TWI405085B - Switching interface method for a multi-interface storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is related to a switching interface method of a multi-interface storage device and is applied to a storage device having multiple interfaces. The storage device stores a preset interface priority weight list. The switching interface method has following steps of (a) reading linking information of one of the interfaces according to priority weight of the list; (b) executing a linking procedure according to the linking information of the interface; (c) determining whether the linking procedure is completed, if not go to step (b) and if yes go to a next step; (d) enabling the present interface of the storage device; and (e) providing a user interface to select and enable another interface. Therefore, the present invention not only increases that storage device comply with an older interface of the computer but also the user may select a proper interface of the storage device links to the corresponding interface of the computer.

Description

Switching method for multiple transmission interfaces applied to storage devices

The present invention relates to a method of switching multiple transmission interfaces, particularly for storage devices having multiple standard interfaces.

Due to the advancement of semiconductor technology and the definition of communication interface protocols, high-capacity storage devices with SATA transmission interfaces or eSATA transmission interfaces are becoming more and more popular. However, unlike the USB transmission interface, a single SATA or eSATA transmission interface cannot provide the working power of the storage device, and a power socket must be installed in the storage device, resulting in an increase in production cost. Therefore, in order to solve the problem of setting a power socket, multiple transmissions are generated. A storage device for the interface (usually a USB transport interface with other transport interfaces).

In general, storage devices with multiple transmission interfaces have the advantage of high compatibility, especially when the storage device is equipped with a SATA transmission interface, with a host computer supporting the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI), through SATA. The storage device that communicates with the host computer can connect or remove the storage device (called hot plug) after the host power is turned on to enable or disable the storage device, thereby providing a considerable degree of convenience to the user. For hosts that do not support AHCI, once the host power is turned on, even if the SATA storage device is electrically connected to the host, the SATA storage device cannot be enabled.

Moreover, the storage device with multiple transmission interfaces currently lacks the function of freely switching the transmission interface in the operating system when the host is operating, so that when the host cannot recognize the storage device, the storage device is virtually ineffective.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a method for switching multiple transmission interfaces applied to a storage device, so that when the user inserts the multi-interface storage device to the computer, the user can select the interface that is optimally or flexibly selected for communication. To enable the storage device to communicate smoothly with the computer with the selected interface.

The main technical means for achieving the above purpose is that the multi-interface storage device comprises a plurality of different standard interfaces and a control unit, and the control unit is electrically connected to the plurality of interfaces; and the control unit has a connection corresponding to each interface. The line program and an interface priority re-preset table, wherein the switching single interface communication method comprises: receiving an external connection request signal; reading a format agreement of the highest priority heavy interface in the interface priority re-preset table; comparing the current external Whether the connection request signal matches the format agreement of the highest weight interface; if so, the connection procedure of the highest priority heavy interface is loaded and executed, and the highest priority heavy interface is enabled after the connection procedure is completed; If the line program is not completed, the next step is performed; if not, the format agreement of the next priority heavy interface is read according to the priority of the priority re-preset table, and then compared with the current external connection request signal respectively. If the comparison result is met, the connection program corresponding to the communication format is loaded and executed, and the correspondence format is matched. Enable; provide a switch interface selection; determine whether the switch interface is selected; if so, close the currently enabled interface and directly load and execute the connection procedure of the selected interface, and enable the selected interface; Conversely, if the picture is not clicked, the enabling state of the current interface is maintained.

The communication method of the present invention is mainly applied to a storage device having multiple interfaces. When the multi-interface storage device is simultaneously inserted into the corresponding interface socket of the computer with at least two interfaces, the computer will actively detect and send a connection request signal to each. The interface socket, so the present invention can determine the signal format of the connection request signal, and after one interface cannot successfully establish a connection with the computer, or directly provide a switching option, the user decides to select a specific interface to connect with the computer. Line communication; that is, for a storage device integrated with multiple interfaces, it can effectively improve the compatibility with new and old computers, and provide users with the flexibility to choose the appropriate interface to communicate with the computer.

Referring to the first figure, the storage device 10 is a storage device with multiple transmission interfaces in the embodiment of the present invention, and includes multiple transmission interfaces I1, I2, and I3 (such as a SATA interface, a USB interface, a PCI-E interface, or an IEEE1394 interface). And the control unit 11 electrically connected to the multiple transmission interfaces I1, I2 and I3. The control unit 11 has a built-in connection program and a preset table, and the preset table is used to determine the priority of each interface. The computer 20 has built-in slots C1, C2 and C3 for electrically connecting the interfaces I1, I2 and I3, wherein the interfaces I1, I2 and I3 can be integrated into the respective joints or integrated into a single joint; slots C1, C2 And C3 can be separate slots or a single slot after integration.

