21-07-2022

USB

UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS

Universal Serial Bus (USB) – History

(This SlideNot for exams)

• The USB bus was introduced by seven companies which represent the
leaders in the industry of information technology:
– Compaq, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, Northern Telecom, and Digital
Equipment Corporation (DEC).
• 1994 - Seven companies united to begin the development of USB.
• 1995 - 340 companies formed the USB Implementation Forum.
• 1996 - More than five hundred USB products developed around the world.
• 1997 - USB Implementation Forum became richer with 60 more
companies.
• 1998 - USB becomes the most popular technology on the market of
electronics.
• 2000 - The introduction of USB 2.0. Today it represents the most widely
used USB device.
• 2005 - USB becomes wireless.
• 2008 - USB 3.0 is introduced. It is over 10 times faster than USB 2.0.
• 2013 - USB 3.1 is introduced. It is about twice as fast as USB 3.0.
• 2015 - USB Type-C is introduced. It is a reversible connector, which means
that you can plug it in both ways.

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Universal Serial Bus (USB)

• A Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a common interface that enables
communication between devices and a host controller such as a personal
computer (PC).
• It defines the cables, connectors and protocols used for connection,
communication and power supply between devices and computer (Host).
• It connects peripheral devices such as digital cameras, mice, keyboards,
printers, scanners, media devices, external hard drives and flash drives.
• Because of its wide variety of uses, including support for providing
electrical power, USB became widely accepted and has replaced a wide
range of bulkier and slower serial and parallel ports.
• Plug-and-play :
– A USB is plug-and-play enabled. Plug-and-play enables the operating system
(OS) to spontaneously configure and discover a new peripheral device
without having to restart the computer
• Hot swapping allowed :
– This feature allows a device to be removed or replaced while the power is on,
without rebooting or interrupting the system.
– Older ports required that a PC be restarted when adding or removing a new
device.
• 7-bit addressing : A maximum of 127 devices can be connected to a host
• A USB device can either be bus-powered or self-powered.
Continued…..

USB - tiered-star topology

• A USB system consists of a host (eg: computer)with one or more
downstream ports and multiple peripherals, forming a tiered-star
topology. (See fig in next slide)
• A USB host can have multiple host controllers.
• Each host controller provides one or more USB ports.
• A single host controller can manage Up to 127 devices, including
the hub devices.
• Additional USB hubs may be included, allowing up to five tiers
• USB devices are linked in series through hubs.
• Root hub : The hub built into the host controller is the root hub.

• A USB device can have several logical sub-devices that are referred
to as device functions.
– A Composite device may provide several functions, for example,
a webcam (video device function) with a built-in microphone (audio
device function).

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USB - tiered-star topology

PIPES - (logical channels).

• USB device communication is based on pipes (logical channels).
• Pipes are connections from the host controller to a logical entity on the device
named an endpoint.
– A device may consists of more than one endpoints
• A USB device can have up to 32 active pipes (though it is rare to have so many)
– 16 into the host controller and 16 out of the controller.
There are two types of pipe: stream and message.
• A message pipe is bi-directional and is used for ”Control transfers”
– Message pipes are typically used for short, simple commands to the device, and a status
response, used, for example, by the bus control pipe number 0.
• A stream pipe is a uni-directional pipe connected to a uni-directional endpoint
that transfers data using an ”Isochronous, interrupt, or bulk-transfer”

•Each endpoint can

transfer data in one
direction only, either
into or out of the
device
• so each pipe is uni-
directional
•(Except a message
pipe which is bi-
directional ).

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Pipes Continued….

• An endpoint is defined and numbered by the device during

initialization
• When a USB device is first connected to a USB host, the
USB device Enumeration process is started (the period just
after physical connection is called "enumeration").
• The enumeration starts by sending a reset signal to the
USB device.
• The speed of the USB device is determined during the
reset signalling.
• After reset, the USB device's information is read by the
host, then the device is assigned a unique 7-bit address.
• If the device is supported by the host, the device drivers
needed for communicating with the device are loaded and
the device is set to a configured state.
• If the USB host is restarted, the enumeration process is
repeated for all connected devices.

