Virtual IDE storage with PCI express interface

• US 7,225,289 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2005
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phison Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Phison Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Gan, Wee-Kuan, Tee, Boon-Kuew
• Primary Examiner(s): Auve; Glenn A.
• Application Number:
  US10/906,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20060206653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/315
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]

Abstract

The present invention discloses a virtual integrated drive electronics (IDE) storage device with a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) Express interface. The storage device includes a microcontroller connected to a PCI Express connecting interface and a flash memory separately. The microcontroller includes a flash memory interface, a PCI Express interface and a virtual IDE module. The virtual IDE module includes an IDE host and an IDE device. When the host sends an instruction for storing or reading data to a flash memory, the instruction will be sent to and executed in the virtual IDE module. The data in the flash memory can be transmitted at a transmission rate up to the standard of an IDE device, and the host will consider the storage device as an IDE device instead of a PCI Express device only.

Claims

1. A virtual integrated drive electronics (IDE) storage device with a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) Express interface, comprising:

a microcontroller, having a flash memory interface and a PCI Express interface capable of converting a data into a flash memory format or a PCI Express format, and a virtual IDE module capable of receiving an instruction given by a host, and said virtual IDE module having an IDE host for receiving an IDE instruction given by said host and an IDE device for completing execution of said IDE instruction;

a flash memory, coupled to said microcontroller for storing or reading data;

a PCI Express connecting interface, configured for connecting to a PCI Express bus disposed in said host, and provided for coupling said microcontroller to said host, such that when said host stores or reads a data of a flash memory, said microcontroller of said storage device will declare to said host that said storage device is an IDE host, and said IDE instruction given by said host will be sent to said virtual IDE module and the execution of said instruction will be completed by said virtual IDE module, and said data in said flash memory will follow said instruction, and said data will be converted by said flash memory interface and said PCI Express interface of said microcontroller into a data format acceptable by said flash memory or said PCI Express bus, and then said data will be sent to said host or stored in said flash memory.

2. The virtual IDE storage device with PCI Express interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein said IDE instruction complies with an ATA specification.

3. The virtual IDE storage device with PCI Express interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein said IDE instruction complies with a Serial ATA specification.

4. The virtual IDE storage device with PCI Express interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein said host and said storage device have at least one lane at a physical layer for transmitting data, and said lane comprises a transmitting end (Tx) and a receiving end (Rx).

5. The virtual IDE card reader with PCI Express interface as claimed in claim 4, wherein said at least one lane comprises a plurality of lanes.