Apparatus and method for memory card testing

• US 7,743,292 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Motion Incorporated California (Silicon Motion)
• Original Assignee: Silicon Motion Incorporated Taiwan (Silicon Motion)
• Inventors: Jing, Shin-Tih, Hou, Yu-Ling
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton; David
• Application Number:
  US12/138,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20090313512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 717/105, 717/135, 709/202, 714/718, 714/733, 714/735, 714/719, 714/25
• US Class Current: 714/719
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/263 Generation of test inputs, e.g. test vectors, patterns or sequences ; with adaptation of the tested hardware for testability with external testers

Abstract

The invention provides a memory card testing apparatus for performing automated operations on memory cards. The memory card testing apparatus comprises a host device, a database, a processing unit and an interface. The host device is provided for accessing a memory card. The database maintains a plurality of test script files to be processed. The processing unit is coupled to the database for selecting a test item from one of the plurality of test script files according to a device identification number corresponding to a target device to be tested and a communication protocol associated with the memory card. The interface is connected to the processing unit and the host device for enabling the host device to execute at least one card command on the memory card according to the test item.

Claims

1. An apparatus for memory card testing, comprising:

a host device for accessing a memory card;

a database for maintaining a plurality of test script files to be processed, wherein one of the plurality of test script files having at least one test item is determined by a device identification number corresponding to a target device to be tested and a communication protocol associated with the memory card;

a processing unit coupled to the database for selecting a test item from the one of the plurality of test script files; and

an interface connected to the processing unit and the host device for enabling the host device to execute at least one card command on the memory card according to the test item,

wherein the processing unit determines whether the test item is completed by comparing a test result from the memory card with the one of the plurality of test script files.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an analyzer for recording transactions between the target device and the memory card, wherein the transactions comprises a plurality of request packets sent to the memory card and a plurality of response packets obtained from the memory card in response to the plurality of request packets; and

a translator coupled to the analyzer for generating the one of the plurality of test script files having a predetermined format and the device identification number corresponding to the target device,

wherein each of the plurality of request packets comprises an operations code defining the at least one card command for the memory card.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processing unit further determines whether a predetermined time period has been exceeded to obtain the test result.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processing unit further determines whether the test result matches an expected response packet from the one of the plurality of test script files when the test result is obtained within the predetermined time period.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus for memory card testing is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, an embedded system, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a hand-held mobile phone.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the interface between the processing unit and the host device is an universal serial bus (USB) interface, a serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) interface, a parallel advanced technology attachment (PATA), a general-purpose input and output (GPIO) interface, a general purpose interface bus (GPIB), an inter-integrated circuit (I²C) bus, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) interface, a peripheral component interconnect-express (PCI-E) interface or an RS232C interface.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the memory card is a secure digital (SD) card, a secure digital high Capacity (SDHC) card, a multimedia card (MMC), an embedded multimedia card (eMMC), a compact flash (CF) card, a memory stick (MS) card, a memory stick Pro (MS Pro) card, a extreme digital (XD) card, an advanced technology attachment (ATA) card, a PCMCIA card or a solid static disk (SSD) card.

8. A method for memory card testing, comprising:

determining a communication protocol associated with a memory card attached to a host device;

loading a test script file having a plurality of test items into a processing unit according to the communication protocol and a device identification number corresponding to a target device;

selecting a test item from the plurality of test items;

sending at least one card command to the host device over an interface according to the test item;

executing the at least one card command on the memory card corresponding to the test item;

obtaining a test result from the memory card; and

determining whether the test item is completed according to the test result and the test script file.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the test script file is formed by performing the steps of:

recording a plurality of request packets sent from the target device to the memory card, wherein each of the plurality of request packets comprises an operations code defining the at least one card command;

recording a plurality of response packets from the memory card in response to the plurality of request packets; and

generating the test script file having a predetermined format corresponding to the target device.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of determining whether the test item is completed comprises:

determining whether a predetermined time period has been exceeded to obtain the test result.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether the test result matches an expected response packet from the one of the plurality of test script files when the test result is obtained within the predetermined time period.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the method for memory card testing is operable on one of a personal computer, an embedded system, a personal digital assistant and a hand-held mobile phone.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the interface between the processing unit and the host device is an universal serial bus (USB) interface, a serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) interface, a parallel advanced technology attachment (PATA), a general-purpose input and output (GPIO) interface, a general purpose interface bus (GPIB), an inter-integrated circuit (I²C) bus, a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) interface, a peripheral component interconnect-express (PCI-E) interface or an RS232C interface.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the memory card is a secure digital (SD) card, a secure digital high Capacity (SDHC) card, a multimedia card (MMC), an embedded multimedia card (eMMC), a compact flash (CF) card, a memory stick (MS) card, a memory stick Pro (MS Pro) card, a extreme digital (XD) card, an advanced technology attachment (ATA) card, a PCMCIA card or a solid static disk (SSD) card.