Silicon Motion, Inc.

Hsu-Ping Ou

Cheng-Wei Liu

Ho-Chien Hsu

Ming-Yen Lin

Chun-Yi Lo

Chih-Yu Chen

Chia-Fang Chang

Hsiao-Yen Chen

Yu-Jen Huang

Kuang-Ting Tai

Chien-Hung Lee

Chih-Kang Kung

A technique for accurate communication between a non-volatile memory and its controller. The controller accesses a storage area of the non-volatile memory through data lines, wherein the controller transmits a command through the data lines to access the storage area of the non-volatile memory. The command is further returned from the non-volatile memory to the controller through the data lines for comparison, to determine whether the command is correctly received by the non-volatile memory.

Data storage device and non-volatile memory control method

A technique for signal deskew at the non-volatile memory side. The non-volatile memory includes a plurality of dies and a signal timing adjustment circuit. The dies are grouped into storage zones. A controller is coupled to the non-volatile memory through a plurality of data lines. Through the data lines, the controller issues a plurality of commands to provide zone delay parameters to the non-volatile memory to drive the signal timing adjustment circuit at the non-volatile memory side to separately adjust data-line timing of the different storage zones.

Non-volatile data storage device having a plurality of dies accessed in an interleaved manner

A method of a flash controller to be coupled between a flash memory device and a host device is provided. The flash memory device has a plurality of blocks each having a plurality of pages, and the method comprises: receiving a trim/erase/unmap command from the host device; obtaining a storage space, which is to be erased, from the trim/erase/unmap command; comparing a space size of the storage space with a threshold to determine whether the space size is larger than the threshold; and resetting valid page counts of the plurality of blocks of the flash memory device when the space size is larger than the threshold.

Flash controllers, methods, and corresponding storage devices capable of rapidly/fast generating or updating contents of valid page count table

A method of a flash memory controller coupled between a flash memory and an electronic device is provided. The flash memory has a plurality of blocks each having a plurality of pages. The method includes: detecting whether a data unit is formed by a repeated pattern, the data unit being transmitted from the electronic device and to be written into the flash memory or the data unit being read from the flash memory; and making a record of the repeated pattern at a field of the specific table if determining that the data unit is formed by the repeated pattern.

Method and flash memory controller capable of avoiding inefficient memory block swap or inefficient garbage collection

A data storage device includes a flash memory. The flash memory includes a plurality of weak pages and a plurality of strong pages, wherein each of the strong pages is paired with one of the weak pages, and each of the strong pages has error-correction information of the paired weak page.

Data storage device and data maintenance method thereof

A method for moving data internally, performed by a processing unit, including at least the following steps. The processing unit transmits partial copyback read commands to a storage sub-unit through an access interface, where each partial copyback read command is used to direct logic circuits of the storage sub-unit to store partial data of a page of the storage sub-unit in a designated location of a data buffer of the storage sub-unit. The processing unit further transmits a copyback write command to the storage sub-unit through the storage sub-unit for programming the data of the data buffer in a new page of the storage sub-unit.

Methods for moving data internally and apparatuses using the same

A storage medium including a first transmittal module and a control module. The first transmittal module includes a plurality of first transmittal pads. The control module determines whether a level state of the first transmittal module is equal to a pre-determined state. When the level state is equal to the pre-determined state, the control module operates in a secure digital (SD) mode. When the level state is not equal to the pre-determined state, the control module operates in an embedded multimedia card (eMMC) mode.

Storage medium, transmittal system and control method thereof

A flash memory controller is provided. The flash memory controller includes a read/write unit, a state machine, a processing unit, and a reserve unit. The read/write unit is coupled to a flash memory. The read/write unit is configured to perform a write command or a read command. The state machine is configured to determine a state of the flash memory controller. The processing unit is coupled to the read/write unit and the state machine. The processing unit is configured to control the read/write unit. The reserve unit is coupled to a first data line, a second data line, and the read/write unit. When the flash memory controller is operating abnormally, the reserve unit receives an external signal via the first data line and the second data line and controls the read/write unit according to the external signal.

Flash memory devices including reserve units operating in abnormal situations and controlling methods thereof

A storage medium including a processing module and a cell array. The processing module receives test data according to a write command. The cell array stores the test data. The processing module receives verify data according to a comparison command, reads the test data stored in the cell array to generate access data, and compares the access data with the verify data to generate a compared report.

Storage medium and transmittal system utilizing the same

A Secure Digital (SD) card, and an system and an operating method for the SD card are disclosed. The disclosed SD card has a Flash memory and a controller. The Flash memory contains a data storage space and a Content Protection Recorded Media (CPRM) support space. The controller executes a firmware of the SD card, such that read/write commands provided from a host for the CPRM support space are regarded and executed as security commands and a CPRM mechanism is operated over the data storage space.

Secure digital card, and secure digital card system and operating method

A flash memory controller includes a read/write unit, a state machine, a processing unit, and an auxiliary unit. The read/write unit is connected to a flash memory and performs a writing command or a reading command. The state machine is configured to determine a state of the flash memory controller. The processing unit is connected to the read/write unit and the state machine and configured to control the read/write unit. The auxiliary unit is connected to a first data line and a second data line and the processing unit and configured to receive and store a string output from the processing unit. The auxiliary unit outputs the string through the first and second data lines when the flash memory controller completes a writing data transmission.

Flash memory controllers and error detection methods

A storage medium receiving write data provided by a host device, providing read data to the host and including a first module and a second module is disclosed. The first module includes a first memory cell and a first controller. The first memory cell stores the write data. The first controller reads the first memory cell to generate a first accessing result. The second module includes a second memory cell and a second controller. The second memory cell stores the write data. The second controller reads the second memory cell. When the first accessing result has an error and the error cannot be corrected by the first controller, the first controller requests the second controller to read the second memory cell to generate a second accessing result, and the second controller serves the second accessing result as the read data and provides the read data to the host.

Storage medium, system and method utilizing the same

A flash storage device comprises a flash memory and a controller. The flash memory comprises a plurality of blocks comprising a plurality of ordinary pages and a plurality of reserved pages. The controller receives a current write command and write data from a host, determines a mother block and an FAT block corresponding to the write command, divides data of the mother block and data of the FAT block into a plurality of original data segments and a plurality of updating data segments, integrates the original data segments with the updating data segments to obtain integrated data segments, writes the integrated data segments to an integrated block respectively in a plurality of processing periods of a plurality of subsequent write commands, and writes the subsequent write data to the reserved pages of a plurality of subsequent blocks.

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Zhubei, Taiwan

Hsu-Ping Ou