Storage device, user device including storage device, and operation method of user device

• US 10,528,259 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2017
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Youngmin, Youn, Ji-Seung, Seo, Sungho, Park, Hyuntae, Oh, Hwaseok, Choi, JinHyeok
• Primary Examiner(s): Portka, Gary J
• Application Number:
  US15/681,574
• Publication Number:
  US 20180081556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 869 Days
• Field of Search: 711103, 711202, 711203, 711206, 711209
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7201 Logical to physical mapping or translation of blocks or pages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7202 Allocation control and policies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7203 Temporary buffering, e.g. using volatile buffer or dedicated buffer blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7207 management of metadata or control data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices

Abstract

Disclosed is a storage device which includes a nonvolatile memory device and a controller. The controller communicates with a host through a first port, communicates with an external storage device through a second port, and controls the nonvolatile memory device based on first mapping information. The controller is configured to receive second mapping information from the external storage device, receive first write data from the host and to selectively transmit first write data to the external storage device based on the second mapping information.

Claims

1. A storage device comprising:

a nonvolatile memory device; and

a controller configured to,

communicate with a host through a first port,

communicate with an external storage device through a second port,

control the nonvolatile memory device based on first mapping information,

receive second mapping information from the external storage device,

receive first write data from the host, and

selectively transmit the first write data to the external storage device based on the second mapping information.

2. The storage device of claim 1, wherein a first logical address of the first write data is allocated, by the host, such that the first logical address corresponds to a storage area of the first storage device.

3. The storage device of claim 1, wherein, the first mapping information comprises correspondence information between logical addresses managed by the host and first physical addresses of the nonvolatile memory device, and

the second mapping information comprises correspondence information between the logical addresses and second physical addresses of a nonvolatile memory device in the external storage device.

4. The storage device of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to transmit,

at least one physical address of the second physical addresses, and

the first write data to the external storage device based on the second mapping information.

5. The storage device of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to update the second mapping information after transmitting the first write data to the external storage device.

6. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to transmit the first write data to the external storage device when the nonvolatile memory device is operating.

7. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to,

read the first write data stored in the external storage device, during an idle time, based on the second mapping information, and

store the read first write data in the nonvolatile memory device.

8. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to read the first write data stored in the external storage device based on the second mapping information and to store the read first write data in the nonvolatile memory device, if a size of the first write data stored in the external storage device is greater than or equal to a reference size.

9. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a data buffer that temporarily stores the first write data, and

wherein the first write data is released from the data buffer after the first write data is transmitted to the external storage device.

10. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive second write data from the host after transmitting the first write data to the external storage device.

11. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with the host based on a universal flash storage (UFS) interface.

12. A storage system comprising:

a host;

a first storage device including a first nonvolatile memory device, the first storage device configured to communicate with the host through first ports; and

a second storage device including a second nonvolatile memory device, the second storage device configured to communicate with the first storage device through second ports,

wherein,

the first storage device is configured to receive first write data from the host and to transmit the received first write data to the second storage device,

the second storage device is configured to store the received first write data, and

a first logical address of the first write data is allocated, by the host, such that the first logical address corresponds to a first storage area of the first storage device.

13. The storage system of claim 12, wherein the first storage device is an embedded storage device and the second storage device is a card storage device.

14. The storage system of claim 12, wherein

the first storage device further includes:

a first controller configured to control the first nonvolatile memory device based on first mapping information, and

the second storage device further includes;

a second controller configured to control the second nonvolatile memory device based on second mapping information.

15. The storage system of claim 14, wherein

the first and second controllers are configured to exchange the first and second mapping information with each other.

16. A storage system comprising:

a first storage device including,

a first nonvolatile memory device, and

a first controller configured to,

control the first nonvolatile memory device based on first mapping information,

receive second mapping information,

receive first write data, and

selectively transmit the first write data based on the second mapping information; and

a second storage device including

a second nonvolatile memory device, and

a second controller configured to,

control the second nonvolatile memory device based on the second mapping information,

transmit second mapping information to the first storage device, and

receive first write data selectively transmitted by the first storage device based on the second mapping information.

17. The storage system of claim 16, wherein a first logical address of the first write data is allocated, by a host, such that the first logical address corresponds to a first storage area of the first nonvolatile memory device.

18. The storage system of claim 16, wherein the second controller is further configured to store the first write data, received from the first controller, in the second nonvolatile memory device.

19. The storage system of claim 18, wherein the first storage device is further configured to:

read the first write data from the second storage device, and

store the first write data read from the second storage device in the first nonvolatile memory device.

20. The storage system of claim 16, wherein the first controller is configured to update the second mapping information after transmitting the first write data.