Method and apparatus for providing extended functionality for a bus

• US 6,779,067 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2001
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Iomega Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Shelton, Todd R., Penman, Jeffery D., Oribe, Hiromichi, Smith, Theodore J., Wright, Kelly D., DeForest, Marvin R., Reimann, Mark L.
• Primary Examiner(s): THAI, XUAN MARIAN
• Application Number:
  US09/855,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20020169911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 710/2, 710/8, 710/13, 710/14, 710/38, 710/72, 710/74, 710/100, 710/300, 710/301-304, 710/305, 710/306, 710/313, 710/316, 360/69, 361/684-686, 711/100, 711/111, 711/112, 711/115
• US Class Current: 710/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 33/122 Arrangements for providing electrical connections, e.g. connectors, cables, switches

Abstract

An information storage device (10) includes a cartridge (14) removably inserted into a cradle (13) that has a drive module (18) releasably coupled to an interface module (17). A drive electronics circuit (71) in the drive module is coupled to a hard disk drive mechanism (56) in the cartridge, and is coupled through a bus switch (131) and a bus (122) to a bridge circuit (111) in the interface module. An auxiliary circuit (76) in the drive module is coupled to the bus, is controlled by the bridge circuit, operates the bus switch, and handles considerations relating to removability of the cartridge. The interface module is one of several interchangable interface modules which each have a different bridge circuit to interface the bus to a respective different communication protocol.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a cartridge having a data storage section and having a first coupling portion which is operatively coupled to said data storage section; and

a receiving section that includes;

a cartridge receiving portion which can removably receive said cartridge;

a first control circuit;

a bus controlled by said first control circuit;

a second control circuit;

a second coupling portion operatively coupled to said second control circuit and positioned so that said second control circuit can communicate with said data storage section through said first and second coupling portions when said cartridge is removably received in said cartridge receiving portion;

a bus switch operatively coupled between said bus and said second control circuit, said switch having first and second operational modes in which said switch respectively effects and inhibits an operative coupling of said second control circuit to said bus; and

an auxiliary circuit operatively coupled to said bus and to said bus switch, said auxiliary circuit being responsive to switch control information received from said first control circuit through said bus for causing said switch to operate in a selected one of said first and second operational modes which is specified by said switch control information.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said auxiliary circuit is responsive to a first set of addresses on said bus when said auxiliary circuit is in said first operational mode, and is responsive to a second set of addresses on said bus when said auxiliary circuit is in said second operational mode, said first set being a subset of said second set.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said auxiliary circuit is responsive to two successive read operations directed to a selected address on said bus for causing said switch to change from said first operational mode to said second operational mode.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said auxiliary circuit is responsive to two successive read operations directed to a selected address on said bus for causing said switch to change from said second operational mode to said first operational mode.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said auxiliary circuit includes a cartridge insertion detection section which is coupled to said second coupling portion, which is operable to determine whether said cartridge is removably received in said cartridge receiving portion, and which can be accessed by said first control circuit through said bus.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein said first coupling portion includes a first connector having a first terminal which is coupled to ground; and

wherein said second coupling portion includes a second connector having a second terminal which is coupled to said cartridge insertion detection section in said auxiliary circuit, and which is coupled to a source of power through a pull-up resistor, said second connector being physically engaged with said first connector in a manner so that said first and second terminals are in contact when said cartridge is removably received in said cartridge receiving portion.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said receiving section includes a power switch which can be selectively enabled and disabled by said auxiliary circuit;

and

wherein when said cartridge is removably received in said cartridge receiving portion, said power switch respectively effects and inhibits a supply of power to said cartridge through said first and second coupling portions when said power switch is respectively enabled and disabled.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said auxiliary circuit is responsive to communications received from said first control circuit through said bus for effecting selective enabling and disabling of said power switch.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1,

including a releasable latch mechanism which has a release input coupled to a release output of said auxiliary circuit, and which releasably resists removal of said cartridge from said cartridge receiving section when said cartridge is received in said cartridge receiving section;

and

wherein said auxiliary circuit includes release control circuitry for selectively applying to said release input of said latch mechanism a release signal which effects a release of said latch mechanism.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said release control circuitry is responsive to communications received from said first control circuit through said bus for generating said release signal.

11. An apparatus according to claim 9, including an eject mechanism which has a control input coupled to said release output of said auxiliary circuit, and which is responsive to said release signal for effecting a selected amount of movement of said cartridge relative to said receiving section in a direction corresponding to removal of said cartridge from said receiving section.

