MEMORY MANAGEMENT METHOD, MEMORY CONTROL CIRCUIT UNIT, AND MEMORY STORAGE APPARATUS

• US 20160364141A1
• Filed: 07/29/2015
• Published: 12/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phison Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Phison Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Yeh, Chih-Kang
• Granted Patent: US 10,824,340 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1016 Performance improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7201 Logical to physical mapping or translation of blocks or pages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/064 Management of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0679 Non-volatile semiconductor memory device, e.g. flash memory, one time programmable memory [OTP]

Abstract

A memory management method is provided according to an exemplary embodiment. The method includes: receiving a write command and determining whether a usage status of physical units associated to a storage area conforms to a first predetermined status; storing write data corresponding to the write command to at least one of physical units associated to a temporary area if the usage status of the physical units associated to the storage area conforms to the first predetermined status; associating the at least one physical unit storing the write data to the storage area; and allocating at least one logical unit to map the at least one physical unit associated to the storage area.

Claims

1. A memory management method configured for a rewritable non-volatile memory module, wherein the rewritable non-volatile memory module comprises a plurality of physical units, and the memory management method comprises:

receiving a write command and determining whether a usage status of a plurality of physical units associated to a storage area among the physical units conforms to a first predetermined status;

storing write data corresponding to the write command in at least one physical unit associated to a temporary area among the physical units if the usage status of the physical units associated to the storage area conforms to the first predetermined status;

associating the at least one physical unit storing the write data to the storage area; and

allocating at least one logical unit to map the at least one physical unit associated to the storage area.

2. The memory management method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the usage status of the physical units associated to the storage area among the physical units conforms to the first predetermined status comprises:

determining whether a usage capacity of the physical units associated to the storage area conforms to a first predetermined capacity,

wherein the usage capacity of the physical units associated to the storage area corresponds to a total data size of valid data stored in the physical units associated to the storage area.

3. The memory management method of claim 1, wherein a memory cell in the physical units associated to the temporary area is configured to store a first bit data of a first number,

wherein a memory cell in the physical units associated to the storage area is configured to store a second bit data of a second number,

wherein the first number is less than the second number.

4. The memory management method of claim 1, wherein a total available capacity of the physical units associated to the storage area is less than a total logical capacity accessible to a host system.

5. The memory management method of claim 4, wherein the total logical capacity remains unchanged if the total available capacity is changed from a first capacity to a second capacity.

6. A memory control circuit unit configured to control a rewritable non-volatile memory module, wherein the rewritable non-volatile memory module comprises a plurality of physical units, and the memory control circuit unit comprises:

a host interface configured to be coupled to a host system;

a memory interface configured to be coupled to the rewritable non-volatile memory module; and

a memory management circuit coupled to the host interface and the memory interface,

wherein the memory management circuit is configured to receive a write command and determine whether a usage status of a plurality of physical units associated to a storage area among the physical units conforms to a first predetermined status,

wherein the memory management circuit is further configured to send a write command sequence if the usage status of the physical units associated to the storage area conforms to the first predetermined status, wherein the write command sequence is configured to instruct storing write data corresponding to the write command in at least one physical unit associated to a temporary area among the physical units,

wherein the memory management circuit is further configured to associate the at least one physical unit storing the write data to the storage area,

wherein the memory management circuit is further configured to allocate at least one logical unit to map the at least one physical unit associated to the storage area.

7. The memory control circuit unit of claim 6, wherein the operation of determining whether the usage status of the physical units associated to the storage area among the physical units conforms to the first predetermined status by the memory management circuit comprises:

determining whether a usage capacity of the physical units associated to the storage area conforms to a first predetermined capacity,

wherein the usage capacity of the physical units associated to the storage area corresponds to a total data size of valid data stored in the physical units associated to the storage area.

8. The memory control circuit unit of claim 6, wherein a memory cell in the physical units associated to the temporary area is configured to store a first bit data of a first number,

wherein a memory cell in the physical units associated to the storage area is configured to store a second bit data of a second number,

wherein the first number is less than the second number.

