Method and systems for storing and accessing data in USB attached-SCSI (UAS) and bulk-only-transfer (BOT) based flash-memory device

• US 8,060,670 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2010
• Issued: 11/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Super Talent Technology, Corporation
• Original Assignee: Super Talent Electronics, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Charles C., Yu, I-Kang, Ma, Abraham C., Chen, Shimon
• Primary Examiner(s): PEYTON, TAMMARA R
• Application Number:
  US12/717,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20100185808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 710/62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/1684 using multiple buses
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/102 External programming circuits, e.g. EPROM programmers; In-circuit programming or reprogramming; EPROM emulators
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2216/30 Reduction of number of input/output pins by using a serial interface to transmit or receive addresses or data, i.e. serial access memory

Abstract

Methods and systems for storing and accessing data in UAS based flash memory device are disclosed. UAS based flash memory device comprises a controller and a plurality of non-volatile memories (e.g., flash memory) it controls. Controller is configured for connecting to a UAS host via a physical layer (e.g., plug and wire based on USB 3.0) and for conducting data transfer operations via two sets of logical pipes. Controller further comprises a random-access-memory (RAM) buffer configured for enabling parallel and duplex data transfer operations through the sets of logical pipes. In addition, a Smart Storage Switch configured for connecting multiple non-volatile memory devices is included in the controller. Finally, a security module/engine/unit is provided for data security via user authentication data encryption/decryption of the device. Furthermore, the flash memory device includes an optical transceiver configured for optical connection to a host also configured with an optical transceiver.

Claims

1. A USB-Attached-SCSI (UAS) and Bulk-Only-Transfer (BOT) flash-memory card comprising:

a printed circuit board having a controller and a plurality of non-volatile memory arrays mounted thereon, the controller comprises at least a microprocessor and a random-access-memory (RAM), the RAM being configured as a queue and a corresponding data sector buffer for enabling data transfer operations in parallel and in duplex via two pairs of logical pipes between a host and the plurality of non-volatile memory arrays;

a Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) connector for connecting to a host;

a physical layer, coupled to the USB connector, for generating and receiving physical signals through the USB connector means configured to connect to first and second pairs of differential serial buses, wherein the first pair of differential serial bus comprises a first pin carrying “

+”

signal and a second pin carrying “

−

”

signal, while the second pair of differential serial bus comprises a first pin carrying “

+”

signal and a second pin carrying “

−

”

signal;

whereby a not-yet signal is transmitted over the second pair of differential serial bus to the host, when the requested data is not ready to be read from the non-volatile memory arrays or the data sector buffer is full;

a data link layer, coupled to the physical layer, for arranging data packets in a sequence sent through the USB connector;

a protocol layer, coupled to the data link layer, for extracting data and commands from data packets received through the USB connector, and for sending data and status messages through the USB connector;

a UAS/BOT detector for signaling a UAS mode when a UAS identifier and a UAS operation code are detected in a command received by the protocol layer;

a data-out pipe, coupled to receive data packets from the protocol layer, for storing data packets received from the host through the USB connector;

a data-in pipe, coupled to send data packets to the protocol layer, for storing data packets for transmission to the host through the USB connector;

a command pipe, coupled to receive commands from the protocol layer when the UAS mode is signaled, for storing commands received from the host through the USB connector when operating in UAS mode; and

a status pipe, coupled to send status messages commands to the protocol layer when the UAS mode is signaled, for storing status messages for transmission to the host through the USB connector when operating in UAS mode;

wherein the data-out pipe is further for storing commands when the UAS mode is not signaled and the UAS/BOT flash memory device is operating in a BOT mode;

wherein the data-in pipe is further for storing status messages when the UAS mode is not signaled and the UAS/BOT flash memory device is operating in the BOT mode,

whereby commands are stored in the command pipe when the UAS mode is signaled, and are stored in the data-out pipe when the UAS mode is not signaled.

2. A USB-Attached-SCSI (UAS) and Bulk-Only-Transfer (BOT) host socket comprising:

Universal-Serial-Bus (USB) connector means for connecting to an electronic flash-memory card;

physical layer means, coupled to the USB connector means, for generating and receiving physical signals through the USB connector means configured to connect to first and second pairs of differential serial buses, wherein the first pair of differential serial bus comprises a first pin carrying “

+”

signal and a second pin carrying “

−

”

signal, while the second pair of differential serial bus comprises a first pin carrying “

+”

signal and a second pin carrying “

−

”

signal;

data link layer means, coupled to the physical layer means, for arranging packets in a sequence for transmission through the USB connector means;

protocol layer means, coupled to the data link layer means, for inserting data and commands into packets for transmission through the USB connector means, and for receiving data and status messages from the USB connector means;

mode detector means for signaling a USB-Attached-SCSI (UAS) mode and generating a UAS identifier and a UAS operation code in a command for transmission by the protocol layer means;

data-in pipe means, coupled to receive data packets from the protocol layer means, for storing data packets received from the electronic flash-memory card through the USB connector means;

data-out pipe means, coupled to send data packets to the protocol layer means, for storing data packets for transmission to the electronic flash-memory card through the USB connector means;

command pipe means, coupled to send commands to the protocol layer means when the UAS mode is signaled, for storing commands sent from the host through the USB connector means when operating in UAS mode; and

status pipe means, coupled to receive status messages commands to the protocol layer means when the UAS mode is signaled, for storing status messages received from the electronic flash-memory card through the USB connector means when operating in UAS mode;

wherein the data-out pipe means is further for storing commands when the UAS mode is not signaled and the electronic flash-memory card is operating in a Bulk-Only-Transfer (BOT) mode;

wherein the data-in pipe means is further for storing status messages when the UAS mode is not signaled and the electronic flash-memory card is operating in the BOT mode;

whereby commands are stored in the command pipe means when the UAS mode is signaled, and are stored in the data-out pipe means when the UAS mode is not signaled.