Storage device, computing system including the storage device, and method of operating the storage device

• US 10,048,899 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hwang, Myeong-Eun, Jung, Ki-Jo, Lee, Tae-Hack, Choi, Kwang-Ho, Jeong, Sang-Kyoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Thai, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US14/613,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20150317084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 711100, 711118, 711154, 711200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0608 Saving storage space on storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices

Abstract

A storage device includes a storage medium and a controller configured to control the storage medium. The controller includes an interface unit configured to interface with a host, a processing unit connected to the interface unit via a first signal line and configured to process a direct load operation and a direct store operation between the host and the controller, and at least one memory connected to the interface unit via a second signal line. The at least one memory is configured to temporarily store data read from the storage medium or data received from the host, and is configured to be directly accessed by the host.

Claims

1. A storage device, comprising:

a storage medium; and

a controller configured to control the storage medium, wherein the controller comprises;

an interface unit configured to interface with a host;

a processing unit connected to the interface unit via a first signal line, and configured to process a direct load operation and a direct store operation between the host and the controller;

at least one memory connected to the interface unit via a second signal line, wherein the at least one memory is configured to temporarily store data read from the storage medium or data received from the host, and is configured to be directly accessed by the host;

a first bus connected to the interface unit;

a second bus connected to the processing unit; and

a third bus connected to the at least one memory,

wherein the first signal line connects the first bus to the second bus without connecting through the third bus, and the second signal line connects the first bus to the third bus without connecting through the second bus.

2. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the interface unit is a first interface unit configured to interface with the host according to a first standardized interface, and the controller further comprises a second interface unit configured to interface with the first interface unit according to a second standardized interface.

3. The storage device of claim 2, wherein the first signal line connects the first interface unit and the processing unit to each other without connecting through the second interface unit, and the second signal line connects the first interface unit and the at least one memory to each other without connecting through the second interface unit.

4. The storage device of claim 2, wherein the first standardized interface is a peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe) interface and the second standardized interface is a nonvolatile memory express (NVMe) interface or a small computer system interface express (SCSIe) interface.

5. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit comprises:

at least one processor configured to process the direct load operation and the direct store operation; and

at least one tightly coupled memory (TCM) disposed adjacent to the at least one processor and accessible by the at least one processor.

6. The storage device of claim 5, wherein the at least one TCM is configured to temporarily store a data transfer command transmitted between the controller and the storage medium.

7. The storage device of claim 6, wherein the data transfer command comprises:

a flush command configured to transmit data temporarily stored in the at least one memory to the storage medium, wherein the data is stored in the storage medium in response to the flush command; and

a fill command configured to transmit the data stored in the storage medium to the at least one memory.

8. The storage device of claim 5, wherein the at least one TCM comprises at least one special function register (SFR) configured to perform the direct load operation and the direct store operation.

9. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory comprises at least one of a first memory configured to temporarily store raw data read from the storage medium or raw data received from the host, and a second memory configured to temporarily store metadata corresponding to the raw data.

10. The storage device of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first memory and the second memory comprises at least one special function register (SFR) configured to perform the direct load operation and the direct store operation.

11. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the interface unit comprises:

a signal transfer unit configured to transmit and receive a signal to and from the host; and

an address conversion unit configured to perform an address conversion between an external address of the signal and an internal address suitable for internal communication within the controller.

12. A computing system, comprising:

a storage device comprising a storage medium and a controller configured to control the storage medium, wherein the controller comprises;

at least one memory disposed in the controller; and

a host configured to directly access the at least one memory using an address map having an address space corresponding to the at least one memory,

wherein the host is disposed external to the storage device, and the host comprises;

a processor; and

a main memory disposed in the host and connected to the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to directly access the at least one memory without accessing the main memory during a direct load/store operation, and

wherein the processor is configured to directly access the main memory without accessing the at least one memory during a normal load/store operation,

wherein the controller further comprises;

an interface unit configured to interface with the host;

a processing unit connected to the interface unit via a first signal line, wherein the at least one memory is connected to the interface unit via a second signal line;

a first bus connected to the interface unit;

a second bus connected to the processing unit; and

a third bus connected to the at least one memory,

wherein the first signal line connects the first bus to the second bus without connecting through the third bus and the second signal line connects the first bus to the third bus without connecting thorough the second bus.

13. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the processing unit comprises:

at least one processor configured to process the direct load operation and the direct store operation; and

at least one tightly coupled memory (TCM) disposed adjacent to the at least one processor and accessible by the at least one processor.

14. The computing system of claim 13, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one TCM are respectively mapped to address spaces that are exclusive from each other in the address map.

15. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the host comprises a plurality of base address registers (BARs) configured to store the address map, and at least one BAR from among the plurality of BARs is configured to store address spaces that are exclusive from each other and that are used for performing a direct load operation and a direct store operation with respect to the at least one memory.

16. The computing system of claim 12, wherein the interface unit is a first interface unit configured to interface with the host according to a first standardized interface, and the controller further comprises a second interface unit configured to interface with the first interface unit according to a second standardized interface.

17. A computing system, comprising:

a storage device comprising a storage medium and a controller configured to control the storage medium, wherein the controller comprises;

an interface unit configured to interface with a host;

a processing unit connected to the interface unit via a first signal line;

at least one memory connected to the interface unit via a second signal line;

a first bus connected to the interface unit;

a second bus connected to the processing unit; and

a third bus connected to the at least one memory,

wherein the first signal line connects the first bus to the second bus without connecting through the third bus, and the second signal line connects the first bus to the third bus without connecting through the second bus; and

the host comprising a processor and a main memory connected to the processor, wherein the processor is configured to directly access the at least one memory without accessing the main memory.

18. The storage device of claim 17, wherein the interface unit is a first interface unit configured to interface with the host according to a first standardized interface, and the controller further comprises a second interface unit configured to interface with the first interface unit according to a second standardized interface.

19. The storage device of claim 18, wherein the first signal line connects the first interface unit and the processing unit to each other without connecting through the second interface unit, and the second signal line connects the first interface unit and the at least one memory to each other without connecting through the second interface unit.