A hard disk adapter supporting M.2 and SATA protocols and dual host interconnection

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of hard disk adapter supporting M.2 and SATA protocol and double host interconnection, including converter body, the circuit board assembly is arranged in the converter body inside, the circuit board assembly electrically connected and is provided with SATA serial interface, M.2 NVME PCIE interface, first Type-C interface and second Type-C interface, the utility model, innovative product form design cooperation reasonable interface layout, facilitate the operation when user uses, simultaneously also satisfy the conversion demand of SATA interface and M.2 interface, in addition, by first Type-C interface and second Type-C interface realize double host connection function, can simultaneously connect two hosts, simultaneously read the M.2 hard disk and SATA hard disk of downstream connection, realize the data sharing of two hosts, even can realize mutual transmission data between two hosts, facilitate user synchronous transmission data, to improve the performance and practicality of converter.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of converter technology, specifically a hard drive adapter that supports M.2 and SATA protocols and dual-host interconnection. Background Technology

[0002] SATA interface hard drives (especially SATA SSDs) still hold a significant share of the low-to-mid-range market, primarily due to their low price and strong compatibility, making them suitable for upgrading older devices or for users with limited budgets. SATA HDDs maintain stable demand in high-capacity storage (such as NAS and enterprise-level storage). M.2 NVMe SSDs have experienced rapid growth in recent years, becoming mainstream in the consumer market, especially in mid-to-high-end laptops and DIY PC builds. In the future, SATA hard drives will gradually be replaced by M.2 and become marginalized. However, due to their advantages of large capacity and low cost, and the need for compatibility when upgrading older devices and systems, SATA interface adapters will have a large market share during the transition period, inevitably leading to significant reliance on SATA interface conversions. Meanwhile, M.2 interfaces will continue to gain increasing market share. To address this demand, we urgently need to launch adapters that connect both interfaces via USB, allowing users to enjoy the advantages of large capacity and low cost of SATA hard drives while also benefiting from the high transfer speeds and shock resistance of M.2. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a hard drive adapter that supports M.2 and SATA protocols and dual-host interconnection. Its innovative product design, combined with a reasonable interface layout, facilitates user operation and meets the conversion needs between SATA and M.2 interfaces. Furthermore, the dual-host connection function is achieved through the first and second Type-C interfaces, allowing simultaneous connection of two hosts and simultaneous reading of both the downstream M.2 and SATA hard drives. This enables data sharing between the two hosts and even data transfer between them, facilitating synchronous data transmission and improving the converter's performance and practicality. This solves the problems mentioned in the background section.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: a hard drive adapter supporting M.2 and SATA protocols and dual-host interconnection, comprising an adapter body, wherein a circuit board assembly is disposed inside the adapter body, and the circuit board assembly is electrically connected to a SATA serial interface, an M.2 NVME PCIE interface, a first Type-C interface, and a second Type-C interface. The SATA serial interface, M.2 NVME PCIE interface, first Type-C interface, and second Type-C interface are all disposed in a pre-set through hole in the adapter body housing and extend outward from the through hole; the circuit board assembly includes a hub unit, wherein the first Type-C interface and the second Type-C interface are connected to the hub unit as two uplink host ports, and the SATA serial interface and the M.2 NVME PCIE interface are connected to the hub unit as downlink device ports through corresponding protocol bridging controllers, so that two hosts connected to the two uplink host ports can share access to the storage device connected to the downlink device port through the hub unit.

[0005] Preferably, the converter body is arc-shaped, the circuit board assembly is arc-shaped, and the converter body circumferentially includes an inner side surface near the center of the arc, an outer side surface away from the center of the arc, and a left side surface and a right side surface respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the arc. The left side surface and the right side surface are both offset towards the side where the inner side surface is located. The first Type-C interface and the second Type-C interface are both disposed in a preset through hole on the outer side surface. The M.2 NVME PCIe interface is disposed in a preset through hole on the top end face of the converter body, and the SATA serial interface is disposed in a preset through hole on the left side surface and / or the right side surface.