USB Data Transfer Types

USB Data Transfer Types
• The USB device (device function) communicates with the host by
transferring data through a pipe between a memory buffer on the host
and an endpoint on the device.
A transfer type is selected for a
• USB supports four different transfer types. specific endpoint according to the
–Control Transfers requirements of the device and
–Interrupt Transfers the software.
–Isochronous Transfers The transfer type of a specific
–Bulk Transfers endpoint is determined in the
endpoint descriptor.
1. Control Transfer
• Control Transfer is mainly intended to support configuration, command
and status operations between the software on the host and the device.
• This transfer type is used for low-, full- and high-speed devices.
• Each USB device has at least one control pipe (default pipe), which provides
access to the configuration, status and control information.
• The control pipe is bi-directional – i.e., data can flow in both directions.
• Control transfer has a robust error detection, recovery and retransmission

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USB Data Transfer Types continued…..

2. Isochronous Transfer
• Isochronous Transfer is most commonly used for time-dependent
information, such as multimedia streams and telephony.
• This transfer type can be used by full-speed and high-speed devices,
but not by low-speed devices.
• The isochronous pipe is unidirectional
– i.e., a certain endpoint can either transmit or receive information.
– Bi-directional isochronous communication requires two isochronous pipes,
one in each direction.
• Since timeliness is more important than correctness in this type of
transfer(since multi media), no retries are made in case of error in the
data transfer.
3. Interrupt Transfer
• Interrupt Transfer is intended for devices that send and receive small
amounts of data infrequently or in an asynchronous time frame.
• This transfer type can be used for low-, full- and high-speed devices.
• Interrupt transfer type guarantees that delivery will be reattempted in
the next period if there is an error on the bus.

USB Data Transfer Types continued…..

4. Bulk Transfer
• Bulk Transfer is typically used for devices that transfer large amounts of non-time
sensitive data, and that can use any available bandwidth, such as printers and
scanners.
• This transfer type can be used by full-speed and high-speed devices, but not by
low-speed devices.
• Bulk transfer is non-periodic and large packet communication.
• Bulk transfer allows access to the bus on an "as-available" basis, guarantees the
data transfer but not the latency, and provides an error check mechanism with
retries attempts.
– If part of the USB bandwidth is not being used for other transfers, the system will use it for
bulk transfer.

EXAMPLE
• A given device may have a collection of endpoints, each of which may support a
different transfer type.
• For example, when a file manager program accesses a USB-based CD-ROM (access
files which is NOT Time independent), the data endpoint is defined as a bulk
transfer endpoint.
• Whereas accesses performed by a CD audio program (Time dependant multimedia
data) would require isochronous transfers to be performed from a data endpoint.

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USB Signaling rates (transmission rate)

• Low-speed (LS)
– rate of 1.5 Mbit/s is defined by USB 1.0. & USB 1.1 .
– It is intended primarily to save cost in low-bandwidth human interface
devices (HID) such as keyboards, mice, and joysticks.
• Full-speed (FS)
– rate of 12 Mbit/s is the basic USB data rate defined by USB 1.0 & USB 1.1 .
– All USB hubs can operate at this speed.
• High-speed (HS)
– rate of 480 Mbit/s was introduced in 2001. (for USB 2.0 )
– All hi-speed devices are are backward compatible with USB 1.1 standard.
– Connectors are identical for USB 2.0 and USB 1.x.
• SuperSpeed (SS)
– rate of 5.0 Gbit/s. ( For USB 3.0 )
– USB 3.0 specification was released by Intel and its partners in August 2008.
– the first products using the USB 3.0 specification arrived in January 2010.
– USB 3.0 connectors are generally backward compatible, but include new
wiring and full-duplex operation.
• SuperSpeed+ (SS+)
– rate of 10 Gbit/s is defined by USB 3.1
– 20 Gbit/s, using 2 lanes, is defined by USB 3.2.

