck-boost converter The end is coupled to the power pin of the second USB connector. A method of operating a USB hub. A plurality of first USB connectors of the USB hub are adapted to be electrically connected to a plurality of USB power source devices. A second USB connector of the USB hub is adapted to be electrically connected to a USB power source. For a sink device, the operation method includes: negotiating a first power profile with each of the USB power source devices through the first USB connectors; and setting the second USB power profile according to the first power profiles. The connector powers a second power profile of the USB power sink device. The operating method of claim 8, wherein a first end of each of the power switches of the USB hub is coupled to a power pin of a corresponding USB connector in one of the first USB connectors, An input terminal of each of the power converters of the USB hub is coupled to a second terminal of a corresponding one of the power switches, and a power pin of the second USB connector is coupled to the An output end of each of the power converters, and the operating method further includes: controlling the power converters according to the second power profile. The operating method as described in claim 9 further includes: determining whether to turn on a corresponding power switch of the power switches based on a configuration channel pin of each of the first USB connectors. The operation method of claim 8, wherein each of the first power profiles includes at least one power supply data object or at least one enhanced power supply data object, and the operation method further includes: The second power profile of the second USB connector is set according to the power supply data objects or the enhanced power supply data objects. The operating method of claim 9, wherein each of the power converters includes a buck-boost converter.

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