9. The memory control circuit unit of claim 6, wherein a total available capacity of the physical units associated to the storage area is less than a total logical capacity accessible to the host system.

10. The memory control circuit unit of claim 9, wherein the total logical capacity remains unchanged if the total available capacity is changed from a first capacity to a second capacity.

11. A memory storage apparatus, comprising:

a connection interface unit configured to be coupled to a host system;

a rewritable non-volatile memory module comprising a plurality of physical units; and

a memory control circuit unit coupled to the connection interface unit and the rewritable non-volatile memory module,

wherein the memory control circuit unit is configured to receive a write command and determine whether a usage status of a plurality of physical units associated to a storage area among the physical units conforms to a first predetermined status,

wherein the memory control circuit unit is further configured to send a write command sequence if the usage status of the physical units associated to the storage area conforms to the first predetermined status, wherein the write command sequence is configured to instruct storing write data corresponding to the write command in at least one physical unit associated to a temporary area among the physical units,

wherein the memory control circuit unit is further configured to associate the at least one physical unit storing the write data to the storage area,

wherein the memory control circuit unit is further configured to allocate at least one logical unit to map the at least one physical unit associated to the storage area.

12. The memory storage apparatus of claim 11, wherein the operation of determining whether the usage status of the physical units associated to the storage area conforms to the first predetermined status by the memory control circuit unit comprises:

determining whether a usage capacity of the physical units associated to the storage area conforms to a first predetermined capacity,

wherein the usage capacity of the physical units associated to the storage area corresponds to a total data size of valid data stored in the physical units associated to the storage area.

13. The memory storage apparatus of claim 11, wherein a memory cell in the physical units associated to the temporary area is configured to store a first bit data of a first number,

wherein a memory cell in the physical units associated to the storage area is configured to store a second bit data of a second number,

wherein the first number is less than the second number.

14. The memory storage apparatus of claim 11, wherein a total available capacity of the physical units associated to the storage area is less than a total logical capacity accessible to the host system.

15. The memory storage apparatus of claim 14, wherein the total logical capacity remains unchanged if the total available capacity is changed from a first capacity to a second capacity.

16. A memory management method configured for a rewritable non-volatile memory module, wherein the rewritable non-volatile memory module comprises a plurality of physical units, and the memory management method comprises:

allocating a plurality of logical units to map a plurality of physical units associated to a storage area among the physical units;

receiving an operation command and determining whether a usage status of the physical units associated to the storage area conforms to a second predetermined status;

associating at least one physical unit of the physical units associated to the storage area to a temporary area if the usage status of the physical units associated to the storage area conforms to the second predetermined status; and

removing a logical-to-physical mapping relationship corresponding to the at least one physical unit changed to be associated to the temporary area instead.

17. The memory management method of claim 16, wherein the operation command instructs deleting first data.

18. The memory management method of claim 17, wherein the step of determining whether the usage status of the physical units associated to the storage area conforms to the second predetermined status comprises:

determining whether the first data is stored in a predetermined physical unit that can be associated to the temporary area among the physical units.

19. The memory management method of claim 16, wherein the step of determining whether the usage status of the physical units associated to the storage area conforms to the second predetermined status comprises:

determining whether a usage capacity of the physical units associated to the storage area conforms to a second predetermined capacity,

wherein the usage capacity of the physical units associated to the storage area corresponds to a total data size of valid data stored in the physical units associated to the storage area.

20. The memory management method of claim 16, wherein a memory cell in the physical units associated to the temporary area is configured to store a first bit data of a first number,

wherein a memory cell in the physical units associated to the storage area is configured to store a second bit data of a second number,

wherein the first number is less than the second number.

21. The memory management method of claim 16, wherein a total available capacity of the physical units associated to the storage area is less than a total logical capacity accessible to a host system.

22. The memory management method of claim 21, wherein the total logical capacity remains unchanged if the total available capacity is changed from a first capacity to a second capacity.