Memory card controller, memory card device, method used in memory card controller, and electronic device coupled to memory card device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10853239-B2
Application number	US-201816231584-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2018
Priority date	Dec 28, 2017
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

A memory card controller coupled to a host device includes a processing circuit which is used for reading card specific data from a flash memory of a memory card to store the card specific data in a register wherein a multiply parameter and a basic capacity are marked in the card specific data and used for sending the card specific data to the host device to make the host device calculate a maximum capacity of the memory card according to the multiply parameter and the basic capacity marked in the card specific data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A memory card controller configured to couple to a host device via an external signal port and couple to a flash memory via an internal connection of a memory card device, comprising:
a processing circuit, used for reading card specific data from the flash memory to store the card specific data in a register wherein a multiplier parameter and a basic capacity are marked in the card specific data, and used for sending the card specific data to a processor of the host device via the external signal port and a memory card driving circuit of the host device if the processing circuit receives a request command CMD9 from the memory card driving circuit by the processor of the host device, to make the processor of the host device calculate and obtain a maximum capacity of the memory card device according to the multiplier parameter and the basic capacity marked in the card specific data;
wherein the marked basic capacity is represented by using 22 bits of a C_size field defined in the card specific data, and the marked multiplier parameter is represented by using N capacity indication bits in the card specific data to indicate a value within a range from zero to M to indicate the multiplier parameter within a range from 2 0 to 2 M wherein M is a positive integer greater than one.

2. The memory card controller of claim 1 , wherein the host device is arranged to multiply the multiplier parameter with the basic capacity to derive and obtain the maximum capacity of the memory card device.

3. The memory card controller of claim 1 , wherein a maximum value of the basic capacity corresponds to an upper limit of a maximum capacity of a 32-bit length logical address space.

4. The memory card controller of claim 1 , wherein the card specific data is marked with version information to make the host device preliminarily determine whether the maximum capacity of the memory card device exceed above a maximum capacity corresponding to a specific bit-length address space according to the version information.

5. The memory card controller of claim 1 , wherein the card specific data is marked with version information to make the host device determine whether to refer to the multiplier parameter marked in the card specific data to calculate the maximum capacity of the memory card device.

6. The memory card controller of claim 5 , wherein when the version information matches with version information of a driving circuit of the host device, the host device is arranged to refer to the multiplier parameter marked in the card specific data to calculate the maximum capacity of the memory card device.

7. A memory card device, comprising:
the memory card controller of claim 1 ; and
a flash memory.

8. A method utilized in a memory card controller configured to couple to a host device via an external signal port and couple to a flash memory via an internal connection of a memory card device, and comprising:
reading card specific data from the flash memory to store the card specific data in a register wherein a multiplier parameter and a basic capacity are marked in the card specific data; and
sending the card specific data to a processor of the host device via the external signal port and a memory card driving circuit of the host device if the processing circuit receives a request command CMD9 from the memory card driving circuit by the processor of the host device, to make the processor of the host device calculate and obtain a maximum capacity of the memory card device according to the multiplier parameter and the basic capacity marked in the card specific data;
wherein the marked basic capacity is represented by using 22 bits of a C_size field defined in the card specific data, and the marked multiplier parameter is represented by using N capacity indication bits in the card specific data to indicate a value within a range from zero to M to indicate the multiplier parameter within a range from 2 0 to 2 M wherein M is a positive integer greater than one.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the multiplier parameter is multiplied with the basic capacity to derive and obtain the maximum capacity of the memory card device.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
marking the card specific data with version information to make the host device preliminarily determine whether the maximum capacity of the memory card device exceeds above a maximum capacity corresponding to a specific bit-length address space according to the version information.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
marking the card specific data with version information to make the host device determine whether to refer to the multiplier parameter marked in the card specific data to calculate the maximum capacity of the memory card device.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein when the version information matches with version information of a driving circuit of the host device, the host device is arranged to refer to the multiplier parameter marked in the card specific data to calculate the maximum capacity of the memory card device.

13. An electronic device configured to couple to a memory card device via an external signal port, comprising:
a memory card driving circuit, for driving the memory card device; and
a processor, coupled to the memory card driving circuit, for sending a request command CMD9 to a memory card controller of the memory card device via the memory card driving circuit, for receiving card specific data which is sent by the memory card controller of the memory card device in response to the request command CMD9, for analyzing and reading a multiplier parameter and a basic capacity marked in the card specific data, and for calculating and obtaining a maximum capacity of the memory card device according to the multiplier parameter and the basic capacitor which are marked in the card specific data;
wherein the marked basic capacity is represented by using 22 bits of a C_size field defined in the card specific data, and the marked multiplier parameter is represented by using N capacity indication bits in the card specific data to indicate a value within a range from zero to M to indicate the multiplier parameter within a range from 2 0 to 2 M wherein M is a positive integer greater than one.

14. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the processor is arranged to multiply the multiplier parameter with the basic capacity to derive and obtain the maximum capacity of the memory card device.

15. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein a maximum value of the basic capacity corresponds to an upper limit of a maximum capacity of a 32-bit length address space.

16. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the card specific data is marked with version information, and the processor is arranged to preliminarily determine whether the maximum capacity of the memory card device exceeds above a maximum capacity corresponding to a specific bit-length address space according to the marked version information.

17. The electronic device of claim 13 , wherein the card specific data is marked with version information, and the processor is arranged to determine whether to refer to the multiplier parameter marked in the card specific data to calculate the maximum capacity of the memory card device according to the marked version information.

18. The electronic device of claim 13 , further comprising:
a display device, coupled to the processor;
wherein the display device is arranged to display the calculated maximum capacity of the memory card device on a picture of the display dev

Assignees

• Silicon Motion Inc

Inventors

• Hsieh Chao-Kuei

Classifications

• Y02D10/00

  Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management · CPC title

• G06F12/0246 Primary

  in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory · CPC title

• G06F2212/7204

  Capacity control, e.g. partitioning, end-of-life degradation · CPC title

• G06F2212/7201

  Logical to physical mapping or translation of blocks or pages · CPC title

• G06F2212/1056

  Simplification · CPC title