[0006] Preferably, the circuit board assembly is electrically connected to a power switch and a DC interface, which are disposed in a pre-set through hole on the outer side and extend outward from the through hole.

[0007] Preferably, the circuit board assembly is electrically connected to a circuit switching switch, which is disposed in a pre-set through hole on the outer side and extends outward from the through hole.

[0008] Preferably, the circuit board assembly is encapsulated with an indicator light group, which includes multiple indicator lights. The multiple indicator lights are arranged in an arc on the top end face of the converter body and are located near the edge of the top end face that is in contact with the inner side. A light-transmitting hole is provided on the converter body housing at the location of the indicator light.

[0009] Preferably, a protective end cover is detachably provided on the left and / or right sides of the converter body, and the SATA serial interface is covered inside the protective end cover.

[0010] Preferably, a heat sink is provided below the circuit board assembly, the heat sink is thermally connected to the circuit board assembly, and a heat dissipation through hole is provided on the converter body housing to connect the inside and outside of the housing.

[0011] Preferably, the converter body includes an upper shell and a lower shell that are connected to each other, and a cavity is formed between the upper shell and the lower shell.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0013] This utility model features an innovative product design and a reasonable interface layout, which facilitates user operation and meets the conversion needs between SATA and M.2 interfaces. In addition, it enables dual-host connection through the first and second Type-C interfaces, allowing two hosts to be connected simultaneously and read from both the downstream M.2 and SATA hard drives. This enables data sharing between the two hosts and even data transfer between them, facilitating synchronous data transfer and improving the converter's performance and practicality. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the structure of this utility model;

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;

[0016] Figure 3 This is a reference diagram showing the usage state of this utility model;

[0017] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of the interface connection structure of this utility model.

[0018] In the diagram: 1. Converter body; 11. Upper shell; 12. Lower shell; 13. Protective end cover; 14. Circuit board assembly; 141. SATA serial interface; 142. M.2 NVME PCIe interface; 143. Power switch; 144. DC interface; 145. First Type-C interface; 146. Line switch; 147. Second Type-C interface; 15. Heatsink; 16. Light-transmitting hole; 17. Heat dissipation hole; 2. M.2 hard drive; 3. SATA hard drive. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0020] Please see Figure 1-3 A hard drive adapter supporting M.2 and SATA protocols and dual-host interconnection includes an adapter body 1. The adapter body 1 has an internal circuit board assembly 14. The adapter body 1 is arc-shaped, and the circuit board assembly 14 is also arc-shaped. The adapter body 1 circumferentially includes an inner side near the center of the arc, an outer side away from the center of the arc, and a left and right side respectively located on the left and right sides of the arc. The left and right sides are both offset towards the inner side. The circuit board assembly 14 is electrically connected to a SATA serial interface 141, an M.2 NVMe PCIe interface 142, a first Type-C interface 145, and a second Type-C interface 147. The first Type-C interface 145 and the second Type-C interface 147 are both located in pre-set through holes on the outer side and extend outwards from the through holes. The circuit board assembly 14 includes a hub unit. The first Type-C interface 145 and the second Type-C interface 147 serve as two upstream host ports connected to the hub unit. The SATA serial interface 141 and the M.2... The NVMe PCIe interface 142, acting as a downstream device port, is connected to the hub unit via a corresponding protocol bridging controller. This allows two hosts connected to the two upstream host ports to share access to the storage device connected to the downstream device port through the hub unit. The M.2 NVMe PCIe interface 142 is located in a pre-set through-hole on the top surface of the converter body 1 and extends outward from the through-hole. The SATA serial interface 141 is located in a pre-set through-hole on the left and / or right sides and extends outward from the through-hole. The first Type-C interface 145 and the second Type-C interface 147 are used to connect the two upstream hosts respectively. The SATA serial interface 141 is used to connect the SATA hard drive 3, and the M.2 NVMe PCIe interface 142 is used to plug in the M.2 hard drive.

