Window-based flash memory storage system and management and access methods thereof
First Claim
1. A reading method to a flash memory from a data-access requesting component, wherein the flash memory includes a plurality of storage sectors, and a read operation to one sector of the storage sectors needs a plurality of stages handled by an access controller, the reading method comprising:
- performing a first read operation to read a current sector of the storage sectors; and
starting to perform a second read operation to a next sector of the storage sectors when the first read operation is not completed yet;
wherein the second read operation starts before the first read operation ends thereby decreasing the time required to perform read operations and increasing overall system performance.
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Abstract
A window-based flash memory storage system and a management and an access method therefor are proposed. The window-based flash memory storage system includes a window-based region and a redundant reserved region; wherein the window-based region is used to store a number of windows, each window being associated with a number of physical blocks. The redundant reserved region includes a dynamic-link area, a window-information area, a dynamic-link information area, and an boot-information area; wherein the dynamic-link area includes a plurality of dynamic allocation blocks, each being allocatable to any window. The window-information area is used to store a specific window-information set that is dedicated to a certain window within a specific range of data storage space. The dynamic-link information area is used to record the status of the allocation of the dynamic allocation blocks to the windows.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A reading method to a flash memory from a data-access requesting component, wherein the flash memory includes a plurality of storage sectors, and a read operation to one sector of the storage sectors needs a plurality of stages handled by an access controller, the reading method comprising:
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performing a first read operation to read a current sector of the storage sectors; and
starting to perform a second read operation to a next sector of the storage sectors when the first read operation is not completed yet;
wherein the second read operation starts before the first read operation ends thereby decreasing the time required to perform read operations and increasing overall system performance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A writing method to a flash memory from a data-access requesting component, wherein the flash memory includes a plurality of storage sectors, and a writing operation to one sector of the storage sectors needs a plurality of stages handled by an access controller, the writing method comprising:
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performing a first writing operation to write a current sector of the storage sectors; and
starting to perform a second writing operation to a next sector of the storage sectors when the first writing operation is not completed yet;
wherein the second writing operation starts before the first writing operation ends thereby decreasing the time required to perform writing operations and increasing the overall system performance. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A management method for a window-based flash memory storage system having a flash memory unit partitioned into a number of windows, each of at least one of the windows respectively having a mapping information set as a mapping formation stored in the flash memory unit, and an access controller communicating with a data-access request component and managing the flash memory unit, the management method comprising:
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selecting at least a portion of the windows as a selected window set;
loading a corresponding portion of the mapping information with respect to the selected window set into a memory area within the access controller; and
updating the corresponding portion of the mapping information with respect to at least one window of the selected window set when another widow that is to be accessed by the data-access requesting component but is not in the current selected window set. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification