KR101384340B1 - USB memory apparatus having display unit - Google Patents

Abstract

A USB memory device is provided for recovering user stored data. To this end, the present invention provides a plurality of USB connection electrodes configured to transmit a power signal and a serial signal, at least one memory slot each configured to receive at least one memory package, and an electrical connection between the USB connection electrodes and the memory slot. And a memory controller configured to control the memory package, a test module configured to test whether the memory package operates normally, to generate an operation signal, and a display configured to display whether the memory package operates normally. .

Description

USB memory device having a display unit

The present invention relates to a USB memory device, and more particularly, to a USB memory device including a display unit for displaying whether the memory package is normally operated.

The universal serial bus (hereinafter referred to as USB) is an interface specification for connecting a host such as a computer with a peripheral device such as a mouse, a printer, a modem, or a speaker.

In the conventional USB memory device, since a plurality of memory packages are mounted and fixed on the main board, even if a defect occurs in a wiring or a semiconductor chip, the entire USB memory device operates as a defect. In this case, it is difficult to replace the memory package, and the user's stored data is also difficult to recover.

An object of the present invention is to provide a USB memory device capable of replacing the memory package and recovering the user's stored data.

A USB memory device according to one aspect of the present invention is provided. The USB memory device includes a plurality of USB connection electrodes configured to transmit a power signal and a serial signal, at least one memory slot each configured to receive at least one memory package, and an electrical connection between the USB connection electrodes and the memory slot. A memory controller configured to control the memory package, a test module configured to test whether the memory package operates normally, to generate an operation signal, and a display configured to display whether the memory package operates normally. can do.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the memory controller is further configured to transmit a control signal to the memory package and to receive a data signal in response thereto, wherein the test module is further configured to receive the control signal. And generate the operation signal based on whether it is received.

According to another example of the present invention, the USB memory device further includes a display controller configured to receive the operation signal from the test module and generate an image signal based on the operation signal, wherein the display unit is configured to receive the image signal. It may be configured to indicate whether or not the normal operation on the basis.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the memory slot further comprises a sensing unit for mechanically or electrically sensing whether the memory package is inserted, the sensing unit generates a connection signal when the memory package is inserted into the display controller Can be configured to deliver to.

According to another example of the present invention, the display controller generates a first image signal when the display controller does not receive the connection signal, and when the display controller receives the connection signal and receives the operation signal. And generate a second video signal, and generate the third video signal when the display controller receives the connection signal and fails to receive the operation signal, wherein the display unit is based on the first to third video signals. It may be configured to indicate whether or not the normal operation.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the display unit includes an LED device, the LED device is turned off when receiving the first image signal, turned on when receiving the second image signal, 3 When receiving an image signal, it may flicker.

According to another example of the present disclosure, the apparatus may further include a power charging / providing unit configured to receive the power signal, store power, and supply the power to the memory controller, the display controller, and the test module.

According to another example of the invention, the USB memory device further comprises a serial / parallel converter between the USB connection electrodes and the memory controller, the serial / parallel converter converts the serial signal into a parallel signal, And send parallel signals to the memory controller.

A USB memory device according to one aspect of the present invention is provided. The USB memory device is configured to receive a plurality of USB connection electrodes, at least one memory package each configured to transmit a power signal and a serial signal, and mechanically detects whether the memory package is inserted so that the memory package is At least one memory slot including a sensing unit configured to generate a connection signal when inserted, electrically connected between the USB connection electrodes and the memory slot, transmitting a control signal to the memory package, and in response to the data signal A memory module configured to receive a test module, the test module configured to test whether the memory package operates normally based on whether the data signal is received when the control signal is received, and generate an operation signal from the sensing unit; Receive connection signal and remind A display controller configured to receive the operation signal from the test module, and generate an image signal based on the connection signal and the operation signal, and a display unit configured to display whether the memory package is normally operated based on the image signal. It may include.

The USB memory device according to the embodiments of the present invention may recover the user's stored data stored in the memory package except for the badly generated memory package even if the memory package is defective. Furthermore, when a defect occurs in a wiring other than the memory package, the memory package can be replaced as compared with a conventional USB device which must dispose of the USB memory device itself, thereby recovering the entire user's stored data.

In addition, the USB memory device according to the embodiments of the present invention may check the defect of the memory package in real time through the display unit, thereby improving user convenience.