[0021] The circuit board assembly 14 is electrically connected to a power switch 143 and a DC interface 144. The power switch 143 and the DC interface 144 are located in a pre-set through hole on the outer side and extend outward from the through hole. The power switch 143 is used to cut off or connect the working circuit of the converter, and the DC interface 144 is used to connect to an external power supply.

[0022] The circuit board assembly 14 is electrically connected to a line switch 146. The line switch 146 is located in a pre-set through hole on the outer side and extends outward from the through hole. When one host is turned off, the USB device is connected to another host through the line switch 146 to ensure that the device always stays online and avoids the device going offline and data interruption due to the shutdown of one host.

[0023] The circuit board assembly 14 is encapsulated with an indicator light group, which includes multiple indicator lights 148. The multiple indicator lights 148 are arranged in an arc on the top end face of the converter body 1, and are located near the edge of the top end face that is in contact with the inner side. The housing of the converter body 1 is provided with light-transmitting holes 16 corresponding to the positions of the indicator lights 148. The indicator lights 148 are used to indicate the current working status of the converter body 1. The indication content of the indicator lights 148 is set during the production design and explained to the user through relevant user manuals.

[0024] The converter body 1 is detachably covered with a protective end cover 13 on the left and / or right sides. The SATA serial interface 141 is covered inside the protective end cover 13, and the protective end cover 13 serves to protect the SATA serial interface 141.

[0025] The converter body 1 includes an upper shell 11 and a lower shell 12 that are connected to each other, forming a cavity between the upper shell 11 and the lower shell 12. A heat sink 15 is disposed below the circuit board assembly 14. The heat sink 15 is thermally connected to the circuit board assembly 14. Specifically, the heat sink (15) is tightly attached to the back of the circuit board assembly (14). The heat from the main heat-generating components on the circuit board assembly (14) is conducted to the back through the circuit board substrate and internal circuitry, and then absorbed and diffused by the heat sink (15). The converter body 1 has heat dissipation holes 17 that connect the inside and outside of the housing to promote airflow and enhance heat dissipation.

[0026] Please see Figure 4 The circuit layout and working principle of the converter are as follows:

[0027] When the UFP1 USB3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle and UFP2 USB3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle are connected to a host device such as a mobile phone, tablet, or computer, this product will immediately communicate with the host uplink device so that the host uplink device can recognize the product.

[0028] Host devices connected to this product can communicate with it and establish data connections and exchanges via the USB 3.2 Gen2 hub. Simultaneously, the USB 3.2 Gen2 hub generates three downlink communication links. These three downlink communication links all support bidirectional data transfer at 10Gbps speeds and are respectively connected to the data bridge and control units USB 3.2 Gen2 to PCIe Bridge Controller1, USB 3.2 to Gen2 PCIe Bridge Controller2, and USB 3.2 Gen1 to SATA Bridge Controller, and generate three downlink device ports: DFP1 M.2 NVMe SSD, DFP2 M.2 NVMe SSD, and DFP3 SATA SSD.

[0029] Insert the M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD into the M.2 port DFP1 of this product. This M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD uses the USB 3.2 Gen2 to PCIe Bridge Controller 1 unit to convert the USB protocol data format into PCIe protocol data that the M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD can recognize. Data (such as photos, videos, files, etc.) from two host upstream devices (such as mobile phones, tablets, or computers) connected to the two upstream ports UFP1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle and UFP2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle of this product can then be easily stored or backed up to the M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD connected to this product. Simultaneously, the USB 3.2 Gen2 to PCIeBridge Controller 1 unit can also convert PCIe protocol data on the M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD into a USB protocol data format that can be recognized by mobile phones, tablets, or computers. This data is then transmitted to two host devices (mobile phones, tablets, or computers) via the USB 3.2 Gen2 HUB unit and the two uplink ports UFP1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle and UFP2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle connected to this product. This allows the two host devices to easily access and manipulate the data on the M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD on the product's downlink Device port DFP1.