Referring to the second and third figures, the preset table 30 includes an interface (I) field, a priority weight (P) field, a format agreement (S) field, and a connection program (FW) field; In an embodiment, a method for switching multiple transmission interfaces applied to a storage device includes: first, receiving an external connection request signal (101); and second, reading a format agreement of a highest priority heavy interface in the interface priority re-preset table ( 102); then, comparing whether the current external connection request signal and the highest weight interface format agreement (103); if yes, loading and executing the connection procedure of the highest priority heavy interface, after the connection procedure is completed, The highest priority heavy interface is enabled (104); otherwise, if the connection procedure is not completed, the next step is performed; if not, the next priority heavy interface is read according to the priority of the priority reset table. The format agreement (105) is compared with the current external connection request signal respectively. If the comparison result is met, the connection procedure with the communication format is loaded and executed, and the interface corresponding to the communication format is caused. Can provide a switch Face selection (106); determine the switch interface selection; if the switcher is selected, the currently enabled interface is closed and the connection procedure of the selected interface is directly loaded and executed, and the selected interface is enabled (107); Conversely, if the selection is not switched, the enabling state of the current interface is maintained (108).

Referring to the first, second and fourth A to C drawings, which is a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present embodiment is applied to a storage device having three interfaces (I1/I2/I3) (10). And the three interfaces (I1/I2/I3) are correspondingly plugged into the three interface sockets (C1/C2/C3) of the computer. The following describes the implementation method of the present invention in detail: first, please refer to the fourth A picture. Since the computer (20) detects and sends a connection request signal to each interface socket (C1/C2/C3), if the present invention receives an external connection request signal (30) from the computer (20) after powering on, Read the preset interface priority re-preset table, and take out the interface format protocol (S1) (31) that sets the highest priority weight, and then determine whether the current external connection request signal conforms to the highest priority interface format agreement (S1) ( 32), if yes, then reload the connection program (FW1) of the highest priority interface (usually the handshake program) (33), because a connection time will be set during the connection procedure, if this connection is exceeded Time means that the current highest priority heavy interface cannot be successfully connected to the computer; therefore, when connecting Whether it exceeds the judgment of whether the connection procedure is completed (34), if it is judged that the connection has been completed, the representative has already connected with the computer, and the current highest priority heavy interface is enabled (35); otherwise, if the connection time exceeds If the connection is not completed, it will go directly to the next highest priority re-communication program (B).

If it is initially determined that the external connection request signal (32) from the computer (20) does not conform to the format agreement of the priority heavy interface, it also directly enters the next highest priority re-engagement procedure (B).

Please refer to the fourth B picture, enter the next highest priority communication program (B), first read the interface priority re-preset table, and take out the format agreement of the next highest priority heavy interface (S2) to determine the current external connection request Whether the signal conforms to the format agreement (S2) (40) of the next highest priority heavy interface, and if so, loads the connection procedure (FW2) of the next highest priority interface, and executes the connection procedure (42) to determine the connection procedure. Whether it is completed (43), if the connection procedure is completed, the next highest priority heavy interface is enabled (44), so that the storage device communicates with the computer with the second highest priority heavy interface (I2); at the same time, the present invention also A switching interface (45) is provided to switch to the other two interfaces (I1/I3); if the switching interface is not switched, the current secondary high priority interface (I2) is maintained to communicate with the computer (47), if the highest priority is selected The weight interface (I1) returns to the highest priority re-routing procedure (A), and if the lowest priority re-interface (I3) is selected, the lowest priority re-communication procedure (C) is executed.

However, if the connection procedure is not completed, the lowest priority re-routing procedure (C) is entered in sequence. Similarly, when it is judged that the current external connection request signal (41) does not conform to the format agreement (S2) of the next highest priority interface, the lowest priority re-routing procedure (C) is also sequentially entered.

Please refer to the fourth C picture, enter the lowest priority communication program (C), first read the interface priority re-preset table, and take out the format agreement (S3) (50) of the lowest priority heavy interface to judge the current external connection Whether the request signal conforms to the format agreement of the lowest priority heavy interface (S3) (51), and if so, loads the connection procedure (52) of the lowest priority heavy interface, and executes the connection procedure, and then determines whether the connection procedure is Completion (53), if the connection procedure is completed, the lowest priority heavy interface is enabled (54), so that the storage device (20) communicates with the computer with the lowest priority heavy interface (I3); at the same time, the present invention also Provide another switching interface option (55) to switch to the other two interfaces (I1/I2); if the current lowest priority heavy interface (I3) is maintained to communicate with the computer, if the highest priority heavy interface (I1) is selected, then return The highest priority re-routing procedure (A), if the second highest priority heavy interface (I2) is selected, the next highest priority re-communication procedure (B) is executed.

However, if the connection procedure is not completed, it returns to the highest priority re-routing procedure (A) in sequence, until the connection is completed. Similarly, when it is judged that the current external connection request signal (51) does not conform to the format agreement (S3) of the lowest priority interface, the highest priority re-routing procedure (A) is also sequentially entered.

Please refer to the fifth embodiment for a flow chart of another preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is applied to a storage device having a SATA and a USB interface. If the storage device is to communicate with the computer at a higher transfer rate SATA interface, the storage device must be plugged into the SATA interface socket and the USB interface socket of the computer together with the SATA interface and the USB interface, so that the SATA interface can The power pin of the USB interface is used as the working power source; that is, when the storage device is plugged into the computer, the computer will automatically send the SATA and USB request connection signals to the storage device. In the following, it will be further explained that the storage device incorporating the method of the present invention can indeed improve the compatibility with the old computer.

