KR20030083540A - Double interface SD card - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a type of SD memory card having a double interface, in which an SD card and a USB adapter are combined. The SD card includes a standard SD card transfer interface and a circuit board, which includes a microprocessor and a plurality of flash memories. And at least one first bus interface circuit is built into the microprocessor. The USB adapter includes at least one SD interface slot and a USB plug, in which an SD card is inserted into the SD interface slot and simultaneously connected to other information devices by a USB plug. It is built in, and one interface control and switching circuit is also embedded in the microprocessor, thereby controlling and switching the SD bus interface circuit or the USB bus interface circuit. The microprocessor automatically detects, judges and supports the connection operation signal of the SD card transfer interface or the USB transfer interface. When the signal transmitting end of the SD card transfer interface or the USB transfer interface provides the operation signal, The microprocessor simultaneously converts circuits and electronic units in the circuit board, allowing the SD card transfer interface or USB transfer interface to perform data transfer operations to flash memory.

Description

Double interface SD card {Double interface SD card}

The present invention relates to a memory card having a kind of double interface, and more particularly to a double interface SD card.

Since the introduction of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface specification in 1996, the company has been the flagship product for a variety of advantages, including high transfer rates, simple mounting, hot swapping, and plug and play. Thus, various transmission interfaces of traditional computer peripherals are being replaced by this. The USB interface makes it easy to connect computer system systems to various computer peripherals. For example, USB interface products can be used in many computer systems (desktops and notebooks), as there is no need to install an operating program for connection to scanners, keyboards and printers. ), Peripheral devices, and even various information appliances (IA: for example, portable information terminals (PDA), digital cameras (DSC), digital workers (MP3 Player), etc.) is rapidly spreading.

Meanwhile, Matsushita, SunDisk and Toshiba jointly announced in 2000, a new standard for small SD cards (Secure Digital Card), which includes several flash memories and one microprocessor / chip silicon semiconductor. It consists of technology. SD cards are small in size, light in weight, fast in storage and reading speed, and have a large capacity, making them widely applied to various IA products such as computer peripherals, portable information terminals, digital cameras, and digital workers. Already emerging as one of the emerging portable storage media, due to the mutual competition of many companies, it is known that the smallest of the other small memory card. Thus, SD cards are expected to have a huge future consumer market and huge potential revenues.

The SD card uses a full-speed SD card interface, although various computer peripherals or information appliances have developed a full-speed interface product for the SD card to store or read digital information and data, but consumers always need it. It could not function as data transfer or exchange with various products using computer system or notebook, and other USB extension interface. In the light of the ever-expanding USB expansion interface, the SD card cannot be applied to the aforementioned products. For example, to store or play digital information on a digital camera as an SD card, consumers need to edit, record, play back, or otherwise apply it to a computer system or other product equipped with a USB interface, which does not support the SD card interface. As it is not possible to use directly, it causes inconvenience in use.

Therefore, in addition to using the transmission function of the above-described information appliance itself, a consumer must separately purchase another memory device (aka card reader) or an adapter equipped with an SD card interface, and use the computer system or portable digital information. You can use the product with USB extension interface to transfer or exchange data. However, a separately purchased memory device or adapter may indirectly read or exchange data in the SD card only by reconnecting the USB transmission line on the memory device or repurchasing a computer system having a card with a transmission interface in the system itself. Therefore, both of these methods use expensive equipment (including a control chip) to read expensive data related to the SD card, which increases the purchasing cost of the user and increases the complexity of the operation. It adversely affects and causes inconvenience in both commonality and usability of USB interface.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention designs a type of double interface SD card to overcome a problem that has been a problem for a long time.

Specifically, the present invention invents a kind of double interface SD card to reliably solve the above-mentioned problems, and does not require additional equipment such as an expensive reader or an expensive adapter according to a separate purchase, and connects various types of low-cost adapters. The information transmission and exchange function of the digital information device or the product can be carried out, and the operational complexity and operational complexity can be solved.

