Nonvolatile Storage Clock Masking for Floating Power State
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Solution Overview
Problem
Nonvolatile storage devices, such as those in ink cartridges, face data corruption due to power supply failures, particularly when the power supply or ground terminals enter a floating state, leading to incomplete rewriting and communication errors.
Innovation Solution
A storage apparatus with a detection circuit that identifies floating states in power supply and ground terminals, and a mask process section that masks the system clock to prevent data corruption by stopping access and transmission operations when such states are detected.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the storage apparatus uses terminal contact connection for power supply and data communication, then ease of connection is improved, but data reliability deteriorates due to floating state causing corruption
Solution Approach 1:
The detection circuit performs preliminary detection of the power supply state before data access operations are initiated. By detecting floating states in advance through voltage level monitoring on power supply terminals, the system prevents corrupted data access before it can occur, resolving the contradiction by maintaining connection simplicity while adding proactive reliability protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection circuit acts as an intermediary between the power supply terminal and the data access control. It monitors the power supply state and conditions the system clock that drives memory access, thereby mediating between the simple terminal connection and the need for data integrity by blocking access when floating states are detected.
2Productivity
If the system allows continuous data access to nonvolatile memory, then productivity is improved, but data corruption risk increases during power supply failures
Solution Approach 1:
The detection circuit serves as an intermediary that conditions the system clock signal before it reaches the data access control logic. By monitoring power supply terminals and blocking the clock signal when floating states are detected, it enables continuous productivity during normal operation while preventing corruption during power failures, thus resolving the contradiction between efficiency and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical or direct electrical connection-based access control with an electrical signal-based control mechanism. Instead of relying on physical connection stability alone, the system uses voltage-level detection and clock signal conditioning to intelligently control access, substituting simple terminal contact with a more sophisticated but transparent control layer that maintains productivity while enhancing reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A storage apparatus including a nonvolatile storage section and a control section controlling the nonvolatile storage section, wherein the control section has a detection circuit detecting floating state in at least one of power supply terminal connected to host side power supply terminal to which a power supply voltage is supplied from the host device, and ground terminal connected to host side ground terminal to which a ground voltage is supplied from the host device and a mask process section performing a mask process of the system clock that is used to control the nonvolatile storage section, wherein the mask process section masks the system clock if the floating state is detected by the detection circuit.