IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,915,771
Granted Patent B2
US 11,915,771 · App. 17/655,138 · Granted Feb 27, 2024

Voltage detection for managed memory systems

Inventors: Yoav Weinberg (Toronto, CA); Evgeni Bassin (Pleasanton, CA)
Assignee: Micron Technology, Inc.
G11C29/021G11C5/144G11C29/028
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,915,771
App. No.
17/655,138
Granted
Feb 27, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for voltage detection for managed memory systems are described. In some cases, a memory system may include circuitry to monitor one or more supply voltages to the memory system or voltages generated by the memory system to determine whether a voltage rises above an operational range. In some cases, an overvoltage detector may include an undervoltage detector that has been tuned or manufactured to have a higher threshold than an undervoltage detector used to determine whether a voltage has fallen below the operational range. Accordingly, the memory system may monitor a voltage using an undervoltage detector having a threshold corresponding to a lower bound or lower operation point of the operational range of the monitored voltage and an overvoltage detectors having a threshold corresponding to the upper bound or upper operational point of the operational range.

Claims (56)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory device;

a controller coupled with the memory device, the controller configured to be coupled with a host device and to perform mapping between logical addresses received from the host device and physical addresses of the memory device;

a first voltage detector having a first configuration and a second voltage detector having a second configuration, the first voltage detector and the second voltage detector coupled with the memory device and configured to monitor one or more supply voltages of the memory device and determine whether the one or more supply voltages satisfy respective ranges based at least in part on monitoring the one or more supply voltages; and

a health engine coupled with the first voltage detector, the second voltage detector, and the controller, the health engine configured to initiate, based at least in part on determining that a supply voltage of the one or more supply voltages exceeds an upper operating point of the respective range, a safe mode of at least one of the controller or the memory device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:

the first voltage detector is configured to set a first flag indicating that the supply voltage exceeds a first threshold of the first voltage detector;

the second voltage detector is configured to set a second flag indicating that the supply voltage exceeds a second threshold of the second voltage detector; and

the second voltage detector is configured to invert the second flag, wherein determining that the supply voltage exceeds the upper operating point of the respective range is based at least in part on inverting the second flag.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first voltage detector and the second voltage detector are configured to issue an indication of the one or more supply voltages to the health engine.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, to initiate the safe mode, the health engine is configured to transmit an indication of the safe mode to the host device based at least in part on determining that the supply voltage exceeds the upper operating point of the respective range.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller comprises a processor and code executable by the processor.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein, to initiate the safe mode, the health engine is further configured to send an interrupt to the processor based at least in part on determining that the supply voltage exceeds the upper operating point of the respective range.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein, to initiate the safe mode, the health engine is further configured to set a flag accessible by the code based at least in part on determining that the supply voltage exceeds the upper operating point of the respective range.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, to initiate the safe mode, the health engine is further configured to delay a transfer of data between the memory device and the host device based at least in part on determining that the supply voltage exceeds the upper operating point of the respective range.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first voltage detector and the second voltage detector comprise a respective plurality of resistors, wherein the first configuration comprises a first subset of active resistors of the respective plurality of resistors and the second configuration comprises a second subset of active resistors of the respective plurality of resistors.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:

receive the one or more supply voltages; and

generate one or more additional supply voltages using the one or more supply voltages.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein a third voltage detector and a fourth voltage detector are further configured to monitor the one or more additional supply voltages and determine whether the one or more additional supply voltages satisfy respective ranges based at least in part on monitoring the one or more additional supply voltages.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a circuit block of the first voltage detector matches a circuit block of the second voltage detector.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

monitor one or more supply voltages of a memory device;

determine, using a first voltage detector having a first configuration and a second voltage detector having a second configuration, whether the one or more supply voltages satisfy respective ranges based at least in part on monitoring the one or more supply voltages; and

initiate, at a health engine of the memory device and based at least in part on determining that a supply voltage of the one or more supply voltages exceeds an upper operating point of the respective range, a safe mode of the memory device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, further cause the electronic device to:

set a first flag indicating that the supply voltage exceeds a first threshold of the first voltage detector;

set a second flag indicating that the supply voltage exceeds a second threshold of the second voltage detector; and

invert the second flag, wherein determining that the supply voltage exceeds the upper operating point of the respective range is based at least in part on inverting the second flag.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, further cause the electronic device to:

issue an indication of the one or more supply voltages to the health engine of the memory device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein, to initiate the safe mode, the instructions, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, further cause the electronic device to:

transmit an indication of the safe mode to a host device based at least in part on determining that the supply voltage exceeds the upper operating point of the respective range.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein, to initiate the safe mode, the instructions, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, further cause the electronic device to:

issue an indication of the safe mode from the health engine to a controller of the memory device based at least in part on determining that the supply voltage exceeds the upper operating point of the respective range.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein, to initiate the safe mode, the instructions, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, further cause the electronic device to:

send an interrupt to the processor based at least in part on determining that the supply voltage exceeds the upper operating point of the respective range.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein, to initiate the safe mode, the instructions, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, further cause the electronic device to:

delay a transfer of data between the memory device and a host device based at least in part on determining that the supply voltage exceeds the upper operating point of the respective range.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the first voltage detector and the second voltage detector comprise a respective plurality of resistors, wherein the first configuration comprises a first subset of active resistors of the respective plurality of resistors and the second configuration comprises a second subset of active resistors of the respective plurality of resistors.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, further cause the electronic device to:

receive the one or more supply voltages; and

generate one or more additional supply voltages using the one or more supply voltages.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor of the electronic device, further cause the electronic device to:

monitoring the one or more additional supply voltages; and

determining whether the one or more additional supply voltages satisfy respective ranges based at least in part on monitoring the one or more additional supply voltages.

23. A method, comprising:

monitoring one or more supply voltages of a memory device;

determining, using a first voltage detector having a first configuration and a second voltage detector having a second configuration, whether the one or more supply voltages satisfy respective ranges based at least in part on monitoring the one or more supply voltages; and

initiating, at a health engine of the memory device and based at least in part on determining that a supply voltage of the one or more supply voltages exceeds an upper operating point of the respective range, a safe mode of the memory device.

24. The method of claim 23 , further comprising:

setting a first flag indicating that the supply voltage exceeds a first threshold of the first voltage detector;

setting a second flag indicating that the supply voltage exceeds a second threshold of the second voltage detector; and

inverting the second flag, wherein determining that the supply voltage exceeds the upper operating point of the respective range is based at least in part on inverting the second flag.

25. The method of claim 23 , further comprising:

issuing an indication of the one or more supply voltages to the health engine of the memory device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 22, 2022
From: WEINBERG, YOAV; BASSIN, EVGENI
To: MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC.
Reel/Frame 059339/0309 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63266151 · Dec 29, 2021
Related Publication 20230207032A1 · Jun 29, 2023