Block management for mass storage

• US 6,567,307 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2002
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lexar Media Incorporated (Micron Technology, Inc.)
• Inventors: Estakhri, Petro
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN
• Application Number:
  US10/086,462
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 365/185.11, 365/185.09, 365/185.23, 365/185.29, 711/103
• US Class Current: 365/185.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1008 in individual solid state devices G06F11/1004 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1068 in sector programmable memories, e.g. flash disk G06F11/1072 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/023 Free address space management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/7201 Logical to physical mapping or translation of blocks or pages
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/08 Address circuits; Decoders; Word-line control circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/102 External programming circuits, e.g. EPROM programmers; In-circuit programming or reprogramming; EPROM emulators
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/765 in solid state disks
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 29/82 for EEPROMs
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 8/12 Group selection circuits, e.g. for memory block selection, chip selection, array selection

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention includes a nonvolatile memory system comprising nonvolatile memory for storing sector information, the nonvolatile memory being organized into blocks with each block including a plurality of sectors, each sector identified by a logical block address and for storing sector information. A controller is coupled to the nonvolatile memory for writing sector information to the latter and for updating the sector information, wherein upon updating sector information, the controller writes to the next free or available sector(s) of a block such that upon multiple re-writes or updating of sector information, a plurality of blocks are substantially filled with sector information and upon such time, the controller rearranges the updated sector information in sequential order based on their respective logical block addresses thereby increasing system performance and improving manufacturing costs of the controller.

Claims

1. A nonvolatile memory system comprising:

Nonvolatile memory for storing sector information, said nonvolatile memory being organized into blocks, each block including a plurality of sectors, each sector identified by a logical block address and for storing sector information; and

A controller coupled to said nonvolatile memory responsive to a host for writing sector information to said nonvolatile memory and responsive to the host for updating said sector information,

Wherein upon updating sector information, the controller writes to the next free or available sector(s) of a block such that upon multiple re-writes or updating of sector information, a plurality of blocks are substantially filled with sector information and upon such time, the controller rearranges the updated sector information in sequential order based on their respective logical block addresses thereby increasing system performance and improving manufacturing costs of the controller.

2. A nonvolatile memory system as recited in claim 1 wherein free blocks are used to rearrange the updated sector information.

3. A nonvolatile memory system as recited in claim 1 wherein the controller is responsive to the host for writing a plurality of sectors initially arranged in sequential order based on their logical block addresses wherein rearranging these sectors into another block is avoided by the controller thereby saving move operations and improving system performance.

4. A nonvolatile memory system as recited in claim 3 wherein the plurality of sectors is written to a particular block.

5. A nonvolatile memory system as recited in claim 4 wherein the particular block is renumbered.

6. A method of storing sector information in nonvolatile memory organized into blocks, each block including a plurality of sectors, each sector identified by a logical block address comprising:

Receiving sector information for storage into a block of the nonvolatile memory;

Storing the received sector information into one of a plurality of blocks;

Receiving updated sector information for storage into a block of the nonvolatile memory;

Storing the received updated sector information into the next free or available sector(s) of a block such that upon multiple re-writes or updating of sector information, a plurality of blocks are substantially filled with sector information; and

Re-arranging the updated sector information in sequential order based on their respective logical block addresses.