It is still another object of the present invention that the microprocessor of the inventors of the double interface SD card itself performs proper detection, control, and conversion processing, and allows a low-cost USB adapter, and directly with a personal computer system or other USB extension interface. To be connected. This combination creates a device similar to portable hard disks that are popular in the market. However, in addition to its SD card interface, the microprocessor has a function to support a USB expansion interface. In other words, the microprocessor of the present inventors double interface SD card integrates the functions of a control chip on a conventional known card reader or an adapter. It provides consumers with the functions of storing, transmitting and exchanging digital information between computer systems or various IA products with the lowest purchasing cost and simple operation.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce the cost of the system on a large scale (installation required for expensive readers or expensive adapters according to a separate purchase), more convenient to operate (easy to install, easy to operate), and new It's about getting progressive. Therefore, the present invention can be automatically converted to the detection / judgment system interface circuit through the appropriate equipment even if only equipped with the SD interface of the original SD card, automatically converted to the correct system interface, and is most common in products such as computer systems It is a highly creative compact memory card that supports USB interface products and at the same time features SD and USB double interface transfer.

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

1 is a control circuit diagram of the present inventors double interface SD card.

Fig. 2 is a decision circuit diagram for detecting, controlling and switching a double interface SD card of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a specific flowchart of the detection and switching of the present inventors double interface SD card.

Figure 4 is a USB interface adapter of the present inventors double interface SD card.

<Description of Signs of Major Parts of Drawings>

10: double interface SD card 12: circuit board

14 flash memory 16 microprocessor

18: Cache

20: First bus interface circuit / SD bus interface circuit

22: 2nd bus interface circuit / USB bus interface circuit

24: Interface control and switching circuit

242: signal detection circuit 244: signal switching circuit

26: power supply circuit 30: USB switching device

32: USB plug 34: System interface circuit

40 ： Power on 42 ： SD bus selection

44, 52: Bus idle 46: SD instruction

50: USB bus selection 48, 56: Command processing and response

54 ： USB command

Referring to FIG. 1, this is a control circuit diagram of a double interface SD card according to the present invention. The present invention combines a double interface SD card 10 and a USB adapter 30 to provide various products and applications on the market equipped with a USB expansion interface. Possible original invention. The spread of the USB expansion interface and the trend, the most popular among the small memory card with a large number of SD cards, in the reality that is applied to various computer peripherals and other IA products, SD card is not only used for its exclusive SD card interface products, but also for computer systems and other USB expansion interfaces. It is one inevitable trend that applications are commonly applied to products with high performance.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, the present invention, the double interface SD card 10 includes a first transfer interface, which is a transfer interface (9 I / O pins) and one circuit board 12 of the SD card standard. )to be. The circuit board 12 is provided with one microprocessor 16 and a plurality of flash memories 14, the microprocessor 16 having at least one first bus interface circuit 20 and one cache 18. ) And one power switching circuit 26 are incorporated. Of course, it includes an interface for controlling one storage and one program code storage memory (not shown). However, the design, principle and structure of the various units described above are the same as the conventional ones and will not be described separately herein. And in combination with a low cost USB adapter 30 includes at least one memory card interface slot (not shown) and a second transfer interface, which points to a USB plug 32. Clearly the memory card interface slot is provided for the combination of a double interface SD card 10 and at the same time a product having a computer system or other USB expansion interface by means of a second transfer interface (USB plug 32) of the USB adapter 30. And is used. Features of the present invention are as follows.

One second bus interface circuit 22 is embedded in the microprocessor 16,

One interface control and switching circuit 24 is also embedded in the microprocessor 16 to detect and switch the first bus interface circuit 20 or the second bus interface circuit 22.

The microprocessor 16 automatically detects, determines, and supports a connection operation signal of the SD card's transfer interface or the USB plug 32. The signal of either the SD card's transfer interface or the USB plug 32 is automatically detected. When the transmitting end provides an operation signal, the microprocessor 16 immediately converts circuits and other electronic units in the circuit board 12 so that the transfer interface of the SD card and the USB plug 32 flash memory 14. It supports data transfer operation.

