Memory Card Access Device Using Cache Protocol for Random Data Acceleration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing storage devices, such as traditional HDDs, struggle with slow random data access rates during startup and data reading, while SSDs are costly and not widely adopted due to high unit storage volume costs, and hybrid HDDs with flash memory are expensive, making it challenging to achieve cost-effective acceleration of startup and data reading processes.
Innovation Solution
A memory card access device and system that treats a memory card as a cache device using a control method and circuitry to execute a predetermined cache protocol, such as AHCI or NVM-Express, to accelerate data access by processing frequently and non-frequently used data, and includes a memory card interface circuit, host interface circuit, and control circuit to manage card-read and host-read signals, enabling faster data access independent of the cache protocol.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a traditional HDD is used as main storage device, then large storage volume and low cost are achieved, but random data access rate is slow and startup time is long
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system is segmented into two parts: a small-capacity high-speed memory card serving as cache for frequently accessed data, and a large-capacity low-cost HDD for bulk storage. This segmentation allows the system to leverage the speed advantage of memory cards for random access while maintaining the capacity advantage of HDDs, thereby resolving the contradiction between access speed and storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
A memory card is introduced as an intermediary device between the host and the HDD. The memory card acts as a cache layer that intercepts random read requests from the host, serving frequently accessed data from its high-speed storage, thereby mediating between the host's speed requirements and the HDD's capacity/cost advantages.
2Speed
If a SSD is used as cache device, then random data access rate and startup speed are improved, but cost per unit storage volume is high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive SSDs with cheaper memory cards as the cache device. Memory cards provide sufficient speed improvement over HDDs for random data access while being significantly more cost-effective, allowing the system to achieve the desired performance improvement without incurring the high costs associated with SSD-based caching solutions.
3Speed
If a hybrid HDD with built-in flash memory is used, then data cache function is supported, but cost is much higher than traditional HDD
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a memory card and an HDD into a unified storage system through a controller that manages data caching operations. This merging allows the system to achieve the caching functionality of hybrid drives while using more cost-effective components (memory card instead of built-in flash memory), thereby resolving the contradiction between performance improvement and cost increase.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a memory card access device, the control method thereof and a memory card access system. Said device comprises: a memory card interface circuit to generate card-read data according to a card-read signal or generate a card-writing signal according to card-writing data; a host interface circuit to generate host-read data according to a host-read signal or generate the host-writing signal according to host-writing data; and a control circuit, coupled to the memory card and host interface circuits respectively, operable to generate the host-writing data by processing the card-read data according to a predetermined cache protocol or generating the card-writing data by processing the host-read data according to the predetermined cache protocol, so as to treat a memory card as a cache device.