KR101118237B1 - Portable memory device using of superspeed usb protocol - Google Patents

Abstract

The present portable memory device relates to a portable memory device using a high speed USB protocol including a data line and a high speed communication line. The device comprises a USB plug; COB package; And a case covering a region of the USB plug and the COB package. Here, a case fixing hole is formed in the metal cover constituting the USB plug, and a case fixing protrusion fitted into the case fixing hole is formed inside the case.

Description

PORTABLE MEMORY DEVICE USING OF SUPERSPEED USB PROTOCOL}

The present invention relates to a portable memory device, and more particularly, to a portable memory device having a connector suitable for a high speed Universal Serial Bus (USB) protocol.

In 2008, the USB Implementer's Forum announced the new USB 3.0 protocol. Ultra-fast USB (Universal Serial Bus) is designed to provide faster data transfer rates and support higher levels of current for each port to improve power delivery capabilities compared to traditional USB 2.0 protocols. The new USB 3.0 protocol offers new power management capabilities, as well as new cables and connectors that are compatible with existing USB 2.0 specifications. In particular, the most striking change in connectors defined as standard in the new USB 3.0 protocol is the addition of five high-speed communication lines in parallel to the existing four data lines used in the USB 2.0 protocol.

The four data lines used in the USB 2.0 protocol consist of a power pin, a serial differential pair ("D-" pin and "D +" pin), and a ground pin. In the high-speed USB protocol, there are five pins for high-speed communication: a pair of SuperSpeed receiver differential pairs ("RX-" and "RX +" pins), ground pins, and a pair of transmit pins (SuperSpeed). Transmitter differential pairs ("TX-" Pin and "TX +" Pin) have been added. Therefore, electronic devices using the high-speed USB protocol should use connectors (sockets and plugs) complying with the new standard.

Figure 10 shows a standard A type socket as defined by the high speed USB protocol. As shown in FIG. 10, the ultra-fast USB standard A type socket has the same appearance as a conventional USB 2.0 standard type A socket. That is, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the USB standard socket 10 is surrounded by an insulating substrate 12 made of a solid material such as ceramic or plastic, and is spaced apart from the insulating substrate 12 at regular intervals. Is composed of a metal cover 14. In addition, a plurality of metal contacts are formed on one surface of the insulating substrate 12. The socket 10 is installed in, for example, a host, a personal computer (PC), and the like. Unlike the conventional USB 2.0 standard socket, an ultra-high speed communication line is installed in addition to the data line in the ultra-high speed USB protocol. Accordingly, in the socket 10 of FIG. 10, a metal contact 13b for a high speed communication line is formed in front of the insulating substrate 12, and a metal contact 13a for a data line is formed behind the socket 10. In particular, in order to avoid interference between the data line and the high speed communication line, the metal line 13a for the data line is formed in the form of a spring contact, so that the contact positions of the metal line 13b for the high speed data line are different.

On the other hand, portable memory devices are gradually decreasing in size, and in order to implement a memory device having a desired capacity in a narrow space, the mounting density of the memory device must be increased. In order to solve this problem, a memory device is implemented using a chip on board process. COB technology is one of semiconductor assembly technologies in which a memory chip, which is a core component of a memory device, is directly bonded to a printed circuit board (PCB) by a bonding wire in a wafer state. In particular, because the high speed USB protocol requires multiple channels, a larger number of memory chips are required than the conventional USB 2.0 protocol. Therefore, in order to miniaturize a portable memory device suitable for a high speed USB protocol, it is necessary to implement a memory device in a COB package.

However, when manufacturing a COB package for miniaturization of a portable memory device, it is difficult to form a metal contact for a data line and a metal contact for a high speed communication line required in a high speed USB protocol in one COB package. Although U.S. Publication No. 2008/0218799 discloses a technique of forming a metal contact for data lines and a metal contact for a high speed communication line in a single COB package, a metal contact for a high speed communication line formed in a spring form is a COB package. Installation in the inside not only entails a very complicated process, but also secures physical contact reliability because the metal contact for the high-speed communication line is fixed by the plastic housing.

Accordingly, in order to miniaturize a portable memory device that is suitable for the ultra-high speed USB protocol, a new structure is required to implement the portable memory device as a COB package and further secure contact reliability between the plug and the COB package required by the ultra-high speed USB protocol.

The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and to provide a portable memory device that can secure the contact reliability of the plug of the standard standard required by the high-speed USB protocol while using a COB package for miniaturization of the product. It aims to do it.

