Renesas Technology Corp.

Hitachi Ulsi Systems Co., Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd.

Other

Renesas Electronics Corporation

Atsushi Shikata

Motoki Kanamori

Kunihiro Katayama

Takayuki Tamura

Atsushi Shiraishi

Kenji Kozakai

Shigeo Kurakata

Kazunori Furusawa

Yosuke Yukawa

Yusuke Jono

Chiaki Kumahara

Yuusuke Jono

Hidefumi Odate

Yasuhiro Nakamura

Seisuke Hirosawa

Makoto Mori

Hideo Kasai

Shinsuke Asari

Hidefumi Oodate

Tetsuya Iida

Kazuto Izawa

Makoto Obata

Masato Matsumoto

A controllerof a memory card is a provided with a command decoding circuitfor decoding commands issued by a host HT, a command enable registerin which the validity or invalidity of the received command, and a command detection signal generating circuitfor detecting a valid command on the basis of the result of decoding by the command decoding circuitand a value set by the command enable register. If the command enable registerreceives a validly set command, the command detection signal generating circuitwill supply a detection signal to a control unitto execute processing prescribed for each command. the command enable registerreceives an invalidly set command, no detection signal will be supplied, and the command will be ignored.

Memory card and data rewriting method

The present invention provides a nonvolatile memory card in which a program is added, modified, changed, or the like by selecting arbitrary firmware on a flash memory from a plurality of pieces of firmware on flash memories. In a memory card, in addition to a program stored in a built-in ROM, firmware on flash memories as programs for adding, changing, modifying, or the like of a function such as a patch program are stored. Firmware on a flash memory which is desired to be made valid is set in a parameter sector or the like and is loaded into an external RAM, and the CPU of a control logic executes a process.

Nonvolatile memory card

A memory card () includes an electrically rewritable non-volatile memory (), a data processor () having a function of executing instructions, and managing the allocation of file data in the non-volatile memory, an interface control circuit () having a function of establishing an external interface, for controlling the execution of instructions by the data processor in response to external commands and for controlling access to the non-volatile memory and a buffer memory () for temporarily storing the file data. The interface control circuit includes command control means for decoding a first command externally supplied and for instructing the data processor to fetch an instruction from the buffer memory and to operate.

Nonvolatile semiconductor memory apparatus having buffer memory for storing a program and buffering work data

When a non-volatile memory write error occurs in a card storage device containing a non-volatile memory and an error correction circuit, write data is read from the non-volatile memory and a check is made if the error can be corrected by the error correction circuit. If the error can be corrected, the write operation is ended. If the error correction circuit cannot correct the error, substitute processing is performed to write data into some other area.

Non-volatile semiconductor memory device

A memory card is provided with a transfer control circuit, a write control circuit and a judging circuit. The transfer control circuit outputs a transfer flag signal during the data transfer. The write control circuit outputs an internal busy signal during the data write operation. The judging circuit outputs a transfer interruption signal when a card selection signal of the host is negated during the input of the transfer flat signal and also outputs a suspension signal when the card selection signal is negated during the input of the internal busy signal. A CPU invalidates the data being transfer to interrupt the transfer process upon reception of the transfer interruption signal and completes, upon reception of the suspension signal, the process being executed and stays in the waiting condition. Consequently, even when the timing signal not conforming to the standards is transferred, the host can select the optimum processing operation from the internal processing conditions and thereby execute the selected operation.

Non-volatile memory card and transfer interruption means

The present invention is directed to suppress data loss caused by power shut-down during a rewriting process and to shorten time required to make a depletion check. A nonvolatile memory apparatus includes a rewritable nonvolatile memory and a card controller. The nonvolatile memory has a physical address area corresponding to a logical address and a save area. In response to a data rewrite instruction on a required logical address, the card controller stores data in a predetermined physical address area corresponding to the logical address to the save area and rewrites the data stored in the physical address area. When rewriting of the physical address area is incomplete, the card controller rewrites the data in the physical address area with the data stored in the save area. Thus, data loss caused by the power shut-down can be suppressed by data backup, and it is sufficient to make the depletion check in two places of the save area and the physical address area.

