Embedded Controller SSD Design for Noiseless High-Speed Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data storage mechanisms, such as hard disk drives, produce mechanical noise, heat, and have slower access rates compared to solid state drives, which lack mechanical components and offer faster data transfer and higher stability.
Innovation Solution
A solid state drive design featuring a printed circuit board with embedded controller and memory, allowing for parallel orientation and stacking without cables, utilizing a ball grid array for electrical coupling and a support structure with slots and a cover for secure positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If hard disk drives are used for data storage, then mechanical components provide data storage capability, but mechanical noise, heat generation, and slower access rates occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of hard disk drives with a solid-state system using flash memory chips mounted on a printed circuit board. This substitution eliminates mechanical components such as spinning platters and read/write heads, thereby eliminating mechanical noise and heat generation while significantly improving data access rates. The solid state drive uses electronic control to read and write data directly to memory cells without any moving parts.
2Speed
If solid state drives are designed with embedded controller and memory in printed circuit board, then data transfer speed and stability improve, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the controller and memory into a single integrated solid state drive unit mounted on a printed circuit board. The controller chip is directly mounted on the board along with multiple flash memory chips, creating a unified assembly that functions as a complete storage device. This merging approach simplifies the overall system architecture by eliminating the need for separate controller and storage components, reducing cable connections, and enabling direct integration with the host system's data bus.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional horizontal stacking of storage components to a vertical arrangement where multiple flash memory chips are mounted on the printed circuit board in a compact configuration. This dimensional reorganization allows for higher storage capacity within a smaller form factor while maintaining efficient heat dissipation and signal routing. The vertical stacking of memory chips on the PCB enables scalable capacity increases without proportionally increasing the device footprint.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple solid state drives are stacked vertically in support structure, then storage capacity increases, but space requirements and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the storage system into modular solid state drive units, each consisting of a printed circuit board with integrated controller and flash memory chips. These modular units can be independently manufactured, tested, and replaced. The segmentation allows for scalable configurations where multiple identical modules are stacked vertically in a support structure, enabling easy expansion of storage capacity by simply adding or removing modules without redesigning the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the solid state drive with a universal interface and standardized mounting configuration that allows the same drive unit to serve multiple functions. The drive can be installed in various orientations and configurations within the support structure, and the same modular unit can provide different storage capacities by varying the number of flash memory chips on each board. This universality simplifies the support structure design, as a single standardized mounting mechanism can accommodate different storage configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
A solid state drive includes a printed circuit board, at least one memory and a controller. The at least one memory stores data. The at least one memory is embedded in the substrate of the printed circuit board. The controller controls the at least one memory to perform a write operation or a read operation. The controller is also embedded in the substrate of the printed circuit board.