USB - Different standards

• Currently, five different USB standards are used:
• USB 1.0 -introduced in January 1996-
defined data transfer rates of 1.5 Mbit/s "Low Speed“ and 12 Mbit/s "Full Speed”
• USB 1.1 – 1998 - first widely used version
"Full Speed 12 Mbit/s data rate was intended for higher-speed devices such as
disk drives and the "Low Speed“ 1.5 Mbit/s rate for low data rate devices such
as joysticks
• USB 2.0 - 2000
– Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Lucent Technologies, NEC and Philips jointly led the
initiative to develop a higher data transfer rate, the resulting specification
achieved 480 Mbit/s, “High Speed”
• USB 3.0 - 2008
USB 3.0 has transmission speeds of up to 5 Gbit/s, “Super Speed” which is 10
times faster than USB2.0 (480 Mbit/s)
• USB 3.1
– USB 3.1 was released in 2016 and doubled the speed of 3.0.
– Supports up to 10 Gbit/s “Super speed+“
– It optionally uses a different connector called USB Type-C, which is
reversible (meaning you can plug it in both ways)

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Depending on Different standards, USB offers five different transfer speeds

(See next slide also)
• 1.5 MBit per second (called low speed),
• 12 MBit per second (Full Speed),
• 480 MBit/second (Hi Speed),
• 5Gbit per second (called super speed),
• and 10 Gbit/s (“super speed+“).
• Hi speed is only available in USB 2.0 and later, and Super speed is only
available in USB 3.0.

& USB 1.1

& USB 1.1

Topology with different types of hubs connected

• In order to use the hi speed transfer rate, the USB

controller and the connected device both need to support
it.

• USB is backward compatible.

• Faster and slower USB devices and controllers can be

connected together, but they will run at the slower speed.

• Eg: USB 2.0 Topology with different types of hubs

connected is shown in the next slide.

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USB 2.0 Topology with different types of hubs connected

USB - Connector types

• The original USB specification detailed standard-A and standard-B type
connectors
• The connectors were different so that users could not connect from one
computer to another.
• The type-A plug has an elongated rectangular cross-section, inserts into a
type-A receptacle on a downstream port on a USB host or hub, and carries
both power and data.
• Cables on USB devices, such as keyboards or mice, terminate with a type-
A plug.
• For example type A sockets are common on computer main boards and
hubs.

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• The type-B plug has a near square cross-section with the top exterior
corners beveled.
• Type B removable cable, inserts into an upstream port on a device, such as
a printer.
• On some devices, the type-B receptacle has no data connections, being
used solely for accepting power from the upstream device

Thus a USB cable has 4 wires.

Pin 1 VCC (+5 V)
Pin 2 Data-
Pin 3 Data+
Pin 4 Ground

Mini Connectors
Just for your information

Mini connectors
• Mini-A (left) and Mini-B (right) plugs
• Mini-USB connectors were introduced together with USB 2.0 in April 2000, for use
with smaller devices such as digital cameras, smartphones, and tablet computers.
• Mini-B connectors are still supported, but are not On-The-Go-compliant

• USB Micro B
• The micro USB B connector essentially a scaled down form of the mini USB which
allowed mobile devices to get slimmer while still maintaining the ability to connect
to computers and other hubs.
• The micro B type connector holds 5 pins to support USB OTG, On-The-Go, which
permits smartphones and other similar mobile devices to read external drives,
digital cameras, or other peripherals as a computer might.
• Note that to enable OTG feature, special wiring connection needs to be
implemented in the cable assembly.
• On Oct. 22, 2009, the international Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced to
include Micro-USB interface into the Universal Charging Solution (UCS) that has
been adopted broadly by industry.

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USB 3.0 Pins Just for your information

USB 3.0 Type A

• Inheriting the same design to the A-Type connector used in USB 2.0 & USB 1.1
application, USB 3.0 A is also provides a "downstream" connection that is designed
for use only on host controllers and hubs.
• USB 3.0 connector is designed to support 5Gbps bandwidth "SuperSpeed" data
transfer, whereas, lower data rate can be transmitted with backward compatibility
to USB 2.0 ports

USB 3.0 Type B

• USB 3.0 B-Type connector is designed for USB peripherals, such as printer,
upstream port on hub, or other larger peripheral devices. This connector can
support USB 3.0 SuperSpeed application and also carry USB 2.0 low speed data in
the same time.
• A USB 3.0 B plug cannot be plugged in to a USB 2.0 B socket due to its plug shape
change.

USB 3.0 Micro B

• Also referenced as the SuperSpeed Micro USB B connector, this connector stacks
five more pins on the side of the USB 2.0 Micro B connector to achieve the full USB
3.0 standard data transfer speed. USB 3.0 Micro B connectors are found on hard
drives, digital cameras, cell phones, and other USB 3.0 devices.

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