Flash storage device, data storage system, and data writing method

• US 8,380,919 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2010
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Motion Incorporated California (Silicon Motion)
• Original Assignee: Silicon Motion Incorporated California (Silicon Motion)
• Inventors: Chen, I-Pao
• Primary Examiner(s): Campos, Yaima
• Assistant Examiner(s): Namazi, Mehdi
• Application Number:
  US12/765,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20110125955A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,034 Days
• Field of Search: 365/185.33, 711/103, 711/E12.001, 711/E12.008
• US Class Current: 711/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0246 in block erasable memory, e.g. flash memory

Abstract

The invention provides a flash storage device. In one embodiment, the flash storage device comprises a flash memory and a controller. The flash memory comprises a plurality of storage units for data storage, wherein the total capacity of each of the storage units is equal to a storage unit capacity. When the flash storage device receives a read capacity command from a host, the controller determines the size of a logical block to be a specific multiple of the storage unit capacity, and sends information about the logical block size to the host in response to the read capacity command, wherein the specific multiple is a natural number. After the host receives the information from the flash storage device, the host retrieves the logical block size from the information, and sends only write data with an amount equal to a multiple of the logical block size to the flash storage device.

Claims

1. A flash storage device, coupled to a host, comprising:

a flash memory, comprising a plurality of storage units for data storage, wherein the total capacity of each of the storage units is equal to a storage unit capacity;

a controller, when the flash storage device receives a read capacity command from the host, determining a size of a logical block to be a specific multiple of the storage unit capacity, and sending information about the logical block size to the host in response to the read capacity command, wherein the specific multiple is a natural number;

wherein after the host receives the information from the flash storage device, the host retrieves the logical block size from the information, and sends only write data with an amount equal to a multiple of the logical block size to the flash storage device.

2. The flash storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the flash storage device receives the write data from the host, the controller divides the write data into a plurality of storage unit segments with a total amount of data equal to the storage unit capacity, and writes the storage unit segments into the storage units of the flash memory.

3. The flash storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a first storage unit selected from the storage units has data stored therein, the flash memory cannot write data to the first storage unit until after data is removed from the first storage unit.

4. The flash storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the flash storage device receives the read capacity command from the host, the controller further obtains information about a total capacity of the flash memory, divides the total capacity by the storage unit capacity to obtain a logical block number, and sends the logical block number to the host in addition to the logical block size, in response to the read capacity command.

5. The flash storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein before the host sends the write data, the host determines whether the amount of the write data is equal to a multiple of the logical block size, and adds patch data to the write data to make the amount of the write data equal to a multiple of the logical block size when the amount of the write data is not equal to a multiple of the logical block size.

6. The flash storage device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage units are pages of the flash memory.

7. The flash storage device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the controller determines the logical block size to be equal to a capacity of a page of the flash memory when the flash memory is a single-level-cell (SLC) flash memory, determines the logical block size to be equal to a capacity of two pages of the flash memory when the flash memory is a multi-level-cell (MLC) flash memory, and determines the logical block size to be equal to a capacity of three pages of the flash memory when the flash memory is a triple-level-cell (TLC) flash memory.

11. The data storage system as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a first storage unit selected from the storage units has data stored therein, the flash memory cannot write data to the first storage unit until after data is removed from the first storage unit.

8. A data storage system, comprising:

a flash storage device, comprising a flash memory for data storage, and when the flash storage device receives a read capacity command from a host, determining a size of a logical block to be a specific multiple of a storage unit capacity of the flash memory, and sending information about the logical block size to the host in response to the read capacity command, wherein the specific multiple is a natural number, the flash memory comprises a plurality of storage units for data storage, and wherein the total capacity of each of the storage units is equal to the storage unit capacity; and

a host, sending the read capacity command to the flash storage device, retrieving the logical block size from the information, and sending only write data with an amount equal to a multiple of the logical block size to the flash storage device.

9. The data storage system as claimed in claim 8, wherein when the flash storage device receives the read capacity command from the host, the flash storage device further obtains information about a total capacity of the flash memory, divides the total capacity by the storage unit capacity to obtain a logical block number, and sends the logical block number to the host in addition to the logical block size, in response to the read capacity command.

10. The data storage system as claimed in claim 8, wherein before the host sends the write data, the host determines whether the amount of the write data is equal to a multiple of the logical block size, and adds patch data to the write data to make the amount of the write data equal to a multiple of the logical block size when the amount of the write data is not equal to a multiple of the logical block size.

12. The data storage system as claimed in claim 8, wherein when the flash storage device receives the write data from the host, the flash storage device divides the write data into a plurality of storage unit segments with a total amount of data equal to the storage unit capacity, and writes the storage unit segments into the storage units of the flash memory.

13. The data storage system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the storage units are pages of the flash memory.

14. The data storage system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the flash storage device determines the logical block size to be equal to a capacity of a page of the flash memory when the flash memory is a single-level-cell (SLC) flash memory, determines the logical block size to be equal to a capacity of two pages of the flash memory when the flash memory is a multi-level-cell (MLC) flash memory, and determines the logical block size to be equal to a capacity of three pages of the flash memory when the flash memory is a triple-level-cell (TLC) flash memory.

15. A data writing method of a data storage system, wherein the data storage system comprises a host and a flash storage device, the flash storage device comprises a flash memory comprising a plurality of storage units for data storage, and the total capacity of each of the storage units is equal to a storage unit capacity, and the method comprises:

sending, by the host, a read capacity command to the flash storage device;

when the flash storage device receives the read capacity command from the host, determining, by the flash storage device, the size of a logical block to be a specific multiple of the storage unit capacity, wherein the specific multiple is a natural number;

sending, by the flash storage device, information about the logical block size to the host in response to the read capacity command;

after the host receives the information from the flash storage device, retrieving, by the host, the logical block size from the information; and

sending, by the host, only write data with an amount equal to a multiple of the logical block size to the flash storage device.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein sending of the information comprises:

obtaining, by the flash storage device, information about a total capacity of the flash memory;

dividing, by the flash storage device, the total capacity by the storage unit capacity to obtain a logical block number; and

sending, by the flash storage device, the logical block number to the host in addition to the logical block size, in response to the read capacity command.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein sending of the write data comprises:

determining, by the host, whether the amount of the write data is equal to a multiple of the logical block size; and

when the amount of the write data is not equal to a multiple of the logical block size, adding patch data to the write data to make the amount of the write data equal to a multiple of the logical block size.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

when the flash storage device receives the write data from the host, dividing, by the flash storage device, the write data into a plurality of storage unit segments with a total amount of data equal to the storage unit capacity; and

writing, by the flash storage device, the storage unit segments into the storage units of the flash memory.

19. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the storage units are pages of the flash memory.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein determination of the logical block size comprises:

when the flash memory is a single-level-cell (SLC) flash memory, determining, by the flash storage device, the logical block size to be equal to a capacity of a page of the flash memory;

when the flash memory is a multi-level-cell (MLC) flash memory, determining, by the flash storage device, the logical block size to be equal to a capacity of two pages of the flash memory; and

when the flash memory is a triple-level-cell (TLC) flash memory, determining, by the flash storage device, the logical block size to be equal to a capacity of three pages of the flash memory.