Method and Device for Distributing Holdup Energy to Memory Arrays

• US 20160098328A1
• Filed: 01/16/2015
• Published: 04/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SanDisk Technologies LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk Enterprise IP LLC (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Lucas, Gregg S., Ellis, Robert W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,665,451 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/30 Means for acting in the event of power-supply failure or interruption, e.g. power-supply fluctuations for resetting only G06F1/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1441 Resetting or repowering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2015 Redundant power supplies power supply failure G06F1/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3037 where the computing system component is a memory, e.g. virtual memory, cache accessing, addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures G06F12/00; checking stores for correct operation G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0673 Single storage device

Abstract

The various embodiments described herein include methods and/or devices used to protect data in a storage device. In one aspect, a method includes performing a power fail operation on a first section of the storage device, the first section of the storage device comprising one or more memory group modules. The power fail operation includes supplying power, via one or more energy storage devices, to the one or more memory group modules, where each memory group module includes a respective memory group module controller. The power fail operation also includes supplying power, via an additional energy storage device, to a storage device controller, the storage device controller corresponding to the first section of the storage device. The additional energy storage device is distinct from the one or more energy storage devices and each are distinct from a power source used during normal operation of the storage device.

Claims

1. A storage device, comprising:

an interface for coupling the storage device to a host system;

one or more memory group modules, each memory group module of the one or more memory group modules including a respective memory controller and non-volatile memory, wherein each respective memory controller is configured to control a plurality of operations within a corresponding memory group module;

a storage device controller coupled to the one or more memory group modules, the storage device controller configured to control a plurality of data transfer operations; and

one or more energy storage devices, each of the one or more energy storage devices for supplying power to one or more corresponding memory group modules during a power fail operation;

wherein the storage device is configured to couple each energy storage device of the one or more energy storage devices to one or more corresponding memory group modules without coupling the energy storage device to the storage device controller during the power fail operation.

2. The storage device of claim 1, wherein at least one memory group module of the one or more memory group modules is configured to harden data during the power fail operation.

3. The storage device of claim 2, including volatile memory corresponding to each memory group module of the one or more memory group modules;

wherein hardening data comprises, for a respective memory group module, transferring data to the non-volatile memory within the respective memory group module from the corresponding volatile memory.

4. The storage device of claim 2, wherein the at least one memory group module is further configured to reset subsequent to hardening the data.

5. The storage device of claim 1, wherein each memory group module of the one or more memory group modules is configured to disregard signals received from the storage device controller during the power fail operation.

6. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the one or more memory group modules include at least first and second memory group modules, the one or more energy storage devices include at least first and second energy storage devices, and the storage device is configured to couple the first energy storage device to the first memory group module but not the second memory group module, and is further configured to couple the second energy storage device to the second memory group module but not the first memory group module.

7. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the one or more energy storage devices consist of a first energy storage device, and the one or more memory group modules comprise a plurality of memory group modules;

and

the first energy storage device is coupled to each memory group module of the plurality of memory group modules.

8. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the one or more memory group modules comprise a plurality of memory group modules;

and

wherein a first subset of the plurality of memory group modules are not coupled to the one or more energy storage devices.

9. The storage device of claim 8, wherein the storage device is configured to prevent the storage of critical data in memory corresponding to the first subset of the plurality of memory group modules.

10. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the storage device controller is configured to:

receive data from the host system to be written to non-volatile memory;

transfer the data to at least one memory group module of the one or more memory group modules; and

after transferring the data to the at least one memory group module, send an acknowledgement signal to the host, wherein the acknowledgement signal indicates to the host system that the data has been stored in non-volatile memory.

11. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the storage device further comprises an additional energy storage device coupled to the storage device controller, the additional energy storage device configured to supply power to the storage device controller during the power fail operation.

12. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the storage device is configured to reset the storage device controller during the power fail operation.

13. The storage device of claim 12, the storage device further comprising volatile memory associated with the storage device controller;

and

wherein the storage device is further configured to transfer data from the volatile memory associated with the storage device controller to at least one memory group module of the one or more memory group modules prior to resetting the storage device controller.

