US-12619792-B2 - Storage device with one-button destruction function

US12619792B2US 12619792 B2US12619792 B2US 12619792B2US-12619792-B2

Abstract

The present invention provides a storage device with one-button destruction function, which comprises a case, a circuit board, a control unit, a storage unit, a button, and a power supply. The destruction function comprises steps of: generating a pressing signal when the button is pressed; the control unit obtains a pressing time according to the pressing signal; the control unit generating an erasing signal according to a time threshold value, a second time threshold value, and the pressing time; and the control unit executing a destruction process on the storage unit according to the erasing signal.

Inventors

Chin Feng Chang
PO CHUAN LIN
Cheng Yu Lee
Wei Hsiang Wang

Assignees

TEAM GROUP INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240816
Priority Date: 20240627

Claims (15)

1 . A storage device with one-button destruction function, comprising: a circuit board, including a first button disposed thereon; a control unit, disposed on the circuit board, and connected electrically to said first button; a storage unit, disposed on said circuit board, and connected electrically to said control unit; and a boost converter, connected electrically to said control unit and said storage unit; wherein said first button is pressed and generates a pressing signal to said control unit, said control unit obtains a pressing time according to said pressing signal, said control unit transmits a first erasing voltage to said storage unit when the pressing time is greater than a first time threshold value, said first erasing voltage is greater than a threshold voltage of each of a plurality of storage blocks for erasing said plurality of storage blocks, said control unit transmits a second erasing voltage to said boost converter when said pressing time is greater than a second time threshold value, said boost converter generates a voltage signal correspondingly to said storage unit, said storage unit is destructed physically and the data stored in said storage unit is also destructed, while said voltage signal is greater than an operating voltage of said storage unit.
2 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 1 , wherein an outer side of said storage device further includes: a case, further including a second button connected electrically to said circuit board; wherein said second button is pressed and generates said pressing signal to said control unit, said control unit obtains said pressing time according to said pressing signal, said control unit transmits said first erasing voltage to said storage unit when said pressing time is greater than said first time threshold value, said plurality of storage blocks are erased while said first erasing voltage is greater than said threshold voltage of each of said plurality of storage blocks, said control unit transmits said second erasing voltage to said boost converter when said pressing time is greater than said second time threshold value, said boost converter generates said voltage signal correspondingly to said storage unit, said storage unit is destructed while said voltage signal is greater than said operating voltage of said storage unit.
3 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 2 , further comprising a power supply, disposed inside said case and connected electrically to said control unit and said boost converter.
4 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 1 , wherein said circuit board further includes a first light-emitting unit disposed thereon, and said control unit is connected electrically to said first light-emitting unit.
5 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 2 , wherein said case further includes a second light-emitting unit disposed thereon, and said control unit is connected electrically to said second light-emitting unit.
6 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 4 , wherein if said pressing time is smaller than said first time threshold value, said control unit transmits a first light-emitting signal to said first light-emitting unit or said second light-emitting unit.
7 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 5 , wherein if said pressing time is smaller than said first time threshold value, said control unit transmits a first light-emitting signal to said first light-emitting unit or said second light-emitting unit.
8 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 4 , wherein if said pressing time is greater than said first time threshold value, said control unit transmits a second light-emitting signal to said first light-emitting unit or said second light-emitting unit.
9 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 5 , wherein if said pressing time is greater than said first time threshold value, said control unit transmits a second light-emitting signal to said first light-emitting unit or said second light-emitting unit.
10 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 4 , wherein said first light-emitting unit or said second light-emitting unit is a light-emitting diode.
11 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 5 , wherein said first light-emitting unit or said second light-emitting unit is a light-emitting diode.
12 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 6 , wherein said first light-emitting unit or said second light-emitting unit receives said first light-emitting signal and transmit a first light beam.