When the storage device is powered on, it will receive the SATA connection request signal (60) from the computer, so the interface priority re-check list (61) can be read, and the SATA connection request signal is compared with the SATA interface format protocol (62). ), after judging the match, load the connection program of the SATA interface (63), start the connection program with the computer, and judge whether the connection procedure has been completed (64). If it is completed, it means the computer support. The host control interface (AHCI) directly enables the SATA interface (65); if not, it means that the computer (20) only supports the IDE interface, and the present invention automatically switches to the USB communication program. That is, the storage device reads the interface priority reset table (66), and makes a preliminary judgment (67) of the USB connection request signal sent by the computer, and if it is determined that the USB interface format agreement is met, the connection program with the computer is performed. If the thread passes, enable the USB interface (68). Since the USB transmission rate is still worse than that of the SATA, the switching interface (69) provided by the present invention can be used to determine whether to perform the switching. To switch to the SATA interface, first close the USB interface (71) and then directly load the connection of the SATA interface. Program (72), after the connection procedure is completed, SATA can be enabled (65).

Therefore, the embodiment provides a simpler way for the user to start the high-speed SATA interface. The SATA interface cannot be enabled because the computer does not support the advanced host control interface and must be operated by the computer to rescan the application.

The above switching interface selection can be implemented by an application (AP), BIOS, firmware or GPIO mode; in this case, when the application screen is designed to bounce a switching screen on the computer window, the option on the switching screen can be directly clicked.

It can be seen from the above description and the contents of the embodiments that the present invention is applied to a multi-interface storage device, and after multiple interfaces are simultaneously plugged into a computer, the communication procedure of the highest priority heavy interface can be performed according to the interface priority reset table. If you can't successfully connect with the computer, you will automatically select other interfaces to connect until the connection is successful. In addition, once the connection is successful, you can choose other interfaces by providing the switch interface. Conduct a communication program. Therefore, the present invention can solve the shortcomings of the current incomplete interface driver of the computer, and the storage device cannot quickly establish a connection with the computer quickly; in addition, it can also provide flexibility for the user to switch any interface. For the manufacturer of the storage device, the weight of each interface in the priority re-preset table can be set according to the application requirements, such as the transmission rate or the popularity of the interface, and the highest priority heavy interface is determined.

(10). . . Storage device

(11). . . control unit

(20). . . computer

First Figure: A schematic diagram of the present invention applied to a storage device and its interface to a computer interface.

Second figure: is a priority re-preset table of the present invention.

Third Figure: A flow chart of the present invention.

4A through C are flowcharts of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a flow chart of another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (7)

A switching method for multiple transmission interfaces of a storage device, wherein the multi-interface storage device comprises a plurality of different standard interfaces and a control unit, wherein the control unit is electrically connected to the plurality of interfaces; wherein the control unit has corresponding internal built-in The interface connection procedure and an interface priority re-preset table, and the switching single interface method includes: receiving an external connection request signal; and reading a format priority re-preset table in the highest priority heavy interface format agreement; Whether the external connection request signal matches the format agreement of the highest weight interface; if so, the connection procedure of the highest priority heavy interface is loaded and executed, and the highest priority heavy interface is enabled after the connection procedure is completed; If the connection procedure is not completed, the next step is performed; if not, the format of the next priority heavy interface is read according to the priority of the priority re-preset table, and then compared with the current external connection request signal respectively. Yes, if the comparison results are met, the connection procedure with the communication format is loaded and executed, and the corresponding communication is made. Interface enable; provide a switch interface selection; determine whether the switch interface is selected; if so, close the currently enabled interface and directly load and execute the connection procedure of the selected interface, and the selected interface is given Enable; otherwise, if the picture is not clicked, the enable state of the current interface is maintained. The method for switching multiple transmission interfaces applied to a storage device according to claim 1, wherein the interface priority re-preset table presets a highest priority heavy interface and its format agreement and connection procedure, and a high priority weight Interface and its format agreement and connection procedures. The highest priority interface is a SATA interface, and the next highest priority interface is a USB series interface, as described in claim 2, in the method of switching multiple transmission interfaces of a storage device. The method for switching multiple transmission interfaces applied to a storage device as described in claim 1, wherein the interface priority re-preset table is three sets of priority heavy interfaces and a format agreement and a connection procedure. The method for switching multiple transmission interfaces applied to a storage device as described in claim 4, the three sets of priority heavy interfaces are a SATA interface, a USB series interface, and an IEEE1394 interface. The method for switching multiple transmission interfaces applied to a storage device as described in claim 4, wherein the three sets of priority interfaces are a SATA interface, a USB series interface, and a PCI-e interface. The method for switching multiple transmission interfaces applied to a storage device as described in claim 4, wherein the three sets of priority interfaces are a SATA interface, a PCI-e series interface, and an IEEE1394 interface.