14. The storage device of claim 12, the storage device further comprising volatile memory associated with the storage device controller;

wherein data is stored in the volatile memory associated with the storage device controller; and

wherein the storage device is further configured to reset the storage device controller regardless of the data stored in the volatile memory associated with the storage device controller.

15. The storage device of claim 14, wherein the data stored in the volatile memory associated with the storage device controller comprises metadata corresponding to a mapping of non-volatile memory in the one or more memory group modules;

and

wherein the storage device is further configured to reconstruct the metadata corresponding to the mapping of non-volatile memory in the one or more memory group modules from metadata stored in non-volatile memory of at least one memory group module of the one or more memory group modules subsequent to the power fail operation.

16. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the storage device is configured to:

determine whether a power supply voltage provided to the storage device meets predetermined power fail criteria; and

in accordance with a determination that the power supply voltage meets the predetermined power fail criteria, perform the power fail operation.

17. The storage device of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more boost regulators, each boost regulator of the one or more boost regulators configured to boost a respective input voltage and having an output coupled to at least one memory group module of the one or more memory group modules; and

one or more selectors, each selector of the one or more selectors configured to selectively couple a respective energy storage device to either an input or an output of a corresponding boost regulator;

wherein a respective selector is configured to couple a respective energy storage device to the output of a corresponding boost regulator during normal operation of the storage device; and

wherein the selector is further configured to couple the respective energy storage device to the input of the corresponding boost regulator during the power fail operation.

18. The storage device of claim 1, further comprising a regulator module coupled to the interface, the regulator module comprising one or more regulators for supplying power to a first portion of the storage device, wherein the first portion includes at least the one or more memory group modules;

wherein each of the one or more energy storage devices is further coupled to a respective output of the regulator module.

19. The storage device of claim 18, wherein each energy storage device of the one or more energy storage devices is further configured to buffer power spikes in power received from the respective output of the regulator module.

20. The storage device of claim 18, wherein the storage device is further configured to decouple the regulator module from at least one energy storage device of the one or more energy storage devices during the power fail operation.

21. The storage device of claim 18, the storage device comprising:

a first memory group module of the one or more memory group modules coupled to a plurality of regulator module outputs, wherein each output of the plurality of regulator module outputs corresponds to a particular voltage; and

a first respective energy storage device coupled to the first memory group module and a first output of the plurality of the regulator module outputs;

wherein the regulator module is configured to supply power corresponding to a first voltage via the first output of the plurality of the regulator module outputs during normal operation;

wherein the storage device is configured to decouple the plurality of regulator module outputs from the first memory group module during the power fail operation; and

wherein the first respective energy storage device is configured to supply power corresponding to the first voltage to the first memory group module during the power fail operation.

22. The storage device of claim 1, wherein

a first memory group module of the one or more memory group modules is configured to prevent corruption of previously committed data by committing data stored in volatile memory corresponding to a particular memory group module of the one or more memory group modules during the power fail operation, regardless of errors in the data.

23. A method of protecting data in a storage device comprising volatile memory and non-volatile memory, the method comprising:

performing a power fail operation on a first section of the storage device, the first section of the storage device comprising one or more memory group modules, and the power fail operation including;

supplying power, via one or more energy storage devices, to the one or more memory group modules, wherein each memory group module of the one or more memory group modules includes a respective memory group module controller; and

supplying power, via an additional energy storage device, to a storage device controller, the storage device controller corresponding to the first section of the storage device;

wherein the additional energy storage device is distinct from the one or more energy storage devices; and

wherein the one or more energy storage devices and the additional energy storage device are each distinct from a power source used during normal operation of the storage device.

24. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processors of a storage device, the one or more programs including instructions for:

performing a power fail operation on a first section of the storage device, the first section of the storage device comprising one or more memory group modules, and the power fail operation including;

supplying power, via one or more energy storage devices, to the one or more memory group modules, wherein each memory group module of the one or more memory group modules includes a respective memory group module controller; and

supplying power, via an additional energy storage device, to a storage device controller, the storage device controller corresponding to the first section of the storage device;

wherein the additional energy storage device is distinct from the one or more energy storage devices; and

wherein the one or more energy storage devices and the additional energy storage device are each distinct from a power source used during normal operation of the storage device.