Field programmable redundant memory for electronic devices
View Patent ↗An electronic device is provided including an input/output (I/O) interface, a plurality of memory elements, a controller coupled to the I/O interface and the plurality of memory elements. In the device, the controller configured for operating the plurality of memory elements during a normal operating mode of the electronic device, where responsive to receiving a command for replacing a selected memory sector in the electronic device during the normal operating mode, the controller is configured for identifying one or more available spare memory sectors in the electronic device and modifying at least one memory map in the electronic device to replace the selected memory sector with the one of the available spare memory sectors.
1. A method for operating an electronic device, comprising:
enabling a normal operating mode of said electronic device;
evaluating at least, one parameter value associated with a memory sector and comparing said parameter value to at least one parameter threshold value, wherein the parameter value is at least one of leakage current, data retention time, endurance, or program time;
upon the parameter value reaching the parameter threshold value, generating a command for replacing the memory sector;
receiving the command for replacing the memory sector in said electronic device during said normal operating mode;
identifying one or more available spare memory sectors in said electronic device; and
modifying at least one memory map in said electronic device to replace said memory sector with said one of said available spare memory sectors.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
if said spare memory sectors are unavailable, generating at least one error signal.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said modifying further comprises:
altering said memory map in a non-volatile memory portion of said electronic device.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said modifying further comprises:
altering said memory map in a volatile memory portion of said electronic device.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said modifying further comprises:
altering said memory map in a volatile memory portion of said electronic device;
changing said memory map in a non-volatile memory portion of said electronic device based on said memory map in said volatile memory portion; and
generating an error message if an error is detected during at least one of said altering and said changing.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said modifying further comprises:
confirming that said command includes a valid bypass code prior to said modifying of said memory map.
7. All electronic device, comprising:
an input/output (I/O) interface;
a plurality of memory elements;
a controller coupled to said I/O interface and said plurality of memory elements, said controller configured for operating said plurality of memory elements during a normal operating mode of said electronic device,
wherein the controller is configured to evaluate at least one parameter value associated with a memory sector and compare said parameter value to at least one parameter threshold value, wherein the parameter value is at least one of leakage current, data retention time, endurance, or program time, and upon the parameter value reaching the parameter threshold value, generating a command for replacing the memory sector;
wherein responsive to receiving the command for replacing the memory sector in said electronic device during said normal operating mode, said controller is further configured for identifying one or more available spare memory sectors in said electronic device and modifying at least one memory map in said electronic device to replace said memory sector with said one of said available spare memory sectors.
8. The device of claim 7 , wherein said controller is configured for generating at least one error signal if said spare memory sectors are unavailable.
9. The device of claim 7 , wherein said controller is further configured during said modifying for altering said memory map in a non-volatile memory portion of said electronic device.
10. The device of claim 7 , wherein said controller is further configured during said modifying for:
altering said memory map in a volatile memory portion of said electronic device;
changing said memory map in a non-volatile memory portion of said electronic device based on said memory map in said volatile memory portion; and
generating an error message if an error is detected during at least one of said altering and said changing.
11. A computing system, comprising;
at least one device interface;
at least one processing element coupled to said device interface, said processing element configured for reading and writing data to said device interface, and further configured to enable evaluation at least one parameter value associated with a memory sector and comparing said parameter value to at least one parameter threshold value, wherein the parameter value is at least one of leakage current, data retention time, endurance, or program time, and upon the parameter value reaching the parameter threshold value, to enable generation a command for replacing the memory sector; and
at least one electronic device coupled to said device interface, said electronic device configured for receiving the command for replacing the memory sector in said electronic device during a normal operating mode,
wherein said electronic device is configured for identifying one or more available spare memory sectors in said electronic device and modifying at least one memory map in said electronic device to replace said memory sector with said one of said available spare memory sectors.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein said electronic device is further configured during said modifying for altering said memory map in a non-volatile memory portion of said electronic device.
13. The system of claim 11 , wherein said electronic device is further configured during said modifying for:
altering said memory map in a volatile memory portion of said electronic device;
changing said memory map in a non-volatile memory portion of said electronic device based on said memory map in said volatile memory portion; and
generating an error message if an error is detected during at least one of said altering and said changing.
14. The system of claim 11 , wherein said electronic device is further configured for determining if said command includes a valid bypass code prior to said determining.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein said processing element further comprises a software moans for writing said command to said memory interface.
16. A method, comprising:
enabling a normal operating mode of an electronic device that includes a NAND flash memory device, wherein the NAND flash memory device includes a plurality of memory sectors and a plurality of spare memory sectors;
for each memory sector of the plurality of memory sectors, evaluating at least one parameter value associated with the memory sector and comparing the parameter value to at least one parameter threshold value, wherein the parameter value is at least one of leakage current, data retention time, endurance, or program time;
for each memory sector of the plurality of memory sectors, upon the parameter value reaching the parameter threshold value:
generating a command for replacing the memory sector for which the parameter value reached the parameter threshold value;
receiving the command for replacing the memory sector during said normal operating mode;
identifying one or more available spare memory sectors of the plurality of spare memory sectors; and
modifying at least one memory map in the electronic device to repine the memory sector with said one of said available spare memory sectors, wherein the modification of the memory map is performed such that the quantity of available user memory space is maintained in spite of the memory sector replacement, and such that the modification is performed during the normal operating mode of the electronic device.