DATA STORAGE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING DATA STORAGE DEVICE

• US 20180322041A1
• Filed: 12/22/2017
• Published: 11/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Motion Incorporated California (Silicon Motion)
• Original Assignee: Silicon Motion Incorporated California (Silicon Motion)
• Inventors: CHIU, Shen-Ting
• Granted Patent: US 10,459,837 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/073 in a memory management context, e.g. virtual memory or cache management memory management G06F12/00; testing of static memory units G11C29/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/2022 Flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7201 Logical to physical mapping or translation of blocks or pages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/3004 to perform operations on memory
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 2211/5641 Multilevel memory having cells with different number of storage levels
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/52 Protection of memory contents; Detection of errors in memory contents

Abstract

A data-downloading technique for a data storage device before soldering the data storage device into a product. The data storage device uses a flash memory to provide first-type blocks (using single level cells) and second-type blocks (using multi-level cells). Before soldering the data storage device onto a printed circuit board, a controller of the data storage device allocates the first-type blocks to store data from a host. When the allocated number of first-type blocks reaches an upper limit, the controller changes to allocate the second-type blocks to store data from the host. When detecting that the controller has changed to allocate the flash memory to provide the second-type blocks to receive data from the host, the controller returns a fail message to the host to indicate unreliable write operations prior to soldering.

Claims

1. A data storage device, comprising:

a flash memory, providing a plurality of first-type blocks and a plurality of second-type blocks, wherein the first-type blocks comprise single level cells and the second-type blocks comprise multi-level cells; and

a controller, allocating the flash memory to provide the first-type blocks to receive data downloaded from a host before the data storage device is soldered to a printed circuit board,

wherein;

when the number of first-type blocks allocated to receive the data downloaded from the host exceeds an upper limit, the controller changes to allocate the flash memory to provide the second-type blocks to receive the data downloaded from the host; and

when detecting that the controller has changed to allocate the flash memory to provide the second-type blocks to receive the data downloaded from the host, the controller returns a fail message to the host to indicate unreliable write operations prior to soldering.

2. The data storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

when data-downloading, from the host to the flash memory prior to the soldering, finishes and the controller does not return the fail message to the host, the controller switches to a product state by a rebooting process after a power-off event to operate the flash memory in a consumer mode.

3. The data storage device as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

according to a checking command issued by a host, the controller checks whether the controller itself has changed to allocate the flash memory to provide the second-type blocks to receive the data downloaded from the host.

4. The data storage device as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

the controller performs the data-downloading, from the host to the flash memory before the soldering, during a production state awareness procedure.

5. The data storage device as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

the controller clears the flash memory before the production state awareness procedure.

6. The data storage device as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

the controller allocates the flash memory to provide an active block and an alternate active block to receive the data downloaded from the host; and

the controller switches to use the alternate active block to receive the data downloaded from the host when finishing using the active block to receive data.

7. The data storage device as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

when the number of first-type blocks allocated to receive the data downloaded from the host exceeds the upper limit, the controller switches to allocate the flash memory to provide the second-type blocks as the alternate active block.

8. The data storage device as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

when returning the fail message to the host, the controller disables the production state awareness procedure.

9. The data storage device as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

according to an enable command for the production state awareness procedure, the controller starts allocating the flash memory to provide the first-type blocks as the alternate active block.

10. The data storage device as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the controller starts a valid part of the data-downloading when the active block is the first-type block.

11. A method for operating a data storage device, comprising:

allocating a flash memory of a data storage device to provide space to receive data downloaded from a host, wherein the flash memory provides a plurality of first-type blocks and a plurality of second-type blocks, the first-type blocks comprise single level cells, and the second-type blocks comprise multi-level cells; and

allocating the flash memory to provide the first-type blocks to receive the data downloaded from the host before the data storage device is soldered to a printed circuit board,

wherein;

when the number of first-type blocks allocated to receive the data downloaded from the host exceeds an upper limit, the flash memory is changed to provide the second-type blocks to receive the data downloaded from the host; and

when detecting that the flash memory has been changed to provide the second-type blocks to receive the data downloaded from the host, a fail message is returned to the host to indicate unreliable write operations prior to soldering.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

when data-downloading, from the host to the flash memory prior to the soldering, finishes without returning the fail message to the host, a product state is introduced by a rebooting process after a power-off event to operate the flash memory in a consumer mode.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein:

according to a checking command issued by a host, it is checked whether the flash memory has been changed to provide the second-type blocks to receive the data downloaded from the host.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

the data-downloading, from the host to the flash memory before the soldering, is performed during a production state awareness procedure.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

clearing the flash memory before the production state awareness procedure.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

allocating the flash memory to provide an active block and an alternate active block to receive the data downloaded from the host; and

switching to use the alternate active block to receive the data downloaded from the host when finishing using the active block to receive data.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

switching to allocate the flash memory to provide the second-type blocks as the alternate active block when the number of first-type blocks allocated to receive the data downloaded from the host exceeds the upper limit.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising:

disabling the production state awareness procedure when the fail message is returned to the host.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

according to an enable command for the production state awareness procedure, starting to allocate the flash memory to provide as the alternate active block from the first-type blocks.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, further comprising:

starting a valid part of the data-downloading when the active block is the first-type block.