[0030] Insert the M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD into the M.2 port DFP2 of this product. This M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD uses the USB 3.2 Gen2 to PCIe Bridge Controller2 unit to convert the USB protocol data format into PCIe protocol data that the M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD can recognize. Data (such as photos, videos, files, etc.) from two host upstream devices (such as mobile phones, tablets, or computers) connected to the two upstream ports UFP1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle and UFP2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle of this product can be easily stored or backed up to the M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD connected to this product. Simultaneously, the USB 3.2 Gen2 to PCIeBridge Controller2 unit can also convert PCIe protocol data on the M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD into a USB protocol data format that can be recognized by mobile phones, tablets, or computers. This data is then transmitted to two host devices (mobile phones, tablets, or computers) via the USB 3.2 Gen2 HUB hub unit and the two upstream ports connected to this product: UFP1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle and UFP2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle. This allows the two host devices to easily access and manipulate the data on the M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD on the downstream Device port DFP2.

[0031] Insert the SATA SSD into the DFP3 SATA SSD port of this product. The SATA SSD uses the USB 3.2 Gen1 to SATA Bridge Controller unit to convert the USB protocol data format into SATA protocol data that the SATA SSD can recognize. Data (such as photos, videos, files, etc.) from two host upstream devices (phones, tablets, or computers) connected to the two upstream ports (UFP1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle and UFP2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle) of this product can then be easily stored or backed up to the SATA SSD connected to this product. Simultaneously, the USB 3.2 Gen1 to SATA Bridge Controller unit can also convert the SATA protocol data on the SATA SSD into a USB protocol data format that the phone, tablet, or computer can recognize, and then transmit it to the two host upstream devices (phones, tablets, or computers) through the USB 3.2 Gen2 HUB hub unit and the two upstream ports (UFP1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle and UFP2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle) connected to this product. In this way, two host upstream devices such as mobile phones, tablets or computers can easily access and operate the data on the SATA SSD hard drive on the DFP3 SATA SSD downstream device port of this product.

[0032] Based on the above summary, two host upstream devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, or computers, connected to the two upstream ports UFP1 USB3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle and UFP2 USB3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle of this product can share two M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs and one SATA SSD connected to the three downstream device ports DFP1 M.2 NVMe SSD, DFP2 M.2 NVMe SSD, and DFP3 SATA SSD respectively through the USB3.2 Gen2 HUB unit. This enables resource sharing and data communication between the two upstream devices and the three downstream devices.

[0033] Once mounted, the two M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs and one SATA SSD physically connected to the three downstream Device ports (DFP1 M.2 NVMe SSD, DFP2 M.2 NVMe SSD, and DFP3 SATA SSD) can be flexibly assigned to any one of the two host upstream devices (such as mobile phones, tablets, or computers) on the two upstream ports (UFP1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle and UFP2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle). For example, when the USB 3.2 Gen2 HUB detects that the line switching switch (UFP Switch) is turned to state one, it will simultaneously allocate two M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs and one SATA SSD connected to the three downstream Device ports (DFP1 M.2 NVMe SSD, DFP2 M.2 NVMe SSD, and DFP3 SATA SSD) to a mobile phone, tablet, or computer connected to the upstream port (UFP1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle). When the UFP Switch is switched to state two, the USB 3.2 Gen2 Hub will immediately detect the change in the state of the UFP Switch and simultaneously allocate the two M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs and one SATA SSD connected to the three downstream Device ports (DFP1 M.2 NVMe SSD, DFP2 M.2 NVMe SSD, and DFP3 SATA SSD) to the mobile phone, tablet, or computer connected to the upstream port (UFP2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle).In this way, even if either of the two host upstream devices (such as mobile phones, tablets, or computers) connected to the two upstream ports UFP1 USB3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle and UFP2 USB3.2 Gen2 Type C Receptacle) is powered off, the USB3.2 Gen2 HUB can flexibly allocate the two M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs and one SATA SSD connected to the three downstream device ports DFP1 M.2 NVMe SSD, DFP2 M.2 NVMe SSD, and DFP3 SATA SSD to the device that is not powered off, thus achieving uninterrupted resource sharing and data communication.