A portable memory device according to the present invention is a portable memory device using a high-speed USB protocol including a data line and a high-speed communication line, the portable memory device comprising an insulating substrate having a front end and a rear end and spaced apart from each other at the front end of the insulating substrate. The data line and the high speed communication line, a plurality of leads each extending from the data line and the high speed communication line and exposed to the rear end of the insulating substrate, and the insulating substrate disposed therein, wherein the front end and the rear end are disposed. A USB plug including a metal cover whose ends are open so that the portions are respectively exposed; A printed circuit board, a circuit element including at least a memory chip, a plurality of metal contacts respectively connected to the plurality of leads of the USB plug, and the printed circuit board and the circuit with the plurality of metal contacts exposed. A COB package including a resin molding for packaging the device; And a case covering a region of the USB plug in which the rear end of the insulating substrate is disposed and the COB package. Here, a case fixing hole is formed on at least one surface of the metal cover that protects the rear end of the insulating substrate, and a case fixing protrusion fitted to the case fixing hole is formed inside the case.

Here, the data line may include a power pin, a pair of data pins, and a ground pin, and the high speed communication line may include a pair of receiving pins, a ground pin, and a pair of transmission pins. The USB plug is preferably a USB 3.0 standard Type A plug. At the front end of the case fixing protrusion, a locking protrusion protruding in the lateral direction to be caught by the case fixing hole formed in the metal cover may be further formed. In addition, a flange portion may be further formed on one side of the metal cover that protects the rear end portion of the insulating substrate, and a flange fixing groove into which the flange portion may be inserted may be formed in the case.

In addition, the case includes a first and a second case, the through hole is formed in the flange portion, any one of the first and the second case is formed with a flange fixing projection fitted to the through hole and the other The projection receiving groove may be formed in which the fixing projection is accommodated. The metal contacts of the COB package may be spaced apart from each other on one side of the resin molding.

The portable memory device according to the present invention has a structure in which a case is directly fixed to a USB plug. Thus, when the USB plug is inserted into or removed from the corresponding socket, the force transmitted to the case is transferred directly to the USB plug. When the memory device is configured as a COB package, the USB plug and the COB package are simply electrically connected to a plurality of leads and metal contacts, and thus the USB plug and the COB package are difficult to be physically and firmly fixed. In particular, when the memory device is configured as a COB package for miniaturization of the device, it is difficult to form a physical binding structure with the USB plug in the COB package itself. In addition, when the portable memory device is inserted into or removed from the socket, it is difficult to secure the reliability of the electrical connection between the USB plug and the COB package when a force is transmitted to the COB package. However, in the portable memory device according to the present invention, since the force transmitted to the case is directly transmitted only to the USB plug, connection reliability between the USB plug and the COB package can be secured.

1 is a schematic diagram of a portable memory device according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a view showing a USB plug constituting a portable memory device according to the present invention, Figures 2 (a) and 2 (b) is a perspective view of the USB plug from the front and rear, respectively, Figure 2 (c And FIG. 2 (d) is a top view and a rear view of the USB plug.
3 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a data line, a high speed communication line, and a plurality of leads formed therefrom are formed on an insulating substrate with a metal cover removed.
4 (a) and 4 (b) are schematic diagrams illustrating a manufacturing process of a COB package constituting a portable memory device according to the present invention.
5 (a) and 5 (b) are perspective views, respectively, seen from the front and rear of the COB package.
6 is a cross-sectional view of the first case as viewed through the AA cutting line of FIG. 1.
7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating a case in which a case is fixed to a USB plug.
8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a portable memory device having a rotation cap.
9 (a) and 9 (b) are perspective views illustrating various embodiments of the flange portion formed on the metal cover.
FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a standard A-type socket suitable for a high speed USB protocol, in which FIG. 10 (a) is a perspective view and FIG. 10 (b) is a sectional view seen through a BB cutting line.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of a portable memory device using a high-speed USB protocol according to the present invention will be described in detail.

First, referring to FIG. 1, the overall structure of a portable memory device according to the present invention is as follows. As shown in FIG. 1, the portable memory device may include a USB plug 100, a COB package 200, and a case 300 for storing them. Here, the USB plug 100 is electrically connected to the COB package 200, and a partial region of the rear end of the USB plug 100 and the COB package 200 are covered by the case 300. The front end of the exposed USB plug 100 may be inserted into, for example, the socket 10 shown in FIG. In addition, the front end of the exposed USB plug 100 may be protected by the cap 400 while carrying the memory device. Hereinafter, each component of the present portable memory device will be described in more detail.