13 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 7 , wherein said first light-emitting unit or said second light-emitting unit receives said first light-emitting signal and transmit a first light beam.
14 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 8 , wherein said first light-emitting unit or said second light-emitting unit receives said second light-emitting signal and transmit a second light beam.
15 . The storage device with one-button destruction function of claim 9 , wherein said first light-emitting unit or said second light-emitting unit receives said second light-emitting signal and transmit a second light beam.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As technology becomes more developed, computers are now widespread everywhere, including home personal computers, notebook computers, computers used by people in companies and schools, computers that execute process steps in industrial manufacturing or laboratory operations, and computers that collect data. In order to store users' application information, media, data, and other information content, a computer must be equipped with a storage device. These common 3C products in daily life store various personal information, private photos, text messages, and phone calls. If the stored data is incompletely deleted, people with bad intentions may use the file recovery technology to steal the data. More commercial servers and notebook computers are beginning to adopt SSDs, meaning that important internal data of enterprises may be leaked due to the loss of these SSDs. In today's digital age, individuals and enterprises are constantly at risk of data breaches. In an era of increasing data breaches and cyber-attacks, ensuring secure handling of personal and business data has become a vital issue. Because storage products have data security requirements for special applications, the storage and destruction of data has always been a valued part. The full name of SSD is solid-state drive. It was originally designed to replace traditional hard disk. Its main device used to store data is an integrated circuit. Compared with a traditional hard disk, which uses a motor to rotate internal disks and therefore read and write data through the rotating disk and related access control circuits, the storage devices inside an SSD are all integrated circuits. Consequently, compared with traditional hard drives, there are no magnetic disk and internal mechanical part. Besides, the data access mechanism of SSDs is completely different from that of traditional hard drives. The most important component of SSD is non-volatile memory, such as NAND flash memory and NOR memory. In addition, according to the storage methods, it is classified into the single-level cell (SLC), multi-level cell (MLC), triple-level cell (TLC), quad-level cell (QLC), penta-level cell, and even the 3D NAND flash memory. The common hard drive data destruction methods can be divided into erasing electronic files and physically destroying the hard drive. However, compared with traditional hard disks, the key reason why SSDs are more difficult to delete data is that the way SSDs store data is completely different from traditional hard disks. Because SSD uses flash memory to store data, this also leads to differences in the storage methods of SSD and traditional hard drives. First, data cannot be written repeatedly. The smallest storage space in flash memory is called a cell. A cell can store one bit of data, which can be 1 or 0. This is the so-called SLC storage method. To write new data, it is required to clear the cell by charging. A cell using different voltage levels to store 2 bits of data is the MLC. It also has the feature that it cannot be written repeatedly. A cell using different voltage levels to store 3 bits of data is the TLC. It also has the feature that data cannot be written repeatedly. A cell using different potentials to store 4 bits of data is the QLC. It also has the feature that data cannot be written repeatedly. Moreover, a cell using different potentials to store 5 bits of data is the PLC. Likewise, it also has the feature that data cannot be written repeatedly. The method of deleting data in flash memory is also different from that of hard disks. It must be written one by one and erased in a batch. The erasing speed of SSD will be much slower than the reading speed. Therefore, for the data destruction of solid-state drives, physical destruction is necessary. There are many common physical methods of destroying hard drives, such as soaking in water, destroying the hard drive body, destroying hard drive particles, etc. In addition to physically destroying the hard drive body, it can also destroy the internal circuitry of the hard drive to achieve data destruction. In view of this, the present invention provides a storage device destruction function triggered by a physical button. The difference in trigger duration is used to enable the storage controller to determine the destruction method, so that the two destruction methods, the hardware quick erase and the software quick erase, coexist and have a simple control method. Besides, the present invention adopts continuous erasing. If the power is cut off after erasing is started, erasing can be continued the next time the power is turned on. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An objective of the present invention is to provide a storage device with one-button destruction function triggered by a physical button. The difference in trigger duration is used to enable the storage controller determining the destruction method. To achieve the above objective, the present invention pr