STATISTICAL PEAK-CURRENT MANAGEMENT IN NON-VOLATILE MEMORY DEVICES

• US 20150199999A1
• Filed: 08/26/2014
• Published: 07/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sommer, Naftali, Gurgi, Eyal, Kasorla, Yoav, Mouler, Stas, Erez, Liran
• Granted Patent: US 9,361,951 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/10 Programming or data input circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/12 Programming voltage switching circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/30 Power supply circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/32 Timing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/14 Power supply arrangements , e.g. power down, chip selection or deselection, layout of wirings or power grids, or multiple supply levels
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/145 Applications of charge pumps; Boosted voltage circuits; Clamp circuits therefor G11C5/141 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/147 Voltage reference generators, voltage or current regulators; Internally lowered supply levels; Compensation for voltage drops G11C5/141 takes precedence

Abstract

A method includes, in a storage system that includes multiple memory devices, holding a definition of a given type of storage command. Multiple storage commands of the given type are executed in the memory devices, such that an actual current consumption of each storage command deviates from a nominal current waveform defined for the given type by no more than a predefined deviation, and such that each storage command is preceded by a random delay.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in a storage system that includes multiple memory devices, holding a definition of a given type of storage command; and

executing in the memory devices multiple storage commands of the given type, such that an actual current consumption of each storage command deviates from a nominal current waveform defined for the given type by no more than a predefined deviation, and such that each storage command is preceded by a random delay.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the actual current consumption and the nominal current waveform each comprises one or more current peaks, and wherein the predefined deviation corresponds to deviation in one or more parameters characterizing the current peaks.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the predefined deviation defines a maximal difference between a first number of the current peaks in the actual current consumption and a second number of the current peaks in the nominal current waveform.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the predefined deviation defines a maximal difference between gap interval durations that separate adjacent current peaks in the actual current consumption and in the nominal current waveform.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the predefined deviation defines a maximal difference between respective widths of the current peaks in the actual current consumption and in the nominal current waveform.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein executing the storage commands comprises generating the random delay using a pseudo-random number generator.

7. A storage system, comprising:

multiple memory devices; and

storage circuitry, which is configured to hold a definition of a given type of storage command, to execute in the memory devices multiple storage commands of the given type, such that an actual current consumption of each storage command deviates from a nominal current waveform defined for the given type by no more than a predefined deviation, and to precede each of the storage commands by a random delay.

8. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein the actual current consumption and the nominal current waveform each comprises one or more current peaks, and wherein the predefined deviation corresponds to deviation in one or more parameters characterizing the current peaks.

9. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein the predefined deviation defines a maximal difference between a first number of the current peaks in the actual current consumption and a second number of the current peaks in the nominal current waveform.

10. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein the predefined deviation defines a maximal difference between gap interval durations that separate adjacent current peaks in the actual current consumption and in the nominal current waveform.

11. The storage system according to claim 8, wherein the predefined deviation defines a maximal difference between respective widths of the current peaks in the actual current consumption and in the nominal current waveform.

12. The storage system according to claim 7, wherein the storage circuitry is configured to generate the random delay using a pseudo-random number generator.