DE20304040U1 - Memory card with multiple interfaces and memory control chip with capacity for double interface to memory interface and to USB or IEEE-1394 interface - Google Patents

Abstract

Memory card has main memory with memory interface (84) and connector (85). Control chip is connected with memory interface and at least one memory chip (83), several flash memories or read only memory, is connected to connector. Control chip contains control unit for card (821), flash control unit (822), LVDS-function interface (823), logic/physical LVDS interface (824) and LVDS control unit (825). Card is connected to computer system by connector (85) which has rotatable connection to card.

Description

MEMORY CARD WITH MULTIPLE TRANSFER INTERFACE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1) Environment of the invention

The present invention relates to a memory card with multiple transfer interfaces, in particular to a control chip for a memory card equipped with a double interface. It therefore not only enables fast data transfer, but is

&iacgr;&ogr; is also physically compact and more user-friendly.
2) Description of the known embodiment

The data for digital cameras, MP3, mobile phones and PDAs (personal

The memory card used in the digital assistant (digital assistant) is very popular due to its advantages of large storage capacity, compact design and easy portability, etc. The main memory cards such as Smart Digital, Memory Stick, CompactFlash, Multimedia Cards, MD (Mini Floppy Disk) are available in various designs and sizes. A card reader (memory) is required to access the memory of a computer system. Because of the different cards, it is not economical for computer users to purchase several card readers to access different types of data. And as the design of personal computers is becoming more and more compact, it is also cumbersome for users to carry a number of different card readers. In addition, because the capacity of the card memory is increasing thanks to the fast technology

However, despite the fact that it is generally popular due to the progress of the technology, the reading speed over USB (Universal Serial Bus) or other connection interfaces is becoming an increasing bottleneck. Although a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card Interface Group) can solve the problem of slow reading speed over serial port interfaces, its capacity is still limited due to the reading speed of the flash memory. The PCMCIA is mainly used for laptop PCs, although the latter are equipped with different connector sockets. The PCMCIA therefore does not offer

&iacgr;&ogr; general solution to the "slow reading speed" problem.

An example of the existing patent is the Flash EEPROM

' System, (U.S. Patent No. 5602987). As shown in Fig. 1, the invention consists of a memory card which is connected to a computer system, wherein the flash EEPROM array (33) is connected to a control unit (31) to form a non-volatile memory (29); see drawing. This non-volatile memory (29) leads to at least one input/output device, i.e. I/O device (27). The I/O device (27) is connected to a microprocessor (21) and the RAM (25) via a system bus (23). With this embodiment, although a high accuracy of the large capacity of the cyclic access is maintained, it cannot meet the requirement of a high data transfer speed and good compatibility.

Another example is the traditional patent, the architecture

for a USB-based PC flash disk (US Patent No. 6148354); see Fig. 2. This device consists mainly of a connection interface (64) between a flash unit (58) and a USB port (52). The connection interface (64) has a logical/physical USB interface (66) and a USB function interface (68). The USB function interface (68) sends the signals in the order of an application package extractor (70) to an evaluation command evaluator (72), an address transducer (74), a data and status handler (76) and

&iacgr;&ogr; to a technical memory driver (MTD 78) for processing, after which these signals are transmitted to the flash unit (58). This architecture is built from a flash memory module to

"To allow users to access the data in a computer or to delete this data. The disadvantage of the conventional patent is that the flash memory unit can only be accessed via a computer, but cannot be used from terminal to terminal in a peer-to-peer network for sharing the data.

A third example in this field is the dual interface memory card with conversion module (Patent Publication 481314, Taiwan); see Fig. 3. The present invention consists of a memory part (20) and a micro-control module (10). This micro-control module (10) has a USB interface and a host interface. The USB interface is used to connect to a computer to enable it to read/write the data.

in the memory part (20). The host interface is used to access the data for connection to other devices in which a memory card is installed. For direct access to the data, the present invention uses a conversion module together with a computer to improve the accessibility. The actual architecture, however, still corresponds to that of a conventional card reader. With regard to the card types used, the conversion module is selective, so that different memory cards can be equipped with the appropriate conversion modules for connection to the

&iacgr;&ogr; calculator must be used.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a memory card with multiple transfer interfaces, characterized in that it is provided with a memory control chip having a capacity for the double interface. The memory card can be connected to two modes via the interface, thus enabling more convenient and versatile compatibility with the computers and a large number of terminals. With this memory card, the data can also be transferred and accessed at a higher speed while operating with smaller devices and at a lower cost.

For a better understanding of the above objects and technical methods of the present invention, the following brief description of the drawings is followed by a detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of the flash EEROM system device according to the known embodiment.

Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of an architecture of a USB-based PC flash device according to the known embodiment.

Fig. 3 shows a block diagram of a dual interface memory card with a conversion module according to the known embodiment.

Figs. 4A and 4B show a pictorial and schematic representation of a preferred embodiment on both sides according to the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows a block diagram of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 shows a block diagram of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 shows a circuit diagram of the relationship of the circuit according to the present invention.

