IP Library Granted Patent US 9,164,896
Granted Patent B2
US 9,164,896 · App. 14/475,317 · Granted Oct 20, 2015

Memory system storing management information and method of controlling same

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,164,896
App. No.
14/475,317
Granted
Oct 20, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

A memory system includes a management-information restoring unit. The management-information restoring unit determines whether a short break has occurred referring to a pre-log or a post-log in a NAND memory. The management-information restoring unit determines that a short break has occurred when the pre-log or the post-log is present in the NAND memory. In that case, the management-information restoring unit determines timing of occurrence of the short break, and, after selecting a pre-log or a post-log used for restoration, performs restoration of the management information reflecting these logs on a snapshot. Thereafter, the management-information restoring unit applies recovery processing to all write-once blocks in the NAND memory, takes the snapshot again, and opens the snapshot and the logs in the past.

Claims (30)

1. A memory system comprising:

a nonvolatile memory;

a memory controller configured to perform data management in the nonvolatile memory based on one part of first management information,

wherein the memory controller includes:

a management-information storing unit configured to store a first log created before updating the first management information and a second log created after updating the first management information, and to store the first management information in the nonvolatile memory as second management information; and

in a case of a power cut, the management-information storing unit is configured to store the first management information as third management information in the nonvolatile memory.

2. The memory system according to claim 1 , wherein the management-information storing unit is configured to invalidate the log after storing the third management information in the nonvolatile memory.

3. The memory system according to claim 1 , wherein

the nonvolatile memory includes a plurality of blocks, each one of the plurality of blocks being a data erasing unit and including a plurality of pages, each one of the plurality of pages being a data programming unit, and

the management-information storing unit is configured to store the log by a page unit in each one of the plurality of blocks.

4. The memory system according to claim 1 , wherein the first log and the second log have same contents as each other.

5. The memory system according to claim 1 , wherein the nonvolatile memory is a NAND flash memory.

6. A memory system comprising:

a nonvolatile memory;

a memory controller configured to perform data management based on management information,

wherein the memory controller configured to:

store a first log created before updating the management information and a second log created after updating the management information, and to store the management information in the nonvolatile memory; and

in a case of a power cut, store the updated management information and a log stored in the nonvolatile memory and to store the management information in the nonvolatile memory.

7. A method of controlling a memory system comprising:

managing the data by using first management information; and

storing a first log created before updating the first management information and a second log created after updating the first management information;

storing the first management information in the memory as second management information; and

in a case of having an error in the memory system, storing the first management information as third management information.

8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:

invalidating the log after storing the third management information in the memory.

9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein

the memory includes a plurality of blocks, each one of the plurality of blocks being a data erasing unit and including a plurality of pages, each one of the plurality of pages being a data programming unit, and further comprising:

storing the log by a page unit in each one of the plurality of blocks.

10. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the first log and the second log have same contents as each other.

11. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the memory is a NAND flash memory.

Assignments (4)
MERGER Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
To: K.K. PANGEA
Reel/Frame 055659/0471 →
CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
To: KIOXIA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055669/0001 →
CHANGE OF NAME AND ADDRESS Recorded Jan 22, 2021
From: K.K. PANGEA
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 055669/0401 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 5, 2017
From: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
To: TOSHIBA MEMORY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 043088/0620 →