Granted Patent B2

US 8,799,607 · App. 13/080,944 · Granted Aug 5, 2014

Abstract

Claims (47)

1. In a system having a memory controller for accessing a main memory and a set of non-volatile memories, wherein each non-volatile memory of the set of non-volatile memories comprises a plurality of sectors in locations having a sequential order, wherein there is a predetermined number, K, of non-volatile memories in the set of non-volatile memories having a predetermined order beginning with a first non-volatile memory and ending with a last non-volatile memory, a method of operating the memory controller, comprising:

receiving a first command to write data from the main memory to the set of non-volatile memories, wherein the first command indicates a total number of sectors, N, into which the data is to be written;

when N is greater than K, and N is not an integer multiple of K,

identifying within the data a first grouping of the data that includes data corresponding to an integer multiple of K sectors,

identifying within the data a second grouping of remaining data that includes data not included in the first grouping of the data, and

generating a second command and at least one additional command from the first command, wherein the second command is to write the first grouping of data, and the at least one additional command is to write the second grouping of data;

executing the second command by writing the first grouping of data contemporaneously to sectors in each non-volatile memory of the set of non-volatile memories; and

executing the at least one additional command by writing the second grouping of data into the set of the non-volatile memories.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of identifying within the data the first grouping of data comprises determining if there is a portion of data for writing into the first non-volatile memory.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising executing the at least one additional command a time exclusive from a time of executing the second command.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least part of the remaining data is written to at least one sector having a location prior in sequence to the sectors into which the first grouping of data is written.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least part of the remaining data is written to at least one sector having a location subsequent in sequence to the sectors into which the first grouping of data is written.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of identifying the first grouping of the data comprises:

determining if a beginning of the data to be written is for writing into the first non-volatile memory; and

if the beginning of the data to be written is for writing into the first non-volatile memory, determining if the number of different sectors to be written is greater than or equal to the number of non-volatile memories in the set of non-volatile memories;

wherein, if the number of different sectors to be written is an integer multiple of the number of non-volatile memories in the set of non-volatile memories, then the data is the first grouping of data.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the step of identifying the second grouping of the remaining data further comprises:

if the number of different sectors to be written exceeds an integer multiple of the number of non-volatile memories in the set of non-volatile memories by an amount less than the number of non-volatile memories, then identifying the portion of the data that exceeds the integer multiple as belonging to the second grouping of data.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of identifying the first grouping of data further comprises:

if the beginning of the data to be written is not for writing into the first non-volatile memory, determining that any of the data to be written is to be written into the first non-volatile memory; and

if any of the data to be written is to be written into the first non-volatile memory, determining that the data to be written into the first non-volatile memory is at a location in which all of the non-volatile memories are to be written; and

if the data to be written in the first non-volatile memory is not at a location in which all of the non-volatile memories are to be written, waiting, not exceeding a predetermined time, for a command to write additional data to the set of non-volatile memories before executing the at least one additional command.

9. A method for accessing a number, K, of non-volatile memories, each of the non-volatile memories having a plurality of sectors, the method comprising:

receiving a first command to access the plurality of non-volatile memories for a data transfer of a predetermined number, N, of sectors;

determining whether N is an integer multiple of K;

when N is not an integer multiple of K and N is greater than K, reorganizing the first command into a second and at least one additional command, wherein execution of the second command will result in the data transfer of an integer multiple of K first sectors of the predetermined number, N, of sectors to or from the plurality of non-volatile memories concurrently in parallel, and execution of the at least one additional command will result in the data transfer of remaining sectors not included in the first sectors; and

executing the second command and the at least one additional command.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising determining that the predetermined number of sectors is greater than or equal to the number, K, of non-volatile memories in the plurality of non-volatile memories.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein receiving the first command to access the plurality of non-volatile memories for the data transfer further comprises the data transfer being a write operation of the plurality of non-volatile memories.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one additional command includes a third command, and execution of the third command will result in the data transfer of data into one or more sectors in locations prior in sequence or subsequent in sequence to the first sectors.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one additional command includes the third command and a fourth command, wherein execution of the third command will result in the data transfer of data into one or more sectors in locations prior in sequence to the first sectors, and execution of the fourth command will result in the data transfer of data into one or more sectors in locations subsequent in sequence to the first sectors.

14. A memory control system for use in a system having a main memory and a set of non-volatile memories, wherein each non-volatile memory of the set of non-volatile memories comprises a plurality of sectors in locations having a sequential order, wherein there is a predetermined number, K, of non-volatile memories in the set of non-volatile memories having a predetermined order beginning with a first non-volatile memory and ending with a last non-volatile memory, comprising:

memory means for receiving data from the main memory;

memory controller means for receiving a first command to write the data to the set of non-volatile memories, wherein the first command indicates a total number of sectors, N, into which the data is to be written;

identifying means for identifying, when N is greater than K, and N is not an integer multiple of K, a first grouping of the data that includes data corresponding to an integer multiple of K sectors, and identifying within the data a second grouping of remaining data that includes data not included in the first grouping of the data;

reorganizing means for reorganizing the first command into a second command and at least one additional command, wherein the second command is to write the first grouping of data, and the at least one additional command is to write the second grouping of data; and

writing means for executing the second command by writing the first grouping of data contemporaneously to sectors in each non-volatile memory of the set of non-volatile memories, and for executing the at least one additional command by writing the second grouping of data into the set of the non-volatile memories.

15. The memory control system of claim 14 , wherein the identifying means is further characterized as being for determining if there is a portion of data for writing into the first non-volatile memory.

16. The memory controller of claim 14 , wherein the writing means is further characterized as being for executing the at least one additional command at a time exclusive from at time of executing the second command.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

when N is less than K, executing the first command by writing the data sequentially to sectors in the set of non-volatile memories.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

when N is an integer multiple of K, executing the first command by writing the data contemporaneously to sectors in each non-volatile memory of the set of non-volatile memories.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:

determining whether a first sector identified in the first command corresponds to a starting boundary for interleaving.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein determining whether the first sector corresponds to the starting boundary for interleaving comprises:

determining whether the first sector corresponds to a sector in the first non-volatile memory.

Assignments (27)