Parallel Use of Integrated Non-Volatile Memory and Main Volatile Memory within a Mobile Device

• US 20120004011A1
• Filed: 07/01/2010
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Chun, Christopher Kong Yee
• Granted Patent: US 10,360,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1441 Resetting or repowering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0223 User address space allocation, e.g. contiguous or non contiguous base addressing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0638 Combination of memories, e.g. ROM and RAM such as to permit replacement or supplementing of words in one module by words in another module address formation of the next microinstruction G06F9/26; masking faults in memories by using spares or by reconfiguring G11C29/70
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A mobile device having parallel use of non-volatile memory and main memory is presented. The mobile device includes a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a memory controller functionally coupled to the non-volatile memory and the volatile memory, and a processor coupled to the memory controller. The processor addresses both the non-volatile memory and the volatile memory utilizing a continuous memory map. Alternatively, a mobile device may include a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a memory controller coupled to the volatile memory, a processor coupled to the memory controller. The processor may address the volatile memory during normal operation. The mobile device may further include a shadow copy controller coupled to the non-volatile memory and the memory controller, where the shadow copy controller copies information stored in a designated portion of the volatile memory into the non-volatile memory.

Claims

1. A mobile device, comprising:

a volatile memory;

a non-volatile memory;

a memory controller functionally coupled to the non-volatile memory and the volatile memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory controller, wherein the processor addresses both the non-volatile memory and the volatile memory utilizing a continuous memory map.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the memory controller further comprising:

a first memory controller coupled to the volatile memory; and

a second memory controller coupled to the non-volatile memory, wherein the second memory controller allows the processor to address a section of the continuous memory map reserved for non-volatile memory.

3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory comprises a Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (MRAM) and/or a Spin Transfer Torque MRAM (STT-MRAM).

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the processor writes/reads processor-state information to/from the non-volatile memory.

5. The mobile device of claim 4, wherein the processor writes/reads instant-on information to/from the non-volatile memory.

6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the processor writes/reads security information to/from the non-volatile memory.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the processor writes/reads digital rights management (DRM) information to/from the non-volatile memory.

8. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the volatile memory, the non-volatile memory, the memory controller and the processor are integrated into at least one semiconductor die.

9. A mobile device, comprising:

a volatile memory;

a non-volatile memory;

a memory controller coupled to the volatile memory;

a processor coupled to the memory controller, wherein the processor addresses the volatile memory during normal operation; and

a shadow copy controller coupled to the non-volatile memory and the memory controller, wherein the shadow copy controller copies information stored in a designated portion of the volatile memory into the non-volatile memory.

10. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the shadow copy controller copies the information from the designated portion of the volatile memory substantially at the same time as the information is written into the volatile memory by the memory controller during normal operation.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, further comprising:

a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) which determines a power state of the mobile device, wherein

the PMIC provides power-state information to the processor regarding a power disruption, and the processor determines which memory to access based the power state information.

12. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the processor restarts from a power disruption by reading information from the non-volatile memory.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the power disruption includes an uncontrolled power disruption and/or an intentional power interruption for circumventing security.

14. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the processor restarts reading from the non-volatile memory during an instant-on mode.

15. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the non-volatile memory comprises a Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (MRAM) and/or a Spin Transfer Torque MRAM (STT-MRAM).

16. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the shadow copy controller writes/reads processor-state information to/from the non-volatile memory.

17. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the shadow copy controller writes/reads instant-on information to/from the non-volatile memory.

18. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the shadow copy controller writes/reads security information to/from the non-volatile memory.

19. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the shadow copy controller writes/reads digital rights management (DRM) information to/from the non-volatile memory.

20. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the volatile memory, the non-volatile memory, the memory controller, the shadow copy controller and the processor are integrated into at least one semiconductor die.

21. A method for managing non-volatile memory in a mobile device, comprising:

determining a power mode of the mobile device;

determining that a power interruption did not occur based upon the power mode;

accessing volatile memory for processing operations; and

copying information stored in a predetermined portion of volatile memory into non-volatile memory.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining that a power interruption occurred based upon the power mode; and

restarting by accessing information from non-volatile memory.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the power disruption includes an uncontrolled power disruption and/or an intentional power interruption for circumventing security.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the non-volatile memory comprises a Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (MRAM) and/or a Spin Transfer Torque MRAM (STT-MRAM).

25. A method for managing non-volatile memory in a mobile device, comprising:

step for determining a power mode of the mobile device;

step for determining that a power interruption did not occur based upon the power mode;

step for accessing volatile memory for processing operations; and

step for copying information stored in a predetermined portion of volatile memory into non-volatile memory.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

step for determining that a power interruption occurred based upon the power mode; and

step for restarting by accessing information from non-volatile memory.

27. A computer readable storage medium comprising instructions, which, when executed a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the instructions comprising:

instructions to determine a power mode of the mobile device;

instructions to determine that a power interruption did not occur based upon the power mode;

instructions to access volatile memory for processing operations; and

instructions to copy information stored in a predetermined portion of volatile memory into non-volatile memory.

28. The medium of claim 27, further comprising:

instructions to determine that a power interruption occurred based upon the power mode; and

instructions to restart by accessing information from non-volatile memory.

29. An apparatus which manages non-volatile memory in a mobile device, comprising:

means for determining a power mode of the mobile device;

means for determining that a power interruption did not occur based upon the power mode;

means for accessing volatile memory for processing operations; and

means for copying information stored in a predetermined portion of volatile memory into non-volatile memory.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising:

means for determining that a power interruption occurred based upon the power mode; and

means for restarting by accessing information from non-volatile memory.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the power disruption includes an uncontrolled power disruption and/or an intentional power interruption for circumventing security.