IP Library Granted Patent US 9,766,974
Granted Patent B2
US 9,766,974 · App. 14/547,412 · Granted Sep 19, 2017

Data storage device and data access-method

Inventors: Li-Shuo Hsiao (Chiayi, TW); Chang-Kai Cheng (Hsinchu, TW)
Assignee: SILICON MOTION, INC.
G06F11/1068G06F3/064G06F3/0619G06F3/0679G06F11/1016G06F12/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,766,974
App. No.
14/547,412
Granted
Sep 19, 2017
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present invention provides a data-storage device including a flash memory and a controller. The flash memory includes a plurality of blocks, and each of the blocks has a plurality of pages, wherein each of the pages has a plurality of sub-pages and a plurality of spare areas, each of the spare areas is arranged to store a spare data sector, and the spare data sector respectively corresponds to the sub-pages. The controller is arranged to access the sub-pages according to the spare data sector.

Claims (15)

1. A data-storage device, comprising:

a flash memory, comprising a plurality of blocks, and each of the blocks has a plurality of pages, wherein each of the pages has a plurality of sub-pages and a plurality of spare areas, each of the spare areas is arranged to store a spare data sector, and each of the spare data sectors corresponds to one of the sub-pages; and

a controller, arranged to access the sub-pages according to the spare data sectors,

wherein the minimum access unit of the flash memory is the sub-page, each of the spare data sectors comprises a metadata arranged to record the information of the corresponding sub-page and an ECC parity of the metadata, and each of the sub-pages comprises a data area and an ECC parity of the data area, wherein the metadata includes properties of data in the blocks, wherein the properties include a mapping relationship of the physical sub-pages and the logical sub-pages, wherein one of the sub-pages is directly accessed by an access command of the flash memory, and wherein when the data-storage device is powered on, the controller reads data from at least one predetermined page stored in the flash memory for obtaining sizes of the blocks, pages, and sub-pages based on different access modes.

2. The data-storage device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the spare areas and the sub-pages are arranged in a staggered arrangement in the page.

3. The data-storage device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein all of the spare areas of one of the pages are arranged on the front of the page or in the back of the page.

4. A data-accessing method, applied to a data-storage device, wherein the data-storage device comprises a flash memory, the flash memory comprises a plurality of blocks, each of the blocks comprises a plurality of pages, each of the pages comprises a plurality of sub-pages, and the data-accessing method comprises:

receiving an access command arranged to access a first sub-page of the sub-pages, wherein each of the pages further comprises a plurality of spare areas, each of the spare areas is arranged to store a spare data sector, and each of the spare data sectors corresponds to one of the sub-pages; and

accessing the first sub-page according to the spare data sector corresponding to the first sub-page,

wherein the minimum access unit of the flash memory is the sub-page, each of the spare data sectors comprises a metadata arranged to record the information of the corresponding sub-page and an ECC parity of the metadata, and each of the sub-pages comprises a data area and an ECC parity of the data area, wherein the metadata includes properties of data in the blocks, wherein the properties include a mapping relationship of the physical sub-pages and the logical sub-pages, wherein one of the sub-pages is directly accessed by an access command of the flash memory, and wherein when the data-storage device is powered on, the controller reads data from at least one predetermined page stored in the flash memory for obtaining sizes of the blocks, pages, and sub-pages based on different access modes.

5. The data-accessing method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the metadata is arranged to record the information of the corresponding sub-page.

6. The data-accessing method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the step of accessing the first sub-page further comprises correcting at least one of error bit of the metadata according to the ECC parity.

7. The data-accessing method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the step of accessing the first sub-page further comprises correcting at least one error bit of the sub-pages according to the ECC parity.

8. The data-accessing method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the spare areas and the sub-pages are arranged in a staggered arrangement in the page.

9. The data-accessing method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein all of the spare areas of one of the pages are arranged on the front of the page or in the back of the page.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 19, 2014
From: HSIAO, LI-SHUO; CHENG, CHANG-KAI
To: SILICON MOTION, INC.
Reel/Frame 034208/0659 →
Priority Claims (1)
TW 102144357 A · Dec 4, 2013 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20150154071A1 · Jun 4, 2015