Operating method of controller for setting link between interfaces of electronic devices, and storage device including controller

• US 9,904,651 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Hyuntae
• Primary Examiner(s): Sun, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/812,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20160034413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4027 using bus bridges G06F13/4022 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/4265 on a point to point bus G06F13/4247, G06F13/4282 take precedence

Abstract

An operating method includes sensing a connection of the first electronic device to an interface circuit of the second electronic device; receiving an identification code from the first electronic device; and setting a state of the interface circuit as an express linkup state corresponding to the received identification code. The identification code has a value different from values defined and reserved in an interface protocol which defines an operating procedure of the interface circuit. The value of the identification code varies with an attribute of the first electronic device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a controller, the method comprising:

sensing, by the controller, a connection of a first electronic device to an interface circuit of a second electronic device, the second electronic device associated with the controller;

receiving a received identification code from the first electronic device after the connection of the first electronic device is sensed, the received identification code having a value different from values defined and reserved in an interface protocol, the interface protocol defining an operating procedure of the interface circuit, the value of the received identification code being based on attributes of the first electronic device;

first determining whether the value of the received identification code corresponds to one of one or more stored identification codes stored in a nonvolatile memory associated with the second electronic device; and

selectively setting a state of at least a physical layer of the interface circuit as an express linkup state based at least on whether the received identification code corresponds to one of the one or more stored identification codes such that data communication from the second electronic device to the first electronic device is enabled.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attributes of the first electronic device comprise:

a type and a manufacturer of the first electronic device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a response signal to the first electronic device based on the received identification code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively setting comprises:

second determining whether linkup information used to set the express linkup state is stored in the nonvolatile memory, if the first determining determines that the value of the received identification code is stored in the nonvolatile memory, the linkup information identifying at least one of the attributes of the first electronic device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the linkup information comprises:

at least one of information associated with a connection of a lane used for the data communication between the first electronic device and the second electronic device, information associated with capabilities of the first electronic device, and information associated with capabilities of the second electronic device.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the selectively setting further comprises:

setting the state of at least the physical layer of the interface circuit as the express linkup state, if the second determining determines that the linkup information is stored in the nonvolatile memory, the express linkup state being a state where variables for the data communication are set based on the linkup information.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein if the second determining determines that the linkup information is not stored in the nonvolatile memory, then the selectively setting further comprises:

receiving lane connection information and capability information of the first electronic device;

setting the state of at least the physical layer of the interface circuit as the express linkup state, based on the lane connection information and the capability information; and

storing the lane connection information and the capability information in the nonvolatile memory.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

restoring the express linkup state when the first electronic device reconnects to the interface circuit or when an error on the set express linkup state is detected, the restoring including,

receiving the received identification code from the first electronic device; and

setting the state of at least the physical layer of the interface circuit as the express linkup state, based on the lane connection information and the capability information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein if the first determining determines that the value of the received identification code is not stored in the nonvolatile memory, then the selectively setting comprises:

storing the received identification code in the nonvolatile memory;

receiving lane connection information and capability information of the first electronic device corresponding to the value of the received identification code;

setting the state of at least the physical layer of the interface circuit as the express linkup state, based on the lane connection information and the capability information; and

storing the lane connection information and the capability information in the nonvolatile memory.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second electronic device is a storage device, the storage device including the nonvolatile memory and the controller.

11. A method of operating a controller associated with a first electronic device, the method comprising:

sensing a connection of a second electronic device to an interface circuit of the first electronic device;

sending an identification code to the second electronic device as a sent identification code after the connection of the second electronic device is sensed, the sent identification code having a value different from values defined and reserved in an interface protocol such that the second electronic device determines whether the value of the sent identification code received by the second electronic device corresponds to one of one or more stored identification codes stored in a nonvolatile memory associated with the second electronic device, the interface protocol defining an operating procedure of the interface circuit, the value of the identification code being based on attributes of the first electronic device;

waiting a stand-by time to receive a response signal from the second electronic device, the response signal providing an indication to the first electronic device that the second electronic device recognizes the sent identification code as corresponding to one of the one or more stored identification codes stored in the nonvolatile memory associated with the second electronic device; and

selectively setting a state of at least a physical layer of the interface circuit as an express linkup state based on whether the response signal provides the indication that the second electronic device recognizes the sent identification code such that data communication from the first electronic device to the second electronic device is enabled.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first electronic device is a host, and the host includes an application processor.

13. A storage device comprising:

a nonvolatile memory configured to store one or more stored identification codes, the one or more stored identification codes having different values depending on attributes of hosts;

an interface circuit configured to exchange data with the hosts, the data being exchanged in compliance with an interface protocol using a physical layer and a link layer; and

a controller configured to,

receive a received identification code from a connecting one of the hosts, if a connection between the connecting host and the interface circuit is sensed, the received identification code corresponding to the attributes of the connecting host,

send a response signal to the connecting host based on the received identification code,

determine whether a value of the received identification code corresponds to one of the one or more stored identification codes stored in the nonvolatile memory, and

set states of the physical layer and the link layer as an express linkup state based on the received identification code such that data communication between the connecting host and the storage device is enabled.

14. The storage device of claim 13, wherein a value of each of the one or more stored identification codes is stored in memory cells of the nonvolatile memory or is in a program instruction stored in the nonvolatile memory.

15. The storage device of claim 13, wherein a value of each of the one or more stored identification codes is different from values defined and reserved in the interface protocol.

16. The storage device of claim 13, wherein the nonvolatile memory is further configured to store linkup information, the linkup information identifying the attributes of the hosts to set the express linkup state,

the hosts are identified based on corresponding identification codes, and

the controller is further configured to determine whether the linkup information is stored in the nonvolatile memory.

17. The storage device of claim 16, wherein

the attributes include at least one of information associated with a connection of a lane used for the data communication with the hosts, information associated with capability of each of the physical layer and the link layer, and information associated with capability of the hosts, and

data values corresponding to the linkup information are stored in memory cells of the nonvolatile memory or is in a program instruction stored in the nonvolatile memory.

18. The storage device of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to set the states of the physical layer and the link layer as the express linkup state based on the data values.

19. The storage device of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to control a storage memory in compliance with a joint electron device engineering council (JEDEC) universal flash storage (UFS) standardized interface protocol, and

wherein the nonvolatile memory, the interface circuit, the controller, and the storage memory are implemented in one of,

an embedded storage configured to embed in a mobile electronic system, or

a card storage configured to connect to the mobile electronic system.