MEMORY CONTROLLER, NONVOLATILE MEMORY DEVICE, ACCESS DEVICE, AND NONVOLATILE MEMORY SYSTEM

• US 20100017560A1
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ono, Tadashi, Nakanishi, Masahiro, Kato, Isao
• Application Number:
  US12/440,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20100017560A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]

Abstract

It has been difficult for an access device to obtain a remaining capacity of a memory from a nonvolatile memory device having a plurality of interfaces. A capacity parameter generation part 127 and a capacitor parameter notification part 128 are provided in a memory controller 120. When data is written or deleted, the capacity parameter generation part 127 generates a capacity parameter based on a physical region management table 125. The capacity parameter notification part 128 sends the generated capacity parameter to an access device 200. The access device 200 obtains a remaining capacity of the nonvolatile memory device 100 from the received capacity parameter.

Claims

1. A memory controller which is connected to a nonvolatile memory having a plurality of physical blocks of a data erasing unit, and writes and reads data to and from said nonvolatile memory in accordance with a file ID designated from an outside, comprising:

at least two external interfaces;

a capacity parameter generation part for generating a capacity parameter related to a remaining capacity of said nonvolatile memory in writing data to said nonvolatile memory and deleting data in said nonvolatile memory via one of said external interfaces and in initialization; and

a capacity parameter notification part for retaining the capacity parameter generated by said capacity parameter and notifying the outside of the capacity parameter via at least the other external interface.

2. The memory controller according to claim 1, wherein

at least one of said external interfaces is a wireless communication interface for sending and receiving data by wireless communication.

3. The memory controller according to claim 1, further comprising:

a mapping table for relating said file ID to said physical block.

4. The memory controller according to claim 1, wherein:

said memory controller further comprises a reading-writing control part having a physical region management table representing a use state of said nonvolatile memory;

said capacity parameter generation part generates a capacity parameter by using said physical region management table; and

said capacity parameter notification part has a reference value used for detecting a certain amount of change of the capacity parameter and notifies an outside of said generated capacity parameter when said generated capacity parameter changes exceeding said reference value from the retained capacity parameter.

5. The memory controller according to claim 1, wherein:

said memory controller further comprises a reading-writing control part having a physical region management table representing a use state of said nonvolatile memory and a writing completion detection part for detecting completion of file data writing; and

said capacity parameter generation part generates a capacity parameter by using said physical region management table when said writing completion detection part detects said completion of file data writing.

6. A nonvolatile memory device which comprises:

a nonvolatile memory having a plurality of physical blocks of a data erasing unit; and

a memory controller, and stores and reads data in accordance with a file ID designated from an outside, wherein

said memory controller includes;

at least two external interfaces;

a capacity parameter generation part for generating a capacity parameter related to a remaining capacity of said nonvolatile memory in writing data to said nonvolatile memory and deleting data in said nonvolatile memory both via one of said external interfaces and in initialization; and

a capacity parameter notification part for retaining the capacity parameter generated by said capacity parameter and notifying the outside of the capacity parameter via at least the other external interface.

7. The nonvolatile memory device according to claim 6, wherein

at least one of said external interfaces is a wireless communication interface for sending and receiving data by wireless communication.

8. The nonvolatile memory device according to claim 6, further comprising:

a mapping table for relating said file ID to said physical block.

9. The nonvolatile memory device according to claim 6, wherein:

said memory controller further includes;

a reading-writing control part having a physical region management table representing a use state of said nonvolatile memory;

said capacity parameter generation part generates a capacity parameter by using said physical region management table; and

said capacity parameter notification part has a reference value used for detecting a certain amount of change of the capacity parameter and notifies an outside of said generated capacity parameter when said generated capacity parameter changes exceeding said reference value from the retained capacity parameter.

10. The nonvolatile memory device according to claim 6, wherein:

said memory controller further includes;

a reading-writing control part having a physical region management table representing a use state of said nonvolatile memory and a writing completion detection part for detecting completion of file data writing; and

said capacity parameter generation part generates a capacity parameter by using said physical region management table when said writing completion detection part detects said completion of file data writing.

11. A nonvolatile memory system comprising:

a plurality of access devices; and

a nonvolatile memory device for storing and reading data in accordance with a file ID designated from said access device, wherein;

said nonvolatile memory device includes;

a nonvolatile memory having a plurality of physical blocks of data erasing units; and

a memory controller; and

said memory controller includes;

a plurality of external interfaces connected to said each access device;

a capacity parameter generation part for generating a capacity parameter related to a remaining capacity of said nonvolatile memory when any one of said access devices writes data to said nonvolatile memory and deletes data in said nonvolatile memory both via one of said external interfaces and when initialization is executed; and

a capacity parameter notification part for retaining the capacity parameter generated by said capacity parameter and notifying other access device of the capacity parameter via at least the other external interface.

12. The nonvolatile memory system according to claim 11, wherein

at least one of said external interfaces of the memory controller is a wireless communication interface for sending and receiving data by wireless communication.

13. The nonvolatile memory system according to claim 12, wherein

at least one of said access devices is a remote device for sending and receiving data by wireless communication.

14. The nonvolatile memory system according to claim 11, wherein

said memory controller further includes:

a mapping table for relating said file ID to said physical block.

15. The nonvolatile memory system according to claim 11, wherein:

said memory controller further includes;

a reading-writing control part having a physical region management table representing a use state of said nonvolatile memory;

said capacity parameter generation part generates a capacity parameter by using said physical region management table; and

said capacity parameter notification part has a reference value used for detecting a certain amount of change of the capacity parameter and notifies said access device of said generated capacity parameter when said generated capacity parameter changes exceeding said reference value from the retained capacity parameter.

16. The nonvolatile memory system according to claim 11, wherein:

said memory controller further includes;

a reading-writing control part having a physical region management table representing a use state of said nonvolatile memory and a writing completion detection part for detecting completion of file data writing; and

said capacity parameter generation part generates a capacity parameter by using said physical region management table when said writing completion detection part detects said completion of file data writing.

17. An access device used by being connected to a nonvolatile memory device having at least two external interfaces and a nonvolatile memory, wherein

said access device reads and writes data by designating a file ID to said nonvolatile memory device, receives a capacity parameter from said nonvolatile memory device, and calculates a remaining capacity of said nonvolatile memory device by using said capacity parameter.

18. The access device according to claim 17, wherein

said access device sends and receives data by wireless communication.