1 and 2 are block diagrams schematically illustrating a USB memory device according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.
3 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an algorithm of a test module in a USB memory device according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.
4 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an algorithm of a display controller in a USB memory device according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.
5 schematically illustrates a USB memory device according to example embodiments of the inventive concept.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully describe the present invention to those skilled in the art, and the following embodiments may be modified in various other forms, The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be more thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an," and "the" include plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, " comprise " and / or " comprising " when used herein should be interpreted as specifying the presence of stated shapes, numbers, steps, operations, elements, elements, and / And does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, operations, elements, elements, and / or groups. As used herein, the term " and / or " includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed items.

Although the terms first, second, etc. are used herein to describe various elements, regions and / or regions, it should be understood that these elements, components, regions, layers and / Do. These terms are not intended to be in any particular order, up or down, or top-down, and are used only to distinguish one member, region or region from another member, region or region. Thus, the first member, region or region described below may refer to a second member, region or region without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings schematically showing ideal embodiments of the present invention. In the figures, for example, variations in the shape shown may be expected, depending on manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as limited to any particular shape of the regions illustrated herein, including, for example, variations in shape resulting from manufacturing.

1 and 2 are block diagrams schematically illustrating a USB memory device 100 according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

1 and 2, the USB memory device 100 includes a power charging / providing unit 110, a serial / parallel converter 120, a memory slot 130, a memory package 140, and a memory controller 150. , A test module 160, a display controller 170, and a display unit 180 may be included.

The power charging / providing unit 110 may receive a power signal from the USB connection electrodes 50 of FIG. 5. The power charge / supply unit 110 may include a power storage element such as a capacitor for storing the power signal. The power charging / supplying unit 110 may supply power to the memory controller 150, the test module 160, the display controller 170, and the display unit 180.

The serial / parallel converter 120 may be configured to receive a serial signal from USB connection electrodes (50 in FIG. 5), convert the serial signal into a parallel signal, and transmit the parallel signal to the memory controller 150. It can be configured to. In addition, the controller may be configured to receive a parallel signal from the memory controller 150, convert the parallel signal into a serial signal, and transmit the serial signal to the host 500 through the USB connection electrodes.

The memory slot 130 may be a plurality of, and each memory slot 130 may be configured to receive the memory package 140. The memory slot 130 may further include a sensing unit 135 that mechanically or electrically senses whether or not the memory package 140 is inserted. In this case, the sensing unit 135 may generate a connection signal when the memory package 140 is inserted and transmit the connection signal to the display controller 170.

The memory package 140 may be inserted into the memory slot 130 and may be electrically connected to the memory slot 130. The memory packages 140 may also include memory chips (not shown) configured as a memory cell array. The memory chips may include volatile memory chips such as SRAM, DRAM, SDRAM, or non-volatile memory chips such as ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, PRAM, MRAM, RRAM, FRAM,

The memory controller 150 may be electrically connected between the USB connection electrodes and the memory slot 130 to control the memory package 140. For example, the memory controller 150 generates a signal to write the data stored in the memory package 140 and the data transferred from the host 500 to the memory package 140, Can be controlled.

The test module 160 may be configured to test whether the memory package 140 is operating normally and to generate an operation signal according to the result. The test module 160 may be included in the memory controller 150. For example, memory controller 150 may send a control signal, such as a read signal, to memory package 140 and receive data signals from memory package 140 in response thereto. In this case, the test module 160 may be configured to first receive the control signal of the memory controller 150 and then generate an operation signal based on whether or not the data signal of the memory controller 150 is received. The operation of the test module 160 will be described with reference to FIG.

The test module 160 is shown in a circuit configuration to include a first transmission line 1 for transferring a control signal between the memory controller 150 and the memory slot 130 and a second transmission line 2 And test module 160 may be electrically coupled to first transmission line 1 and second transmission line 2 and configured to generate an operational signal only when both of these signals are present within a predetermined time .

The display controller 170 may receive the operation signal from the test module 160 and receive the connection signal from the sensing unit 135. [ The display controller 170 may be configured to generate a video signal for driving the display unit 180 based on the operation signal and the connection signal. More specifically, the display controller 170 may be configured to generate a first video signal when the display controller 170 fails to receive the connection signal. When the display controller 170 receives the connection signal and receives the operation signal, the display controller 170 may be further configured to generate the second video signal. If the display controller 170 receives the connection signal and does not receive the operation signal, the display controller 170 may be further configured to generate the third video signal.

The display unit 180 may be configured to indicate whether the memory package 140 is operating normally. The display unit 180 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) device or a light emitting diode (LED) device. The display unit 180 may be color or mono type. For example, if the display portion 180 includes an LED device, the LED device may be turned off / on or flickered.