Nonvolatile memory apparatus which prevents destruction of write data caused by power shutdown during a writing process

Whether an initial command outputted from a host is 'CMDor 'CMDCMDis detected with an initial command detection portion, and the result of detection is set in an SD/MMC register. Reset process for hardware and that for firmware are carried out based on the result of detection set in the SD/MMC register. Thereafter, a microcomputersets data indicating in which mode, MultiMedia Card mode or SD mode, the firmware reset process was carried out, in a F/W process SD/MMC register. A H/W-F/W mode comparison circuitcompares data in the SD/MMC registerwith data in the F/W process SD/MMC register. If these data agree with each other, busy state is released, and command wait state is established. If they disagree with each other, a disagreement occurrence detection signal is outputted to the microcomputer, and power-on reset processing is performed again.

Memory card and initialization setting method thereof to avoid initializing operation failure in a memory card

Memory card having buffer memory for storing testing instruction

A card device has a regulator (), a first internal circuit () and a second internal circuit (), and the regulator supplies, to the second internal circuit, an internal voltage generated by dropping an external voltage (VCC) when the external voltage is high, and exactly supplies the external voltage as the internal voltage to the second internal circuit when the external voltage is low, and the external voltage is supplied as an operating power source to the first internal circuit and a transition to a low consumed power state is carried out if a command is not input for a certain period. The card device stops the operation of the regulator and suppresses the supply of the internal voltage to the second internal circuit in the transition to the low consumed power state. In the low consumed power state, consequently, it is possible to suppress a power consumption in each of the regulator and the second internal circuit in the card device.

Memory card device having low consumed power in the consumed power state

A memory card is provided in which power consumption is reduced by the pull-up resistor of an input terminal and a misoperation induced by the pull-down resistor of a host apparatus is prevented. The memory card has a select terminal connected to the pull-up resistor. When the mode of the memory card is determined based on an input from the select terminal, a relatively low resistance value is selected for the pull-up resistor of the select terminal before a determination timing and the pull-up resistor is restored to an initial resistance value after the mode determination. A relatively high resistance value reduces a leakage current consumed by the pull-up resistor of the select terminal. When a pull-down resistor is connected to the terminal of a memory card host to which the memory card is attached, if the resistance value of the pull-up resistor is excessively high, it is influenced by the drawing in of a current by the pull-down resistor. If the resistance value of the pull-up resistor of the select terminal is lowered at the time of mode determination, an adverse effect of the lowering of a potential by the pull-down resistor can be circumvented.

Method of recognizing a card using a select signal during a determination mode and switching from low to high resistance after the determination

A memory card and a microcomputer with nonvolatile memory wherein operation under two different types of power supply specifications achieved are provided. A MultiMediacard includes a flash memory and with the flash memory. When the controller judges the level of supply voltage supplied from host equipment, operates as follows: the controller judges whether detecting point corresponding to voltage level 1.8V system been exceeded. After the judgment of excess, the controller judges whether detecting point corresponding to the voltage level system has been exceeded. When the 1.8V system, flash memory to operate the controller causes the 1.8v-system operation mode without driving regulators voltage level shifters. When the supply voltage level 3.3V system, the controller drives the regulators and the level shifters convert the voltage level causes the flash memory operate the 3.3V-system operation mode.

Memory card and data processing system

In a card storage device containing a non-volatile memory and a buffer memory, the buffer memory includes a plurality of banks. Data is transferred sequentially from a host CPU to the banks of the buffer memory, data is transferred to the non-volatile memory from a bank that becomes full, a write operation is started when one unit of data to be written into the non-volatile memory at a time has been transferred and, without waiting for the data to be written, the next write data is transferred from the host CPU to a bank from which write data has been transferred.

Growing community of inventors

Higashimurayama, Japan

Atsushi Shikata