Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry-standard interface for cables, connectors, and protocols used to connect computers with peripheral devices. Originally developed to replace legacy serial and parallel ports, USB has become ubiquitous due to its "plug and play" capability, allowing operating systems to automatically recognize and configure devices, as well as its ability to supply power.
USB has evolved through several revisions (USB 1.x, USB 2.0, USB 3.x, and USB4), each offering faster data transfer rates. In the test and measurement industry, USB is a standard interface for connecting programmable power supplies and instruments to a control PC. It offers a simple, single-cable connection that provides sufficient speed and reliability for most remote control and data acquisition tasks.
To enable communication, USB relies on "classes," which are standardized protocols for different device types. For test instruments, the primary classes are USB CDC (Communications Device Class) and USBTMC (USB Test and Measurement Class).
USB Implementers Forum (https://www.usb.org/)