More specifically, the display unit 180 may be configured to indicate whether the memory package 140 is operating normally based on the first to third video signals of the display controller 170. For example, when the display unit 180 is an LED device, the LED device may be turned off when receiving the first video signal, turned on when receiving the second video signal, And can be flickered when receiving a video signal. Operations of the display controller 170 and the display unit 180 will be described with reference to FIG.

Although the structure in which the power is supplied from the memory controller 150, the test module 160, the display controller 170, and the display unit 180 through the power charging / supplying unit 110 is shown in the drawing, A separate charger (not shown) may be provided. In this case, a test may be performed regardless of whether the USB memory device 100 is connected to the host 500. For example, even if the SSD device 100 is not connected to the host 500, the memory controller 150 or the test module 160, which is powered by the charger, generates a test control signal, A data signal may be generated from the memory package 140 in the memory slot 130. [ In this case, the test module 160 may receive power from the charger to generate an operation signal, and the display controller 170 and the display unit 180 may also receive power from the charger, 135 to generate a video signal and display whether the memory package 140 is operating normally.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an algorithm of the test module 160 of FIG. 1 in the USB memory device 100 of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the test module 160 first determines whether a control signal is applied (S310). If the control signal is high, it is checked whether the data signal is applied (S320). When the data signal is applied, that is, when the data signal is high, the operation signal is generated high (S330). When the data signal is not applied, that is, when the data signal is low, the operation signal is generated as low (S340). Thereafter, the test module 160 transmits an operation signal indicating whether the memory package 140 is normally operated to the display controller 170 (S350).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an algorithm of the display controller 170 of FIG. 1 in the USB memory device 100 of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the display controller 170 determines whether a connection signal is applied (S410). When the connection signal is not applied, that is, when the connection signal is low, the video signal is generated as low (S420). If the connection signal is high, it is checked whether the operation signal is applied (S430). When the operation signal is applied, that is, when the operation signal is high, the video signal is generated high (S440). When the operation signal is low, the video signal is generated so that high and low are repeated (S450). Then, the display controller 170 transmits the video signal to the display unit 180 (S460).

When the display unit 180 is an LED device, the LED device is turned off when receiving a low image signal, and turned on when receiving a high image signal. Also, when the high and low video signals are repeatedly received, the LED device may be flickered.

5 schematically illustrates a USB memory device 100 according to embodiments of the inventive concept. The USB memory device 100 according to this embodiment is a modification of a part of the USB memory device 100 of FIG. 1. The following description will not be repeated.

Referring to FIG. 5, the USB memory device 100 may include a plurality of connection electrodes 50. The USB memory device 100 may include a power charging / providing unit 110, a serial / parallel converter 120, a memory slot 130, a memory package 140, a memory controller 150, a test module 160, and a display controller. As described above, it may include the 170 and the display unit 180.

The connection electrodes 50 of the USB memory device 100 may be USB 1.1 standard having a transfer rate of up to 12 Mbps or USB 2.0 standard having a transfer rate of up to 480 Mbps, and USB 3.0 standard having a transfer rate of up to 4.8 Gbps. Can be. However, the shape, function, and kind of the connection electrodes described above are exemplary, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

The connection electrodes 50 of the USB memory device 100 shown in FIG. 5 are described based on the USB 2.0 standard. The power connection electrode VBUS may be connected to the supply power of the host 500, and the ground connection electrode GND may be connected to the ground power of the host 500. The power supplied to the USB memory device 100 may be, for example, a voltage of 3V to 5V and a current of 100 to 500 mA. The pair of data connection electrodes D + and D− are connection electrodes in which signals are transmitted in series, and a serial signal and an inverted serial signal inverting the serial signal are transmitted, respectively. In this case, the serial signal and the inverted serial signal may be simultaneously transmitted, thereby minimizing noise that may occur when transmitting the signal. The power connection electrode VBUS and the ground connection electrode GND may have a longer length than the pair of data connection electrodes D + and D−.

The power connection electrode VBUS and the ground connection electrode GND may be electrically connected to the power charging / providing unit 110, and thus, the host 500 may be connected to the power connection electrode VBUS and the ground connection electrode GND. Power from the power may be transferred to the power charging / providing unit 110 to be charged or provided to the USB memory device 100. The pair of data connection electrodes D + and D− may be electrically connected to the series / parallel converter 120. Thus, through the data connection electrodes D + and D−, a serial signal from the host 500 may be transmitted to the serial / parallel converter 120 and converted into a parallel signal.

