METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROL OF A FIRST DEVICE BY A DATA STORAGE DEVICE THROUGH AN IDE BUS

• US 20060206651A1
• Filed: 04/24/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Tsai, Shu-Fang, Wu, Yuan-Ting
• Granted Patent: US 7,346,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/306
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4027 using bus bridges G06F13/4022 takes precedence

Abstract

A system includes a first device; an Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) bus; and a data storage device having a first task file register, the data storage device being coupled to the first device via the IDE bus for storing data within the data storage device as received from the first device via the IDE bus, or for passing the data stored within the data storage device to the first device via the IDE bus according to commands passed from the first device via the IDE bus. The data storage device is further for controlling predetermined operations of the first device by storing different values within the first task file register, and the first device is for reading the first task file register of the data storage device via the IDE bus and performing the predetermined operations according to the different values.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first device;

an Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) bus; and

a data storage device having a first task file register, the data storage device being coupled to the first device via the IDE bus for storing data within the data storage device as received from the first device via the IDE bus, or for passing the data stored within the data storage device to the first device via the IDE bus according to commands passed from the first device via the IDE bus;

wherein the data storage device is further for controlling predetermined operations of the first device by storing different values within the first task file register, and the first device is for reading the first task file register of the data storage device via the IDE bus and performing the predetermined operations according to the different values.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a host computer being coupled to the first device utilizing a second bus being of a type different than the IDE bus;

wherein the host computer is for generating the commands and the data for storage into the data storage device; and

the first device is a gateway for passing the commands and the data from the host computer to the data storage device, and also for transferring the data from the data storage device to the host computer according to the commands generated by the host computer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the data storage device is for shutting off the second bus between the host computer and the gateway by storing a predetermined value in the first task file register;

and the gateway is further for terminating communications with the host computer on the second bus after reading the predetermined value from the first task file register.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the data storage device is for turning on the second bus between the host computer and the gateway by storing a predetermined value in the first task file register;

and the gateway is further for enabling communications with the host computer on the second bus after reading the predetermined value from the first task file register.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the gateway includes a second task file register;

and the data storage device is further for reading a status of the gateway from the second task file register utilizing the IDE bus, and controlling the predetermined operations of the gateway by storing the different values within the first task file register according to the status of the gateway.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the gateway is for storing a speed setting of the second bus between the gateway and the host computer in the second task file register as the status of the gateway.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the data storage device is further for adjusting a speed setting of the data storage device according to the speed setting of the second bus between the gateway and the host computer as read from the second task file register.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the data storage device is further for adjusting the speed setting of the data storage device to correspond to within a predetermined range of the speed setting of the second bus as specified in the second task file register.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the second bus is a universal serial bus (USB).

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the data storage device is an optical storage device.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the gateway further includes an implementation circuit for decoding and acting upon the different values stored in the first task file register by the data storage device when the gateway receives an Interrupt Request (INTRQ) issued by the data storage device;

and the data storage device is further for sending the INTRQ to the gateway after storing each different value in the first task file register.

12. A method of utilizing an Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) bus for controlling a first device by a data storage device, the method comprising:

providing a first task file register in the data storage device;

coupling the first device to the data storage device via the IDE bus;

storing data within the data storage device as received from the first device via the IDE bus and passing the data stored within the data storage device to the first device via the IDE bus according to commands passed from the first device via the IDE bus;

storing different values within the first task file register by the data storage device;

reading the first task file register of the data storage device via the IDE bus by the first device; and

performing the predetermined operations by the first device according to the different values read from the first task file register.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

providing a host computer being coupled to the first device utilizing a second bus being of a type different than the IDE bus; and

generating the commands and the data for storage into the data storage device utilizing the host computer;

wherein the first device is a gateway for passing the commands and the data from the host computer to the data storage device, and also for transferring the data from the data storage device to the host computer according to the commands generated by the host computer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

shutting off the second bus between the host computer and the gateway by storing a predetermined value in the first task file register; and

terminating communications with the host computer on the second bus by the gateway after reading the predetermined value from the first task file register.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

turning on the second bus between the host computer and the gateway by storing a predetermined value in the first task file register; and

enabling communications with the host computer on the second bus by the gateway after reading the predetermined value from the first task file register.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing a second task file register in the gateway;

reading a status of the gateway from the second task file register utilizing the IDE bus by the data storage device; and

controlling the predetermined operations of the gateway by storing the different values within the first task file register according to the status of the gateway.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising storing a speed setting of the second bus between the gateway and the host computer in the second task file register as the status of the gateway.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising adjusting a speed setting of the data storage device according to the speed setting of the second bus between the gateway and the host computer as read from the second task file register.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising adjusting the speed setting of the data storage device to correspond to within a predetermined range of the speed setting of the second bus as specified in the second task file register.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the second bus is a universal serial bus (USB).

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the data storage device is an optical storage device.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

providing an implementation circuit within the gateway for decoding and acting upon the different values stored in the first task file register by the data storage device when the gateway receives an Interrupt Request (INTRQ) issued by the data storage device; and

sending the INTRQ to the gateway after storing each different value in the first task file register.