System for parallel updating flash memory and method for the same

• US 20060224821A1
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MediaTek, Inc.
• Inventors: Juang, Jih-Liang, Chen, Ying-Chu
• Application Number:
  US11/392,703
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224821A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0626 Reducing size or complexity of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/654 using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/102 External programming circuits, e.g. EPROM programmers; In-circuit programming or reprogramming; EPROM emulators

Abstract

A parallel memory updating method and its system are proposed in the present invention. The present invention is applied for a host computer and makes the host computer capable of using pipeline concept to update multiple peripheral devices at the same time. Thus, the updating efficiency is greatly improved. The parallel flash memory updating method includes the following steps: sending a START_FLASH_CMD command via an IDE interface to make the peripheral devices switch to a flash memory updating mode; send out a WRITE_ENABLE command to enable a writing function of the flash memories of the peripheral devices; and writing firmware data to the flash memories of the peripheral devices.

Claims

1. A parallel memory updating method, applied for a host computer, the host computer being capable of updating non-volatile memories of multiple peripheral devices via an interface at the same time, the method comprising:

(a) separating one non-volatile memory updating flow into one or more sub-flows for different peripheral devices of the host computer, wherein each sub-flow has a specific period of execution time; and

(b) executing the sub-flows individually.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sub-flows are executed at the same time.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

merging several non-volatile memory updating steps into a non-volatile memory updating sub-flow and all updating steps can be merged into several updating sub-lows; and

executing each sub-flow by a parallel memory updating program with one or more sub-flows of other peripheral devices at the same time.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, the updating method further comprising:

(a) asking the peripheral device to invoke the command set of the non-volatile memory by a parallel memory updating program;

(b) preparing write-in data using the parallel memory updating program;

(c) performing write-in and read-out data using the parallel memory updating program; and

(d) initializing and finalizing the parallel memory updating program.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

(a) informing the peripheral device preparing to updating the non-volatile memory and identifying the type of the non-volatile memory;

(b) enabling the write function of a non-volatile memory and conforming the write function has been correctly be invoked;

(c) erasing the non-volatile memory and conforming the erase has been correctly be invoked;

(d) writing a page data into the non-volatile memory and conforming the write-in action has been correctly be done; and

(e) the peripheral devices returning a normal mode and operate their designed function after finishing accessing the non-volatile memory.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the step of writing further comprises a step of asking the peripheral devices to invoke the command sets of the non-volatile memories, wherein the parallel memory updating program uses a pre-defined ATA/ATAPI command, a pre-defined serial, or a pre-defined parallel electronic signals.

7. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the command sets have:

(a) an identify command, which can be used to detect the type of the non-volatile memory;

(b) a read status command, which can be used to query the internal status of the non-volatile memory;

(c) a write status command, which can be used to change the internal status of the non-volatile memory;

(d) a write enable command, which can be used to enable the write function of the non-volatile memory;

(e) an erase command, which can be used to erase the data stored in the non-volatile memory;

(f) a write command, which can be used to write data into the non-volatile memory; and

(g) a read command, which can be used to read the stored data of the non-volatile memory.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

(a) executing all the Start Flash sub-flows of multi-peripheral devices at one period of time;

(b) executing all the Write Enable sub-flows of multi-peripheral devices at one period of time;

(c) executing all the Erase sub-flows of multi-peripheral devices at one period of time;

(d) executing all the Page Write sub-flows of multi-peripheral devices at one period of time; and

(e) executing all the End Flash sub-flows of multi-peripheral devices at one period of time to decrease the average non-volatile memory updating time.

9. A parallel flash memory updating system, comprising:

(a) an interface electrically connected to a host computer and multiple peripheral devices, wherein the host computer having a parallel memory updating program and each of the peripheral devices having a non-volatile memory; and

(b) a non-volatile memory controller, wherein the parallel memory updating program uses the interface to drive the non-volatile memory controller and a pipeline architecture to update the non-volatile memories of the peripheral devices.

10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein each of the peripheral devices has an internal buffer to temporarily store data sent from the host computer to the peripheral devices, and the data was prepared to write into the non-volatile memory the internal buffer can store the data that was read out from the non-volatile memory and prepared to read to the host by the parallel memory updating program.