2 (a) to 2 (d) and 3, the USB plug 100 includes an insulating substrate 110 having a front end 112 and a rear end 114 formed therein, and the insulating substrate 110. Data lines 121 to 124 and spaced apart from the front end portion 112 of the < RTI ID = 0.0 >), < / RTI > and the high speed communication lines 125 to 129, respectively. A plurality of leads 130 extending from the exposed side to the rear end 114 of the insulating substrate 110 and the insulating substrate 110 disposed therein, and the front end 112 and the rear end 114 are exposed. It may be composed of a metal cover 140 that is open at both ends. Here, the insulating substrate 110 may be formed of, for example, ceramic, plastic, or other rigid material, and further preferably, is formed of a material having excellent electrical insulation. In addition, the front end portion 112 of the insulating substrate 110 refers to an area which is not covered by the case 300 in FIG. 1 and is inserted into the socket 10. It is preferably formed with a dimension M of at least 11.75 mm. That is, according to the standard specification of the USB 3.0 protocol, the length (M) of the front end portion should be 11.75 mm or more.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 3, the front end portion 112 of the insulating substrate 110 includes four data lines, that is, a connection pin 121, a "D-" pin 122, a "D +" pin 123, and a ground. The pins 124 are formed side by side at the forefront, and these data lines may be connected to the metal contacts 13a for the data lines formed in the socket 10 of FIG. 10 (b), respectively. Also behind the data line are five ultra-high speed communication lines, namely "RX-" pin 125, "RX +" pin 126, ground pin 127, "TX-" pin 128 and "TX +". The pins 129 are formed side by side, and these high speed communication lines may be formed in a spring shape and connected to the metal contacts 13b for the high pain communication lines formed in the socket 10 of FIG. Furthermore, a plurality of leads 131 to 139 extending from the pins 121 to 129 constituting these data lines and the ultra high speed communication lines are exposed to the rear end 114 of the insulating substrate 110.

The insulating substrate 110 on which the data line, the ultra-high speed communication line, and the plurality of leads extending therefrom are formed is protected by the metal cover 140. Here, according to the USB 3.0 standard, the metal cover 140 may be in contact with three surfaces of the insulating substrate 110, but should be spaced apart from the surface on which the data line and the high speed communication line are formed at a predetermined interval. In addition, spring fixing holes 150a and 150b may be formed in the metal cover 140 that protects the front end 112 of the insulating substrate 110, and the spring fixing holes 150a and 150b may be formed in FIG. The metal springs 16 of the socket 10 shown in Fig. 1 may be fitted respectively.

Meanwhile, case fixing holes 160a and 160b are formed on at least one surface of the metal cover 140 that protects the rear end 114 of the insulating substrate 110. Here, the case fixing hole may be formed only on one surface of the metal cover 140, as shown in Figs. 2 (a) to 2 (d), may be formed on both sides of the metal cover 140, respectively.

Next, a detailed configuration of the COB package 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. 4 (a) and 4 (b) show a front side 201a and a rear side 201b of the PCB 201 with circuit elements mounted thereon, respectively. 4 (a) and 4 (b) show a state where the mounting process (that is, the chip attaching process and the bonding process) of the circuit elements is completed. In more detail, the perforations 202a and 202b for position alignment are formed in the PCB 201, and a single chip package region P in which a plurality of circuit elements are mounted and formed as a single chip product is defined. In the chip attach process, passive elements such as resistor / capacitor 203, oscillation element 204, and the like are attached to PCB 201, and memory chip 206 and controller 205 are attached to PCB 201. Thereafter, the chip pads formed on the memory chip 206 and the controller 205 and the bonding pads formed on the PCB 201 are electrically connected to each other by bonding wires according to predetermined positions. In addition, a plurality of metal contacts 207 are formed on one side edge of the single chip package region P on the rear surface 201b of the PCB 201. After the circuit elements are mounted on the PCB 201, the PCB 201 is placed in a molding frame (not shown) and melted, such as an epoxy molding compound (EMC), through the molding gate 202c, although not shown in the drawing. The package body is formed by injecting an encapsulant in a state and curing the encapsulant.

After the molding process, the single chip package region P is cut and separated into individual COB packages 200. The individual COB packages 200 which have been subjected to the individualization process are sealed by the resin molding 210 as shown in FIG. 5 (a). At this time, in the molding process, the plurality of metal contacts 207 formed on the rear surface 201b of the PCB 201 are exposed as shown in FIG. 5B, and the plurality of metal contacts 207 of the USB plug 100 are exposed. A plurality of leads 130 may be connected to each other. In addition, the plurality of metal contacts 207 may be disposed in a line spaced apart from each other at predetermined intervals along one edge of the resin molding 210.

