Patent ID: 7921252
Filing Date: 2011-04-05
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A USB isolator component for providing electrical isolation between a USB host and a USB device for communication of USB signals between the USB host and the USB device, the USB isolator component comprising: a host bidirectional communication port for transmitting and receiving signals from and to the USB host; a device bidirectional communication port for transmitting and receiving signals from and to the USB device; a USB hub controller; a host physical layer component connected between the host bidirectional communication port and the USB hub controller for transmitting and receiving signals between the host bidirectional communication port and the USB hub controller; a device physical layer component connected between the device bidirectional communication port and the USB hub controller for transmitting and receiving signals between the host bidirectional communication port and the USB hub controller; and isolator channels for isolating and transmitting signals; wherein the USB hub controller is configured to analyze a USB signal to detect an initiation for a transmission of the USB signal by monitoring the USB signal for a transition from an idle state to a non-idle state, to determine a transmission direction of the USB signal based upon the analysis and the detection of the initiation for the transmission, and to enable a transceiver of the USB device if the transmission direction is from the USB host to the USB device or of the USB host if the transmission direction is from the USB device to the USB host; wherein the USB signal is transmitted from the USB hub controller to an isolator channel configured to isolate the USB signal in the transmission direction and transmit the isolated USB signal to the enabled transceiver.