The memory slot 130 may include an insertion portion 133, a sensing portion 135, and connections 137a, 137b, and 137c. The insertion portion 133 may provide a space into which the memory package 140 is inserted. The detection unit 135 generates a connection signal according to whether the memory package 140 is inserted or not. For this purpose, the sensing unit 135 may mechanically detect whether the memory package 140 is inserted As shown in FIG. For example, the protrusion 135 may have a structure such as a push button switch that opens and closes the contact so that when the memory package 140 is inserted, the protrusion 135 is pushed, and thus electrical connection is made, A connection signal can be generated. It should be noted, however, that the protrusion 135 is only one example of the exemplary shape and function of the sensing portion 135, and the present invention is not limited to the protrusion. For example, the sensing unit can detect whether or not the memory package is inserted through electrical connection and laser sensing.

The connection signal may be a reflected signal for an acknowledgment signal applied from the display controller 170. That is, when the display controller 170 applies the confirmation signal to the memory slot 130, since the projection 135 is pushed when the memory package 140 is inserted, the connection signal as the reflection signal due to the electrical connection Lt; / RTI > Conversely, when the memory package 140 is not inserted, the protrusion 135 is not pressed, so that there is no electrical connection, and therefore, a connection signal may not be generated as a reflection signal.

The contacts 137a, 137b and 137c in the memory slot 130 may be electrically connected to the external terminals 139 of the memory package 140. [ For example, for transfer of control signals from the memory controller 150 to the memory package 140, the first connection 137a may be electrically connected between the first transmission line 1 and the first external terminal 139a have. In addition, for the exchange of data signals between the memory controller 150 and the memory package 140, the second connection 137b may be electrically connected between the second transmission line 2 and the second external terminal 139b have. The third connection 137c may be electrically connected between the display controller 170 and the protrusion 135 to transmit the connection signal to the display controller 170. [

It is to be understood that the shape of each portion of the accompanying drawings is illustrative for a clear understanding of the present invention. It should be noted that the present invention can be modified into various shapes other than the shapes shown. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the drawings.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Will be clear to those who have knowledge of.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
50: USB connection electrodes
100: USB memory device 110: power charging / providing unit
120: serial / parallel converter 130: memory slot
140: memory package 150: memory controller
160: Test module 170: Display controller
180: Display unit 500: Host

Claims (9)

A plurality of USB connection electrodes configured to transmit a power signal and a serial signal;
At least one memory slot configured to receive at least one memory package, respectively;
A memory controller electrically connected between the USB connection electrodes and the memory slot and configured to control the memory package;
A test module configured to test whether the memory package is operating normally and to generate an operation signal; And
And a display configured to display whether the memory package is normally operated. The method according to claim 1,
The memory controller is further configured to transmit a control signal to the memory package and receive a data signal in response thereto,
And the test module is configured to generate the operation signal based on whether the data signal is received upon receiving the control signal. The method according to claim 1,
A display controller configured to receive the operation signal from the test module and generate an image signal based on the operation signal;
And the display unit is configured to display whether the normal operation is performed based on the image signal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the memory slot further comprises a sensing portion for mechanically or electrically sensing whether the memory package is inserted,
And the sensing unit is configured to generate a connection signal and transmit the connection signal to the display controller when the memory package is inserted. 5. The method of claim 4,
The display controller includes:
When the display controller fails to receive the connection signal, generates a first video signal,
The display controller generates the second video signal when receiving the connection signal and receiving the operation signal,
Wherein the display controller is further configured to receive the connection signal and generate a third video signal when the display controller fails to receive the operational signal,
And the display unit is configured to display whether the normal operation is performed based on the first to third image signals. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the display unit includes an LED device,
The LED device may be turned off when receiving the first image signal, turned on when receiving the second image signal, and flickered when receiving the third image signal. Memory device. The method according to claim 1,
And a power charging / providing unit configured to receive the power signal to store power and to supply the power to the memory controller, the test module, the display controller, and the display unit. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a serial / parallel converter between the USB connection electrodes and the memory controller,
And the serial / parallel converter is configured to convert the serial signal into a parallel signal and to transmit the parallel signal to the memory controller. A plurality of USB connection electrodes configured to transmit a power signal and a serial signal;
At least one memory slot configured to receive at least one memory package and configured to mechanically sense whether the memory package is inserted and generate a connection signal when the memory package is inserted;
A memory controller electrically connected between the USB connection electrodes and the memory slot and configured to transmit a control signal to the memory package and to receive a data signal in response thereto;
A test module configured to test whether the memory package is operating normally based on whether the data signal is received when the control signal is received, and to generate an operation signal;
A display controller configured to receive the connection signal from the sensing unit, receive the operation signal from the test module, and generate a video signal based on the connection signal and the operation signal; And
And a display configured to display whether the memory package is normally operated based on the image signal.

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