Multi-processor flash memory storage device and management system

• US 7,882,320 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2008
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures II LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Dataram Corporation (Leading Testing Laboratories, Inc.)
• Inventors: Caulkins, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): LANE, JOHN A
• Application Number:
  US12/113,606
• Publication Number:
  US 20080209116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,006 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 711/165
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 16/10 Programming or data input circuits

Abstract

A data storage device has a host controller interface, a plurality of microprocessor units each having a portion of random access memory (RAM) dedicated thereto, a plurality of Flash device configurations each having dedicated bus connections to individual ones or multiples of the microprocessor units, and a dataflow controller accessible to the host controller interface for managing access to the Flash device configurations.

Claims

1. A data storage device comprising:

a host controller interface;

a plurality of microprocessor units each having a portion of random access volatile memory (RAM) dedicated thereto, the RAM portion having a preset threshold for valid data;

a plurality of non-volatile memory device configurations each having dedicated bus connections to individual ones or multiples of the microprocessor units;

a dataflow controller accessible to the host controller interface for managing access to the device configurations;

wherein the dataflow controller periodically compares valid data volume in the RAM portion associated with each microprocessor with the preset threshold, and upon a threshold being met or exceeded, selects and moves data that has been longest in the volatile memory portion without alteration from the RAM portion to the non-volatile memory bussed to that microprocessor, and marks locations from which the data is moved as available for writing in the volatile portion.

2. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein the device configurations bused to ones or multiples of the microprocessor units comprise individual Flash channels selectable for service from the dataflow controller.

3. The data storage device of claim 2 wherein the Flash device configuration of each selectable Flash channel comprises multiple Flash chips connected in parallel.

4. The data storage device of claim 2 wherein the Flash device configuration of each selectable Flash channel comprises multiple Flash chips connected in a daisy chain configuration.

5. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein the dataflow controller includes an onboard microprocessor with a dedicated amount of RAM.

6. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein the dataflow controller is a state machine.

7. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein the dataflow controller is hardware with a microprocessor and a dedicated portion of RAM integrated with the host controller.

8. The data storage device of claim 1 wherein the memory device configurations for each channel are of a type of NAND Flash or Phase Change Memory.