Renesas Technology Corp.

Hitachi Ulsi Systems Co., Ltd.

Chiaki Kumahara

Atsushi Shikata

Hidefumi Odate

Takayuki Tamura

Hideo Kasai

Yasuhiro Nakamura

Motoki Kanamori

Atsushi Shiraishi

Shigeo Kurakata

Shinsuke Asari

Shinichi Shuto

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

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

Disclosed herewith is a semiconductor processing system such as a card type electronic device, which can easily cope with an error caused by power shutoff that occurs when the card is ejected. The semiconductor processing system is provided with an interface control circuit and a processing circuit and receives operation power from an external device such as a card slot when it is inserted therein. According to a first aspect of the present invention for coping with an error caused by power shutoff that occurs when the card is ejected, the interface control circuit, when the card is ejected from the card slot, detects a potential change to occur at a first external terminal to be disconnected from a predetermined terminal of the card slot before the power supply from the card slot is shut off, then instructs the processing circuit that is active to perform an ending processing. The semiconductor processing system can end the processing by itself before the power supply stops completely.

System for preventing errors upon ejection of a memory card from a slot

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

A nonvolatile memory has an erase table in which a free-space information flag is associated with each physical address of a memory area and an address translation table in which a physical address of a memory area is associated with each logical address. The free-space information flag indicates whether a corresponding memory area is permitted to be erased. A control circuit determines a memory area to which rewrite data is to be written by referring to the free-space information flag, reflects the physical address and the logical address of the memory area to which the data is written into the address translation table, and updates the free-space information flag. The memory area to which rewrite data is to be written is determined by referring to the free-space information flag, and rewriting is not performed in the same memory area.

Nonvolatile memory card

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

Growing community of inventors

Kodaira, Japan

Chiaki Kumahara