Of particular note here is that the microprocessor 16 of this double interface SD card 10 not only determines and controls the use of its full SD card interface product, but also combines the use of the USB adapter 30 with the USB expansion interface. It is applied to the product. That is, the present invention is a portable small storage medium having a double interface transfer function of SD and USB.

Referring to FIG. 2 at the same time, this is a decision circuit diagram detected, controlled and switched by the double interface SD card of the present invention. In the double interface SD card 10 of the present invention, two different system interface circuits 34 are provided. It integrates the control chip function of a conventional card reader or adapter. Although the power connector is not shown in the drawing, it has six different functions such as CLK, CMD, DAT0, DAT1, DAT2, and DAT3. It includes a signal terminal. The double interface SD card 10 of the present invention selects two pairs of DAT1 and DAT2 signals, connects and switches the D + signal and the D- signal of the USB system interface circuit 34, and uses the CLK signal terminal to connect the system interface circuit ( The operation signal of 34 is detected and used as the basis of the first bus interface circuit / SD bus interface circuit 22.

According to the SD card standard, the SD bus interface 20 according to the present invention generates an initialization signal (74 pulses / sec) to the SD card system interface circuit 34 while the power is connected (power on), and immediately changes the CLK signal. In this case, the interface circuit at this time is the SD bus interface circuit 20. On the contrary, the SD card interface circuit 34 does not detect the initialization signal, and the signal detection circuit 242 outputs a control signal to output the signal conversion circuit ( 244), the two pairs of signal terminals DAT1 and DAT2 originally connected to the SD bus interface circuit are converted to the USB bus interface circuit 22. Therefore, the present invention uses the operation signal of the interface control and switching circuit 24 to detect what kind of operation signal the system interface circuit 34 of the present invention selects and bases on.

In this way, two different system interface circuits 34 are supported simultaneously, and the microprocessor 16 of the double interface SD card 10 of the present invention is also required to simultaneously process two types of system interface circuits 34. It is equipped with processing functions, supporting commands, specifications, and communication agreements that generate two different interface circuits.

3 is a specific flowchart for detecting and switching the double interface SD card of the present invention. After the power is supplied to the double interface SD card with power on 40, the microprocessor 16 immediately controls and controls the interface. Based on the type of system operation detected by the switching circuit 24, the system switches to the correct operation mode and simultaneously operates in the mode of the appropriate system interface circuit 34. After the system interface circuit 34 is operated, the microprocessor 16 receives, controls, and processes the command substitution code transmitted according to the standard of the system interface circuit 34 to generate an appropriate response. For example, when the system circuit detected by the control and switching circuit of the interface is in the first bus mode (i.e., SD bus mode), it immediately enters the operating cycle mode of the SD card standard, i.e., selects the SD bus 42 After the bus idle 44 has elapsed, an SD command 46 is generated, and this command is processed again to generate a response 48, and then back to the bus idle 44 again. On the contrary, when the system circuit detected by the interface control and switching circuit 24 is in the second bus mode (ie, USB bus mode), the system immediately enters the operating circular mode of the USB interface standard, that is, the USB bus 50 is selected and the bus is selected. After the idle 52 has elapsed, a USB command 54 is generated, and the command is processed again to generate a response 56 and then returns to the bus idle 52 again.

After the system interface circuit 34 is already set, it cannot be changed from time to time. If the system interface circuit 34 of the present invention is to be changed, the system interface card circuit 34 of the double interface SD card 10 must be disconnected from the whole, turned off, and then connected to another interface system circuit.

Referring to FIG. 4, this is a USB interface adapter line of the present inventors' double interface SD card, which is a schematic diagram showing that the double interface SD card 10 of the present invention is coupled to the line of the low-cost USB interface adapter 30. As shown in FIG.

Summarizing the foregoing description, the double interface SD card of the present invention has at least the following advantages.

1. The present invention can reduce the additional equipment required for expensive reproduction, adapters according to a separate purchase, combined with a low-cost adapter can proceed with the information transmission and exchange function of various digital information devices or products, the consumer separately Operational complexity can be eliminated at the same time as the cost of the memory card / device purchased.

