DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING COMMANDS USED FOR FLASH MEMORY

• US 20080301381A1
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kang, Shin-wook, Jeong, Seong-hun, Park, Hyang-suk, LEE, Dong-woo, Min, Houng-sog, Shin, Sang-seob, Jeong, Hye-lime
• Application Number:
  US12/099,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20080301381A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/154
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/28 using burst mode transfer, e.g. direct memory access DMA, cycle steal G06F13/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0601 Interfaces specially adapted for storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device

Abstract

A method and device for controlling commands used for a flash memory are provided. The method includes, substantially reducing usage of a central processing unit (CPU) and a bus, when controlling the flash memory, by receiving information on at least one command currently stored in a system memory, receiving a command represented by the received information from the system memory, and generating an interrupt representing that all the commands are received, when receiving of substantially all the commands represented by the received information is completed.

Claims

1. A method of controlling commands for a flash memory, the method comprising:

receiving information on at least one command currently stored in a system memory;

receiving a command represented by the received information from the system memory; and

generating an interrupt representing that all commands for the flash memory are received, if receiving of all the commands represented by the received information has been completed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein information on the at least one command currently stored in the system memory comprises:

a number of commands stored in the system memory; and

an address in the system memory in which the commands are stored.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the command comprises:

determining whether a status is capable of receiving commands from the system memory based on the received information; and

being on standby until the status is capable of receiving the commands from the system memory if the status is not capable of receiving the commands from the system memory, and receiving the commands from the system memory based on the received information if the status is capable of receiving the commands from the system memory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the interrupt further comprises:

determining whether a space exists for storing the received command in a register; and

storing the received command in the register if it is determined that the space exists for storing the received command in the register, and being on standby until there is the space for storing the received command in the register if it is determined that there is no space for storing the received command in the register.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the interrupt further comprises:

storing the received command in a register; and

repeating the receiving the command if commands represented by the information stored in the system memory remain in the system memory.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein in the receiving the command, if the number of received information pieces is equal to or greater than two, commands corresponding to the two or more received information pieces are substantially concurrently received from the system memory.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the commands stored in the system memory are generated by at least one of a central processing unit and a flash translation layer.

8. A computer-readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method of controlling commands for a flash memory, the method comprising, comprising:

receiving information on at least one command currently stored in a system memory;

receiving a command represented by the received information from the system memory; and

generating an interrupt representing that all commands for the flash memory are received, if receiving of all the commands represented by the received information has been completed.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein information on the at least one command currently stored in the system memory comprises:

a number of commands stored in the system memory; and

an address in the system memory in which the commands are stored.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the receiving the command comprises:

determining whether a status is capable of receiving commands from the system memory based on the received information; and

being on standby until the status is capable of receiving the commands from the system memory if the status is not capable of receiving the commands from the system memory, and receiving the commands from the system memory based on the received information if the status is capable of receiving the commands from the system memory.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the generating the interrupt further comprises:

determining whether a space exists for storing the received command in a register; and

storing the received command in the register if it is determined that the space exists for storing the received command in the register, and being on standby until there is the space for storing the received command in the register if it is determined that there is no space for storing the received command in the register.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the generating the interrupt further comprises:

storing the received command in a register; and

repeating the receiving the command if commands represented by the information stored in the system memory remain in the system memory.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein in the receiving the command, if the number of received information pieces is equal to or greater than two, commands corresponding to the two or more received information pieces are substantially concurrently received from the system memory.

14. A device for controlling commands for a flash memory, the device comprising:

a first register which stores information regarding at least one command currently stored in a system memory; and

a direct memory access (DMA) controller which receives commands represented by the information stored in the first register from the system memory and generates an interrupt representing that all commands for the flash memory are received if all the commands represented by the stored information are received.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the information on the at least one command currently stored in the system memory includes a number of commands stored in the system memory, and an address in the system memory in which the commands are stored.

16. The device of claim 14,

wherein the DMA controller determines whether a status is capable of receiving the commands from the system memory based on the stored information,

wherein, if it is determined that the status is not capable of receiving the commands from the system memory, the DMA controller is on standby until the status is capable of receiving the commands from system memory, and

wherein, if it is determined that the status is capable of receiving the commands from the system memory, the DMA controller directly receives the commands from the system memory based on the received information.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the DMA controller determines whether there is a space for storing the received command in a register, stores the received command in the register if it is determined there is the space for storing the received command in the register, and is on standby until there is the space for storing the received command in the register if it is determined that there is no space for storing the received command in the register.

18. The device of claim 14, further comprising a second register which stores commands received from the system memory.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein if a number of information pieces stored in the first register is substantially equal to or greater than two, the DMA controller concurrently receives commands corresponding to the two or more information pieces from the system memory.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein the commands stored in the system memory are generated by at least one of a central processing unit and a flash translation layer.