Electronic device and voltage adjustment circuit for storage device thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9804663-B2
Application number	US-201514805994-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2015
Priority date	May 25, 2015
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A storage device includes an extension chip and an energy-efficiency control circuit. The extension chip includes an input interface electrically coupled to a motherboard and an output interface. The energy-efficiency control circuit is electrically coupled between the motherboard and the extension chip. The energy-efficiency control circuit includes an interface module, a control module, and a switch module. The interface module is electrically coupled to the input interface of the extension chip, and configured to receive a control signal from the motherboard. The control module is electrically coupled to the interface module, to configured receive the control signal, and to output an output signal according to the control signal received. The switch module is electrically coupled to the control module and a first power supply terminal, to receive the output signal, and to output a voltage of the first power supply terminal to a storage unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A storage device comprising:
an extension chip comprising an input interface electrically coupled to a motherboard and an output interface;
a storage unit; and
an energy-efficiency control circuit electrically coupled between the motherboard and the extension chip, the energy-efficiency control circuit comprising:
an interface module electrically coupled to the input interface of the extension chip and configured to receive a control signal from the motherboard;
a control module electrically coupled to the interface module and configured to receive the control signal and to output an output signal according to the control signal received, wherein the control module comprises a voltage comparator and a first resistor, a non-inverting terminal and an inverting terminal of the voltage comparator are coupled to the interface module, and an output terminal of the voltage comparator is coupled to the second power supply terminal through the first resistor; and
a switch module electrically coupled to the control module and a first power supply terminal, the switch module configured to receive the output signal and to output a voltage of the first power supply terminal to the storage unit;

wherein when the interface module does not receive the control signal from the motherboard, the control module stops to output the output signal to the switch module, whereby the switch module cannot output the voltage of the first power supply terminal to the storage unit.

2. The storage device of claim 1 , wherein the control module further comprises a first capacitor, an output terminal of the voltage comparator is coupled to the switch module through the first capacitor.

3. The storage device of claim 2 , wherein the interface module comprises a first signal pin and a second signal pin, the first and second signal pins are electrically coupled to the motherboard for receiving a differential control signal from the motherboard, the non-inverting input terminal and the inverting input terminal of the voltage comparator are respectively and electrically coupled to the first and second signal pins.

4. The storage device of claim 3 , wherein the first signal pin and the second signal pin of the interface module are respectively and electrically coupled to two magnetic beads.

5. The storage device of claim 3 , wherein the switch module comprises a first electronic switch, an AND gate, a second electronic switch, and a third electronic switch, the first electronic switch comprises a first terminal electrically coupled to the output terminal of the voltage comparator and a third power supply terminal, a second terminal coupled to the ground, and a third terminal electrically coupled to a fourth power supply terminal through a second resistor, the AND gate comprises a first input terminal electrically coupled to the third terminal of the first electronic switch, a second input terminal electrically coupled to the output interface of the extension chip, and an output terminal, the second electronic switch comprises a first terminal electrically coupled to the output terminal of the AND gate, a second terminal electrically coupled to the ground, and a third terminal electrically coupled to the first power supply terminal, the third electronic switch comprises a first terminal electrically coupled to the third terminal of the second electronic switch, a second terminal electrically coupled to the first power supply terminal, and a third terminal electrically coupled to the storage unit.

6. The storage device of claim 5 , wherein when the motherboard does not need to access the storage unit, the motherboard does not output the control signal, the non-inverting input and the inverting input terminals of the voltage comparator do not receives signal, the third power supply terminal supplies power to the first electronic switch, the first electronic switch is turn on, the first input terminal of the AND gate is electrically coupled to the ground through the first electronic switch, the output terminal of the AND gate outputs a digital low level signal to the first terminal of the second electronic switch, the second electronic switch and the third electronic switch are turned off, the first power supply terminal cannot supply power to the storage unit through the third electronic switch.

7. The storage device of claim 5 , wherein when the motherboard needs to access the storage unit, the motherboard outputs the control signal to the non-inverting input terminal and the inverting input terminal of the voltage comparator, the output terminal of the voltage comparator output a square wave signal to the first terminal of the first electronic switch, the first electronic switch is turned off, the fourth power supply terminal supplies power the first input terminal of the AND gate through the second resistor, the first input terminal of the AND gate receives a digital high level signal, the output interface of the extension chip outputs a digital high level signal to the second input terminal of the AND gate, the output terminal of the AND gate outputs a digital high level signal to the first terminal of the second electronic switch, the second electronic switch is turn on, the first terminal of the third electronic switch is electrically coupled to the ground through the second electronic switch, the third electronic switch is turn on, the third power supply terminal supplies power the storage unit through the third electronic switch.

8. The storage device of claim 5 , wherein each of the first electronic switch, the second electronic switch, and the third electronic switch is an n-channel metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (NMOSFET), the first terminals, the second terminals, and the third terminals of the first electronic switch, the second electronic switch, and the third electronic switch are respectively corresponding to the gate, the source, and the drain of the NMOSEFT.

9. An electronic device, comprising:
a motherboard comprising a control chip; and
a storage device comprising:
an extension chip comprising an input interface electrically coupled to a motherboard and an output interface;
a storage unit; and
an energy-efficiency control circuit electrically coupled between the motherboard and the extension chip, the energy-efficiency control circuit comprising:
an interface module electrically coupled to the input interface of the extension chip and configured to receive a control signal from the motherboard;
a control module electrically coupled to the interface module and configured to receive the control signal and to output an output signal according to the control signal received, wherein the control module comprises a voltage comparator and a first resistor, a non-inverting terminal and an inverting terminal of the voltage comparator are coupled to the interface module, and an output terminal of the voltage comparator is coupled to the second power supply terminal through the first resistor; and
a switch module electrically coupled to the control module and a first power supply terminal, the switch module configured to receive the output signal and to output a voltage of the first power supply terminal to the storage unit;

wherein when the interface module does not receive the control signal from the control chip of the motherboard, the control module stops to output the output signal to the switch module, whereby the switch module cannot output the voltage of the first power supply terminal to the storage unit.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the control module further comprises a first capacitor, and an output terminal of the voltage comparator is coupled to the switch module through th

Assignees

• Hong Fu Jin Prec Ind (Shenzhen) Co Ltd
• Hon Hai Prec Ind Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yang Meng-Liang

Classifications

• G06F1/3268 Primary

  Power saving in hard disk drive · CPC title

• Y02B60/32

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02B60/1246

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02D10/00

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

• Y02D30/50

  in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate · CPC title