On the other hand, when manufacturing a memory device through a COB process as described above, it is possible to mount a multi-channel memory chip with a minimum area. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, a plurality of flash memory chips 206a to 206c may be stacked. In addition, by forming a COB package into a stacked stack package having various structures, the multi-channel required by the high-speed USB protocol can be realized in a small package. In addition, in order to secure a mounting area of the memory chip sealed inside the COB package, electronic components may be disposed on the rear surface of the PCB during manufacturing of the COB package. For example, in FIGS. 4A and 4B, electronic components such as the resistor / capacitor 203, the oscillation element 204, the controller 205, and the like are formed on the front surface 201a of the PCB 201. ), But on the other hand, only the memory chip 206 is mounted on the front surface 201a of the PCB 201 to secure a mounting area, and the resistor / capacitor 203 and oscillation are mounted on the rear surface 201b. The element 204, the controller 205, and the like can be disposed. Only the memory chip 206 mounted on the front surface 201a can be sealed with a resin molding. That is, as shown in FIG. 5C, electronic components such as the resistor / capacitor 203, the oscillation element 204, the controller 205, and the like are mounted on the same surface as the metal contact 207 and the memory chip 206. ) May be manufactured in a COB package sealed by the resin molding (210). Optionally, the controller 205 may be mounted on the rear surface 201b of the PCB 201 like the other electronic components 203 and 204, or may be sealed with a resin molding together with the memory chip 206. Through this, the mounting area of the memory chip sealed by the resin molding body can be secured to the maximum within a given area, and it is easy to replace or repair when a defect occurs in the electronic components 203, 204, and 205.

Next, a detailed configuration of the case 300 will be described. The case 300 may include, for example, a first case 310 and a second case 320, and may form a single case by combining and fixing them. Here, the first case 310 and the second case 320 may be manufactured as a separate component and then attached using a predetermined adhesive. Although not shown, the first case 310 and the second case 320 may be fastened by screw assembly after forming a screw hole. have. Particularly, case fixing protrusions 312 and 322 which are fitted into the case fixing holes 160a and 160b formed in the metal cover 140 are formed on the inner surfaces of the cases 310 and 320, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the case fixing protrusion 312 formed on the inner surface of the first case 310 has a structure that is formed in a shape substantially the same as that of the case fixing hole 160a and can be inserted therein. . Furthermore, when the COB package 200 is accommodated in the inner space formed when the second case 320 is coupled to the first case 310, the COB package 200 may be fixed and supported in the inner space. The COB support 316 may be further formed.

In order to further secure the fixing state of the USB plug 100 by the case 300, as shown in FIG. 7, locking protrusions 314 and 324 may be formed at the ends of the case fixing protrusions 312 and 322, respectively. have. The locking protrusions 314 and 324 have a structure that protrudes laterally so as to be caught by the case fixing holes 160a and 160b formed in the metal cover 140. Thus, when the user inserts or pulls out the USB plug 100 into the socket 10 of FIG. 10 while the user holds the case 300, the case fixing protrusions 312 and 322 do not fall out of the case fixing holes 160a and 160b. You can do that. In addition, when the case fixing protrusions 312 and 322 are inserted into the case fixing holes 160a and 160b, the receiving grooves 116 and 118 are formed in the rear end 114 of the insulating substrate 110 so as to secure the accommodation space. ) May be formed. The accommodating grooves 116 and 118 form the rear end 114 of the insulating substrate 110 into a predetermined groove shape (accommodating groove 116) or have a stepped structure (accommodating groove 118). Can be formed.

In addition, in order to further strengthen the coupling structure between the case 300 and the USB plug 100, a flange portion 170 is added to one side of the metal cover 140 that protects the rear end portion 114 of the insulating substrate 110. It can be formed as. In addition, a flange fixing groove 326 may be formed in the case 300 so that the flange portion 170 may be accommodated therein. In particular, the through hole 172 may be formed in the flange 170, and in this case, any one of the first and second cases 310 and 320 may have a flange fixing protrusion 328 fitted into the through hole 172. ) Is formed, and on the other, a projection accommodation groove 319 may be formed in which the fixing projection 328 may be accommodated.

On the other hand, the flange portion 170 may be formed in a variety of forms, for example, may be formed in the shape shown in Figure 9 (a) and 9 (b). In addition, the shape of the flange fixing groove 326 may also be changed according to the shape of the flange portion. The flange portion secures the USB plug from being detached from the case when the USB plug is removed or inserted from the socket through the case. Therefore, the shape of the flange portion and the corresponding fixing groove is not limited to the shape presented in this embodiment, as long as the flange portion has a structure in which the flange portion is caught so that the force can be directly transmitted to the USB plug according to the back and forth operation through the case. Do not.

In addition, FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which the cap 400 is used to protect an area where the USB plug 100 is inserted into the socket. However, in addition to this, as shown in FIG. 8, the exposed area of the USB plug 100 may be protected through the rotation cap 330. Here, the rotation cap 330 may be formed with a rotating shaft 332 and the position fixing protrusion 334, the shaft groove 317 and a plurality of position fixing grooves 318 on the surface of the case 300 correspondingly. Can be formed. The rotating shaft 332 formed on the rotating cap 300 is inserted into the shaft groove 317 to be rotatable. The position fixing grooves 318 are formed in plural and are arranged at predetermined intervals, and the position fixing protrusions 334 are fitted therein. When the rotation cap 300 is rotated about the rotation shaft 332, the position fixing protrusion 334 is fixed to the position fixing groove 318 while making a "click" sound so that the rotation cap 300 is maintained at a constant angle. In addition, since the positioning protrusions 334 may be moved to another neighboring positioning groove 318, the fixing angle may be changed as necessary.

The portable memory device according to the present invention has a structure in which a case is directly fixed to a USB plug. Thus, when the USB plug is inserted into or removed from the corresponding socket, the force transmitted to the case is transferred directly to the USB plug. When the memory device is configured as a COB package, the USB plug and the COB package are simply electrically connected to a plurality of leads and metal contacts, and thus the USB plug and the COB package are difficult to be physically and firmly fixed. In particular, when the memory device is configured as a COB package for miniaturization of the device, it is difficult to form a physical binding structure with the USB plug in the COB package itself. Therefore, when the portable memory device is inserted into or removed from the socket, it is difficult to secure the reliability of the electrical connection state between the USB plug and the COB package when a force is transmitted to the COB package. However, in the portable memory device according to the present invention, since the force transmitted to the case is directly transmitted only to the USB plug, connection reliability between the USB plug and the COB package can be secured.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described so far, those skilled in the art will be able to implement in a modified form without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, although the USB plug of the portable memory device according to the present invention has been described on the premise that the USB 3.0 standard A-type plug is applied, it may be applied to other types of plugs. And when the shape is different, it can be easily applied.

Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention described herein are to be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, and the scope of the present invention is shown in the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the equivalent scope of the present invention Should be interpreted as being included in.

Claims (7)

A portable memory device using a high speed USB protocol including a data line and a high speed communication line,
An insulating substrate having a front end and a rear end formed therein, a data line and an ultra high speed communication line disposed to be spaced apart from the front end of the insulating substrate, respectively, each of which extends from the data line and the ultra high speed communication line and extends from the rear end of the insulating substrate A USB plug including a plurality of leads exposed to each other and a metal cover having an insulating substrate disposed therein, the both ends of which are open to expose the front end and the rear end;
A printed circuit board, a circuit element including at least a memory chip, a plurality of metal contacts respectively connected to the plurality of leads of the USB plug, and the printed circuit board and the circuit with the plurality of metal contacts exposed. A COB package including a resin molding for packaging the device; And
And a case covering one region of the USB plug and the COB package in which the rear end of the insulating substrate is disposed and exposing the other region of the USB plug in which the front end portion of the insulating substrate is disposed.
At least one surface of the metal cover that protects the front end of the insulating substrate is formed with a spring fixing hole is inserted into the spring formed in the socket corresponding to the USB plug, at least of the metal cover to protect the rear end of the insulating substrate Case fixing hole is formed on one side,
A case fixing protrusion is formed inside the case, and the case fixing protrusion is inserted into the case fixing hole while the spring fixing hole of the metal cover is exposed, thereby fixing the case to the USB plug. Portable memory device.
The method of claim 1,
The data line includes a power pin, a pair of data pins and a ground pin, and the ultra-high speed communication line includes a pair of receiving pins, a ground pin and a pair of transmitting pins.
The method of claim 1,
The USB plug is a USB 3.0 standard A-type plug.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The front end of the case fixing projection, the portable memory device, characterized in that the locking projection protruding in the lateral direction to be caught by the case fixing hole formed in the metal cover.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A flange portion is further formed on one side of the metal cover that protects the rear end portion of the insulating substrate, and the case has a flange fixing groove in which the flange portion is inserted.
The method of claim 5, wherein
The case includes a first case and a second case, the through hole is formed in the flange portion, one of the first and second case is formed with a flange fixing projection to be fitted to the through hole and the other Portable memory device, characterized in that the projection receiving groove is formed to accommodate the fixing projections.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The plurality of metal contacts of the COB package is disposed in a line spaced apart from each other on one side of the resin molding.

Images