Figs. 8A and 8B are perspective views of another preferred embodiment on both sides according to the present invention.

Figs. 9A and 9B show schematic exploded views of another preferred embodiment according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED

EXECUTION
As shown in Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B, in which a

preferred embodiment of a memory card (80) with multiple transfer interfaces is shown from different angles, it has a main memory part (86). This main memory part (86) is in turn made up of two parts, i.e. a memory interface (84) and a connection interface (85). The memory interface (84) can be made up of one of the following components: Smart Digital Memory, Memory Stick, CompactFlash, SmartMedia, Multimedia Card, IBM Micro Drive, etc. The connection interface can be made up of either a USB or an IEEE 1394 connection.

&iacgr;&ogr; As can be seen from Fig. 5 to Fig. 7, in the

A circuit board (81) is installed in the main memory part (86), while the memory interface (84) and the connection interface (85) are both connected to this circuit board (81). A control chip (82) is provided on the circuit board (81) which is connected to the memory interface (84)

is connected, wherein at least one memory chip (83) and one control chip (82) are connected to the memory interface (84) (see Fig. 5). This control chip (82) is constructed from a control unit (821) of the memory card, a flash control unit (822), an LVDS function interface (823), a logical/physical LVDS interface (824) and an LVDS control unit (825) (see Fig. 6).

The memory card (80) with multiple transfer interface is connected to a computer system via a connection point (85) so that the data can be exchanged between this computer system and the card (80) with the control chip (82) under data conversion (see Fig. 7). In other words, the control chip (82) has

a dual interface design; one side is provided with a memory interface (84) while the other side has the USB or IEEE 1394 interface.

As can be seen from Fig. 8A and 8B, the main memory part (186) and the connection interface (185) are connected to each other via an axial element (1861). The memory interface

(184) and the connection interface (185) are electrically connected to each other, wherein the connection interface (185) is arranged around the axial element

(1861) can be rotated. When inserting the connection interface

βββ (185) in a computer, the memory card (180) can be arranged at any angle to the computer and therefore has a high flexibility for use.

Finally, as shown in Fig. 9A and 9B, the

Connection interface (285) and the main memory part (286) of the memory card (280) are connected to each other by axial elements (2851) and (2861), or (285) and (286). The axial elements (2851) and

(2861) are electrically connected (not shown in the drawing). Similar to the preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 8A and 8B, the connection interface can also be rotated about the axial members (2851) and (2861) so that the memory card (280) can be arranged at any angle, thus allowing greater flexibility in use.

The main feature of the present invention is

characterized in that the memory card (80) with the multiple transmission interface has a control chip (82) with a capacity of

····· ·«# · t··· ttttti Il I

double interface. Thanks to the memory interface (84) and the connection point (85), it has the following advantages:

This enables more versatile compatibility with a number of electronic devices (terminals), allowing access to data from the terminal to the computer and from the terminal to the terminal.

The USB and IEEE 1394 series standard connection interface (85) enables better transfer efficiency, far exceeding the transfer speed of conventional memory cards. This eliminates the need for data readers, which is more economical for the computer user.

Conveniently, no data readers are required.

It is to be understood that the embodiment described herein is intended to be merely exemplary of the principles and features of the present invention and that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as further set forth in the following claims.

• ··· · · · · · t f t ft·«·* ff

Claims (6)

1. A memory card with multiple transfer interfaces, consisting of:
a main memory portion ( 86 );
a control chip ( 82 );
a memory chip ( 83 );
a memory interface ( 84 ) connected to the control chip ( 82 );
a connection interface ( 85 ) connected to the memory chip ( 83 );
characterized in that the main memory part ( 86 ), the control chip ( 82 ), the memory chip ( 83 ), the memory interfaces ( 84 ) and the memory interfaces ( 85 ) are electrically connected to one another to enable double the capacity of the interface of the memory card ( 80 ). 2. The memory card with multiple transmission interfaces according to claim 1, characterized in that the control chip ( 82 ) is constructed as follows: a control unit ( 821 ) of the memory card, a flash control unit ( 822 ), an LVDS function interface ( 823 ), an LVDS logical/physical interface ( 824 ) and an LVDS control unit ( 825 ). 3. The memory card with multiple transfer interfaces according to claim 1, characterized in that the memory chip ( 83 ) is constructed from a plurality of flash memories. 4. The memory card with multiple transfer interface according to claim 1, characterized in that the memory chip ( 83 ) is constructed from a plurality of read-only memories. 5. The memory card with multiple transfer interfaces according to claim 1, characterized in that the connection interface ( 85 ) is designed as a USB connection interface or as an IEEE 1394 connection interface of the standard series. 6. The multiple transfer interface memory card according to claim 1, characterized in that the main storage part ( 186 ) and the connection interface ( 185 ) are connected to each other via axial elements ( 1861 ) so that the connection interface ( 185 ) can be rotated about the axial element ( 1861 ).