IP Library Granted Patent US 12,386,552
Granted Patent B2
US 12,386,552 · App. 18/655,816 · Granted Aug 12, 2025

Operation method of universal flash storage host and operation method of universal flash storage system

Inventors: Youngjoon Jang (Hwaseong-si, KR); Minji Kim (Seoul, KR); Seungil Kim (Suwon-si, KR); Hyung-Kyun Byun (Yongin-si, KR)
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
G06F3/0656G06F3/0604G06F3/0679
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,386,552
App. No.
18/655,816
Granted
Aug 12, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An operation method of a universal flash storage (UFS) host configured to control a UFS device includes configuring a turbo write buffer of the UFS device; sending a first query request UFS protocol information unit (UPIU) including reconfiguration information about the turbo write buffer to the UFS device, during driving the UFS device; and receiving a first response UPIU associated with the first query request UPIU from the UFS device, wherein, the first query request UPIU is a request that causes a size of the turbo write buffer of the UFS device to be changed from a first size to a second size different from the first size.

Claims (47)

1. An operation method of a universal flash storage (UFS) host configured to control a UFS device including a write booster buffer and a user storage area, the method comprising:

sending a first query request UFS protocol information unit (UPIU) for reading hint information about reconfiguring the write booster buffer to the UFS device;

receiving a first response UPIU corresponding to the first query request UPIU from the UFS device;

sending a second query request UPIU for reconfiguring the write booster buffer to the UFS device;

receiving a second response UPIU corresponding to the second query request UPIU from the UFS device;

reconfiguring the write booster buffer based on the hint information obtained from the UFS device without a reset or an initialization of the UFS device;

sending a third query request UPIU checking a change status of the write booster buffer to the UFS device; and

receiving a third response UPIU corresponding to the third query request UPIU,

wherein a first memory cell corresponding to the write booster buffer is configured to store N-bit data, where N is a natural number, a second memory cell corresponding to the user storage area is configured to store M-bit data, where M is a positive integer greater than N, and a write booster buffer capacity adjustment factor field of at least one descriptor indicates information about M.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein reconfiguring the write booster buffer includes reconfiguring a size of the write booster buffer based on a field of at least one of a unit descriptor in the UFS device, a device descriptor in the UFS device, or a geometry descriptor in the UFS device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein reconfiguring the write booster buffer includes reconfiguring a size of the write booster buffer based on a field of attributes in the UFS device, the field including information about the hint information.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein checking the change status of the write booster buffer includes checking a field indicating a current write booster buffer size of attributes in the UFS device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hint information includes information about an available space of the write booster buffer of the UFS device.

6. The operation method of claim 1 , wherein a size of the user storage area increases or decreases as a size of the write booster buffer is changed by reconfiguring the write booster buffer.

7. A universal flash storage (UFS) device including descriptors, the UFS device comprising:

a nonvolatile memory including a write booster buffer area and a user storage area; and

a device controller configured to manage the nonvolatile memory through a logical unit and perform a write command provided from a UFS host, the device controller configured to,

receive a first query request UFS protocol information unit (UPIU) from the UFS host for reading hint information about reconfiguring a write booster buffer,

transmit a first response UPIU corresponding to the first query request UPIU to the UFS host,

receive a second query request UPIU from the UFS host for reconfiguring the write booster buffer,

transmit a second response UPIU corresponding to the second query request UPIU to the UFS host,

reconfigure the write booster buffer based on the hint information obtained from the UFS device without a reset or an initialization of the UFS device,

receive a third query request UPIU from the UFS host for checking a change status of the write booster buffer, and

transmit a third response UPIU corresponding to the third query request UPIU to the UFS host,

wherein a first memory cell corresponding to the write booster buffer is configured to store N-bit data, where N is a natural number, a second memory cell corresponding to the user storage area is configured to store M-bit data, where M is a positive integer greater than N, and a write booster buffer capacity adjustment factor field of at least one of the descriptors indicates information about M.

8. The UFS device of claim 7 , wherein the at least one of the descriptors includes at least one of a unit descriptor, a device descriptor, attributes of the UFS device, or a geometry descriptor.

9. The UFS device of claim 8 , wherein reconfiguring the write booster buffer includes reconfiguring a size of a write booster buffer by setting a field of attributes of the UFS device.

10. The UFS device of claim 8 , wherein the UFS device is configured to reconfigure a size of the write booster buffer by setting at least one of a write booster buffer allocation number field per logical unit of the unit descriptor, a shared write booster buffer allocation unit number field of the device descriptor, a current write booster buffer size field of the attributes, a write booster buffer maximum size field of the geometry descriptor, or a write booster buffer capacity adjustment factor field of the geometry descriptor.

11. The UFS device of claim 7 , wherein the UFS device is configured to set information about a current size of the write booster buffer at a current write booster buffer size field of attributes of the UFS device.

12. The operation method of claim 6 , wherein a size of the user storage area increases or decreases as a size of the write booster buffer is changed by reconfiguring the write booster buffer.

13. An operation method of a universal flash storage (UFS) system including a UFS host and a UFS device, the method comprising:

sending, by the UFS host, a first query request UFS protocol information unit (UPIU) to the UFS device;

sending, by the UFS device, a first query response UPIU including hint information about reconfiguring a write booster buffer of the UFS device to the UFS host in response to the first query request UPIU;

sending, by the UFS host, a second query request UPIU to the UFS device in response to the first query response UPIU;

reconfiguring, by the UFS device, the write booster buffer in response to the second query request UPIU without a reset or an initialization of the UFS device;

sending, by the UFS device, a second query response UPIU to the UFS host;

sending, by the UFS host, a third query request UPIU to the UFS device; and

sending, by the UFS device, a third query response UPIU including information about a change status of the write booster buffer to the UFS host,

wherein a first memory cell corresponding to the write booster buffer is configured to store N-bit data, where N is a natural number, a second memory cell corresponding to a user storage area is configured to store M-bit data, where M is a positive integer greater than N, and a write booster buffer capacity adjustment factor field of at least one descriptor indicates information about M.

14. The operation method of claim 13 , wherein the hint information includes information about an available space of the write booster buffer of the UFS device.

15. The operation method of claim 13 , wherein reconfiguring, by the UFS device, the write booster buffer includes:

changing, by the UFS device, a write booster buffer field of at least one of a unit descriptor in the UFS device, a device descriptor in the UFS device, or a geometry descriptor in the UFS device.

16. The operation method of claim 13 , wherein reconfiguring, by the UFS device, the write booster buffer includes changing a size, a type, or a mode of the write booster buffer.

17. The operation method of claim 13 , wherein the information about a change status of the write booster buffer includes a field indicating a current write booster buffer size of attributes of the UFS device.

18. The operation method of claim 13 , further comprising:

configuring, by the UFS host, the write booster buffer of the UFS device during an initialization of the UFS device.

19. The operation method of claim 13 , wherein a size of a user storage area of the UFS device increases or decreases as a size of the write booster buffer is changed by reconfiguring the write booster buffer.

Priority Claims (2)
KR 10-2021-0016934 · Feb 5, 2021 · national
KR 10-2021-0031915 · Mar 11, 2021 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation 17579665 · Jan 20, 2022
Related Publication 20240354029A1 · Oct 24, 2024
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