2. The present invention allows the "microprocessor" of the double interface SD card itself to proceed with proper detection, control and conversion, to allow low cost USB adapters, and to be directly connected to products with personal computer systems or other USB expansion interfaces. In addition to its SD card interface, the microprocessor also supports USB expansion interfaces. In other words, the microprocessor of the present invention, the double interface SD card, integrates the functions of a control chip on a conventionally known card reader or an adapter to provide digital information between a computer system or various IA products with the lowest purchase cost and the simplest operation. It provides the functions of storage, transmission and exchange.

3. The present invention is to reduce the system cost on a large scale, more convenient to operate, and to achieve new progress. Therefore, the present invention can be automatically converted to the detection / judgment system interface circuit through the appropriate equipment even if only equipped with the SD interface of the original SD card, automatically converted to the correct system interface, and is most common in products such as computer systems It is a highly creative compact memory card that supports USB interface products and at the same time features SD and USB double interface transfer.

The names of the above-described units can be described in detail by describing the technical contents of the present invention, but are not limited to the present invention. It is understood that any changes or corrections made within the spirit and scope of the present invention by the apparatus having the same effect or the person skilled in the art based on the inventive spirit of the present invention fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (12)

A first transmission interface comprising one microprocessor 16 having at least one first bus interface circuit 20 therein and one circuit board 12 having a plurality of flash memories 14 installed therein; An adapter comprising a second transmission interface for use with one interface slot and other information devices for insertion and coupling of the first transmission interface; A second bus interface circuit (22) embedded in the microprocessor (16); And embedded in the microprocessor 16 includes a single interface control and switching circuit 24 for detecting and switching the first bus interface circuit 20 or the second bus interface circuit 22. The processor 16 automatically detects, determines, and supports a connection operation signal of the first transmission interface or the second transmission interface. The signal transmission terminal of either the first transmission interface or the second transmission interface is automatically Upon providing an operation signal, the microprocessor 16 immediately switches circuits and other electronic units in the circuit board 121 so that the first transfer interface and the second transfer interface to the flash memory 14. Double interface SD card, characterized by supporting ongoing data transfer operation. The double interface SD card of claim 1, wherein the first transfer interface is a standard transfer interface of the double interface SD card. 2. The double interface SD card of claim 1, wherein said microprocessor (16) comprises one cache (18) and one voltage transformer circuit (26). 2. The double interface SD card of claim 1, wherein said first bus interface circuit (20) comprises an SD bus interface circuit. 2. The double interface SD card of claim 1 wherein the second bus interface circuit (22) comprises a USB bus interface circuit. 2. The double interface SD card of claim 1, wherein said second transfer interface comprises a USB plug. One double interface SD card 10 and one USB adapter are combined; The double interface SD card 10 may include one microprocessor 16 having at least one first bus interface circuit 20 therein and one circuit board 12 having a plurality of flash memories 14 installed therein. 1 transport interface; The USB adapter includes at least one SD interface slot for insertion of the double interface SD card (10) and a second transmission interface used when connected to other information devices; A second bus interface circuit (22) embedded in the microprocessor (16); And embedded in the microprocessor 16 includes a single interface control and switching circuit 24 for detecting and switching the first bus interface circuit 20 or the second bus interface circuit 22. The processor 16 automatically detects, determines, and supports a connection operation signal of the first transmission interface or the second transmission interface. The signal transmission terminal of either the first transmission interface or the second transmission interface is automatically Upon providing an operation signal, the microprocessor 16 immediately switches circuits and other electronic units in the circuit board 121 so that the first transfer interface and the second transfer interface to the flash memory 14. A double interface memory card, which supports ongoing data transfer operations. 8. The double interface memory card of claim 7, wherein the microprocessor (16) comprises one cache (18) and one voltage transformer circuit (26). 8. The double interface memory card of claim 7, wherein said first transfer interface comprises a standard transfer interface of an SD memory card. 8. The double interface memory card of claim 7, wherein said second transfer interface comprises a USB plug. 8. The double interface memory card of claim 7, wherein the first bus interface circuit (20) comprises an SD bus interface circuit. 8. The double interface memory card of claim 7, wherein the second bus interface circuit (22) comprises a USB bus interface circuit.