Stacked-Device Peripheral Storage Card PCIe Switch
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bulk storage systems face physical limitations in density, space requirements, and the number of devices per host, which restricts capacity, redundancy, and reliability, especially in networked, cloud, and enterprise environments.
Innovation Solution
A storage card with a stacked arrangement of M.2 solid state drives and a PCIe switch circuit that communicates PCIe signaling between storage devices and a host, enabling data striping, mirroring, and presenting multiple drives as a single logical unit, along with power control mechanisms for redundancy and failover.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple storage devices are connected per host using traditional bulk storage systems, then storage capacity increases, but physical space requirements and device complexity increase proportionally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a horizontal arrangement of storage devices to a vertical stacked configuration. Multiple M.2 storage devices are arranged in a stacked array along the vertical dimension, allowing multiple devices to occupy a smaller horizontal footprint while maintaining full connectivity through the PCIe switch circuit.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage devices are nested within a compact card assembly structure. Multiple M.2 devices are stacked and integrated into a single card form factor that interfaces with the host through one PCIe connection, effectively nesting multiple storage units within a confined space.
2Quantity of substance
If more storage devices are added to increase capacity and redundancy, then the number of devices per host increases, but physical limitations and space requirements are reached
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple storage devices are merged into a single card assembly that presents as one logical unit to the host. The PCIe switch circuit consolidates multiple device connections into a unified interface, reducing the number of separate interconnect paths while maintaining connectivity to all storage devices through the stacked arrangement.
3Quantity of substance
If traditional bulk storage systems are used to meet storage needs, then capacity can be increased, but environmental climate control space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The storage system adopts a vertical stacking architecture that grows upward rather than outward horizontally. This dimensional change reduces the horizontal space required for both storage devices and their associated climate control infrastructure, allowing high-density storage without proportionally increasing environmental control requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
Various computer peripheral cards, devices, systems, methods, and software are provided herein. In one example, a storage card insertable into a host system includes a plurality of storage device connectors in a stacked arrangement, each configured to mate with associated storage devices and carry Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) signaling for the associated storage devices. The storage card also includes a PCIe switch circuit configured to communicatively couple the PCIe signaling of the plurality of storage device connectors and PCIe signaling of a host connector of the storage card, where the PCIe switch circuit is configured to receive storage operations over the PCIe signaling of the host connector of the storage card and transfer the storage operations for delivery over the PCIe signaling of selected ones of the plurality of storage device connectors.