[0034] In summary, this utility model features an innovative product design and a reasonable interface layout, which facilitates user operation and meets the conversion needs between SATA and M.2 interfaces. Furthermore, the first Type-C interface 145 and the second Type-C interface 147 enable dual-host connection, allowing simultaneous connection of two hosts and simultaneous reading of both the downstream M.2 and SATA hard drives. This facilitates data sharing between the two hosts and even enables data transfer between them, allowing users to synchronize data transfer and thus improving the converter's performance and practicality.

[0035] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

[0036] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A hard drive adapter supporting M.2 and SATA protocols and dual-host interconnection, comprising an adapter body (1), characterized in that: The converter body (1) contains a circuit board assembly (14), which is electrically connected to a SATA serial interface (141), an M.2 NVME PCIE interface (142), a first Type-C interface (145), and a second Type-C interface (147). The SATA serial interface (141), M.2 NVME PCIE interface (142), first Type-C interface (145), and second Type-C interface (147) are all located in pre-set through holes in the converter body (1) housing and extend outward from the through holes. The circuit board assembly (14) includes a hub unit, and the first Type-C interface (145) and second Type-C interface (147) are connected to the hub unit as two uplink host ports. The SATA serial interface (141) and M.2 NVME PCIE interface (142) are also connected to the converter body housing (145). The PCIE interface (142) is connected to the hub unit as a downstream device port through a corresponding protocol bridging controller, so that two hosts connected to the two upstream host ports can share access to the storage device connected to the downstream device port through the hub unit.

2. The hard disk adapter supporting M.2 and SATA protocols and dual host interconnection according to claim 1, characterized in that: The converter body (1) is arc-shaped, the circuit board assembly (14) is arc-shaped, the converter body (1) includes an inner side near the center of the arc, an outer side away from the center of the arc, and a left side and a right side respectively disposed on the left and right sides of the arc. The left side and the right side are both offset towards the side where the inner side is located. The first Type-C interface (145) and the second Type-C interface (147) are both disposed in the through holes preset on the outer side. The M.2 NVME PCIE interface (142) is disposed in the through hole preset on the top end face of the converter body (1), and the SATA serial interface (141) is disposed in the through holes preset on the left side and / or the right side.

3. The hard disk adapter supporting M.2 and SATA protocols and dual host interconnection according to claim 2, characterized in that: The circuit board assembly (14) is electrically connected to a power switch (143) and a DC interface (144). The power switch (143) and the DC interface (144) are located in a pre-set through hole on the outer side and extend outward from the through hole.

4. The hard disk adapter supporting M.2 and SATA protocols and dual host interconnection according to claim 2, characterized in that: The circuit board assembly (14) is electrically connected to a line switching switch (146), which is located in a pre-set through hole on the outer side and extends outward from the through hole.

5. The hard disk adapter supporting M.2 and SATA protocols and dual host interconnection according to claim 2, characterized in that: The circuit board assembly (14) is encapsulated with an indicator light group, which includes multiple indicator lights (148). The multiple indicator lights (148) are arranged in an arc on the top end face of the converter body (1) and are located near the edge of the top end face that is connected to the inner side. A light-transmitting hole (16) is provided on the housing of the converter body (1) at the location of the indicator light (148).

6. The hard disk adapter supporting M.2 and SATA protocols and dual host interconnection according to claim 2, characterized in that: The converter body (1) is detachably covered with a protective end cover (13) on the left and / or right sides, and the SATA serial interface (141) is covered inside the protective end cover (13).

7. The hard disk adapter supporting M.2 and SATA protocols and dual-host interconnection according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: A heat sink (15) is provided below the circuit board assembly (14). The heat sink (15) is thermally connected to the circuit board assembly (14). A heat dissipation through hole (17) is provided on the housing of the converter body (1) to connect the inside and outside of the housing.

8. The hard disk adapter supporting M.2 and SATA protocols and dual-host interconnection according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The converter body (1) includes an upper shell (11) and a lower shell (12) that are connected to each other, and a cavity is formed between the upper shell (11) and the lower shell (12).

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