Sandisk Corporation

Sandisk Technologies Inc.

Simon Stolero

Reuven Elhamias

Yosi Pinto

Micky Holtzman

Meiri Azari

Vivek Venkatraman Mani

David Zehavi

Roni Barzilai

Vivek Mani

In a non-volatile memory system, test data may be retrieved by means of a circuit without the help of firmware. The circuit is triggered into action when it detects an abnormality in the processor or host interface. In such event, it formats the self test or status signals from the various blocks in the non-volatile memory system controller and sends a test message to the outside world without the assistance of the system processor or interface controller. When implemented in memory systems with multiple data lines, only one of the data lines may be utilized for such purpose, thereby allowing the testing to be performed while the system is still performing data transfer. Preferably, the system includes the test mode communication controller, which can select between a test channel and a host interface channel for the test message transfer so that the same testing may be performed when the memory system is in the test package as well as in an encapsulated package. The test message is transmitted repeatedly and the test message is structured so that it is easier for the receiver host to decipher the message without a handshake with the memory system. A communication controller preferably detects whether any of the communication channels is not used by the controller of a non-volatile memory system for sending signals and sends diagnostic signals through such channel.

Non-volatile memory system with self test capability

Methods and systems for working around the timeout limitations of physical interface standards for detachable modules. By use of dummy data blocks to keep the bus active, the bus timeout requirements (in either direction) can be spoofed, to thereby permit more complex processing operations to be performed that may exceed the bus timeout of a particular specification. A controller in the memory system deasserts the ready signal and holds the bus connecting the computer system in a 'busy' state until the memory system is about to timeout. During a write operation, the controller receives dummy data blocks from the computer system before the write bus timeout period expires, causing the bus timeout period to be reset. During a read operation, the controller sends dummy data blocks to the computer system before the read bus timeout period expires, causing the bus timeout period to be reset.

Portable module interface with timeout prevention by dummy blocks

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Nahariya, Israel

Simon Stolero