12. An apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein said receiving section includes a manually operable eject button;

and

wherein said auxiliary circuit includes a buffering circuit which is coupled to said eject button, which is responsive to manual actuation of said eject button for maintaining an indication that said eject button has been actuated, and which can be accessed by said first control circuit through said bus.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said receiving section includes structure for causing said second control circuit to avoid attempting to communicate with said bus when said switch is in said second operational mode, said structure including a pull-up resistor having one end coupled to a source of power and the other end coupled to a line which extends between said bus switch and said second control circuit.

14. An apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said receiving section includes a display section;

and

wherein said auxiliary circuit includes circuitry responsive to communications received from said first control circuit through said bus for controlling information displayed by said display section.

15. An apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said receiving section has a drive section with a third coupling portion, an interface section with a fourth coupling portion, and a latching mechanism for releasably coupling said interface section to said drive section in a manner so that said drive section and said interface section can communicate through said third and fourth coupling portions;

wherein said drive section includes said receiving section, said second control circuit, said second coupling portion, said bus switch, said auxiliary circuit and a first portion of said bus that extends between said third coupling portion, said bus switch and said auxiliary circuit;

wherein said interface section includes said first control circuit, a second portion of said bus that extends between said fourth coupling portion and said first control circuit, and a port which is coupled to said first control circuit, said first control circuit communicating through said port and through said fourth coupling portion according to respective first and second communication protocols which are different; and

including a further interface section which has a fifth coupling portion and which can be operationally coupled to said drive section in place of said interface section containing said first control circuit, in a manner so that said drive section and said further interface section can communicate through said third and fifth coupling portions, said further interface section including a further port, and including a third control circuit which is coupled to said further port and to said fifth coupling portion, which communicates through said further port according to a third communication protocol, and which communicates through said fifth coupling portion according to said first communication protocol, said third communication protocol being different from each of said first and second communication protocols.

16. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first control circuit is operable to:

cause said second control circuit to initiate a selected procedure when said switch is in said first operational mode;

thereafter change said switch to said second operational mode;

thereafter communicate with said auxiliary circuit;

thereafter change said switch back to said first operational mode; and

thereafter communicate through said switch with said second control circuit.

17. A method of operating an apparatus which includes a receiving section having a cartridge receiving portion that can removably receive a cartridge with a data storage section, said receiving section also having a first control circuit, a bus controlled by said first control circuit, and a second control circuit which can communicate with said data storage section through a coupling portion when said cartridge is removably received in said cartridge receiving portion, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a bus switch operable in first and second operational modes in which said switch respectively effects and inhibits an operative coupling of said second control circuit to said bus; and

causing an auxiliary circuit to respond to switch control information provided by said first control circuit through said bus by effecting operation of said switch in a selected one of said first and second operational modes which is specified by said switch control information.

18. A method according to claim 17, including the step of causing said auxiliary circuit to be responsive to a first set of addresses on said bus when said auxiliary circuit is in said first operational mode, and to be responsive to a second set of addresses on said bus when said auxiliary circuit is in said second operational mode, said first set being a subset of said second set.

19. A method according to claim 17, including the step of causing said auxiliary circuit to be responsive to two successive read operations directed to a selected address on said bus for causing said switch to change from said first operational mode to said second operational mode.

20. A method according to claim 17, including the step of causing said auxiliary circuit to be operable to maintain an indication of whether said cartridge is currently received in said cartridge receiving portion, and to allow said indication to be accessed by said first control circuit through said bus.

21. A method according to claim 17, including the step of causing said auxiliary circuit to be responsive to communications received from said first control circuit through said bus for effecting selective enabling and disabling of a power switch to respectively effect and inhibit a supply of power to said cartridge through said coupling portion when said cartridge is removably received in said cartridge receiving portion.

22. A method according to claim 17, including the step of causing said auxiliary circuit to selectively generate a release signal which effects a release of a releasable latch mechanism that releasably resists removal of said cartridge from said cartridge receiving section when said cartridge is received in said cartridge receiving section.

23. A method according to claim 22, including the step of causing said auxiliary circuit to be responsive to communications received from said first control circuit through said bus for effecting said generation of said release signal.

24. A method according to claim 22, including the step of causing an eject mechanism to be responsive to said release signal for effecting a selected amount of movement of said cartridge relative to said receiving section in a direction corresponding to removal of said cartridge from said receiving section.

25. A method according to claim 17, including the step of causing said second control circuit to avoid attempting to communicate with said bus when said switch is in said second operational mode.

26. A method according to claim 17, including the step of causing said first control circuit to be operable to:

cause said second control circuit to initiate a selected procedure when said switch is in said first operational mode;

thereafter change said switch to said second operational mode;

thereafter communicate with said auxiliary circuit;

thereafter change said switch back to said first operational mode; and

thereafter communicate through said switch with said second control circuit.